Archbishop Ambrose - the last true bishop

Ambrose (Ermakov)
(born 1970), Metropolitan of Tver and Kashinsky, head of the Tver Metropolis, member of the Inter-Council Presence and the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints of the Russian Orthodox Church in the World Vitaly Anatolyevich Ermakov, born June 15, 1970 in the village of Luzhki, Zheleznogorsk district, Kursk region in working family, Russian.

Since 1982, he carried out obediences in the churches of the Kursk and Oryol dioceses. After graduating from high school and serving in the army, he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary.

On April 7, 1994, he was tonsured a monk with a name in honor of St. Ambrose of Optina [1]. The tonsure was performed by the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, Bishop Filaret of Dmitrov, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

On May 29, 1994, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon by Bishop Philaret of Dmitrov in the Intercession Academic Church of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

In September of the same year, he was appointed regent of the newly formed academic choir of seminary and academy students.

On October 8 of the same year he was ordained to the rank of hieromonk by Bishop Stefan of Pinsk in the Intercession Academic Church of the Lavra.

In June 1995 he graduated from the seminary and in August of the same year he was enrolled in the 1st year of the academy. In June 1999, he graduated from the academy with a candidate of theology degree, having defended a dissertation in the Department of Patrology on the topic “The Soteriology of St. John Chrysostom.”

After graduating from the academy, he remained at Moscow theological schools as a teacher and director of the academic choir.

In August 2000, he was appointed vice-rector of pastoral courses, later transformed into the Sretensky Theological Seminary, at the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow and assigned to the brotherhood of the monastery. While staying at the monastery, he performed obedience to the dean of the monastery and the regent of the festive monastery choir.

In 2003, he completed training at the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation under the program “Fundamentals of State-Church Relations.”

On June 3, 2004, he was elevated to the rank of abbot by Archbishop Alexy (Frolov) of Orekhovo-Zuevsky in the cathedral church of the Sretensky Monastery.

On December 24 of the same year, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was determined to be Bishop of Prokopyevsk, vicar of the Kemerovo diocese.

On December 28, 2004, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by Patriarch Alexy II in the cathedral church of the Sretensky Monastery.

On March 25, 2005, he was named, and on March 26, he was consecrated Bishop of Prokopyevsk, vicar of the Kemerovo diocese.
The ordination in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior was led by Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. Concelebrating with him were: Metropolitans of Krutitsky and Kolomna Yuvenaly (Poyarkov), Kaluga and Borovsky Kliment (Kapalin), Archbishops of Istrinsky Arseny (Epifanov), Penza and Kuznetsk Filaret (Karagodin), Kursk and Rylsky Herman (Moralin), Vologda and Veliky Ustyug Maximilian (Lazarenko) , Tomsk and Asinovsky Rostislav (Devyatov), ​​Vereisky Evgeniy (Reshetnikov), Orekhovo-Zuevsky Alexy (Frolov), bishops of Krasnogorsk Savva (Volkov), Zaraisky Mercury (Ivanov), Dmitrovsky Alexander (Agrikov), Sergiev Posadsky Feognost (Guzikov), Lyubertsy Veniamin (Zaritsky), Saratov and Volsky Longin (Korchagin), Alatyrsky Savvaty (Antonov) [2]. On July 19, 2006, he was appointed Bishop of Bronnitsky, vicar of the Moscow diocese, [3].

On July 26 of the same year, he was appointed rector of the Moscow Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist on Presnya.

On October 6, 2008, he was appointed Bishop of Gatchina, vicar of the St. Petersburg diocese and rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary.

Since July 27, 2009 - member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On March 12, 2013, he was appointed Bishop of Peterhof, vicar of the St. Petersburg diocese [4].

On February 1, 2014, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior [5].

On October 22, 2015, he was included in the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints [6].

On July 14, 2021, he was appointed Archbishop of Vereisky, vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', relieved of the post of rector of St. Petersburg theological schools with an expression of gratitude for worthy service in this position and appointed rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary.

On July 9, 2021, he was appointed acting rector of Sretensky Theological Seminary, maintaining his previous obediences [7].

On August 30 of the same year, he was confirmed as the rector of the Sretensky Theological Seminary and appointed abbot of the Moscow Sretensky Stavropegic Monastery, with his release from the rectorship at the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary [8].

On November 26, 2021, he was summoned to a meeting of the Supreme Church Council [9].

On August 25, 2021, he was appointed ruling bishop of the Tver See and head of the Tver Metropolis with the release from the posts of the abbot of the Sretensky Monastery and the rector of the Sretensky Theological Seminary [10]. On August 28 of the same year, in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' was elevated to the rank of metropolitan [11].

Ambrose Ermakov left the Komsomol for the theological seminary

June 15, 1970

birthday of Vitaly Anatolyevich Ermakov

Vitaly Anatolyevich Ermakov was born on June 15, 1970 in the village of Luzhki, Kursk region. The boy grew up in a single-parent family. Dad left when the boy was four years old. He was brought up in the Soviet system: he was a member of the Pioneer and Komsomol organizations.

The future Archbishop Ambrose entered the Church from a young age, thanks to his distant relative, who was like a grandmother to him. She gave her grandson his first impression of the Orthodox Church, of God, and of prayer.

The boy felt a sense of loneliness among his peers because there were no believers in his city. He had to go with the flow and not stand out from the crowd. He did not perceive the Soviet regime as an ideology; for him it was a way to realize his energy in good deeds through the pioneer organization.

Archbishop of Peterhof Ambrose

Vitaly Anatolyevich often visited the church in the settlement and became a sexton for Archbishop Innocent. Rumors about the believing boy began to spread throughout the city. Therefore, he continued his worship in a church in the Oryol region.

On Sundays and church holidays he had to travel seventy kilometers. In this temple he was appointed to direct the choir. After some time, the boy was found again and given a choice.

He left his Komsomol card and went to study at a theological seminary. They offered to take him back and lured him with lucrative offers. But he insisted on his choice, despite all the obstacles he had to face.

AMBROSIY

[Ambrosius] (Pappa-Georgopoli Amiraeus, Greek Πάππα-Γεωργοπόλοι ̓Αμοιραίας; 1791, the village of Maistra near the city of Enos (modern Enez), Turkey - 10/30/1863, Tsilli, Austria Ia (modern Celje, Republic of Slovenia) ), Old Believer Metropolitan. (see Old Believers), founder of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy. Son of a priest George from ancient Greek. priestly kind. In 1811, after graduating from theological school, A. Pappa-Georgopoli was ordained a priest - the 23rd in his family - by Metropolitan Enos. Matthew. After the death of his wife in 1817, he became a monk and was rector of the Trinity Monastery on Khalki Island, after 1827.

Ambrose (Pappa-Georgopoli), Metropolitan. Belokrinitsky hierarchy. 90s XIX century (State Historical Museum) Ambrose (Pappa-Georgopoli), Met. Belokrinitsky hierarchy. 90s XIX century (GIM) protosyncellus Great c. In 1835, when Metropolitan of Bosno-Sarajevo died. Benjamin, K-Polish Patriarch Gregory VI A. was ordained to the Bosno-Sarajevo See. In 1840, A. supported the Bosnian uprising against the Turks. ruler in Sarajevo (Turkish: Bosna-Saray). The uprising was suppressed, but the Metropolitan, on his own behalf and on behalf of the people, sent a complaint to Istanbul about the oppression committed by the Turks. officials. A.'s complaint was satisfied, and a new governor was sent to Bosnia. A.’s behavior was so inconsistent with the established popular idea of ​​the Greek. bishops, who usually acted in full agreement with the tour. authorities that a legend arose about the Bulgarian. the origin of A., reflected in the “Chronicle of Bosnia”. (This legend was developed by the Old Believer monk Pavel (Velikodvorsky), who came up with a worldly name for A. and others - Andrei (since the name Amirei is not in the calendar) - and Slavicized the hierarch's surname - Poppovich.) Irritated by A.'s actions, the tour. The ruler of Sarajevo convinced several. rich merchants wrote a denunciation against A. to the Polish Patriarch, in whom, in particular, it was reported that the Metropolitan supported the anti-tour. insurrection. The new K-Polish Patriarch Anfim IV, fearing a possible conflict with the tour. officials, 12 Sep. In 1840, by his order, he recalled A. to K-pol, where the latter was able to go only on December 27. 1841, because he spent some time in Sarajevo prison as an insolvent debtor. In the K-field A. among other placeless Greek. the archpriests had to, receiving a small pension, wait for a new appointment to the department; A.'s position was complicated by the fact that next to him was his son George and his family, who had no means of subsistence. Since the Polish Patriarchs who succeeded each other at the see did not assign A. to the diocese, the former. The Metropolitan of Bosno-Sarajevo felt unfairly offended.

In these circumstances, envoys from Belaya Krinitsa, Old Believer monks Pavel (Velikodvorsky) and Alimpiy (Miloradov) turned to A. to persuade A. to convert to the Old Believers and create an Old Believer hierarchy. The meeting, organized by O. S. Ganchar, ataman of the Nekrasovites, marked the end of the Old Believers’ unsuccessful search for their own bishop, which had lasted almost a century and a half. George was the first to agree with the arguments of Paul and Alimpy and convinced his father to listen to the Old Believer envoys, but A. had to be persuaded quite long and persistently. A. knew nothing about Russian. schism, the Old Believers did not warn that upon arrival in Bukovina A. would have to undergo joining the Old Believers as a heretic, A. only explained that “it will be necessary to accept a spiritual father from among our priests and that the confessor will offer what is necessary for joining the church according to the rules of St. father and what must be fulfilled without any contradiction” (Quoted from: Subbotin. History of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy. P. 380). After interviews conducted with the help of Serbian translator K. Ognjanovic, April 15-16. In 1846, an agreement was concluded, according to which A. had to “live in Belaya Krinitsa on the entire monastic allowance,” a certain monetary allowance was offered to his son George. On the part of the metropolitan, an obligation was given to “enter the Old Believer religion as the supreme shepherd over all spiritual and worldly people who are in the Old Believer religion, initiate church accession and appoint another bishop as his vicar” (Ibid. pp. 395-400).

A month later, with the passport of a Nekrasov Cossack, A. set off on a journey full of difficulties to Vienna, where he arrived on June 28, 1846. In the capital, A. was introduced to the imp. Ferdinand I. Along with the request for the provision of Austria. citizenship and permission to take up the post of supreme shepherd of the Old Believer communities, A. presented to the emperor his commissioned letter, issued by the Patriarchal Chancellery, a note allowing A. to serve the liturgy in one of the Polish churches (the note proved that A. was not defrocked and was not under prohibition), and a paper signed by A. and Pavel (Velikodvorsky), certifying that the metropolitan would be dependent on the monastery, without requiring government funds. The emperor “reassured that, according to the information, all possible satisfaction for himself and the Old Believers would be achieved” (Quoted from: Markov, p. 254). Austrian state The office sent an order to the emperor. Ambassador in Istanbul gr. V. Sturmer to collect information through diplomatic channels about the personality and activities of the former. Bosnian Metropolitan, 3 reports received on Dec. 1846

Previously, Pavel, with intense requests, obtained permission to go to the Belokrinitsky Monastery and there await a final answer from the state. office. A. arrived in Belaya Krinitsa on October 12. 1846 and was received with extraordinary solemnity. 15 Nov 1846 imp. The court chancellery informed the Galician land-governor's office in writing that A. was allowed to arrive in Bukovina and perform the functions of an ordaining bishop there, in accordance with the Imperial Order of September 18. 1844, the Crimea approved the existence of the Belokrinitsky Old Believer (“Lipovan”) monastery and the Old Believers were allowed to bring a bishop from abroad. On March 3, 1847, A. was granted to the Austrians. citizenship.

