Путешествия О. Иоанна

Since the fame of the life and deeds of shepherding and mercy of the Kronstadt priest spread throughout Russia, from all over our fatherland and even from abroad, letters and telegrams began to flock to Father John with requests for a visit. The latter, as a parish priest, burdened with the demands and responsibilities of the parish, very naturally cannot travel throughout Russia. In addition, almost every day, as we have already described above, he has to visit St. Petersburg, which is often associated with the danger of life during the thaw in spring and autumn, on the road between Oranienbaum and Kronstadt on the ice. So, it often happened that, driving on the ice, Father John fell through, but his love for the suffering was so great that no danger could keep him from visiting those who needed him. Despite the lack of time, the venerable shepherd finds the opportunity to visit the capital for two days a month. Father John usually leaves on the evening train, spends one day in Moscow and, on rare occasions, spends the night and stays the next day. As you know, the courier train runs at night, but despite the odd hours, all the main stations, such as Lyuban, Bologoye, are crowded with people, if only the news of Father John’s passage spreads throughout the surrounding area. At those stations where the train stops for a more or less long time, the same scenes are repeated that are known to the reader from our description of Father John’s trips along the Baltic Railway. The intermediate stations of the Nikolaev Railway present a special picture these days. There is impenetrable darkness all around. Second, third o'clock in the morning. At the station, in addition to ordinary passengers waiting for the train to arrive, there is a crowd of people. Extraordinary excitement is written on all the faces illuminated by the scantily flickering light of the station lamps. In the distance you can hear the roar and whistle of an approaching train. Another minute - and the locomotive, puffing heavily and rattling its chains, rolls up to the platform. The crowd instinctively leans forward, looking for the carriage in which Father John is traveling. His figure appears in one of the windows, the glass is lowered and the venerable shepherd begins to bless the crowd. Here, from all sides, people in need rush to his carriage: some asking for help, a blessing, a prayer, some with a letter, some with money. Every now and then exclamations are heard: – Dear father, pray for the dying man... - Father, accept from my labors for your poor, etc. This night picture, this crowd waiting for something extraordinary amid the darkness and cold, produces an extraordinary impression that will never be erased by anyone who has witnessed one of these meetings of the venerable shepherd at least once in his life. Such a meeting, in fairness, is not an entirely ordinary phenomenon. Are there cases when an ordinary priest attracts such attention from others? K o. People come to John from all over Russia. At the entrance to St. Andrew's Cathedral No, unfortunately, he always passes through the city unnoticed by anyone. In 1885, after repeated invitations, Father John visited Voronezh, where he stayed for about two weeks, living with His Eminence Seraphim. In 1850 Fr. John was in Kharkov. In 1893 in Kiev, Vilna and on the Volga, in 1894 - again on the Volga, etc. We, deviating slightly from chronology, will begin with a description of the stay of Fr. John in Kyiv. Arrival of Fr. John to Kyiv in April 1893. and the stay in it represent an outstanding event in local life, which should be recorded in the chronicles. For about two months in a row, without stopping, there were rumors about the arrival of Fr. John, and people of all ages, classes and conditions eagerly listened to the news of the arrival of a man whom Kiev had never seen before, but whom he already knew well, like all of Russia. From the beginning of St. Thomas Week, large audiences gathered at every train on the Kursk-Kyiv road to meet Father John. Despite the fact that the time of arrival of Fr. John to Kyiv, and that he chose the route not to Moscow and Kursk, but to Bialystok, a large public was waiting for the arrival of the train on April 16th. Kyiv met Fr. John and greeted him the way he is met and greeted everywhere in Russia. Already on the day of his arrival, a large audience filled the street of the house where Fr. John. Many spent the night on the street in reverent anticipation of seeing the priest. Father John arrived in Kyiv at 8 o'clock in the evening on April 16, and on April 17, already from three o'clock in the morning, masses of people gathered on the street from all over Kyiv; all of Kyiv knew about the arrival of Fr. John. From 4 o'clock in the morning Fr. John began to welcome those who were toiling and burdened, seeking consolation. At 8 o'clock in the morning on April 17th Fr. With great difficulty, John reached the governor-general's house through the dense masses of people, where he celebrated mass in the house church. By 10 o'clock in the morning the population of Kyiv was on its feet; the animation with which everyone was imbued can be called unparalleled. The public gathered in all parts of the city and awaited his arrival in reverent silence. Nobody knew where he would be; people were waiting for him everywhere. Everywhere where Fr. appeared. John, the inspiration was unusual and great, and it cannot be described in other words as supplication, prayer, reverence, thirst to see him. This was the general mood. Everyone succumbed to this mood, even those who came guided by curiosity alone. On April 17, following the end of the mass in the house of the Governor General, Fr. John visited some people and then proceeded to St. Andrew's Church, apparently eager to visit and see with his own eyes the sacred and historical areas of Kyiv. His desire, his thirst to quickly see this wonderful church of Kyiv, artistically placed on the ledge of the high Kyiv mountains, was unusually great. He quickly stood up and almost ran up. John along the cast-iron stairs to the platform of St. Andrew's Church, from where an extensive and especially striking view of Podol, the Dnieper, the Trans-Dnieper region and the surrounding mountains opens up in spring. Reverently, in silence, Fr. John looked at the immediate and distant surroundings, and in a prayerful mood, his all-penetrating thought was transported to that distant time when, according to Christian tradition, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called stood in this very place, predicting a great historical destiny for Kyiv. With all the strength of his ardent feelings, Fr. John experienced in his soul the historical destinies of his fatherland and Christianity, reflecting on his face the fullness of religious and artistic animation. Within a few minutes, the site of St. Andrew's Church was filled with a mass of visitors, who rushed to St. Andrew's Church from all sides, as soon as it became known that Fr. John. On the site and in the church itself, Fr. John was seen by numerous visiting pilgrims from Kyiv. From this moment a series of endless and touching ovations began, the subject of which was Fr. John. The unanimity with which people of all ranks and conditions greeted him and strove for him is beyond description. His soul reflected the mood of the people's soul. Repeatedly about. John prayed and prayerfully rejoiced, answering the greetings. His joy flowed from the knowledge that people were united and that religion was a powerful unifying force for humanity. Having visited the St. Michael's Monastery, Fr. John went to the monument to St. Vladimir. He was accompanied by masses of people; there were pilgrims, the public, and students; everyone was looking to see him, to receive his blessing. In the replies of Fr. John’s greetings to those around him were constantly affected by that boundless love for people and that insight that is so characteristic of Fr. John, and which distinguishes him from thousands and millions of people. Having given his blessing to two adult high school students who approached him and warmly hugged them, he wished them to pass the exams well and enroll as students. He wished the university student who came up to work for the common good and not stop working. Approaching the monument to St. Vladimir, oh, John indulged in memories of the past historical destinies of Russia, and with fiery feeling and reverence he either raised his gaze to the monument to the Enlightener of Russia, or lowered it to the valley where the place of the baptism of Rus' is located. A visit to this first cemetery of Christian martyrs made a special impression on Fr. John. Here, for the first time, those deep character traits that are characteristic of Fr. became visible to those around him. John and which constitute the source of his extraordinary influence on people. Having stayed almost continuously for three days with Fr. John, and having the opportunity to observe him under various conditions, we can say that for almost the whole day Fr. John is in a state of greatest mental excitement, which appears either in the form of prayer without words, then in the form of a sublime poetic mood, resolved by touching impromptu, then, finally, in the form of a mental and volitional experience of the highest ideals. We can say that that elevated mood, which occurs occasionally in an ordinary person, visits people in exceptional moments; in Fr. Joanna is