Ote ts Thomas Diez (Thomas Diez) truly amazing person with a very unusual fate. Each parishioner must ask about the deacon father - a man with beautiful voice, excellent hearing and a slightly noticeable accent, which seems to someone like Greek, someone like Serbian. In fact, Father Thomas was born and raised in Germany in a Catholic family.
He became the first cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to be ordained in theological schools of the Moscow Patriarchate. On the Week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy in 2006, the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, Archbishop Eugene of Vereya, ordained a 3rd-year student of the Seminary, Thomas Dietz, who was sent to the Moscow Theological Schools with the blessing His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' in response to the petition of Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany (Russian Church Abroad).
Such an event became possible in the context of the dialogue between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Abroad to overcome the division that arose in tragic years life of the Russian Church in the twentieth century.
We asked Father Foma to tell him about his path to Orthodoxy, to holy orders.
– Tell us about your life here in Russia.
I have been here for almost 3 years now. It was hard at first. Now my wife and I are renting an apartment in Semkhoz. From the very beginning I really enjoyed being in e. I think we have very fruitful years ahead of us when we will see many miracles. Because so many people here in Russia are martyrs, they gave their blood and life for their faith, they suffered, they testified of Christ.
– How did it happen that you are German, born and raised in Germany, converted to Orthodoxy?
– I am very grateful to the Church, for accepting me when I was weak, when I was unhappy because of my problems, I received a lot from the Church. Since the age of eighteen, when I listened to a service in a Catholic church in Germany. This was the beginning of my church life with the Catholics. That was the year I had age crisis, which young people go through at the age of 15-16 and are looking for, but do not find an answer to the question about the meaning of life.
I was then a lonely man, and I had a rather deep disappointment in family life had problems with their parents. Today I can safely say that I did not have a father. I was very worried about this. We had a warm relationship with him, so I was sad. Then I went to the Catholic Church, where I listened to the catechism, where for the first time in my life I heard that the Lord is alive, that he loves me deeply, and that he is preparing a plan for my life. ,
which leads to the fact that I can live a full, meaningful life that I can love myself. I was then 18 years old and it was a deep test for me, and a good experience.
Then the student years began, when I got the opportunity to participate in the mission of the Catholic Church. I have been involved with large families from Germany, Austria. It was very important for me to see a Christian family, to see the love between spouses, how children grow up in an atmosphere of love, to see their happy, open faces. After all, the Christian family is like an oven opened by the grace of God. Seeing this was a great joy for me. I also wanted to have my own family, to do the same in my life, but it didn’t work out.
The very process of meeting girls was difficult for me, something inside me did not allow me to approach and speak freely. It was for me a kind of problem with which I tried to turn to God, prayed a lot, asking to be delivered from it. I was asked a lot why the Lord allowed this, and what is the meaning of it all. And being in this position, I felt that my calling was to become a priest. I entered the seminary. The first years were quite successful, but every day I felt that Orthodoxy and Russian culture began to attract me more and more. I began to learn the language more intensively, to read theological literature. And the longer I studied at the seminary, the more I realized that it was difficult to combine the Roman Catholic faith and Orthodoxy. In my soul, another conflict opened up for me.
Six years after graduating from seminary, I saw clearly that I could not become a Catholic priest. Firstly, the Orthodox faith enables a priest to have his own family, which for me is a serious and an important factor, and secondly, I realized that my desire and my calling is to be an Orthodox priest.
I saw another world here. I returned home to Germany, and the seminary was in Rome, and went to work in my former profession. Only after that I felt that I could freely visit Orthodox church, more specifically to devote himself to Orthodoxy, although the seminary did not forbid visiting Orthodox churches. I went to services at the Russian Church Abroad, at first from time to time, then more often, and each time more and more regularly. Then the moment came when it was necessary to decide which side to go to. I prayed a lot, asked myself, people, what is the essential difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. And I found for myself this door behind which there was an answer.
We, as Orthodox, say that the doctrine of the Pope as the head of the Church is false, because it entered the life of the church unilaterally, not in a conciliar way, which is obligatory for us Orthodox. This view was very close to me, this teaching was given very easily, and then I switched from Catholics to Orthodoxy. I was received very well and gradually I began to take an active part in the life of the Orthodox Church, to sing on the kliros. Of course, I still have good memories of my upbringing with Catholics, and even now I can say a lot of good things about them.
My parents are Lutherans, not Catholics. I became a Catholic at the age of 18 when I listened to catechesis in their parish and after 4 years they accepted the Catholic faith. My family was, one might say, a believer. My father is very religious, and my mother converted to Christianity following the example of my father.
– And how did your parents react to your throwing?
“They were very unhappy when I wanted to become a Catholic priest. They didn't like my idea. Now I got married, and they have a granddaughter, they are immensely happy from this. Of course, they are bitter that we are here in Russia. But they understand that I have found a path that I walk with joy in my heart and I am going to spend all my strength on it. They understand and approve of it.
-And your wife is Orthodox?
- Yes. We met when we were students of Moscow theological schools. They sang together in the kliros. My wife from Bialystok - Eastern Poland. There, the majority of the Orthodox population is of Belarusian origin. There are several bishops and there is a youth fraternity - a youth organization. And they make great pilgrimages.
– What was your first impression of being in Russia?
Little did I know when I traveled in last years. And when I came here completely, I knew… I was afraid that I would be stolen. I was afraid that I would get lost somewhere.
I was received well. I picked up the language pretty quickly. It is true that Germany is comfortable. But when I return on vacation there, I get the impression that there is no place for me there. There are my roots and I love my country, my history, my people. But how Orthodox person or as a clergyman I don't see my place there. This is a different culture.
And how did you get to Moscow? After all, you decided to become Orthodox, back in Germany?
When I accepted Orthodoxy, I thought about how I could fulfill my feeling of calling to become a priest. Bishop Mark in the Church Abroad (he is German himself, but knows Russian very well) at first wanted to leave me in Germany, and I agreed. However, later I saw that here, in Germany, it was not possible for me to preserve the integrity of Orthodoxy, the Christian faith, due to differences in cultures, language barriers ... The Germans, in very exceptional cases, join Orthodoxy. Therefore, I decided that if I want to remain in Orthodoxy, and if I want to do something for people, for my people, then the path has already been shown to me. However, I still don't see it clearly.