Meanwhile, it’s already 28 (according to other sources, 29) Oct. In 1846, A. joined the Old Believers. This was preceded by an active discussion among the Old Believers about the issue of receiving the rank. Pavel (Velikodvorsky) believed that the reception should be accomplished by the third rite (cf. Joining Orthodoxy, rank), that is, through renunciation of heresies and Repentance. He pursued this idea in his writings, a significant part of which were articles “on models for accepting the priesthood from the Nikonians and modern Greeks.” Foreign Old Believers insisted on being accepted into the second rank - through renunciation of heresies and Confirmation, just as fugitives from the Orthodox Church were accepted into the Old Believers. Church priests (see Beglopopovtsy). The practice of receiving clergy into their existing rank through Confirmation, which contradicts the meaning of the sacrament of the Priesthood, aroused objections from the Old Believers themselves, in particular, the monk Nicodemus spoke out against it at the Old Believer Council, which was held at the Rogozhskoe cemetery in Moscow in 1779 (then the majority spoke in favor of repeating Confirmation over the clergy , who came from the Orthodox Church). The Old Believer Cathedral, which opened on October 27, was devoted to the issue of the reception of A. 1846, “Conciliar Act” was compiled by Pavel (Velikodvorsky). After heated debates, the question of accepting A. as a second rank was decided in the affirmative. A., having listened to the deputies sent to him, agreed to join the Old Believers through renunciation of heresies and Confirmation. Before the liturgy, in full holy vestments, A. read the rite of the curse of heresies - “translated into Greek letters, and the pronunciation of the words in Russian” (Quoted from: Yudin. P. 481), confessed to the Old Believer priest. Jerome (despite the fact that A. did not know the Russian language, and Jerome knew Greek), Jerome anointed A. with myrrh. In Oct.-Nov. 1846 A. ordained several. Old Believer deacons and priests, January 18. 1847 A. alone appointed bishop of the village. Mainos (Turkey) of the vicar of the Belokrinitsky Metropolis, clerk (statutor) Kiprian Timofeev, who received the name Kirill in tonsure, ordained A. December 25. 1846 deacon, January 1st. 1847 ordained as a priest. On Dec. 1847 A. and Kirill were appointed bishop of Slava. Arkady (Dorofeev) for tour. Old Believers, as well as 5 priests and 3 hierodeacons.

A.'s disappearance from the K-field caused concern in both the Patriarchate and the official. tour. circles, as evidenced by the reports of the Austrian. ambassador to Turkey. Assuming that A. could flee to Austria, the K-Polish Patriarch Anfim VI sent several. messages (dated 11, 14 Oct., 5 Nov. 1846, 12 March 1847) to Karlovac Serb. Metropolitan Joseph (Rajacic) - the First Hierarch of all Orthodox Christians living on the territory of Austria, in whom he notified about A.’s unauthorized departure from Istanbul, about A.’s impossibility of performing hierarchal service in Austria and asked for the help of the Karlovac Metropolitan in finding A. and returning him to the fold K-Polish Church. Reply from Metropolitan Joseph did not follow. Rus. The government became aware of the appearance of a bishop among the Old Believers and the ordinations he performed after the arrest on May 28, 1847 of the rector of the Belokrinitsky Monastery, Gerontius, who, using a false passport, came to the Old Believers in Moscow with a report on the events in Belaya Krinitsa and to raise funds. The Russian government demanded the removal of A. from the Belokrinitsky monastery, the Holy Governing Synod of the Russian Church addressed a canonical message to the K-Polish Patriarch, asking him to take measures for the return of A. or subject him to church condemnation. Aug 20 1847, through the Russian embassy in Vienna, Patriarch Anfim VI sent another message to Metropolitan Karlovac. Joseph and at the same time - an appeal to A. The messages said that A. had committed canonical crimes by falling away from the Church and performing hierarchal ceremonies, including ordination, without the permission of his First Hierarch. (With these actions, A. violated the 34th and 35th rules of the holy apostles, 15th rights. I Ecumenical, 13, 16, 22nd rules of Antioch., 5th rights. IV Ecumenical.) The Patriarch again asked for mediation Metropolitan of Karlovac in the return of A. and threatened to depose A. if he persisted. Metropolitan Joseph did not want to search for his ex. Bosnian Metropolitan, as reported in a letter to Patriarch Anfim VI dated February 25. 1848

At the same time in Austria state The office through the Russian embassy in Vienna received increasingly decisive statements from Russian officials. persons in connection with the activities of A. and the Old Believer metropolis established by him. Extreme dissatisfaction of the highest Russian circles and the demand of the Russian imp. Nicholas I Pavlovich on Dec. In 1847, the closure of the Belokrinitsky Monastery was threatened with a severance of diplomatic relations; the current foreign policy situation required the removal of A. from among the Old Believers. 13 Dec 1847 Austria authorities A. was summoned from Belaya Krinitsa to Lvov, from there he was transported to Vienna, where the Old Believer Metropolitan had to answer 9 questions, in which the charges brought against him were formulated. A. named the reasons for his flight from Istanbul to Belaya Krinitsa as the injustices committed against him by the K-Polish Patriarchs, and the prayer of the people (Old Believers) to occupy the empty cathedra. A. was not allowed to return to Bukovina; Tsilli was chosen as his place of residence. The revolution of 1848, the consequence of which was the promise of Austria. imp. Ferdinand to give a constitution, and with it freedom of religion, allowed A. to appeal to the government with a request to leave him with his son’s family in Vienna or Budapest, but on June 23, 1848, the Austrian. The Minister of the Interior responded that A. “is to blame for the difficulties of the Austrian government due to the lipovan relationship with Russia,” and therefore “he is obliged to agree to the determination of his place of stay” (Quoted in: Kramer, p. 123).

In Tsilli, A. lived alone, communicating only with his son’s family. Occasionally he was visited by Old Believers from Belaya Krinitsa and Russia - Pavel, Jerome, Bishop Brailovsky. Onuphry. Bishop of Tulchin Justin, Herod. Ippolit consulted with A. regarding the division of the Old Believers caused by the “District Epistle” (1862). N.I. Subbotin published the correspondence of those years (Correspondence of schismatic figures. Issue 2).

A. was buried by his son George in Greek. cemetery in Trieste (modern Italy), the funeral service in absentia was performed by the Old Believer bishop. Kirill in Belaya Krinitsa. On May 21, 2000, A.’s remains were transferred to the Intercession Cathedral Church of the Old Believer Metropolis in Braila (Romania). At the World Council of Old Believers of the Belokrinitsky Concord in November. 1996 A. was canonized, his memory is celebrated by the Old Believer Church on November 12. n. Art.

Source: Skenderova St. Chronicle of Bosnia, 1825-1856 // Zap. RGS. St. Petersburg, 1859. Book. 13; A new, important document for the history of the schismatic false hierarchy about Ambrose // TsV. 1876. No. 16. P. 1-4; [Letters from A.] // Correspondence of schismatic leaders / Ed. N. I. Subbotin. M., 1876. Issue. 1; 1889. 2nd issue; Another legend about the establishment and the first years of the existence of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy // Brotherly Word. 1891. No. 14. P. 300-315; Yudin A.L. Act of the Belokrinitsky Cathedral in 1846 // RS. 1894. No. 1. P. 181-196; Kramer M. Foundation of the Old Believer metropolis in Bukovina and the stay of Metropolitan Ambrose in Austria // Spiritual answers. M., 1998. No. 9. P. 80-131; Kostroma Old Believer. 2000. No. 5 (31).

Lit.: Subbotin N.I. History of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy. M., 1874; aka. The origin of the so-called Austrian and Belokrinitsky hierarchy that currently exists among the Old Believers. M., 1874; aka. Materials for the history of the so-called Austrian, or Belokrinitsky, hierarchy. M., 1897; aka. The history of the so-called Austrian, or Belokrinitsky, priesthood. M., 1899. 3rd issue; aka. A note about the founders of Belaya Krinitsa. M., 1901; Osip Semenovich Ganchar, ataman of the Nekrasovites (1796-1879) // RS. 1883. T. 38. P. 175-192; Markov S. A brief historical sketch of the Austrian priesthood. Kaluga, 1885; Ivanovsky N. A guide to the history and exposure of the Old Believer schism with the addition of information about rationalistic and mystical sects. Kaz., 1886. Issue. 1. pp. 162-176; 1887. Issue. 2. P. 97-108; Smirnov P.S. Historical sketch of priesthood // Missionary collection. 1893. No. 1-3, 5; The second trip to the East, undertaken to study Met. Ambrose in 1892, and the results of this trip // Brotherly Word. 1893. No. 1-3. pp. 68-92, 146-176, 227-250; Chashchina L.F. Russian Old Believer emigration in Austria and the revolution of 1848 // VI. 1982. No. 8. P. 177-181; Arseny (Shvetsov), bishop. Ural. The truth of the Old Believer hierarchy against the accusations leveled against it. M., 1996; Melnikov F. E. Brief history of the Old Orthodox (Old Believer) Church. Barnaul, 1999. pp. 205-242.

E. A . Ageeva

Bishop Ambrose of Peterhof received permission to take monastic vows

Since 1982, Archbishop Ambrose studied at the Moscow Theological Seminary. He wanted to become a monk, but did not want to live in a monastery. Ambrose Ermakov watched as his classmates took monastic vows. But only in my third year I decided to ask Father Kirill’s blessing for tonsure.

His fear of living in a monastery resolved itself. When he studied at MDAiS, he carried out monastic obediences, but not so strict. After tonsure on April 7, 1994, he received the name of St. Ambrose of Optina. In the same year, he became regent of the academic choir and received the rank of hierodeacon, and then the rank of hieromonk.

April 7, 1994

on this day Vitaly Ermakov took monastic vows and received the name Ambrose

After graduating from the seminary in 1995, Ambrose Ermakov entered the Moscow Theological Academy. He completed his studies in 1999 and received a candidate's degree in theology. After completing his studies at the academy, he became a teacher in theological schools.

In 2000, he was appointed vice-rector of courses for pastors at the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow.

In 2003, he studied at the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, majoring in “Fundamentals of State-Church Relations.”

On June 3, 2004, the vicar of the Moscow diocese elevated him to the rank of abbot.

On December 28, 2004, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II elevated Ambrose Ermakov to the rank of Archimandrite.

On October 6, 2008, by decision of the Holy Synod, Bishop Ambrose was appointed Bishop of Gatchina and rector of St. Petersburg theological schools.

On March 12, 2013, he received the ecclesiastical rank of Bishop of Peterhof.

In 2014 , he was awarded the Order of Friendship by the President of Russia. He received this award for conscientious service to the people and for participation in the public life of people.

On July 14 2018 , Ambrose Ermakov had the honor of becoming the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, by decree of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. He received this place for responsible leadership in St. Petersburg theological schools. He was appointed Archbishop of Verei.

Bishop Ambrose returned to the Moscow Theological Academy

Metropolitan Ambrose, three times rector of a theological university, talks about the difficulties of the Tver diocese

Metropolitan of Tver and Kashin Ambrose (Ermakov) is the guest of our “Conversation with the Editor-in-Chief” column. He just recently arrived at the Tver Metropolis (a new bishop was appointed to us at the end of August 2021).

Today we are talking about how he saw the state of affairs in Tver and the Tver region, and what he intends to do. But our main goal is to introduce the new metropolitan to the residents of the territory where, we hope, he will serve for many years.

– Vladyka, have you already managed to look around the Tver Metropolis?

“The sides here are too big to look around so quickly.” The day before, Bishop Paramon, Bishop of Naro-Fominsk, head of the financial and economic department of the Patriarchate, and I toured Tver churches, which are being restored under the federal program “Culture of Russia.” We toured only six temples, and it took the whole day, from morning until late evening. We visited the Trinity Church beyond the Volga, the Church of the Martyr Nikita, and stopped at the Nativity of Christ Monastery. Lord Paramon is a good business executive; he immediately sees construction flaws and repair defects. We have to spend all our days so intensely, now it is important to quickly get up to speed. In general, in Tver I immediately felt at home, it is so similar to St. Petersburg, which has almost become my home.

“You didn’t choose Me, I chose you”

– A routine question that must be asked: how did you come to the idea of ​​serving the church? Did you have a family tradition of Orthodoxy?

“There is no logical explanation for why I ended up in the church.” I can’t even objectively describe this path, especially its beginning. Here the words “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” fit very well.

When I first came to church, I was four years old, my mother and grandmother brought me. It was in the settlement of Mikhailovka, Zheleznogorsk district, Kursk region.

My mother was raised by a relative of her parents; my grandmother died during the war. And the relative who took her in was very pious. She was not a monk, but, in fact, was a nun. This woman’s aunt was a nun at the Polotsk monastery; she lived there for 30 years until the monastery was closed. With the blessing of the Glinsk elders, this nun Apollinaria, having returned to her homeland, began to spiritually care for the nearby villages, because the churches were closed and there were no priests.