ordinary and does not leave him for almost the whole day. ABOUT. John appears to be an ordinary person only in moments of extreme fatigue or while eating; the rest of the time he is in a state of poetic animation and lives the fullest, broadest ideal life that is possible for a person. External impressions find him always ready for that amazing, high spiritual reaction that so amazes the observer and has such a deep and beneficial effect on everyone. The main, visible character trait of Fr. John is composed of sincerity, meekness and the greatest love for man; These qualities are inseparably linked with affection in relationships with people and charm that exceeds all expectations. It's all written on Fr.'s face. John, and everyone who even sees this man for the first time believes and trusts. This is the impression made by Fr. John for all people... Approaching Askold's Tomb, Fr. John fell silent, which marks a transition to his usual reverent mood. The carriage had barely stopped when Fr. John, as if under the influence of some kind of internal scorching fire, quickly headed towards the gates of the cemetery. After two or three minutes he was already surrounded by a large crowd of people: they recognized him everywhere and ran after him. Entering the church, accompanied by the cemetery hieromonk, Fr. John fervently prayed silently for several minutes. His mood affected those around him. And so, amid the general silence that reigned, to Fr. An old peasant woman turned to John and said firmly in a loud voice: Father, Fr. John! bless me, a sinner, a harlot, a thief; bless me on my long journey to the next world. Father John blessed the old woman. The whole scene made a great impression on those around him both for its unexpectedness and for the sincerity with which the old woman, in her own way, fulfilled the moral duty of publicly admitting the vicious secrets of her life. The second day of his stay in Kyiv is Sunday, April 18, Fr. John began with a Divine service at the Intercession Convent, where Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna was staying. Father John arrived at the Intercession Monastery at eight o'clock in the morning, but already at dawn, masses of people began to gather in and around the monastery, looking to see Father. John. By the time of his arrival, the number of waiting audiences reached ten to fifteen thousand. Dense masses of people literally blocked the entire courtyard of the monastery and adjacent streets. At the end of the mass, Fr. John visited Her Highness in Her own chambers and then visited the monastery hospital. Only with difficulty through the dense masses of people, Fr. John reached the hospital building. The amazing cleanliness and cozy appearance of the hospital made a favorable impression on Fr. John. With his usual kindness, he walked around all the sick, blessing them and comforting them. Having bowed to Her Highness, Fr. John from the Intercession Monastery proceeded through Glubochitsa, along the Ascension Descent, to the Old Town. The sight of high mountains, cut here by deep ravines, impressed the island. Ioann was very impressed, as was the whole nature and area of ​​Kyiv in general. In this impression, everything merged: the reverent feeling of a religious person, and the observation of a thinker who delved into the history of the geological upheavals of this area, and finally, a fascination with the beauty of nature, which in Kyiv represents so many aesthetic aspects. These feelings overwhelmed him every time he saw one or another outstanding view of Kyiv, for example: the view from St. Andrew's Church to Podol, from the Lavra Mountains and Askold's Tomb - to the Dnieper and Trans-Dnieper, and from Podol - to St. Andrew's Church. Contemplating the views of nature, Fr. John prays and admires like a lover, and indulges in deep philosophical reflections about the distant past of the universe. By the nature of his nature, he constantly falls into true poetic lyricism about everything artistic, be it in nature, in history or in man. Despite the short duration of his stay in Kyiv and the lack of time, Fr. John was eager to visit the Vladimir Cathedral, which was then under construction. The interior view of the church, its paintings and ornaments made an unusually lively and strong impression on the responsive, highly gifted nature of Fr. John. The faces of saints and wall depictions of events from biblical and Christian history brought Fr. John into a state of spiritual admiration. He was transported in his mind's eye to distant times, to the moments of the events themselves, and his whole figure, his face and body movements were illuminated by that wonderful fire of an ideal life, which is hardly accessible to image and analysis, and which involuntarily makes you feel that you are in the company of a great man. Always living with the thought of goodness, about people, about their moral improvement, Fr. John indulged in reflection on the beneficial influence that the Vladimir Cathedral, this monument to the Christian cultural and artistic life of Russia, would have for Kyiv and Russia. The opportunity to see the Vladimir Cathedral in its finished form and pray in it was presented to Fr. John with a special happiness that he would like to achieve. Having examined the Vladimir Cathedral, Fr. John traveled to Podol to the Bratsky Monastery to visit the Rector of the Theological Academy, His Eminence Sylvester, Bishop of Kanevsky. Masses of people were already filling the monastery churchyard, and Fr. John with the greatest difficulty entered the apartment of the bishop. Between Fr. John and the Eminence began a conversation, the reason for which was the enthusiasm of the masses who wanted to see Fr. John. The interlocutors started talking about the need and possibility of a closer moral unification of people. At this time, students of the Theological Academy were invited to the Reverend’s apartment. Father John, who always knows how to give a warm character to his address and his friendliness, quickly rose from his seat and, in a tone of love, clothed in forms of partnership, spoke with liveliness: students of the Academy! Christ is risen! hello, my friends, hello, dear classmates, children of all of us in the same theological school... Let's talk about Fr. John was followed by the most ardent, most spontaneous manifestations of joy, gratitude, surprise and filial feelings in relation to Fr. John. Exit o. John from the chambers of the Right Reverend was fraught with barely surmountable difficulties in view of the general desire of the large public to get closer to Fr. John, to see him, to receive awe. Among the public, especially the simple ones, there was a desire to send a request by telegraph to the Highest Name, so that Fr. John was ordered to stay in Kiev for a whole week. From Podol o. John went to the Levashovsky boarding school. One event happened at the Levashevsky boarding school that had a special impact on those around him. Among the people present at the prayer service, among many was a lady who had come on purpose from Kharkov to see Fr. John and receive a blessing from him. The circumstances of her life made it especially necessary for her to receive the moral consolation that Fr. John. The lady accidentally ended up in the Levashovsky boarding house and was among a dense crowd. Blessing everyone, Fr. John suddenly, as if by some inner instinct, with special ardor rushed through the dense crowd of people straight to this lady, and treated her with warm sympathy, caressed her, hugged her and distinguished her with the special attention of which his extraordinary human heart is capable. This lady, full of joy and happiness, told everyone about what had happened, amazed by the insight of Fr. John, considering what happened to her to be a miracle; since she had not yet had the opportunity to exchange with Fr. John in at least one word. By her appearance and expression, he recognized her state of mind and hurried to her aid before she had time to express her request in words. Rev. Sylvester, Bishop of Kanevsky. On the third day of his stay in Kyiv, at about three o’clock in the afternoon, Fr. John went to the Lavra. Despite the fatigue caused by previous visits, Fr. John was in a particular moral state of excitement; Almost the entire way to the Lavra he mentally prayed. The crew o. John walked past the Lavra Hotel and stopped at the entrance to the gallery leading to the Near Caves. Here about. John was met by the governor of the Lavra. Father John was silent and in a deep prayerful mood. O. the governor suggested going to the Near Caves not through the gallery, but through the garden. From the garden there was a delightful view of the mountains, the Lavra churches and caves, the Dnieper and the Trans-Dnieper region. Father John, in the greatest nervous tension, asked: where, where are the caves? They pointed it out to him. Instantly his entire being was illuminated with the fire of awe. He stopped and, turning towards the caves, exclaimed loudly: Holy Fathers, who rejected the world and loved Christ, Christ is risen! He addressed the saints of Pechersk as if they were living people, and this feeling of closeness and unity with them did not leave Fr. John the entire time he was within the walls of the Lavra. Having descended into the Caves, Fr. John prayed loudly all the time. His prayer had the character of fiery improvisations, which expressed surprise, reverence and prayer to the Pechersk saints. They