Saint John of Kronstadt in the memoirs of contemporaries

The book offered to the reader's attention contains memoirs of people who personally communicated with the great shepherd of the Russian land - the Holy Righteous Father John of Kronstadt and who experienced the influence of his extraordinary personality. The source was materials from the magazine “Kronstadt Shepherd” (1912–1917) and other periodicals published before the revolution, as well as archival documents. Evidence from contemporaries of the life and deeds of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt (John Sergiev), now glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church, is given. People who knew the Kronstadt shepherd closely, or who at least once attended his service, heard his speech, fell under the charm of this remarkable personality and sought, not always successfully, but quite sincerely, to convey their impressions of him, to share the joy that filled their hearts when meeting the All-Russian priest. Almost all the memoirs about the saint included in this book were published in a short period of time - from 1909 to 1917 and have not been reprinted since then. Certain parts of the materials included in the collection, however, were published in the West, but without appropriate preparation and, most importantly, in a minimal circulation. In our time, when the craving for the history of Russia has intensified, when hundreds of thousands of people have crossed the threshold of the Church for the first time, the republication of the testimonies of contemporaries about the holy and blameless life of John of Kronstadt, testimonies of the most diverse - both in style and in the worldview of the authors, apparently will show better than many abstract reasoning what “life in God, in Christ” can give a person. Holy Righteous Father John of Kronstadt and memories of him The reader is presented with memoirs from contemporaries of the life and deeds of the Kronstadt archpriest, the rector of St. Andrew's Cathedral 1, the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt (Ivan Ilyich Sergiev), now glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. People who knew Fr. John, or those who were present at least once at his service, who heard his speech, fell under the charm of this remarkable personality, and sought, not always successfully, but quite sincerely, to convey their impressions of him, to share the joy that filled their hearts when meeting “Father.” Almost all the memoirs about the Kronstadt Shepherd included in this book were published in a short period of time - from 1909 to 1917 and have not been reprinted since then. Certain parts of the materials included in the collection, however, were published in the West, but without appropriate preparation and, most importantly, in a minimal circulation 2 . In our time, when the craving for the history of Russia has intensified, when hundreds of thousands of people have crossed the threshold of the church for the first time, the republication of the testimonies of contemporaries about the holy and blameless life of Fr. John, testimonies that are very different - both in style and in the worldview of the authors, apparently will show better than many abstract reasoning what “life in God, in Christ” can give a person. The time of life of Fr. John in many points resembles ours: the decline of morality and the growth of crime, the increase in anger and hatred around - all this suggests that the social organism, as at the beginning of the 20th century, is seriously ill. Knowledge of what a person can achieve in his spiritual improvement is therefore necessary now more than ever. The bulk of the materials are taken from the magazine “Kronstadt Shepherd,” a weekly publication published in 1912–1917. in St. Petersburg (Petrograd). The magazine was published by the Society in memory of Fr. John of Kronstadt, formed in 1909 from persons close to Father. In the second issue for 1912, the magazine appeared the section “In blessed memory of the good Shepherd of Kronstadt.” In the message “From the Editor,” the publishers stated that under this heading “memories and messages about dear Father and his acts of prayer and love will be constantly published 3 . The section opened with the recollections of Abbot Georgy about his joint journey with Fr. John in 1903 4 Over the course of its five-year existence, the magazine published many memoirs. When selecting them for publication in this collection, we sought first of all to publish those memoirs that, in our opinion, most fully represent the living image of the Kronstadt Shepherd, making it possible to see him as he appeared to his contemporaries - people of different professions and views. Numerous eyewitness accounts of miraculous healings through the prayers of Fr. John, his prophetic foresights and predictions were largely not included in the collection. This is explained primarily by the fact that the purpose of this publication is an attempt to give an idea of ​​the personality of Fr. John, his character, relationships with people, his human appearance. Of course, the lack of materials about the Shepherd’s miracles greatly impoverishes the story about him. But now we can only refer the reader to books dealing with this issue and published in the West 5 . The publication and republication of all evidence is apparently a matter of the future. The authors of the published memoirs are mostly unknown. Some, for some reason, preferred not to speak under their own names; there is no information about others. The names of all the bishops who left their memories of the Kronstadt archpriest or were mentioned in the memoirs of other authors have been revealed. Sometimes the Kronstadt Shepherd magazine reprinted memoirs from other periodicals of that time, often with some abbreviations. Thus, the end of the memoirs of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s son about his father’s meeting with Fr. John. A number of statements in the memoirs may seem incorrect to us regarding the Kronstadt righteous man, but we must not forget that at the beginning of the 20th century he was for memoirists an extremely respected and revered contemporary, a man of their era, their thoughts and feelings. This should not be forgotten when, for example, you read the notes of A.F. Koni. The latter’s memoirs, stored in the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg (f. 2219, op. 1, d. 72), not known to the general reader, are of undoubted interest and provide an opportunity to get acquainted with the famous lawyer’s impressions from meetings with Fr. John. One of the evidence was taken by us from the magazine “Strannik” for 1909 (vol. 1). The full name of this body is “Wanderer. Spiritual magazine of modern life, science and literature." The memoirs published below tell of Shepherd's visit in the 1890s. Kyiv Theological Academy. In the comments to the texts you can find brief information about historical figures known at that time, old names of cities, monasteries and farmsteads, now defunct and newly revived, various societies and similar material. It seems that all this will make it easier for the reader to get acquainted with the memoirs, which for more than 75 years were inaccessible to many interested in the life history of the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt. By 1917, collecting materials about Fr. John's work spread widely throughout Russia; under the Society, a fund was organized in his memory, which acquired from people who knew the archpriest documents related to his life, autographs of the Kronstadt Shepherd himself. However, at the very beginning of the 1920s. all this was interrupted for obvious reasons. The memoirs 6 released by the Russian Orthodox emigration filled the resulting information vacuum only partially, since the majority of those who knew and remembered Fr. John's people remained in Russia and could no longer, of course, make their memories public. But even the memoirs published in the pre-revolutionary period were not fully accessible to the reader. Firstly, they could only be consulted in central libraries, and, secondly, scattered across different issues and years, they did not give the complete impression that arises when reading memoirs systematized and commented in a certain way. This collection of memoirs begins and ends with a message from the regular correspondent of the Kronstadt Shepherd magazine, Priest John Albov: the first publication in the book, written by him, is titled “Father John of Kronstadt as a bearer of Christ’s love.” This is the main idea that unites all the materials in the collection. “Christ is my sweetness,” Fr. loved to repeat. John, the meaning of whose life was merged with the name of Christ. That is why hundreds of thousands of people from all over Orthodox Russia flocked to him, seeking to confess their sins and receive absolution from “dear Father.” Description of the ministry of Fr. John and the common confession of thousands of Orthodox Christians are the subject of the memoirs of many of the authors of the collection. These testimonies, as the most important, in our opinion, are placed at the beginning of the book. Memoirs of people who were with Fr. John in his travels: to his homeland - to the Arkhangelsk province, to the cities and towns of the country - also create the image of an exceptionally attentive to others, easy to use, very modest and kind priest, who lived only to make life easier for others, to help his neighbors in every way possible. Testimonies from contemporaries about meetings with the Kronstadt prayer book, about his manner of talking, praying, serving, some “small” details, all this, we hope, will help the reader form his own impression of the Shepherd, who, according to A.F. Koni, for the sake of others knew how to “put aside all everyday concerns now.” Canonized in 1990 by the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Father John Ilyich Sergiev (Kronstadt) was born on October 19, 1829 [Art. Art.] in the village of Sura, Pinezhsky district, Arkhangelsk province, in the family of a poor clergyman. The child was so weak that he was baptized on the same day - October 19, in honor of the 10th century Bulgarian saint - ascetic, ascetic and founder of the monastery - John of Rila. Little is known about the early years of the life of the future famous Russian Shepherd. History has left us evidence of his complete obedience to his parents, responsiveness, sincere religiosity, love for the church and prayers. After graduating from the Arkhangelsk Parish School, young Ivan Sergiev was transferred to the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary, which he graduated in 1851. At first, according to the recollections of Fr. John, the teaching was difficult for him, he did not remember well and assimilate the subjects taught in the seminary. Grieving over his failures, Ivan often turned to God in prayer so that He would help and enlighten him. And a miracle happened: one day, as if a veil had fallen from his eyes, he began to study well, completed his studies brilliantly and was transferred to the state budget at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. While studying at the Academy, he earned money by copying papers and sent all his small salary to his mother, who was experiencing great financial difficulties. In 1855 Fr. John graduated from the Academy with a candidate's degree in theology and was ordained and assigned to serve in St. Andrew's Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. At the same time, he married Elizaveta Nesvitskaya, the daughter of the archpriest of the same cathedral, with whom he lived together for 53 years and who survived him only by a few months. Realizing that from a very early age he was entirely devoted to the service of God, he persuaded his wife to lead a chaste life in marriage. Mother o. John had a hard time - he was truly a man “not of this world” - he could give his entire priestly salary to the poor, give his boots and clothes to the needy, while experiencing an acute shortage of the most necessary things. Not everyone understood at first the greatness of the pastoral feat that Fr. John performed daily, calling for repentance and correction not only in the church, but also in the hovels of the Kronstadt poor, among drunkards, completely degenerate people. He went to those who most needed the attention of the priest - to pariahs, spiritually devastated people. For more than a quarter of a century, Fr. John taught at various educational institutions in Kronstadt, and the salary he received as a teacher of the law throughout the years went exclusively to charity and helping the poor. Father John all his life followed the covenant, which was reflected in his work “My Life in Christ”: “Priests of the Lord! Be able, with the consolation of faith, to turn the bed of sadness of a Christian sufferer into a bed of joy, be able to turn him from the most miserable person, in his opinion, into the happiest man in the world, assure him that having been punished in childhood, he will be greatly benefited after death (Wisdom, ch. 3, 5) and you will be friends of humanity, comforting angels, organs of the Comforter Spirit” 7 . In the 1870s, the fame of the Kronstadt archpriest went beyond the boundaries of this city and began to spread throughout Russia. Pilgrims began to come to Kronstadt, wanting to confess and receive communion from “Father John”, asking for his prayers before God and each bringing their contribution as a gift to God - for charity, for the poor. Official historical science, speaking about philanthropists and charity in Russia, almost never mentioned the name of the righteous saint Fr. John of Kronstadt. Meanwhile, Fr. John rightfully occupies one of the first places among Russian philanthropists of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Already 17 years after the start of his ministry in Kronstadt, he came to the conclusion that it was necessary to radically change the situation of the urban poor by creating a House of Industriousness, in which unemployed, poor people could earn their daily food and overnight accommodation. For this purpose, two appeals of the Shepherd to his flock were published in the newspaper “Kronstadt Bulletin” (1872. No. 3, 18). The first House of Diligence in Russia - a four-story building - was built in a little over a year and opened in October 1882. In 1888, Fr. John managed to organize the foundation and construction of a three-story overnight shelter, and in 1894 - a strange foster home. In this regard, it is necessary to recall the words of Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow, which he said in 1913: “If we could count all the victims of Fr. John, then the result would be a multimillion-dollar fortune, as a gift transferred by the people through their shepherd to the people. And how much was distributed to Fr. John's alms secretly, hand in hand, without any accompanying papers or relationships, are impossible to count. But all this does not reach the value of the spiritual gifts poured into the souls of millions of the Russian people 8 . The holy righteous John of Kronstadt was equally revered both in the royal palace and in the poorest hut; he was truly a “mystical thread” that connected the top of Russian society with its social bottom with love for God. It was he who, during the illness of Emperor Alexander III, was invited to Livadia (Crimea), where the autocrat was then located, to pray for the sick person. October 17, 1894 Fr. John communed the Emperor with the Holy Mysteries, prayed, at the request of Alexander III, for his healing, and until the sick man’s death, he alleviated his suffering. It was then that Alexander said the famous words about Fr. John, which aroused the envy of the court clergy: “You are a righteous man: the Russian people love you.” And further: “He loves because he knows who you are and what you are” 9. The influence of Fr. John and on outstanding people of his time. The greatest Russian doctor Sergei Petrovich Botkin, who knew and loved the Kronstadt Shepherd, for example, spoke of him this way: “We are both doctors, only I heal the body, and he the soul.” 10 The opinion about Fr. Ioanna and A.F. Kony, who admired the Shepherd’s miraculous cures of people whom the luminaries of world science could not cure (such as J.-M. Charcot, Freud’s teacher) The listing of names, in principle, cannot add anything other than stating the fact that the Shepherd was perceived by his contemporaries as an exceptional, bright person. In the late 1870s - early 1880s. A sect appeared in Kronstadt and began to spread throughout Russia, bringing Fr. John has a lot of grief and is condemned by him. We are talking about the Johannites. The comments contain more complete information about them; it is also worth mentioning here that Fr. As a result of the activities of this sect, John had to make missionary trips in order to condemn and suppress the activities of such “admirers” 11. Service o. John, which was attended by thousands of people every day, began at 6 a.m. Throughout the 53 years of his ministry in Kronstadt, the Shepherd never changed this rule: the last time he served the Divine Liturgy was 10 days before his righteous death. According to the memoirs of a contemporary, at the service of the Kronstadt righteous man, “the feeling of fear was gone, the presence of Fr. John destroys him, it is easy to pray with him.” 12 The Holy Synod also allowed him to conduct general confessions of hundreds of believers, which was not widespread in the Orthodox Church. Every year, in the summer, o. John of Kronstadt traveled to his homeland - to the village of Suru, where he founded a convent and rebuilt a church. Visiting the places where he was born and raised was always a holiday for the Shepherd, as the reader will understand after reading the testimonies of those who traveled with him. In 1890–1894 The Complete Works of Fr. John in six volumes. In the last three, his spiritual diary, “My Life in Christ,” was published. At the same time, this outstanding theological work was published separately, and then reprinted several times (during 1894–1899, 5 editions were published). Diary of Fr. John was immediately translated into English, French and German, thus becoming known to millions of Christians in Western Europe. The end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries was a time of sharp aggravation of social and moral problems in Russian society. Against the backdrop of economic growth, there was a decline in spirituality, crime, hooliganism, and alcoholism increased. In 1908, in particular, according to court decisions in Russia, “1340 people were executed, or 21 times more than the number of executed in all European states 13 Famous philosopher and theologian Archpriest S.N. Bulgakov, already at the end of his life, wrote that at the beginning of the century, “Russia was growing economically spontaneously and rapidly, spiritually decaying 14. Crime increased especially noticeably after the revolution of 1905–1907. Considering the situation that developed in 1905, one of the correspondents of the Kyiv Diocesan Gazette wrote: “It was for this year that the stables ...” 15 The revolutionary events of 1905 were perceived differently by the clergy themselves, some of whom actively supported the events taking place in the country, considering them a natural result of the previous domestic political course. Fr. clearly stated his attitude to what was happening then. John of Kronstadt, In February 1906, in the first week of Great Lent, in a sermon he said: “Let us cherish our Orthodox faith and live worthy of our Christian calling, in all virtue; let us be ready to give an answer to every unbeliever who asks about the hope we have, in order to disgrace presumptuous unbelief. And now so often we have to meet with unbelievers, who have multiplied like wild grass in a field, especially in the intelligent world.” And further: “On the basis of unbelief, weakness, cowardice, immorality, the disintegration of the state occurs. Without instilling faith and fear of God in the population of Russia, it cannot resist” 16. The sharp rejection of the revolution - the era of “rebellious madness” naturally flowed from the life attitudes, worldview and value system that the Shepherd adhered to throughout his life. He was well aware of the complexity of the times he was going through, the crisis situation in which the Orthodox Church was then located. All this was reflected in the diary of Fr. John, the last part of which is now kept in TsGIASpb (f. 2219). Speaking about the crisis in the Russian Orthodox Church, which clearly manifested itself by the beginning of the 20th century, it is apparently worth taking into account the opinion of the church historian and philosopher P. Ivanov, who wrote that already in the second half of the 19th century. “The church finally became a church where individual people came to pray, having nothing in common with each other, even shunning each other, and not brothers and sisters in Christ. What is called the church has lost all influence on society 17. It should also be noted that the 76-year-old Shepherd was elected an honorary member of such an odious organization as the “Union of the Russian People” during the First Russian Revolution. This fact has been repeatedly noted by domestic researchers, emphasizing the active assistance of Fr. John to the Black Hundred movement 18 and his donations for the needs of the “Union” 19 “. Particularly noted is the fact of the consecration of the banner and banner of the “Union of the Russian People” by John 20. The desire to politicize the image of the Shepherd at any cost, to prove his active participation in the political events of that difficult time, is very incorrect. Of course, the holy righteous Fr. John of Kronstadt was a man deeply devoted to the monarchical idea and therefore hostile to the revolutionary movement. The program of the “Union of the Russian People”, in which the main point was that “the good of the motherland lies in the unshakable preservation of Orthodoxy, the Russian unlimited autocracy and nationality” 21 was clear to him and close in key points. However, he never supported anti-Semitic speeches by members of the Union; Jewish pogroms always caused him condemnation and protest. Various crooks like Dr. Dubrovin tried to use his influence, which, alas, they partly succeeded in. However, this does not serve as a reason for constructing any political conclusions. Shepherd of love and peace, holy righteous Fr. John of Kronstadt was well aware of the terrible situation of a split in society, which began to be clearly outlined after 1905–1907. Two months before his death, he raises a prayer to God, in which he asks to enlighten and guide both the students, the authorities, and the “sleeping king” on the true path, and to help the Holy Church.” Here is this prayer: “Lord, enlighten the students, enlighten the authorities, give them Your truth and Your sovereign power, Yours, Lord, may the sleeping King, who has ceased to rule with his power, arise; give him courage, wisdom, foresight! Lord, the sea is in turmoil, the devil is triumphant, truth is destroyed. Arise, Lord, to help the Holy Church, Amen" 22. In 1908, the last period of the earthly life of the Kronstadt righteous man began; illness overcomes him, but he continues to serve God and people, prays for the sick, and helps the suffering. Evidence of this is the last diary of Fr. John (TsGIASpb, f. 2219, on. 1, d. 71). On December 20, 190S, at the age of 79, Father John of Kronstadt departed to God, In the obituary published in the January issue of the Church Bulletin for 1909, the editors cited the words of Archbishop Sava, which he said on the death of the Shepherd. “Glory to God and thanksgiving, who gave this pious priest the gracious gift of healing. And the more regrettable it is to lose him, the more painful it is to realize that he has already been removed from our sinful world, overwhelmed by unbelief, atheism, and precisely now, it would seem, most of all in need of such pillars of faith and piety” 23. And forty days after the death of Fr. John, Archbishop Anthony, discussing what the death of such a righteous man means for Russia, noted that this can be understood either as the fact that the country’s turbulent years of “godless and rebellious demonization and the beginning of spiritual rebirth have ended, or in the sense that those who were holding back were taken from the environment and the time of the final triumph of lawlessness and shamelessness has approached” 24 . ...Back in 1904, anticipating the onset of illness and weakness, Fr. John wrote a will with a request to bury him in the Ioannovsky Convent in St. Petersburg 25. His wish was fulfilled - on December 23, 1908, Fr. John was buried in the tomb of the lower church of the monastery. Soon after the revolution - in the early 1920s - the Ioannovsky Convent was closed and desecrated. But, despite this, thousands of pilgrims came to the walls of the former monastery to bow to “Father,” his image has always been in the hearts of Orthodox Christians. Shortly before his death, in his diary, discussing the human soul and seeing the Source of the purification of this soul from defilement and the results of this purification in the Holy Saints, Fr. John wrote: “An amazing creature is the human soul, created in the image and likeness of God, although fallen. For what is it like in the Saints who have diligently served the Lord in this temporary life? How devoted were they to God through love and selflessness, prayer, abstinence, and unceasing vision to God? How pure, bright, solid, fragrant? 26 After eighty years have passed since the righteous death of the Shepherd, we can joyfully say that these words rightfully apply to John of Kronstadt himself, who was and remains a spiritual light for hundreds, the father of thousands of believers. Priest I. Albov. 27 Father John of Kronstadt as a bearer of Christ's Love. 28 The deepest New Testament contemplator of the mysteries of God's life, St. The apostle and evangelist John the Theologian defines the essence of the Divine as love: “God is love,” he says (1 John 4:8). This essence of the heavenly Father was revealed to us by the Only Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ in His life and personality and is still revealed to believers through His Church. God's love for us was revealed in this... that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might receive life through Him (1 John 4:9:10), says the same apostle 29. God is love - and God who abides - abides in love and love abides in him Only then does God dwell in us when we love our brothers, and only the one who loves his brother knows God, but the one who does not love does not know God and is not involved in the light of God; he who does not love remains in darkness and in death (ibid. 2:9; 3:14, etc.). This is how the apostle of love teaches. From here it is clear that the servant of Christ, the shepherd of the Church of Christ, in his ideal, should be the bearer and exponent of the infinite love of God, his life and activity should be a feasible reflection of that immeasurable love of God, that infinite goodness of God that saves the world in Christ. He must be a living righteous man and the personification of this saving love of Christ. Such was the ever-memorable shepherd, dear Father John of Kronstadt. It is not without reason that there is a theological opinion that of all Christian confessions, the Orthodox Church most embodies the spirit and teaching of the Apostle of Love - the Evangelist John the Theologian. A typical representative of the Russian Church is Fr. John, with his high personality, fully justified this opinion. His life and work could be expressed in the same short but powerful words with which the Old Testament sage and sacred writer described the life of St. Prophet Elijah. “And Elijah the prophet rose up like fire, and his word burned like a lamp” (Sir. 48:1). Father John arose in our native country like a holy fire, and his word burned like a lamp. But he did not burn with the Old Testament fire of anger and punishment against sinners, with which the Old Testament prophet, the messenger of God, burned as a consuming fire and a judge punishing the sinful human race. The Lord Himself distinguishes the New Testament ways of serving God from the Old Testament ones. “...You don’t know what kind of spirit you are. The Son of Man came not to destroy the souls of men, but to save,” Christ said to the disciples when they invited him to bring down fire from heaven and destroy the inhospitable Samaritans - as “Elijah did” (Luke 9:55). A faithful servant of Christ, Father John burned brightly with the fire of unchanging faith in God, who saves the world, and at the same time with the fire of endless love, endless compassion for people. Let's listen to how he himself expresses his view of his ministry. “In the Lord God,” says Father John, “is an inexhaustible treasury of goodness and mercy, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for us, so that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life.” And so that treasury of mercy is found in the church in the mystery of baptism, in the mystery of the priesthood - the power to bind and solve human sins, in the mystery of communion of the most pure body and blood of Christ God, in the power of the intercession of the clergy, which is the intercession of Christ Himself - for there is one “intercessor for God and men - Christ Jesus, who gave Himself redemption for all.” In the liturgy, says Fr. John, in this ministry of redemption and reconciliation, all-forgiveness, re-creation and reunification of ours, lies our constant justification, reconciliation with God, renewal, sanctification, deification, the source of immortality, here seventy-seven times remission is given to those who fall into sins, those who repent and receive Holy Communion. Mysteries" (Life in the depths of the church. 