So, as a child I was amazed that people sing and pray at the same time. I haven't seen anything like this since then. It was in Tver that I felt such communal singing and prayer in the small church “Inexhaustible Chalice” with Father Alexander Goryachev.

I don’t remember the nun Apollinaria; she died before I was born. But my named grandmothers adopted her piety from her; they were also essentially nuns. They lived very ascetically, never ate meat at all, and ate the simplest fish several times a year. They ate what they grew in the garden. I have never heard a word of condemnation from them about anyone.

On holidays, the believers of the village gathered at their home and tried to serve the all-night vigil themselves, using the priestless rite. People walked one by one, making their way through the vegetable gardens. And when I grew up, I began, in fact, to lead these services, being the most literate. Then I found myself at the choir in the settlement of Mikhailovka.

I was 11 years old when I was taken to the altar. Troubles started at school, and then our priest was recalled, transferred to Kursk, and I even ran to Kursk several times. There I discovered a new side of church life: a beautiful cathedral, professional singing of the church choir.

– That is, even if you were a schoolboy, but you saw persecution of the church? What was the threat to a Soviet schoolchild from singing in the choir and serving as an altar boy?

“At that time, my going to church threatened my mother with trouble. For the last two years of school, I went to a temple in the neighboring Oryol region. They immediately noticed me there, since there were few young people, and gave obedience in the altar and on the choir. By the way, there was my first meeting with Bishop Alexy (Konoplev), the then Metropolitan of Kalinin and Kashin. It was 1988, and with the blessing of Patriarch Pimen he headed the celebrations in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus' in Orel.

I really wanted to enter the Institute of Chemical Technology in Leningrad, I liked chemistry, and I believed that it was necessary to receive a secular higher education before entering the seminary. But during the final exams at school, I was exposed as a believer. It was 1987, but at that time there was still a wary attitude towards the church. I realized that they wouldn’t let me go to college.

Then came the army, and while I was in the army, a lot of things happened in our country. And the obstacles that I might have encountered when I went to seminary disappeared by themselves. After seminary, I calmly entered the Moscow Theological Academy, and before that I served obedience in the church in Kromy, Oryol diocese, for several years.

– What led you to monasticism?

– As for making the decision about monasticism, it seems to me that it came to me in childhood, when I listened to stories about the nun Apollinaria, whom I did not know. People considered her a saint.

The first time I saw a living monk was when I was twelve. The monk was walking down the street, and my believing peers explained to me that he was a monk and he was performing a great feat: then it was impossible to walk down the street in a hood and vestments. This monk was the current Metropolitan of Yaroslavl and Rostov, Vadim.

My tonsure was in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, at the relics of St. Sergius. In my third year at the seminary, having seen many tonsures in the monastery, I came to the point where I realized that if I didn’t cross it, I would stop in my development. Then I came to Peredelkino to see Father Kirill (Pavlov) and consulted with him. He blessed me for tonsure.

– From the very beginning, did you see your path as a learned theologian?

– Now it’s worth talking about academic monasticism, monks whose obedience includes teaching and educational work. The failure in theological science is now such that it takes decades to rise, although at the beginning of the twentieth century Russia was a leader in the field of church sciences.

I didn't have any goal. I wasn’t looking for anything myself, but I tried not to give up anything. At that time we did not make any plans: where they would be sent to serve, what would become of us. Then the competition for admission to the Moscow Theological Academy was very high: four and a half people per place. Many people with higher education came in a sincere desire to serve the church and change their lives. Everything went naturally, the body of the church grew with us.

What is more difficult to manage – a university or a territory?

– You were the rector of three higher educational institutions - theological academies in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Sretensky Theological Seminary. You probably won’t find this in secular circles. Is there a difference in the feelings of the rector and the person entrusted with managing the territory?

- Eat. It's a feeling of greater freedom of action. I was a student for eight years, served at the academy for a year, then served as vice-rector of the seminary for five years, then acting. rector of the Novokuznetsk Theological School, which has now become the Kuzbass Seminary, then ten years at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and then a year at the MDA and a year at the Sretensky Theological Seminary. Every academic year, it was as if I was starting to study all over again. And every year the same cycle went through again. It's psychologically very difficult. In secular educational institutions everything is somewhat different, but in a religious educational institution the rector must live the life of teachers and students. In my opinion, you cannot be a rector for more than five or six years.

– When you arrived in the Tver diocese, what did you, as a teacher, feel? During the Soviet years, Tver was very depleted of church life; there was only one functioning church in the entire city. Even the children were not baptized. In the 1990s there was a large call to the priesthood. Many of my friends, engineers, artists, rock musicians, journalists, then became priests. Now, after 25 years, they are old, faced with life’s adversities, and have health problems. The crisis of the clergy, in my opinion, is a very strong challenge for bishops, ecclesiastical education, and the entire Russian Orthodox Church. You told us how high the competition was for the MDA when you entered. And now there is no competition. What to do?

– When I was the rector of the St. Petersburg and Moscow Theological Academies, I did not feel this crisis, because I was in ideal conditions. I was in that youth environment that treats its choice with a degree of romance; these are searching, honest guys. I constantly ordained new priests and deacons.

Finding myself in the thick of real life, I now understand that I have to live and work with those who exist; I can’t find others.

Unfortunately, in the Tver diocese, full-time spiritual education in our classical educational institutions was not a priority. Perhaps then the quality of preaching, parish work, social activities, prayer and spiritual life in the Tver diocese would be completely different. And so far there is only one candidate of theology in the diocese, not counting me.

I am grateful to God that at one time I ended up in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. I then planted the seeds planted there everywhere. Even to St. Petersburg, they managed to transfer a lot from the MDA, and this was accepted, despite the eternal confrontation between St. Petersburg and Moscow.

I see that in the Tver diocese it is not easy for the clergy to respond to the challenges of our time. But I don’t think there is an urgent need to do anything drastic. The Church is an organism that lives according to its own laws, and interference in the process of this life may not help, but hinder. Of course, the process of some adjustment is still inevitable. We do not live separately from society, from the state. The Church is situated in the context of common life.

Why do people protest against temples?

– Now, among most of the intelligentsia, a benevolent attitude towards the church has been replaced by some kind of aggression. The mention that they are going to build a temple somewhere provokes a fierce reaction. We recently wrote how, on the outskirts of the village of Mamulino, an attempt to build a temple in the middle of a field with hogweed caused protests from the population, who certainly would not have been disturbed by this temple. Why does this happen and what to do about it?

– There are many reasons for this. But one should not discount the spiritual component of this process. The devil fights with God, and this battle goes through the hearts of people. It seems to me that our society has not passed the period of teenage rebellion. You probably know people who for some period of their lives were ardent persecutors of Christianity, and then changed their position. Is it possible to logically explain the things that are happening now in the West, the same story with cartoons. Why incite hatred?

An attack against a church is not an act against a specific priest or the church as an organization. This is real godlessness.

– For some reason, people think that any temple is built with public money, which could be used to build, for example, a hospital. And there is also an argument: they say, there are no people in the church anyway.

– The temple does not replace hospitals or schools. The construction of churches is carried out using extra-budgetary funds. Anyone who saw empty churches was probably not at a Sunday service or on a holiday. I also came to Tver University the other day, and there were no people there because of the pandemic. But this does not mean that they are not there at all. New churches in residential neighborhoods are simply necessary. It is possible to restore an ancient, beautiful temple in the countryside, but times have changed, life has left the village. Now life goes on where historically there were no churches.

– You inherited the construction of the Transfiguration Cathedral. This is a landmark project for Tver; the struggle to return its name to the city took place under the auspices of the revival of the Tver Spas. Then the local intelligentsia was sure: they would return the name, restore the cathedral, bring the Tver veche bell from Moscow, which Ivan III took, and life would get better. But the moment was missed, the cathedral began to be restored in a completely different spiritual atmosphere. Not everyone in Tver accepted his appearance. Many people do not like that it blocks the view of the route palace, although in the eighteenth century it was the palace that was attached to the cathedral, and not the cathedral to the palace. Now construction has stalled... What are the prospects for completing it?

– To be fair, I’ll say that people who come to Tver for the first time are surprised: why hasn’t the temple always stood here? Roofing work is currently underway in the cathedral; the apses will probably be dismantled because they are wet. I really hope that everything will be completed on time, and I pray about it.

Before the second wave of coronavirus began, I wrote a request to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to come and consecrate the temple in July 2021. According to initial plans, the consecration of the cathedral was supposed to take place this October.

But now we can only make plans very tentatively. The Lord showed us that we are not the leaders of history, but he is the most important engine of history, and we must trust him and listen to him and not declare in our pride what depends only on him. Especially in such a matter as the construction of a temple. The construction of a temple is incomparable to any worldly construction; God is at work here, and often little depends on the magnitude of the efforts made by man.

Orthodoxy and the pandemic

– The pandemic has caused great discord in the church environment. Among the priests and parishioners there were many COVID dissidents who denied the infection until they themselves got sick, and sometimes, even after being seriously ill, they continued to deny it. What is the situation in the Tver diocese now? Are there many sick people among the clergy?

– Indeed, there was a problem with the perception of this absolutely unusual situation, and not only in the church. Initially, no one could understand what was happening and how to react to it correctly.

The church had experience of persecution, but our generation did not have experience of epidemics. And our experience of persecution caused some to misunderstand the measures that were determined by Rospotrebnadzor.

When it was forbidden to go to church on Easter, especially in Moscow, some of the clergy and laity perceived this with confusion. It was very painful when on Easter we walked in a religious procession in the closed Sretensky Monastery, and three people stood behind closed gates with candles, happy that they could take part in the holiday in this way. But the measure was forced and necessary. I would not like to have to return to such measures again.

Now we must voluntarily observe all precautions. Masks, of course, do not provide a 100% guarantee; it is better to use respirators, which, for example, are made here in Kimry.

Unfortunately, several people fell ill in the Staritsky monastery, and in the Kashin monastery too. Several of our clergy are sick. I am in touch with most of them, asking the Lord every day for their recovery.

In general, how this virus affects each individual person is a mystery. I constantly keep in touch with specialists, and one of them, located in the epi.

– Our believers have this childish habit of kissing everything, as if kissing an icon or the hands of a priest is such an important religious act.

– I don’t do this on purpose now. We put away the holiday icon, I simply bow to the shrines so that people can see that I also observe everything.

About the Russian language in worship and other reasons for division

– You are a conservative person when it comes to worship. How do you see the fate of the Tver parish, where services are held in Russian?

– As for the views and liturgical practice of Father Georgy Kochetkov, this issue is being considered by the commission of the inter-council presence. There will be some definition of our hierarchy, because we are talking not only and not so much about the Russian language. Decisions on such issues must be made at the church-wide level.

At the last diocesan meeting in Moscow, His Holiness the Patriarch gave the parishes the opportunity to choose the language for reading the proverbs, the apostolic conception and the gospel. I’ll tell you from my own experience: when we held a meeting in one of the Moscow parishes, 99% of the parishioners spoke out against it.

We need to check the level of translations into Russian, what it is. I myself have not dealt with this issue and I admit that there may be explanatory prayer books or translations of the texts of unchangeable and changeable chants.

I myself will not serve in Russian, but if somewhere, in some diocese or community, they serve and this does not cause opposition from the community itself, this is the choice of the community. It is important that there are no oppositions, confrontations, there is peace.

- Oh, now there is such a height of tension in society that just let them quarrel over something. To wear or not to wear masks, whether to disinfect the communion spoon...

– When the pandemic began, there were many opponents of precautions during communion. I then decided to provide a choice. For example, six cups were brought out for communion, three with precautions, three as usual. The main thing, I emphasized, is that parishioners choosing a cup should not reproach each other: we are more believers, and you are less. At first, fewer people approached the bowls where the measures were applied. And then more and more people began to approach the bowls where the spoon was being disinfected. The Eucharist is always a mystery and a miracle. Measures are needed for people's peace of mind. We all need to treat each other with love and understanding.

Returning to the question of the Russian language of worship. Language has now become a cause for division. The problem here is not even the language, but the extent to which these “communities” live church life and do not create their own pyramid, alien to the church, fixated on the individual. But this judgment should not be made at my level.