were once ordinary people, they lived and labored here, in this very place, here they left traces of their lives, their works, their piety. They represent examples of those virtues, that moral self-improvement that was and is the goal and task of his own life. Now, in the 63rd year of his life, for the first time he is present at the site of their exploits, where traces of their life, their activities, their exploits are everywhere. These words can convey the mood of Fr. John. He prayed fervently. Oh, friends of God, friends of God, he often repeated. Saint Paul, child of obedience! teach us obedience, he prayed at the relics of Paul the Obedient. Saint John, who burned passions! teach us to burn with the flame of love, he prayed at the relics of John the Long-Suffering. Everywhere his prayer was of extraordinary simplicity and strength. At times he fell silent, and only fleeting quiet sighs escaped from his chest, so characteristic of Fr. John and testifying to deep emotional tenderness that does not require words. Having visited the cell and church of Anthony and Theodosius, he was especially animated. At the exit from the Near Caves. John turned around and: O sages, O philosophers, who have surprised the world! In the Great Church, having venerated the relics of Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kyiv, Fr. John stepped back and exclaimed loudly, as if to a living person: Origin of the faith, Saint of God, look how many of your spiritual children are all Orthodox Rus'! The elevated mood did not leave Fr. John and during the transition from the Near Caves to the Far Caves. We walked along the gallery, oh. John walked with such speed that his companions could hardly keep up with him. He was silent and burned with the fire of inner animation. We descended steeply along a long staircase adjacent to the Church of the Far Caves. Suddenly, from somewhere from a great height, the pleading cries of a thousand voices were heard! Father John bless! Just a minute about. John looked for the people... Through the iron grating of the window, located at a height of several fathoms, from where a weak light shone in, dozens of hands stuck out and a mass of people could be seen. At a great height, like birds of heaven, people clung to the window, looking to see Fr. John and receive his blessing. On this day Fr. John visited a sick, educated woman who was suffering greatly physically and morally. She was sick with uterine cancer and knew that the disease was incurable. She tried to see Fr. John for moral peace. He visited her, he was simple in his words. He said that he could not heal her, since he had neither the art nor the power of healing, but he could pray fervently with her, and he did so. On this occasion, we recall a short conversation that we had with the late F. M. Dostoevsky. Speaking about the bulk of his literary work, he added: “and here’s another job - answering letters. Here is a young girl from Voronezh writing, describing her state of mind, asking for an answer, and here is another letter, here is a third, sometimes up to ten letters a day... what am I telling them, I don’t know them, but they are begging for an answer, I have to answer. A person cannot live without a person, before this was addressed to clergy, now to us, writers,” he finished. It is obvious that a person is needed who would take upon himself the moral burden, who would take upon himself the suffering of people. Fr. has become such a person these days. John. Returning from Lavra. O. John visited the Women's Theological School. He came here, illuminated by everything that had been experienced in the Lavra. The students of the school gathered in the church were especially serious, judging by the fact that they maintained, despite the general excitement, order almost as complete as that which was noticed in the Lavra, where, with one reminder from the governor about obedience, as the first duty of a monk, the brethren maintained order. The children, despite apparent restraint, felt with all their hearts the presence of an extraordinary person in their midst. After praying at the local church icons, Fr. John turned to the children and, looking at them with a searching gaze, said in a loud, solemn voice: dear children, blooming with health and beauty! Christ is Risen!.. Father John said several instructive words to the pupils; The expression of joy and delight of the pupils, despite their restraint, was deep and touching. With those of the pupils whom Fr. John personally blessed, he was extremely tender, asking him to convey his love to everyone else. On this evening, Fr. John left Kyiv for Kursk. The day of departure was not known to the public and, despite the fact, a mass of people gathered at the station to see off Fr. John. The public observed exemplary order. When Fr. John appeared at the exit, everyone bared their heads, asking for blessings. The mood of the audience who saw off Fr. John, can be characterized by the word: reverence. On both sides of the train stood dense masses of the public, a third of which were pupils of educational institutions and mainly students of the Academy and University. Father John, at the request of the public, moved first to one window and then to another, blessing those mourning. There was nothing noisy about the farewell, everything was quiet, but there was so much heart, so much sincerity, so much simplicity and grandeur in everything that undoubtedly Kyiv experienced deep emotional moments. But what kind of person is this who is capable of causing such extraordinary and unanimous manifestations in so many people? What are people looking for, what are they yearning for when, gathering in masses, they stand reverently, as in a church, for hours, often whole nights, waiting to see him, hear his voice, receive his blessing? It's not the crowd looking for Fr. John, but people of every rank, every education and all ages. You will see here both an educated person and a laborer, a professor and a student; you will see adults and children, gentlemen and their servants; you will see humble workers and fallen women; you will see sick, hysterical, spoiled and criminal people. You will meet here different religions, different nationalities. Leads everyone to Fr. John has the same feeling and undoubtedly a good feeling. It forces people who arrived in carriages to get out of the carriage and stand next to an ordinary gray man; it unites masters and their servants; it encourages hysterical and capricious women to abandon their whims and pretense; it lifts a fallen woman out of the mud and makes her human. This is God's spark, this striving for the ideal! That's what draws people to Fr. John. In his presence, the conscience of the worst, most savage person awakens, and all unspoiled people are refreshed and revived in the best, ideal sides of their character. O John, so sensitive and responsive to all the best manifestations of human nature, is moved by the sublime mood of the masses revealed in his presence. Oh, dear people of Kiev and women of Kiev, oh kind people of Kiev! he said at the sight of high feelings among thousands of people. And here it is the same as throughout Russia, the same spirit, the same piety, he said. He was often deeply moved by manifestations of warmth and reverence. The kind Russian people, their love just splashes... are there people in the world more sincere and kinder than the Russian people? - he said. The above reviews, expressed by such a subtle diagnostician of mental movements as Fr. John, have a special meaning. However, even for an ordinary person it is quite clear that the masses grouping around Fr. John, are animated by the best, loftiest aspirations. The trip to Kharkov, although described by a less profound observer, is nevertheless very interesting. The trip to Moscow, says Zatonsky, presented the usual picture of meetings, but something different began to happen at the stations closest to Kharkov, which were packed with people long before the train arrived. Father John listened to a lot of requests, and many begged for a visit, which, despite all his desire, the venerable shepherd could not fulfill, since direct tickets had been taken. By the way, Father John was invited to one of the Kharkov landowners, P. Ryzhov, to baptize the expected baby. G. Ryzhov met Father John back in Kursk and heard wonderful news from him. Last night the venerable shepherd had a dream that Ryzhov had a son, was baptized and named Boris. This dream later came true. In Kharkov, the station was so crowded that the railway administration was forced, in order to protect Father John from the crush, to uncouple his carriage and, moving it to a siding, attach it to a train leaving for Poltava. At the Ryzhovo station, closest to Kharkov, the carriage was uncoupled, and Father John, accompanied by a countless crowd of people, went to the Ryzhovka estate, where a mansion house was prepared for him in the garden for the entire duration of his stay in Kharkov. In the first days, Father John lived in “Ryzhovka” relatively quietly and calmly, but what began two or three days later is impossible to describe. It was necessary to personally witness Father John’s stay in Ryzhovka in order to get a complete understanding of what was going on there during those days. The first result of his stay was that the flowers and flower beds in the garden of the estate were trampled and wiped off the face of the earth, eloquently indicating the huge crowd of the public. And