1903, pp. 11–12). And with this God of love, the God of forgiveness and reconciliation, dear priest was in constant unity through his fervent prayer. He carried this God of love in his heart constantly, perceiving Him daily in the sacrament of communion. That is why from his God-bearing heart always flowed a whole river of living love for people, whole streams of pity and mercy for people’s grief, suffering, deprivation, for their weaknesses and sins. Father John always burns brightly with Divine fire. But this fire did not scorch, but warmed people and enlightened them. It was precisely the fire of Divine love, the reflection and rays of the saving love of Christ. And in the rays of this love emanating from John, thousands, tens of thousands of people were warmed and spiritually enlightened. This love attracted thousands, millions of thousands to the dear priest, always thirsting for sincere faith, always hungry for real, living love. K o. People came to John from everywhere, burdened with sins and sorrows, needs and deprivations, and received quick help and consolation. People who carried some grave sin in their souls, who did not dare to confess it to anyone else because they were confident that their sin was more than could be forgiven, went to Kronstadt to see their dear priest, and here, under the influence of the warming love of Fr. John and their soul melted, they had hope for forgiveness, and they revealed their long-standing and grave sin and received forgiveness and consolation. The stone was removed from the soul, and the person was resurrected for a new life. People in financial need, people who had nowhere to turn, who were threatened with hunger, expulsion from an educational institution, eviction from their apartment - and in general those in financial need, always strove for Fr. John and received ambulance help from him. How quick and responsive Fr. John in the matter of material assistance, I had to experience personally. In the early days of my pastoral ministry, I had a large brotherhood of sobriety, and it was necessary to build a room for Sunday meetings of teetotalers, a room where sober people could come on holidays for conversations, readings, interviews with the priest, where they could offer a glass of tea, sing prayers in common singing, where they could set up Sunday classes, a library, a hospital and other institutions at the church. But we didn’t have a penny of money in the brotherhood; all the members were poor and indigent. I asked for a sheet from the chairman of the society in which I served, and went to see a kind man. He advised to go to Kronstadt to see Fr. John, promised to give three times more than Fr. John. I had to go to Kronstadt that same day in the evening. It was deep autumn. It was raining lightly. End of October. And impassable slush, I drove all night, by morning I was in Kronstadt. I arrived at St. Andrew's Cathedral before Matins began. I'm standing at the altar. Matins ended. Fr. came. John. Having let him pray, I approach him and state my request in a nutshell. O. Ioani takes the sheet and writes: “God will bless a good deed. I donate one hundred rubles. Ave. And, Sergiev." And, having treated me kindly, he immediately took out a hundred-ruble note from his side pocket and handed it to me. Happy with the successful outcome of the matter, I returned to St. Petersburg. and, without even stopping home, I went to the kind man who sent me to the priest, and immediately received 300 rubles from him. With a light hand about. John, within one month we collected more than 3,000 rubles, and the next month we solemnly founded a barracks house - the first church sobriety house on the Vyborg side. Grateful teetotalers sometimes called this house the brainchild of Fr. John. Responsiveness about. Joanna reached out to those in need straight to the point of insight. One spiritual daughter told me about her friend. She needed to receive 25 rubles before the holidays. She came to Fr. John, but she stood in the crowd and did not even dare to approach him to express her request to him. Suddenly o. John comes up to her himself and gives her 25 rubles. So sometimes, even before the request, Fr. John addresses urgent human needs, imitating in this case the Heavenly Father of people. Another case of such insight was told to me personally by a friend. Once in the church she strongly desired to receive a blessing from Fr. John. But the crowd rudely and for a long time pushed her aside, so that, tired and upset by the failure, she stepped aside, despairing of receiving the blessing of her dear priest, and at that time she thought in her soul: “Well, maybe God will bless me for this”... But the crowd thinned out, and suddenly Fr. John himself comes up to her and says: “Well, God will bless you.” Is it possible to list all the deeds and manifestations of living love and sympathy for people that flowed from Fr. John. It seems impossible to even imagine Fr. John otherwise, as someone who consoles someone, prays for someone, helps someone spiritually or financially. Could this spiritual power of Christ’s love die with the physical death of our dear father? No. All those who were present at his burial can testify to this. What a “parastas” service it was on the eve of his burial and the funeral service itself! This was not a sad service of farewell of the flock forever to their beloved shepherd, it was a wonderful celebration of living and undying love. It was felt that the spirit of the beloved shepherd hovered in the church and graciously embraced with his usual love and affection all those gathered to pay their last respects to him. Some wonderful fragrance emanated from his coffin, not material, perceived by smell, but spiritual, felt by faith. It was felt, tangibly felt that the gracious shepherd had just died in body, but in spirit he was with us and would be with us with his warm prayer to God for all those who turn to him and with his love, which continues to pour out on everyone who comes to his tomb - near and far, righteous and sinful. This living, undying love of Christ of the God-bearing shepherd is evidenced by those countless crowds of people who now go to Karpovka 30, to his beloved monastery and the place of his rest, as before they went to Kronstadt - from all over Russia. This living, undying love of the deceased is evidenced by those healings and those invisible consolations that are received in the small white church above his tomb. The fact that this church-tomb is always filled to overcrowding with people, that all the time its vaults are resounding with the singing of memorial services for the dear priest, that the white marble of his tomb is often watered with tears, and candles burn brightly at its head - all this is a clear proof of not only the undying love of the flock for the shepherd, but also the same love of the deceased in body, but living in spirit - the ever-memorable shepherd. And in commemorating him, gathering around his tomb or in honor of his name, we - consciously or unconsciously - want to awaken in ourselves the spirit of living Christian love, resting on living faith in God the Savior of the world. From this burning torch of the Russian land we want to light our lamps of faith and love. Light from light. Fire from fire. Like Elisha to the prophet Elijah ascending to heaven, we mentally cry out to the dear shepherd of ever-memorable who has departed from us, but has not left us in spirit: “Father, Father, give us of your spirit! Give your fiery faith from God the Savior, your burning love for Him, give your bold prayer to God, give your boundless, all-encompassing love for people and tender affection for everyone.” And years, decades, centuries will pass, and the new light of the Russian Church will not go out or dim, but will burn, brighter and brighter, and illuminate the path to Christ for future generations of shepherds and flock. For on this new righteous man of the Russian land lies the stamp of truth, not human, temporary and always wavering, but the stamp of eternal, Divine truth. This light does not shine on us with its own self-made, human light, but reflects the one, true light, the non-evening light of Christ. Father John of Kronstadt, in his life and work, to the extent of the gift given to him by God, reflected and embodied the saving love of Christ. And therefore his name will never be forgotten, and his memory will last forever. Published from: “The Kronstadt Shepherd” (hereinafter referred to as “K.P”). 1912, N 7. pp. 122–127 Priest A. Speransky. From memories In the present case, I consider it not useless to bring to the attention of our readers an almost literal translation of the speech about. John, which he said to the shepherds in the city of Sarapul 31 June 21, 1904 Before Sarapul, where I came to meet my relatives, I was not personally acquainted with Fr. John. Having learned that Fr. John arrived in Sarapul for three days and will serve here, I asked the local Eminence Micah 32 to allow me to concelebrate with Fr. John. Permission was willingly given. And I had the happy opportunity to see the priest in worship. Having served the liturgy in the cathedral and the next day in the monastery and planning to leave Sarapul the next day, Fr. John invited the priests who served him and all those who had come to honor him to gather in the evening of that day in the building of the theological school for a farewell fraternal conversation. Such an unexpected offer, of course, was accepted by everyone with joy and by the appointed hour everyone was in the cathedral. The church, the assembly hall and some of the classrooms were open to those who came. The conversation was supposed to take place in the hall, where a long table with vases of fruit was set for this purpose, and tea was prepared in special rooms. Obviously, the conversation was supposed to be quite long and in the simplest home environment. But to the great chagrin of those who were waiting for Fr. John, he, however, due to circumstances beyond his control, appeared at the meeting only at 9 pm. In order not to be detained by the crowd, he was led into the hall not by the main, but by a side entrance, from the courtyard, and, at his request, no one was allowed into the conversation except those in holy orders. Quickly taking a place in the middle of the large table, Fr. John immediately began his speech. His speech, as far as one could remember it, was as follows: “You, my dear brothers, have, of course, heard that I am glorified in Russia, that people often look for me and invite me to pray for the sick, the demon-possessed, and in various other cases. I drive, I pray, and, “according to His great mercy,” the Lord grants healing. In many people with weak faith, these healings cause surprise and even disbelief, when in fact this should not be the case. To understand this, it is enough to remember the words of the Savior Himself, Who said: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed and say to this mountain: “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20); and in another place: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you” (John 16:23). “Ask and it will be given to you.” Prayer is available to everyone; Consequently, everyone could receive from God the gift of healing, but under the indispensable condition, of course, of faith and purity. I always took care of both to the best of my ability. In particular, how my glory was created, which I did not seek and which itself followed me, and how I acquired strength in prayer, I will tell you. In Kronstadt there lived one simple, but believing and virtuous woman named Praskovya Ivanovna, originally from Kostroma. She asked me several times and assured me that if I prayed for her sick relatives, they would be healed. I began to pray. And they were truly healed. She not only did not keep silent about this incident, but even published it. True, I did not want this, but since this healing was accomplished not by my power, but by the power of God, I did not consider myself entitled to block her speaking lips from the abundance of my heart. Thus, this case of healing became publicly known and generated rumors. As for me personally, he further strengthened my faith and, so to speak, clearly convinced me that “God is near us” and that He is, indeed, quick to obey and abundantly merciful. After that, they began to invite me to see other patients more and more often. I prayed more earnestly and more persistently, and my prayers were accompanied by new signs of God's mercy. At the same time, in a series of healings, there were amazing cases when the Lord raised such sick people from their sickbeds who were hopelessly condemned to death by earthly doctors. Through prayer I cast out demons and drove out countless numbers of them. But there were cases when I could not drive them out, when they directly and boldly declared to me: “We are the most important... we are the leaders of the spirits... we will not leave...” And the unfortunate ones, in terrible torment, died possessed. Of course, they could also be driven out, since demons tremble before the name of Christ, but I turned out to be weak because, due to the nature of my parish service, constantly traveling to the sick to give instructions, I had no opportunity either to retire, or to pray for a more or less long time, or to fast, and generally could not properly prepare for the fight against them, and yet “this generation comes from nothing except fasting and prayer.” 33. We, my friends, are always fighting the spirits of wickedness in high places, and it is only thanks to the devil, “who has been a murderer from time immemorial,” 34 that so many moral declines are taking place in the world and “the world lies in evil.” 35 The spirits of wickedness pursue us with their machinations at every step, acting primarily on our external feelings and arousing through them the corresponding passions. They have always attacked and are attacking me; neither day nor night I know no peace from them. Of course, I did not see them with my eyes, because demons, in order to hide their existence, do not appear to people in a visible form; but I always felt their wounds and temptations, although through prayer and the all-powerful name of Christ I always repelled and defeated them. I had to experience especially many temptations and seductions at the beginning of my service when performing the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, and even when performing the greatest sacrament of St. Eucharist, but over time they were no longer so annoying to me, and I freed myself from them. In addition to healing the sick and possessed, my fame was greatly enhanced by the fact that I have always tried and am trying to carry out the covenants of Christ not only in words, but also in deeds - in my life. And this is the most important way that every shepherd can attract the attention and trust of his flock, and through this, subordinate them to his influence and authority. I began my general spiritual development primarily with self-knowledge; I tried to understand myself and note all the good and bad. For greater control over myself, when analyzing my thoughts and feelings, I immediately transfer the more deserving of them onto paper, that is, I keep a diary of my spiritual life. And since I write it only in moments of insight, it may not be useless for you either 36. As for my private life, brothers, I live like everyone else: I do not adhere to asceticism. But do not think that I consider him in any way unworthy of imitation. Perhaps it would be more beneficial for me to live in an ascetic environment, but the conditions of my service deprive me of the opportunity to be an ascetic.” When asked by one of those present what explains his deep concentration in prayer, despite the fact that in the service, especially at the cathedral, various irregularities are often striking - does this not depend on his intensive preparation for the service, whether he does not read his special prayers or those not included in the canons - Fr. John replied: “This is partly due to my habit of serving in different places and with unfamiliar faces; This mainly depends on the fact that during the service, especially the liturgy, I always consider myself the most sinful and weakest of people, and at these moments I am the most blessed person. My preparation for the service is no different. Currently, I do not always have the opportunity to read all the prescribed canons or the so-called “rule”. But I always read all the prayers evening, morning and before communion, and I certainly read the morning canon to the Life-Giving Trinity, set for Pentecost. But, of course, I read all this very carefully and sensitively.” Further, to the question of how to deal with despondency in the work of shepherding, which stems, firstly, from the consciousness of one’s own sinfulness, secondly, from blasphemous thoughts that sometimes appear in the most sacred moments, and thirdly, from the despondency that one has to experience at the sight of evil triumphing in the world - Fr. John said: “All despondency is the work of the devil and must be fought against. Dejection should not take place even with the awareness of one’s own sinfulness, both because “no one is holy, only one is God,” and because the work of shepherding, or church teaching, is our direct duty, to which we are called and authorized by the church and from which we have no right to refuse, even with the awareness of our own spiritual weakness. This thought should drive away all despondency and encourage the shepherd. “You did not choose Me,” says Christ, “but I chose you and appointed you, that you might go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). As for the blasphemous thoughts that overcome servants even during worship, this is directly due to a lack of faith in us. Fighting here is not necessary and, perhaps, even harmful; they should simply be despised and suppressed at the very beginning, since that is all they deserve. Blasphemous thoughts can never bring a truly and ardently believing person to despondency. Another thing is despondency from the triumphant evil in the world. I had to go through a similar situation. But one must come to terms with the existence of evil, remembering that it was the will of the All-Wise God that good and evil should live side by side in the world and that He, as the Almighty, is only able to turn evil into good through the paths He knows.” After a late hour, Fr. John ended his speech here, wishing those present success in their difficult but precious labors in the field of Christ. This speech, as it was delivered in an extremely simple, convincing and sincere manner, made a most beneficial impression on those present. After it, a special uplift of spirit was felt, and it was pleasant to return to my flock for new labors. Published according to “K.P.”, 1915. No. 36. pp.562–566. D. A. Ozerov, Lieutenant General 37. Father John of Kronstadt (Personal memories) With a feeling of deep heartfelt tenderness, I begin to present my personal memories of the unforgettable prayer book of our father John of Kronstadt. My sincere desire is to truthfully and reverently tell everything that I saw and heard, everything that I felt and experienced in the presence of our All-Russian Shepherd, whose spiritual flock stretched from the White to the Black Sea, from the Great Ocean to the Baltic Sea, and in the power of whose prayers millions of not only Orthodox Christians, but also people of other faiths believed. Life o. John, his teaching, service and the irresistible power of his charm on our people lies in the fact that Father John was given a special grace from above - to embody in himself, in the most materialistic age, those principles of the Orthodox faith, spirit and love that formed the basis of the life of the Russian people, their spiritual and civil system, their history. Father John, in his pastoral ministry, resurrected successively, in all its aesthetic appeal and in all its great ecclesiastical and social significance, the ideal of the ancient Primates of our Orthodox Church, the Saints, the Men of Sorrows and the Men of Prayer, the leaders of the life of the people. I first met Father John in the nineties with his old friend, an old woman, a Tsarskoe Selo merchant, Baranova. The pious, ancient, original old lady Baranova hosted Fr. John, as in ancient times they received prophets and saints. Father John served all-night vigils and prayer services in her house, blessed water and talked with a simple but childishly believing old woman, who poured out all her worries and worries to him, confided all her family and commercial affairs, trusted him infinitely and believed with all her soul in the power of his prayer. Father John treated her with deep respect, patiently listened to all her complaints and stories, answered her questions simply, understandably for her, spoke to her as they speak to children, consoled her, encouraged her, prayed about all her worries, and often communicated with her. Fr. had many such friends in Rus'. John, and these friends were ready to give everything they had, at his one word. Friendship o. John with such simple, good-natured, childlike believers, their boundless faith in his holiness, erected throughout our homeland such godly institutions that the West has no idea about. In Tsarskoe Selo, for example, another pious old woman M.A. Drozhzhina, according to just one word from Fr. John, at a prayer service in a private house, who called her, childless, “grandmother” and blessed all her good intentions, set up an exemplary maternity shelter for 50 poor women in labor, adding a magnificent church to it. “As he called me, childless, lonely, grandmother, I realized that I had to set up a shelter for poor women in labor, and now 600 grandchildren are born in my house every year,” the venerable old lady told me with emotion. There are portraits of Fr. everywhere in the house. John. There are many such charitable institutions in Rus', and they were erected not with deliberate philanthropic goals, but simply “for the Glory of God and through the prayers of the precious priest.” But not everyone was treated by Fr. John with such complacency. I was once present at the extremely harsh treatment of Fr. John with a person in a prominent position. That person, taking advantage of Fr. John from old lady Baranova, he came to her and asked Fr. John to go to his apartment, on the same street, to see his sick son. Fr. John flatly refused, and when the petitioner knelt in front of everyone present and begged Fr. John to visit his apartment, Fr. John, to the surprise of everyone around him, said: “I have blessed the water here, take it with you and sprinkle your entire apartment with it, and then only I will come.” Resignedly, in front of everyone, this man bowed to Fr. John at his feet, took a kettle of holy water and left. After waiting for some time, in general silence, Fr. John crossed the street and went in to see the sick man. Leaving the house, Fr. John flatly refused the voluminous envelope with money, which the owner of the apartment begged him to accept “for distribution to the poor” and, getting into the carriage, gratefully accepted the ruble handed to him with a note by some ragamuffin. At the same time, I cannot help but recall another significant incident that I witnessed. In Tsarskoe Selo there lived a young Jew G., the son of a tailor, a university graduate, and a pharmacist. His wife became seriously ill, and the doctors declared her hopeless. G. came to me and asked for advice whether he, a Jew, could go to Fr. John to Kronstadt to ask for his prayers, since he essentially does not recognize any religion, but believes in the power of prayer about. John. “You can ask for anything,” I answered him. A few days later, G., beaming with joy, came to see me and announced that he had gone to Kronstadt. Father John listened to him, prayed for the recovery of his wife, was very kind to him, and when he returned home, he found his wife out of danger. “I’m going to Fr. John to thank him and I will make him very happy, since we decided, as a sign of gratitude, to be baptized by him.” About two days later G. comes to me, confused and embarrassed. “Imagine,” he tells me, “that Fr. John did not agree to baptize me. I told him that in gratitude for my wife’s recovery, my wife and I decided to be baptized from his hands. “Do you believe in the Risen Christ the Savior?” asked Father John. “No,” I answered, “but I believe in your holy prayers.” “Well, in that case, I cannot baptize you,” said the priest, “I don’t need your gratitude, study the Gospel, contact any priest, and when you believe in Christ the Savior, be baptized.” “So I left with nothing,” G. said sadly, “and now I don’t know what to do: oh.” John did not want to accept anything from me. Who saw Fr. John only at prayer services in private homes, he has no idea about him. It was necessary to see him in front of the altar during the celebration of proskomedia and in front of the Holy See during the liturgy, only then would one get an idea of ​​the depth of his priestly feat. During the Liturgy, Father John prayed in such a way that, looking at him, it became clear and understandable that so many hearts of our vast homeland deeply believed in the power of his prayer. In the Kronstadt Cathedral 38 almost every day at six o'clock in the morning the service, matins, began. There is twilight inside the church; Candles are burning in front of the images, there are a lot of people, everyone is reverent, they enter without noise or fuss, hand out notes, buy candles, and crowd around the bread tables. “Father already left at five o’clock and is driving around Kronstadt,” the watchman whispers. Matins begins in the southern aisle and another priest serves. In the main altar, at the altar, stands Fr. John, a candle is burning in front of him, he is completely absorbed in reading letters and telegrams; after each letter he prays and bows for a long time; The altar is quiet, the guards walk on tiptoe, apparently afraid to disturb the common prayer book. The cathedral is full of people, but from the altar it seems that there is no one in the cathedral - silence and general silence. The service continues in the southern aisle. Suddenly everyone seemed to perk up. A wave of general sigh sweeps through the cathedral; it is Fr. John began to read and sing the canon for the cleric. People crowd around the choir and look intently at Fr. John, and he, not paying attention to anyone, reads with inspiration, emphasizing some words, conducting a small choir of clerics. Matins ends, to Fr. Visiting priests and deacons approach John and ask to serve the liturgy with him. Father John hugs them and treats everyone kindly, approaches those standing in the altar, and blesses everyone. The liturgy begins. Father John in bright, always festive vestments, with an enlightened face, stands before the Throne, and his soul talks with God and with the Heavenly Church - with the Holy Saints of God. He impulsively takes the Cross in his hands and kisses it, raises his hands, makes movements as if in a silent conversation, nods his head affirmatively when reading the Apostle and the Gospel, solemnly makes his exits; you see in him, in all his movements, in the exclamations he uttered, an unshakable faith in the great significance of the priestly office, the successor of the Apostles and Saints, in which the sacred fire of faith burns in the great Sacrament of the Eucharist being performed, according to the rules established by the Church, and on whom the grace from above is abundantly poured out from above to perform the works of God in holiness and purity. The people feel this, and every appearance of Fr. John is met with a general roar of sighs and prayerful exclamations. All the clergy, clergy and people are merged into one common prayerful soul, raising to God all their needs and sorrows, all their doubts, joys and sorrows, and the rise of this common prayerful mood becomes higher and higher. And o. When performing the Gifts, John turns his face to the people, in front of the closed Royal Doors, points to the Gifts and, saying “Take, eat, this is My Body,” invites everyone to the Last Supper. After the offering of the Gifts, Fr. John several times takes the paten with the Lamb and the Holy Chalice in his hands, raises them, and tears flow down his cheeks. He is completely in prayer, does not see or hear what is happening around him, his face is illuminated by the light of grace. No one could look at Fr. at these moments without special tenderness and deep emotion. John. Tears of tenderness flow from your eyes; you feel all your insignificance, all your weakness, all the poverty of your faith in front of this picture of great, pure, unshakable faith. You are imbued with the feeling that Father John is praying for everyone who comes to him for help, grieving for everyone, praying, as if demanding, according to promise, help and intercession from God, and it becomes clear to you that the prayers of Fr. John is heard, that his prayers in the name of Christ the Savior reach the Throne of the Most High, that the grace of God illuminates his forehead, his eyes, his whole appearance with holiness and heavenly light. You comprehend that in the Kingdom of Heaven, the transformed human body, created in the image and likeness of Almighty God, will be beautiful, will shine, as the Angels, Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim shine, as all the saints shine, “celebrating the unceasing voice and beholding the ineffable kindness of the Face of God.” During the fragmentation of the Lamb and the communion of the clergy with the Holy Mysteries, Fr. John speaks loudly and enthusiastically from Holy Scripture. “The Word became flesh and dwelt in us” 39, prophecies, types of the Old Testament, extracts from the psalms. After the sacramental verse, preparation for general confession begins 40. Father John comes out to the pulpit and faces the people. He reads a prayer before confession, which mentions the prophet David, and tells in detail the whole story of King David, then reads a second prayer and tells the story of King Manasseh. Father John speaks loudly, in a sonorous voice, and it is clear that his speech flows straight from his heart, speech not prepared, but felt at the moment. His voice sounds even more heartfelt and warmer when he turns to the New Testament, and he speaks with tenderness about the All-Forgiving Christ: “In the time of Christ the Savior it was easy to repent: he came, bowed at the feet of the Savior and poured out his whole soul before Him, washed His Feet with tears, cast all his illnesses and sorrows at His feet and immediately received relief and forgiveness of sins. Now it’s not the same, now it’s more difficult, you have to believe, you have to repent with a contrite heart, you have to resort to His mercy, you have to cry, you have to promise not to sin.” Father John speaks for a long time, and the hearts of the listeners beat ever stronger, the words of mercy and repentance penetrate deeper and deeper; Many are already crying and lamenting, and simple women are sobbing loudly. Father John interrupts his sermon, turning to the sobbing women: “Wait, don’t cry, I’ll tell you when to repent, now listen to me carefully,” and the women calm down, only some cry inconsolably, quietly; Apparently, my soul is very heavy and it is very joyful to finally hear the words of consolation from my beloved priest. And the priest, becoming more and more moved himself, continues to talk about repentance, giving examples from the Gospel, talking about the prodigal son, about the harlot, and stops at the repentant thief: “Many think that they too will repent at the last minute, saying: remember me, Lord, in Thy Kingdom, and by this they will be saved. No, do not count on repentance at your last breath, you must remember Christ all your life, follow His commandments and more often resort to tearful repentance. The thief is not your example: everything was forgiven to him because with his living faith he sweetened the last moments of the suffering God-man, at a time when the Savior was surrounded by persecutors, when His human nature suffered inexpressibly. Do not compare with him, repent while you are healthy, while you live. I, myself a sinner and damned one, when I repent, tearfully ask God to forgive my iniquities and untruths.” The simple hearts of the listeners cannot stand the humble speech of their loving shepherd. “Where are we from you! “Pray for us,” voices are heard from all sides, full of tears and tenderness. “I will pray for you, but you also pray, repent, remember