– How many people in Germany know about Orthodoxy?
In every big city There are Orthodox churches in Germany, and usually even several local churches are represented - Greek parishes, Russian, Serbian ones. There is a choice. Only, of course, all services are performed in the languages of these churches. Not much has been translated there ... Not even so little has been translated into German, but this is almost never put into practice. On German Liturgy is held only once a month.
Germany is indeed a highly secularized country. Other measures are needed there to pave the way for people to church.
Here in Munich - Russian Orthodox Church abroad. They hold seminars in German every two years. Approximately. For me, it was just the gate to enter the church life. To meet new people. To talk to him. It was good. But still, at these seminars there can be one person a year who stays, becomes Orthodox through spouses - through a husband or wife.
- Which Orthodox literature is it in german?
- There are, for example, Fr. John of Kronstadt, several books, his biography, St. Silouan of Athos, then there is Theophan the Recluse - some of his creations, lives, some books about monasticism.
How much life in Catholic churches still alive?
– After the council in the 60s, church life developed very rapidly in the festivities, there were positive points and not much. Now in Russia it is often said that the Catholic Church is dying, and this is not without its meaning. For example, in Germany there are people, the so-called "pastoral assistants", these are bodies that help the priest. And they often enter into rivalry with the priest. This is not a very good thing. And it can even be said that few people have a healthy church thought, understand the truth of the sacrament of the church and faith. This is on the one hand.
The other side is the fact that after the council there were several attempts at spiritual revival, which are quite deep and quite fruitful, and many people remained on the pagan side, which is completely alien to us. But if you look at everything, in general, then quantitatively this part of society is quite small. They are in the centers of the Catholic Church, and the hierarchy knows about them and takes them into account. And in my opinion, this is the future of the Catholic Church, and I would like to emphasize that Catholics value Orthodoxy very much, they look at us, know little, understand little about us. And I think that everything should be brought to them.
—Father deacon, you have been in the Lavra for a long time... There is something in Germany similar to the way St. Sergius?
- In our country, for example, in Germany, the most popular is Boniface. He is considered an apostle of Germany, he lived in the eighth century, an Englishman, and did a lot of missionary work. He founded several dioceses and then became a martyr.
- Your difficulties, your difficulties with the Slavic language? Do you specifically teach him or is it through the Russian language somehow ..?
- Now, to be honest, I have almost no time to actively teach him. I attended a seminar for two years, they teach actively, it is also impossible for me to translate texts into Russian. and not being able to follow the text in the book, I can say that I understand very little, very little. Now I learn only through Russian. If sometimes I take a dictionary, I look, a Slavic-Russian dictionary, unfamiliar words ..
I love Slavic. He is like a bell, like a powerful bell. This good way so that the word sounds and gives its richness, its content through the beauty of sound ...
Priest Thomas Diez
Priest Foma Dietz serves in Moscow, in the Church of the All-Merciful Savior of the former Sorrows Yaschensky Monastery. He is also the editor of the German page of the internet project " Uninvented stories about war". Father Foma and mother Joanna have four daughters.
He studied at the Catholic Seminary from 1992 to 1998. Baptized in 2000, became Orthodox in the Russian Church Abroad.
| Birth: | 1963; | Munich, Germany |
| Priest: | 2007 | |||
| Deacon: | 2006 |
The relationship between Orthodoxy and Catholicism
- Is the question of the relationship between Orthodoxy and Catholicism relevant to you?
Very relevant. Topic for the moment, the primacy of the pope remains in our relationship. We are accustomed to look at the question of the primacy, the supremacy of Peter and his ministry, as an isolated, separate fact, as if it were only about administration and jurisdictional issues. But it also affects the spiritual life of a person in Catholic Church. How to understand it? The Pope of Rome claims to be infallible, which for us Orthodox is a distortion of Holy Tradition. This is unacceptable for Orthodoxy, no person is infallible. And the question of obedience is connected with the recognition of infallibility. An infallible person, even if only in matters of dogma, must be given unconditional obedience. It turns out that the Catholic demand for obedience pervades all layers of the hierarchy. Even among ordinary believers, the phrase sometimes flashes: “You must obey me A t". What is obedience, and what is Christian freedom, freedom of conscience before God in our understanding? In the Orthodox Church there is a great freedom and responsibility of man. The elder, guiding and instructing his flock in the spiritual life, as if together with them seeks the will of God (in mutual growth). The confessor, listening to the will of his child, realizes that in her, perhaps, the voice of God will appear. The theology of the Greek Fathers of the Church (Gregory of Nyssa, Basil the Great) evaluates the human will much more positively than the Western one under the influence of Blessed Augustine. We will find a reflection of this in the prayer of Simeon the New Theologian: “Give me to speak boldly, even if I want, my Christ, moreover, teach me what it is fitting to do and say to me” (Following Holy Communion. Prayer 6). In deep respect for the freedom and will of man as a prerequisite for Christian obedience, I see a difference with his Catholic understanding. Catholicism is characterized by unconditional but this spirit is alien to us.
- ‹…› Where we disagree with the Catholics is the moment when Catholicism demands unconditional obedience in order to remain in a particular community or in general in the bosom of the Church. ‹…›
- Do you need a dialogue with Catholics?
One must be very careful when dealing with Catholics and not forget that their teaching about the Church hides in itself huge stones of pride which are not easy to break. Flexibility and wisdom are needed here in order not only not to give up our positions, but also to break, in a good sense, this the pride of theological teaching concerning primacy. ‹…›
Conversion to Orthodoxy
- When did you convert to Orthodoxy?
