Consecration of bells. The Ascension Cathedral in Tver. September 29, 1993.
—The nineties were a time of a spiritual upliftment and church revival. What do you remember most from this period of your ministry in Tver?
—The nineties opened the door to boundless opportunities for us. We were eager to do everything, especially after the Soviet era oppression. We have already talked about the uncovering and translation of the relics of St. Thaddeus to the Ascension Cathedral and the restoration of the veneration of St. Sabbatius. It is also necessary to mention how our community initiated the revival of the tradition to consecrate the sources of the Volga River. Since olden times, this great river was always respectfully called, “Mother Volga,” thus emphasizing its importance for Russia. As far back as in the days of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a monastery dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior was built at the source of the Volga, so that there was ceaseless prayer in that swampy area, the birthplace of a small timid brook that gave rise to our great and mighty Russian River Volga. A beautiful red brick church was erected there later. Before the revolution, the archpastor of Tver, held a prayer service at the source of the Volga every year in May, with the governor present. The community of the Ascension Cathedral revived this tradition. At first, before I was appointed its rector, the prayer service was conducted by Archpriest Vladimir Shusta, rector of the Church of Our Lady of the Sign in Ostashkov, the dean of the Ostashkov district, and later by Archimandrite Vassian, abbot of the St. Nilus of Stolobny Hermitage. Afterwards, Vladyka Victor continued this tradition. It seems unthinkable today that a ruling bishop wouldn’t travel to the consecration of the source of the Volga River. It was always a truly joyful occasion for us, when everyone in our parish climbed into three large buses and travelled to the source of the Volga River. We had between 120 to 150 parishioners, including children, during those trips. We’d greet our Vladyka, take part in the prayer service, and then have a picnic with games and rest outdoors. And it was a truly memorable occasion that brought us together as a parish.
Parish council of the Ascension Cathedral of Tver. July, 1995.
At the same time, we launched a campaign to protect the territory of the former Nikolo-Malitsky monastery. This ancient monastery, revered by the residents of Tver, was lying in ruins at the time and faced losing all of its land, because local residents were increasingly expanding their vegetable gardens at the expense of the monastery territory. It was necessary to obtain confirmation that its territory lies within a protected cultural heritage site and no ones should dare use it in an unintended manner. We were able to obtain such documents that clearly marked the territory of the monastery. In the course of our visits there, we cleared the area of debris. The owners of unlawfully added garden plots were forced to remove their fences. These days, it always delights my heart to see the beautiful, revived Nikolo-Malitsky Monastery. It warms my heart that thirty years ago we were able to preserve this place, this shrine.
We found out one day that work was underway to install general utilities through the territory of a former monastery cemetery, formerly the location of Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God Church with a side chapel in honor of a holy shrine of Tver—the “Uncut Mountain” Icon of the Mother of God. A great number of human remains were unearthed by excavators and thrown away. Particularly striking is that all this was going on in front of the local school. The graves were razed and in their place a soccer field was set up for schoolchildren who played soccer with skulls. And not a single person, no one—neither teachers nor the city authorities—really cared about it. I didn’t see anyone try to stop this barbarity and desecration, to avoid the disastrous effect it had on the souls of those youngsters who were allowed to play with human remains, the bones of their ancestors. Through the efforts of our parishioners, equipped with boxes and bags, we organized a non-stop vigil there. Of course, we couldn’t stop those who conducted maintenance operations, but we were able to collect as many bones as possible once they were dug out of graves. Then, having collected them in several coffins, they were buried on the already reclaimed territory of the Nikolo-Malitsky monastery.