your sins.” And Father John loudly begins to list all the sins and shortcomings of people and loudly asks: “Do you repent and promise to try not to sin?” The whole people, all those present begin to pray loudly and cry, and he, the universal prayer book and mourner, raises his hands and eyes to the sky, and tears flow in streams from his eyes, and it is clear that he suffers for everyone, for everyone asks the All-Bountiful Lord for forgiveness and help, for everyone who turns to him with confidence, who from the far outskirts of our homeland resorts to his help in days of illness and sadness. Whoever saw this picture of Father John’s prayer in front of a crying crowd will never forget it and in it will find moral support and consolation in all the difficult moments of his life. Raising his epitrachelion high above the people, Father John, with a moved voice, reads a prayer of permission and disappears through the opened Royal Doors. Then all those present receive Holy Communion. Everything I have stated relates to impressions common to everyone who knew Father John. I turn to my personal memories of him. In 1891, there was a famine in Russia, 41 which reached threatening proportions in some provinces. In the Rifle Battalion of the Imperial Family in Tsarskoe Selo, all the lower ranks came from former appanage peasants, 42 so the battalion began to receive requests for help from spare riflemen from the hungry provinces of Simbirsk, Samara and Voronezh. The battalion officers established guardianship at the battalion church in the Name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for the families of retired and reserve lower ranks of the battalion who suffered from crop failure. But what could the officers do when hundreds of their former colleagues began to seek help, describing their plight in vivid colors. Knowing from experience how every charitable deed grew and developed with the prayerful assistance of Fr. John, I turned to him with a sincere request to come to the battalion church on May 9th and serve a prayer service to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and thus begin the work of helping the starving riflemen. I received a written response from Fr. John that May 9 is a holiday in Kronstadt and that, unfortunately, he cannot come. On the morning of May 7th I suddenly received a telegram from Moscow from Fr. John that he will arrive on the evening of May 8th in Tsarskoe Selo, will spend the night with me, and early in the morning will serve Matins, Liturgy and a prayer service with an akathist to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Admirers of Fr. John can imagine with what feelings of joy and tenderness we greeted our dear guest. Soldiers began to come to my apartment with various requests and notes for the priest, and one long-term non-commissioned officer asked for a personal meeting. Father John immediately accepted him, and the non-commissioned officer asked for the healing of his wife, who had been suffering from a terrible illness for several years - she could not approach the Holy Chalice and therefore could not commune her child herself. Father John caressed the non-commissioned officer, promised to pray and ordered his wife to be brought to church before matins. I was repeatedly present in Kronstadt during the difficult situation of the struggle of Fr. John with those possessed by this terrible disease, the inability to attend the liturgy and approach the Holy Chalice. I call it a struggle, because I saw firsthand how hard it was for Fr. John, step by step, brings them closer to the Holy Chalice. I once saw a young, quite healthy-looking woman being led by four men. She took a step forward with great effort and then resisted, and it was impossible to budge her by any means. For a whole week, every day before the start of the service, Father John forced her to move forward one step, prayed, sprinkled her with holy water, while he himself apparently suffered, sweated, and fought with an invisible force. I took advantage of the opportunity with the non-commissioned officer and expressed to the priest my doubt that these simple women were possessed by a demon. At the same time, I put it this way: “I don’t believe in a demon that can inhabit a simple, dark woman; Why doesn’t he move into educated, intelligent people? The most immoral, evil and unbelieving people are present unhindered during the celebration of the sacrament, while ordinary women rush about, scream and go berserk.” To this o. John answered me as follows: “You must believe in God, in the Risen Savior, but you do not need to believe in demons, this is not required of a Christian. Don’t even think about it, and in general it’s none of your business and is not part of your responsibilities. There is no need to believe in demons, and the less you think about them, the better. Live according to the Gospel, be a real Christian, and then the evil spirit will not be scary for you. But we priests deal with it all the time, and I think every true altar server knows that evil spirits and demons exist and fights against them. As for the fact that you do not understand why demons do not enter educated people, then you are mistaken. Demons enter ordinary people out of simplicity, and woe to those evil people who communicate with them and through whom demons enter ordinary, dark people. These latter only suffer, but the culprits are those who have intercourse with the evil spirit. Woe, woe to them! The evil spirit inhabits educated and intelligent people in a different form, and it is much more difficult to fight it. In general, I repeat, don’t think about it. There are people who are mentally ill, and there are people who are nervous. These need to be treated, but there are also those possessed by an evil spirit, and no treatment will help. They are healed only by “prayer and fasting.” There is no need to delve into these issues; leave this to the priests who have received the special Gifts of the Holy Spirit to combat the evil spirit. The evil spirit, or simply the devil, loves it very much when great importance is attached to him, people are afraid of him, he, the evil one, the father of lies, immediately takes advantage of this, and then there is trouble...” At first o'clock in the morning Fr. John lay down to rest and already at 4 o’clock in the morning he got up and suggested going out into the air for a walk. It was a wonderful, sunny day, and we went out to the park, to the lake. All my life about. John loved solitude, clean air, nature, and his whole life was spent in cities, in crowds, in stale air. You should have seen how he admired every tree, every green leaf, how he greedily breathed the fresh morning air, how he glorified God in His creations! At about five o'clock in the morning we left the park and on the highway in front of the barracks we met a crowd of chukhonkas with milk. The Chukhonki, seeing Fr. John, surrounded him and asked him to bless their jugs, opened the lids, and Fr. John made the sign of the cross over each jug, placed his hands on the heads of the Chukhonkas, who cried with joy and kissed his hands. During the walk, Fr. John explained to me why, despite the holiday in Kronstadt, he decided to come to us to serve a prayer service in the Trusteeship in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. I will try to convey his words as accurately as possible. “When you wrote to me that relief for starving soldiers was supposed to be organized in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, I felt that I had to come. I never forget May 9 and what St. Nicholas the Wonderworker did for me on this day! And on this day I always especially celebrate him, I thank him and ask for his help and intercession. It was a long time ago! At that time I was still a student at the Theological Academy. A few days before May 9, a friend of mine from the Academy came to see me and told me the sad news that plunged him into despair that he had become completely and hopelessly deaf. All the doctors he consulted told him that he was incurable. I tell him: “What about final exams? How are you going to hold them? I write to him on paper; he read it and said: “How can I pass exams when I don’t hear anything?” I was troubled in spirit. But this is impossible, unthinkable! And I write to him on the same piece of paper: “Come to me on the 8th in the evening, and we will pray to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker all night, then we will serve the liturgy, a prayer service with an akathist. So we did, and the two of us prayed so much, asked so much, so convinced St. Nicholas the Pleasant to help us that, after the akathist, my friend suddenly heard it, and we congratulated each other, cried and hugged. And he successfully passed all the exams. I never forget this event on May 9th and all my life I thank the Pleasant of God for his help and intercession.” The arrows of the Imperial family greeted the dear father with joy and reverence. During the liturgy, the non-commissioned officer’s wife approached the Holy Chalice with her child and rejoiced, shedding tears. Loudly and soulfully read Fr. John Akathist to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker: “Father Nicholas, pray to God for us,” he said, as if addressing a person present here among us. The lower ranks upon leaving Fr. John from the church was so surrounded by him that the officers had to join hands and surround him in a tight ring in order to protect him from those who wanted to touch him and receive his blessing. After May 9, the affairs of the Trusteeship immediately flourished, donors appeared, and 8,262 rubles and 112 pounds of bread were collected from the pieces left over from the lunch of the lower ranks. From September 1, 1901 to July 1, 1902, the Guardianship had the opportunity to supply bread to 330 families affected by crop failure and, in addition, arranged for them, through specific district overseers, work, for which they received an allowance of flour according to the number of souls in each family. As you know, not only lay people from all over Russia, but also clergy turned to Father John for advice. I had to witness an outstanding case when Fr. A deacon from the Don, a young, handsome Cossack, came to Ioannou for advice. Father John served the liturgy in the cathedral together with visiting priests and deacons. Standing in the altar, I involuntarily drew attention to the young deacon, who was shedding tears throughout the liturgy. Father John treated him especially kindly and, after performing the Gifts, gave him a ripida, which he held over the Holy Chalice all the time. From questioning, I learned that this deacon, during a fire on the Don, lost his wife and children, and he only had a newborn, whom he carried from the fire in his arms. And so he came to Fr. John for advice on what to do, whether to quit his rank, since he does not want to enter a monastery, and cannot nurse and raise a child, not having the right to marry in the rank of deacon. After the service, I approached the deacon, expressed my condolences to him and asked what advice and instruction Father John gave him? “Yes, I’ve been living here for a week now and I keep asking Fr. John, what should I do, but all he says is: “Serve with me,” and so I serve every day, praying and crying, but getting no answer.” I agreed with the deacon that he would call on me on the way home. About two weeks later he came to see me, he looked calm, thoughtful, and stern. “Well,” I ask him,” Fr. finally said. John?" - “Yes, he didn’t say anything, I served with the priest, I received the Holy Mysteries every day, we prayed together, he blessed me and let me go, and for the journey he gave me a cassock, warm outerwear and a hat.” “What will you do,” I asked him. "ABOUT. John serves in such a way,” he answered, “that it is a great joy and consolation to serve with him, I now feel calmer, some kind of peace has settled in my soul.” I haven’t made any decision, I’ll go home, and then, God willing! » About six years after that, I received a telegram from the Don from this deacon. He asked me to make inquiries at the Synod to see if the Don Archpastor’s special proposal for permission to ordain him, a widowed deacon, as a priest had passed for an opening vacancy in some village. According to the information I made, it turned out that the Donskoy Archbishop asked, as an exception, to allow the ordination of the most worthy widow deacon to the priesthood, for which the permission of the Holy Synod followed. In May 1900, the Society of Primorsky Sanatoriums 43 intended to open the first Primorsky Sanatorium in Russia for chronically ill children in Vindava. The Society Committee instructed me to ask Fr. John, together with the Committee, go to Vindava 44, consecrate the first pavilion in the Name of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna 45 and lay down other buildings of the Sanatorium. Father John, having listened carefully to my report on all the proposals of the Committee to alleviate the suffering of children suffering from bone tuberculosis, told me that he agreed to go. Everything was arranged, and departure was decided on May 10 at 8 pm, via Riga. At 12 noon on May 10, the clerk of St. Andrew's Cathedral, Kiselev, comes to me and gives me a handwritten letter from Fr. John. Father writes that he was told that there is deep snow in Vindava, that it is very difficult to get to the Sanatorium, that in general it is very cold in Vindava, and therefore he does not dare to go so far. I asked Kiselev where Fr. John. It turned out that he was in the courtyard on Basseynaya and was having lunch, after mass, with Abbess Taisia, who was celebrating her name day. I go there and enter a large hall where a lot of people are having lunch. O. John, seeing me from afar, says: “Did you receive my letter? I can’t go.” I approached Fr. John and I say: “Who could tell you such a lie that there is snow and cold in Vindava and that it is difficult to get to the Sanatorium?” “Yes, that’s what they say,” said the priest, pointing to his neighbors, some old women. “Don’t believe them, they’re just trying to dissuade you, they don’t want you to leave. The weather in Vindava is wonderful, sunny, there has been no snow for a long time, everything is dry and starting to turn green, we have a horse-drawn railway from the city to the Sanatorium, the carriage is ready for you, all members of the Committee are traveling with you. In Riga they are waiting for your passage, and in Vindava the whole city is going to meet you.” “Well, let’s go,” said Fr. John stood up from the table. Everyone stood up, and those around him began to persuade him not to go; O. John did not pay any attention to them and asked me how to arrange it so that he could go to Kronstadt. “I must take the Holy Sacrament with me, without which I never travel, and take some things with me.” We decided that Fr. John will go immediately to the Baltic station, with a two-hour train to Oranienbaum, and I will arrange a ship for him so that he will be at the Baltic station by six o'clock, at the time the train departs for Riga. O. John immediately quickly and impulsively said goodbye to those around him, got into a carriage with some old woman and ordered the coachman to go to the Baltic Station. We arrived at the station, I put the priest on the train and agreed with the clerk about the steamer. Exactly at 6 o'clock Fr. arrived. John to the Baltic station, and we left through Riga to Vindava. We arrived in Riga the next day at 10 o'clock in the morning. In Riga at the station I met Fr. John was surrounded by a countless crowd of people; he was carried out of the carriage in their arms and taken away somewhere. I only had time to ask the police chief to bring Fr. John to the Tukums station at 12 noon. At all stations before Vindava we were greeted by huge crowds, Fr. John opened the window of the carriage, and small children were passed to him through the window, whom he blessed and kissed, and the children were returned to their parents through another window. It is remarkable that not a single child cried or was frightened, and little hands hugged Fr. John by the neck. In the carriage o. John was constantly replaced by passengers, some sat on the floor, at his feet, and just looked at him. Father John read the Bible all the time, read loudly and admired the prophecies of Isaiah, and the simple women and nuns sitting at his feet thought that he was prophesying, were touched, sighed and cried. We arrived in Vindava at 9 pm. The whole city met Fr. John at the station, even the Jews crowded in front of the windows of the carriage, shouting and bowing. Father John went to the venerable old man Archpriest Alekritsky, the rector of the only Orthodox church in Vindava, at the prison. O. Alyakritsky asked Fr. John, whether his parishioners can partake of the Holy Mysteries the next day. “Of course,” said Father John, “but I will not confess anyone, this is your flock, confess them yourself.” Late in the evening, Orthodox priests and an archpriest arrived from all directions with a deacon from the Archbishop of Riga and sat for a long time at the tea table with the elderly archpriest, the old people remembered their college years and sang cants in chorus. Early in the morning Fr. John, in concelebration with all the priests and deacons, served Matins and Liturgy, after which Fr. John was taken to the city. We were supposed to board the horse-drawn railway carriage at half past one, but Father still wasn’t there. Finally, at three o'clock they brought Fr. John to the apartment of Fr. Alekritsky, he was apparently terribly tired. “I can’t go to the Sanatorium,” Fr. told me. John. “I’m so tired that I can barely stand on my feet, they took me all over the city, I was at the site of an Orthodox church under construction, in a hospital, and in private houses, I was treated to herring everywhere, I’m so thirsty, I’m so tired that I can’t move.” Now they ordered to give the priest some tea; I promised that he could sleep peacefully for more than half an hour in a horse-drawn carriage. We got into someone's carriage and drove to our platform. I sat the priest on the front bench of the carriage, wrapped him, tired and exhausted, in a blanket, and he immediately fell asleep in the sound sleep of a baby. Invited city officials and guests arrived and quietly, silently boarded the carriage. When we approached the Sanatorium through the forest, we had to wake up the tired Fr. John. He opened his eyes in surprise and, smiling, said to me: “Where did you take me to the forest?” The arrival at the Sanatorium was unusually joyful; the sun was shining; sick crippled children and employees at the Sanatorium with a mass of people who arrived on foot, greeted our dear guest. Having rested, we began to consecrate the Sanatorium. The priest completely came to life and before the beginning of the prayer service he said a heartfelt word, ending it with the following words: “In nature, life is spread in abundance everywhere, and a person who is in the bosom of nature, under certain conditions on his part - moderation and abstinence from everything unnecessary and sinful - himself is revived, encouraged, strengthened, so to speak, resurrected from the dead. Let us wish recovery to all children, both present and future, whom a compassionate hand will bring here, and may God grant fathers and mothers to be healthy themselves and to give birth to healthy children.” After the prayer service, Fr. John sprinkled St. with water all the buildings of the Sanatorium and the construction sites of new buildings, and then everyone went to a high dune above the sea. Father John, apparently, enjoyed the silence, the wonderful view of the sea and the clean, life-giving air. I turned my head back and saw that at a distance, under the dune, a huge crowd of workers in multi-colored shirts, dressed in a festive way, was gathering. At this time, the Vindava port was being built, and artels from all over Russia worked on the buildings. All these artels gathered near the Sanatorium pavilion and waited for the priest. O. John turned around, noticed them, stood up and walked towards them. They all, in a crowd of several hundred people, knelt down and bowed at his feet. “Hello, workers,” Fr. greeted them affectionately. John, stand up, hello, dear friends.” “Hello, our dear father, hello, our dear,” the peasants cried, “we have come for you.” “How about me,” asked Fr. John. One of the elders, amid general silence, explained Fr. John that “we, they say, came for you with all the artels, we must carry you through all our buildings, you must bless all our work, so all the artels decided, and we came for you.” “How can it be,” said Fr. John, you work in the port, on the water, how can I get there? “And we will carry you in our arms and pass you from artel to artel.” “What do you think,” Fr. said to me. John, should I go to the port with them? “We’ll have to go,” I answered, because they are here at work from all over Russia and want, like all of us, to receive your blessing.” “Will you go with them to work? “- asked Fr. John. “Nobody invites me,” I answered. “Look, he’s so cunning, laughing good-naturedly,” said the priest, “he’s trying to persuade me, but he won’t go.” “Yes, dear father, no one will carry me in their arms, how can I walk along the sea, at port work?” They never gave Fr. John to enjoy the peace, silence and view of the sea, we put the priest in the carriage, the workers surrounded him and walked into the city to the bridge. A steamer was waiting there, and the priest was taken to the port. Eyewitnesses told me that Fr. John was carried in his arms through all the port facilities, along the piers, into the open sea, and the artels carefully passed him from hand to hand. Then something significant happened, we were all confused and only later, several years later, we realized that the insightful priest was right. The head of the port works, a Pole, was a zealous Catholic. He, as it turned out later, was constantly laughing at Fr.’s enthusiastic reception. John in Vindava, but since he was at the head of all port work, had all the working artels under his authority, built the Sanatorium and took an active part in its organization, he decided to arrange for Fr. John's ceremonial dinner, to which he invited everyone who came to consecrate the Sanatorium. He invited Fr. John, not the day before, not even during the consecration of the Sanatorium, but when Fr. John was brought from the port into a carriage to the station when it was already dark. Therefore Fr. John refused dinner, and all the clergy remained with him. So the dinner never took place. Subsequently, during the revolutionary movement, the supervisor of the work was changed. Fr. John, having rested, drank tea in the carriage and dictated to Fr. A.A. the word he said before the prayer service. At night we left Vindava and returned to St. Petersburg early in the morning on May 14. Often after this I saw Fr. John, but never saw him so joyful, radiant, contented, as in Vindava, on the seashore, on a high dune, under the pine trees. When Fr. John was already seriously ill, several months before his death, I had to go to him in Kronstadt on behalf of the priest and parishioners of the Korelians of the Orthodox Holy Cross Church of Manchusaar, which stands, as it were, guarding Orthodoxy on a rock, on an island in Lake Ladoga. The young, energetic priest Father Vladimir Nikitinsky, who was my pupil in childhood, decided to rebuild the dilapidated church and renew the old robe on the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, transferred to the island of Salmi two hundred years ago and revered by all the fishermen of the village. This church fell into complete disrepair, the roof was leaking, there were no vestments, no church utensils that were even remotely decent. The same vestments lay on the throne for twenty years. Everything had to be updated, and the funds were very modest. The Korela fishermen and their shepherd decided to ask for the blessing of Fr. John and begin to renovate the church. Having arrived in Kronstadt the night before, I learned that Fr. John is very weak and is unlikely to serve. Nevertheless, as always, at 5 a.m. St. Andrew's Cathedral was full of people. To the great joy of everyone, Fr. arrived at 6 a.m. John, but he had no face, he was deathly pale and could no longer read in the choir. During the proskomedia and liturgy, Fr. John kept leaning his hands on the altar and the throne, and it seemed that he could not stand it and would faint. When making the Gifts, Fr. John came to life, prayed, as always, with his soul, and after receiving the Holy Mysteries he was completely transformed, and our former dear, incomparable priest appeared before us. I asked the priest for permission to go to his apartment. “Come to me and wait for me there, I will come soon, I will introduce all my household members,” the priest told me. Father John spent his entire long-term priestly service at St. Andrew's Cathedral in a small, modest apartment, distinguished only by the fact that in all the corners of all the rooms there were icon cases with icons presented to him from all over Russia. On the cabinets there are cages with cooing pigeons, and in front of the windows there are canaries, tirelessly trilling. Both those and other birds, of course, are offerings from his admirers, who do not know how to show their love for Fr. John. Fr. came soon. John, cheerful, cheerful, joyful, impulsively entered the next room, where he communed the Holy Mysteries with everyone living with him. His elderly wife came up first, and the janitor last. In the same room, which is more of a warehouse for all kinds of offerings, Fr. John accepted me too. I told him in detail about the Koreli Manchusaari Orthodox Church, about the zealous young priest Fr. Vladimir Nikitinsky and his evangelical flock - simple but deeply religious fishermen-Korelians. “Speak up,” said Fr. John, “I began to hear something poorly.” I told Fr. John that they all bow low to him and ask for his holy prayers and blessings for the renewal of the ancient Orthodox Church and the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. “Tell about. “To Vladimir and his flock,” said Fr. John, in a loud and ringing voice, overshadowed me with a large cross - that I bless them with all my heart and thank them for their trust. I know the Korelians and highly value their proven faith and deep affection for their native Orthodox Church. I bow to them and wish them success in renovating the ancient church and the miraculous icon of the great Saint. I want to participate in the renovation of their church and would like to donate the Tabernacle to them, but I don’t have one at hand. Can you purchase the Tabernacle and send it to them on my behalf? “I, of course, happily agreed. O. John unlocked the desk drawer with a key and began to look for money in the drawer, found a 25-ruble note, which he gave to me, saying: “I didn’t find any more, that’s all I have, I’m afraid it won’t be enough.” I bowed to the ground. Ioannou on behalf of the Korel fishermen, saying that for 25 rubles. I will acquire the Tabernacle and that I deeply believe that the initiative of the dear priest, as always, will revive the whole business, and that I have no doubt that, with God’s help, through his holy prayers, the entire Manchusaar church will be renovated to the glory of God. Indeed, Father Vladimir and his flock not only managed to bring the church into proper, comfortable condition, but the church received abundant donations from all sides: a chasuble for the icon of St. