Fr. John (Krestiankin) commemorated on anniversary of his repose at Pskov Caves Monastery

Pskov, February 7, 2019

Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru
    

The memory of Archimandrite John (Krestiankin), the great elder of the Pskov Caves Monastery who labored under communist oppression, was celebrated at the monastery on Tuesday, February 5, the 13th anniversary of his repose.

Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru
    

The Divine Liturgy was celebrated that day by His Eminence Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Pskov and Porkhov in the Church of the Meeting of the Lord in the Holy Dormition-Pskov Caves Monastery, reports the site of the Pskov Metropolia.

Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru
    

Met. Tikhon was assisted by clergy from the monastery and the Pskov region and other guests.

Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru
    

Following the Divine Liturgy, a memorial litia was celebrated for the repose of the soul of Archimandrite John, after which Met. Tikhon addressed the faithful with a sermon, recalling his soul-profiting encounters with Fr. John when he was a monk of the Pskov Caves:

Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru
    

Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru
The majority of us standing here recall our meetings with Fr. John. He was a spiritual father for many. But was there ever a time when we went to him and it wasn’t a time of his spiritual fruit bearing? Was there even one meeting throughout the many years when he didn’t give us the fruits of the Holy Spirit, nourished by him on the tree of his monastic and priestly life? It never happened! In a true pastor of God, in a true Christian, the time of fruit-bearing never ends. Fr. John gave us a great, beautiful, and joyous example of the possibility of just such an unceasing fruit-bearing, so pleasing to God.

During his youth, then adulthood, and even, I’m not afraid to say, his elderly bodily frailty and infirmity, we would go to him and would always receive the purest spiritual fruits of his salvific advice and fervent prayers, which Batiushka brought to us, as he loved to say, “from his whole soul and his whole heart.” Whether he was sick or healthy, tired after a long day, day after day continuing to receive hundreds of people, or full of strength after a small prayer break, Fr. John was transformed when he heard the voice of God proclaiming to him that he had to saturate and strengthen people by his fruits, his spiritual life, and to strengthen, support, and comfort those suffering people who came to him.

Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru Photo: pskov-eparhia.ru
    

Another litia was then served at the elder’s grave.

See a full photo report of the event here.

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2/7/2019

See also
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Today, on the Sunday of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, we are also remembering a true confessor of the faith who lived during those very serious times in Russia. Archimandrite John (Krestiankin) reposed on the Sunday of this commemoration, February 5, 2006. “He spends all his time in the cathedral and even forgets to eat.” “He spends all his time in the cathedral and even forgets to eat.”
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin) as the soviets saw him “He spends all his time in the cathedral and even forgets to eat.” “He spends all his time in the cathedral and even forgets to eat.”
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin) as the soviets saw him (1955)
Hierodeacon Theophan (Bortnikov)
Today is the tenth anniversary of the repose of Archimandrite John (Krestiankin). To commemorate him we present an unusual testimony to his zeal and Christian love—a sort of apophatic approach to the biography of a saintly man. It comes from reports written by the Pskov plenipotentiary for religious affairs A. I. Luzin, whose job it was during the atheist Communist period to watch Fr. John’s every move and report back on his “crimes”.

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