Пятидесятилетие священства о. Иоанна

Celebration in St. Andrew's Cathedral ON DECEMBER 12, 1905, the 50th anniversary of the pastoral activity of Archpriest Fr. Ioann Ilyich Sergiev. On the morning of December 11, the congress of numerous pilgrims and clergy to Kronstadt began. The celebration began on Sunday, December 11, at St. Andrew's Cathedral with an all-night vigil, in which all the clergy of the cathedral, as well as many visiting clergy, participated. Taking part in the service were His Eminence Kirill, Bishop of Gdov, who arrived from St. Petersburg, and Fr. John. From the very morning, near the house of Fr. John there was a mass of people waiting impatiently for Fr. John. On Andreevskaya street. and around the cathedral rode a small detachment of life dragoons under an officer, as well as small patrols of Cossacks. Order on the streets, despite the mass of people, was not disturbed. At half past ten in the morning Fr. John and the psalmist left the church house and headed towards the cathedral. The people ran after Fr. John. By this time the cathedral was already full of people. The clergy, local and visiting, gathered in the altar. Soon he arrived at the cathedral with the keymaster, Archpriest Fr. A.P. Popov, His Grace Kirill, Bishop of Gdov, and was met by the assembled clergy. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Kirill in concelebration with Fr. John, Archimandrite Cornelius, vicar of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the clergy of the cathedral, other Kronstadt churches, as well as visitors. A total of 24 priests and 8 deacons participated. A solemn bishop's service, numerous clergy in brilliant vestments, the singing of two choirs: the cathedral under the direction of Ya. S. Kosmodel, and the sea, under the direction of the cap. E.P. Aleksandrova, all this made a deep impression on those praying. Present in the cathedral were: I. Deputy Chief Commander of the Baltic Fleet, Vice Admiral K.P. Nikonov, Commandant of the Fortress, Lieutenant General. T. M. Belyaev with his wife, Lieutenant General. S. A. Zeleny, Major General V. O. Rakint, retired Major General E. P. Tveritinov, city mayor V. G. Gulyaev, members of the city government: retired Major General P. N. Menshoi, M. A. Korovnikov, F. G. Murashev, directors of the gymnasium and real school, Doctor of Art. owls O. Yu. Klemenchich and L. A. Pomorsky, public councils, many officers and ladies, etc. After the communion verse, the hero of the day, Fr. John spoke the “word” printed at the end of this chapter. During the liturgy, His Eminence Kirill ordained one newcomer to the rank of deacon. After the liturgy, a thanksgiving prayer service was served, at which, in addition to His Eminence Kirill and Fr. John, about 40 priests and 15 deacons came out; The prayer service was held in the middle of the cathedral. After the prayer service, congratulations to the hero of the day began. The first to turn to Fr. To John with a heartfelt word, His Eminence Kirill. He outlined the deeply fruitful activities of Fr. John as a shepherd, preacher and philanthropist. The speech of the Eminence made a deep impression on those present. After that, Archpriest Fr. A.P. Popov greeted Fr. John in Greek on behalf of the cathedral clergy and presented a precious cross. Father John also answered in Greek. Then the city administration congratulated Fr. John's deputation consisting of the mayor V. G. Gulyaev, members of the city council: P. N. Menshoy, M. A. Korovnikov and F. G. Murashev, and presented him with an icon of St. Andrew the First-Called. Major General V. O. Rakint brought congratulations from the administration of the Kronstadt Fortress. From the House of Diligence congratulated Fr. John's delegation represented by the chairman of the council P.P. Shauman, comrade. Chairman Colonel I. A. Semensky and I. L. Demoreikh. The delegation brought Fr. John icon of the Savior. The classical gymnasium congratulated Fr. John, the director of the gymnasium O. Yu. Klemenchich, two teachers and a group of gymnasium students. Separately, in a warm speech, he congratulated Fr. John's former student, teacher V.P. Safronov. On behalf of the bourgeois society, Fr. John, the chairman of the council, A. A. Gavrilov, and handed over to Fr. John that the meeting of the society established 2 beds named after Fr. John in a bourgeois almshouse. P. A. Galakhov and M. F. Menshaya brought congratulations to Fr. John from the Kronstadt charitable society. The clergy of the military churches brought congratulations to Fr. John Archpriest Fr. Ya. Pogodin and priest. I. Blankov. Then they congratulated Fr. John of the delegation of the society for religious and moral education in the spirit of the Orthodox Church, from the clergy of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Archpriest. Dernov, Lieutenant Colonel Verevkin and from the parishioners Captain Tservitsky, from the confessor of Their Majesties, Archpriest I.L. Yanyshev, Ioannovsky Monastery. The address from the Kronstadt children's charity home was read by a little girl, a pet of the orphanage. Then she congratulated Fr. John's delegation from the Kronstadt department of the Water Rescue Society, from the senior classes of the Alexandrinskaya Women's Gymnasium. From the cathedral of Fr. John went to the House of Labor. A dinner hosted by St. Petersburg admirers took place here. In the House of Diligence, Fr. John did not stay long and from here he went to the hall of the city council, where lunch was hosted by the townspeople. Lunch from citizens of the city of Kronstadt and admirers of Fr. John took place in the hall of the City Duma, where they arrived: His Eminence Fr. Kirill and all the clergy, commandant of the fortress, Lieutenant General T. M. Belyaev with his wife, chief commander Vice Admiral K. P. Nikonov, mayor V. G. Gulyaev with his wife, mayor of Oranienbaum M. V. Volkov, Major General P. I. Paletsky, director of the gymnasium O. Yu. Klemenchich, editors of the newspapers “Kotlin” and “Kronstadt” Vestnik”, retired Major General E. P. Tveritinov and Lieutenant Colonel F. A. Timofeevsky, members of the council, head of the police, Colonel V. N. Kostarev and police chief M. K. Stoyanovsky and other guests, and the organizers of the dinner, citizens of the city and admirers. Fr. himself After mass, John stopped briefly at the House of Labor and arrived for this dinner. Before the snack o. John, the officials and most of those present left as a group. Lunch was served on 3 tables along the hall and one across for dignitaries. The lunch menu, beautifully prepared, consisted of fast and lenten dishes, as desired. After the roast, when the champagne sparkled in the glasses, Bishop Fr. Kirill proclaimed a toast for the Sovereign Emperor, the Sovereign Empresses and the Heir to the Throne. “Many Years” and “God Save the Tsar,” sung three times, were the answer to this toast, precious for every Russian person. Second toast for Fr. John was proposed by the commandant of the fortress, who, pointing out the importance of Fr. John for Kronstadt, his sermons and in general for the clergy, he offered “many years” for Fr. John, which was performed with great enthusiasm and very musically, thanks to the presence of the clergy at the dinner. The next two toasts to Fr. John were proclaimed mayor and chief commander; was the first to congratulate Fr. John from the city, and the second from the ranks of the fleet. Father John, thanking for the congratulations, offered toast to His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony and His Eminence Bishop Kirill, who had honored him with a visit; This toast, like all previous and subsequent ones, was accompanied by the singing of “many years.” The next two toasts are for Fr. John were proposed by captain S.P. Tservitsky and V.Ya. Vereshchagin. His Eminence Fr. Kirill offered a toast to the commandant of the fortress and the chief commander, as the main representatives of the army and navy, who are in close connection with such a military city as our Kronstadt. Then, in a series of toasts, they drank to the clergy, the mayor, the wife of the commandant M.N. and the wife of the mayor M.I. and the ladies present. The last toast was said by the keymaster of the cathedral, Fr. Alexander for spiritual freedom, the exponent of which Fr. Alexander sees in Fr. John. Lunch ended at 5 o'clock, but some of the guests still stayed with the hospitable hosts for a while. The dinner was a success in all respects, and we must sincerely thank its initiators and stewards. Address of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Guardianship Your Reverence, Fr. Archpriest John Ilyich, our dear chairman! Today, December 