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was updated and decorated, all church utensils: vestments, vessels, the altar Gospel - everything was received in abundance, and, as the crowning of this good deed, the Manchusaar church was decorated with sonorous bells, the ringing of which not only announces the good news of the Resurrection of Christ on Lake Ladoga, but also serves as a beacon for working fishermen; the wonderful hum of a large bell during fogs and bad weather leads them to a quiet pier. In conclusion of my memories of Father John of Kronstadt, I will tell you about the news I received from Switzerland. It turns out that in Geneva, at the 6th International Psychological Congress 46, which brought together more than 500 scientists, representatives of all countries and nations, a report was read by our compatriot A.V. Polozova "O. John of Kronstadt”, aroused lively debate and exciting interest. This report (all the more interesting since A.V. Polozova herself is a Catholic) is full of feelings of deep respect for the deceased Fr. John, as the bearer of grace-filled power, and ends with the following words: “Whatever the concepts of man, the properties of his culture, whatever the social conditions of the environment in which he was born, we can safely say that it is enough for each person to be imbued with the Spirit of Christ in order to continue His work and bring down in the flow of life the creative power that regenerates and purifies it. Published by: “K. P." 1916. N 18. P. 282–285; N 19. P.299–302; N 20. P.316–320; N 21. P.331–335; N 22. P.349–351. D. A. Ozerov, Lieutenant General 47. Father John of Kronstadt with the wounded In our difficult time of general unrest, disorder, misanthropy, general bitterness, reproaches, the overthrow of idols and the darkening of ideals 48, I wanted to bring everyone thirsting for love, peace, forgiveness and fraternal unity in the name of Christ to the health resort for wounded and sick soldiers in Finland, near Teriok 49 August 26, the day Father John visited the health resort Kronstadt. In recent terrible times, we have become so accustomed to terrible bloodshed, civil strife, explosions, fires, unrest, and misfortunes that we cannot imagine that here, close to us, purely biblical pictures of peace, love, complacency and spiritual communication could appear. It is very difficult to describe Father John’s visit to the wounded and maimed soldiers; one had to see this amazing radiant picture. I will try to describe what I saw with my eyes and heart, and what I heard with my ears and with all my soul. Health resort, a spacious, extensive house, on the shore of Lake Beauty, surrounded by tall pine trees; quietly in the forest - the air is saturated with the smell of pine; It had rained the day before, the sun was warm and soaring. A crowd, strange at first glance, had gathered at the very porch of the house. Crippled soldiers on crutches, most of them missing one leg, missing an arm, with their heads bandaged. Everyone is dressed the same in dark blue jackets, some have St. George's crosses on their chests, their faces are exhausted, serious, thoughtful - everyone has joyless thoughts and concerns about what is happening at home in their homeland, how families live, what they feed on, how they will feed in the future when the breadwinner is crippled, weak and sick, and then there are memories: difficult hours spent in infirmaries and hospitals in the Far East, operations, dressings, languor far from home, among strangers, and surrounded by illness, suffering and death. Next to the crippled warriors are nuns, sisters and novices of the Lintul community 50, all in black; they stand in a tight group next to the soldiers: they have no worries about the future, about families, about children, they devoted themselves to hard monastic work, but they are sad and they have memories of the past; their whole life was so gloomy and joyless that hard field work seemed like peace to them; but they also have moments of disappointment, melancholy, even despair, and their hearts yearn for consolation and spiritual joy. “He’s coming, he’s coming,” a general conversation can be heard, everyone perked up, the soldiers took off their hats. All of them are from different places of vast Russia: here are northerners, accustomed to hard field work on an ungrateful land, which is still dear to them, like a mother is their own nurse, here are the pitiful landless Vitebsk and Mogilev peasants who have nothing, neither land, nor home, and therefore have a weak body and a depressed soul, here are the stubborn, illiterate, but straightforward russians of the eastern provinces, good-natured, naive and laughing at themselves crests, and serious, gloomy, withdrawn Poles who work in factories and factories and have lost all love for home and land there, and strong-willed, wholesome, cheerful, cheerful Siberians, descendants of the same motley Russian peasants, but differing from them in their belief in themselves, in their power and strength, whose grandfathers fought with nature and people and won. All these currently crippled, sick, exhausted people heard about Father John, read about him, saw his portraits, but they never dreamed that Father John would come to visit them and that they would see him face to face. Having learned the day before that the common prayer book of all Rus' would come to them, the peasant soldiers prepared themselves for this joyful meeting. In the evening we sang Matins prayers in chorus, washed ourselves, dressed neatly, ate lean, did not smoke; The nuns also prepared for the desired meeting, everyone became quiet and eagerly looked at the forest road turning from the highway to the Lintul dacha. Here comes Father John! Joyfully and affably he bows to the crowd: “Hello, dear brothers, hello, sisters!” Father John enters the high porch, and everyone bows, everyone below is shining. “We wish you good health, Father,” the soldiers answered in unison, “Hello, our priceless Father,” say the sisters. I’m standing next to Father, our universal, dear Father John, I look at the crowd at the porch and it seems to me that all of our Rus' is here, holy, tormented, simple, dear Rus': dark peasants, exhausted soldiers, narrow-minded nuns, and above them on an elevated platform is Father John, the universal prayer book, whose ardent and unshakable faith consoles and encourages everyone; simply, ingenuously, without reasoning and philosophizing, in Russian, in the old, ancient, biblical way. This is how the Saints of All Rus' consoled and encouraged Holy Rus', and so it was in all difficult times, during the time of the Mongol yoke, during the invasion of enemies, during times of unrest, pestilence and plague. So now and for a long time to come our poor people will be consoled by prayer books and Saints. The time will come, God willing, when it will be necessary not to console the people, but to rejoice with them in the abundance of earthly blessings, the general well-being and spiritual development of the entire Russian people. Everyone entered the house; cripples on crutches hurried up the stairs, helping each other. A large, bright room with windows overlooking a wonderful lake; the sun flooded it all; in the corner there is a table with images and a bowl of pure crystal water from a well dug near the shore of the lake; water seeping through the sand is naturally filtered; “So I would drink and drink this water,” said Father John after the prayer service. Soldiers on crutches stood in front of the table, with nuns on the side. Father John began to loudly and clearly pronounce the prayers poured out from his loving heart to the Lord. The sight of the crippled soldiers, apparently, especially touched Father, who was accustomed to constantly seeing the sick and suffering. Father John “speaked” to the Lord in a particularly inspired manner; namely, he “spoke,” convinced, begged, and bowed. “You see, Lord,” said Father John, “the exhausted, wounded soldiers before You, You see their wounds, You see their torment, their melancholy, their suffering. Help them, heal them, comfort them, encourage them. Bless this water,” and Father pointed with his hand to the vessel with water, “and give to all who taste it, who are sprinkled with it, health, vigor, and consolation.” Father John ended one prayer with a doxology and began another, and Father John’s prayer flowed more and more touchingly and touchingly; Everyone prayed with him with all their hearts: tears flowed down their cheeks, their hearts cried out to the Lord, and our prayer book took the cross in his hands, kissed it and said: “You Yourself, Lord, suffered until death on the cross, You healed our human suffering, comfort, heal the people standing here before You.” Then Father John said: “Blessed is our God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen,” and, turning to the choir of sisters, said: “To the Heavenly King.” A prayer service with the blessing of water began. Father John spent a long time choosing which Gospel to read and settled on the 20th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew v. 1–16. A more appropriate Gospel text could not have been chosen for the soldiers living in the health resort; and what a significant phenomenon that Father John chose this and not another Gospel! Among the wounded and maimed, disputes and gossip constantly arise about where who was wounded, in how many battles he participated, and the unfortunate patients, who were not wounded, but who were caught in the war by typhus or other diseases, always feel as if awkward in front of the wounded and maimed. In the parable of hiring workers in a vineyard, everyone receives the same pay at the end of the work. Father John loudly and clearly said the words: “Friend, I will not offend you”... And even louder and more inspired: “Thus the last will be first, and the first will be last, for many are the ranks, but few are the chosen.” “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.” After the prayer service, everyone approached the cross. Father John sprinkled everyone with Holy water and at that time spoke loudly, clearly, addressing the wounded: “I am happy, my friends, that I see you, I am flattered that I see before me my brothers who shed blood for their homeland, I bow to you and your wounds and injuries. Many would like to see such wounded people who have suffered for us and bow to them and thank them, but not everyone succeeds. I am happy that I have the opportunity to see you, bow to you and thank you. Know and remember that all your wounds, all your torments and sufferings are written down in the Kingdom of Heaven, you, with your sufferings, torments, and wounds, have already reserved places in the Kingdom of Heaven in advance; and what is higher than this? After all, our life here on earth is only a preparation for eternal, heavenly, joyful, bright life. Everything you have endured will be credited to you. Be careful not to overshadow what you have achieved with your subsequent life. Keep what you have acquired sacred and inviolable. I know that you will return home, you will endure a lot, you may not be appreciated, you may be offended and reproached, your torment and wounds will be forgotten, but you yourself do not forget them, always remember that by your suffering you have already acquired a reward in heaven, always rejoice in this, rejoice, thank God, thank Him for the fact that you, like Our Lord, suffered, remember that He suffered until death, to the death of the Cross and that you were crucified with Him. I repeat to you: do not darken what you have acquired, rejoice and rejoice, do not be discouraged, do not be sad; God bless you." After the wounded, the sisters came up, and their father John also encouraged and consoled them. After the prayer service, Father John moved to another room - the library; there are books and pictures on the shelves all around. Here a small episode occurred that clearly depicts Father John’s attitude towards the simple, dark Russian peasant and explains the deep connection that exists between Father John and the simple dark people. In our health resort there turned out to be one illiterate Penza peasant from the reserves, a Cavalier of St. George, without a leg. No matter how they tried to convince him to take advantage of his free time and learn to read and write, he stubbornly refused, saying that it was difficult for him, that his head was not working and that reading and writing would not give him back his legs. The little guy was generally a fool, and other, more advanced soldiers made fun of him and teased him. I pointed him out to Father John and told him that he didn’t want to learn to read, but had a lot of free time. The little man looked at his father John and said: “Where can I study, my head is still spinning from the war.” “It’s true,” said Father John, “where should he study, - after all, he is still completely sick, after all, how much torment and suffering has he endured - is it easy? I lost my leg.” At the same time, Father John crossed himself and kissed his St. George's Cross, and the soldier also crossed himself and kissed Father John's pectoral cross, and they hugged, and the soldier began to cry. This was the end of my desire to persuade him to learn to read and write. A table was set in the middle of the library and tea was served. The nuns stood in a semicircle in front of the table and sang antiphons, and a line of wounded men on crutches with mugs of tea in their hands approached Father John; the poor tired hands holding the mugs were shaking, but everyone wanted to go up to Father, who was putting sugar in each mug, while impulsively taking a whole handful of sugar and throwing it into the mug, as if wanting to symbolically sweeten their pitiful, helpless life. At the same time, the priest, with his characteristic kindness and affection, patted them on the head, hugged them, and they tenderly and joyfully kissed his pastoral hand. Having sung the antiphons, the choir joyfully sang to the dear, priceless Father John for many years, the soldiers took up the song and sang for a long time and bowed to Father John with all their souls and with all their hearts, wishing him many, many years to the joy and consolation of all the suffering, sick and disadvantaged. When we were returning and driving through the forest, I expressed to Father John all the grief of his admirers at the malicious and slanderous attacks on him by the Judaizing newspapers 51 . Father John bared his head, crossed himself and said: “And I thank the Lord that they revile me! God bless! Finally! Otherwise, everyone glorified them, counted them among the saints, and the Gospel says, “Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every possible way and lie about you, for My sake” 52 . Published by: “K. P." 1912 N 9 S. 163–167. This means that my end is near and the Merciful Lord will soon call me to Himself. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord God! " Published by: “K. P." 1912 N 9 S. 163–167 Bishop Andrey 53. "Untitled" Father John of Kronstadt... How many memories are associated with this name! How many impressions the memory recalls when pronouncing this name! Here he is - a simple priest of a district town - second in command, modest, almost timid... Here he is - always friendly, kind, sometimes harsh, but invariably sincere, ardent, unable to be indifferent to either the joy or grief of his neighbor... Always unhypocritical, the same in his approach to everyone, not distinguishing anyone - neither poor nor rich, neither strong nor weak. Priest John Sergiev was then only one of many, unnoticed workers of St. Churches. These were the 80s of the last century. At this time in Kronstadt there was a man denounced by Father John. He hated his accuser. And Father John, only out of pastoral conscience, protected his flock from an arrogant libertine who drew young people into his networks. “Forgive your sins, and God will forgive you,” said Father John, “but leave them without fail, and until then I will not shut up,” the humble shepherd menacingly denounced the proud nobleman. And the denunciations were answered with slander, denunciations, and all sorts of troubles. Father John decided to endure everything, but not to remain silent. But then the Strong One fell... The nobleman found himself in the dock, accused of terrible crimes in his service. All of Kronstadt knew that Father John was the most important witness for the prosecution, that the fate of his worst enemy was now in his hands. Court... Father John enters. He is asked to tell the truth without taking an oath - “according to his pastoral conscience.” Father John's characterization of the accused begins... “It was then that he sheltered an orphan, taught him a trade, and made him a good citizen... During a fire, the defendant himself saved the property of the poor, which means he loved them... The defendant did a lot of good to the poor, sometimes donating dozens of rubles to charity.”... The chairman of the court, in complete bewilderment, makes a remark to the witness: “Listen, you must show the truth according to your pastoral conscience, albeit without an oath.” “I don’t speak a single word against my pastoral conscience,” answered Father John, and they could not get a single word out of him in order to accuse his enemy... He loved his enemy - the greatest miracle of which a person is capable. This was almost the beginning of Father John's fame in Kronstadt as a shepherd, a loving father and a peacemaker. He was ready to give everything earlier; Now everyone was convinced that he gave his flock and his soul, all of himself. “Father - Father John”, “Father John of Kronstadt” - these words were dear to every believing heart, they were close and understandable to everyone. And no one, ever, neither in public nor in private conversation, called Father John anything other than father, father. Truly he was an all-Russian father.” This most sacred, most honorable name - “father” should remain forever with “Father Father John of Kronstadt.” This is how the believing church people themselves called him, the Russian Church itself called him “father”, “father”, then even after his death in the Russian church the formula of prayers for him should be expressed in the words: “On the repose of our ever-memorable father, Archpriest John...” “Ivan Ilyich”... Who would dare to call our “father - Father John” by his name and patronymic like that? Who would dare to do such a thing - almost blasphemy? Yes, no one would even understand such a non-church person... Who is “Ivan Ilyich”? Who knows him in Rus'? Why did it happen that our pastors are trying in every possible way so that they are not called “priests”? Is it really so ugly, so “unaccepted”? Is it really necessary to take some measures against these removed words “father” and “father” in order to completely forget about one’s duties as a spiritual father and leader? Yes, we have a lot of teachers of all kinds, but much fewer spiritual fathers. But let us pray that the great spirit of the great “Father John of Kronstadt” will visit our shepherds and rest on them - may their fatherly love for their spiritual children increase, and may these now scattered children be “one flock” - a great all-Russian church family... Published by: “K. P." 1912. N21. pp. 363–365. I. Alekseev, psalm-reader. From memories of general confession St. Pentecost, and I involuntarily remember the general confession, the service in God of the deceased Fr. John, which I have visited many times. Arriving one day in Kronstadt, I stayed in one of the apartments for visiting worshipers. At 4 o'clock in the evening the Lenten gospel rang out from the cathedral bell tower, and people hurried in lines to the cathedral in order to grab a place closer to the pulpit. With great difficulty I squeezed into the middle of the church. The service has begun. The priest, in concelebration with whom Fr. John served Vespers, pronounced his exclamations expressively and without haste, and the amateur singers tried with all their hearts and at times achieved marvelous feeling in their performance. Vespers ended, after which Fr. John loudly, sharply and nervously, as if tearing every word from his heart, began to say prayers before confession. And from these sounds there was a whiff of something holy, unearthly. Everyone and everyone feels that this is not just a simple reading, but a kind of live conversation with God. But now the prayers have been read. Father John, opening the royal doors and turning his face to the large crowd of worshipers, says: “Repent!” An amazing scream, noise, tears rises, and this continues for 10–15 minutes. At that time, you cannot imagine where you are: on earth or in heaven. Up to two and three times it comes out. John from the altar and addresses the confessors: “Not everyone has repented!” And again tears and screams, merging into one roar. Confession finally ended, and the reading of prayers for the future began, after which all those praying, with tired faces, headed to their apartments, At 4 a.m., matins began in the right aisle, followed by Fr. John himself read the canon. Following Matins, early mass began. In the middle of the mass, during the reading of the Gospel, the sun looked out of the church window, and one of its slanting rays flooded the entire interior of the altar with light. Will I ever forget Father John at this solemn moment? Standing at the throne and being brightly illuminated to the waist, he stood out as if in a frame, and his whole figure - with reverently concentrated facial features, prayerfully crossed arms on his chest, with sparkling priestly vestments, was illuminated by some indescribable, downright unearthly luminosity. Such moments remain in memory for a lifetime. After the usual sacramental rule, John, together with other clergy, brought out a huge almost bucket-sized chalice, placed it on the prepared bedside table, read “I Believe” with the confessors and began to administer communion. I stood in the middle of the church and waited in line, but I couldn’t stand it and cowardly whispered to myself: “Lord, there will never be an end to this! » An emaciated tradesman in a gray coat standing next to me remarked in my direction: – Communion is always delayed until two o’clock: in the main chapel the late mass begins and has time to leave, but “father” still continues to give communion. Bearer of great works! – the tradesman concluded with a sigh. Finally, the mass ended, but the people not only did not think of leaving, but, on the contrary, rallied even more closely and stubbornly in their places, impatiently waiting for the “father” to come out. However, a good three quarters of an hour passed before this desired moment. Occasionally the altar door would open slightly, and Fr. John, sitting in a chair by the window, now deep in reading sent telegrams, now confessing to some visiting provincial, now giving orders to his assistant, a young blond psalm-reader. Right in front of the pulpit, where Father John served, a small free passage was fenced off with a special grille, guarded with great tricks at the exit by two church guards. I stood on the side of the bars and, not without envy, watched the lucky ones who, in one way or another, squeezed into the coveted fence. I also decided to immediately somehow penetrate into the treasured lattice in order to take a closer look at Father John, when suddenly the entire huge crowd filling the church shook up like one person, and a joyful whisper ran through the rows like an electric spark: “Father!.. Father!..” Indeed, one of the side altar doors opened slightly, and Father John appeared on the threshold. What happened here is difficult to describe. As soon as he appeared, the entire crowd, in an uncontrollable wave, crowding and crushing each other, poured in his direction, and those standing behind the treasured bars instantly found themselves on the very pulpit, and almost knocked him off his feet. With the assistance of the psalm-reader and two watchmen, Fr. John quickly walked along the pulpit to the left aisle and took a step forward to go down the steps and walk at the exit on the north side of the church. Not so!.. In an instant, the crowd filling the church, as if pushed by some elemental force, quickly darted to the left and, stretching out its arms, interrupting each other, shouting and crying, persistently crowded around the church grille, blocking the path of its good shepherd. What they were shouting about, what they were begging for, it was impossible to make out anything, because all these pleas and cries merged into one unclear, deafening and confused cry. Father John, squeezed into a corner, stood submissively pressed against the wall, and his tired face showed either painful melancholy or endless bitterness at the sight of this pitifully helpless crowd frantically restless at his feet. Then suddenly this whole worrying and crying wall moved to the side, and I saw Fr. John - deathly pale, sad in concentration, slowly step by step, as if in a merciless vice, moving forward, with visible difficulty freeing his hand for blessing. And the closer he moved to the exit, the more persistent, merciless and loud the crowd became... This sight simply took my breath away, and I involuntarily half-closed my eyes. When I opened them, oh. John was no longer in the church. I left the church and headed to the apartment. I arrive there, and there, to great joy, I find Father John serving general prayer services. It was then that the Lord deigned me to accept the blessing that I had been seeking for a very, very long time. I consider this day the happiest in my life and the impression it made on me can only die with me!... Published by: “K. P." 1915. N9. pp. 147–149. In our sad and anxious days, the memory of Father John truly brings peace and joy. The thought is involuntarily transported to the not so distant past... Spring of 1903. Holy Week. Great days. I’m in Kronstadt: I came with my comrades to fast. Several years have passed since that time, but I remember well and vividly everything that I felt then and changed my mind. Cathedral. It is completely overflowing with people praying, literally overflowing: a sea of ​​human heads. And whoever is not here!.. Silence. Everyone is in tense anticipation. But then... the heart freezes, as if it stops beating: “he” appears on the pulpit - Father Fr. John. He is wearing stole; He begins to speak simply, clearly and unusually sincerely. There is deathly silence: everyone is trying not to utter a single word from their dear “father.” And he talks about Christ, about His love for us, about His suffering, death on the cross for us - about how He gave Himself all to us. How do we relate to Him, our Savior? We crucify Him with our sinful deeds. “So repent before it’s too late,” Fr. finished his speech. John. A real storm arose: people opened their holy of holies, and everything dirty poured out, which was so exciting that it disturbed their conscience. What people have not repented of!.. Caught up in the general flow, we also opened our souls and began to throw out all uncleanness from there... And Fr. John was praying at this time. Raising the epitrachelion, he gradually turned first to the worshippers, then to the Royal Doors. It was as if he took our soul into his stole and raised it to God for purification. At that time, his face was somehow extraordinary... He finished, he went to the altar, and we stood in the church for a long time. We left the church somehow renewed. The next day we communicated. At Matins the canon was read by Fr. John. His reading is clear and expressive. The liturgy began. Extraordinary liturgy. We stood at the altar. The cathedral was overcrowded. Shouts were often heard: “Father, pray, Father, intercede”... Father serves in a special way: his voice sounds in strict accordance with the words spoken. He often turns to the people, as if he takes all the prayers of the people and lifts them up to the Lord. The holy moment is approaching: we approach Chata, we accept from the hands of Fr. John The Holy Body and Holy Blood of Christ - the Giver of Life. May this holy moment be blessed... The liturgy is over. Renewed in soul, we went to the House of Diligence 54 created by Father John. Soon Fr. arrived here. John. He Visited us; He blessed everyone, said a kind word to everyone... Saying goodbye to us, he gave the order that we be fed better. Having examined the House of Diligence, having visited the favorite room of Fr. John, from where a picturesque view of the sea opens, we went back... Who doesn't know about. Joanna! In the large trading settlement of R., Voronezh province, there lives one small landowner K. He was with Fr. John, which he always talks about with tenderness and reverence. For two years in a row he had no bread, and when he told Fr. John, the latter replied: “You will have rain and harvest this year.” And so it happened... He tells how Fr. John cast out demons from two women. The priest prays, and they shout at him: “Fool.” And when he, turning to them, says: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command you, Satan, come out,” they shout with extraordinary force: “I will not leave, I will not leave.” For the third time They ask the question: where to go. “To hell,” the priest answers. Something extraordinary is done to women, and then they fall and subside. There was such a case. One girl came to the priest for a blessing to get married; she was poor. The priest blessed her, and then reached into his pocket, took out a package from there, and gave it to the girl. The package contained seven thousand rubles. The girl's joy had no end... All this is only a small part of the good that Fr. John. After all, it wasn’t just these who left him, caressed and reassured, but whole millions of others like him. Father John died; but the memory of him, we firmly believe, will never die among Orthodox people: for the latter he will always be a bright light, a bearer of “that mountain-moving faith that Christ bequeathed to His disciples,” for them he will be a shepherd leading “out of the darkness of error those suffering from spiritual blindness.” Orthodox people will always appeal to him: Shine on us as a guiding star And us, O our shepherd, from the wrong path, From the darkness of hopeless doubt, On the path of good, on a noble deed Published by: “K. P." 1916. N49. pp. 697–699 G. Rozhalin. Memories of a trip to Kronstadt on May 26, 1906 I went to Kronstadt to thank Fr. John for the following. At the beginning of the state exams on January 29, 1906 at St. Petersburg University at the Faculty of Law, I sent a letter to our lady friend in Kronstadt with three rubles to give to Fr. John, in which he asked to pray for a successful outcome of the exams. On May 16th the exams ended. I graduated from the university and wanted to go personally to thank Fr. John. It turned out that on May 25 he was leaving Kronstadt for the whole summer. It was not possible to go until May 25th. I was very annoyed. Suddenly on May 25 I meet a long-time admirer of Fr. John. He knew almost every step of the priest, for visitors from Kronstadt came to see him every now and then. Father himself visited him many times. F.A. informed me that the priest postponed the trip until May 29th. I was very happy. There was an opportunity to see Fr. John. F.A. advised to go on May 25 by boat at 8 o’clock in the evening. Returning home at about five in the evening, I learned that my younger sister, who graduated from women’s pedagogical courses in 1904 (now the Imperial Women’s Pedagogical Institute), wanted to go. We went well. By 8 o'clock we boarded the Kotlin steamer, which was stationed at the Nikolaevsky Bridge. We took return tickets in second class for 40 kopecks. per person. We arrived... At the pier in Kronstadt we meet our friends, a widow and a young lady. Since they didn’t know Kronstadt at all, they sent us straight to the House of Industriousness, where there were rooms for visitors at a wide variety of prices: from 30 kopecks. per bed up to 2 rubles. per room. We were assigned No. 14. At 5 a.m. we woke up and went to matins. At 6 o'clock Fr. arrived. John. I confessed to the late Fr. Alexander, keymaster of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral. Father John served wonderfully, inimitably. After the cherubim at the altar, crying and screaming began to be heard from the church. And the further, the more. The church was filled with screams. And this continued until communion. Communion began. Although the cathedral was not full, everyone wanted to receive communion from Fr. John quickly and were afraid that he would leave, since Fr. John was often unable to give communion to everyone who wanted it and passed it on to St. Cup to another priest. Having prepared St. Gifts and taking communion himself, Fr. John went to the left aisle. I stood in the altar of the main chapel near the column. Returning from there, Fr. John looked at me and said: “Go, put things in order! Hold the people!" The men came out of the altar and began to hold back the women, for there were almost no men in the church. And women and, of course, most of the common people, worry, cry, climb through the bars. The exit was completely blocked, so those receiving communion could not leave. The noise increased. The women were very nervous. Out of impatience, they crowded each other so closely that it was not possible to receive communion. Father John went to another chapel. Everyone rushed there. Then he returned. Everyone again rushed to the main altar. The pulpit was separated from the crowd by a high grille, but despite this, it was impossible to turn around on it. It was filled all the way to the Royal Doors with women. I kept them on the pulpit, held them, but it didn’t help much. The men went to the altar. The watchmen have disappeared. I was left alone among the excited crowd. Father John gave communion to the men at the altar. All the doors to the altar were locked, I was pressed against the very iron bars separating the salt from the church. Meanwhile, the pressure on the bars continued. She bent; it seemed like it was about to come off. Seeing such a danger, I used my elbows to the best of my ability and somehow got out. I went to the Altar. I stopped in the main aisle. I think I should at least take communion, because I went to confession and came to Kronstadt for this. Father no longer gave communion. I spoke with one of those present. He directed me to the priest who consumed St. Gifts. A young, but already gray-haired Kronstadt priest gave me Holy Communion. Gifts, and I walked from the altar to the garden exit. They won't let me in there again. They were only allowed into the church through the small right altar. The pulpit grille was locked. I had to jump over. My sister was terribly indignant at everything she had seen and left the cathedral with the intention of immediately leaving for St. Petersburg. With her was the lady we knew who, in January 1906, gave my letter to the priest. The latter calmed her sister down and asked her to stay. I asked too. I knew that the priest would smooth out this difficult impression. Barely persuaded. Let's go to the House of Industriousness. They say that Father will arrive soon. They began to wait. We drank tea after the priest. Before him, they didn’t eat or drink anything. However, he arrived in our room no earlier than 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I thanked him for his prayers and told him that I had graduated from university. He served a prayer of thanks and said: “Well, it will continue to be so good. If you remember God, you will feel good!” Then, pointing to his sister, he asked: “Who is this?” “This,” I say, “is my sister.” Then he explained to the priest that “I can’t hear well.” He remarked: “Me too. From scrofula? Me: “Yes.” - “Which ear?” “On the right,” I say, “it’s really bad, but on the left it’s better.” Then our lady drew his attention to his sister. She indicated that she had a sore throat. He moistened his throat with holy water, ran his hand over it and said: “It will pass! Your throat will be strong and indestructible!” And indeed, the throat has gone away and still doesn’t hurt, so my sister reads and recites very loudly. The priest was dragged further into the next rooms. A man who had never been to Kronstadt and had not seen the life of Fr. John, who valued every minute, might have been surprised by the arrangement of the rooms in the House of Industriousness. From each door there was a door leading to the next one, so that each room had three doors: two to the neighboring rooms and one to the corridor. This was arranged for the convenience of visiting Fr. John of the visitors. When he arrived, all the doors swung open, and he quickly moved from room to room. So they opened the doors to the next room from us, and the priest came to other visitors. We waited a bit and started drinking tea. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon we boarded the ship, which departed for St. Petersburg at 6 o'clock in the evening. It was fun and light in our souls. The morning's troubles were forgotten. All that remained was the charming personality of Fr. John. His bright image replaced all the bitter experiences of the day. At 8 pm the ship arrived in St. Petersburg. After that I went to Kronstadt to visit my father several more times. But the first impression is more etched in my memory. Published by: “K. P." 1913. N29–30. pp. 509–511. A. Voskresensky. Wonderful shepherd of the Russian people Inexorable time rushes by quickly. Hours, days, months, years are replaced in a continuous sequence. It has already been more than five years since the moment in which the pure and God-loving soul of the greatest shepherd of the Russian people, Fr. John of Kronstadt departed to the Lord, Whom he loved from the days of his earliest youth, Whom he served undividedly throughout his long life, glorifying Him with the wondrous deeds of his wondrous life, serving as a refuge, consolation, deliverance for millions of sinful and restless souls, healing incurable illnesses, taking away every tear from the face of those who suffer sorely, exhausted in an overwhelming struggle with the fierce, raging waves of the angry Sea of \u200b\u200blife, leading exhausted swimmers into a calm haven, to God. However, should my wretched word dare to speak about the immense spiritual height and miraculous power of the one whose name is highly exalted not only throughout the vast expanse of the Russian Empire, from the Arctic to the Atlantic oceans, the one who was revered in the royal palaces in the most wretched hovels of the most uncovered poverty and who now for five whole years has been sleeping in a peaceful, serene, restful sleep after the labors of an amazing life under the arches of the cave church of St. John’s Convent for Women in St. Petersburg, to the coffin of which believers are drawn in continuous lines, and here he, as once alive, is told about all his sorrows, misfortunes, illnesses, about the severity of his everyday burdens. And now, as before, the great servant of God, whose shepherding of the Russian people did not break with his blessed death, listens to their stories. We are immensely happy that in our time, in our days, the Lord raised up for us such a great shepherd, who embodied in his life all the covenants of Christ. And what a countless number of children of St. The Church of Christ, if not personally in body, then spiritually and in thought, rushes to the northern capital of our kingdom, grafted to the dear tomb of Father Fr. John, feeding his soul with indelible memories of him. The one who writes these wretched lines, following the general example of those to whom the memory of him is dear, every memory of him is close, decides to tell others about his meeting with the ever-memorable servant of God. Who among us does not know him; who has not at least rushed in thought to distant Kronstadt, in order to look at the great blessed lamp of the Church of Christ of our time, to enter into prayerful communion with him, to kiss his blessing right hand?! At least these impulses irresistibly attracted me to him. But for a long, long time my wish was not destined to come true. And only at the beginning of 1894 the destinies of God led me to Fr. John. In the autumn of 1893 I made a long journey from Kyiv to Odessa, New Athos, Voronezh, Zadonsk, Moscow and, finally, St. Petersburg. Being in such close proximity to Kronstadt, I decided to definitely be there, despite the fact that, having caught a severe cold on the way, I could barely stand on my feet from illness; if he didn’t fall ill completely, it was only because he didn’t have a specific place where he could do it. On the eve of the great feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, having reached the Sergius Hermitage 55, with great difficulty I defended the festive liturgy here, at the end of which, through great power, past Alexandria, Old and New Peterhof and Oranienbaum 56 I trudged on foot to Kronstadt, the lights of which were visible 7 versts from the latter. Late in the evening, completely exhausted by both illness and a significant transition, I finally reached this city, where, having found an overnight stay in the house of Diligence - the brainchild of Fr. John, learned that the priest intended to celebrate Matins and the Liturgy of the next day in the home church of this institution. When we got ready to go to church the next morning, we were told that Fr. John serves in the church of the Kronstadt City Duma, and by the time we reached it, the church was already incredibly crowded with worshipers. Spiritual clothing has now served me a great service, opening me, although not without difficulty, access to the salt of the church, and then to the altar of the left aisle, from where I first saw the one to whom all my thoughts had been striving for so long: Fr. John prayed fervently before St. the throne of the right aisle. When, at one time, he went out to the choir and began reading the canon, the whole church literally froze. And in his incomparable reading, described by many, one could hear such a boldness of faith, such a spiritual co-presence of him on the banks of the distant Jordan at the moment of the Lord’s coming to John, that even for an inattentive pilgrim, if there was one here, it remained undeniable that Fr. John experienced with his whole being the mystery of the greatest humility of the Lord and Creator, asking for baptism from a slave. Straining all my attention, afraid to utter even one word from the familiar canon, I felt in my heart that in this most ardent faith of the illustrious man of prayer lay all the power of his miraculous power, raising the almost dead from the bed of illness, extracting sinners and perishing from the abyss of destruction, returning degraded people to the path of rational and generally useful activity. When, after Matins, Fr. John celebrated the Divine Liturgy with a council of other clergy; he was outside the world, outside the earth: he stood before the throne of God with his whole being. talked with Him face to face and not only asked, but in the boldness of faith demanded from Him the salvation of people. Meanwhile, when Fr. John officiated; due to the extreme weakening of my physical strength, I was forced to sit on a stool for most of the liturgy. Many times, approaching from St. throne to the altar to remove particles of the living and the dead, the great shepherd quickly passed by me. And at that time I thought and thanked the Lord with all my heart that He had given me the happiness of seeing the one to whom the eyes of all the believing sons of the Russian land are turned. The liturgy is over. O. John, undressed, in one cassock and stole, before St. the altar read prayers of thanksgiving for St. communion. The moment to approach him and accept his blessing was the most convenient; but a strange indecision took possession of my soul. “Why,” I thought, “will I bother about. John, who had so much work ahead of him? Accept his blessing? But from the throne of God he invoked His blessing on everyone, including my curse. But then why did you undertake the work of pilgrimage to Kronstadt if you do not dare to approach Fr. John? - another thought objected. The gracious shepherd, as if foreseeing in spirit the struggle taking place in me, suddenly turns in my direction and bows. Of course, after that there was no trace of my indecision left, and I hurried to the priest. “Who are you, where are you from?” – he asked, greeting. I said. “What prompted you to come to Kronstadt? " - "The same thing that attracts hundreds of thousands of people here: this is a long-standing and sincere desire to see you, father, and ask your saints. prayers and blessings." “Let's pray together,” says Fr. John, kneeling before the throne. I follow his example and do the same on the left side of the throne. This prayer lasted only a few moments, but how sweet it was! “Well, may the Lord help you,” says His great servant, blessing and kissing my wretchedness on the mouth and head. At that moment I felt at ease: the weakness disappeared and it was as if some wonderful stream had flowed into my body, completely banishing the disease, and my soul and heart were playing, as they once did in the days of a now distant and immaculate childhood on the great day of St. Easter! And so the great shepherd of the Russian people five years ago finished the feat of his earthly life and went to the Lord. The day of his death, his blessed repose, from the very first year became memorable for the Russian Church, which blessed him as its glory and adornment. Five years have already passed since the Lord recalled him to eternity. Decades will pass, but the bonds of love with which the deceased shepherd was connected with his flock will not weaken. I bow to you to the ground, priest of God, and eternal memory. Published by: “K. P." 1914. N30. pp. 469–474. Father John... You call this name, and your soul becomes light and joyful, and before your mind’s eye you will appear as a living, unforgettable Father with a smiling face and gentle radiant eyes. He brought joy with him everywhere, consoled everyone, invigorated everyone, loved everyone. His whole life was the fulfillment of the apostolic covenant: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything, do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess.: 5). It seemed that the time could never come when Father would not be there, that he would always console us, pray for our sick, give us an example of living faith and tireless cheerfulness. But the time has come... Father passed away. Our grief was great. But even this seemed to be pacified by quiet joy, the joy that a new lamp had been lit before the throne of the Most High, a new, bright star had shone in the sky. Many times I had the good fortune to see Fr. John, to be at his services, but I especially remember the first meeting with him. It was a long time ago; I was very young and was finishing a course at one of the Petrograd institutes. This year I heard a lot about Fr. John and often received letters from home with newspaper clippings that described cases of healing through Father’s prayer. Without even knowing him, I already revered and loved him and desperately wanted to see him. This wish of mine came true. My mother came to my graduation and decided to go with me to Kronstadt. Our friends tried to dissuade us from this trip, assuring us that Father had been in his homeland for a long time; the head of the institute did not want to let me in, fearing the crowd that always attended Fr. John. But finally everything worked out, and we were in the carriage. We had just managed to sit down in our section when we heard noise and unusual movement on the platform, and the lady sitting with us explained to us that it was carried out by Fr. John returning to Kronstadt. Father's compartment turned out to be next to us, but we could not see him or approach him, because the carriages on the Baltic Railway. They are arranged in a foreign style: they consist of small compartments that are locked, so that you can move from one compartment to another only at the stations. I looked out the window all the time and suddenly, to my happiness, I saw Father. He stood at the window and, raising his eyes to the sky, prayed. Much time has passed since then, but even now, often remembering Father, I see before me his inspired face and radiant gaze turned to the sky. Then I positively froze when I saw him, my soul trembled, and tears involuntarily flowed from my eyes. I have never seen such a prayer, I didn’t know that you could pray like that! I have never cried such sweet tears before. Father prayed for a long time, and we watched furtively, afraid to disturb him. I heard that there is a general confession in Kronstadt. And so, when I saw Father and felt in my heart the extraordinary great power of his prayer and all his spiritual beauty, the fear of this confession came over me. I kept thinking about how I would approach him, and it seemed to me that with one glance he would penetrate my soul, force me to loudly confess my sins, and drive me away. At the last station we begged the conductor to open our section. Father saw us, came to the window, blessed us and, looking straight at us, said loudly: “There will be no general confession, there won’t be, and I won’t take communion.” I was amazed by these words, this answer to my thoughts. We arrived in Kronstadt late in the evening; a room was prepared for us in the house of Diligence. Mom immediately went to the cathedral psalm-reader to ask him to give us the opportunity to see Father’s service. She returned very late, without arranging anything. Early in the morning we went to St. Andrew's Cathedral for mass. There were so many people that there was no way to move forward. We stopped at the candle box and thought with sadness that we wouldn’t be able to see the service. Suddenly the psalm-reader comes up and says that Fr. John ordered us to be taken to the choir behind bars. We squeezed behind him through the crowd and found ourselves behind bars, next to the lectern, not far from the Royal Doors. Then Father came out of the altar, quickly walked up to the lectern and began to read the canon. He read very loudly, nodding his head joyfully and emphasizing some words. He said especially loudly: “Shine, shine, New Jerusalem” and “Holy Father Patrick, pray to God for us” (this was May 19, memory of St. Patrick). The canon ended and mass began. The service was wonderful, I stood there as if in a dream. I think that everyone who saw these services never forgot them. Mass ended. Father came out with a cross and asked: “Well, did you see and hear everything?” After mass we hurried to the house of Diligence, where Fr. John serve a prayer service. At first he served in numbers, and then there was a general prayer service in the hall. The door to our room opened. Entered, oh. John, joyfully and loudly greeting: “Christ is Risen! “A prayer service began. And again, from an inexplicable feeling of joy, I cried without ceasing. Father put his hand on my head and tenderly asked: “What are you crying about, little one?” I couldn’t answer him, I just took his hand and pressed it to my eyes. At that time my eyes hurt very badly and painfully. Since then I have had no pain, and I believe that it went away through Father’s prayer. We went to the common room for a prayer service. A lot of people gathered there. As Father entered, a general groan rang through the hall. Many were crying. Before the start of the prayer service, Fr. John said, “Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you.” The prayer service ended, Father blessed everyone and left, accompanied by the crowd. Everyone wanted to look at him again, everyone crowded around him, near the carriage, catching his hands and clothes. That same day, at 4 o'clock, we had to leave. Let's go to the pier; There were three ships there. We were told that Fr. John also leaves at the same hour for his homeland, but on what ship, no one knew. We sat down at random, and suddenly Father drove up here! On the way we went to his cabin. He blessed everyone again and treated them to cherries. When we arrived at Petrograd, all the passengers crowded on one side of the deck near the bridge, wanting to see Father again. The steamer tilted to one side, the sailors drove away the crowd, but could not do anything: no one wanted to leave. Father walked to the bridge with difficulty. A thick crowd was already waiting for him on the pier. Two gendarmes surrounded him and almost carried him through the crowd. They pushed Father from all sides, no one thought that they were causing him not only anxiety, but even pain. It was obvious that it was very difficult for Father. Suffering appeared on his face, and his eyes rose to the sky, looking for support and help there. We returned home, full of the impressions we had experienced, and for a long time we could not forget this trip, in which everything was so wonderfully arranged and successful. Published by: “K. P." 1915. N26. From 411–414. M. Vinogradov, captain. From memories On March 2, 1906, at about 10 a.m., I was walking along Basseynaya Street, heading to work at the General Headquarters. I see that at the entrance to the church of the Leushinsky women's courtyard 57 there is a crowd of people and a police squad is standing. I ask - for what occasion is this all here?! And I hear: “Father Father John of Kronstadt will serve here.” It was like an electric spark ran through my body from this message! For so long I have wanted to see and be at the divine service of the famous shepherd St. our Orthodox Church! Leaving the service aside, I quickly headed to the church lobby. Here the police official and then the nun warned me about the entrance ticket - “otherwise, they say, it’s impossible,” - but I already answered them on the go: “I don’t have a ticket,” - quickly climbing to the very top of the church. To my joy, no one stopped me anymore, and I settled down on the left choir. The Divine Liturgy began. Served Fr. John of Kronstadt in the concelebration of other priests. Until the exit with the Holy Gifts, the service went on as usual. With every inspired exclamation of our dear Father of blessed memory, one felt some special prayerful upsurge, a particularly joyful, gracious feeling of religious mood! It was believed that all these prayers, petitions and thanksgivings of the great righteous man of God reach St. The Throne of God, and together with the pilgrims present, by virtue of this faith, I united in a tearful prayer of gratitude to God, with the majestic and harmonious singing of “Like the Cherubim,” for the gift of such a shepherd to us. Almost everyone prayed while on their knees. The greatest moments of the Divine Eucharist - the Transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts - passed in a particularly joyful, prayerful feeling. But what happened in the church when the royal doors opened and the deacon exclaimed: “Come with the fear of God and faith,” and then dear Father began to give communion to the people, it is difficult to describe! Most fell on their faces, crying, wailing in tearful sobs, repenting out loud of their sins. Every now and then the exclamations of many pilgrims were heard: “You are our dear, dear! Pray for us, remember us in your holy prayers!” etc. At the end of the Liturgy, Father taught the people. Like thunder, the inspired words of teaching penetrated the heart and melted it for a Christian grace-filled life. I will never forget these few hours of joint prayer with the great righteous man of the Russian land! I endlessly thanked the Lord God for this opportunity. At the end of the Liturgy, when Father unmasked himself, I, taking off my weapon, went through the southern doors to the altar to him for a blessing. Dear Father blessed my head bowed before him with a cross and quickly and joyfully, with his characteristic patter, greeted me with the words: “Hello, dear.” I kissed his blessing hand. The unforgettable words of dear Father addressed to me: “Hello, dear,” permeated me all with a special joyful thrill; and to this day they instill in me some special invigorating feeling every time I remember this joyful event in my life. And I remember him with special pleasure almost every day. Published by: “K. P." 1913. N 38. P. 651–652. Hegumen Georgy. From memories of a joint trip with my father in 1903 “God's mercy be with you. Hello, Dear Mother Abbess Angelina 58. I wish you from the Lord God all prosperity, spiritual salvation and bodily health. Mother Abbess, during our stay at the Belgorod celebration 59, I talked to you about Father Fr. John and his power of prayer, which I personally saw when I traveled with him in 1903 to his homeland. This is what I can say with a clear priestly conscience, what I saw personally and can testify. On the morning of June 19 we were driving along the Great Dvina River, Vologda Province. The priest wanted to serve the liturgy, but suddenly our path began to be obscured by smoke, and as we drove further, the smoke became more and more, so that it was no longer possible to be on deck, and the captain told us that it was dangerous to go further, since the path was not visible and the smoke was eating heavily into the eyes. Then the priest began to beg the captain: “At least slowly, but go further.” And indeed, as we drove on, the smoke became less, and on the shore we saw a church. The priest crossed himself and said: “Here, thank God, now we will serve mass.” When we landed on the shore, my father said to me: “Oh. George, go up the mountain and ask the priest for permission to serve.” Father always did this. I climbed the mountain. I see a village, but there are no people, I went into the priest’s house, looked, there was no one, I went into another house - to the prosphora - there was no one either, I just found prosphora in a pot. I returned to the ship and told the priest that there was no one. He sent me again and ordered me to pull the bell by the rope, which I did. A peasant comes up to me and is surprised that the monk is calling. He asked me who I was, I told him and explained that the priest had arrived and wanted to serve mass. This little man - he turned out to be the church watchman - was confused and did not know what to do with joy. And he says: “I will open the church for you, serve, but our priest is not there, and there is no one in the village, everyone has gone to the fire.” It turned out that there had been no rain here for about three months and there was a severe drought. The priest and I went up to the church and began to serve Matins. There were not a soul of people except those who came with us on the ship. Mass began. Suddenly a local priest comes, and how happy and grateful he was at such a surprise. I began to ask the priest to pray for rain. Father agreed and, turning to the people, said: “Orthodox, let’s pray together so that the Lord will give rain.” Meanwhile, people began to gather for mass and the church became full. Everything is covered in soot, because they, having heard the ringing at the wrong time, came straight from the fire and their priest along with them. During communion, clouds began to appear, and I said to the priest: “It seems like it’s going to rain,” and he answered me: “Thank God, the Lord truly heard the prayer of the Orthodox.” When we finished mass and went to the priest to have tea, it was already starting to rain quite a bit, but when we left the priest for the ship, we were already wet. And here it was necessary to see how the people saw off the priest: they threw themselves into the water, grabbed the steamer, sang troparia... everyone poured out their heartfelt gratitude. There was no rain for three months, and suddenly they heard a ringing sound, imagined that the village was on fire, and through the priest’s prayer the fire stopped, and after that it rained for a whole day. I attribute this to the great mercy of God through the prayer of our dear priest. This happened in the village of Egrizh, Vologda province. On June 20 at 7 o'clock in the morning we arrived in Veliky Ustyug, Vologda province. When my father and I went ashore, there was only one horse standing there, harnessed to a cart for goods. We hired a peasant to the Church of the Righteous Procopius. When we were driving to the cathedral, merchants went to open their shops and involuntarily paid attention to us as if we were visitors. I noticed that some guessed, guessed and recognized the priest and gave a greeting. When we arrived at the cathedral, another priest was reading the entrance prayers. When Father met him, we joined to pray together. The priest, as usual, performed a proskomedia, during which a young man in a school uniform comes to the Altar and convincingly asks the priest to pray for his sick father and after the liturgy to visit the sick man. Father refused and said: “I’ll pray anyway, but I don’t have time to travel around,” he asked his father’s name, he said Leo. After mass, this young man again began to ask the priest to come in, but the priest again refused. And when, after mass, the priest and I were invited to eat bread and salt with the church elder, this young man was here again with the same request. And this time the priest refused. When we were getting ready to go on the ship, a decent crew was given to us and Mr. Ispravnik and Stanovoi escorted us, and this young man ran behind our crew. The police officer says to the priest: “Father, here is the house of that young man who asks you to come in.” Then the priest said: “If we’re driving past, we’ll stop by, but I thought that he wanted to take him to the edge of the city, and time is precious to me.” When he said these words, the police officer told the coachman to turn through the gate. When we arrived at the house, they had already prepared everything for the water prayer service and the sick man was sitting on the sofa. Father asked him about his illness. It turned out that the horse seriously hurt his leg, he did not pay attention, due to which the disease reached such a stage that the doctors refused to treat and recommended that he take the leg off and go to Crimea for treatment. But the patient did not have such means and asked the priest to pray. It should also be noted that the patient could not walk at all and even on crutches he could stand up with great difficulty. Then the priest turned to all those gathered with a request that everyone pray for the sick Leo and begin to serve a water-blessing prayer service. After the prayer service he says: “Show me where it hurts.” And when he showed his sore leg, it was impossible to look without horror: there was absolutely nothing but bone and sinew, the meat was all rotten. Father says: “Oh, you poor Lev, believe in God and the Lord will heal you.” He took a tea cup, scooped up some holy water and let him wash his leg, his hands were stained with blood and pus. Then he washed his hands and sat down to eat bread and salt. When we began to say goodbye and went to the carriage, the sick Lev suddenly got up from the sofa, moved his crutches away from him and said: “Father, I am completely healthy, I thank God and you for your prayer.” And he freely escorted us to the carriage. No matter how much his wife and children tried to persuade him not to get up, he not only got up, but also went to see us off, and before 6 months he could not move. When parting, the priest said to him: “If the Lord heals you, then send me a letter or telegram.” This all happened in front of a large crowd of people. Published by: “K. P." 1–912. N 2. P 36–37; N 3. pp. 51–52. Priest V. Ilyinsky. Around about. John of Kronstadt (According to personal impressions) I saw O. John twice. For the first time I had to see Fr. John at the Kyiv Theological Academy. On the eleventh of September in the late nineties, after finishing the lectures, I was among other students in the academic library when I learned that Fr. John is in Kyiv and is going to visit the academy. They said that he should be at the academy now. We, all the students who were in the library, hurried to hand over our books and went out into the courtyard of the Brotherly Monastery 28. The news of the arrival of Fr. Joanna had already walked around the entire academy and students from everywhere were gathering in groups and talking animatedly among themselves about this arrival. However, no one knew for sure. They said that he came to Kiev at the invitation of the Governor-General Count A.P. Ignatiev 29 and that he arrived the day before, but when he would be at the academy and whether he would be, no one knew for sure. It was clear that the news of Fr.’s visit to the Academy. John vividly touched the entire student body. The students could not boast of their religiosity and generally idealistic mood. Quite the contrary. The discipline at the academy at that time was quite strict. The students more or less carefully attended morning and evening prayers, went to the all-night vigil and mass at the appointed time, and in general more or less accurately fulfilled all the requirements of the academic mouth, but their internal mood did not correspond to their external actions. Even the constant reader of the hours at the bishop's service was distinguished by extreme cynicism, laughed in his midst at everything churchly and religious, and often appeared at his lectern for reading the hours at the liturgy after a night spent in riotous revelry, with sleepy eyes and a smell of fumes coming from his breath; during the service, many students sat on the floor of the church and read newspapers or books, or even just had conversations at home; they composed all sorts of parodies of biblical stories, etc., etc. In addition, in general, they were distinguished by extreme suspicion both in relation to each other and generally in relation to the purity of intentions and actions of individuals. The deep contradiction between words and deeds, between theoretical tasks and the practice of education, in general - between what teachers say in a theological school and how they conduct education here, that atmosphere of division, stupid arrogance and all falsehood in which each of us had to spend more than ten years, moreover, during the period of greatest spiritual sensitivity, all this left a deep imprint on students of moral pessimism and moral