Even when there is disagreement, the discussion should proceed in a Christian, friendly manner. Initially, the idea of ​​​​the liturgical Russian language did not arise among the renovationists; on the contrary, they were opponents of the Russian language. The introduction of the Russian language in worship was discussed at the council in 1918; it was proposed for missionary purposes.

– There is a lot of talk about the building of the Suvorov School, where before the revolution there was a theological seminary. Do you, an experienced educational organizer, have any plans to open an educational institution for the clergy in Tver?

– I’ll be honest: now we won’t be able to support the seminary either financially or intellectually. We do not have enough teachers for the seminary. In fairness, the seminary building should be given to the church, but in Russia there is no law on restitution, on the return of property to pre-revolutionary owners. Although in other countries the Orthodox Church, having received its property back, rents it out, for example, and uses the proceeds for educational and cultural purposes.

We don’t have that many applicants, we don’t have enough teachers, we don’t have educators, because most of the priests in our diocese did not study full-time.

Education is a very expensive and difficult process. These are salaries, utility bills, scientific works for which money needs to be allocated. The seminary is a home where everything should be dignified and beautiful. We need to be realistic.

– You canceled a number of high-profile decrees of your predecessor, Metropolitan Savva (Mikheev), who tried to somehow disrupt the status quo that had developed in the diocese for 30 years.

“Everything is not just black and white; we need to understand where there is more benefit for the church and where there is more harm for the church.”

In the first days in the Tver region, I held many meetings and I will say that we have a very big problem with personnel. I weigh where there is more benefit. Unfortunately, we have to put up with many things, young enlightened priests have not yet grown up, we need to work with those who exist. We have many wonderful clergy.

– Basically, the people in our Tver diocese, as well as in the entire Tver region, are good, but complex, each with their own character, and can sometimes cause scandals.

– I understand this very well, it’s not new, we’ve been through it. Let us bear each other's burdens.

– Vladyka, we all, both priests and laity, hope that you will stay with us for a long time.

“I look forward to serving here as long as I can.” And then as God wills.

- Thank you.

Interviewed by Maria Orlova

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Archbishop Ambrose’s significant contribution to the spiritual life of students

Bishop Ambrose restored people's faith in the Church. Ambrose Ermakov's sermons were distinguished by their peaceful style. The word “love” is used more often in them than in other clergy. He tried to smooth out conflicts.

Over the ten years of his rectorship, St. Petersburg Academy has transformed: educational ratings and student living conditions have improved. He never expelled women from the temple who came in trousers and without a headdress.

Archbishop of Peterhof Ambrose Ermakov helped his students with kind words and money from his personal funds. I paid for people's surgeries. He gave forgiveness for sins that other priests did not forgive. And if he himself was wrong, he apologized.

He was always with people at liturgies, prayers and communions. Everyone around him was inspired by him and found the strength to be real. He eradicated denunciation, tyranny, and servanthood within the walls of the academy. He tried to spread a caring and friendly atmosphere. People consider him the last true bishop.

Bishop Ambrose of Gatchina with his students in France

Bishop Ambrose of Peterhof addressed the graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy with inspiring parting speeches, here are some of them:

Ambrose of Peterhof

Bishop

“On the path of serving the Church, many truly happy moments await you, but there will also be many bad ones - both inside the church fence and outside it,” said the rector. – Life will more than once put you in such circumstances when you have to choose between “to be” and “to appear,” “to have” and “to give,” “to speak” and “to remain silent.”

Looking at our not always ideal reality of life in the Church, one involuntarily asks the question: where is the line when all that remains from tracking a priest is a name and a shell developed over the years, inside which a businessman or politician already lives?

Whatever high or low, warm or difficult service Providence may call you to, remember that you are not managers, accountants or foremen, you are knights of Truth.”

“Your service is service to people,” the bishop continued. – You always need to treat people in a humane manner. No amount of fatigue after many demands, fatigue from paying bills for light in the temple, irritation at a poorly singing choir can ever justify you for a rude word addressed to a person who came to the temple.

Rich or poor, dressed in an expensive suit or in rags - he deserves basic respect from you. If you can’t give him hope for the future, consolation in grief or cast-offs, he deserves basic respect from you.

If you can’t give him hope for the future, consolation in grief or sincere participation in joy, give him what everyone in a civilized society can do – respect for the individual. Give them what is so easy to give - your prayer.”

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Achilles

Views: 5,824

From an anonymous seminarian.

***

I would like to share with the readers of Achilles the experiences of the monastery of living Christianity - the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.

At the last Synod, Patriarch Kirill, together with his devoted friends, who had already pumped up the muscles of their jaws in eternal assent and supporting the brilliant proposals of the caring father of the primate, decided to transfer the rector of the Academy, Archbishop Ambrose (Ermakov), to the Moscow Theological Academy. A 33-year-old patriarchal favorite, Bishop Seraphim (Amelchenkov), is sent to replace him, but this name will no longer appear in this story.

The story will be about a man who is rightfully called an archpastor and father. Let’s omit the clericalism, official addresses, the loud cries of the abbots from the pulpits, which sound throughout holy Rus' every day: “Your Eminence, Your Eminence, Your Holiness, our dear father...”, forming a choir of completely different priests - be they hostages of servility and protocol or real sycophants . Among those to whom these words are addressed, there is one who deserves them. Near whom they do not sound dry and official is Archbishop Ambrose.

I have evidence for all my statements. Remember the situation with the transfer of St. Isaac's Cathedral last winter. St. Petersburg residents formed a tight ring around the cathedral, protecting it from the hands of the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Barsanuphius was then afraid to serve there and sent his vicar to take the blow. Considering the hatred towards the Russian Orthodox Church and its bearded representatives hanging in the air at that time, there was no hope for any positive development of events.

And then the service took place. A representative of the Church ascended to the pulpit and began to speak. Saying what bishops usually don’t say. He spoke about true love, about forgiveness, and immediately apologized for those church representatives and officials who insulted people in their mad arrogance and desire to take the cathedral. He spoke about peace and called for dialogue. The conflict that was hanging hot in the air has dropped in degree.

That evening, all the media wrote about peace, love and forgiveness. People believed the Church a little, which seems like an impossible task in our time. I remember the telling ending to one of the Fontanka articles. The correspondent compared the sermons of Bishop Ambrose and Barsanuphius that day: “In Ambrose’s sermon, the word love was heard 32 times, in Barsanuphius – not a single one.”

Some may not find deep sermons convincing, so I will move on to more intimate aspects of the life of our dear Bishop. There are a lot of examples of his “realness”; I can write about them tirelessly. But it is not pious stories that convince people, but facts.

For example, the fact of what the Academy has become during the 10 years of his rectorship. And I’m not talking now about educational ratings and living conditions of students, we are unconditionally the best in this. I'm talking about the inner life. 400 students, a huge number of parishioners, employees, people from the city formed a powerful community of people who believe in Christ called the “academic family.” A family imbued with Christian love for each other and the whole world. A woman without a headscarf and wearing jeans will never be kicked out of an academic church; assistants on duty will never set up students, as in many seminaries, snitching remains at the level of rumors that, they say, we have snitches.

Vladyka Ambrose personally participated in the life of every person, especially students. Many guys received financial assistance from his personal funds. He paid for expensive operations for many people. Forgave. For different things. Even for those for which other bishops do not forgive. He himself asked for forgiveness if he was wrong. He prayed with us so that God kissed him right on the heart. Every day I went to liturgy in my cozy home church near the rector’s corridor, sang and always took communion.

By the way, about the Eucharist. Vladyka Ambrose made her the center of our family’s entire life. Every divine liturgy, almost the entire temple was with Christ, literally. The people of his team, from the secretary, the vice-rector for educational work, to the subdeacons and the press service, drew strength from him to be real, this also surprised many. That the bishop’s secretary is not a sycophantic protocol clerk, but an honest and respectful priest. The vice-rector for educational work is not a spiritual sadist and tyrant, but a caring friend. Subdeacons are not boors, and the press service creates beautiful Christian content instead of the dry information style of stone Orthodoxy.

All this and much more revolved around one person: our pope, in our little Vatican, inside a huge machine of lifeless Orthodoxy. I don’t know if I will meet such a bishop on my life’s journey. If anyone knows such people, I would love to read about them, but in the meantime, thank you for reading the story about the last real bishop. His ministry can still be found on all the resources of the Academy on the Neva on the Internet.

PS His smile and look. Christ is visible in them.

Photo: Archbishop Ambrose (Ermakov)/spbda.ru

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“Spiritual education should not become unspiritual”

– Father Ambrose, please tell us how you came to faith?
– I have always been drawn to the Church and everything connected with God, from my childhood. It's difficult to explain. Another thing is strange: no one has ever stopped me in this endeavor. But somehow it didn’t work out to come to the temple and to conscious faith. I was afraid to tell my mother because I would have to change my life: for example, if I start fasting, there will be a scandal. I didn’t dare to confess: I was afraid that the priest wouldn’t understand me. Yes, and I lived in an Islamic republic, among Eastern culture with the corresponding flavor, surrounded by Uzbeks, Tajiks, Koreans, Iranians, Arabs, Turks, Jews. All this left its mark on my soul.

It cannot be said that I was constantly searching for God and thinking about higher matters. No, I lived like everyone else. But one question simply haunted me: “What is the meaning of my existence?”

After the collapse of the USSR, we moved to Russia, settled in the Pskov region, in Pechory, but I stubbornly did not go to church. And one night someone very scary appeared to me. I won’t retell the whole dream. I woke up in horror - and understood everything. Jumping out of bed, and it was four o'clock in the morning, I got dressed and ran to the monastery. The monastery was closed, and I experienced deep despair that I was late: the door was closed, it was all over. He sat down under the gate and cried bitterly. I haven't read the Gospels yet.

The gates were opened at probably six o'clock in the morning. I started asking everyone who was wearing a cassock what I should do, but people simply shied away from me. Some priest took me to the elder. He did not open the door of his cell for a long time. I can’t tell you everything that I experienced, but suddenly the elder opened the door and, as if nothing had happened, said: “It’s okay, you have to pay for your sins. So I’ll anoint you with oil and everything will pass.”

I returned home tired and went to bed. Mom later told me that I slept for more than a day. But indeed, everything terrible had dissipated. Since then I have not needed to tell anything about either hell or heaven. It all started out so unusual, dangerous and scary. But it was exactly like this: I could not come to faith, and God Himself came to me.

– Please tell us about your life in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery.

– For me, the Pechersky Monastery means specific people. I saw them maybe once or twice, but for me they are a real “spiritual academy”. But I would like to tell you about Schema-Archimandrite Agapia, whom I never knew in my life, but his former cell attendant, Father Anastasy, told me about him. When he was still a very young hieromonk, the abbot of the monastery gave him the obedience to attend the cell of Father Agapius (in the world of Basil, in honor of St. Basil the Great). And then one day Father Anastasy, while tidying up his cell, got into a conversation with the elder and he told him that yesterday Vasily the Great came to him and said: “Tell Father Anastasy not to miss reading the Psalter every day. Let him reconcile with such and such a brother as soon as possible. Let him not grumble against anyone.” Father Anastasy listened and listened, and thought: “Poor father! I prayed and fell into delusion.” And he immediately answered him: “Father Anastasy, some young hieromonks say that I completely prayed and fell into delusion, but don’t listen to them, do what Basil the Great told you, he is a great saint.”

If we remember Father John (Krestyankin), then from the very first moment of our conversation I felt very hurt and offended. Father, it seemed to me, did not understand me, did not answer my questions, but began to say some abstract things. I was angry, offended, but after that I kept trying to understand what he wanted to tell me. This began to be revealed in the monastery, when the events he predicted began to happen, and the words of Father John themselves came to mind. It’s amazing how far the priest looked!

I can’t help but remember Archimandrite Feofan. I went to him just to be blessed. He offered to sit down. I was silent, not knowing what to ask, and he himself began to talk about his childhood. As the story progressed, I began to understand that he was talking about my childhood. I really wanted to thank him somehow, to ask him to pray for me. I was wearing a reliquary with a piece of the relics of St. Tikhon, and I had a desire to give it to Father Theophan, but it was a pity to part with the shrine that was dear to me. And the struggle of thoughts captured me so much that my soul was simply torn apart: I cannot give up the relics - the saint is too dear to me. I looked, and Father Feofan rose from the pillow and seemed to be waiting for me to put the reliquary around his neck. What could I do? And he already thanks me, says that this is a very expensive gift... Soon the priest died, and in the fall, on the day of the angel, a priest I knew gave me a piece of the relics of St. Patriarch Tikhon. These are the consolations - the priest returned my gift to me.