We tried to change the perception of Orthodoxy as the religion of babushkas
The restored feast in honor of the “Uncut Mountain” Icon of the Mother of God was also first held in our Ascension Cathedral. Since there wasn’t even one such icon of the Mother of God in Tver before, and no celebration in Her honor, we ordered this icon to be painted specifically for the cathedral. Parish life was very busy at that time. We tried to change the perception of Orthodoxy as the “religion of babushkas” by increasing our visibility in the local life. That’s when we began to celebrate the Paschal Matins service during the festive procession, in motion. We received the appropriate permission from the local authorities and walked in a procession with the cross around the whole city block, as it was impossible to walk around the Ascension Cathedral. This never created any inconvenience for us but, in fact, it was actually quite helpful; our procession had to walk around six hundred or eight hundred meters in all. Our Paschal festive procession moved at snail’s pace and we tried to carry as many icons and banners as we could. I think we had about a thousand people taking part in this procession, and on Pascha night, the center of Tver was filled with joyful chants of its participants. I would read the Paschal Homily by St. John Chrysostom on the steps of the cathedral, and then we gave the Paschal triple kiss. We served the final part of Matins inside the church and continued there by celebrating the Divine Liturgy. But, at least for thirty of forty minutes, we were able to share the joy of Pascha with the outer world by taking the feast to the center of the city. And our parishioners really liked it. So, when I was in New York,1 I continued to do the same.
Back in Tver, I also adopted another useful practice. I did it for the first time in Vladivostok, when I was asked to consecrate water at the newly reopened chapel near the railway station. I blessed two barrels of water, but people had taken it all in five minutes. Then I came up with an idea: I asked for a whole water tank truck, climbed on top of it, then served the Rite of the Great Blessing of the Waters, consecrating the waters inside it. So, once I became rector of the Ascension Cathedral I remembered this and began to order large-capacity water tanks trucks and consecrate water right in the city center. On the Eve of Theophany we used ten tons of water, and another sixteen on the day of the feast.
Parish youth during the pilgrimage to Okovets Island. July 24, 1993.
—Not long ago, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill called upon diocesan hierarchs to intensify activities in the parish communities for intellectuals and youth. Did you start doing such things in Tver?
—The core of the community of the Ascension Cathedral was made up of some really interesting people—the creative intelligentsia of the city of Tver. It would have been impossible, wrong and rude to act on the principle: “I am the rector and I know everything. So, your job is to do things I give a blessing to.” No, it was clear to me right away that I have to see these people as my good helpers and companions. All the same, I knew that I ought to have the casting vote right. I also had to assume all of the responsibility and I was not afraid of it. But I tried to be as open as possible to the recommendations the church council.
I didn’t see parishioners as status seekers chasing personal glory at the expense of church ministry; on the contrary, they were very kind, decent, and intelligent people. They may not have had much religious formation, they were still growing as Christians, but they were truly wise and kind people, and I greatly enjoyed working with them. Based on my experience, I wish that every clergyman—priest or a bishop—never hesitate to communicate with his flock, regardless of whether they belong to just one parish or a whole diocese. We should stop using a patronizing tone while proclaiming “unyielding truth” from the ambo. What we need to do is to really live our life among the people, with them, so that we would feel part of the parish, and the parish would feel that they have a spiritual father. Thus we would effectively fulfill in life the ancient saying of the Holy Fathers, “Wherever there is a bishop, there is the Church”—what our bishops like to repeat. But these words have a conclusion—that the bishop be in the Church. In other words, we should strive to be in the Church, among the people, and not “above the Church” dictating things to the Church as an assembly of the faithful.
This is what His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meant to say. Our hierarchy strives to make archpastors and priests accessible to their flock. This is the reason behind the splitting of our dioceses. But I am convinced that these are all technical methods. Until our archpastors and priests internalize the idea that they must communicate with people, then no matter how much we split our dioceses it won’t bring change. Archpastors and priests must become fathers to their spiritual children and brothers to those who are still far from such a relationship, because many neophytes get overwhelmed when a priest acts as a father. We should say, be my brother, be my friend, or be someone who is open to speaking positively about spiritual matters. Therefore, based on my pastoral experience, I can say that this kind of communication enabled my church council and I to move mountains; and we really did achieve quite a lot during that time.
—Last year, it was ten years since you became the head of the Elista (Kalmykia) Diocese. What was the most difficult thing for you there, when you arrived at your new place of ministry? What were your priorities then and what are the most important ones for you today?