I was baptized in 2000. In the Russian Church Abroad, Catholics are accepted only through baptism. But I started attending Orthodox services right after the seminary, when I returned to Munich. At first I didn't go to church often, but I was drawn there more and more, I wanted to understand the service, to participate in it. He met Bishop Mark, Fathers Nikolai Artemov and Georgy Zaide, a German priest from this church. They greeted me warmly, but said that I had to decide whether I was Catholic or Orthodox. I was then dumbfounded and even a little outraged - after all, from the point of view of Catholics, there are no fundamental differences. But all the same, I was drawn to an Orthodox church, there was a period when on Saturdays I went to the vigil there, and after the vigil I went to my Catholic community. They did not understand my interest in Orthodoxy. It pissed me off. We lived in such a close spiritual community, how, I thought, they are completely indifferent to what means so much to me. In general, in 2000 I made the final choice. And after 3 years, he packed his bags and left for Russia with the goal of becoming a priest and staying there forever. Despite all the predictable difficulties, Vladyka Mark blessed me.
How do they become priests? Atheistic propaganda painted priests greedy people who prudently profit from the misconceptions of others. The time of domination of atheism has passed, but even today few people are seriously interested in the question: how does it happen that ordinary people suddenly begin to serve at the throne of God, subordinating their whole life to this? How do these people come to faith, and not just come, but fill everything with it, dedicating themselves to God? We decided to talk about this. And they asked priests from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Pakistan, Kenya, Germany one simple question: “Why did you become Orthodox priest?».
Archpriest Alexander Avdugin,Lugansk, Ukraine
Probably most of us, who are in holy orders, to the question: “How did you become a priest?” will answer indefinitely, "The Lord brought." But this uncertainty is only for the questioner, but for us it is absolute certainty. After all, there are no accidents a priori, and when you start to make a ladder of events, the steps of which you climbed to the amazing and indescribable minutes of ordination, it becomes absolutely clear that you were led to the current ministry ...
Therefore, the answer is: "The Lord brought."
You can remember these steps, but not all. There were those who, it would seem, were overcome without your will and were not very obligatory, but today, with the experience of the past years, it becomes clear that everything happened in unity and in a clear sequence.
My first religious experience, or rather, an apologetic argument, I had with my grandmother, my father's mother.
Ba, - I asked, - why do you have an evil God in the kitchen, good in the hall?
You can't say that! - angry grandmother. - Look what you thought!
See for yourself! I pointed to the icons.
In the kitchen, the image of the Savior was old, dark, only eyes and forehead were visible. You wake up at night, and if the lamp does not go out, then your eyes look at you from the darkness. Scary.
In the hall, in the brightest corner, between the small windows, God, framed by a towel, is kind and joyful. In sparkling clothes with flowers. Yes, and He was not alone there, with the Mother of God together and with some other saints.
The second bright “religious experience” is connected with Easter. Rather, with a police baton. In the ninth grade, after a literature lesson, in which our teacher, at her own peril and risk, told us about the Church and faith, we decided to go to the Rostov Cathedral on Easter night.
Around the entrance to the cathedral with a horseshoe, half a meter apart, stood cadets of the river school, and behind them, along the sidewalks and tram rails, groups of young policemen. The cadets only let the old women through. All the rest had to explain themselves to the police, who, as a rule, sent them back, behind the cordon.
Rostov Cathedral is located on the market square of the city. Center with parks and entertainment - nearby. It is clear that an impressive crowd of young people has gathered at the cordon, animatedly discussing an action that is not so common.
No, they didn’t talk about Easter and the Resurrection of Christ, they just quietly (loudly in those years it was not accepted, and even fearfully) discussed the very fact: why they weren’t allowed. And, of course, they immediately worked out plans on how to “break through” into the church. Why "break through" was not so important ...
We came up with a grand plan. Not far from the cathedral there is a stop from which trams depart, passing through the cordon just past the gates of the temple. Opening the doors of a moving tram in those years was elementary, so we decided to jump out of the car just opposite the church gate and ... run to the temple.
So they did. But they didn't count. The policemen were quicker. It was then that I got a club on the neck and back ...
Probably, it was this club that became the reason that I began to look for books related to Orthodoxy. It's not just in Soviet years it was, but Rostov-on-Don is a special city, it was always possible to find in it even what was forbidden and not encouraged. Yes, and the love of books, instilled in me by my parents since childhood, helped. Even in official publications, especially among Russian classics, one could find stories about Christ and faith.
During my student years, it became possible to read Christian publications “from over the hill”, brought by our sailors, and the Orthodox broadcasts of the BBC and Voice of America played their role.
Already in mature years I met a priest in a small Belgorod village. My peer. The owner of a surprisingly diverse and rich library, for whom faith, service and passion for literature were a natural daily routine. He could not imagine his life otherwise.
Our friendship had a logical conclusion. Batiushka took me to the resurgent Optina Pustyn, where I "stayed" for a whole year.
About the last steps to ordination, you no longer need to ask me, but Father Melchizedek (Artyukhin), the current rector of the Optinsky metochion in Yasenevo. He taught, he blessed and wrote a recommendation for ordination. When I asked why he took me in Optina under his then deanery wing and assigned me to the publishing department for obedience, Father Melchizedek jokingly replied: “Because, father, he took me because you are Avdyugin, and I am Artyukhin.”
A joke a joke, but that's how the Lord ruled.
Archpriest Maxim Pervozvansky, Moscow
I was a physics student
Studying in the fifth year of the Faculty of Experimental Physics at MEPhI, I seriously, truly believed in God. I began to look for opportunities to serve Him in the church fence - no matter who, but in the church fence. After graduation, he went to work in one of the closed design institutes and at the same time began to go to the Novospassky Monastery. Archimandrite Alexy (Frolov) suggested that I create and head a parochial school at the monastery.
And in parallel with this, I asked to read in the service, became an altar boy and a reader. Since at that time there were only three monks in Novospasskoye, one protodeacon and several novices, my help was in demand. I went to the service every day, morning and evening, read ...
And a few years later, apparently observing my work and drawing some conclusions for himself, Vladyka offered to ordain me.
I loved physics. But the decision to leave the job was taken quite easily. The country was experiencing better times. I did not see the possibility of applying efforts in the area that occupied me - military physics. There has been a loss of meaning. And it coincided with a serious inner turning to God, with a search for service.