weakness and together developed in them narrow practicality. But... a lion and a dead one are still a lion, and the crippled young man still carries in his very blood the inclinations of high idealism. Under the influence of the news of the arrival of Fr. John, the students discovered, so to speak, new moral sensations. We somehow immediately felt that something big, lofty, extraordinary was approaching us, but at the same time dear to all of us, and from this proximity of an extraordinary person, the flame of new moral impulses was lit in us. All other interests somehow naturally faded into the background, became small and unnecessary. Our thoughts were entirely occupied with. John, the great cause that he serves: his constant readiness to help those who are toiling and burdened, his tireless charity, and finally, his incessant prayerful fervor. About the activities of Fr. Each of us has heard and read a lot about John, but until now Fr. John was for us one of those great historical figures who, from their distance, seem to be almost abstract beings. Now, in view of his tactile approach to us, we all felt within ourselves various living echoes of something that previously had hardly touched us or touched us little. The appearance, although previously bright, was at the same time pale, ethereal and distant, almost extra-life, now materialized in our eyes, began to shine and attract us to itself with its deep reality... The spiritual uplift was undeniable, and it happened very quickly. Like the petals of a flower towards the light, the most intimate corners of young but crippled hearts were now opening up, and in these corners the seeds of high thoughts and great deeds were revealed... However, this state of affairs did not last long. Soon they began to say among the students that Fr. John will not be with us. And we soon believed this too. There was also a probable explanation. At that time, there were continuous “misunderstandings” with the authorities at the academy. It got to the point where they started breaking the glass in the inspector’s windows; They even shot at him, albeit with a rubber device, but still in such a way that they broke through the glass in the double frames. They said that Fr. John would not want to visit an environment that was so disrespectful to their superiors, and the students, one by one, went to the dining room for evening tea. Something like disappointment began. “If o. John, in fact, for these reasons will not be with us, which means that he does not want or cannot look deeper into the soul,” the students said. Little by little, in our midst about Fr. They stopped talking to Joanna completely. The author of these lines also gave himself up to impressions that, perhaps, have nothing in common with Fr. John. In the dressing room, three of my comrades sang Rimsky-Korsakov. “I’m tired of all-nighters.” I came in to listen. A purely Russian sad melody painted in my imagination a purely Russian picture: a girl at the window at a spinning wheel, pouring out her grief for her friend who had abandoned her, grief with the usual Russian patience, in which one can hear both self-accusation and reconciliation with a bitter lot, moreover, a special reconciliation, also, perhaps, purely Russian - without soul-tearing screams and groans, imbued with the consciousness of the inevitability of suffering. Now I no longer remember all the words of the song, but my memory vividly preserves the final phrase along with its musical transmission: “Did I anger him, my friend?” This phrase expresses a whole worldview and a complete picture of everyday life - heavy, but in the rendering of our talented composer, highly artistic and exciting... Soon we were all sitting in our rooms doing our usual things, and our small current interests were completely pushed aside and overshadowed by the experiences associated with waiting for Fr. John. We were sure that we would not have to see him. However, we were wrong. At 9 o'clock a student hierodeacon (Bulgarian) came into our room - for some reason he was always well informed regarding issues of general importance that especially interested us at one time or another - and told us that Fr. John should be in the rector’s apartment now. We immediately went to the building occupied by the rector, the late Bishop Sylvester 30 . On the steps of the porch here sat an elderly police officer, decorated with various insignia. There was a crowd of students who had arrived before us; there were almost no outsiders. They said that the audience had gathered around six o'clock, but they were assured that Fr. John will not be there, and she is separated. (Later I learned that such a hoax was resorted to almost everywhere where Father John was expected, in order to warn large crowds of people.) Everyone was in a concentrated, more or less tense mood. Everyone spoke in a low voice. Theological students - hieromonks, priests and deacons - lined up on either side of the porch. The most illuminated (by a lantern) place was occupied by Hieromonk I., in a hood, with a long and thick beard, who, if not quite looking like an anchorite, then at least gave a fairly solid impression of a good monk. His figure with the long shadow that lay behind it gave a special character to the entire meeting and did not remain without a trace for the mobile psyche of the youth gathered here. Everyone was in the mood with which believers usually meet a shrine, and somehow it came naturally that our thoughts, all our spiritual movements again broke away from our everyday life and turned to something extra-spatial and timeless. The clatter of horses was heard nearby. The carriage rolled up softly and the door handle clicked. We all became one attention. Nobody told us, but we knew that Fr. should get out of the carriage. John. We expected to see a majestic figure, or at least a man with majestic manners and slow speech, also calling away from this world, in short, we thought that we would meet a saint, as he is usually pictured in the imagination of a Russian person brought up on four menaions and ascetic literature. But it turned out differently. Silently blessing several people waiting near the carriage, Fr. John quickly walked towards the rector’s apartment among the parting students. Having reached Hieromonk I., he suddenly turned to him with a greeting: - I have the honor to bow. Aren't you going to be an inspector? This was said in a firm, ringing voice, abruptly and expressively, without any sweetness, so common in the spiritual environment. O.I. barely had time to answer “no” when Fr. John, having kissed his hand and lips, was already running up the steps of the porch, grunting slightly, alive, cheerful and cheerful. The impression was unexpected. Our previous tension disappeared, and we somehow immediately felt that a person had entered our midst who was far from alien to us and that he came not from another world, but precisely from this one, from the very world in which we ourselves live and in which all of us, ordinary people, are so interested. Some of the students followed Fr. into the rector's apartment. John, but the majority remained waiting for him outside. Soon the inspector came out and announced that Fr. John will be in the academic building. The students gathered in the hall, and, indeed, twenty minutes later Fr. John, accompanied by the rector and inspector. The students greeted him by singing the troparion for the holiday (Nativity of the Virgin Mary). I was able to see Fr. John from above when he was just climbing the stairs. Our Eminence Sylvester, already quite burdened with years, supported Fr. John's arm on the left side. The tall and imposing inspector moved majestically to the right. Halfway up the stairs Fr. John said to the Reverend Sylvester: “I need to support you,” but I could not see how they moved on. Fr. was dressed. John in a black silk patterned cassock. Students said later that he was “sprayed” with perfume, but I didn’t notice it myself. When the singing of the troparion ended, Fr. John addressed us with a speech. “Hello, classmates! I am glad to see you, to be among you even for a short time...” Then he spoke about Orthodoxy, about the Tsar, about the Synod, about the need to firmly adhere to the precepts of the church and so on. In his speech, he often called students friends. He spoke loudly, hammering out words, hastily, even nervously. He threw words into the crowd around him with the confidence that they would all be collected with great care. There was persistence and strength of conviction in his metallic voice. About the form of speech, apparently, Fr. John didn't care at all. For him, the most important thing was to speak out. During his speech, he nervously turned around in different directions, and in general his nervousness was quite noticeable, but this nervousness was of a special kind, it seemed like the excitement of a person in a hurry, and not an organic weakness. One got the impression that he spoke his speech on the move, in motion, with the fear that he would not be allowed to say everything he needed to say. Free words Fr. John, however, did not possess. He stopped after almost every phrase and one could often hear in his speech: “um,” “um.” At the end of the speech, Fr. John thanked the students for their trust and respect in him and called himself happy to see us. And he repeated this several times. After the speech, students began to approach him for his blessing. Blessing, Fr. John sometimes said: “in the name of the Lord.” He blessed as quickly as he spoke. Everyone came under the blessing, not excluding notorious religious skeptics. From the hall about. John, with a group of students surrounding him in a tight ring, moved to the inspector’s apartment, where his carriage was waiting for him at the entrance outside. On the way to the stairs, one of the students squeezed through to him with a request to help his sick brother. “He’s dumb,” said the student. “But you are God-verbal,” answered Fr. John. Left the academy Fr. John goes through the inspector's apartment, almost without stopping in it. Of course, among the students Fr. John was the topic of lively conversations for a long time. Skepticism, however, eventually prevailed in the souls of the students, and the majority of them, captured for the moment by the religious movement, soon moved on to destructive analysis, so that in the eyes of many, the bright halo that surrounded the image of Fr. John, turned out to be absent-minded. These skeptics pointed out that Fr. John moves exclusively almost in the highest circles and among the rich classes, that he is used to ignoring people of the lower classes, is too harsh and harsh, that he lacks sincere cordiality, a lot of affectation and secular manners; Many people didn’t like what Fr. John was kissed by the bishop's hand, etc., etc. There were, of course, those who had a high impression of Fr. John turned out to be persistent, but they spoke out little. At least, I have not heard any of them speak so loudly and decisively for Fr. John, as others said against him. Another time I had to see Fr. John in Kronstadt - two years later. Due to personal circumstances, I had to be in St. Petersburg at that time and even live here for a long time. In St. Petersburg at that time Fr. was almost at the apogee of his fame. Grigory Petrov 31. I moved in a spiritual environment, and there was a lot of talk about him here. At that time, O. Gregory lectured at courses for teachers and female teachers and, judging by what I heard from one teacher, everyone was delighted with him. This teacher brought me, by the way, an excerpt from his farewell speech, with which he ended his lectures, a truly beautiful one. The impression from this excerpt was so strong that I now even remember its essential content. Let me reproduce it here. “The people’s teacher at school,” said Fr. Gregory is the same as a mason in a mine, who has to go down into a deep underground and break hard blocks with his heavy hammer in order to extract small sparkles of precious metal from them. His lot is hard. Like Ostap, he shouts from his dungeon: “Do you hear, father?” “I hear,” comes the answer from above. Attention has now been paid to the position of the people's teacher, etc. I have conveyed only the essential features of the main images. Processing them at Fr. Gregory was better than my show. I wanted to visit Fr. Gregory and Fr. John, and especially from Fr. John, although less was said about him around me. I knew that I would get to Fr. It is very difficult for John; but one priest I knew promised me assistance - to write to one of the Kronstadt priests, so that he, on his part, would give me the necessary instructions on the spot, in Kronstadt. I went to Kronstadt by boat from Vasilyevsky Island. It was mid-May. On the way, I met a priest, a former Old Believers, one of the peasant scribes, a very interesting person in his attitude both to the Old Believers and to the dominant church. It turned out that he was also going to Fr. John, and we became partners. Together we appeared to the promised patron - the Kronstadt priest; but my, or rather, now our, calculations were in vain. This priest received us quite kindly, but soon let us go - completely empty-handed. In part, this was, however, in the order of things. Because of my companion’s cassock, he looked like a genuine peasant farmer, with typical peasant speech and peasant manners; I, too, could not inspire interest in myself; meanwhile, the priest lived widely, and in the next room among the guests I saw naval officers... They were embarrassed to show us in good company... First of all, when we went outside from under the inhospitable priestly shelter for us, we began to look for a room for ourselves. We went to the House of Diligence, but they charged too much for a private room, and we didn’t want to stay in the common room. From here we walked to the cathedral. One woman here, having learned from questioning that we had come to see Fr. John, began to intensively call to her. She promised to give us a separate room for a ruble. Such a fee was feasible for our skinny wallets; Moreover, the woman assured us that she enjoyed Fr.’s great favor. John and what about. John will certainly be with her as soon as he returns to Kronstadt. “I maintain the apartment with the blessing of Fr. John,” she said. - I’m not from here - a poor widow; was in great need after the death of her officer husband. With My grief I came to Fr. John, and he said to me: “I bless you to keep apartments for my visitors, and you will be well fed. That's what I did. And, thank God, I don’t run out of good people.” Our landlady had several rooms. We got the last one available and the smallest one. The hostess turned out to be a very talkative lady. She talked a lot about the insights and miracles of Fr. John. We were also presented with a living example of healing from a nervous breakdown of a girl servant who served us a samovar. This girl, originally from the Minsk province, an orphan, very willingly, consistently and comprehensibly told us the difficult story of her wanderings and her suffering - mental and physical. From her story it was clear that she was getting rid of her illness gradually, and even at that time, according to her, she was not strong enough to take on any work. We fell asleep very pleased that chance had brought us to the house, where we would certainly see Fr. John the next day. However, in the morning he was not yet in Kronstadt. We visited St. Andrew's Cathedral and after a prayer service (on the occasion of the service day) we went to inspect the military ships stationed in the roadstead. We ended up on the battleship Poltava. Everything here was of great interest to us: the daily routine, the arrangement of individual rooms, and, finally, the various weapons for exterminating people and enemy ships. My companion was positively depressed by the novelty of the impressions. The officer gave us an explanation, and Fr. Bartholomew kept inserting his remarks into his speech: “Lord, what wisdom!”, “What wisdom, Lord!”, “What has man come to! Oh, my God! What a man! » – etc. And when we went down to the engine room, where in front of us were huge pistons and connecting rods, an endless number of screws and individual mechanical devices with various digital indicators - in a word - the main propulsion laboratory of the ship with its own muscular and nervous system and with its arteries conducting steam to various parts of the metal body, Fr. Bartholomew just sighed and shook his head. Confusion was already shining in his eyes. It was noticeable that everything he had seen now began to sadden him, although the deadly purposes of various devices were completely obscured by the art of subtle and complex calculations of mechanics, so that when examining the battleship, attention focused not so much on what everything was done for, but on how it was done... We returned to our apartment around six o'clock. Father John was still not there. We went wandering around the city again. Near the church house where Fr. lived. John, crowds of people were moving. We learned that they were expecting him from hour to hour, and we joined those waiting. The composition of the crowd was very diverse: there were local workers dressed in a festive manner, clicking sunflower seeds, more and less cheerful and cheerful; These behaved “at home,” masters of the situation. But there were also a lot of newcomers here – most of them were gloomy and kept to themselves. There were simple and flirty scarves, but there were also bright hats, although in small quantities. In the male half, caps predominated; There were very few pots. Most of those waiting for Fr. John walked along the street, so that the street began to resemble a place of public entertainment. Around nine o'clock a rumor spread that Fr. John will not return to Kronstadt at all on this day. Others said he would be back by midnight. The crowd began to thin out. O. Bartholomew also went to the apartment, but I firmly decided to wait, at least until midnight. The night was bright, “white,” as the local name goes, reminiscent of early twilight or the time before sunrise. The traffic on the streets began to dwindle, and the group of those waiting for Fr. Ioanna now stretched out like a long ribbon, one end of which rested in a small ball against the open gate of his apartment, and the other was lost in the distance towards the steamship pier. At about eleven o'clock some vague noise was heard at the end of the living line of human figures. This noise quickly grew and got closer. Finally, a distinct cry began to be heard: he was going, he was going. The ribbon swayed, curled up, got tangled into large balls, and straightened out again. When everything around me began to move in disarray and cries were heard: “Father!... Our breadwinner!.. Here he is!..” - I was already outside the gates, in the large courtyard of the church house. There were several passages into the building. At one of them, on the left, stood a group of about ten people. It was not difficult to guess that it was precisely this move that Fr. John, and I headed in this direction. Meanwhile, the noise near the house on the street suddenly stopped. Behind me I heard the sound of the wheels of a fast-moving carriage. I stopped. The gates were already locked, but many people had gathered in the courtyard. Everyone rushed to the one-wheeled carriage in which Fr. John, supported by his home secretary. He bowed to me from a distance and said something at the same time, but I couldn’t make out what exactly. When he got out of the cab, we kissed and I said that I asked him to give me five minutes to talk. “Only five minutes,” answered Fr. John, - because at these hours I do not receive anyone. I followed him in the crowd. When Fr. John walked up the steps of the porch to his apartment, and the students who were waiting for him here began to ask him for his blessing. - I have an exam tomorrow. Father, bless! - said the high school student. Bless me too, I also have exams,” said the girl in the uniform. - And bless me! And me,” was heard from all sides. Father John was saying something to the children, but I also couldn’t make out what. It was obvious that he had the most cordial relationship with them, and he asked the schoolboy about something. Apartment o. Joanna was located on the second floor. The first room I entered was the kitchen. From it a door led into the dining room, a small room with a dining table in the middle and large icon cases with icons and lit lamps in two corners. There were chairs of various shapes along the walls without any consistency, not only in style, but even in color. There was also a painted wardrobe there. The table was covered with a white tablecloth. From the dining room, two more doors led to two adjacent rooms, but the inside of these rooms was not visible to me. In general, the atmosphere was reminiscent of the room of a poor rural priest: everything was simple, without any pretensions to comfort, but at the same time there was a feeling of warmth and coziness here. When I entered the dining room, Fr. John was in the next room. He soon came out and invited me to sit down. He took off his regalia and cassock as he walked and remained in a sky-colored silk cassock. He himself hung the cassock in the closet. The light cassock completely corresponded to his light appearance. In front of me was a man of average height, quite well built and very blooming in appearance, with a white, clear face and a bright blush on his cheeks, who could not be considered seventy years old. The hair on the head was not thick, short and heavily streaked with gray. He had almost no eyebrows. Small blue eyes looked both focused and lively. Radiation-shaped wrinkles ran from the eyes to the churches. In general, he had a great resemblance to his famous portraits. Moved o. John quickly, but his legs were apparently getting heavy. He heard a little hard. The movements of his hands especially showed impetuosity, but his voice was still firm, sonorous, youthful. Undressing, he told me that he was at the consecration of the sanatorium in Vindava and that Empress Maria Feodorovna was there. While talking with me, he went out into the neighboring rooms several times. He also went out into the kitchen and talked to someone here. I did not see his interlocutor and did not hear what he was talking about, but it was noticeable that he was excited and at times spoke with tears. Father John listened in silence and only occasionally inserted his questions. And this, apparently, had a calming effect on the speaker. “Well, money doesn’t buy happiness,” he finally said. o. John; you remember this! - and dismissed the interlocutor, having previously given him instructions to bring Lafite. It was probably a local merchant. My conversation with Fr. I started with John as soon as I entered the dining room. I spoke hastily so as not to detain him. After listening to me, Fr. John ordered the samovar to be prepared. “Father and I will drink some tea,” he added. He himself said little: he either only asked questions or inserted short comments into my words. Meanwhile the maid brought the samovar. Tea o. John himself brought it from the next room, in a paper wrapper, and brewed it himself. I also poured the tea myself. Before tea he ordered sherry to be served. When they brought the bottle, he sent it back. “We are not poor yet,” he said jokingly and ordered some other food. When a new bottle was served, he poured two small glasses. - Drink! “It strengthens,” he said, clinking his glass against another glass. The doctors forbid me to drink,” I said, not so much, however, in order to refuse, but rather to listen to his opinion. “And I allow it,” he said decisively. And indeed, I have hardly ever experienced a better effect from wine than this time. Two glasses of tea o. John sent someone into the next room. Over tea he asked me where I was staying. I said. - “Why not in the House of Diligence?” - “The rooms are expensive there.” - They should give you a number anyway. Say on my behalf that they give you a number.” (I was embarrassed to take advantage of such a kind offer, especially since I hoped to see him the next day and in the apartment I occupied.) I stayed with Fr. John about 40 minutes. When he left, he offered to serve liturgy with him in the morning. I said that I had not been to Vespers and had not prepared at all. “It’s nothing,” he said. Even when I was sitting with Fr. John, I heard from time to time a knock on the outer door of his apartment. As I left him, I noticed several men and women from the common people at the door on the stairs. Apparently, they followed the words of the Gospel: push and it will be opened. They were waiting for me at the apartment with great impatience. About what I managed to achieve from Fr. John's reception was already known here, and as soon as I entered the room, I was immediately bombarded with questions. What did the father say? How did you receive it? How are you feeling? etc. etc. The next day, people gathered in the church waiting for Fr. John even before the bell for matins; but oh. John arrived at the church when the service had already begun, around six o'clock. During Matins, he often went out to the neighboring chapel to pray. He also went out to the choir. He was not visible from the altar, but when he was shown to the people, this could be noticed by the excitement that immediately arose from time to time among the worshipers. From time to time, hysterical cries were heard: “Father, dear, father!” One woman screamed so loudly that she was taken out of the church. Canon o. John read it himself. Before the Liturgy, the entrance ceremony was read by the serving priests (there were five of us) without Fr. John. Served Fr. John is unique. The exclamations were apparently pronounced with extreme tension throughout the whole organism; He didn’t stretch out the words, but he didn’t blurt them out either, but pronounced each word abruptly and separately. Twice, I noticed, he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief during the liturgy. He also said his prayers. His movements were also free and natural and, as usual, impetuous. He apparently paid little attention to everything around him. He gave communion himself. He refused communion to two - without any explanation. One was a girl, almost a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old. When Fr. John said that he would not give her communion, she looked around her in confusion, left the pulpit, then again stood in the ranks of those going to communion. After leaving Fr. John addressed the participants with congratulations. “I have the honor to congratulate you on your reception of the Holy Mysteries,” he said and added several instructions to these words. When the liturgy ended, Fr. They began to approach John with different requests - some for prayer, and some for material help. A young deacon who had arrived from somewhere, sick and poorly dressed, served with us. O. John gave him something like 80 rubles. Another socialite asked for help; he spoke a lot and with tears about his sick wife. O. John gave him 28 rubles. My companion Fr. Bartholomew received one hundred rubles for his newly built church. Money o. John took them out of the pocket of his cassock, where they lay in still unopened envelopes. He gave charity willingly and without any mental embarrassment. Right there in the altar, he dictated to his secretary answers to telegrams received in very large quantities. Around o. John, in general, everyone was in an elevated state of mind, some experienced the joy of resurgent hope, some experienced the relief of a now satisfied need, and some experienced simply a reverent feeling at the sight of the moral power of a person, to whom the gaze of thousands and thousands of people with the most diverse and deeply exciting expectations was directed. But although Fr. John was the central figure both in the altar and in the church in general, he filled everything with himself and was the subject of exclusive attention of all those praying, so that all others were invisible in front of him; for all that, it was by no means possible to feel that he, the only big one among others, was constraining, oppressing, suppressing anyone. In his relations with others there was not the slightest degree of greatness visible, conscious of his dignity and therefore always, if not arrogant, then at least patronizingly condescending. It cannot even be said about him that he was like a father among family members close to him. Rather, there would be another comparison - he was like a senior and responsible leader among workers engaged in a large and important matter. There was not the slightest sentimentality noticeable in him, so common among people who are not deep enough, although they are morally high. Work, business - this is the atmosphere that seemed to be most akin to him and which he seemed to want to create around himself everywhere - work not in the sense, of course, of material productivity, but in the sense of manifestation of the best sides of our moral nature. Observations of the activities of Fr. John after the service convinced me of this even more. After leaving the church, he only went to his apartment for a few minutes, and then immediately went to serve prayers in houses and give communion to the sick. On this day I saw him in the House of Diligence. Here he served prayer services in every room. Here and there he sat down at the table, poured himself some tea and treated the hosts of the room to tea. The tea he served was accepted as a sacred thing and was immediately drunk, judging by the faces, with deep faith in its special power. I saw a table with tea and snacks in almost all the rooms. Fr. remained. John in the rooms for no more than 5–10 minutes. In the corridors and especially on the stairs he was surrounded so tightly that it seemed that people themselves were leading and carrying him, and he was completely deprived of freedom of movement. Sometimes he made efforts to free himself from the awkward situation; in these cases he raised his head, but his face always invariably shone with joyful excitement. He finished the service of prayers in the House of Diligence by three o'clock. If we consider that he got up at five o’clock, in time for matins, then it turned out that on this day, which was still far from over, he spent ten hours straight on his feet. Despite all this, I did not notice in his face any signs of fatigue or simply a feeling of burden. From the House of Diligence Fr. John went to the steamship pier and here boarded a ship bound for St. Petersburg. He took a separate cabin and did not leave it until the ship stopped. By the way, he was not at our apartment at all. In St. Petersburg, a large crowd of people was also waiting for him on the shore and, as soon as he stepped on the ground, immediately, as usual, surrounded him in a tight ring. The police officer who saw off Father John was wiped out, and Fr. John had to make his way to the carriage with his own efforts. And it wasn't easy for him. He was not only crushed by people with their bodies, others, perhaps involuntarily, constrained his movements; but others, especially women, grabbed the skirts of his cassock, clung to his sleeves, and thus deliberately held him in place. I saw first the right and then the left sleeve of his cassock fluttering above the heads of those around him. It was he who escaped from the tenacious hands of overly enthusiastic admirers and - especially - admirers. One might think that in the small space that separated the steamer from the carriage he was more tired than during ten hours of service, conversation and charity. When Fr. John finally got into the carriage and drove off, and the crowd followed him for some time; and one woman ran after the carriage when the horses were taking Fr. John is already at full trot. I could clearly see her figure from the ship. Tall, with her arms outstretched, she ran with long steps. Her dress went far back. The scarf also fluttered behind her. Her entire appearance expressed impetuous impulse. It was difficult to decide what is more here: painful hysteria, when a person loses the ability to correctly evaluate impressions, severe mental anguish that remains unhealed, or, perhaps, deep moral needs for which a fulcrum has finally been found? They laughed at the woman, but [this] seemed to me a typical expression of the state experienced by hundreds of thousands and millions of people of our time, morally confused, suffering and searching, sometimes with hope, sometimes without any hope, with only the pangs of despair... With o. I said goodbye to Barsanuphius right there on the pier. Even in Kronstadt, he convinced me to go over to the Old Believers. When parting, he repeated his advice especially persistently, drawing before me prospects that were tempting in his opinion. Later, he even sent an Old Believer to me for negotiations. Now about. Barsanuphius is already dead, as I learned quite by accident from one missionary organ, which contained laudatory reviews of his deep devotion to Orthodoxy... I had a chance to see Fr. John and the third time, but already dead, in a coffin, or more precisely - I had to see the funeral chariot with his remains - at the Ascension Bridge on the road from the Baltic Station to the Ioannovsky Monastery, the people chanting “Holy God” walked in a crowd of thousands in front of the chariot and behind it, densely filling the entire street and stretching over a large space. I stood in one place. The ranks passing by me had just finished chanting the initial words of the Trisagion, when new ranks approaching began chanting the same words. So in the space where I stood, the following was repeated an infinite number of times: “holy, holy, holy.” The spectacle was very impressive. The tall chariot glittered with silver. The clergy also wore white robes. Shiny banners fluttered. Thus Fr. John went to his grave as bright as he appeared alive among people. Published by The Wanderer. 