– Father Ambrose, how did you end up in Sretensky Monastery?

– I ended up in the Sretensky Monastery simply. One priest in Pechory wrote a letter and said: “This is an important matter: the letter must be taken and handed over personally to the governor.” It’s not difficult for me - I brought a letter, but I didn’t even think about the fact that I would stay to live in the Sretensky Monastery.

– Please tell us about your work in intensive care and about your teaching activities during the period when you were not yet a monk.

“It so happened that I worked in intensive care. The worst thing about this job is seeing people die. There was such a case: a man was lying on a table, breathing through a breathing apparatus, fighting for his life, and we fought as best we could. Suddenly the resuscitator said: “That’s it” - he turned off the machine and turned off the IV. He swore and left the room. The horror was that all of us, the medical staff who remained in the ward, also somehow understood that this was really all, but we remained silent, afraid to face the truth. This was the first death I saw. But the resuscitator turned out to be honest and brave; I couldn’t have done that.

But the following can be said about teaching activities. At school, I had one problem with my students and fellow teachers that I could not overcome. I tried to quit this job, quit. And even when Father John (Krestyankin) convinced me that teaching is a special gift from God, I still did not cease to suffer from the fact that at school they forgave me everything, although very often I was unfair and unnecessarily harsh. There was a time when I gave a student a quarter grade of two. The school principal begged me to give it a C, and the child’s mother cried. But for some reason I was confident that I was right. And the next day this child, seeing me at school, came up to me, smiled and promised that he would learn everything honestly and get an excellent grade in the next quarter. By the way, he was able to achieve this with his work.

To be frank, I must admit that school led me to God. The greatest torment is when you are loved and everyone forgives you, but you cannot or do not want to respond in kind. This is the only topic on which I would like to write a sermon, but I can’t do it yet - I don’t have the words.

– How did it happen that you began to teach the Old Testament at the Sretensky Theological Seminary, because you have a responsible, time-consuming obedience as the treasurer of the Sretensky Monastery?

– One day, the vice-rector of the seminary, Father John, complained that the seminary lacked a teacher on the Old Testament. I laughed and asked, “Is this a teaching offer?” He laughed too and said: “Why not? If the rector gives his blessing, you will teach.” The day before September 1, he called me on the phone: the rector gave his blessing.

And regarding other obediences, I can only say that we judge on the basis of what is visible, while true life is hidden from human eyes. But this is precisely what Christ spoke to His disciples.

– What do you think is the most important thing in an Old Testament course?

“I’ve been teaching for three years now, and I’ve been searching all this time. At first I thought that in order to better understand Scripture, it was very important to know the history of the Ancient East. It seemed to me that many actions of people, especially leaders of states, were determined by one or another political situation. This turned out to be a fallacy. I began to study the works of teachers of Russian pre-revolutionary academies - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Kyiv. These are books by famous and beloved scientists: N.N. Glubokovsky, I.N. Korsunsky, P.A. Yungerov and others. Of particular note are the lectures of our contemporary Father Leonid Grilikhes and his articles posted on the Internet. And quite recently, while reviewing the relevant material, I discovered Evgeny Andreevich Avdeenko. I think he is deeply right when he says that knowledge of Hebrew and Greek is not enough to understand the Old Testament texts. In the Holy Scriptures, you need to understand and love the language of symbols, learn to read this symbolic language. This is the direction I would like to move forward. In other words, we must immerse ourselves in Scripture.

But no less important for teaching activities are divine services and cell prayer. Saint Hilarion (Trinity) wrote in his works dedicated to the Old Testament prophets: “The main occupation in teaching and educating the younger generation during the time of the prophets was raising young men in piety, teaching in prayer, in the fear of God: “The beginning of Wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Prov. 9:10)".

– Do you have any favorite topics in your Old Testament course?

- Of course have. And these are not just favorite topics, this is my life. Don't get me wrong, this is very subjective and personal, but when I read about Abraham, Jacob, Job, Joseph, I experience over and over again what the lives of these truly great people and my life have in common. They are not just beloved saints, they are very close and dear. But there is something in their lives that will never happen again to anyone, and not only because they prefigured Christ Himself with their lives, but also because everything has already happened according to Scripture. In their lives, the beginning of the earthly Church, certain spiritual decrees, laws that will forever remain fundamental for all people, for example, how to start a family, how to relate to parents, and much more, were visibly outlined.

– What literature do you recommend seminarians read in their Old Testament course?

– I have already mentioned the works of modern authors – Father Leonid Grilikhes, E.A. Avdeenko. But the basis for understanding the Old Testament, oddly enough, is the New Testament - the Gospels and the epistles of the holy apostles. It is also important to know the works of the holy fathers. It is impossible to correctly understand the Book of Genesis without reading the “Sex Days” of St. Basil the Great. When we read and analyzed in lectures the interpretations of St. John Chrysostom or the same St. Basil the Great on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the bulk of the seminarians were inert. But still there were a few who came up to me to share their thoughts, because for themselves they discovered the unknown world of the spirit, and through this, for the first time, the saints themselves “shone” for them as interpreters of the sacred text.

And the biggest problem is that during the five years of study at a higher theological educational institution, students, unfortunately, for the most part have never read the entire Bible. They read some modern interpretations, translations of the Protestant or Catholic tradition, but are not familiar with the source itself.

– What would you like to change in the course of the Old Testament or, perhaps, supplement it with something?

– I would like to change it, but it’s too global and therefore impossible for now. The trouble is that we study theological disciplines separately, each subject on its own. The students took the test, received a grade, and “something remained in my memory, but I don’t remember what.” I am convinced that everything should be interconnected. Seminarians study the history of the Church, dogmatic theology, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, ancient and Church Slavonic languages ​​- and all this for one purpose: to try to understand God, to know Him. The knowledge gained should become the support of faith, and faith should change a person’s life. Teachers, of course, see the unity of subjects and themes, but it is difficult to convey this to seminarians. Even from school, most people do not have the skill to apply knowledge in life; knowledge remains a useless burden. So, after graduating from the seminary, students in their future life in the parish as pastors still have to “study, study and study again.”

There is another problem: the level of education is steadily falling. This is the current trend. For me, studying has always been a great labor - it’s like shedding blood. Modern people learn differently: “study is for fun,” this is a completely different approach, and it turns out that all life is for pleasure. But in fact, life, as one student told me, is not only about eating and sleeping.

– Changes in the system of religious education are expected in the near future. Do you have any thoughts on this?

– I’ve probably already answered this question. To add to this, my opinion is that a lot of things really need to be changed in the system; human thought needs to develop. The most important point is that spiritual education should not become unspiritual; spirituality should not be replaced by intellectuality. We do not have the right to lose our face in the modern world: “Have salt in yourself. If the salt becomes unsalted, what should you do with it?” (cf. Mark 9:50) - Christ asked His disciples. The answer, I think, will have to be presented to each of us before the Savior here on earth.

Your Eminence, dear Lord! Dear participants and guests of the scientific forum!

On behalf of the professors, teachers and students of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, I cordially welcome all of you who have gathered together to share the results of their scientific research in the field of studying the spiritual achievement and theological heritage of the wonderful spiritual writer of the Russian Church - St. Theophan the Recluse.

In the history of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, this outstanding ascetic and theologian occupies a special place, despite the fact that he was a graduate of another - the Kyiv Academy. Hieromonk Feofan (Govorov), as is known, from 1844 to 1847. taught moral and pastoral theology at the capital's Academy. Two more years - from 1857 to 1859. - headed the Academy on the Neva as its rector.

However, the story of the relationship does not end there. In 1889, the Council of the St. Petersburg Academy, without any negotiations or contacts with the then already famous recluse, initiated the award of the degree of Doctor of Theology to its former rector. A special commission of professors was created, which made a positive decision with the words that Bishop Theophan “was a theologian not only in the narrowly special sense of the word, i.e. the author of such specially learned theological works that would be intended only for a limited, specially educated circle of learned adherents of theological science, and a theologian in the best and broadest sense of the word, a theologian who, without being confined to the narrow sphere of special scholarship, spoke and wrote in the language accessible to a wide range of people thirsting for spiritual enlightenment.” In 1890, the Council of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy awarded Saint Theophan the highest theological scientific degree, about which the saint himself said: “This doctorate makes me very happy.”

However, that's not all. Soon after the death of the saint, an intensive study of his life and multifaceted literary heritage began at the capital's Academy. The development was carried out not only by mentors, but also by students. So, from 1889 to 1918. At least 9 candidate's dissertations were written, 4 of which have survived to this day.

It is very pleasing that for the last two years a new course has been taught within the walls of our Academy - Russian Patrolology, in which a significant place is given to the study of the heritage of St. Theophan the Recluse. It can already be stated that among students, Vyshensky the Recluse is one of the most beloved and read authors. I note that both teachers and students are looking forward to the publication of the “Complete Collection of the Works of St. Theophan the Recluse,” as well as the “Chronicle of the Life and Works of St. Theophan.”

Through the prayers of St. Theophan, may the Lord bless the work of the conference, and may its participants give wisdom to understand the lofty and God-enlightened thoughts set forth in the works of this great saint of our Mother Church.

With Love in the Lord, Rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Archbishop of Peterhof Ambrose

Archbishop Ambrose: “There is no talk of any destruction of the Sretensky Seminary or the Sretensky Monastery”

Statement by the interim rector of Sretensky Seminary, Archbishop Ambrose of Verei:

Dear friends, happy holiday of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul, with the end of Peter’s Lent!

Today I celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church in the Sretensky Monastery, and after that I talked with the brethren of the monastery, several teachers and students of the Sretensky Seminary, the acting rector of which I was appointed at the last meeting of the Holy Synod of our Church.

I understand perfectly well that many are concerned about the future of Sretensky Seminary and the Moscow Theological Academy, so I want to clarify a little the essence of what is happening.

The central and largest theological school of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Moscow Theological Academy - as is known, although it is called Moscow, is located in Sergiev Posad.

To provide a serious education at the highest levels, a certain cultural and intellectual environment is needed, and teachers are needed who are ready to give this education. It is difficult to attract new high-quality teachers on a permanent basis to Sergiev Posad; they highly value their own time and most often are not ready to spend a whole working day traveling to Posad to give one or two lectures. In general, graduate and graduate schools need to be at the very center of cultural and academic events. In the case of the Moscow Theological Academy, this center should be located in Moscow.

The Moscow Theological Academy has serious changes ahead. Because, in my opinion, at this stage, spiritual education in the MDA is not at the level it should be at in the main Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church. There are many reasons for this, and an important one is the distance from the capital, which entails many others. The Moscow Theological Academy is called upon to become a modern theological center of the Orthodox world. I can cite the example of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, of which I was rector for 10 years. It is now the first theological university in the ranking of our Church, largely due to its location in the center of St. Petersburg.

The commission created by the decision of the Holy Synod is not a formality. We (I mean the members of the commission) will begin work in the coming days. The task of the created commission is to assess the possibility of implementing various solutions to the existing problem. One of the possible solutions is indeed connected with Sretensky Seminary. Over time, undergraduate studies will take place in Sergiev Posad. In the same year, in accordance with the exam schedule, admission to Sretensky Seminary will be made for both bachelor's and master's degrees. And the studies will take place there. Without any movement. Such changes require gradualism. Sretensky Seminary will increase its level of accreditation by becoming an Academy, which cannot be called negative. After all, the level and scale set by Bishop Tikhon essentially brought the seminary to the level of the Academy long ago.

Bachelor's degree is that stage of theological education when the future clergyman or clergyman is introduced to the Christian way of existence, way of life. And for this, a monastic environment with a long tradition is best suited. In a few years, undergraduate studies will take place only in the heart of Russian Orthodoxy - the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

However, as I already said, this will not happen instantly; it is not a fact that this will affect at least some of the current students of Sretensky Seminary. I believe that there should be a natural change of generations: all bachelors should complete their studies where they entered, and then the Moscow (Sretenskaya) Theological Academy will enroll only in master's and postgraduate programs. And this decision can also be looked at positively.

We are in the process of research. We are blessed to chart a path that will truly benefit the Church. The largest theological school in the country should provide the highest quality education and produce competent preachers, theologians, priests and church administrators. Unfortunately, this is not possible without serious structural changes. And again, unfortunately, this is not so easy to do.