so, instead of rest, Father John began the same working days that he spent, as we saw, in Kronstadt and St. Petersburg... During Father John’s stay, up to 100 thousand people visited the Ryzhovka estate. There were days when 7–8 thousand people a day came under his blessing. After the first two days, as we said above, “Ryzhovka” found itself literally in a state of siege. Thousands of people camped near the estate. Here they drank tea, ate a snack, and slept; some waited in line for several days. “Ryzhovka” is located 10 versts from Kharkov. Each train brought there at least 500 people, so that, as we heard from the road administration, as many tickets were issued for each train as at other times would not be sold in two months. Thanks to the extraordinary crowd of passengers, 10–12 additional cars were attached to the train. A reinforced squad of police was sent to maintain order. And such a commotion occurred as a result of the arrival of an ordinary, not even a metropolitan priest... Long before Father John’s arrival, the whole city was talking about him. “He saved my wife,” one could hear. She had already died, all the doctors refused to treat her. I sent him a telegram. “Pray, I will pray too,” he answered. And suddenly an unexpected turning point occurred in her illness, which amazed the doctors, and she is now completely healthy. “He saved my son,” said another. Hundreds of such stories circulated around the city. And so, when Father John arrived, he was literally besieged by requests to visit this or that house where the sick were at that time. Many touching scenes, according to the Southern Edge, could be found in each of the houses visited by the venerable shepherd. As soon as he has time to arrive somewhere, a crowd is now growing on the street. Many ask the owners for permission to enter, and if such permission is granted, the rooms quickly fill with people. Father John enters. Those present surround him, crowd around, kiss his hands, reverently approach him for the blessing. Parents with touching trust hold out their little children to him; many bring the sick and crippled for him to lay his hands on them. And how much tenderness, how much expectation of something unusual shows through in all these gazes directed at him! Here is a young girl from among the intelligentsia. With what impatience she waited for Father John, but, crowded by the crowd, she found herself behind everyone and looking at the good shepherd with tears. But here's about. John notices her and approaches her. In tears, she kneels before the meek altar server and presses the hem of his robe to her lips. Father John lifts her up, blesses her, kisses her forehead, and she leaves happy, touched, joyful. - Father! - the cry of some woman with a child in her arms is heard near Father John: bless! - Sick. Father John strokes the pale, emaciated child on the head, then pours tea from his glass onto a saucer. “Here, here,” he says, bringing the saucer to the child’s mouth: “Drink, drink!” And the child obediently drinks tea from the hands of a stranger. “Nothing,” says Father John, blessing, “God willing, he will be healthy.” In these approximately terms, the correspondent of “Southern Krai” describes the stay of the venerable shepherd in someone’s house. “If Fr. John decided to satisfy all those Kharkov residents, he adds, who wanted to receive him and pray with him in their home, he would have to live with us not for one and a half to two weeks, but for several months.” On July 15, at the insistence of Kharkov Archbishop Ambrose, Father John served the liturgy in the city cathedral for the first and only time, due to great difficulties from excessive crowds of public. He performed the liturgy in the concelebration of the entire city clergy, and “it was a misfortune, not a service,” as one of the eyewitnesses puts it. The crowd pressed and almost burst into the altar, pushed by the back rows. The singers sang in the altar, and all exits were made in the altar in front of the royal doors. The iron bars in the cathedral were broken by the onslaught of the crowd. With difficulty, Father John got out of the cathedral wearing only a cassock and without a hat. The crowd of people around the cathedral was extraordinary. The entire square and the streets adjacent to it were completely crowded with people. No police measures could restore order. Under such conditions, it is clear why, with all his desire, Father John could not accept invitations from some church rectors and elders to perform divine services in any of the city churches. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Father John visited the editorial office of “Southern Krai” and from there from the balcony he blessed the people gathered on Nikolaevskaya Square. Due to the aforementioned impossibility of holding prayer services in churches, Father John, not wanting to offend the Kharkov residents, decided, at the suggestion of the Right Reverend Ambrose, to serve a prayer service on July 20 in the cathedral square. The cathedral square, as well as the neighboring streets and alleys, presented an unprecedented spectacle that day. The people were so crowded that, according to the generally accepted expression, there was nowhere for the apple to fall. All the roofs of the houses were dotted with people wishing to see the beloved Kronstadt shepherd. The picture came out amazing, reminiscent of the distant times of the first centuries of Christianity, when prayers were often performed in the open air. On this day, according to eyewitnesses, more than 60 thousand people attended the prayer service. The enthusiasm of the people increased to the utmost degree, so that, after the proclamation of many years to the Sovereign Emperor and the entire Royal House, the crowd could not stand it and shouted “hurray.” The correspondent of “Southern Krai” describes the crowd of people on July 20 as follows: “Without exaggeration, we can say that the crowd of people yesterday was the same as what usually happens during the ceremony of transferring the miraculous image of the Ozerenskaya Mother of God, with the only difference that a mass of foreign pilgrims took part in this ceremony, while yesterday the worshipers belonged almost exclusively to the local population.” The trip along the Volga in 1894 was even more fruitful and grandiose. The extreme points of this trip were: in the upper reaches of the royal river, the city of Uglich, and in the lower reaches, the city of Tsaritsyn. In this way, a journey was made along almost the entire length of the Volga. It would not be an exaggeration to say what this journey is about. John was the topic of the day throughout the Volga region and throughout the entire time it lasted. The entire Volga region was moved by one vital interest, for the sake of which ordinary ordinary life faded into the background. This major, unprecedented event caused a lot of talk in all segments of the population and left a deep mark everywhere. We consider, of course, unnecessary to reprint the detailed description of the trip. Let us only take, partly from the storehouse of our own memory, partly from others, a few pictures of this journey. June 29 Fr. John arrived in Saratov. On the day of arrival in Saratov, people had already moved to the steamship piers in the morning and crowded around the bishop's house. At 5 o'clock in the evening the halt whistle of the Brave was heard. As soon as the steamer approached the pier, Fr. John, standing at the side of the upper deck, greeted the Governor, Prince B.B. Meshchersky and everyone who met him: “Hello, your Excellency! Happy holiday to you! I came to visit you! Hello, Orthodox! Hello sister nuns! “You’re welcome,” the governor of the province responded to these greetings, and several people from the public began waving their hats and scarves. When the gangplank was ready, eminent persons of the city entered the ship and, having climbed onto the deckhouse, approached Fr. Ioannou, who kissed the representatives of the city who met them, and immediately responded to their invitation to visit Saratov with his full consent. “The crowd stirred and trembled; more prudent people retreated to the walls and railings. Another minute, two calm, and it’s difficult to describe what happened. Some kind of spontaneous flow, frantic shouts of the police: “give way, let me in!” - mixed with crying and hysterical cries: “Father, bless,” the cries of women and children who were almost run over... The “pure” public, which spontaneously rushed after them, crowding and crushing each other, barely managed to stop. Below, on the shore, a reliable chain of policemen protected Fr. John and his retinue from the crush. He was quickly put into a carriage, which, with several horsemen in front, sped off towards the bishop’s house.” About the degree of enthusiasm with which Fr. met the people. John, can be judged, for example, by the fact that one woman, without waiting for the steamer to stop completely, rushed into the water from the shore in her clothes in order to attract attention and see the priest. After a warm and cordial reception from His Eminence Nicholas, Bishop of Saratov and Tsaritsyn, Fr. John, together with the bishop, went out onto the balcony to the people standing in a thick crowd in the courtyard of the bishop's house and languidly waiting to receive his blessing, and then went to the house church of the cross, where Vespers was celebrated in front of a huge number of worshipers. Some of the people