1909. T.1. Part 1. pp.145–169. O. John of Kronstadt in the memoirs of a seminarian How they loved and how they honored the late Fr. John of Kronstadt at the Vologda Seminary, as can be seen from the memoirs of one of the old Vologda seminarians, which recently appeared in print. “One morning,” he says, “I was pleasantly alarmed by the news of the arrival of Fr. John. The seminarians reported that Fr. John served the liturgy with the Savior. Having abandoned our textbooks with their “sensations,” “ideas,” and “feelings,” we, a group of seminarians, went to the cathedral. The liturgy was already underway. Bogomolets are visible and invisible in the church. I went to the altar, stood in a secluded place and began to watch the service of “Father Fr. John." A whole host of city priests served with him. The Vologda bishop stood on the right side of the throne, not participating in the service. Everyone was in a high, prayerful mood. Served Fr. John is enthusiastic; His movements were impetuous, as if sharp; for example, he burned incense so quickly that a person who did not know him could mistake such censing for careless. I don’t remember his exclamations; it seems that he pronounced them quickly too. The worshipers approached the very royal gates, and prayers were often heard from there: “Pray for us, father.” Father John sometimes turned his head slightly and nodded in the direction from which these voices were heard. He didn't preach a sermon. When the liturgy ended, Fr. John, turning to the priests who served with him, bowed, said: “Thank you, fathers, for your service,” and then quickly began to unmask himself. He and the bishop left the church through the side doors and thus left almost unnoticed by the pilgrims. We went to the seminary morally satisfied, because our eyes saw a great man at the moment of the highest rise of his spirit. Around noon, the seminarians learned that Fr. John will visit the seminary. Our joy knew no bounds. Soon the inspection began to invite us to the seminary church to meet Fr. John. The entire school family, headed by the rector, gathered here. After a few minutes of impatient waiting, a carriage drove up to the porch of the church, and Fr. jumped out with youthful agility. John went straight to the altar. Here he put on the epitrachelion and through the previously opened royal doors he went out onto the sole. Turning to us with the words: “Now is Trinity week, and therefore let us pray to the Holy Trinity,” he began the prayer. Image of Fr. John during this prayer was indelibly etched in my memory. Immediately, from the very first words, he was completely lost in a heated conversation with the Holy Trinity; this prayer should be called that and not otherwise. Experiences about. John during this prayer were so exciting and deep that he made only bows from the waist, as if forgetting to make the sign of the cross; Having begun the prayer in front of the royal doors, he gradually moved forward and finished the prayer in front of the throne. In his words, he invited us all to a peaceful life. In particular, I remember the part from his speech where he indicated the reasons for the unrest in Russia. Father John said: “Russia is great, powerful and rich, the West envies us and sends its agents to stir up unrest.” If we compare these words about. John with the facts of the recent past, then it must be said that they were prophetically correct 60. After the sermon, he left the church through the side altar doors. Many people gathered near the church waiting for the “father” to come out. As soon as he appeared on the street, they immediately surrounded him, asking for his blessing. They grabbed his hand straight away. The coachman could barely move the horses. Many were chasing the carriage, now still trying to get a blessing hand. The writer of these lines was among them. Kissing the hand of Fr. John and following him with my eyes, I returned under the gloomy arches of the bursa, but my soul was light. Published by: “K. P." 1916. N27–28. pp.419–420. Bishop Pimen 61. Little memories of a righteous husband The morning of a November day in 1895 is barely dawning. But the Novgorod Seminary is full of movement. The movement is not the usual, daily one, but something more lively, rather festive. We seminarians were raised earlier than usual to participate in the reception of the famous Kronstadt Shepherd who was expected in Novgorod. It’s both cold and creepy... After all, since the evening in our second grade we’ve been explaining that Fr. John recognizes a person’s mood and sometimes suddenly rebukes him. So they gathered us into the assembly hall and set us up as if for prayer. The winter dawn flares up, and its reflection imparts a crimson light to both the walls of the hall and the iconostasis placed against its front wall. All the young men have become silent, a crowd of more than four hundred people is tensely waiting for them... But then quick steps were heard in the corridor, and through the back doors of the hall an archpriest, not yet old in appearance, entered into it, ruddy with sparkling, lively eyes, accompanied by the rector and an assistant inspector-priest. Having reached the middle of the hall, the priest who entered addressed us in his lively, sharp voice: “Hello, my friends! I am very glad that God brought me to meet you in this St. church! “Is this the church? – he asked those accompanying him, pointing to the iconostasis. Having received a response from the rector that this was only the assembly hall, Fr. John said, “It doesn’t matter. I would like to pray with you, my friends. Prayer brings us closer to God, and then it becomes easier for us to fulfill God’s commandment: “Be holy!” So, I will read you a prayer, a priestly prayer, and you will pray with me.” The dear guest put on the stole and, standing in front of the iconostasis, began to read a prayer unfamiliar to me. This reading was unusual. Father John stood straight and loudly, sharply pronouncing the words of prayer. One got the impression of the complete boldness of the prayer book, for he did not ask, but demanded sanctification, health and salvation for himself and his listeners. Meanwhile, strangers also arrived in the hall, and the loud cry of a child was heard. “Bring out the child,” the priest abruptly interrupted the reading of the prayer, and the child was carried out. Then the priest read the entire prayer again and after that began to take everyone in the hall to the cross. A large line of people passed in front of me. They all kissed the cross in Fr.'s hand. John and his very hand, and he occasionally uttered the phrases “The Lord God is terrible,” “Pray, children,” etc. I stared at the priest. He seemed scary to me, and I didn’t dare approach him... The second time I saw Fr. John in the fall of 1903. I just took monastic vows. For me, a year of special significance was beginning, the last year of academic life and the first year of monasticism. There were a lot of all sorts of thoughts and feelings in my soul because of the change that had taken place in my life. In general, it was difficult: the soul was weak, and the body also turned out to be weak. And so, as if to console me, the Lord sends me a meeting with the ever-memorable Shepherd of Kronstadt. It was the day of written tests for new boys entering the Academy. They have already gathered in the assembly hall of the Academy. And in my room I began to read one book given to me by my leader in monastic life. Suddenly they call me to the Rector (Reverend Plato 62, now the Exarch of Georgia), and from him I learn that the Kronstadt priest will soon come to the Academy. About half an hour passed waiting for our dear guest. A distant rumble was heard. Walking out of the academic gate onto Alexander Square, I saw Fr. John, and behind him a huge crowd of people running. Here he is at the gates of the Bratsky Monastery. The police have difficulty holding back the pressure of the people, allowing the priest into the courtyard of the Bratsky Monastery. He walks with quick steps towards the front porch of the Academy. Here the Most Reverend Rector meets him and, having greeted the dear guest, introduces me to him with the following words: “Here, Fr. archpriest, new monk, Fr. Pimen. Yes, everyone is sick. Bless him so that he may be healthy.” Fr. looked at me affectionately. John hugged, blessed and kissed me without saying a word. The silence was significant and encouraging. Then the dear guest followed to where the examinees wrote their essays. After the prayer “To the Heavenly King” sung by everyone, Fr. John addressed the young men with a speech in which he welcomed them to the beginning of the exams and wished them admission to the Theological Academy. Extremely touching. John outlined his academic years in his speech. “With reverence I entered the Academy and began studying theological sciences. I didn’t study well because I had to support my mother and sisters with my work. But still, I took a lot from the Academy in order to nourish myself and others with the word of truth. Study too, my young friends, and may God grant you success at the Academy.” Having blessed each of his listeners, the dear guest left the Academy. His visit left us all in a joyful mood. It was the best start to the school year and, for me personally, the best start to my monastic life. Printed by: "K.P." 1916. No. 36. P.503–504. V.I. Popov. Joint trip with Fr. Ioann Ilyich Sergiev (Kronstadt) from Arkhangelsk to Moscow in August 1890 (Memories and impressions) “For eternal memory there will be a righteous man.” Your Eminence, dear sirs and ladies! With the gracious permission of the Society in Memory of Fr. John of Kronstadt" 63, on the day of his blessed death, I have the honor to offer to your enlightened attention the memories and impressions, deeply rooted in me, from a joint journey with Father John from Arkhangelsk to Moscow. I proceed from the consideration that every kind word dedicated to the memory of such bright and - I will say frankly - great personalities, such church and public figures as the unforgettable (and, without a doubt, dear to all of you, his admirers, in such a multitude gathered here) the late “All-Russian” shepherd Fr. John, has important general edifying significance. Reviving in our souls the wonderful image of the righteous man, memories of him deepen our love for him, bring us spiritually closer to him, contribute to the rise of our spiritual vigor and joy “in the Lord”, who gave the Russian Orthodox people, the “God-Bearing people”, such an amazing benefactor, comforter, prayer book and healer of souls and bodies, such a zealot of faith and piety, which was truly the unforgettable “God-Bearer” "father". After all, it was not for nothing that the Lord sent him to die on the day of remembrance by the Church of the ascetic of the faith, the holy martyr - St. Ignatius the God-Bearer. And the Lord sent to the Russian people this, let’s say, religious genius, this true people’s enlightener, who brought them great spiritual benefit (which, later, of course, unpleasant history will note), very opportunely, so to speak, in contrast to the influence of another genius - “the great writer of the Russian land” (as he is often called) - gr. L.N. Tolstoy, who with his no less great religious errors brought the same spiritual harm to our intelligentsia and, in particular, to our student youth... Finally, let’s say, a man, a true ascetic in the very, so to speak, hell of our sinful and vain world, a man who renounced his personal life in favor of the people, a man who in his ardent love for his neighbors reached complete selflessness, with a wide Russian heart, fiery zeal for the glory of God and an overflowing love for the unfortunate, the sick, those suffering mentally and physically, a man who almost never knew peace even a day, not at night, working to the point of exhaustion, on the other hand, a man who, during his lifetime, was glorified by God for the gift of miracles, quite consciously, without pride, but with full dignity, declaring (as, for example, he was told in one of the teachings in our Arkhangelsk Cathedral) that “many miracles were performed by him, some of which are known, while others are still unknown” - a man, before whose spiritual gaze the world of pure spirits unfolded (both good and evil), a person for whom, in wonderful moments of spiritual delight and, it seems, admiration into the heavenly spheres, the world around him ceased to exist, such a person, I say, is truly worthy of church-wide praise, eternal grateful memory and imitation. For “the memory of the righteous is with praise,” as the church song puts it. And if my weak word, the place of which with such kind courtesy was given on this evening of the solemn meeting by the Society associated with the name of the ever-memorable dear priest Fr. John, if this word, as a gift of gratitude to the kind and gentle shepherd of the Church, even in any way contributes to the elevation of the spirit, to the rise of spiritual vigor of the venerable congregation, then I will be happy to consider my goal achieved... So, in fulfillment of the will of St. ap. Paul: “Remember your teachers, who preached the word of God to you, and, looking at the end of their lives, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7), allow me, dear sirs and gracious madams, after this somewhat long introduction, to move on to the subject of my speech. I was sadly returning to the Petrograd Theological Academy from the holidays in August 1890 through the city of Vologda: it was heard that there was very little water in the Sukhona River and, therefore, a tiring, and also expensive for a student, journey from Ustyug to Vologda on horseback (about 450 versts) lay ahead. But, to my great joy, I find out that on the same small passenger ship that then sailed along the river. S. Dvina, on which I boarded, is traveling, returning from his usual annual trip to his homeland (the village of Suru, Pinega district), dear father Fr. John. Having found out who I was and asked about my parent, who turned out to be a classmate of Fr. John at the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary, the priest, with love and his characteristic friendliness, invited me to accompany him along with others accompanying him (nephew I.V. Fidelinsh and some other admirers), accepting me at his full expense. It goes without saying that I agreed with great joy to the call of my loving father. And there is no need to say much about how pleasant and happy this joint journey with Fr. John... After all, everyone who had contact with him knows, everyone has experienced what a huge influence the priest has with his amazing personality. His appearance alone, with his childishly cheerful face, with some kind of purely childish blush, his extraordinary liveliness and mobility, his inner (spiritual) “joy in the Lord”, bursting outward like a key, his simplicity and immediate sincerity - this very appearance of him, testifying to the richness of his spiritual true Christian mood, makes a charming impression on those around him and, as they say, people of all ages and status “clinging” to him. Our journey along the river passed quickly and unnoticed. Northern Dvina to Ustyug. Father shared the same company with all his companions - at dinner and tea parties, bringing a joyful and invigorating mood to everyone. Sometimes he entered into conversation with steamship employees while sitting on the upper deck or walking along it. But more often he stood or sat on the deck, deepened (as one could observe) either in the contemplation of the surrounding nature, or - most of all - in himself... It became obvious that the priest was completely immersed in his spiritual inner world, that he was not in a sleepy or apathetic state, but, on the contrary, in some special state, in a state of spiritual wakefulness and ascent, experiencing some special deep feelings, in a word, in a state of “smart” and “spiritual” prayer: this was clearly evidenced by the sighs that occasionally escaped from his lips, as well as by his amazing play. physiognomy, sometimes glowing with an astonishing, as if unearthly joy... In this inner state, so characteristic of him, the mood of prayer and spiritual contemplation - let's say without hesitation, in this communication with God, in co-abiding in prayer with the Spirit of God Himself (see Rom. 8, 26-27), - Fr. John, as one might assume, was gaining that good spirits and amazing energy that so often manifested itself in his extremely impetuous external actions. It was here that I found, perhaps, some kind of replacement for the involuntary and inevitable deprivation of Holy Communion during my travels. The Mysteries of Christ, which somewhat upset him. It was here, in the inner sanctuary of his spirit, that he obviously tried to find (and, undoubtedly, found) communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, his true life in Christ. Often Fr. John retired to his cabin, reading St. The Gospels (which, incidentally, he sometimes did while sitting on the deck) and patristic works (especially his beloved St. I. Chrysostom) and, of course, without a doubt, solitary prayer. After two days of travel along the S. Dvina, we landed at the ancient city of Ustyug, which so amazes the traveler with the abundance of its churches of God. A huge crowd of people, forewarned of the arrival of the dear guest, greeted the priest with delight - everyone vied with each other to receive his blessing. Having stopped for the night in the house of one of the famous local merchants in the city of Ustyug, Fr. John, first of all, served, at the request of the owner, a prayer service for the blessing of water in his house. Then he visited the main cathedrals of Ustyug, bowing to St. relics of the righteous Procopius and John, and during the entire time spent in Ustyug (24 hours), he continuously drove around the city, being bombarded with offers - either to serve a prayer service at home, or to visit the sick and pray for them. Our fears were justified: the Sukhona River became so shallow that year that the shipping company completely stopped, and we were forced to go to Vologda on horseback. The journey was quite long (at least 450 versts). Thanks to the attention of the administration, all stations were notified in advance about the passage of Fr. Ioanna and the horses were already prepared for our arrival at the station, by order of the policeman riding ahead. In addition, for Fr. John was given a comfortable and calm (on springs) carriage. Three good horses quickly rode us along a good highway road. Father was so kind that he invited me to ride with him in his carriage. The terrain in the first half of the journey from Ustyug to Vologda is often remarkably beautiful (especially near the so-called “Opok”), hilly and mountainous. Father John sincerely admired the majestic prospect that sometimes opened up. I remember that at one station, while the horses were being harnessed, the priest went to a place from where there was a beautiful view of a green valley stretching deep below with a winding river, and on the opposite side of the valley, on a high hill, a stone parish church stood out beautifully with its whiteness among the greenery of the forest. Father John admired the view and exclaimed in admiration: “How good! What grace of the Lord!” Time passed unnoticed. We spent the night twice. Usually we - men - slept in the same room and, although it was much cooler, we nevertheless slept with the windows open, which, as you know, Fr. often practiced. John, attaching great importance to being in clean air. They settled down on the hay, which, by order of Fr. John, they covered the entire floor. But we didn’t manage to sleep for long... At about 3 in the morning the tireless priest already wakes us up with his sharp metallic voice: “Hey, you travelers, get up! It's time to go! At one of the stations (I think the 4th from Ustyug) an event occurred that was especially indelibly etched into my soul and which, dear sirs and ladies, I place, so to speak, as the center of my memories and impressions from this joint trip with the late Father Fr. John of Kronstadt. The horses were already harnessed, when suddenly two hefty men brought into the room by the arms, with difficulty restraining, a woman who looked to be about 35–40 years old, dressed in an old sheepskin coat. The woman was hunched over, bent almost in an arch, and wildly moved the whites of her eyes. A terribly gloomy and painful state was clearly written on her face. And so, as soon as she was brought with great effort, with the help of two more accompanying people, to Fr. John, as she literally began to bark like a dog, extremely quickly and so piercingly that her ears could barely bear it. What about. John? He immediately put his left hand on her head, and with his right began to make the sign of the cross over her and read slowly, but clearly, the prayer: “May God rise again and His enemies be scattered.” However, the patient’s inhuman screaming and barking intensified; Accordingly, the sharp-sounding voice of Fr. John. We stood - as they say - neither alive nor dead; It became creepy and it seemed that the hair on my head was rising. The priest’s face was menacingly inspired and at the same time expressed unyielding willpower. Drops of sweat abundantly covered his forehead... It was felt and recognized that here, in these 2-3 minutes, there was a most intense, albeit invisible struggle, a struggle between good and evil, a struggle between two forces constantly opposing each other, a very difficult struggle... But, thank God, the inhuman cry of the sick woman gradually began to subside and - oh, joy! oh, happiness! - the sick woman took a deep breath, suddenly, as if something had escaped from her lips, she immediately straightened up, her face instantly changed - it brightened, and with a joyful cry she threw herself at the feet of the wondrous healer, fervently crossing herself and thanking the Lord. This happened to all of us, Fr.’s companions, with our own eyes. John, this is, without a doubt, a miracle of God’s mercy, the gracious instrument of which was the venerable righteous priest. This event is surprisingly reminiscent of the Gospel story about Jesus Christ’s healing of a crumpled woman on whom the Lord had mercy, for she, according to Him Himself, had been “bound by Satan for 18 years” (Luke 13:11–13). This same woman, as her relatives said, had been ill for 7 years. Upon leaving the station, during the journey, I entered into a conversation with Fr. John regarding the miraculous healing of an unfortunate sick woman just described. The heart-father-father said that the illness of a peasant woman is “from the evil one”, that she is “corrupted”, for indeed there can and are people who are so morally corrupt, so angry, proud, haters and vindictive that they, so to speak, have given themselves over entirely to the devil and, undoubtedly, with his assistance, can lead to people whom they passionately desire to cause harm (or, in general, any misfortune, for example, illness), induce harmful devilish power. Thus, according to the conviction of Fr. John, such a popular view is not just superstition (although, of course, this sometimes happens due to the ignorance of the common people), but has a completely real, factual basis. Of course, this happens where, on the other hand, favorable soil is prepared for the influence of the devil’s power - mental and physical relaxation, as a result of a vicious life. “Why is the influence of demons so strong primarily among the common people?” – I asked the priest. “This is by God’s permission,” he answered, “and has its significance for testing the faith and piety of our people: the devil is especially evil towards religious people; for the educated, who very often do not recognize the influence of dark demonic power, such influence from this force, so to speak, is useless, useless: for they (i.e., non-believers) are already in its hands...” During this horseback ride, Fr. John often took out the Gospel from his pocket, which he apparently never parted with, and read it, and after reading he indulged in reflection (which could be judged by his unusually mobile physiognomy). Sometimes he, however, dozed, but for a very short time (min. 10-15). For fear of interrupting his thoughts and prayers, I usually did not begin the first conversation. I will only mention one more conversation that characterizes the view of Fr. John for prayerful communication with our deceased relatives. According to Fr. John, we not only must pray for our departed fathers, brothers and sisters in general, and even more so for our loved ones (i.e., relatives), but if they, these loved ones of ours, tried to live piously and died, as befits good Christians, then we can call on them in our prayers, so that they too ask God for mercy for us, especially when we have the firm confidence in ourselves that they are in the blessed abodes of the Heavenly Father. Our two-day journey on horseback also ended. On a quiet warm evening, it was already quite dark, we approached Vologda. Here, obviously, they were already waiting for the dear guest: many people walked and even ran from all sides to meet the priest; others came out of their houses with lit candles and torches, which gave the meeting a particularly solemn character and made a strong impression; the more swift ones rushed towards Fr. John, grabbed the wheels of the carriage (risking paying for it), jumped onto the step to receive the blessing. Joyful greetings and requests came from everywhere: “Father, bless! Father, pray!” Father John almost continuously took off his hat, responding to greetings with his special affection. All of us travelers went to the country dacha of the Vologda merchant Volkov (it seems that he was the mayor of the city at that time), where the hosts received us with truly Russian, broad hospitality. It goes without saying that Fr. John served the liturgy the next day and knew almost no peace for a minute, traveling around from morning until late at night on invitations to serve a prayer service and pray. I will note here (unless I have forgotten) one fact that testifies to the true evangelical charity of Fr. John. Some poorly dressed woman with tears asked him for help. The priest immediately takes out a large package from the pocket of his cassock and gives it to the woman. A minute later the woman runs up to Fr. John and excitedly tells him: “Father, you must have made a mistake: there are a thousand rubles here!” “Well, what is it,” Fr. answers her. John, your happiness. Go thank the Lord. Truly, it means that Fr. John, according to the Gospel, in the words of Jesus Christ, “the right hand did not know what the left hand was doing”... As far as I remember, we stayed in Vologda for 1 1/2 days. At the station of the Vologda-Yaroslavl railway, inspector of the Vologda-Yaroslavl Moscow railway Mikhail Dimitrievich Selivanov 2nd met us and took us under his care, who, it seems, provided absolutely all the amenities that could be provided on a trip by rail. For Father John, a ministerial lounge car was attached (in which we all met for lunch and tea), and for us there was an adjoining first-class carriage with a service inspection department. In the city of Danilov, thanks to the care of the kindest Mikhail Dimitrievich from the station, lunch was served to all of us. This dinner turned out to be so luxurious that Fr. John then turned to Mikhail Dimitrievich with a slight reproach... And it was necessary to see how this upset Mikhail Dmitrievich... He made all his efforts to treat the rare guest to the fullest - and what happened as a result? It cost us a lot of effort to calm down the dear old man... But, of course, it was not only his extraordinary hospitality and the same simplicity and courtesy that distinguished Mikhail Dimitrievich with us. I would especially like to note his amazing religious mood, the sincerity of his faith and religious feeling, and finally, his extraordinary respect, even some kind of downright reverence, for the person of Fr. John. With what kind of heartfelt trembling and tenderness Mikhail Dmitrievich used to approach Fr. John! He somehow shrank all over and hid behind us... “What are you, Mikhail Dmitrievich,” we ask him, “are you afraid, or what, priests?” “Why,” answers Mikhail Dmitrievich, “how can I, an unworthy sinner, not be afraid to approach a righteous man! What if he, seeing my sinful heart with his discerning eye, does not bless me? Here, gracious sirs and gracious empresses, here it is - truly Russian simplicity and Christian humility! It seems that persons of such (religious) sentiment are extremely rare, perhaps even exceptional, among our intelligentsia. God send him heavenly blessings for all his goodness! An unusually enthusiastic send-off was given to the priest in Yaroslavl at the station upon departure for Moscow. The entire platform was so crowded with people that Fr. It seemed that it was not physically possible for John to squeeze into the carriage. However, he, so to speak, rushed into the midst of the people... But they, in turn, rushed at him, grabbing the edges of his clothes, kissing his hands and clothes and greedily seeking blessings. We were overcome with fear for the priest, that he would be crushed, crushed to death... Fortunately, he was lifted by the crowd that was squeezing him and so above the entire crowd, on its shoulders, and was safely carried to the carriage. Pale, almost suffocating from exhaustion, the priest fell like a sheaf on the sofa... And then I couldn’t help but think: how sometimes well-deserved fame can be hard for a person!.. In Yaroslavl, Mikhail Dmitrievich, restless in his solicitude, got us to Moscow a luxurious, in its design and furnishings, grand-ducal carriage, in which we all sat with complete comfort. The next morning we arrived in Moscow, from where Fr. John headed south (to Kharkov), and we, after staying with Mikhail Dmitrievich, went to Petrograd. Thus ended this significant and very joyful journey for me with dear Father Fr. John, which left an indelible impression on me. Dear sirs and dear madams! If my weak word, listened to so carefully by you, somewhat revived in your souls the bright image of the All-Russian shepherd, man of prayer and healer, then I can consider my goal achieved and gladly bring it to the benefit of the Society, dedicated to the name of our dear Father Fr. John of Kronstadt. May the memory of the venerable late true shepherd of Christ’s flock be forever unforgettable! And we will firmly believe that, God willing, the time is not far when on the other outskirts of our capital - on the river. In Karpovka, the Lord will glorify another righteous man (the first - the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky) - with incorruption and miracles. Oh, if only we, witnesses of his pious life, his exploits, could wait for this day! With what great joy would we cry to him: Holy Father John, pray to God for us! Be it, Lord, be it!! Until then, let us not stop praying with all our hearts: “Eternal, eternal memory to the merciful father Fr. John of Kronstadt! Allow me, dear sirs and ladies, to end my speech with the following greetings to Fr. John: “For eternal memory there will be a righteous man! The holy song does not pass by; The world will never forget about him, He will never die in our hearts: The cities will turn into sand, Shimmering in the vastness of the sky, The star will burn out and go out; The monument to glory will rust, Armed with the pride of the earth, Whose works and teachings are evil, Having thundered, die in the dust... Only the righteous, chosen by God, Inaccessible to the elements of time: Illuminated by the grace of heaven, He is blissful in the eternal kingdom." Published by: “K. AND ". 