12, 1905, 50 years of your Pastoral service at the Cathedral of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called. With a firm, confident step, you gloriously completed this long, thorny, everyday path and, like a true warrior of Christ, you were always faithful to His covenants: you loved the Lord more than all, and you loved your neighbor more than yourself. Your love for the Lord was expressed by constant, tireless service to Him for half a century; and love for your neighbor - through your unusually broad charity. There is no corner in our vast fatherland where your generous help to the disadvantaged cannot reach. We, members of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Guardianship, have seen and testify that in our city alone you created the House of Diligence to help the poor, which, with all its wealth, is valued at a million. Greetings you on this anniversary day, the venerable Fr. John Ilyich, Council of St. Andrew's Guardianship and prays to the Lord: - may He preserve you with His grace in health and strength of mental and physical strength for many, many years. May He preserve you for the glory of His Most Holy Name and in the protection of His holy Church for the benefit of people who now especially need the example of your faith and your prayerful help. Accept this holy icon from us, may the Lord, the Son of God Jesus Christ depicted on it, protect and have mercy on you. Asking for your blessing, we have the honor to be your collaborators: Chairman of the Council of St. Andrew's Trustees P. Schauman; comrade chairman I. Semensky, treasurer M. Korovnikov, members: mayor V. Gulyaev, S. M. Golubev, T. Golubev, N. N. Sheman, I. D. Shilyaev, E. Markov, deacon D. Kamenogradsky and others. The address depicts a view of St. Andrew's Cathedral, made in watercolor by the late artist Mr. Schauman. At the end of Matins, on the first day of Easter, people leave the church with candles, the light from them struggling with the light of the dawn that has just begun. In the east, the emerging clouds are lightly colored with different colors of the rainbow. The icon of the Savior presented by the guardianship is very simple in appearance - there is no enamel or fake stones, but only filigree work, a very massive robe and the very image of good, remarkable writing. From the Kronstadt military and naval clergy Most Honorable and Most Honorable Father Archpriest John Ilyich! The Kronstadt military and naval clergy most respectfully greets you on the day of the fiftieth anniversary of your valiant service to St. Church and our dear Fatherland. Your name, your pastoral activity, your all-encompassing love, your prayer that is favorable to God and saving for people, and finally, your charity to everyone and everywhere, like the illuminating, warming and revitalizing sun, has attracted and is attracting all Orthodox Christians, both from the Royal palaces and from poor huts, both near and far from all over vast Russia and even from abroad. Everyone has strived and strives to look at you like a red, beloved sun, to be enlightened by the light of your incessant, truly Christian wise teaching, to warm your heart with your all-encompassing love for God and your neighbors, with your holy prayers, always effective, to receive God’s mercy, deliverance from mental and physical sorrows, ailments and illnesses. All those who labor and are burdened, who come to you with faith and love, find peace of mind. You did not forget the poor widows and orphans of the military and naval clergy, cared for in the Kronstadt Mariinsky Orphanage. And in recent years they have generously received help from you, for which please accept heartfelt gratitude from them and from us. We are deeply grateful to you for your cordial, truly fraternal attitude towards the military and naval clergy, thanks to which there is no regrettable antagonism in Kronstadt between these clergy and the diocesan one. In days of difficult trials, terrible social unrest and disasters, your anniversary is celebrated. For the enemies of St. The church and the Fatherland now have nothing holy and sacred. All the snakes hiss, raising their poisonous, deadly sting high. Fanatics strive to sweep away from the face of the Russian land everything dear and sacred to the heart of a Christian and patriot. There is no mercy from them for you either. They blaspheme your name too May your heart not be troubled by the malicious attacks on you personally and on your activities by the base, immoral, market, dirty press. Representatives of this press judge you by themselves. They hate the righteous. With his life he denounces their vile, obscene deeds; he opposes their deeds and teaching, therefore they seek to torture him with annoyance and torment. 68 Dark clouds cannot forever hide in the sky everything that illuminates, warms and enlivens the sun; they can eclipse it only for a short time, after which it shines even brighter, bringing even more joy to the hearts of all. And your beneficial lamp, venerable Fr. John, the vile slander of the unbridled press will not be closed. Even the wretched, immoral scribblers themselves don’t believe her. They only strive to outdo each other with arrogance and shamelessness. But no one believes their blatant slander; they will not cover up your bright image even for a brief moment. Their slander, reproach, slander against you, as a firm confessor of the faith of Christ, will prepare for you joy and gladness in heaven, as a reward from the Righteous Judge God. 69 May your heart not be troubled, most honorable Fr. John Ilyich! Your lamp burns brightly and will continue to burn. It has and will continue to enlighten millions of people. Everyone will see your good deeds and glorify our father in heaven. 70 Whole millions of people believe this. We, your admirers, firmly believe this. Address from City Hall On today’s significant day of your 50th year of service in the priesthood, representatives of the Kronstadt city administration, with a feeling of deep gratitude, consider it their duty to greet you on behalf of the entire city, in which many years of your highly beneficial activities have taken place. Your pastoral service in Kronstadt was an expression of that Christian love, the bearer and preacher of which you invariably remained. In our vast fatherland there is no place where the name of Father John of Kronstadt is unknown, and our Orthodox people have long appreciated your bright activity, which has lasted for 50 years in the fight against human poverty and spiritual darkness, human grief and misfortune. As a visible fruit of your deep love for people, you founded, organized and supported those numerous institutions that currently live and operate both in Kronstadt and throughout Russia. The citizens of Kronstadt especially value the fact that all your many years of activity took place primarily among them, and there are few families in the city with which you are not spiritually related. Wanting to perpetuate the memory of you, the Kronstadt city government at its meeting on November 9 decided: 1) In the city Aleksandrovskaya almshouse, establish a room in your name, placing your portrait in it. And 2) Open a subscription with the city government to raise capital for the establishment of a scholarship or school in your name. Accept, venerable shepherd, these expressions of our universal gratitude and our congratulations on the 50th anniversary of your service in the priesthood. May the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, whose icon we ask you to accept from us, help you to serve in your chosen field for many, many years to come just as highly useful as in the past half century. Highly Respected, Much Beloved Father In the difficult time of confusion and mental anguish that we are experiencing at the present time, as a punishment sent down to us by the Highest Truth, the greatest consolation for the children of the church is the confidence that there are prayer books - Christ's warriors, courageously and firmly raising their voices in defense of light, love and truth and tirelessly directing their hearts to repentance and prayer. We, representatives of the Kronstadt Fortress, on this significant day for you, ask you to accept our assurance of our greatest respect, love, devotion and gratitude for the good that flows so abundantly into the souls and hearts of the ranks of the fortress garrison, contributing to their spiritual and moral uplift and edification. We pray to the Merciful Creator to grant you the Lord's blessing for many years to come for the unhindered continuation of your spiritual endeavor for the happiness and well-being of your spiritual children. From