spent the whole night in the courtyard of the bishop's house, because Fr. John stayed overnight in the chambers of his Eminence. The next day of Fr. John in Saratov “Saratov Leaf.” describes it like this: “On June 30, at 6.30 o’clock the bell rang for Matins in the cathedral. Soon a carriage with His Eminence Nicholas and Fr. left the courtyard of the bishop's house. John. The people surrounded the carriage in such a crowd that the horses could only walk. There was such a dense mass near the cathedral that there was no way to get through from the front entrance, and Eminence Nicholas, together with Fr. John barely managed to get into the lower room of the cathedral, from where they went upstairs through an internal passage. People began to be allowed into the church only when matins had already begun. The crowd moved closer and closer to the altar, wanting to see Fr. John. Many even climbed onto the railings near the choirs. Outside, the entire square was filled with people. The lower part of the bell tower, the roofs above the side entrance doors, the fence of the boulevard - everything was covered with people. “The Liturgy was performed by Fr. John; After this, a prayer service began. The latter was probably supposed to serve in the square, but when they brought the icons to the porch, they saw that the cathedral was surrounded by such a mass that it was impossible to carry the icons further. I had to serve a prayer service at the entrance. The people moved like a wall towards the porch. Screams were heard... At the end of the prayer service, Fr. John blessed everyone with the cross, and the procession again moved to the church. At the end of mass, the carriage with Fr. John had difficulty moving through the masses of people, despite the fact that 6 mounted guards were riding ahead. The people again gathered near the bishop's house, onto the balcony of which the Right Reverend and Fr. John; the latter blessed the people and thanked them for the reception they received. After the end of the liturgy and prayer service, Fr. John went to the apartment of the governor of the province, and then, at the request of the mayor, went to the premises of the council and the Duma, where the councilors and their families were invited. In addition to the vowels, a lot of people arrived here, so that the halls of the Duma were filled to capacity. Traffic on Moskovskaya and Police streets stopped. At the entrance to the premises of the Duma, Fr. John greeted the vowels with a loud voice: “Peace be with you, venerable vowels! Hello, good people! His Eminence Nicholas also arrived here, and a prayer service was immediately served while the singers of the Alexander School sang. After the prayer service with the blessing of water, all those present approached the cross and Fr. John blessed everyone, and the Right Reverend sprinkled St. water Then Fr. John and the bishop went out onto the balcony and was the first to sprinkle the entire crowd standing below. The crowd crossed themselves and asked for blessings; many shouted: “Thank you, dear! live many years!..” The singers sang “Many Years” and to their singing Fr. John went to the house of Mr. Dekhanov, then to the mayor and to the “House of Diligence.” Everywhere, of course, a visit to Fr. John was an outstanding event; everywhere masses of people met and saw off their dear guest. The farewells in Saratov, in terms of the degree of enthusiasm of the mourners, in their grandeur and, at the same time, in their remarkable order, stand out from a number of other similar cases that we have seen so far. To Fr. appointed for departure. John's time, troops were gathered at the "Airplane" pier to help the police, who formed a chain on both sides of the passage on the embankment. Together with Fr. John, the Most Reverend Bishop Nicholas himself, the governor of the province and other authorities arrived at the pier. Vladyka and the governor of the province entered the ship, and here they cordially said goodbye to Fr. John, who thanked them very much for their warm welcome. Everyone stood on the pier with their heads uncovered, and when, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the ship set off, the clergy, led by the archpastor, sang the many years three times in honor of the departing guest. The impression from these solemn farewells was most touching. Not only those who said goodbye to the priest cried, but also those accompanying him could not hold back their tears. On Sunday, July 3, in the morning, the steamer “Brave” stopped at the pier in the village of Alekseevka, Khvalynsky district, Saratov province. The news of the arrival of Fr. John of Kronstadt quickly swept through the village, filling the hearts of its inhabitants with genuine joy. Many cried and loudly cried out with tears in their eyes: “Lord, where do we get this from, why do You send such grace to us sinners?” Everywhere they started talking about the great guest, many came to their father to consult how best to meet him. Indeed, there was something to think about. Due to the renovation, the inside of the church was completely cluttered with several tiers of scaffolding. The general opinion was that the stage should be dismantled and everything put in proper order. Without any hesitation, work began. Everyone worked so hard that by 10 o’clock, beyond expectation, everything was cleaned up and the church seemed to be renewed, everything in it took on the appearance of decency and decency... The next day, early in the morning, at 4 o’clock, people began to gather at the church and here they were located in two lines in the direction from which Fr. John. Among the crowd of people who had gathered, there were noticeably many schismatics who had come to see the one about whom they had heard a lot of, in their opinion, incredible things. Priest with representatives of society. Alekseevki went to the steamship pier, located almost two miles from the village. At 6 o'clock a messenger arrived from the steamship pier and ordered the bell to ring for Matins, saying that Fr. John of Kronstadt has arrived. When the first sound of the big bell rang, the hearts of all those present involuntarily trembled and, devoutly crossing themselves, everyone said with joy shining on their faces: “Thank God, Fr. John of Kronstadt." A movement began among the people: each, pushing and crowding the other, tried to take a more visible and more profitable place; everyone wanted to get closer to the road to get a better look at Fr. John. But along the road the front line (a mounted gendarme) appeared, followed by the troika... The mass of people began to sway, as if a rumble passed through it from one end to the other, and a voice rang out: “He’s coming, he’s coming”!! Then there was dead silence... Everyone seemed to freeze, fearing that they might miss their dear guest. Those standing in front, having met John, did not want to remain in place, but rushed after him. The closer Fr. John to the church, the more the crowd behind him grew. Nobody wanted to fall behind; venerable old men and women forgot about their decrepit old age and immediately ran in the crowd among their sons and grandchildren, not lagging behind them. When the train stopped, a thick crowd of peasants surrounded Fr. John and, without taking their eyes off him, with a pleading look they asked for his blessing. He cheerfully and cheerfully left the carriage and blessed everyone who approached, with a radiant and joyful face he entered the church and, having prayed here, affectionately greeted him with the words: “Peace to all, my dear brothers and sisters!” Blagovest was replaced by trezvon in full. When the people, having gathered in the church, calmed down, the all-night vigil began, which was celebrated by the hieromonk accompanying Fr. John. The choristers from the parishioners sang. At the beginning of the service, Father John was in the altar, but when the stichera on “I cried to the Lord” were sung, he, in a bright red stole, went out to the choir and sang along with the singers. An inexpressibly strong impression on those praying about. John carried out the reading of the canons of St. before the royal doors. Trinity and ordinary Sundays. This was not a simple reading, but a living, enthusiastic glorification of God, combined with lamentation about the sinfulness of human nature. During the reading, the soul of an attentive Christian first came into delight and tenderness, then fell under the weight of the consciousness of its sinfulness, then again became excited and delighted, then again plunged into tearful crying about its sins... And such an excited state of the worshipers continued throughout the entire service. Following Matins, the liturgy began, which was served conciliarly by Fr. John, co-served by local priest A. Feoforov, Hieromonk Gennady and Deacon V. Kazansky, who came from the neighboring village of Apalikha. Sacred delight and tenderness during the celebration of the liturgy are unnoticed by Fr. John passed on to those praying, so that all of them, having grief in their hearts, boldly glorified God with one mouth and one heart. After the liturgy, Fr. John, with a cross in his hands, went out to the people and, allowing them to approach the cross, told those present a short, but strong and convincing instruction. “I congratulate you, brothers and sisters, on the holiday of the bright Resurrection of Christ, this is how Fr. John. Bright joy noticeably plays on your faces. I wish and pray to God that your joy