It seems to me that it is also worth saying that every clergyman, from the earliest stages, entering the path of serving the Church of Christ, takes an oath. In it, he promises, among other things, to follow the decisions of the hierarchy in everything. When the question does not concern dogma or Christian ethics, challenging the decisions of the clergy can hardly be called a positive phenomenon. This is, in a certain sense, a protest against the Church within itself, and this can hardly lead to anything good. Especially when we are talking about issues that are mostly material and organizational, about the structure of the administrative and economic aspect of the life of the Church, which can take different forms and be resolved in different ways. Such decisions are not always pleasant to those whom they affect, but opposition to them does not show the clergyman from the best side; such actions acquire a negative ethical connotation.

Of course, it is very easy for me now to take the position of someone who insists on submission to the authority of the Church. I know from personal experience how difficult change is. But I sincerely want those who are concerned about the future of the Church to truly understand me. And they helped not me, but our Church in resolving a problem that arose quite a long time ago, but has become especially acute lately, a problem that is important for all of us, clergy and laity, students and teachers of seminaries and academies. The problem of creating a serious and deep education system that would prepare church and clergymen who are capable of responding to the challenges of our time, who are capable of finding such language, such words, such actions and images that will attract people to Christ, to His Church.

The important idea that I would like to convey is that there is no talk of any destruction of the Sretensky Seminary, the Sretensky Monastery or anything else at all. Even if a decision is made to optimize the educational processes of two religious educational institutions, nothing will be destroyed. Neither traditions, nor the wonderful methods developed by both theological schools, nor the way of monastic life. And, of course, no one is going to resettle anyone anywhere, no one is going to take away churches and buildings from the monastery. No one will divide students and brethren. All these are far-fetched rumors and fears. Everything that was created in past years through the labors of Bishop Tikhon, the brethren of the monastery, the seminary and benefactors is the greatest gift to God and His Holy Church. And for this - a low bow and gratitude to the creators of the miracle on Sretensky Boulevard. None of us is capable of taking anything into another world except deeds of goodness and love, except for what each of us sincerely and within our strength brings to the foot of the Cross of Christ.

Source

Bishop of Gatchina Ambrose: I see a miracle in my destiny

- Traditional question. You were born and raised in Soviet times, you had to cook in the Soviet system, like everyone else. How did it happen that you came to Church?

“I really grew up in the Soviet system and despite this, I quite naturally entered the Church from a very young age. Naturally, I was baptized. I grew up in a single-parent family, my father left us when I was four years old, and I was raised by my mother, but my grandmother had a decisive influence on me. She was not literally brought to me by my grandmother, she was our distant relative, but in spirit she turned out to be very close to me. During the war, she lost her husband and three children, who died of typhus, and managed the entire household in her village, doing hard men's work. She was dependent on her sick sister. I enjoyed visiting them in the village. First on holidays, and then, when I got older, almost every Sunday.

A community of believers gathered in their house, which, according to the lay order, performed divine services and sang spiritual poems. Grandmother, despite the fact that she was not very literate, knew all the holidays and many prayers by heart. She had an old wall calendar in the form of a large sheet, according to the Easter of which she herself calculated when Lent began, when Easter would be and other holidays associated with Easter. And she informed the whole village. She devoted all her winter days to two things: sewing warm cotton blankets and reading the Holy Scriptures. Only she had the Bible, so all the residents of her village knew about the events of the Sacred History as translated by her grandmother. All this made a great impression on me. There was no church in our city - I grew up in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region, it was a young Komsomol city. The church was nearby, in the settlement. But the first impression about the Church, about God, about prayer came, first of all, from my grandmother.

And at the same time with all this, I lived like all Soviet children - I went to school, wore a pioneer tie. Of course, my family did not have the upbringing that was in the families of clergy. After all, sometimes the children of clergy did not become either pioneers or Komsomol members, because they had a core, a foundation. In this sense, I had no core or foundation. I was alone - among my peers in our rather large (70 thousand population at that time) and young city there were no believers. It seems so to me. Although I later learned that Archpriest Alexander Androsov grew up in our city. And the first of its natives became a clergyman. True, he first became a doctor and then a priest.

I didn’t have any spiritually close people among my peers, and I went with the flow - along with everyone else. He was in both the Pioneer and Komsomol organizations. But I never perceived them as some kind of ideology. For me, these organizations became a way to realize the energy that I wanted to throw out into a good cause. Such a realization was possible - through the Komsomol, through the pioneer organization, there were many good deeds. But this was probably only at some lower levels, because the higher levels were rotten - we knew this even then. I was even the secretary of the Komsomol organization of the school, although at the same time I remained a believer, went to church, sang in the choir. And subsequently he began to go to church in the settlement more often, and began to carry out the sexton’s obedience to the current Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania, Innokenty. He was young then and made an indelible impression on me - as a shepherd, as a priest, as an honest, pure man, striving to be a real father for his parishioners and a real Christian. His image has been before my eyes since childhood.

And then they figured me out. One of the now deceased neighbors loved to come to school and talk about my “passion for religion” - I often sang or read at home. When the facts began to be checked, the church grandmothers, in simplicity of heart and joyfully, told the spies about a believing boy who goes to church, is a sexton, sings and reads. I had to choose a temple in the neighboring Oryol region. Every Sunday and on holidays I began to travel 70 kilometers. There he began directing the choir. But I was tracked down there too and faced with a choice in the most serious way. I chose. I told them that I would go to theological seminary and put in my Komsomol card. Then they called me to the city committee of the Komsomol, exhorted me, offered to take a ticket back, and promised to place me in the Higher Party School. But my heart yearned for something else. In my naivety, I was sure that everything would work out easily: I would enter the seminary and become a priest. Or maybe the Lord specifically delivered me from the fear that people like me, but a generation older, experienced. After all, entering a theological school in those conditions was almost unthinkable. Attempts ended tragically, some ended up in a psychiatric hospital, others were called up for military training, in general, all sorts of obstacles were created. When they asked me: “Are you sure you will get in?”, I very sincerely answered: “Yes.” They just laughed at me. True, to my surprise, some members of the city committee quite sincerely wished me success on my chosen path and happiness.

I am very grateful to my school teachers. These were people who, despite the specific instructions: to make sure that I did not receive a certificate of secondary education, did not go through with it and gave me the grades I deserved. The school principal gave me the only false mark: he gave me a “three” in social studies. I remember very well that during the exam I was given a question related to the attitude towards religion in the Soviet Union. I answered clearly and correctly from the point of view of state ideology. The director, who is also a social studies teacher, was dissatisfied with my good answer and said: “You are still a believer, which means you are a socially immature element, so I cannot give you more than a C.”

I am also grateful to the parents of my classmates, who said that they would disrupt the graduation party if I was not given a certificate. And my classmates also took my side. I am grateful for human support at this difficult moment in life, which is experienced in a special way in youth. Through these people, the Lord Himself supported me then.

Why did this happen in my life? On the one hand, I followed the usual path of a Soviet youth of that time, and on the other, God and the Church lived in my heart. I see this as a miracle. It happened, perhaps, through the prayers of one of my distant relatives. I've never seen her. Her name was nun Apollinaria. At the age of twelve she was sent to the Polotsk monastery and lived there all her life until it was closed. After that, she returned to her homeland, to the Kursk region. After the war, the Polotsk Monastery was reopened, but it was destroyed, and she could not live in it. She ended her days at home and was buried there. They told me a lot about her - judging by the stories, she was a very bright person, a real Christian. There was a lot of love and amazing kindness in her. And she was one of my mother's teachers. My parent was left without a mother when she was a few months old during the war - my father was at the front. She was taken in by my grandfather's great aunt. Nun Apollinaria was a relative of the adoptive mother, and it was she who insisted that the child be taken away and not sent to an orphanage.

Although she is a distant relative of mine by blood, and I have never seen her, I always feel a spiritual kinship with her. It seems to me that it was through her prayers that I became what I am now.

In the orphanage

— Vladyka, why did you choose the monastic path?

— In the Gospel there are such words about this: Whoever can contain it, let him contain it (Matthew 19:12). I don’t understand why a person is tossing about whether to take monastic vows or get married. Since childhood, this path was determined by my desire to serve the Church, to give completely of myself. Even as a child, I was fascinated by reading the lives of saints. I remember how I turned on the flashlight under the blanket so that my mother wouldn’t scold me for not sleeping, and I read the lives of December. Back then there were almost no church books, and I came across this book by accident. I was so inspired by the stylites that—I think I was in fifth or fourth grade at the time—in the summer in the village I decided to implement a plan of asceticism. He went to work in the summer kitchen, which stood in the courtyard of his grandmother’s house. I laid out a blanket and rugs there and decided to start praying and fasting. It only lasted me until the morning, though, because I was very cold at night.

This kind of childhood or youthful romanticism - it seems to me that everyone should have it at some point. It's bad when it passes without a trace. It must leave something in a person’s soul. Childhood and adolescence are, after all, the time when a person indulges in wonderful impulses and follows his romantic aspirations. Of course, then they become somewhat dull. You get to know yourself and the truth of life, and every year you understand more and more how much you do not correspond to this romance. But the impulse has been given. Everything that I encountered in childhood wove an amazing cover in my youth, and I realized that I didn’t want to get out from under it. Already when I entered the theological seminary, I had a desire to become a monk, but it was not obvious, latent, perhaps unconscious. How was I supposed to know what a monastery was! I had this strange desire: to be a monk, but not to live in a monastery. While studying at the Moscow Theological Seminary, I more than once observed how monastic tonsures took place. The first one didn't really impress me, but the second one made me think. And in the third year, one of my classmates also took monastic vows. And then I started to feel washed away. It was as if some kind of obstacle suddenly arose in my way, without overcoming which I could not simply continue on my way. This feeling was so strong and vivid that I instantly made a decision and began to pester everyone. I spoke with my class mentor, with my confessor, with Father Kirill (Pavlov). From Father Kirill, as was necessary according to the rules, he received a written blessing for monastic tonsure. And this problem - the discrepancy between my desire to become a monk and my fear of living in a monastery - was somehow resolved very well and correctly. On the one hand, MDAiS is located in a monastery, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, but on the other hand, the academic way of life is still a little different. While I was studying, I carried out monastic obediences, but I lived somewhat differently, according to a different routine, different from the monastic one.

After the army I had an interesting dream. I saw Optina Hermitage, venerated the relics of St. Ambrose, and was in those churches where I had never been before. And then, after seeing the film “The Light of Optina,” I became convinced that everything in Optina was arranged the way I saw it in my dream. My heart was terribly opposed: I don’t want to go to Optina Pustyn, why did I dream about all this?.. I forgot about the dream. But when my tonsure took place, a moment before I was given a new name, I remembered it. And he received the name of St. Ambrose of Optina, about whom he knew very little before.

This was unexpected - at first I even felt internal discomfort, because for me Saint Ambrose of Optina was a stranger. I very much loved St. Seraphim of Sarov, to whom I always prayed, who was my fellow countryman. But gradually I became acquainted with Saint Ambrose, he became very close and dear to me.

From the first minutes of monastic life, the human will was cut off - you receive not what you want of your own free will, but what the Lord gives you. And the Lord knows better why you need it, and what significance it will have in your life.

— Tell us a little more about Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov).

— I never aspired to be close to great people. For some reason I always thought that, firstly, they had no time for me, and secondly, this was simply not my level, I did not and could not have such complex questions with which to address them. And when I saw Father Kirill, surrounded by many people asking him a variety of questions, including the most ridiculous, stupid ones, taking away his strength, time, and health, I always felt sorry for him. That’s why I came to him - only when I really needed it.

The most important impression about him is that he is a man of great love. This comes first. When he came from Peredelkino to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, everything in the Lavra was transformed: the laziest became hardworking, the most careless became responsible. Indeed, it was as if the sun was rising over the Lavra.

I directed the choir of the Theological Seminary, and we often sang at the late Divine Liturgy, which Father Kirill celebrated in the Refectory Church. These were unforgettable services, filled with quiet joy and peace. The love and attention of Father Kirill was amazing. Sometimes I came to the choir not in the mood, sometimes I didn’t like the singing, and I could behave emotionally. And every time, in consolation, he either invited me to his altar, or passed a large service prosphora with a ladle of drink to someone. It was touching and comforting. During these services we sang his favorite “Cherubimskaya” by Starosimonov and “The Mercy of the World” by Feofanovskaya.