the Kronstadt Charitable Society Dear Father John! The Kronstadt Charitable Society, of which you are an honorary member, greets you on the occasion of 50 years of pastoral service. May the Lord bless you for many more years of service to the church and people. From the Kronstadt Bourgeois Society The Kronstadt philistine society has instructed me to greet you on the significant day of the 50th anniversary of your service before the altar of the Almighty. I am absolutely happy that this pleasant commission has fallen to my lot, and fulfilling it with special pleasure, I ask you to accept on behalf of the entire bourgeois society an expression of gratitude and deep gratitude, which you fully deserve by your heartfelt responsiveness to the members of our society who turned to you in difficult days of sorrow and everyday adversity for help and consolation. In addition, your activity during your 50-year ministry in the pastorate cannot be otherwise noted than in the highly Christian fulfillment of your duty, and constant responsiveness and love for the people. You have gained mutual love and favor not only among those around you, but also among the majority of the sons of our dear fatherland and even beyond its borders. Wishing you the continuation of your useful and fruitful activities, the bourgeois society prays to the Almighty to grant you, dear father, health and strength for many, many years. The anniversary meal in the halls of the House of Diligence on December 12th was at first not crowded, women predominated; men were in the minority. The excellent table setting, table decoration with flowers, fruits and the gastronomy of appetizers, lunch dishes, and fine wines did not give the impression of a Lucullean feast with florid, prim speeches, but, in the composition of those present, represented a truly Russian folk meal. By the way, the snack and lunch were meatless. A lot of time passed in anticipation of the venerable hero of the day; many were already despairing of seeing him, wondering if he had gone straight to the Duma, where a dinner had been prepared from the townspeople of Kronstadt. At 3 o'clock a rumor spread that Fr. John has arrived. So he appeared at the door, and an explosion of genuine joy, expressed in exclamations of greeting, escorted him to his designated place at the table. After the prayer read by the psalm-reader, lunch began. Unfortunately, the presence of Fr. John was at dinner for a short time; he was in a hurry to go to the Duma. At dinner in the House of Industriousness, apparently Fr. John felt at home with his friends, whom he had known for a long time, knew them as his spiritual children, and therefore, without ceremony, he stood up, thanked everyone for their love and attention, and quickly left. When leaving, he asked the manager of the dinner, V.P. to invite instead of him - the children of the orphanage and the employees at the House of Industriousness - and then the dining hall was overflowing. Место о. John's sister, Daria Ilyinichna Malkina, took his place at the table. The venerable Daria Ilyinichna reminds me of her brother in many ways, especially with her eyes, which express purity of thoughts and boundless, all-forgiving love. Strictly speaking, there were no toasts, just as there was no drink accompanying them, which would have been dissonant with the general mood, but there were two wishes: good luck to the hero of the day for many years to come, and second, good health to his wife, Elizaveta Konstantinovna and sister, Daria Ilyinichna. A dinner at the House of Industriousness was arranged in honor of the hero of the day by St. Petersburg admirers. Address of the Kronstadt classical gymnasium Dear Father John Ilyich! Today, on the day of your half-century of service to the Holy Church, the Kronstadt Classical Gymnasium considers it its sacred and joyful duty to wholeheartedly join those corporations and individuals who honor you and pay tribute according to your merits. From the first day of its foundation, the Kronstadt gymnasium had the happiness of being with you in a living and direct connection, when you added to your pastoral ministry the difficult feat of teaching the law, which you carried out with honor and glory for 27 years. Who doesn’t know that the work of a teacher is the hardest work among all works and services to society, and especially the work of teaching the law, which is always accompanied by a feeling of terrible responsibility before God for every young soul, for every young heart? And the gymnasium, in the person of its representatives, your former students and colleagues, here in front of everyone, gratefully remembering your 27-year-old teaching activity, brings respectful and heartfelt greetings to Your Reverence on the day of your half-century anniversary. When I see you, I involuntarily remember the words of the Savior. “My yoke is easy and my burden is light,” in which He teaches us to bear the burden of life easily and joyfully. For 76 years you have been bearing the burden of life and for 50 years the burden of pastoral service, and neither old age nor the labors of pastoral service weaken your vital energy. May God grant that for many more years life will be a light burden for you, and a bright lamp for us. From a charity home for young children On the significant day of your 50th year of pastoral service at the Throne of God, we, the pupils of the Kronstadt care home for young children, bring you our best congratulations from the sincere hearts of children and wish that the Merciful Lord will preserve you and extend your life, dear to us, for many years, to the joy and consolation of all those who suffer, resorting to you for help. May the Almighty strengthen you and send you strength for further work for the benefit of all your neighbors. From the Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Nicholas in Kronstadt The Council of the Church of St. Nicholas has the honor to congratulate Your Reverence on the day of 50 years of pastoral activity and prays to the Almighty to grant you health for many years for the good of your homeland. Address from the committee of the St. Petersburg Temperance Society The Committee of the St. Petersburg Temperance Society, of which you have been an honorary chairman since the very beginning of the society’s existence, considers it a sacred duty to greet you on the memorable day of your fiftieth anniversary in the priesthood and to pray to the Lord for the preservation of your health for many years to continue that high good activity to which you have devoted your entire life. Общество, основанное 15 лет тому назад и имеющее целью отвлечение нашего народа от пагубного зла – чрезмерного употребления спиртных напитков, – несмотря на тяжелые обстоятельства, вызванные войною, внутренними смутами и неурядицами в нашем отечестве, – продолжает, с помощью Божиею и добрых людей, осуществлять свою полезную деятельность, направленную к исполнению своей задачи – искоренять в народе пьянство и бесшабашный разгул. Приписывая успех свой в этом деле в большей степени преподанному обществу трезвости благословенью Вашему и неоднократно оказанной Вами материальной помощи, Комитет Общества выражает Вам глубочайшую благодарность с искренним пожеланием Вам душевных и телесных благ на многие и многие лета. От «Общества распространения религиозно-нравственного просвещения в духе Православной церкви» Honorable Fr. Archpriest John Ilyich! Today is a great and significant day not only for you, but for all of Orthodox Russia. The fiftieth anniversary of your pastoral ministry that ended with this is a church-historical event that will be inscribed in golden letters in the history of the Russian Church. The history of the spiritual life of peoples is created not by the masses, but by a few, exclusively, individuals, conscious bearers and bright exponents of ideas, around whom the masses gather, like around banners. There can be no doubt that the impartial court of posterity will classify you as such historical figures, for even now the people already see you as an exceptional person and pronounce your name with reverence, and “the voice of the people is the voice of God.” What word is written on the banner with which you pastor, our most worthy and beloved representative, a living example of modern shepherding, whose name has become the proper name of the “Father” of the All-Russian Shepherd? There is one word written on this banner: “holiness,” and it is this word that has gathered around you millions of Russian, Orthodox people, who carry the ideal of holiness in the recesses of their souls, always ready to bow to the one in whom they see the embodiment of this ideal. Your fifty years of pastoral activity were truly a continuous feat, serving the salvation of others. The Chief Shepherd Christ has revealed you as a chosen vessel of grace. Your strong and strong faith, fiery, God-reaching prayer, convincingly penetrating word, innumerable, unparalleled in our days, deeds of mercy and love, the well-known fruits of this grace living in you and a bright manifestation of your service to the ideal of holiness. Believing Russia sees this and strives to enter into fellowship with you. Тысячи богомольцев непрерывно едут в Кронштадт отовсюду, чтобы просить Вас помолиться за них, слышать слово утешения, получить Ваше благословение. Миллионы назидаются Вашими вдохновенными печатными трудами, в коих ярко отражается огонь веры и ревности по Боге, горящей в Вашей душе. Пусть в последнее время некоторые люди, в разнузданности страстей своих не щадящие ничего святого, стараются опорочить и Ваше доброе имя, перенося на Вас злые дела тех, с коими Вы не можете иметь ничего общего. Вся Ваша светлая и чистая, как кристалл, пятидесятилетняя пастырская деятельность громко обличает эти недостойные наветы, а любящий Вас народ еще более оценит Вас, ибо он понимает, что на Вас сбываются слова Христовы: «Блаженны вы, когда будут поносить вас и гнать, и всячески злословить за Меня. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven; so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” 71 The Council of the Society for the Propagation of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church, welcoming Your Reverence on the significant day of the fiftieth anniversary of your pastoral ministry, and with joy seeing you, a venerable elder, strong and vigorous, prays to God that He will push further and further the limits of your earthly life for the benefit of the Holy Church, for the benefit of the dear Fatherland, for the joy of the millions of Orthodox Russian people who love and honor you. Not being able to place all the numerous telegrams received by Fr. John on the day of the anniversary, we present the most important of them. On the day of the fiftieth anniversary of your glorious service to the Church of God in the priesthood, greeting you on this significant day of your life, I invoke God’s blessing on your further pastoral labors, which may the Lord extend for many more years. Having prayed for your health and salvation, I greet you on the 50th anniversary of your beneficial ministry; I sincerely wish to continue this for a long time for the benefit of the Church of God. Many years to come to the illustrious hero of the day, with all his heart, a grateful Protopresbyter John Yanyshev Blessed is the day of the fiftieth anniversary of your unceasing pastoral passion in the same church in a union of love with the unchanging flock, created in the monastery by your hands and prayers, this mercy of God upon you and your feat were remembered and consoled by prayer grateful to the Lord. Antonin Bishop of Narva, Abbess Angelina with sisters, I offer my heartfelt congratulations on the day of your venerable anniversary and ask the Lord to return to you the former bounties you deserve. Professor Archpriest Sollertinsky Remembering your tireless attention to the spiritual and material needs of church schools, the school council at the Holy Synod greets your Reverence on the day of your half-century of priestly service for the benefit of the Holy Church and wishes you good health for many years to come. We ask you to convey our sincere, heartfelt congratulations to our deeply respected Father John. We cordially congratulate you, dear uncle, Father John, on the 50th anniversary of your service to the Church of God and wish you health for many years to come. With sincere respect we remain Deacon John, Elena and Julia Fidelina Please accept our sincere congratulations. May God protect you for many more years to come. We cordially greet the highly respected hero of the day. We regret the inability to congratulate you in person. The saint of God, my benefactor, Father John, congratulations, I pray to the Savior, may he prolong your dear days for the salvation and consolation of us, many sinners. Countess Ekaterina Adlerberg Please accept, dear hero of the day, our sincere congratulations and best wishes. Your Reverence, most revered, most honorable, dear father! On a significant day for you and joyful for the people, your fifty years of service to the Church of God, accept from us, humble nuns, our benefactor and builder, who by the grace of God enjoy your paternal care, heartfelt greetings and devoted love, and sincere gratitude. We fervently pray in our church for your precious health. May the Lord protect you for many years to come. Vorontsovsky Metochion Abbess Taisiya with sisters and clergy The entire family of the Lesninsky St. Petersburg metochion, having gathered on the day of the fiftieth anniversary of the highly revered and dear priest and benefactor together with their shepherd in the church, fervently prays to the Almighty to grant the hero of the day health and long, happy years of life. Save, Christ God. Great Shepherd, on today’s significant day of your fifty years of unparalleled service to the Orthodox faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland in the history of mankind, the editors of the newspaper “Vedomosti of the St. Petersburg City Government”, proud of you as their permanent employee, served a thanksgiving prayer in the Kazan Cathedral in front of the miraculous icon of the Queen of Heaven for the sending of health, strength and fortress for many years to come and asks you to accept her heartfelt and sincere congratulations. Always grateful to you, editor Mikhail Krivoshlyk Let us, out of an abundance of feelings, wish you on the occasion of today’s significant day many years in physical and mental health to continue your call in faith and prayer for the Orthodox children of our church. Anatoly and Ekaterina Kulomzin Please accept my grateful and prayerful greetings. Dear Father Archpriest John Ilyich, we sincerely congratulate you on your fiftieth anniversary of the priesthood. May God keep you for many more years in good spirits and strength of strength for the glory of God, for the salvation of many. Priest Mikhail and Antonina Soyuzov We welcome you, dear father, Father Archpriest John Ilyich, with your fifty years of service for the benefit of the church and the fatherland, we pray to the Lord for your health and longevity. From the Orthodox Brotherhood at the Church of St., under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen of the Hellenes Olga Konstantinovna. Alexander Nevsky at the Nikolaev Naval Hospital in Kronstadt On behalf of all members, the Council of the Kronstadt Orthodox Brotherhood, with a feeling of deep respect, greets Your Reverence on the significant day of your fifty years of service in the priesthood and expresses spiritual wishes for health and preservation for many more years of vigor in both body and spirit for the continuation of your holy prayer before the throne of the King of kings for the sins of ours and the whole world, especially in this difficult time in the history of our dear homeland. Chairman of the Council E. Silman Secretary of the Council A. Sokolnikov On December 12, in the house of Industriousness, the venerable hero of the day was congratulated by the children of the Olginsky orphanage, the girls with their assistant boss A. N. Ermolik and the children of the orphanage of the house of Industriousness with the boss M.A. Volkova; one of the girls, A. Lebedeva, said the following greeting: Allow us, the grateful fosterlings of the shelter you founded, to offer our childlike heartfelt congratulations on the fiftieth anniversary of your glorious service to the Lord. We do not know how to express to you all our good wishes, but we will always pray to the Creator that He Himself will send you all sorts of blessings for many, many years to console all those in need of your zealous intercession before the One Whom you have been tirelessly serving for 50 years. Be healthy, our loving father, and may the Lord extend your days for many more years! We greet our dear priest on his fiftieth anniversary of priesthood. May the Lord send you all prosperity for many years to come. Nikolai and Olga Damich, who sincerely honor and love you Dear dear father, Father John! On the half-century anniversary of your priesthood, we ask you to accept our congratulations if you wish to joyfully spend the twelfth of December for many years in good health in remembrance of your good deeds for the benefit of the church and many neighbors. Heartily grateful to you Shumilins I sincerely greet the dear hero of the