will be pure and holy. I am glad that you are happy. I rejoice and grieve together... I grieve for our fallen brethren, for the so-called Old Believers, of whom, as I heard, there are a lot in your village. My word to them, the word of truth and love”... In further instructions, Fr. John found out that there is no salvation outside the Orthodox Church, that alienation from it will not go unpunished, that opposition to its shepherds inevitably entails eternal destruction, just as in the Old Testament the opponents of Moses, God's messenger, perished. In conclusion, Fr. John turned to the spoken Old Believers with a tearful appeal so that they would abandon their destructive stubbornness, would not walk like sheep without a shepherd, but would boldly and fearlessly follow the voice of the legitimate church shepherds who would lead them to eternal life. After this, handing over the cross to the hieromonk, Fr. John entered the altar and here, kneeling before the throne, placing his hands on it, he silently prayed for a long time. When, having finished this prayer, he left the altar, he was introduced to the local volost elder, the leader of the Bespopovtsy Old Believers, a developed and sensible man. Father asked him why he was in schism? Is it because your parents gave their blessing for it? To the affirmative answer of the foreman, Fr. John said that in this case, parental suggestions cannot be followed, and he reminded his interlocutor that the Savior, who commanded self-sacrificing love for all people, not only for parents, but even for enemies, at the same time says: if anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers and sisters, and also his own soul, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14: 2 6). To this, the foreman remarked that it was still difficult to lag behind what a person had become accustomed to from an early age. “Of course, it’s not easy,” Fr. said to this. John, because every habit, like drunkenness, smoking, etc. becomes a second nature for a person, but with effort and with the assistance of God it is possible and necessary to overcome any harmful habit.” With fatherly tenderness, in the name of God, Fr. John, his interlocutor, like his own son, come to his senses, leave his disastrous delusion and move into the saving bosom of the Orthodox Church. Apparently touched by the sincerity and cordiality of this speech, the interlocutor immediately expressed his consent to follow the advice of Fr. John, saying: “I am very glad that I see you, father,” and, according to the custom of the Orthodox, accepted his blessing and asked for his prayers. The inspired words of the highly revered shepherd, their obvious beneficial effectiveness and, in general, the extraordinary nature of the occasion could not fail to make a strong impression on those present. Since the audience included schismatics of different persuasions, it was, of course, impossible to go into an analysis of any distinctive details of one or another persuasion, so that the speech would be equally convincing for everyone. The same thing that was the subject of a short interview with Fr. John, i.e., staying in schism according to the example and blessing of the parents, is an argument shared and usually brought in their favor by almost all schismatics. To show clearly and without verbosity the entire unfoundedness of this argument means to shake one of the fundamental foundations of the schism. A quick and obvious recognition of the correctness of Fr. John from the side of a person who, due to his official position and personal merits, enjoys special authority and respect in the eyes of schismatics, undoubtedly further strengthened the impression of the words of the highly revered shepherd. Blessing all those who came along the way, Fr. John went from the church to the house of the local priest, to whom he handed 100 rubles. to be handed over to a poor woman with a large family, and from here, accompanied by a clergyman, he left for the steamship pier. There were already many waiting for his arrival both on the shore and at the steamship desk, decorated with greenery. Blessing those seeing off, Fr. John also distributed crosses. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon the steamer sailed, taking with it Fr. John, standing on the upper deck. Those who remained at the desk, reports a local correspondent, watched the retreating steamer until it disappeared around a bend. The gathered people began to disperse peacefully, saying: “This is the mercy of God! Whom has God brought to see!” To Kazan o. John arrived on July 6. Even on the eve of the expected arrival, “from 8 o’clock in the evening the Airplane wharf on the Volga began to overflow with a huge mass of people, which grew more and more. The entire route from Kazan to Ustye was dotted with pedestrians and carriages all night until the morning; The carriages of the horse-drawn railway, leaving one after another, could not accommodate those wishing to travel. By dawn, not only the Samoletskaya pier, but the entire Volga coast was completely dotted with people who had not slept all night and with feverish impatience constantly directed their gaze to the lower part of the Volga" 10. The “brave” moored at the pier of Kazan, which was nothing but a solid mass of heads, swaying by the waves. Just about. John went down to the pier when he was literally knocked down and squeezed by a huge crowd. Those standing in front, holding hands, formed two continuous chains with free passage. As Fr. approaches. John to the prepared crews, however, the pressure of the crowd became stronger and stronger, so that it was no longer possible to restrain it. Squeezed from all sides. John moved forward slowly, but did not refuse to bless anyone. By the way, with a special joyful feeling he blessed and kissed one child, whose parents, bringing him to Fr. John, they told him that this child had been saved from obvious death by the prayers of a respected pastor in absentia.” With extraordinary efforts Fr. John was finally taken out of the crowd of thousands and literally “carried” into a carriage, where the mayor sat next to him. As soon as the carriage, escorted by mounted police guards, started moving, a crowd of several hundred people rushed after it. Some, with obvious risk, rushed to the carriage’s steps, grabbed and kissed Fr.’s hand. John, touched his clothes and then raised the touching hand to their lips. Many knelt down, making the sign of the cross. Others threw envelopes into the carriage. Along the entire route from the pier to the city and along all the streets along which Fr.’s crew followed. John, the people greeted their dear guest with low bows. Since the Archbishop of Kazan, His Eminence Vladimir, was at that time in a country bishop’s house, 5 versts from the city, Fr. John first of all went there to ask for the bishop’s blessing for church service in Kazan. The archpastor kindly received Fr. John, blessed him to serve in the Annunciation Cathedral and, after a short conversation, also kindly said goodbye to him, escorting him to the carriage. On the way back to the cathedral, Fr. John visited the convent and here venerated the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God while the sisters of the monastery sang the troparion. He placed a candle in front of the icon, and he gave 1 ruble to the beggars standing on the porch. The church quickly filled with people; All the sisters of the monastery gathered with the abbess-abbess, who offered Fr. John an elegantly executed copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. At all the street intersections along which Fr.’s crew followed. John, there were whole crowds standing. There turned out to be such a crowd of people that the carriage could not drive up, and it took extraordinary efforts to snatch and carry out Fr. John, lifted up and carried away by the crowd, which rushed after the speeding carriage. After the prayer service with Mrs. X. Fr. John dined with one of the most respected citizens of Kazan, Chernoyarov. At this lunch, Fr. John, among other things, said, according to the approximate transmission of the brochure we indicated, the following: “In every person, God implanted a religious feeling, which, by its nature, should be expressed in external form, should pour out one way or another - this is the irrepressible property of every person. Thanks to the Lord, he (Fr. John) is endowed with divine mercy, which is especially expressed in evoking this religious feeling among the people, with which he is infinitely happy and for which he incessantly thanks God.” During the entire dinner, which lasted more than an hour, they did not stop approaching the priest for blessings and bringing the sick and children to him. ABOUT. John taught everyone the appropriate calm and blessed everyone. During lunch, an invitation was received from the Reverend Anastasius. Therefore, when lunch was over, Fr. John, having said goodbye to his hospitable hosts, immediately went again with the city mayor to the Spassky Monastery, where the vicar bishop resides. Attentively and kindly received by the Bishop, Fr. John talked with him alone for about a quarter of an hour. Of course, a crowd of people immediately rushed to the bishop’s premises. From here Fr. John decided to return to the ship. In a postal carriage drawn by a four-wheeler and surrounded by a police escort, they sat down next to Fr. John was the mayor, in front was the hieromonk and psalm-reader, and on the