The Rozin family at St. Eljiah’s Church
Matushka Lubov Rozina has nine children, including four clergymen sons. Two—Deacon Nikolai and Fr. Mikhail—serve in St. Elijah’s Church in their hometown of Zdemirovo, on the banks of the Volga, near Kostroma. Fr. Arseny serves in the Simbirsk region, and Fr. Seraphim serves in the Vologda Metropolia. Sometimes the entire family gathers in their childhood home. Both children and grandchildren come; noise, laughter, joy, jokes—a good fuss. They pray at the grave of their reposed father, the priest Alexei, who served as rector of St. Elijah’s for many years and managed to build up a strong community—a real community of people who never simply pass by someone else’s misfortune but always help however they can. “They may not all be Rozins, but it’s a family parish,” they jokingly say. “Because we’re all brothers and sisters in Christ,” and that’s no joke.
The Rozins have a special connection with Elder John (Krestiankin). Fr. Alexei and Lubov were his spiritual children and often visited him in Pechory to speak with him and seek his guidance, counsel, and prayers.
Matushka Lubov told me about one time when they visited him. Here is her story.
***
In August 1992, our family was getting ready to go to Pechory to see Archimandrite John (Krestiankin). We had a pretty serious reason for the trip: I was pregnant with our seventh child, but my poor health was having a serious negative effect on the baby, and the doctors had made a difficult diagnosis. We were worried and we decided to go see the Elder to entreat his prayers and receive his blessing. We already had six children, ranging from nine years to ten months old. Thankfully, my mother and brother came and we were able to leave the baby, Vanya, with them, while we set off with the other five. We also asked our parishioner Galina to look after our cow and calf. We had an old car that often broke down, but we decided to go anyway, because our situation was so serious.
The trip was not an easy one. The car broke down in Veliky Novgorod and we had to leave it in the shop and spend the night at a nearby church. The next day, we continued on our way. We arrived to Pechory in the evening and stayed at our friend’s dacha. The next morning, we went to the monastery to see Batiushka. But when we got there, they told us Fr. John had gone to Estonia. We were very disappointed. My husband met with Fr. Tavrion and Fr. Anastasy in the monastery and shared our troubles with them. Fr. Anastasy decided to help us. Estonia was already a separate country by that time and the border was closed. Fr. Anastasy escorted us to the checkpoint and spoke with the border guards of both countries, and by some miracle we were allowed through.
In the monastery, they told us how to find Fr. John in Estonia. They gave us the name of the deacon he was staying with. We went to the church where this deacon served and we got his home address. There we found out that Fr. John had gone for a walk in the forest, so we went to the forest to look for him. Fr. Alexei left us in the car at the edge of the forest and went off to look for Batiushka himself. I was left with the children and I entreated the Lord to help Fr. Alexei find Batiushka—not for us sinners, but for the children, to receive a blessing. Thankfully, Fr. Alexei found the Elder, and he told us to go to the deacon’s house and wait for him there. So that’s what we did. Our hostess sat us at a big table in the yard and brought us something to eat. The weather was nice—it was a warm, sunny day. There were lots of different flowers around the deacon’s house, with many in pots all around. That made it very calm and joyful atmosphere while we waited for Fr. John.
Fr. John (Krestiankin)
After a little while, we saw Batiushka, happy and lively. Everyone went to get his blessing. It was obvious that Fr. John was glad we came, that he cared about us. He sat down with us and we started talking. Then the hostess came and asked us to sit on the other side so we wouldn’t be sitting in the draft. We told Fr. John about our troubles and worries, about the difficult pregnancy and the poor diagnosis for the baby. Fr. John took our request for prayer very seriously and said: “I’ll pray, I’ll definitely pray, and then—as the Lord wills.”
While we were talking, Abbess Barbara from Pükhtitsa Monastery came with her cell attendant. Batiushka was very glad to see her. They hugged, and he led her inside, while we waited outside with the children. Then I had the thought: “Mother Barbara has it easier than me. She’s so well-groomed and plump!” I was really having a hard time then: six young children with a seventh on the way, and low hemoglobin levels. And I was constantly short of breath, as if there were some barrier in my chest that wouldn’t let the air through, which was causing the baby to move around restless in my womb, as if saying: “I don’t have enough oxygen!” And that was in addition to taking care of the family, the children, the farm with our cow that gave us more than five gallons that summer—which, by the way, needed to be turned into cottage cheese so the milk wouldn’t go bad (we didn’t have any buyers). And I was only getting three or four hours of sleep a day. So my situation was pretty serious.