day and wish him many years of health. May God rise again and let his enemies be scattered. I mourn that for a whole year, and especially on this significant day, I did not have the opportunity to participate in the concelebration of the Divine Liturgy with the highly revered hero of the day. Pray for me. Archpriest Nikolai Smirnov On the day of the fiftieth anniversary of your service at the throne of the Lord, we greet you, deeply revered prayer book of the Russian land, asking for your blessing. We pray to the Almighty that He will preserve your precious strength for many years to the glory of God. Your boss, teachers and students of Stavinskaya, who deeply respect you Our deeply revered and respected dear shepherd, I bring you congratulations on your 50th anniversary. I wish to serve many more years as a priest. Congratulations to Mother on her birthday. Congratulations and fervent prayers for your health and longevity, our good father. Teacher Evgenia Sengillo The Peterhof district branch of the St. Petersburg diocesan school council happily, cordially greets its honorary member, the highly revered father of Archpriest John Ilyich on the day of the fiftieth anniversary of his selfless pastoral service to St. the Orthodox Church and the good of our neighbors. May the Lord protect you for many years to come. Chairman Archpriest Evgeny Kudryavtsev Dear father, we congratulate you on the fiftieth anniversary of your priesthood. We wish you health for many, many years to come. I cordially congratulate you, dear father, on the fiftieth anniversary of your ministry. I wish you good health for many years to come. On the day of the fiftieth anniversary of your service to our church, it is dear to me to greet you and especially earnestly pray to the Lord that he may prolong the life of you, our intercessor before God and prayer book. Through your faith and prayer, may the Lord comfort our Tsar and save Russia from troubles. Dear father, I cordially congratulate you on your fiftieth anniversary. I wish you health and prosperity. Dear Father, we greet you on your anniversary. We sincerely wish you good health and prosperity. We ask for your holy blessings and prayers. With reverent feelings we congratulate you on the fiftieth anniversary of your priestly service to the Church, the Tsar and the Fatherland. We wish you all the best. We ask for blessings and prayers. Priest of Levi with his family Warm congratulations on your fiftieth anniversary; I pray that the Lord will prolong your life, dear to all of us, for many more years. Your spiritual son Bishop Micah I sincerely congratulate you, dear priest, on the fiftieth anniversary of your multi-useful pastoral service to the Holy Orthodox Church, and I sincerely wish you to continue this service for many more years. I ask for your prayers and blessings; I feel unwell. On the day of the 50th anniversary of your praiseworthy service for the benefit of St. church, the monastery of St. Sergius brings you zealous congratulations and, calling on your heavenly Patron, boldly ask the Lord to extend the days of your precious life in indestructible health for many more years. We ask for St. your prayers. Archimandrite Michael with his brethren Greeting the merciful priest from myself and from the children's canteen, who have been blessed by you, on the day of the 50th anniversary of your praiseworthy pastoral service, I ask you to accept sincere wishes for health and prosperity for many years to come. Most gracious father! The editors of Svet, represented by me and my employees, as well as on behalf of all its subscribers, widely scattered throughout our vast Russia, greet you on the fiftieth anniversary of your service at the throne of the Most High in a valiant sacred title. Great and respected prayer book of the Russian land, join your prayers to our common prayer, may the Lord God grant peace to our troubled land. Vissarion Komarov, Grigory Komarov, Nikolai Sokolov, Yulia Dobrovolskaya Congratulations to our deeply respected dear uncle on the solemn day of his fiftieth anniversary. We pray to Almighty God to extend your precious life for many years to our joy and comfort. Nephew Evdokim Fidelin with his family We sincerely congratulate you on the fiftieth anniversary of your priesthood at the throne of God. Accept, dear Fr. Archpriest, and my sincere congratulations on the fiftieth anniversary of your priesthood. I earnestly pray to the Lord that the Lord may bless you with good health for many, many more years to serve for the glory and good of the holy Orthodox Church. We greet you, dear father, on today’s significant day in your life. May the Lord God protect you for the joy and consolation of all Orthodox Russia. The Old Russian Charitable Society, on the day of the commendable fiftieth anniversary of your service as a priest, welcomes in your person the true spiritual shepherd, teacher and prayer book of the Holy Russian, a loving benefactor of the poor, orphaned, sick and unfortunate, and wishes that for many years your life lamp will still burn for the glory of God, for the salvation and consolation of all truly Russian and Orthodox people. Chairman Mikhail Melnikov We heartily congratulate you on your 50th year of service in the priesthood. May God help you to spend the days of your life for many more years to come. Anna Fidelina and Kharitonovs In addition to the telegrams we have given, Archpriest Fr. On the day of his 50th anniversary, Ioann Ilyich Sergiev received congratulatory telegrams from the following persons: From St. Petersburg from Kodzic, Doschinsky, Romanovskys, Nosanovs, Fedor and Alexandra Parfenovs, Nadezhda and Alexandra Shchetelinovs, Novikovs, Zheverzheevs, M. Stronsky, Maria Dombrovskaya, Vasily and Maria Shustins, Vasily, Demin, Ivan and Palageya Sokolovs, from the peasant Gabriel Kulebyakin, Paraskeva Baranova, Ivan Arkhipov, Kirikov, the Breev family, Vasily and Natalia Yaroslavtsev, Kokin, Andreev, Evdokia Maslova, Marasagin, Gavriil Tyagunov, Vergopulo, Petrov, Elsner and Andreev, Vladimir Piramidov, Cheltsov, Vladimir Evstifeev, Pavel and Anna Stanov, Pesotskaya, sick Maria and Mikhail. From Tsarskoye Selo from the Mansvetov and Pavlov families. From Pavlovsk from the Trubenkovs. From Gatchino from Euphrosyne and Anania Prokofiev and Malyshev. From Art. Elizavetino from Florenty Markin. From Vyshny Volochok from Nepokoychitskaya. From Yekaterinburg from Mikhail, Alexey and Olga Ivanov. From Taganrog from I.V. Sitnichenko. From Ramenskoye from the Zotikovs. On the occasion of the anniversary of the Most Revered Fr. John of Kronstadt I cannot help but share my impressions with supportive readers, especially admirers of the Most Revered Father. Truly, these days are meetings, the very day of celebration of the 50th anniversary of Fr. John, and the days following him, are days of great joy, rejoicing, happiness to see your dear shepherd, the great teacher of piety, the patron of the suffering. In a word, “our dear priest,” as believers in Russia, who resort to his holy prayers, are accustomed to calling Him. And not only Russia, for foreigners often came to the Highly Honored Shepherd, whom the loving Fr. John accepts with equal love. Even on the eve of the solemn day we felt a holiday; everyone was anticipating joy, and as if on the Bright Day of Christ, they hugged each other, congratulating each other on the anniversary. The ships were filled with admirers, or rather, spiritual children of the great and dear shepherd. During the all-night vigil, which began in St. Andrew's Cathedral at 6 pm on the eve of the anniversary, there were a lot of people, so it was difficult to get through. Two choirs of singers sang: the local Andreevsky, under the direction of Mr. Kosmodel, and the other manezhny, under the direction of Mr. Alexandrov. Both choirs performed most of the church chants beautifully; some were weaker. The Manege choir is considered the best choir in Kronstadt (as one very kind sailor explained to me), but I, who am accustomed to the choir of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, will say frankly that I personally like it better. However, I am not an expert, and I do not undertake to judge this strictly. There were a lot of clergy, led by His Grace Bishop Kirill, (former Father Konstantin - Kronstadt cemetery priest). The highly venerable celebrant of the day arrived at the cathedral long before the bell rang to meet with the rest of the clergy the Right Reverend, whom the public was waiting at the entrance to the church. When our dear father appeared, radiant, cheerful, full of life and energy, there was no end to our joy. What a mercy of God for us, believers, that we have waited