running board with his head naked, standing, the city police chief rode all the way to the Ustye. The entire road to Ustya and the entire Ustya were completely covered with people. Along the descent of the pier where the Brave stood, there were trellises of soldiers. However, despite this, some of the audience managed to approach the blessing while still on the shore, while others even got onto the ship. It is remarkable that one Tatar was very pleased that he was able to receive the blessing of Fr. John. On the ship were city authorities and some representatives of the clergy from Fr. rector of the theological seminary. "ABOUT. John, despite his fatigue, was extremely pleased with his visit to Kazan, warmly thanked the mayor, blessed him with the image, calling on the grace of God for the further management of his “enlightened, so significant and pious city,” to which he wished “true happiness and divine protection.” After the usual third whistle, the “Brave”, at about 6 o’clock, set off up the Volga, accompanied by the state-owned steamer “Sviyaga” with the mayor and several passengers. Thousands of people, completely dotting the shore of the Estuary, steamship piers, various ships and boats, with naked heads and low bows, silently saw off the departing steamer, on the upper deck of which the dear traveler stood, saying a prayer. “The pier, dotted with people, was almost disappearing from view, and Fr. John, brightly illuminated by the red rays of the sun setting behind the high Volga mountains, stood inspired on the deck, raising his left hand high with his straw hat, and making the sign of the cross with his right... 1894, I think July 4th, Fr. John was in my hometown. The rumor that Fr. John will arrive in Simbirsk at night, spread out in the city, around 4 - 5 pm. Almost immediately the pilgrimage began: they walked alone, in groups, and in whole crowds. By 6 o'clock the foothills were loaded with people. At about 7 o'clock we received the news that Fr. John will arrive at about 12 o'clock, but the people did not leave, but arrived. At 12 o'clock the "Brave" appeared together with the Simbirsk steamship "Energetic", on which the Simbirsk nobility met Fr. John. The people greeted the ship with great enthusiasm. The foothills were reminiscent of... Easter night: bonfires were lit, excited and joyful people were ready to kiss the first person they met. When the ship docked at the pier, the crowd became strangely silent: they were waiting; you could hear your own heartbeat... Quiet...quiet. Father John did not want to leave the ship and, having greeted those gathered, announced that he would serve mass tomorrow, blessed the people and went to his cabins. People began to go home, but many stayed overnight... What a night it was! I remember her to this day. The people settled down for the night on the shore. The number of fires has increased. Many went to bed, but many decided to stay awake all night. It seemed to them that on the eve of such a bright day they could not sleep. And this “all-night vigil” was original and holy. Someone quietly sang “Holy God”... Volunteers, a whole choir, gathered around the singer. They sang quietly, quietly, as if afraid to disperse the charm of the silent night. After the “Trisagion” they sang “Worthy” and began some viscous melodic lines. One group positioned itself so as to see the steamer leaving the pier and looked without words, so to speak, prayerfully, at the bright spot in the priest’s cabin. The light went out, but the group watched... It was dark, but it still seemed like it was shining from there, I couldn’t believe that where Fr. John, it may be dark. It was about 3 o'clock when I, tired from the day, forgot. And before going to bed, I could hear quiet singing all the time. At 6 o'clock the crowd was already on its feet. Father John left his cabin and began to go down the bridge. The people moved there. They cried and grabbed his robe. Some mother brought a child, about two years old. Father John quickly grabbed him in his arms, blessed him, kissed him and gave him back. I was overcome by the movement of the crowd. I rushed there with her, although, as I have already said publicly, at that time I stood further than at the crossroads of faith and unbelief: faith was deeply undermined, almost erased by systematic reading in a negative direction. And then I saw him, surrounded by people. People's eyes looked at him, and joy, delight and tenderness were visible in them. Many people shed tears. What was that? It was as if they had found something familiar, dear, but still hidden at the bottom of everyone’s soul; They found it not in themselves, in someone else, but that’s all the same. They felt that there could be a beautiful person, and there was such a person, and here he was standing in front of them. And everything that was beautiful in each of them rose up within them, and they doused their ideal with tears of delight and joy. Father John began to speak. “They claim that Gospel scenes are not repeated in our church now. No, this was undoubtedly a gospel scene. He speaks sincerely and simply that he is glad to see us, that he wishes us all the best and is happy to see that we believe in God and His Christ. The people froze. The eyes sparkled with kind, blissful, happy tears. If the intensity of faith and holy joy were weighed on the scales of God's truth, I think this moment would be an indicator of the great faith of our city. If at that moment Fr. John told these people to leave everything and follow him, I am convinced that many would have followed him. Such words were not said, but it is clear that having touched the edge, only the edge, to the holy and truthful, these people began to come to life. And that's when I came to life. This look, this speech, this listening people were for me the main argument in favor of God and Christianity, in favor of life in general and life in the church. “The servant of Christ came, enveloped in the truth of God, and the beautiful and good spirit of Christ began to speak in people, and God was revealed to the ignorant.” Whether by chance or not, I dare not say, I was touched by the hands of Fr. John, and I heard his voice: “poor.” I can’t even guarantee whether these words applied to me, and it didn’t matter. Touch o. John said the same thing. There was both pity and reassurance in it. The crowd pushed me aside. In the fog I couldn't see what happened next. And when I woke up; O. John was no longer there... There was no “fog”, the bright sun was shining. Yes, “holy souls in the midst of a noisy world, like wonderful cells, are illuminated by love, full of prayer, mystery and holiness, and they shine for us.” (Apocrypha). The news that Fr. John will serve in the cathedral, quickly flying around the city. From the early morning of July 5th, people began to gather in droves to the cathedral square. It is impossible to describe what was happening among the people! Such moments are not described, but felt, the same correspondent says about this. At 7 o'clock for about. The governor himself arrived as John. Father was already at the pier with the people. He celebrated Matins and the Liturgy following it, of course, in front of a huge crowd of people, in the cathedral, co-served by 10 priests, and at the end of the Liturgy, a prayer service on a specially constructed platform in the middle of the square. Entering the square again reminded me of something biblical, it was a touching, wonderful sight: the poor and sick threw themselves at the feet of Father John, mothers with tears of tenderness raised their children in their arms, children stretched out their hands to him, everyone cried out to God’s chosen one for help and consolation. Father John, apparently greatly excited and as if elevated above the level of his usual state of spirit after the highest moments of living, heartfelt communication with God through tender prayer, filled with the Holy Spirit from the closest communion with Him, in the sacrament of the Eucharist (communion) sincerely performed by him, stood before the people in the greatness of the artless directness of faith, in the irresistible charm of heavenly purity and in the power of all-conquering the power of Divine love. This was the moment that most clearly and vividly showed where lies the essence and power of the irresistible charm of this prayer book of the Church of Christ, and why it is so natural that there is universal, nothing less than enthusiastic and tender national admiration for this powerful Christian-moral force. This point is worthy of dwelling on it, although, it should be noted, the human word is powerless here. Departing from the altar of the Lord, where Father John had just been in personal, living, through church forms, communication with the Supreme Personal Being, he seemed to appear from a land of light and truth, mercy, love and goodness. Looking at God’s true servant at that moment, every impartial person saw that he was, in comparison with ordinary people, simply “a true man sent by God into the world of sinful and sorrowful people, all transparent in childlike purity, trusting, benevolent, loving, but strong and firm in his purity. On him was the imprint of that Personal Spirit, Who, with gentle love, but at the same time with imperious calm, freely looked through him at the crowd of people restless in sins and sorrows, in earthly worries and lusts. People oppressed by the burden of self-indulgent aspirations, bowing before the abundance