Sergiev Posad, Moscow Province, Russia, August 13, 2024
Photo: lavra.ru
One of the eldest residents of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra reposed in the Lord over the weekend.
Igumen Pitirim (Golikov) died at the age of 87 following a long illness on Sunday, August 11. He reposed the day after his name’s day—the feast of St. Pitirim of Tambov, reports Patriarchia.ru.
He labored in monasticism for 51 years, and 47 years in the priesthood.
May his memory be eternal!
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Fr. Pitirim was born on July 16, 1937 in a village in the Leningrad Province. He was baptized in the local Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
After 7th grade, he began a 10-year stint of working at various Moscow enterprises.
In 1967, he enrolled at the Moscow Theological Seminary at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, and later, the Academy, from which he graduated with a PhD in theology.
In 1973, he joined the Lavra as a novice. Later that year, he took vows with the name Pitirim. His spiritual father was the venerated Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov).
In April of that year, he was ordained to the diaconate. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1977 by His Eminence Archbishop Vladimir (Sabodan), the future primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Fr. Pitirim received various Church awards for his zealous ministry, including the right to wear the jeweled cross, the Patriarchal medal in honor of the 700th anniversary of St. Sergius of Radonezh, and the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, III Degree.
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