In 1994 I became a deacon and then a priest. I never aspired to it myself. It seemed to me that priests are some special kind of people, that they are unearthly, angels. Especially tall example monastery priests convinced me of this - such an ideal seemed unattainable. But there are words in the Bible: You didn't choose me, I chose you- I always remembered these lines and perceived them as addressed to myself personally.
The priesthood has become for me the rallying point of my whole life. From him and through him, my family and professional life, the work of the editor-in-chief of the magazine, and work with youth are built. Priesthood gives meaning to everything I do.
Priest Philip Gathari, Nyeri, Kenya
I was a Kenyan boy
The words “Orthodox” and “Orthodoxy” came into my life as a child. We were familiar with all those operating in Kenya Christian denominations, the main of which was Catholicism. But he didn't attract me.
Then came the Independent Church, which was supported by the fighters for the political freedoms of Kenya. Orthodoxy came along with them. White missionaries from Greece attracted us children to the Orthodox faith.
We began to flock to worship at the local church. Most of all, we were struck by the style of reading psalms and other liturgical reading. We were fascinated by Communion. And we also liked the bread prosphora that were taken out of the altar. Bread was rare, and going to church was the right way taste him. As children, we did not understand the meaning of all these rituals. But they did not like to miss services. Every time the priest went somewhere, we felt very bad.
I began to sing in a youth choir, and later became an altar boy. This was considered an honor, because when the priest was away, the altar servers were given the privilege of helping to celebrate matins. Most of the elderly parishioners could not read, so we young people were their eyes and their mouths.
Own elementary education I got it when I lived fully church life. I remember once praying: “Lord, when I grow up, make me a priest like our local priest.” As a child, I really liked the vestments of the priests. They mesmerized me. I was also attracted by the fact that priests play a central role in the life of our Christian community.
By the time I entered high school in Nairobi, I was already baptized with the name Philip - that was the name of an independent preacher, thanks to whom Orthodoxy came to Kenya.
After leaving school, when I was already working as a secretary in the reception of the Ministry of the Interior, the priest of the local village church sent me to study abroad, at the university in Sibiu (Romania). I had no intention of studying theology specifically, but it happened that way.
In 1983 I returned to my country. My wanderings began: for 15 years I worked as a teacher in different schools, taught at the seminary. When lost last place, then with his theological diploma could not find a job. To support myself, I ran a private business for two years.
And then Vladyka Seraphim, Archbishop of Nairobi, called me to serve. He felt that I could become a priest: as a lay theologian, I made a great contribution to the training of priests in the seminary; most of our parishioners and priests relied heavily on me and trusted me. I have always wanted to help my people learn and understand Orthodoxy. After all, most of our local priests do not have higher education, and some liturgical books were translated incorrectly. Our flock simply did not see these mistakes... Since I trained as a theologian, I felt that it was my duty to serve the Orthodox Church...
In 1999, immediately after my ordination, Vladyka sent me to a place where there were no Orthodox community. There I founded a church in the name of St. Philip in Karundu.
And in 2005, the new archbishop, Vladyka Macarius (Andrea Tirides), with whom we taught together at the seminary, sent me to the church of St. Anthony in Ichamar. Where I serve today. There are a lot of difficulties, we have to sacrifice our personal comfort, our resources in order to keep the missionary school that we created at the temple afloat. This is an extremely difficult task. But we overcome everything.
Priest Thomas Ditz, Moscow
I was a German Protestant
I felt an inner call to the priesthood when I was 18-19 years old. But then this call was forgotten: completely different plans for life, studying to be an architect ... In addition, I belonged to Protestantism (my parents are Lutherans, this is a faith traditional for Germans on a par with Catholicism), and Protestants do not have a priesthood.
When I decided to convert to Catholicism in my youth, celibacy turned me away from the idea of the priesthood: I always felt that my path was a family path.
However, the call to the priesthood was renewed, and I entered a Catholic seminary. But the confidence that I could complete what I started did not last long: only a year or two. Then came the internal crisis. It became clear to me that this was not my path, that it would be to the detriment of my spiritual state, and, let's be honest, it would lead me to a difficult mental disorder I was so at odds with myself. I finished my studies, not knowing what awaited me. I stayed out of those considerations that the leadership of the seminary understands what is best for me. The confessor led me, but a very serious conflict was ripening inside.
The priesthood is a vocation from God, it is indeed inevitable if a person prays, lives a spiritual life, tunes his senses in order to hear the will of God.
While studying at a Catholic seminary, I began to delve into Orthodoxy, and the more I learned about it, the more I understood its truth and its difference from Catholicism, although Catholics believe that there is no essential difference between us. And when I finally accepted Orthodoxy, I felt that my desire to become a priest had not disappeared, but on the contrary, it suddenly became possible. When I learned about the life of the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union under conditions of persecution, I became interested in everything connected with Russia. And so I decided to come here to study theology. The only obstacle was the language of my Church - Russian, which is not my native language. And age: at the age of 40 it is no longer so easy to study, to comprehend the complex Byzantine Liturgy, the world of Slavic languages.
God brought me into such conditions and circumstances that it became possible to fulfill my long-standing calling. I felt that now, having become an Orthodox priest, I had found my way. And this obliges me to work for the one holy apostolic Church, which really exists in Orthodoxy.
Priest Gleb Grozovsky, village of Maloe Verevo, Leningrad Region
I was a Zenith player
I was born and brought up in the family of the priest Viktor Grozovsky, and almost all of my brothers were disposed towards the priesthood. And I, an athlete, a football player, could not imagine such a future for myself! Well, in extreme cases, I won’t become a player, so I’ll be a coach, I thought.
After school I went to study in State Academy physical culture them. P. F. Lesgaft. Naturally, I did not even think about the seminary then.
My dreams came true: I, although for a short time, was both a player in the national youth team and a trainee coach at the Zenit football school, which I myself once graduated from. However, I was destined to follow in my father's footsteps. By the age of twenty, the Lord called me to be His priest. I clearly remember the call, thoughts and feelings that I experienced while standing in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where my father served. I think it's different for everyone. Let me just say that the idea came to me that I could be useful not just as a “spectator”, but as an assistant in worship.