of spiritual light and the greatness of moral strength and seeking only mercy, forgiveness and refreshment, consolation and reinforcement. Before the people stood alive, taken from the people and limited, like every person, but more than others, purified by sincere repentance, sincere faith, sincere acceptance from the church of the sacrament and prayer in the purity of life, the image of the One who created every person in His image. It seemed that this man, with the indicated cleansing means, seemed to shake off the dust of earthly and carnal wisdom and, having trampled upon the disastrous craftiness of reckless doubts, appeared before everyone with an expanded mind, heart and will. By these means, he introduced into his spiritual world a new positive and bright content, which made him a man in a better, superior to many others, sense of the word, more reflective of God, a chosen vessel of His grace and power. And at the same time, how much deep humility, kindness and mercy he had for everyone! "Hello, brothers and sisters!" he said; “Hello, fathers, mothers and children, hello, friends!” You, as one could hear in these addresses, are the same images of our Same Common Father, Personal, Free God. Yes, these affectionate words “fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children” sounded in the consciences of many, many people, as an incomparable in meekness, but a powerful deep call for brotherhood and kinship in the God of love, purity and truth, as a reproach to the reigning sin in the world, internally separating people and slavery to passions, which deprived these very words in the mouths of people of their true content, leaving only the form. When Father John said this to the people, in his fiery but fatherly kind eyes and in his every movement there was a soul-piercing light, a “sheaf of rays,” as Fr. P. from Kronstadt. Not everyone could withstand this gaze, and no one could remain indifferent. The tears and cries of Christian and non-Christian people served as proof of this. Father John hastily, but fatherly-tenderly caressed and, as it were, accepted these numerous images of God, his “brothers and sisters” into his pure soul; he wished everyone well from the fullness of his soul, blessed everyone, gave to the poor what they brought to him for prayer and remembrance. This was a picture of true Christianity, created not again and not for the first time taking place before the eyes of people, but for the millionth time reproduced before the eyes of the world since the beginning of Christianity by the pure souls of people who sincerely lived and are living in God. Then, at the invitation of the city governor, a prayer service was held in his house. At this time, thousands of people gathered in front of the house, eager to receive the blessing of Fr. John. Going out onto the balcony of the governor's house, the priest thanked the Simbirstsev for the warm welcome and blessed the people with a warm, warm blessing... Everything fell silent and seemed to freeze... Here I saw Fr. for the second time. John face to face. I was struck by the complete absence of any elation or artificiality in Fr. John. It was a face full of simplicity and fatherly tenderness. I remember that when I was leaving the balcony with my friend, I said to him: “He is completely simple; even these tens of thousands cannot make him stand even an inch on stilts, which means that he is great.” And I left, taking away the great image forever. Father John was at the seminary and dined with the mayor. People brought sick people to him everywhere, and sometimes even brought them to him. Here I saw faith moving mountains... They also talked about cases of healing. I didn’t even inquire about these healings: for me the greatest miracle was Fr. John is on his own; I had no time to follow external events beyond the internal work of consciousness and conscience. Having visited the convent and Fr. rector of the cathedral, Fr. John left for the pier. The entire “imperious and wretched” city saw him off. Father handed out crosses as a blessing. Having risen two to three miles above the city, the steamer stopped opposite the camp of the cadet corps. The cadets lined up on the shore here. Father John got into the boat and drove up to the shore. He blessed all the cadets. They sang many years and “God bless.” Then Fr. John returned to the ship. The bright day was over... And for many it was the first day after a long night... “The night ended, the day began” (Ap. Pav.). All visits to Fr. left a deep impression. John of these or other cities. The following lines from a Saratov observer speak about this best (Sarat. Leaflet, July 1, 1894, No. 138). “The biggest event of the current week (and is it really just one week?) he writes, undoubtedly, is the arrival of Fr. John of Kronstadt. Nowadays, when in the bustle of everyday life and in the pursuit of material goods and pleasures, the highest needs of the soul and heart are often forgotten, it is gratifying to see and know that these needs have not disappeared, that they lurk in the depths of many of us, not to mention our simple people, in whom faith and hope still beat in their hearts with the strength of the Gospel times. The visit to us of a highly respected pastor, who through his Christian life and work earned the love and respect of all of Russia, showed firsthand to everyone how deep the faith is still in the Russian people, how rich they are in a living religious feeling and that responsiveness of the heart that makes them receptive to the words and deeds of the Gospel covenant. As soon as this modest Kronstadt shepherd appeared among us, thousands of people rushed towards him, without distinction of class or position. Why is this? What and who did they meet? Numerous portraits and images of Father John give a truthful, but not entirely accurate picture of him: the portraits do not capture the endless love that shines in the eyes of this good shepherd, the kind, even cheerful mood that inspires this meek leader, with a smile of condescension and boundless patience. We saw Fr. John giving blessing to countless masses of people and observed him during the entire passage of this restless, crowding and climbing people without any order. Adults, children, healthy and sick - all this surrounded him, asked, even demanded exclusive attention, and he, tired and exhausted (he is a man), with equal patience, treated everyone evenly, calmly and affectionately and found the time and desire to encourage, whisper a word of consolation, caress the children, pat them on the cheek, pat them on the head and let everyone go mentally reassured! Having once been to Kronstadt, I saw repeated scenes day after day, always taking place in front of huge crowds of people. There is nothing to describe them: all this has long been familiar to everyone who only knows the name of John of Kronstadt. In essence, he is a martyr to a demanding crowd that knows neither leniency nor mercy: in its ecstasy and passion, the crowd is ruthless and insatiable. He is torn to pieces; he is not given a moment of peace: when does he sleep, when does he eat, when, finally, is he left with himself? To be part of the crowd, to live for others, to think about them and for them, to sympathize with them, to alleviate their needs and satisfy their needs - in a word, “to lay down your life for your friends” - this is the first gospel commandment and there is no greater one and there has never been one. When I saw this huge crowd in Kronstadt surrounding Fr. John, then asked one naval doctor: how to explain this power of moral influence about. John? An intelligent resident of Kronstadt answered me: his indescribable love for his neighbors. This is truly true. But now he’s on the Volga - just pay attention to this trip. They say he went on vacation. Is this really a vacation?! Will they really give him a rest?.. Wherever he goes, wherever he appears, everywhere and everywhere a crowd rushes towards him, crowds him, and torments him... In what crowd are there no sufferers, sick and burdened? It is not a jubilant crowd that gathers to him, satiated with spiritual and material blessings, but one thirsty for peace of mind, the quenching of sadness and the mitigation of suffering. Among many, the majority are just like that, looking for peace and relief, and here they are knocking at the doorstep of Fr. John and, as you can see, finds what he is looking for. Yes, one must have an inexhaustible supply of spiritual kindness, one must possess, indeed, inexpressible love for one’s neighbors in order to choose the path followed by the respected Kronstadt shepherd. He is a man, and a simple man at that. Is this not the secret of his moral strength and charm? It is not without reason that spiritual poverty, that is, kindness, peacefulness, oblivion of one’s personality and its desires, is elevated to an evangelical virtue, which, without a doubt, Fr. possesses in abundance. John Ilyich Sergiev. His arrival in Saratov brought great joy and great pleasure to many hearts: this alone is a great merit. To give others comfort when they need it is not a remarkable gift and a rare ability? So, many Saratov residents experienced a holiday of the soul and it will remain in their memory for a long time. We extract these and some further details from a specially published (in favor of the House of Industriousness for the poor established in Kazan) brochure: “Visit of Father John of Kronstadt to the city of Kazan.” Kazan, 1894.