—My return to my native land brought me joy. It was a desirable goal. So, when my religious visa, which gave me the right to minister in the United States, was about to expire, I notified His Holiness the Patriarch about it in advance. My good friends in the United States were very reluctant to let me go. At some point, they even persuaded me to apply for a green card—a permanent residence permit. I did not want to offend them by refusing, although I knew that I didn’t want to remain in the United States. When I applied to change my status things went well in this regard. Then, when all I had left to do was be fingerprinted and receive my green card, I said, “No, I am not going to do that. I want to go to Russia. I’m sorry that all your efforts for my sake have been in vain, but please try to understand— all I want is to return to my homeland.” So, I was happy to learn about His Holiness the Patriarch’s and the Holy Synod’s decision to summon me back to Russia. This all determined how I would feel in my new position.
Archbishop Justinian presents the icon of the Righteous Prince Alexander Nevsky, the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, to B.S. Khasikov, the head of the Republic of Kalmykia. Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral, Elista. June 25, 2021.
I was impressed by the few clergy’s selfless service in the Elista Diocese. I am glad to see in them responsible and active priests, who, in these challenging times, when the Russian Orthodox population is decreasing here, attempt to not only preserve a certain established order of things, or the “status quo”, but also to develop church life—by opening new parishes and building churches. And what is most important, despite all the building, they never forget the need to work actively with the locals at educational institutions and participate in the public life of the republic. Despite the fact that only twenty percent of the population of the sparsely populated Kalmykia Republic are Russian Orthodox, they are honorably represented there. I saw how great deeds can be done through the feeble human efforts of active and motivated people.
Of course, fewer and fewer Orthodox believers reside in the rural areas there. You can’t find young Russian people in the villages anymore, so it’s mostly elderly people there, but numbers are also gradually dwindling. The fact that the number of Orthodox Christians in rural areas in Kalmykia is decreasing is an objective process, as people move away in search of work, often to other regions. However, despite all the difficulties, our priests try to support those few Orthodox people who chose to stay there, so that they aren’t deprived of at least occasional prayer at church.
On the other hand, in larger towns with at least several hundred Orthodox believers, we try to help the church life to grow by increasing the number of services and improving cooperation between the diocese and the local schools. We have established respectful relations with representatives of state and municipal authorities. Representatives of the diocese are invited to participate in social projects and festive events. We receive support in such projects as rezoning for church construction and the organization of large-scale church events. Over the years, this partnership has continued to expand and strengthren.
As a native of Vladimir region, when I visit other regions of our Motherland I try to represent Kalmykia and the ancient Kalmyki people, and talk about the aspirations of not only Orthodox believers, but also the Buddhists who live in Kalmykia. We try to spread the news as widely as possible that on September 11, 1946, a priest and his parishioners witnessed a miraculous vision of the Savior in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in Elista. Immediately, funds were raised and a messenger was sent to have an icon painter in Stavropol paint an icon of this miracle based on the words of a witness. This icon is still preserved in our Church of the Exaltation of the Cross. During the Soviet times, it was impossible and dangerous to give a wide coverage of this event and establish any church feasts, but the memory of this miracle lives among the Orthodox residents of Elista.
Liturgy at the Cathedral in honor of the Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles (under construction). May 24, 2021.
We continue the construction of the cathedral in honor of the Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles who, as we believe, blessed our land by treading here upon return from their mission trip to Khazaria. We are already conducting regular services in the basement church of the temple. The building is already adorned with gilded domes and towering crosses. With God’s help and the support of all concerned people—the authorities, patrons of the arts, and local residents—construction continues and slowly but surely, it is moving towards completion. The life in our, albeit small, Elista diocese continues; we build new temples, our clergy participate in social and public projects of the republic, and we hold conferences, round table discussions, and exhibitions. We strive with all our strength to serve the Lord on the boundless steppes of Kalmykia, and He gives us strength and fortitude to continue this ministry.
In memory of the missionaries—the Orthodox enlighteners of the Kalmyki people—a Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the steppe near the village of Pesochnoe of Priyutnensky district. October 10, 2024.