I then asked the archimandrite, and today Bishop Nazarius of Vyborg, for blessings to help at the altar in my free time from training and competitions. He gave good. It was delicious! As a child, I already altar, but did not appreciate it then. Six months later, after younger brothers, I was taken as a subdeacon to the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Vladimir. I could not even dream that it was he, who had received the grace of a bishop from St. Nicholas (Mogilevsky) himself, who would ordain me to the rank of deacon, and two years later, a presbyter!
Well, as for football, it has not left my life. In our diocese, a sports department has been created, tournaments are held between parishes, together with orphanages, and with other dioceses. The students of the Theological Academy, whom I train, receive football equipment from the hands of Zenit football players and maintain their physical fitness. St. Petersburg "Zenith" also does not remain without my support in all home and away matches. By the way, the temple, which I was entrusted with building, is planned to be built with donations from the players.
There is no more glorious state of mind on earth and no greater responsibility before God than the priesthood, that transferred pledge that must be kept whole and unharmed to one's last breath.
Archpriest Dimitry Lukyanov, Belgorod
I was a physical education teacher
Now, being a priest, I am getting a higher secular education: I study at the Faculty of Geology and Geography of the Belgorod state university. I will defend my diploma as a teacher of geography. And it's very interesting to me. After all, every year I leave for several months on an expedition to the Arctic on the ship "Mikhail Somov". We go from Arkhangelsk to Chukotka. For me, these expeditions are missionary. The visit of a priest to the Arctic village once a year is perhaps the only opportunity for its residents to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
However, I myself never imagined that I would become a priest or a missionary. I didn’t dream about it since childhood, even such thoughts didn’t come. By profession, I was a physical education teacher, I worked. Helped in the temple. And gradually came to the decision to be ordained. It happened in 1997, back in the "dashing 90s" ...
But for some reason, I had absolutely no fear that I was finally and for the rest of my life turning onto this path. Priest in this sense - happy man. Financial problems that often arise - especially among the rural clergy - are somehow resolved by themselves. At the most difficult moment, help always comes from somewhere. I know my family will never be rich, but we will never starve to death. In addition, I was lucky: from my youth I was a rather ascetic young man - I could quite calmly buy ordinary simple boots instead of beautiful men's shoes.
A priest is, of course, not a profession. This is service. And if one can say about a good school teacher: “He carries out his ministry”, then about a priest - even more so. You can leave work, there are weekends at work. The working day is limited: left the office, came home, changed clothes, and until morning you can forget that you are an engineer. This is not the case in the priesthood. You are both at home and on the street a priest. Service differs from work by the readiness to be "on service" at any moment. That's why I never go outside without a cassock. I think this is very important.
And in the expedition, I am first of all a priest. I hope that these trips will be of interest to our Department of Geography. Thanks to me, the “geography” of the work of the department itself is expanding. In addition, it is also a missionary reception for me. After all, you meet many scientists on an expedition. For many of them, it becomes a real discovery that the priest is not “dark and dense”, but understands geography and geology. They are very fond of their work, their science, and therefore they always appreciate it very much when the interlocutor can support the conversation and asks them the right, competent, deep questions. Now it will be easier for me to establish contacts, it will be easier to speak the same language with them.
Priest John Tanveer, Lahore, Pakistan
I was a catholic priest
I have been waiting for the opportunity to convert to Orthodoxy for fifteen years, and the opportunity to become an Orthodox priest for another three years. The Lord tested my desire.
I belonged to the Catholic community and in 1974 I entered the seminary, and four years later I continued my studies at another institute, for another six years I studied the Holy Scriptures, church and civil law, Church history and ethics. I remember praying, “Lord, you are my Father, if I am worthy to be a priest, Your servant, please give me the courage to serve You and Your people.”
My journey to Orthodoxy began in 1990. Early one morning, when I left the cathedral after mass, a tall, stately man approached me and asked if he could come into the cathedral to pray. "Certainly!" I replied. He went. And I don't know what made me wait for him. This man came out and said to me: “I thought it was an Orthodox church. But nothing! I needed to pray and I did." We met, he turned out to be Orthodox, he was a general from Greece, who came on an official visit to Pakistan. He left me his business card.
I can’t explain why, but from that time on I became irresistibly drawn to Orthodoxy. In May 1993, I managed to get to a service in an Orthodox church in Australia. The feeling of holiness in the air fascinated me. As I stood there, I suddenly had the confidence that I had found my true home. After the Liturgy, despite my strong desire to meet with the bishop or priest of the parish, I did not succeed.
I returned to my country. And he began to talk with even greater enthusiasm about the holiness of the Orthodox Church to my brother priests and friends. In 1996 I left Catholicism.
In October 1998, through a friend of mine from Greece, I managed to get in touch with Metropolitan Nikita (Lulias) of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. But things went very slowly, my letters were not answered for years. God tested my faithfulness. And only thanks to the support of the family, especially my wife Rosa, I was able to endure this test.
Finally, in March 2005, Metropolitan Nikita arrived in Lahore: I, my wife and 350 other Pakistanis were received into Orthodoxy through chrismation.
At the same time, Vladyka advised me to continue on my way to the Holy Cross, and I accepted his advice, because I really wanted to be a God-fearing and faithful Christian. I was incredibly happy.
My ordination was also delayed, but finally took place in Greece in November 2008. So far, I am the only Orthodox Pakistani priest in our country.
Being a priest in Pakistan is very difficult. We have to be very careful what we say. There is so much prejudice and injustice around, you can be caught at your word, accused, put in jail and even killed.
During the period when I was a priest of the Catholic Church, the most painful issue for me was the positioning of the priest as a kind of boss, master and teacher of life for the people of God, who are already in a minority position here in Pakistan. I realized that a priest is a shepherd. Where there is no bridge, it should become such a bridge so that the herd can cross the river. It must be the voice of the unanswered. I try to be like open book for my faithful, because I love them very much. They know if I have something in my pocket or not, it makes us close people. Although pain and sorrow are a part of my life, they make my priesthood even more meaningful.