for the 50th anniversary in the priesthood of the highly revered shepherd! Who can so comfort, reassure, and encourage us poor people who are experiencing this terrible time of sedition, unbelief and human massacre?! Many of us would have fallen into despair if we had not resorted to the protection and cover of this great all-Russian righteous man and prayer book about our sorrows. Let the unfortunate, unbelieving atheists laugh at us; let them slander if they are incapable of anything noble. (God willing, they will soon repent and be ashamed of their evil slander). But we, spiritual children, are immensely happy, and we do not know how to thank the Almighty for His mercy in preserving and preserving His saint. May the Lord protect him for many more years, for the joy and consolation of all believers! Mass on the very day of the anniversary began at 10 o'clock in the morning with a crowd of people gathering. It was joyful to see this huge spiritual family. The clergy had still arrived, in other words, there were more of them than at the all-night vigil. The same two choirs sang as at the all-night vigil. The Divine Liturgy was solemnly held, ending at half past one. After the thanksgiving prayer, congratulations began from various institutions and individuals. Speeches were made and offerings were made, consisting mostly of icons. At 2:30 am the celebration in St. Andrew's Cathedral ended. Many went to the Duma, and the highly respected hero of the day went to the House of Industriousness, where lunch was also prepared. Father blessed the meal and his eagerly awaiting admirers, and went to the Duma. The next day, the venerable Father John served, as usual, early mass, co-served by 9 priests and several deacons, and said a wonderful lesson on the text of the day's Gospel; He gave communion to a few and then went to make happy those who thirsted for his consolation and holy prayers. Yesterday, the 14th, we again had the good fortune to pray early - with one heart and one mouth with the great prayer book and listen to the teaching and explanation of the day's gospel. The venerable priest gave much more communion today, but still many of those eager to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ remained, which greatly upset them, and only the hope that the venerable priest would make a general confession calmed them down. After mass, the venerable priest visited several houses where visiting pilgrims stay, in order to also make them happy with his distinguished visit. Everyone rejoiced, congratulating dear priest on his 50th anniversary, rejoicing to see him cheerful; It was hard to believe that before my eyes was a 76-year-old shepherd. His look is full of life, energy and intelligence, and his blooming complexion gives us hope that the Lord will preserve for us for many more years this wondrous, unearthly old man (according to his years), for which we offer fervent prayers to the throne of the Most High! Dear Kindred, Venerable Father Archpriest John Ilyich! Fifty years ago, you were awarded the grace of the priesthood, having been ordained to the rank of priest at the cathedral of the city of Kronstadt, the spiritual father of which city you are now! But your spiritual experience, insight, deep faith in God and the great power of prayer, which even performs miracles, often in our sight, and thereby amazes even non-believers, have gained you spiritual sheep not only among the inhabitants of Kronstadt and its environs, but throughout the entire expanse of the vast Mother Rus' and even far beyond its borders. This significant day of the fiftieth anniversary of your valiant and beneficial service gives us, the Suryans, your relatives, a pleasant and convenient opportunity, in fair reward for the great deeds of mercy and pastoral influence for the benefit of the homeland, to testify before you and all the sons of Russia about your activities for the beautification of the homeland - the village of Sura! These are the institutions erected for us - the Suryans - by you - our Kindred and benefactor - the unmercenary! The beauty of Sura, undoubtedly, is the majestic stone three-altar church built by you, which, in its internal splendor and decoration, is capable of astonishing every visitor as well as setting a prayerful mood! A two-class parish school, a stone two-story building, with eternal capital for its existence, eternal capital for the existence of a charter school in the most remote village of the parish; five clergy houses; four houses for poor widows of clergy!.. Thanks to your help, how many new houses flaunt in Sura! Hitherto, you have made Sura, known under the name of “filthy Sura,” a bright land, known to everyone and everywhere! Thanks to you, in view of the constant movement of masses of people here, a postal route appeared, a post office was opened in Sura, and in the summer - a passenger shipping company! We cannot keep silent about the St. John the Theological Convent and Skete that exists here, built by you, with numerous buildings attached to them and erected to help support the living sisters - sawmills, flour mills and brick factories and a stone 2-story shop... And many other things erected by you, our dear fellow countryman, that could serve not as a village, but as a decoration for the city!! Imbued with sincere gratitude and love for you, our kinsman, but not being able, due to the long distance separating us from you, to greet you with bread and salt according to the ancient Russian custom, we, the Suryans, decided to make this significant day for you our common holiday, and, as an expression of the feelings of our sincere filial love and respect for you, to offer a prayer common to all Suryans during the solemn service on this day. To the Almighty, may He, the All-Merciful, give joy and tranquility at the end of the days of your life, and may He prolong your life for many, many years for the good of the homeland and for the salvation of the many millions of sons of Russia! Accept the assurance, venerable Fr. Archpriest John Ilyich, that love, respect and prayerful memory of you - as a relative, a constant helper in our needs and everyday sorrows and a beautifier of our native village of Sura - both on our part and on the part of our children and the future generation, will not dry out forever! The abbess of the Sursky convent is Abbess Porfiria. Treasurer novice Valentina. Clergy: Priest Venedikt Titov, Deacon Alexander Perovsky. Psalm-readers: Nikolai Poromov, Nikolai Kolchin, church elder Pavel Oshukov. Head of parochial schools Venedikt Titov, second grade teacher Sylvester Titov, first grade teacher Severiyan Popov, girls school teacher Deacon Alexey Torlopov. Representatives from the peasants: your nephew Andrey Malkin, Arkhip Malkin, Evdokim Dorofeev, Ignatiy Malkin, Dmitry Semenov Yanin, Grigory Merkuryev Korovin, Vasily Andreev Porokhin, Fedor Merkuryev Dunaev, Grigory Merkuryev Dunaev, Vasily Yakovlev Filin, Avtonom Khromtsov, Alexey Korovin, Lukiyan Laryushev, Alexander Korovin, Larion Ryabov. Alexey Dmitriev Ryabov, Grigory Nikiforov, Arkhip Mikhailov Korovin, Stepan Dmitriev Yanin, Fedor Merzly, Dmitry Merzly, Prokopiy Danilov, Mikhailo Merzly, Stepan Danilov, Yakov Kuznetsov, Efim Kychev. Congratulations from the Metropolitan During a personal conversation with you, you expressed the desire that on the significant and joyful day of the 50th anniversary of your priesthood, this December 12, the divine service in the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral would be performed by me with a host of clergy. It is with particular pleasure that I expressed my readiness to take personal part in the solemn celebration of the half-century anniversary of your tirelessly zealous outstanding pastoral activity, if I am healthy. Now I hasten to inform you that, to my sincere regret, I will not be able to take part in the Kronstadt celebration. My poor health forces me to refrain from traveling to Kronstadt. Heartily greeting Your Reverence on the upcoming anniversary celebration and prayerfully calling on you God's prosperous blessing for further many years of equally fruitful activity, I have the honor to be with true respect for you and brotherly love for Christ and perfect devotion to Your Reverence. Most humble servant Metropolitan Anthony In addition to those given, we obtained about. John still has the following telegrams. Accept, most revered, dear priest, our sincere heartfelt congratulations on the fiftieth anniversary of your priesthood; May the Lord strengthen your strength and prolong your life for many years. Today, having prayed in church for your health, we congratulate you on your fifty years of service. We ask