I remember one incident. During the Liturgy, when the Gospel was being read, some person, crazy or specially sent, suddenly runs up to the pulpit, and in his hand is a cobblestone. In the altar, slightly to the right of the high place, stood Father Kirill. And this man throws a cobblestone at the altar. The stone reaches a high place and breaks the image of the Risen Savior written on the glass. Rumble, ringing, hum in the temple. And Father Kirill stands without moving, although the cobblestone flew a few centimeters away from him. And then he served as if nothing had happened. He is an unusually bright person. People make a mistake when they look for something extraordinary in such people, for example, the ability to see the future - this is wrong. First of all, you need to see in them an example of Christian life. This is already a lot. At the very least, you feel ashamed, but at most, you try to fix something in yourself. And every appearance of Father Kirill in the Lavra testified to this: many of the obvious sinners became partly righteous for a while. His influence on people was enormous. He did not have a loud voice, he did not have homiletical gifts. But he was a bearer of a peaceful spirit, with his love, with his peace, he conquered the hearts of thousands of people.

Archimandrite Matthew (Mormyl) with his disciples

— Another person I would like to ask about is Archimandrite Matthew (Mormyl).

— Father Matthew is a legend. He, just like Father Kirill, was the face of the Lavra, its heart. First of all, we went to the Lavra to see St. Sergius, and secondly, to listen to the choir of Father Matthew. The singing of the Lavra choir was a standard. It is impossible to surpass him, despite the efforts of many people, despite the most talented imitations, despite the fact that many are now trying to use the methods of Father Matthew. His school went with him. Of course, remnants of it exist, and of course, the seed that he sowed bore fruit in other choirs. During Soviet times, he preserved the singing traditions of many monasteries. He maintained this fire later: when opening again after closing, the monasteries received the preserved fire from his hands. How he could do this alone is still unclear to me. Of course, he had charisma, an unearthly Divine gift that was given into hands capable of holding this gift. I was told that he was repeatedly offered the episcopal ministry, but he refused. This seems to be true: I knew Father Matthew well, he could not live without the choir, without music, this was his most important nerve, it was his heart.

I met him in 1985, when as a 15-year-old boy I arrived at the Lavra to celebrate the day of memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh. I entered the Refectory Church and was struck by the sound of the choir. There were probably about seventy people standing there, and this choir sang so beautifully, so amazingly powerfully, that with its power it almost physically swept away those who were nearby. I listened to this, listened with admiration, and a thought arose in me: what if someday I will sing in this choir?.. But I said to myself: no, don’t think, it’s impossible!

When I was able to get there a few years later, my happiness knew no bounds. And it all turned out like this. When I entered the seminary, I ended up in the seminary’s Bishop’s Choir with regent Mark Kharitonovich Trofimchuk. I sang some service in it and realized that I couldn’t sing in this choir. There was some disappointment. And besides, I was in great sorrow because I was not on the list for the audition that Father Matthew organized for his choir. And I went to audition with him insolently, off the list. Of course, before this I was very worried and prayed. I even wrote to Father John (Krestyankin) that I couldn’t imagine myself without Father Matthew’s choir and that if I wasn’t assigned there, I would leave the seminary. To which Father John wrote to me: “Submit to trouble, and it will be for you.” And I went to Father Matthew, who loved, as they say now, creativity, and listened to my arguments with interest. And then he tested me for two hours. I marched with him and almost bleated like a lamb... After this test of my musical capabilities, he picked up the phone, dialed the number and said: “Mark Kharitonovich, this is Archimandrite Matthew. Here one of my singers came to you by mistake. He already sang for me. If you want, you can take someone from my list - I haven’t listened to everyone yet. I would like him to continue singing with me.” After that he hung up and told me that I should come to the rehearsal tomorrow. So I plunged into this colossal element of human voices and hearts. I remember that at first I couldn’t even hear myself and tried to sing just as powerfully, loudly, with a stretch of the spiritual string, with a certain strain that was heard in the voices of the Matthew choir.

And when I took monastic vows, I was given instructions to organize a choir myself. Subsequently, Father Matthew and I sang antiphonally: he on the right, I on the left choir. When he created a concert choir, most of my choir was part of it, and he worked with it.

Father Matthew was a very ardent man. We all felt this very strongly: fire, not man. Vortex. It was sometimes scary to be near him. When he approached you during the singing, everything inside became cold and trembled, especially if you sang something incorrectly.

But in life he was an amazingly kind person. Truly, Ossetian hospitable: every time I came to his cell, he took out everything he had, although... he had almost nothing. His most important treasures were notes. Everything else that was given to him, he gave away and distributed. The money he received on trips abroad was given to his relatives. He really was a real monk. He attributed all his success, everything he achieved, to St. Sergius. He said just that: “I’ll go to St. Sergius, I’ll ask him, he won’t leave me.” And so it was. Father Matthew played a huge role in my destiny. It was he who insisted on my transfer to the Sretensky Monastery. Knowing that there was no regent at the Sretensky Monastery, he literally forcibly connected me by telephone with his abbot, Father Tikhon (Shevkunov), and thus predetermined my future life. It is because of his authority and his prayers that I have what I have today. And it was Father Matthew who gave me a start in life, in church life.

We had different relationships, complex ones. There was a period when we didn’t say hello for several months. I followed his example not only in directing the choir, but also in specific life situations. He was hard - and I was hard. He was principled - I didn’t lag behind. And so, he even went so far as to break off relations for several months. And at the same time, during all these months, an amazing connection of hearts was still felt. When Passion came, we made up: the breakup showed us the value of our relationship.

Father Matthew left the earthly vale very early. His funeral service was a celebration of his life’s work and the love of thousands of people. I cannot forget how thousands of people sang “Rest with the Saints” and “Eternal Memory” at his funeral. My heart sank and goosebumps ran across my skin. I have never seen such a funeral service in my life and, most likely, I will never see it again.

— Don’t you now miss the regency, the choir of the Sretensky Monastery?

— Sometimes nostalgia visits me... I have a lot of warm and surprisingly bright memories of that time. The choir of the Sretensky Monastery initially consisted of children 16-20 years old; there were only a few experienced church singers in the choir. Of course, as a starter, several people were introduced into this group who sang in my Lavra choir and in the choir of Father Matthew. Without this it would have been impossible to achieve the ecclesiastical performance that I sought. The professional qualities of the guys who went through the Sveshnikov Academy[1] and the hand of Viktor Sergeevich Popov[2], of course, aroused surprise and admiration. But professional qualities are not enough for church singing - you need your heart to sing, to let through everything that needs to be conveyed to people. And in this regard, of course, we had to work a lot. For me it was a happy time, although difficult. When the guys came to rehearsals from all sorts of “hack jobs”, from school, I literally had to bring them to their senses, start everything from scratch - such was their diversity and disheveled feelings. After rehearsals, after services, the choir came to the right state, but then left again for a week - and returned broken and loose. And again I had to, as Father Matthew said, smooth it out.

This year I invited this wonderful group to SPbDA, and they gave an amazing concert here. We lived with the impressions of the concert for several more months. I let everything they sang pass through me. Some things were still done with me - and I was involved in this process with all my gut, my brain. I was sitting in a chair, but it seemed to me that I was again directing the choir. My heart jumped out, my blood pressure jumped. There was an idea to go on stage, but I realized that I couldn’t do it. I have not had regency practice for more than six years. Although, of course, it happens, sometimes I invite the male choir of the Theological Academy to the altar, and we sing “Grant, Lord...”. I also love, when we go out for worship, to manage all the academic choirs at once. But this happens very, very rarely. I'm not a professional regent, I'm self-taught.

— What is your favorite church hymn?

— Hymns for Great Lent and Holy Week. I experience very strongly those moments that lead to the Resurrection.

— You are a student of the Moscow Theological School (MDAiS), and now the head of the St. Petersburg School (SPbDA). Please tell us how they differ from each other?

- They are very different. As an MDA graduate, it was difficult for me to settle into new soil. But every school, like every person, should have its own face and its own character. The face depends on historical realities and circumstances. It is impossible to clone spiritual schools. The MDA is located within the walls of the Lavra, and this is its huge advantage; one might say, it is an ideal option for a theological school. It seems to me that the lack of monastic tradition, which is so clearly expressed within the walls of the Lavra of St. Sergius, is felt here, within the walls of the St. Petersburg school. And it is felt not only by me, but even by some students who crave this food.

In St. Petersburg we are in the south. Available to many winds. This also hardens you in its own way. Our students grow spiritually in conditions that are not hothouse, but, let’s say, natural. And this gives good experience for future service in the world.

— Is there a general decline in the school education of applicants?

“It’s becoming more and more clear every year. The education that is currently given in secondary schools does not stand up to criticism. After all, graduates of secular universities also come to us, and not all of them can write competently and express their thoughts clearly enough. This is the scourge of our time. I'm not even talking about moral education, which, if not completely absent, is only thanks to individual caring teachers. Now everything depends only on individual people.

— Vladyka, what is the main goal of spiritual education? Is it possible to study in seminaries and academies for people who do not aspire to the priesthood, who would like to remain laymen and serve the Church in this capacity, having a theological education?

— It so happened that in Russia, clergy and people of church science are trained in seminaries and academies. And the vast majority are ordained. Of course, our theological schools must educate, first of all, clergy who will be models and examples as Christians. We must not forget about church science, the development of which in Russia was purposefully stopped for 80 years. Lay people who wish to receive religious education can study in other educational institutions. This is why Orthodox universities were created. I would not like to confuse them with theological schools for future priests. In Europe, priests and monks study at secular universities in theological faculties. But our mentality is different. For us, I’m afraid this will lead to the erosion of the foundations of church life, which is already happening today. I am convinced that our model of spiritual education must be preserved, but at the same time it must be constantly improved. The main problem today in religious educational institutions is the level of teaching and scientific work. Today, among teachers in the priesthood there are very few people who master the methods of scientific work, who themselves engage in it at the highest level and could become qualified scientific leaders. We need, first of all, to change ourselves - in order to have professors who could truly guide their graduate students along the scientific path. For now, secular professors are helping us solve this problem.

- Tell me, what should prevail in the spiritual, inner life of a Christian - joy or sadness? Should people see us smiling or sad about our own sins and the state of the world?

— Christianity is a religion of joy. Always rejoice, pray unceasingly, give thanks in everything - the holy Apostle Paul gives us excellent life advice (1 Thess. 5:16-18). People should see in us those who have been transformed by the One who came into this world to save man. We must leave crying and sadness about our sins in the upper room of our hearts, for prayer, confession and works of repentance, which let no one know about except God, the confessor and ourselves. The forgiving Love of Christ should be reflected in our eyes before people and the whole world precisely as joy and happiness, a smile, kindness and the same love with which, despite all our mistakes and falls, the Lord accepts us into His arms.

Curriculum Vitae

AMBROSIY (Ermakov), Bishop of Gatchina, vicar of the St. Petersburg diocese. Born in 1970 in the village of Luzhki, Zheleznogorsk district, Kursk region, in a family of workers. Since 1982, he carried out obediences in the churches of the Kursk and Oryol dioceses. After graduating from high school and serving in the army, he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary. On April 7, 1994, the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, Bishop Philaret of Dmitrov, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, tonsured a monk with the name Ambrose, in honor of the Venerable Ambrose of Optina. On May 29, 1994, Bishop Philaret of Dmitrov ordained him to the rank of hierodeacon.

In September 1994, he was appointed regent of the newly formed academic choir of seminary and academy students.

On October 8, 1994, on the day of memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Bishop Stefan of Pinsk and Luninets ordained him to the rank of hieromonk.

In June 1995 he graduated from the seminary and in August of the same year he was enrolled in the first year of the Moscow Theological Academy. In June 1999, he graduated from the academy with a candidate of theology degree, having defended a dissertation in the department of patrolology on the topic “The Soteriology of St. John Chrysostom.”

After graduating from the Moscow Theological Academy, he remained in theological schools as a teacher and director of the academic choir. In August 2000, by order of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, he was appointed vice-rector of pastoral courses, later transformed into the Sretensky Theological Seminary, at the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow and assigned to the brotherhood of the monastery. While staying at the Sretensky Monastery, he served as dean of the monastery and regent of the festive monastery choir.