Priest Svyatoslav Shevchenko, Blagoveshchensk
I was an aspiring journalist
I never had to ask myself the question: why did I become a priest? Simply because he did not notice how it happened. Of course, like any Orthodox man, thoughts about the priesthood arose in my mind. But these thoughts were like childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut. Therefore, it is more logical to put the question this way: why did God want me to become a priest? And in this direction I have some suggestions.
When I go over in my memory the deeds of the past years, I see the clear Providence of God. I entered the Church definitely through journalism. I even had the honor to stand at the fork in the road, one of which led to work in an elite restaurant hometown, and the other - to the editorial office of the newspaper. Two minibuses crammed full of passengers drove past me, and after the third, my feet headed to the newspaper complex, where journalists were required. Somehow organically I was instructed to conduct religious topics in the regional weekly Samovar, then an Orthodox supplement to the Zlatoust newspaper appeared, and after that it went and went.
Once I went to the temple before Easter - inside they washed, rubbed, polished, tinted. I had a strong sense of presence in my own family, where I was unbearably attracted. Therefore, after a while, to the question of the ruling bishop: “Well, who are you with?” - answered without hesitation: "With you" ...
Today I have the honor of being a priest and doing what I love - working with the press. God gave me everything I could ever dream of: serving before the Throne, Orthodox family- a beloved wife and no less beloved sons, the opportunity to talk about the Church in the media. Today it is clear to me what the Lord wants from me. He needs a working tool - and I will be it as far as I can.
Archpriest Sergiy Lepin, Minsk, Belarus
I was a Komsomol member and a rocker
I grew up in a communist family. Once, in the fifth grade, a geography teacher told us about her trip to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, after which I told everyone: “I will also go to the seminary!” And constantly in his life he returned to this statement. When they asked me: “Boy, what do you want to be?”, I always answered: “I will go to the seminary” ... Why did I say that? This question seems to me inappropriate, like any question that clarifies the motives of the actions that we perform in a dream. Don't know. He spoke - and that's it!
Very early I began to be interested in questions of justice, the meaning of life, happiness, the good and other philosophical problems. And the ideology that then reigned in Soviet schools, offered some ready samples reasoning in this direction. So I became a member of the Komsomol. In my search, I started from the proposed solutions and quickly outgrew them.
Later, I started looking in the informal environment: rock music, my own group and all that ... All this was in my life, and it all started from that! Well, there was also a passion for poetry, something else ... It seems to me that if a person consistently seeks the truth, then even within the boundaries of his delusions he can achieve something, since a negative result is also a result. Consistency exposes untruth, it cannot be otherwise!
One day, however, I got ready and went to church - like birds that one day just pack up and fly south. I was fourteen, I had not yet learned to be consistent and see cause and effect in everything, and the question “Do I believe in God or not?” for me then simply did not exist. And when I first discovered it for myself, I found that I believe and can no longer do otherwise. It was an awakening. I remember this day...
I entered the seminary, and then graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, then - the Theological Academy and graduate school. The Faculty of Philosophy was not an alternative for me spiritual education, I went there for certain skills that I needed to understand some things in theology.
I was ordained while studying at the Academy. It often happens that people get married on Sunday and are ordained the next, but for three years after my marriage I put off the question of ordination. It's scary! “Weak grace heals and impoverishing grace fulfills” - amen! But how can you feel strong and able to bear this cross while you do not have this grace? It's like jumping with a parachute: you know that you can't fly, and just about anything - there's no chance. So it is here - if not the Lord ... But you need to decide and "jump". With this I was helped by my senior comrades. They just took me and “pushed me overboard”: they printed out a petition for ordination, convinced me to sign it ...
And here I am. On the one hand, I cannot imagine that everything could have been otherwise, and on the other hand, I cannot understand how this could have happened ...
Archpriest Viktor Tarasov, dean of the parishes of the Sobinsky district of the Vladimir diocese
I was a poet and a musician
I remember when I was baptized, already at a conscious age, I could not get an answer from anyone to the question: “What for? How will baptism affect my life? To tell the truth, all the answers did not convince me at all, but on the contrary, they turned me away from the thought of becoming a believer. But the grandmother pushed, and the father and close relatives convinced: “Russian means necessarily baptized and Orthodox.”
And suddenly, a few years later, a thirst for spiritual search arose in my soul. Groundlessly, out of nowhere! I was in high school, and everyone noticed that Vitya Tarasov somehow changed a lot. The well-known "musician", a bit of a "poet" suddenly became different. Not better, not worse, just different...
But there were not so many means to quench this spiritual thirst: going to church with familiar old women, the yellowed pages of the Moscow “Church Herald” of last year, and an amazing book found in the factory library: “Two Hundred Answers of an Atheist to a Believing Brother.” The abundance of dirt, criticism, ridicule and mockery that the atheist brought down on the faith of his “brother” had the opposite effect: excessive zeal in the fight against faith became for me convincing evidence that God exists.
Then came a sudden and uncontrollable thirst for prayer. Divine service, and in particular the service of the Liturgy, became the true desire and love of my life. And having fallen in love with worship and prayer, it is no longer possible to imagine your life outside the very core of Christianity - the sacred rites.
The priesthood for me is the realization of the gospel words You didn't choose me, but I chose you. This is the fruit of that first youthful knowledge of God, which surprised my teachers, led to embarrassment or caused ridicule of peers. That in which I did not know God so much as God knew me.
FIGHT TIME
great post- this is the time of the struggle of man with the devil. Rev. Isaac the Syrian spoke of the fact that during fasting, a Christian casts out the devil from himself.
“Fasting is a weapon prepared by God… If the Lawgiver Himself fasted, then how could one of those obliged to keep the law not fast?.. Before fasting, the human race did not know victory and the devil never experienced defeat… Our Lord was the leader and the first-born of this victory… And as soon as the devil sees this weapon on one of the people, this adversary and tormentor immediately comes into fear, thinking and remembering his defeat in the wilderness by the Savior, and his strength is crushed ... Whoever fasts, his mind is unshakable» (Word 30).