you not to forget us with your prayers. Rector and parishioners of the Svechal Church of Lepel County Dear Father John, we cordially congratulate you, we pray to the Lord God to preserve your life for many, many years. We know that the Holy Spirit lives in you; this is the secret of your vigor in such years. Great and strong are your prayers to God. We have experienced the power of your prayers. The Breev family. Nikolai Ivanovich Breev, Olga, Dmitry and Alexander We unanimously greet you on your 50th anniversary of service at the throne of God. Remember in your holy prayers. Abbess Antonia with her sisters Out of an abundance of feelings, I bring you, venerable father, heartfelt congratulations on your half-century of service to your church and homeland, I pray to the Almighty that He will extend your life for many years. To the most venerable shepherd of the Russian land, the most humble and grateful greetings from the writer We cordially congratulate you on your anniversary, we pray to the Lord for your health. Bless the one who deeply reveres you Dear father! Let us also congratulate you on the fiftieth anniversary of your service in the priesthood before the throne of God. You have dedicated your entire life to serving God and people, you live in the flesh so much not in the flesh, but in the spirit, your soul is clear as God’s day, pure, meek, humble and loving everyone. You warm us with the rays of your spiritual purity, and make us love God and people. We cannot count the many mental and physical healings performed by the Lord through your holy prayers. May the Lord grant you the strength and strength to stand unshakably in the field of God, to defend St. the Orthodox faith from heresy, schism and various troubles, may the Lord help you in these difficult, troubled days to enlighten you, to guide you on the true path, when Russia now most of all needs the teaching of the word of God and support from various abusive persons who want to entangle you in their networks and seduce you from the true path. May God extend your life for many, many more years to strengthen and instruct all Orthodox Christians in the faith of Christ. Heartily loving you, the Krylov, Tsarkov and Kulikov families Heartily greeting you on this anniversary celebration, I earnestly pray to the Giver of Life, may He push back the limits of your prolific life for many more years. Metropolitan of Moscow Vladimir Congratulations on half a century of service to the Church of God, may the Lord bless you for many years to come. Do not forsake us with your holy prayers. We sincerely, heartily congratulate you, dear father, on this solemn day, sending our most sincere wishes. We pray to the Lord God to grant you health and strength for many years to come. We ask for your prayers. I humbly ask the most respected editors of Kotlin to place these lines, as if adding a description of the celebration of the anniversary of Fr. John. Reading the description of the celebration in Kotlin Nos. 277–280, some readers and admirers of Fr. John expressed bewilderment why Sura, his homeland, did not respond in any way to the celebration of the anniversary. Hearing this, I, as a representative of Sura, who was personally at the anniversary celebration, consider it my duty to declare to the most respectable public, admirers of the venerable Fr. Archpriest John, that Sura, and represented by her Sura monastery, founded 5 years ago by Fr. John, is not indifferent to this celebration of the anniversary. I was sent to Kronstadt from the monastery in Sura on December 12 by the venerable abbess Porfiria to honor and congratulate the dear hero of the day, Fr. Archpriest John on the day of his 50th year of service in the priesthood. I arrived in Kronstadt on December 11th in the evening and went straight to the apartment of the venerable hero of the day, where I was received by the owner of the house very cordially and hospitably, like a guest from the distant north. I conveyed to the priest a written congratulation from the abbess of the monastery and 150 sisters, then gifts deliberately made by the hands of the abbess and sisters herself, which I will not list or name, but I will just say that there were objects from almost all branches of monastic work. The dear priest was pleased with all this, although he said: he does not need all this, but he is only pleased that the monastery and the sisters live in it not without labor and benefit. I also conveyed a written congratulation from the girls studying at the monastery school, with a photograph of them on the day of admission to the school, led by their teacher, Fr. Deacon A. Torlopov. On my own behalf, I presented the venerable hero of the day with an album with photographic photographs in memory of his buildings and labors in Sura. In these photographs I wanted to express and convey to their press, through the medium of a respected magazine, what was done by Fr. John in Sura, and how much of his work went into the development of Sura materially and, especially, morally. Then I had the pleasure of taking part in the service of the all-night vigil and liturgy with the venerable hero of the day, led by His Eminence Kirill; Immediately after the liturgy and prayer service, I conveyed congratulations and good wishes to the hero of the day from our Archangel Bishop Ioannikis and from some of his Arkhangelsk and other admirers. And then I was kindly invited by Mr. Markov to share a meal arranged in honor of the venerable hero of the day in the city duma. I thank, I prayerfully thank Mr. Markov for his hospitable invitation to me, and I thank all the Kronstadters who took part in this matter. I will also add that in Sura this day is also not forgotten; it was planned, in addition to the address sent from all Suryans (281 N “Kotlina”), to celebrate this day like this: in the evening to serve solemn all-night vigils in the monastery and parish church, the latter was also arranged by Fr. John and adorned with heavenly likeness, as it was written in his time, and in the morning of the liturgy and then, with a full meeting of the clergy, in the monastery, as closer to Fr. John, to serve a prayer service of thanksgiving to the Lord God, with the proclamation of the usual many years to the Reigning House and St. To the Synod, with the bishop, to the Christ-loving army and Christians, and especially, Fr. John, written out from the charter of one monastery “Save Christ God of our all-honorable Father Archpriest John and preserve him for many years, and preserve this holy monastery in peace, and preserve good things forever and ever. Amen". After this, they sing in both faces very touchingly and solemnly three times three times: “Save Christ God.” After the liturgy and prayer service, a meal was offered by the respected abbess of the monastery for the health of the dear and venerable hero of the day for the clergy, relatives of Fr. John and honorary parishioners. The poor brethren were not forgotten; a treat was also prepared for them. The next day, December 13th, I still had the good fortune to take part in serving the liturgy with Fr. John in the cathedral, and then, awarded with icons and other utensils for the monastery, and especially for the courtyard being built in Arkhangelsk, with the best wishes from Fr. John left for St. Petersburg to go back to Sura. Priest George Makkabeev Solemn celebration of the 50th anniversary of the priesthood of Archpriest John Ilyich Sergiev in his native Cype On December 11, by 6 o'clock in the evening, the St. John the Theological Monastery was decorated with flags and Christmas trees, on which multi-colored lanterns were burning, and the alley leading to the church was especially densely illuminated by them. The inside of the church was decorated with flowers. At 6 o'clock in the evening, the bell began for the all-night vigil, which was performed in the usual monastic manner, and three priests, led by Archpriest Smirnov, and two deacons came out for the “litia” and “magnification”. At the all-night vigil, in addition to the sisters, there were students from schools: the monastery school - girls, and the two-year school - boys in red shirts, and many local inhabitants and peasants. The all-night vigil ended at ten o'clock in the evening. On December 12, the early liturgy was celebrated in the village cathedral, and at the end of it, at 8 o’clock, a procession of the cross moved from the cathedral to the monastery, and a procession of the cross with icons and banners also left the monastery to meet it. A touching sight was the picture of the meeting of two religious processions, and then their joint procession to the monastery. After the icons and banners