Batiushka said goodbye to Abbess Barbara and came back to us. He sat down next to me and said: “Yes, Matushka, it’s much harder for you than Mother Barbara: She’s so well-groomed and plump.” When he said that, a chill ran down my spine. I thought to myself: “How does Fr. John know my thoughts word-for-word?!” I felt ashamed. While we talked, the children were playing and running around us. Seraphim, who was three, fell off his chair and scratched his nose and burst into tears. Without thinking twice, Batiushka ran into the house saying: “We need some ointment, we need some ointment!” I stopped him, saying: “Father, it’ll be alright. We don’t need anything,” but he ran off into the house and brought some zinc ointment. He went up to Seraphim and said: “Look how lovely my nose is going to be!” and put the ointment on his own nose. Then he said: “Come on, I’ll put it on you too, so you can have such a lovely nose!” And he carefully anointed his nose and Seraphim immediately calmed down. I thought what an attentive and caring father he was, despite his age, duties, and fatigue! Not every mother is even so attentive and caring with her own children.
Then Batiushka went back into the house and Fr. Alexei said to Misha, who was seven then: “Make a wish, what you’d like to get as a gift from Batiushka.” Then Fr. John came out, walking briskly, and said: “The order has arrived! It’s arrived!” He was carrying a box of assorted cookies and Misha whispered into his father’s ear: “Papa, that’s exactly what I wanted!” We spoke with Fr. John until evening, not even noticing how quickly the time passed.
Then Batiushka told us it was time to say goodbye, and that we should go to his cell in the monastery the next day at 6:00 AM, since he was planning to head back there. Fr. John blessed us all and we returned to Pechory, happy.
When we arrived in Pechory, Fr. Alexei met with Fr. Tavrion and told him about our trip and that the Elder had blessed us to come to his cell at 6:00 the next morning. Fr. Tavrion said we shouldn’t bother Batiushka at such an early hour, but to come a bit later. In the morning, I got up early and woke up Fr. Alexei to go to see Fr. John. After his conversation with Fr. Tavrion, Fr. Alexei decided to go see Batiushka at 8:00, but I persuaded him to go a little earlier. It was already 7:00 when we arrived, and Batiushka’s cell attendant Tatiana was standing by the brothers’ quarters, waiting for us, saying: “Batiushka’s been waiting for you since 6:00.” We were very embarrassed that we’d upset him with our disobedience, but he didn’t show it.
We prayed before his icons and sat down on the sofa, and he sat down next to us. He spoke to us about how we have to lead a spiritual life and read the Holy Gospels and spiritual literature, how spiritual books are like pies with different fillings. He recalled how his mother used to bake various pies—cabbage, potato, apple. He shared his sorrows with us: “I get really worried when people want to come see me but can’t make it.” He could feel the prayers of people who turned to him for help from a distance. Batiushka said there are a lot of negative influences being directed at children now, so we have to help them. Every morning and night, we should anoint the children’s forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, and ears with holy oil or holy water in the form of a cross, saying the Jesus Prayer, and anoint their heart with the prayer, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” By doing this, we seal them from evil powers. We also asked him how he manages to remember the names of everyone who turns to him for help. He said: “Love doesn’t forget.” He really did love everyone.
Batiushka taught us that we have to be strict with ourselves and lenient with others. He talked with us for a long time and his voice started to become weak. He switched to a whisper, which was hard to hear. Then he went to another room—apparently he needed to pray, and we waited for him on the couch. The monastery clock struck 12:00, and we had been in the Elder’s cell since morning. When we left, Fr. John anointed us with holy oil, sprinkled us with holy water, and even poured some holy water on our chests. He gathered some gifts for us to take on the road—icons, candles, and boxes of candy. He blessed us for the road, kissed us on the head, and let us go. Feeling uplifted, we returned to the children, who had stayed with our friend Tatiana.
The time came for me to give birth. Glory to God! The doctors’ gloomy diagnosis was disproved. Now my son Nikolai serves in our church as a deacon. Glory to God for all things! I’m really grateful to our beloved elder Fr. John for his prayers. And now, when things are hard, I turn to him for prayerful help. I thank God that He sent us such a holy elder. Being with him, you feel your own unworthiness and his holiness, which inspires you and you just want to love everyone. God is wondrous in His saints.