A Christian struggles all his life to fight the evil one, and fasting is a blessing time to focus for this fight. If we do not fight our sins and temptations, we will not receive grace from God and cannot draw from the source of Easter the blessings that the Lord has prepared for us. You should prepare diligently for Easter in order to feel it as fully as possible..
Calling Easter a holiday is too little. It is more important than any holiday and more significant than any event in world history. On this day, all mankind, each of us received the hope of salvation, because Christ has risen. In Easter lies the whole essence of Christianity, the whole meaning of our faith. Every year on Easter night we leave slavery and gain freedom.
FASTING PLEASANT TO GOD
I would like to recall an excerpt from the book of the prophet Isaiah, which talks about which fast is pleasing to God and which is not. If a person outwardly fasts, not eating fast food, but at the same time commits lawlessness, condemns his neighbors, is proud, fundamentally does not want to repent of his sins and does not want to spend time with his family and loved ones, then such fasting will be useless. The benefits of fasting will only come when we are ready to eradicate our sins. This will be the most important achievement during Lent.
Changing yourself is not as easy as it seems. Because a person's attachment to his ego and to his pride is very strong. We always see ourselves in best light and they are accustomed to seek justification for their sins. However, the image that we see does not correspond to reality, and therefore we First of all, we need to strive to see ourselves as we are.. Saint Gregory Palamas prayed to the Lord for 30 years, asking Him for only one thing - that God would enlighten his darkness. Once, the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian appeared to Gregory Palamas. Looking affectionately at Gregory, the apostle asked him:
“Why, when calling on God, do you only repeat every time: enlighten my darkness, enlighten my darkness?”
Gregory replied:
“What else should I ask, besides this: let me be enlightened and know how to do His holy will?”
The saint repeated this prayer for years and years. He realized that there was darkness in him, so the saint tirelessly asked God to give him light in order to see what he was like. We all have sins and passions that we do not know about and that do not allow us to do good.. Therefore, in the remaining days of Great Lent, we need pray even harder and ask the Lord to enlighten us and help us see in ourselves what we ourselves are not able to see.
ERRORS IN POST
The main mistake is thinking that it is not necessary to fast. Many people think that food fasting does nothing. This is fundamentally not true. Fasting shows a person his dependence on God, who feeds us. Bodily Fasting Eases Spiritual Warfare. We must try to direct our gaze to Christ and rely on Him, and not on our own strength.
Many of us begin to be proud of our post, our achievements during it. If this happens, our efforts have been in vain. Without prayer and repentance, fasting cannot bear any spiritual fruit. The Lord taught us to hide our good and try to live according to His commandments.
One of the main mistakes is not paying attention to your sins.. We often turn a blind eye to them, considering them insignificant. Really need to strive know your passions, recognize and eradicate them. This is truly a big and difficult task. Most big man not the one who has the talents to perform miracles, but the one who sees his sins and has the courage to confess them. God expects humility and repentance from us, but our pride often prevents us from reaching this.
It is necessary, of course, to repent of every bad thought, and especially those that poison our mind from day to day, chaining our soul to a gloomy state. We need to repent until the Lord helps us cope with our thoughts.
WHEN FASTING IS NOT A JOY AT ALL
It must always be remembered that during fasting - especially towards its end - temptations will come. The devil tempts us into the desire to have glory, into the desire to be satisfied and have wealth, and this gives rise to sadness and sorrow in a person. From these ailments, a person will be helped not by some kind of entertainment or entertainment, but by a deep prayer, which is desirable to do every day. Often fasting is not a joy for us just because we fast incorrectly.. Even if a Christian fasts with bodily fasting and repents of his sins, prayer should not be forgotten either. It alleviates suffering, helps fight temptations and passions.
Prayer is a very important aspect of fasting.. It is given in order to acquire the Holy Spirit. It is given for God to enlighten us. After earnest prayer, we sometimes begin to understand ourselves, to see in ourselves what we did not notice before. Suddenly, God reveals to us some of our sin, sends a desire to improve and enlightens us about what O must be done - and this is the grace of God. When it becomes difficult for us to fast, it is useful to remember the lines of the prophet Isaiah about fasting:
“Behold, you fast for quarrels and strife, and in order to strike others with a bold hand; you do not fast at this time so that your voice will be heard on high"(Isaiah 58:4).
FIRST POST
Your first Orthodox post I remember very well. I was then 36 years old and living in Munich. Great Lent seemed very tough to me, it was very difficult for me in the first weeks to refuse even food with butter, as was customary in the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. But my joy knew no bounds when I first took part in Orthodox Easter. Compared to Catholic Orthodox Easter made me feel like this: "Here's the original! This is the real Easter!
Exactly ten years ago, on Pokrov, I left Germany for Russia. I knew that I was leaving for a long time, even, most likely, forever. I felt it as the will of God. I ask myself the question, what happened in these ten years? What corresponds to my then expectations?
The main thing is that I became a priest. I serve in Russia. I have a family. I take it as a gift, as a grace from God. This hard way, there is still much to be learned.
Fateful meeting
One of the main events of these years was the acquaintance with Father Daniil Sysoev. I came to Orthodoxy in 2000, from one Catholic movement, whose leader is a charismatic man, a Spaniard. In Orthodoxy, I met a similar person in the person of Father Daniel. He could "ignite" the hearts of people, inspire! Charisma, I believe, is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. You might think that charisma can only manifest itself among the Orthodox, but my life path is such that I encountered it for the first time among Catholics.
Father Daniel surprised me with versatile activities. First, he had a deep understanding Holy Scripture. He was given to reveal many of the mysteries of the Holy Scriptures. He was a man who lived perfectly according to the Word of God. This was very noticeable in the way he spoke, in the inner fire that he generously shared. His priestly years for the Church are undoubtedly a great gift. Although Father Daniel had been a priest for less than ten years, he left behind a huge amount of work.