On June 3, 2004, on the feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Archbishop Alexy of Orekhovo-Zuevsky, vicar of the Moscow diocese, elevated him to the rank of abbot. On December 28, 2004, on the feast of the Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Verei, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II elevated him to the rank of archimandrite.

On March 26, 2005, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II consecrated Archimandrite Ambrose (Ermakov) as Bishop of Prokopyevsk, vicar of the Kemerovo diocese. On July 19, 2006, he was appointed Bishop of Bronnitsky, vicar of the Moscow diocese. On October 6, 2008, he was appointed Bishop of Gatchina, vicar of the St. Petersburg diocese, and rector of St. Petersburg theological schools. On April 2, 2011, he was appointed chairman of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the St. Petersburg Diocese.

[1] Alexander Vasilyevich Sveshnikov (1890-1980) - creator and conductor of the State Academic Russian Choir.

[2] Viktor Sergeevich Popov (1934-2008) - artistic director and chief conductor of the Bolshoi Children's Choir of the All-Union Radio and Television.

Archbishop Ambrose of Vereya: We are still too far from people to be trusted

In the first part of the interview with the “Pastor” portal by the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, Archbishop Ambrose of Verei, the conversation ended on the peculiarities of the public rhetoric of the clergy. Probably not all priests are called to interact with the general public, but everyone is called to pastoral work with people.

In the second part of the conversation, Bishop Ambrose shared his opinion on the main problems of pastoral care in the modern world, the lack of clergy in the Russian Church and the risk of losing reverence for the altar over the years of service.

— Vladyka, in your opinion, what are the main problems of pastoral care in the modern world?

- You need to be closer to people. In some parishes, in some individual dioceses, this closeness of the bishop or priest to the people takes place. But it seems to me that we are still very, very far from what I saw, for example, in the Balkans or in Greece.

When, together with a delegation from the Unity of Orthodox Peoples Foundation, we visited the countries of the former Yugoslavia, we met and communicated with various bishops. We came to the residence of the current Serbian Patriarch Irinej (then he was the Bishop of Nis) and then we were supposed to go to a concert together. The road from the residence to the stage passed through a park in which there was a huge open-air restaurant. Bishop Irenaeus then suggested we take a walk, and we walked through this park, past a restaurant where people were relaxing, drinking coffee, beer, and talking to each other. When people saw us, they stood up, invited us to sit with them at the table, and wanted to treat us to something. They communicated with their bishop, they knew him, they greeted him, and there was absolutely no shame in the bishop sitting with these people. Someone nearby was drinking beer or wine, someone might even be smoking, but the Bishop absolutely calmly walked towards these people who invited him. He talked to them, gave them some advice, asked them about something. And it was clear that the bishop knew these families, knew these people, knew their problems. This is his flock. As we made our way through this park to the stage, I saw how the bishop communicated with the townspeople - he really was the ruler of his city.

I was then very inspired by this balance between simplicity in communication and at the same time respect and reverence for the bishop. This was not outward servility; it was clear that people revered, loved and respected him as an elder, as their father.

Now imagine: a bishop or priest is now coming to some restaurant in Moscow or St. Petersburg - what is happening? They film it on their phones, post it on social networks, where they scold and laugh. What does this mean? That we are still very far from people, and people do not trust us. How can we overcome this Soviet legacy? You need to go to people and not be afraid of it. A priest must know his parish by name, know the problems of the people. Therefore, the first problem, it seems to me, is the distance of the clergy from the people.

The confessing priest is like a surgeon performing an operation.

Another problem of pastoral care is related to the fact that, unfortunately, in our Church it is impossible to implement the model of clergy that is present, for example, in Greece or at least partly in Romania. When only a priest who has already proven himself to be a good shepherd can confess and give some advice. He is ordained as a confessor, receives a blessing from the bishop, and only then begins to confess.

When I ordain priests, not all of them confess. I do not give permission to the newly ordained to confess. Some take a year, some take two years; and some, even after being ordained for several years, still do not profess, but simply serve. Everyone must serve with their gift. Some have one gift, some have another. But confession can probably be compared to seeing a good doctor. We won’t go to a bad doctor, we are afraid for our health.

One day one of our graduates underwent a very complex operation. And the surgeon who headed it stood for twelve and a half hours and operated. Twelve and a half hours! It's impossible to imagine! And they say to us: “How can you, poor things, endure such hours-long services?” What are our long hours of service compared to that labor! And the doctor bears a huge responsibility throughout the entire operation, sewing each vessel together. This is a very difficult matter. And he performs such operations, perhaps more than once a week.

And our priests sometimes think that everything is so simple: they said some banal phrases, read a prayer of permission, blessed them - and that’s it, the person has already recovered spiritually. He must be the same doctor - a therapist or a surgeon - in spiritual terms. A most experienced doctor who should have the same eye as this highly specialist. We really miss this. Spiritual professionalism.

When a person just leaves the Academy, he is not yet 30 years old, but he has already been ordained to the priesthood - what kind of confessor is he? There are really very capable guys, very sincere, educated, reaching out to Christ. Their youth, perhaps, is replenished by their passion, sincerity, and the Lord Himself acts through them. But there are few of them.

Between quality and quantity

— Master, but don’t these two problems contradict each other? On the one hand, you say that our clergy as a whole is very far from the people. This is undeniable, but how could it be otherwise if in Russia there is an average of one priest per 7,000 believers? How can he be close to everyone? In Greece and Romania the ratio is approximately one in a thousand. On the other hand, you can’t argue with this either, and not all existing priests can be allowed to pastor, especially newly ordained ones. How to deal with this conflict?

— Between quantity and quality, I would still choose quality. But, naturally, these things do not completely contradict each other, they simply must coexist. Our parishioners are also different. There are not many active parishioners. These are more “visitors”.

— Maybe they are “parishioners” because there is no priest who would take them by the hand and somehow lead them into the community?

“But there is a backbone of the parish.” And it seems to me that it is with this backbone that we need to begin to work spiritually in a way that is sometimes not done in our country. After all, our confession is basically a conveyor belt. And confession, in the correct understanding, is one-on-one communication with a person. This is when a person comes and some time is completely devoted to him, at least half an hour.

For example, I sometimes confess in church, in the altar, but more often we just sit down in the office and start talking. We can talk for 15, 20, 30, 40 minutes, we can talk for an hour. And it is in this conversation that confession takes place at the same time, and it does not have a formal character of a report on sins. We are trying to figure out some problems; We are trying to understand how to get around some sharp corners, how to solve these problems.

I think that this should be done here, and this should not be abandoned.

Replenishing the clergy staff is the responsibility of the parish clergy

— Due to the shortage of clergy in our Church, what do you think is the role of an ordinary parish priest in training new personnel? Just live and wait for an active young parishioner to come and say: “I want to go to seminary. Father, bless,” or should the priest himself look closely at suitable candidates, set them up, push them, inspire them?

— The parish priest should invite a person to think. Of course, knowing this person, seeing his intention. You definitely need to motivate someone to do something, but under no circumstances impose your opinion. “I bless you, your path is only to the theological seminary” - this, of course, cannot be done. Especially when clergymen do it, putting pressure on their children to follow in their footsteps. There were isolated cases when I encountered such seminarians. It was a personal tragedy for the students.

As the rector of the Academy, I can say that often priests (and bishops too), who send their applicants to a religious educational institution, unfortunately, do not even know how prepared he is for admission according to some formal criteria. This is bad. But there are other examples when both the priest and the bishop in their diocese first conduct test exams and check: what prayers a person knows, whether he can read Church Slavonic, how he navigates the Holy Scriptures, the liturgical life of the Church, etc. d. And only then do they decide whether to send him to the seminary, and then maintain contact with this applicant.

Some bishops invite them to their diocese for the holidays and support students financially during their studies. Naturally, they control their stay here in order to later receive an already educated person.

The one who recommended it is the one who answers

But, unfortunately, the majority still send it and forget about it, and remember only when the distribution commission makes a request: do you need your applicant in the diocese or not?

A priest who recommends an applicant to a religious educational institution must understand that if he recommends him, he bears responsibility for him. It’s not easy to report that “so-and-so was received from my parish.”

It is no coincidence that today in the table that we submit for the distribution of our graduates, there are columns: which priest gave the recommendation, and which bishop certified. This gives the Academic Committee an idea of ​​where the student is coming from and who is responsible for it.

Of course, first of all, a person must have his own desire. When he himself comes up and says: “I feel a calling. Please recommend me for admission to the seminary” - the priest should help him prepare. Take the same requirements, help him prepare for exams, explain to him all the pros and cons, tell him honestly: “What awaits you, excuse me, is not a sweet life in a cathedral, where you will only come and serve, and everyone will love you.” read. Salekhard, Urengoy, Khabarovsk, Chita may be waiting for you. Some small churches with several old women, and maybe even small houses adapted for worship. Are you ready for this?"

A young man should think about whether he is ready or not, because today there is a distribution of graduates from religious educational institutions for two years. But what is two years for a student? It's nothing. We had an army for two years. But it’s better when, instead of the army, a person already serves in the parish. It's a wonderful life experience. There will be a very bright and interesting page in the biography later. But, nevertheless, you need to be prepared for these hardships.

Of course, it is necessary to find out what a person’s lifestyle is, how much he sincerely wants to serve God. And all this must already be done by the priest who recommends him before admission.

But now the reality is that during entrance exams we sometimes understand that we need to start working with a person as if from scratch.

“And so the man entered, graduated and is preparing for ordination. What is especially important for a protege or a young, newly ordained priest to focus on?

“The most important thing is a reverent attitude towards the shrine and love for worship. For me this is obvious and very important, because I was taught this way when I was first ordained.

A priest is not a shepherd without love for worship

I remember the words of the late Patriarch Alexy, who once admitted: “They recommend one clergyman to me for ordination as a bishop. He is very talented, very capable, active, punchy, can do a lot, but he just doesn’t like to serve. But how can someone who does not like to serve the Divine Liturgy be a bishop?” Therefore, of course, love for worship is the first thing any clergyman should have. I myself really love worship. For me, this is the element on which, it seems to me, time would stand still.

I am trying, as far as it depends on me, to instill this love in my young clergy.

I have had to deal with such a phenomenon when a person cooled down to serving the Liturgy (and to worship in general) after many years of service. When the venerable archpriest, already an elderly man, treated the divine service very formally and coldly.

One day I went into the altar of the temple, and there the priest was saying a litany, sitting in a chair. I then burst into righteous anger at him, and he got scared. But the most interesting thing is that this fear (perhaps the fear of losing one’s place) for some reason suddenly renewed in the priest the memory of his first love for worship. This priest later literally told me with tears in his eyes that the prayer that he had lost for several years had been returned to him. Imagine, the priest lost his prayer for several years! To me it sounded simply unthinkable. But I saw this man. And he was not the worst priest. I was simply shocked how a priest could stand at the Throne for several years and not pray sincerely, just formally perform some actions...

“One mouth and one heart” - on both sides of the iconostasis

Therefore, the most important thing I would like to focus on is: a priest is, first of all, a man of prayer. Whatever gifts he possesses, prayer is the most important thing in his activity, because it connects us with God. We are not some kind of social institution, the Church is the Kingdom of God on earth. No matter how beautiful it may sound, it is true. And only through prayer does this Kingdom of God come into our lives.

The priest should always maintain a reverent attitude towards the altar, as if he were entering it for the first time. If we are not reverent servants, the Lord will take away grace, and without grace we are nothing and nothing.

I always tell my proteges: “The first days of service are a special joy and special feelings. Remember them for life. And do everything in your power to ensure that this freshness is preserved until the end of your life.” And this requires, among other things, an outward reverent attitude towards the altar and sacred objects.

Under no circumstances should we allow the altar and the temple to become some kind of everyday place where you can manage everything, like at home. In no case can it be brought to a point where, on one side of the iconostasis, ordinary people are sincerely praying with tears in their eyes, and on the other, priests are sitting, talking or immersed in their phones. All of us “with one mouth and one heart” must be directed toward grief. And who comes first? Of course, those who are in the altar.

It is very important to maintain perfect silence in the altar during the service. If we do not hear the voice of silence, we will not hear the voice of God.

Interviewed by Deacon Igor Kulikov

Portal "Shepherd"

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