were brought into the monastery church, the late liturgy immediately began. After communion, the sisters of the monastery with inspiration and spiritual delight performed Bortnyansky’s concert: “Come and see the works of God,” and then the Sursky priest Fr. Venedikt Titov spoke on the occasion of this celebration, in which he found out all the good deeds of the hero of the day of his native Sura, expressed in the construction of churches, school and clergy buildings, in the establishment of a monastery and in constant financial assistance to distressed peasants, etc. After “wake up the name of the Lord,” Archpriest Smirnov spoke about the life and work of the hero of the day. At the end of the liturgy, a prayer service of gratitude to the Lord God for the health of the hero of the day was solemnly performed, with the proclamation of many years in the rank. After the prayer service, a joint religious procession left the monastery to the parish cathedral with the singing of a prayer service along the way, which ended in the cathedral, where many years were also proclaimed, with a gathering of more than 500 people. The monastic procession returned to the monastery, and with this the church celebration was over. In addition to the clergy who performed the service, the abbess invited the entire local intelligentsia to the meal, so that there were about 30 people in all. During the table, a lively conversation was held, many speeches were made and toasts were proclaimed in honor of the Emperor and the hero of the day. Lunch ended at two o'clock. The poor were not forgotten either; up to 300 people were fed, and 9 poods of bread alone came out. 14 lbs. (17 loaves of 22 pounds each). WORD for the day of St. Spyridon the Wonderworker of Trimifunts On the importance and necessity of the priestly office He (Christ) had to become like his brothers (people) in everything in order to be a merciful and faithful High Priest before God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17. God in Christ reconciled the world to himself, not imputing their crimes to people, and gave us the word of reconciliation. 2 Cor. 5:19. Today the church commemorates Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimifunt, glorified by the great miracles that God performed through him for the good of his flock, due to his strong faith and his compassionate love for his neighbors. I will not now describe his miracles, which I had the opportunity to talk about in previous years. I will say, first of all, why this day is now especially significant and solemn for me. Fifty years ago, on December 12, on the day of remembrance of this Saint, I was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Christopher, (memory eternal to him), in the capital's Peter and Paul Cathedral, the tomb of our Sovereigns. Fifty years of life and service to God and people in the rank of priest is a lot of time, but is our entire life long? A lot - seventy years, and if a person is able - eighty, and then there is work and illness 72. So, first of all, thanks be to God, who has placed our times and years in His power, 73 and who has granted me the grace to reach seventy-six years of life and fifty years of service in the priesthood. During all this time, how much mercy I received from the natural God and from above - nature - how I developed physically and spiritually, how I succeeded in the sciences and, especially in the science of God-knowledge and self-knowledge, successively in three theological schools - lower, middle and higher, and how, while studying in high school, I never dreamed of being the first because of a strong rival of a comrade, and became, however, the first and was sent to a higher educational institution, which paved the way for me to the present priestly service in Kronstadt, - how many serious illnesses I suffered both in school and in the place of a priest - and, having been near death more than once, I was healed, and again continued to fulfill the career of life - I now only briefly remember all this, in order to thank with all my heart my most gifted God, my Creator and Savior, for all this. The main subject of my word on this day I choose the importance and necessity of the priestly rank in the order of the all-wise and all-good Economy of God for the salvation of the human race, for this highest rank in the present ill-fated, evil time is neglected by many and is simply not considered at all. I quoted at the beginning the words of the Apostle Paul from the Epistle to the Hebrews. I repeat them: Christ had to become like his brothers in everything in order to be a merciful and faithful High Priest before God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people 74 . From these words do you see who is the High Priest common to the entire Christian race, who established in His church three degrees of priesthood: bishop, priest and deacon? Do you see whose titles are especially carried out - bishops and priests? Do you know what powers the eternal High Priest Christ gave to bishops and priests, and partly to deacons? These powers are as follows: - first, to intercede for people who sin before God, by the Holy Spirit: for the Holy Spirit intercedes through the priests - with groanings that cannot be uttered 75; secondly, to perform saving sacraments: this is how man should understand us, says the apostle, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God 76; thirdly, preach the word of God: go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature 77; and fourthly, to guide people to Christian life and save their souls. Thus, bishops and priests are appointed by God Himself to do and continue the greatest work of the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ Himself - to sanctify and save the sinful human race and bring it to God. He who sanctifies (Christ) and those who are sanctified (all Christians) are all from One, that is, from God; therefore He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying: I will proclaim Your name to my brethren, in the midst of the church I will sing Your praises 78 . Through the priesthood, sinful people are reconciled with God, with whom they are constantly at enmity through sin, and become brothers of Christ Himself and sons of God, through zealous repentance. That’s how important and necessary the priesthood is! Without it there can be no reconciliation of sinful people with God; God gave some priests the power and the word of reconciliation with God, God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself, says the Apostle, without imputing their crimes to people, and gave us (the apostles and priests) the word of reconciliation 79 . Only Christ alone, the Lamb of God, who took upon Himself the sins of the world and redeemed it from sin, curse and death, could and does give His servants the word and power to reconcile people with God, the power to resolve sins or bind them, to open and close heaven to people. Therefore, no layman without a priest can be reconciled with God and gain justification or access to God. This is the righteous will of God. Therefore, those who have apostatized from the church, called Christians, cannot be saved from eternal condemnation if they do not reconcile with it and do not participate in its worship and sacraments. Thus, the priesthood of the Orthodox Church, by its nature, is the greatest service, and on earth - most heavenly, most holy, cheerful and all-sanctifying; Priestly service is mediation between the Creator and creation - the service of incorruptibility for humanity corrupted by sins, the service of reconciliation of criminal creatures with the Creator, the service of sanctification and elevation to holiness and incorruptibility, bringing from death to life, from earth to heaven. Worldly people reproach us with gold-embroidered robes and miters, reproaching us for luxury. Was it not the Lord God Himself who clothed His priests in special splendid clothes, commanding Moses to make for them clothes of splendor and beauty? The king dresses his servants in gold-woven uniforms and distinguishes and rewards them in every possible way. Does the King of heaven and earth not have the power to distinguish His servants, who stand before His terrible and glorious throne, with shining robes, like earthly angels? God only grant that we try to live up to our great calling and care about the salvation of human souls, so that our souls may be bright. Glory to God, who has given his church the grace of the priesthood, through which it is convenient for every believer and humbly submissive child of the church to be reconciled with God and become a beloved child of God, and inherit eternal life. Amen.