We met by chance, if such fateful meetings can be called an accident. In 2009, I returned from Optina Pustyn, stopped somewhere in the south of Moscow, and - it turned out - was near the Church of the Apostle Thomas, which I had long wanted to visit. I entered this and the temple and was amazed by the atmosphere of the place. I would describe it as an Ecumenical temple, where the saints of all Orthodox churches and times are felt. There is a special holiness and a sense of the glory of God.
Then, several times, I had discussions with Father Daniel about the Holy Scriptures, and I asked him about the opportunity to attend the Missionary School, where he taught dogmatics. The impression was similar - Father Daniel taught dogmatics, not just expounding a theory, but it was a sincere sermon, very closely connected with real life, the spiritual life of a person and the Church as a whole.
Church boundaries
And it was also very valuable for me that Father Daniel had a clear idea of the Church - what the Orthodox Church is, where its borders are, and what is already outside the Church. IN recent months During his lifetime, Fr. Daniel came up with the idea to organize a mission to the West, to send representatives of his movement, which was very young - only two years old! - to the Catholic countries of Europe, to Italy, for example, and preach Orthodox faith. We know that God did not allow him to carry out his plan, but Father Daniel felt the need for just this: he was burning with the desire to bring everyone to Orthodoxy. His success with Muslims is known - he baptized 80 Muslims! 80! One priest! In such a short time!
Why is clarity in teaching about the Church so important? Because the Church is one, it cannot be divided. Its unity is as valuable as the apple of an eye. On October 14, the feast of the chiton of the Lord is scheduled in our calendar. The real tunic is located in Georgia, in the historical capital of Mtskheta. Chiton since ancient times was considered by Christians a symbol of the unity of the Church. The chiton is not available in Georgia, since the first century it has been located in the Cathedral of the city of Mtskheta under the life-giving pillar, and, therefore, the authenticity of the chiton shrine in Germany, in Trier, cannot be recognized.
So, Father Daniel had a clear understanding of the boundaries of the Church. A clear understanding of where the boundaries of communion between Orthodox and other Christians is necessary in order to serve the unity of the Church. Many believe that the boundary of communion is determined by communion in the Eucharist or abstention from it. In fact, there are many other restrictions in mutual relationships. For example, we cannot attend the same prayer meetings together. Otherwise, it turns out that we give a sign, as if there are no barriers between us, as if we are already spiritually united. The fruits of such an interpretation are sad - instead of solving problems at the root, we are satisfied with the impression of unity, which is false and superficial.
Historical event
A very striking event was the act of reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Church Abroad. This made us all so happy! Father Alexander Ilyashenko (rector of the Church of the All-Merciful Savior, where Father Thomas serves - ed.) noted that one should not be shy about calling the union a historical event - after all, this does not often happen in the Church. On the contrary, we often see splits and strife. In Serbia, Montenegro, Georgia, Abkhazia there is a tendency to form their own local churches. This act of reunification was very important for me personally. The Russian Orthodox Church gave me a lot, and it was very sad when there was no common unity.
Meetings and acquaintances with various missionaries in the Church were significant for me, for example, with Father George Maximov, with Father John Tanveer from Pakistan. People who work hard, travel, write, perform. Now many missionary schools have appeared in Moscow, young people come there, learn more about the Church, learn to give themselves good cause. It is noticeable how people want to deepen their faith, are interested in worship and dogma.
During the years of my priesthood, I realized very clearly the general universal meaning Churches. When I visit other cities and even countries, I can concelebrate at divine services. There are no barriers, no national barriers to this, especially when services are held in Church Slavonic. How blessed it was to serve in Georgia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Greece! It is a very good experience to see for yourself that the Orthodox Church is one, beyond state borders.
Mission
In my feeling, over the ten years that I have been living in Russia, the situation here has stabilized. I have the impression that people now live better, more stable, more secure. And my family has changed a lot. At first we lived here on bird's rights, now we are residents of Russia. Young people began to come to the temples. Judging by our parish, there are many young, successful family people among the parishioners. People do not come for anything, but to God.
Someone first comes just to talk to the priest, someone begins to go to Bible talks, and then they gradually begin to go to services, which, of course, is a condition for genuine churching. A person needs both conciliar prayer and listening to the word of God in an assembly of people. Now we have many people who want to live in the Church, who want to build their lives according to the will of God.
It would be nice if every priest held Bible talks, you need to look for possible forms that correspond to Orthodox approach to the study of Scripture. Of course, few people can do it the way Father Daniil Sysoev can, but if you manage to rally people around you and meet systematically to listen to the word of God, this helps a lot in spiritual life.
I believe that it is useful when people at such meetings not only listen to the priest, but also prepare topics in advance, speak, having prepared a message based on Holy Scripture and reading patristic literature. It is not enough just to recommend reading the holy fathers or Scripture, it is not easy. It is necessary to pave the way, to offer a methodology so that the Orthodox, under the guidance of a priest, can draw strength from Divine revelation to build their spiritual life.
And the priest at such meetings is also nourished by the Word of God, just like everyone else. And it is valuable for me that in our classes we hear readings not only from Holy Scripture, but also from Tradition. We have read almost all five volumes of Paisius the Holy Mountaineer. Real life in a big city with its own requirements is such that if we do not find a form of joint classes, then it is very difficult to find time for this on our own.
Feel at home in Russia
For the last three years at Easter, I have been invited to read the Gospel in German at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The gospel is read in 18 languages. Here is the celebration! An excellent confirmation of the universal essence of the Church.
Of all the trips, I was especially impressed by Georgia. Even Greece is not so struck. Georgia is the country of the Mother of God, according to the prophecies of the Russian elders, before the Second Coming of Christ, all monasticism will gather exactly there when the Antichrist persecutes the Church all over the world. How can one not feel the special love and care of God in the fact that a country surrounded by Muslim peoples for centuries withstood this onslaught? The spiritual roots of Christianity in Georgia are strong, and now the Church is being restored in this country even faster and more thoroughly than in Russia.
Almost from the very beginning, I did not feel like a foreigner in Russia, despite the language barrier. I came to an Orthodox country and feel at home here. I don't know if my children will live in Russia, but all I want is for them to become Christians.