1916. N35. pp. 487–495; N 36. pp. 505–506. A. Nartsizova. Memories of the consecration of the church in the village of Sura in 1891 This year, 1916, in June, marks 25 years since the consecration of the church in distant Sura, the homeland of our dear, ever-memorable Father Fr. John of Kronstadt. Few of us, eyewitnesses and participants in this great and remarkable event for the remote and wild north, are already alive. But it is so vividly and in detail imprinted in my memory that it somehow asks for pen to share these memories with admirers of our wonderful prayer book and founder of the Sura Church, dear Father Fr. John. Back in early June that year, Father arrived in Sura to oversee the final preparations for the consecration of the church. On June 21, he, with icons and banners, left for the Verkolsky Monastery (60 versts from Sura, where the Arkhangelsk Bishop Alexander 64 had arrived the day before, on the steamboat "Verkolets" sent for him. The entire population of the monastery, led by Fr. The archimandrite, seeing the steamer with icons and banners approaching, also set out to meet him with a procession of the cross. Both processions of the cross, one from the high mountain on which the monastery is picturesquely located, the other from the steamer, having united on the shore and having prayed while the bells were ringing, began to ascend the mountain. At the holy gates the procession was greeted by the bishop, and everyone proceeded to the cathedral, where a short prayer service was held. On June 23, the memory of the righteous Artemy is celebrated, whose relics are in this monastery. On the eve of the all-night vigil, the shrine with holy relics was carried into the middle of the church. The bishop, Fr. John and a whole host of clergy who came from all sides. A touching and never-before-seen spectacle presented itself to me when, at 10 o’clock in the evening, led by the bishop and Fr. John, the clergy in white vestments surrounded the shrine and extended it into the altar with two ribbons; The church was all flooded with lights, and from above, through the windows, the polar sun brightly illuminated this whole marvelous picture. After the Gospel, the bishop, starting to read the akathist, then passed it on to Fr. John. Father somehow especially, with inspiration, looked at the shrine, raised his eyes to the sky, and for a moment his face, like lightning, was illuminated with inner light. From the very first words, tears rolled down from him... Reading the akathist and from time to time fixing his eyes on the shrine, he turned, as if to a living person, to the righteous youth Artemy, whose life is so touchingly spoken of in the akathist. It was after midnight that we all returned to our quarters. But hardly anyone slept on this night as bright as noon. At 6 o'clock in the morning they began to gather for church. Dense crowds of festively dressed northerners walked and drove from all sides; many of them came from the Kola district. After the solemn liturgy, they raised the shrine from St. with relics and a religious procession they walked around the monastery; St. were carried high above the sea of ​​heads. relics covered with a silver cover. All around, forests and meadows covered with recently blossoming greenery spread widely across the hills. Below, the beautiful Pinega shone like a silver ribbon, and from above, the sun, unusually hot for the north, flooded this entire wonderful, indescribable picture with its bright rays. Dear Father carried the shrine with the people all the time without shift. After the service, the hospitable host Fr. the archimandrite invited everyone to a meal, after which Father, having gathered his religious procession and us, returned to Sura on the same boat. Here the final preparations began for the consecration of the church and the reception of numerous guests. The new church, Father's glory and dream, like a white swan, towered majestically over Sura. The interior of its wonderful, light architecture, like the Zadonsk Cathedral, where the relics of St. Tikhon. When I entered this church for the first time, the words of the chant involuntarily came to mind: “I see Your palace, my Savior, adorned, and I have no clothes, but I will enter into it...” So everything about it is somehow especially conducive to a prayerful mood: the iconostasis is especially good, white with gilding and icons of light, wonderful painting. It easily and gracefully rises straight into the dome. Father had a lot of trouble with the bells. There are about 20 of them. Especially the 3 main ones, they say (I can’t hear anything myself), are wonderfully sonorous. The first weighs 258 pounds. There is an inscription on it: “Evening, morning and noon I will sing, and I will proclaim, and they will hear My voice...” As a lover and connoisseur of bell ringing, Father from the Verkolsky Monastery brought here a bell ringer, rare in the art of selecting ringing, the half-blind Ivan Ivanovich. Father lovingly looked after this little old man and repeatedly climbed the bell tower with him while re-hanging the bells for the harmony of sounds. But their efforts were crowned with complete success. The harmoniously musical ringing of the Sursky bells, as experts told me, could do honor to any Petrograd church. Father also took a lot of care about the reception and accommodation of the expected numerous guests: a dining room was set up in the ministerial school, a huge stove with cauldrons for cooking food was made in one half, and a reception room in the other; they lined it with tables and, in the absence of chairs, long benches. All the walls were elegantly decorated with garlands, shields and flags made of colorful paper scarves, which were then distributed to the Suryanka women. The outside of the school was just as beautifully decorated. The newly built house for the priest was reserved for the bishop and the governor and, as far as possible, was equipped with everything necessary. (Father himself lived in the house of his sister, Daria Ilyinichna, in a small room in the attic opposite the school.) We all had our hands full, as they say. The soul of all the handicrafts was the young blue-eyed Anyuta, the daughter of Father’s beloved sister, Daria Ilyinichna (now also deceased). A typical type of northern beauty, tall, healthy, with flaxen hair and clear eyes, like Father himself, she kept up with everything: in the church she helped tidy up and sew what was needed for consecration, and in the dining room she decorated the walls with intricate decorations, even better and more quickly than us townspeople, although before, living constantly in Sura, she had never seen anything like it. She helped everyone everywhere and brought some kind of revival and joy everywhere and immediately became our common favorite. And dear Father, with what paternal love he watched over her tirelessness! Finally, all the preparations were completed, only on the steep side of the church and the fence there were whole piles of rubbish and remnants of boards, through which it was not easy to get through. But Father Solomon’s wisdom spoke out here too: the day before the consecration, in the evening, Father said that the next day in the morning all the Sura children who wished to come to him for work, for which he would reward them. The next day, even before matins, almost a hundred children gathered near the church. Coming out to them, Father greeted them affectionately and simply explained to the children that they also needed to work, to the best of their ability, for the new church, and ordered them to move all the garbage and boards to the indicated place. Then he blessed them with a general blessing. Having received the blessing, the children scattered all over the fence. And then a literal ant bustle began: some in their arms, some in the hem of their shirts, were dragging garbage and rubble, with visible zeal, taking more and outrunning each other. It was funny to watch how 3-4 toddlers, perching the end of the board on their heads, walked importantly with it and carefully placed it in piles. By evening, not only around the church, but also around the fence, everything was smoothly cleaned, swept, and at the same time thoroughly, and sprinkled with sand. And the entire army of young workers, disheveled, but with happy faces, lined up in front of the labors of their hands. Dear Father walked up to the fence and, clasping his hands, cheerfully said: “I didn’t expect that! Well done, thank you!” He generously gave them money and treats, and all the children ran home in delight. On June 26, the bishop arrived with the clergy and singers and a barge full of pilgrims. At 6 o'clock the all-night vigil began the celebration of the consecration of the right side chapel in the name of St. John of Rylsky 65, and the next morning the wonderful ringing of Sura bells solemnly swept across the vast expanse. From all sides, crowds of people hurried to the call of the church, and almost the entire Sura gathered here. When all the clergy, with the bishop at their head, had put on their vestments, the washing of the throne began. Who doesn’t know this deeply touching and touching ritual, when the throne is dressed like a bride in white robes? After the altar was washed, a religious procession for St. relics, and then walked around the new church. Father o. John carried the throne icon of St. John of Rylsky. He was pale but calm. When the procession returned to the porch, in front of the entrance closed by a white curtain, where the singers had previously entered, the bishop placed an antimension with St. on the prepared table. with relics and, having showered them three times while singing Psalm 26, he exclaimed: “Take your gates, O princes, and the eternal gate will be lifted, and the King of Glory will come in!” And the singers from the church, as if from another world, asked: “Who is this King of Glory?” The Lord, with the words: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory!” St. raised high The paten, making a cross over the church. At that moment the curtain was opened, and everyone chanted: “The Lord of His hosts is the King of Glory!” - like wise virgins, with lighted candles, entered the church. Lord, how bright and joyful it was! I looked at Fr. John, and his unearthly joy shone throughout his entire appearance. Then the first liturgy began, celebrated at the council. At the end of it, the Petrograd priest Fr. M. Kallinnikov (now deceased) delivered a passionate sermon. At 2 o'clock the service ended, and dear Father invited everyone to a meal, which was light, joyful and animated. But it was necessary to give the body rest for at least an hour, since at 6 o’clock, at the call of the bell, everyone hurried to the all-night vigil. On June 28, the left side chapel was consecrated in the name of St. Great Martyr Paraskeva, and in exactly the same way as the right aisle, but with an even greater influx of pilgrims, among whom I noticed many Samoyeds 66 in their characteristic costumes. The Samoyeds deeply revere St. Nicholas as the guardian of their deer, and even, as I was told in Arkhangelsk, some of them, still unenlightened at that time by St. baptism and praying in the forest tundra to their idiot gods - seeing there in the forests a chapel with an icon of not St. Nicholas, they will certainly try to ruin her; but if an icon of St. is placed above the doors of the chapel. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (they clearly recognize his image), then not only will they not touch him, but they will also make a sacrifice, in the form of some colorful piece of clothing. That is why in the forests of the Arkhangelsk Far North all the chapels are dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It’s not for nothing that there was even a saying there: “From kola to verkola 32 (i.e., the chapel dedicated to him) St. Nicholas!” Now the Samoyeds, having learned that a church in the name of St. is being consecrated in Sura. Nicholas, they hastened to come to this celebration, which they had never seen before. After the liturgy, during which the sermon was delivered by Archpriest of the Archangel Cathedral, Fr. F. Pavlovsky, Father cordially invited everyone to his place for dinner and, like a host, diligently treated them. Everyone felt warm and joyful under the wing of such a gracious and cordial host, and, apparently, these unforgettable happy hours were dear to everyone. The Arkhangelsk Governor, Prince, soon arrived here. Obolensky with his retinue, and at 6 o'clock we again, but for the last time, gathered for the solemn all-night vigil before the consecration of the main altar in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. All three all-night vigils were performed in front of the pulpit of the consecrated throne, on the table on which the consecrated utensils were located. The bishop, Fr. John and the mass of clergy, even more gathered from everywhere. And this last all-night vigil was distinguished by a special solemnity: not only in the church, but also all around there was a sea of ​​heads, and it was hard to believe that we were in a remote corner of the far north. After the all-night vigil, the sun was still shining brightly, and I walked along the bank of the river. Surahs; and there a group of Samoyeds, having settled down for the night, had a peaceful meal. Coming closer, I was quite surprised to see that they were eating raw fish, heavily salting it. On this night, bright as day, in Sura, it seems, no one went to bed either: crowds of people were walking everywhere. At 4 a.m. on June 29, dear Father was already on his feet. He visited the school, where 5 tables had already been prepared, went into the kitchen, where cooking was going on all night, examined everything and blessed it so that there would be no shortage of anything (and surprisingly: there was plenty of everything!). Then, going to the church, he himself began to place candles in front of the icons, without lighting them. At 7 o'clock the mighty sound of the bell spread in a wide wave throughout all the surroundings of Sura, announcing the upcoming celebration. Everyone perked up, and crowds of people flowed to the church like a river. The main altar is vast in size, and therefore most of the clergy took part in the washing and vesting of the throne. After the religious procession around the church, when they entered the church with lit candles, it was all flooded with lights and shone like a pre-decorated bride! After the anointing of the cross with the cross on the walls of the church, the liturgy began, performed by all the clergy. It was true Easter! After the sacrament, Bishop Alexander delivered the sermon; they say, the simplest and most deeply edifying, understandable to the people. Behind him, the dear church builder spoke with his word. The church celebration ended. Dear Father, like the sun, shone with joy that the Lord had finally fulfilled his many-year-old dream - the creation of a church. And we all rejoiced at his joy, congratulating each other. Truly, like a bright Easter, this was an unforgettable day for all of us. An hour later, we all gathered for the last meal at Father’s. Before lunch, the Sursky sotsky, on behalf of the Suryans, offered Fr. John bread and salt on a wooden, elegantly carved dish with the inscription: “Grateful Suryans to the Church Creator.” Father kindly accepted and kissed the bread. Following this, a letter of gratitude was read from the teacher and students of the Ministerial School for Her improvement, and immediately one of the wealthy Sur peasants also presented Batiushka with bread and salt on a beautiful silver platter. After that, everyone sat down at the table. The first toast to the Sovereign and the Royal House was accepted with a friendly “Hurray!” both those present at the table and all the people who blocked the entire street in front of the school, and everyone sang the anthem three times: “God Save the Tsar!” Following this toast, the bishop raised a toast to the church builder, Fr. John. In response to this, both in the house and on the street, thunder rolled “Many years!” Everyone warmly congratulated Father, and he accepted these congratulations with tears of joy. Here the teacher of the Arkhangelsk Theological School E. O. Korelin made a heartfelt speech. Moved to tears, Father warmly hugged and kissed Korelin, thanking him for the feelings he expressed. There were many other toasts and speeches. After the meal, everyone joyfully, happy with everything they had experienced, rose from the table and began to say goodbye. O. John went out onto the porch to go to his room. Here a picture unfolded that defies any description: a countless mass of people, seeing Fr. John knelt before him, thanking him for building the church. They kissed his hands, feet, cassock, cried, blessed him and almost carried him home in their arms. On the same day, the bishop, the governor with his retinue, and almost all the guests left Sura, and Father and I stayed for a few more days. He wanted to serve the liturgy in all the chapels and relax in silence. From morning to evening, as on Easter, the ringing of bells spread out in a mighty wave, from which Father was delighted and drove in all directions, away from Sura, enjoying the sonorous music of the wonderful ringing. Every day we had lunch and drank tea with him, and all the time he was joyful, talkative, he himself took us to the opposite end of the Sura from the churches, there, in the shifting sand, pointing to the few remains of half-rotten logs, he simply declared: this is where I was born! I bowed to the place where, on the blessed night of October 19, 1829, the modern star of the Russian land lit up, and over the years it began to rise and shine higher and higher, brighter and brighter. And now it can be seen far beyond the borders of Rus'. And she shines with a living faith in God for everyone, and she warms everyone with her sincere, ardent love for people... These thoughts did not leave me in Sura, and I went to that place every day, collecting chips there, as material witnesses to the birth of the lamp of God, and to this day I keep them along with the water consecrated by Fr. John and fresh, as if poured just now. Father also took us to Poklonnaya Hill, 2 versts from Sura, beyond the Sura River; this is his favorite place of prayer and rest. At the cliff of a mountain covered with forest, the entire Sura immediately opens up; right below the river Sura winds like a ribbon, to the left is the beautiful Pinega, and further and further in the vast expanse there are hills, forests and meadows, as far as the eye can see. In such a gracious company and walks with dear Father, 5 days flew by unnoticed. On July 4, dear Father served the liturgy, prayer service and memorial service in the new church for the last time, and after lunch he said goodbye to Sura. How we didn’t want to part with this blessed corner, where we lived so warmly and happily under the blessed wing of our dear Father! All of Sura, young and old, saw off their benefactor, many cried, his sister Daria Ilyinichna especially cried, saying goodbye to her great Brother, as she then called him. When the bells began to ring, the steamer quietly began to move away from Sura, and soon found itself before a sharp bend in the river. Pinega, behind whom Sura had to immediately hide; Father, standing all the time on the deck, took off his hat, and with eyes full of tears, fervently prayed to the churches and bowed deeply. Then, turning to us, he said: “I remember when I was a nine-year-old child walking for the first time from the Arkhangelsk Theological School to my homeland, then at this turn, when the entire Sura opened before my eyes at once, I fell to my knees with tears of joy and fervently thanked God that He had brought me to my homeland.” On July 6 we arrived in Arkhangelsk, where Father paid visits to all the officials who visited Sura. Thus ended this bright and joyful celebration of the consecration of the Sursky church, and we, together with dear Father, could say with all our hearts: “Lord, you have given us the desire of our hearts” (Ps. 20:3) Published according to “K.P.”, 1916. No. 23. pp.365–368; No. 24. 378–382 Deacon M. Pavlovsky. Memory from the past When I was a psalm-reader in the village. Maryino, Novgorod district, the Lord deigned me, a sinner, to participate in the Divine service at the foundation of the church, June 3, 1903, in the town of Ushaki, with dear Father Fr. John of Kronstadt. At a one-verst distance from the Ushaki station, the Nikolaevskaya railway, a long ribbon on both sides of the Nikolaevskoe highway, is located the huge village of “Ushaki”, near which on the eastern side there is a large estate of a certain Mr. Shreter, with a huge peat factory, where a lot of Orthodox people work. In addition to these settlements, many more Orthodox people live at the station itself. Ushaks, all the so-called serving class; there are a lot of people in the huge estate of a certain city Kokoreva and in her numerous dachas, especially in the summer dacha season. All these inhabitants, while receiving all sorts of worldly pleasures and entertainment in abundance, were deprived of the most important pleasure and consolation - the opportunity to visit the church of God and enjoy the Divine services performed in it. No matter how modern wicked people slander, the enemies of St. Orthodox Church, the insignificance of the Orthodox faith and the decline of religion in our Orthodox people 67, the religious need for the inhabitants of the Ushakovsky corner grew and grew every year, and, finally, a petition was raised to build a stone church in the village of Ushaki. For this St. An energetic public figure, at that time Novgorod district leader of the nobility, Lyuban landowner A.V. Bolotov, took on the task, which involved many efforts. As soon as permission was received to build the church of God, benefactors of St. were found. cause, who willingly made all possible sacrifices for the church of God. Father Fr. also contributed here. John of Kronstadt (of course, as always, for outsiders, in the Gospel, secret). The above-mentioned landowner Mr. Schröter was a particularly generous giver, despite the fact that he himself was of the Lutheran faith. And so, June 3, 1903 was designated the day of laying the foundation of the church in honor of the “Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos.” Alexander Vladimirovich himself, as a true Christian, respected the late Father Fr. John of Kronstadt, and, knowing what love and respect the Orthodox Russian people had for him, and wanting to provide the rural inhabitants with the spiritual pleasure of seeing Father and receiving a blessing from him, he personally went to beg him to take part in the ceremony of laying the foundation of the Church of God, to which Father gave his consent. The long-awaited day has arrived for the entire region. It seemed that nature seemed to come to life and became more cheerful on this significant day for the Ushakovites. The June sun was scorching hot from early morning; there was not a cloud in the sky; An amazing silence reigned in nature. Along with the rising sun's rays, people from all over moved in waves to the laying site. From the surrounding villages: Lyubani, Pelgory, Babina and Maryina, religious processions began to appear for the celebration. A huge canopy was built above the foundation site of the church in case of inclement weather, and arches and other decorations were made of fresh flowers and greenery. By 10 a.m. the religious processions that took part in the celebration had all gathered. According to a rough estimate, 8–10 thousand people gathered. The train from St. Petersburg, in which Father arrived, arrived exactly at 11 am. People literally besieged the station from all sides. Finally the desired train arrived. Barely Father Fr. John got out of the car, as this crowd, gathered from different places, despite the passing train, ready to crush it, rushed in a thick wave to the station platform, asking Father for his blessing. It’s hard to imagine what was around the station at that time. It took a lot of work for the arriving clergy with Mr. Bolotov, the chairman of the construction committee, to place Fr. John to the crew. The crowd completely blocked the passage. The air was filled with all kinds of exclamations and noise. Shouts were heard from the crowd: “Our dear Father! Our breadwinner! Our joy! Bless us! etc. Tears literally flowed like a river from these seekers, thirsty for spiritual consolation and blessing. And a wonderful thing! My heart began to beat with spiritual delight at the sight of Father, as if it wanted to break out of my sinful body and join this wholly spiritual man living in God. It seems that there could not be such a coarse, callous heart, hardened by sins, that would not be touched and shudder at the sight of this touching picture. The crew in which Father sat was literally carried in their arms. How did he, our prayer book and father, feel at the sight of everything around him? Yes, as always, he was completely engulfed in prayer and earnestly sent his pastoral blessing to this thirsty crowd. And they rode the one-verst distance to the staging site for almost an hour, and on a very good pair of horses. With difficulty they then removed Father from the carriage, as the crowd besieged him to the point of impossibility; It seemed that all of Father’s clothes would be torn to shreds. And what a miracle! Despite the requests of the commanding administration - the guardians of order - not to bother Father with a request to bless, I involuntarily felt the urge to at least get closer to Father and touch his clothes. This was the desire of everyone, not excluding the priests. The service began. Like thunder, the powerful voice of the now also deceased Fr. Protodeacon of St. Petersburg St. Isaac's Cathedral - Malinin. In ordinary times, to our shame, the voices of such father deacons during Divine Services are the subject of general attention, but here this huge voice did not make much of an impression. Everyone was deeply involved in the service of Father Fr. John, who was extraordinary in all respects: during the service he directly talked with God and powerfully attracted everyone present, even those who came out of curiosity, to delve into every word of the service. The service has ended. We performed the ceremony of laying the bookmark itself. The priest said a few words about the celebration, but, unfortunately, not many heard them due to the loud noise of the crowd. Among the high-ranking officials present at the celebration were: Minister of Railways Prince Khilkov 68, Novgorod governor Count Medem 69, Novgorod provincial leader of the nobility Prince Golitsyn 70 and many others. etc. At the end of the entire celebration, at the request of A.V. Bolotov, all participants went to a nearby garden near the estate of Mr. Schröter, where a modest meal and tea were prepared in the open air. On the way to the kindergarten with Father, the same picture happened again: with difficulty he was again put into the carriage and taken to have a meal. After the meal, the singers, at Father’s request, performed several notated religious chants (concerts), which he listened to with great attention and pleasure. After this, Father, having blessed all those present, went to the station to depart for St. Petersburg and Kronstadt. Everyone present at the celebration accompanied him to the station. At exactly 5 o'clock Father, accompanied by his psalm-reader Kiselyov, left. With sadness we all stood on the platform and looked at the quickly departing train. I will never, never forget what I saw! Eternal memory to you, dear Father of blessed memory, our warm prayer book at the throne of God. Published by: “K. P." 1913. N34. pp. 587–590. K. Saltykov. M. E. Saltykov (Shchedrin) And O. John of Kronstadt (From the memoirs of the writer’s son) 71 This was not long before my father’s death, no more than two months. My mother, seeing that his health was not improving, convinced my father that he should invite Fr. John. Father agreed, and then mother began to work for Father John to visit us. The task was not an easy one, since all the hours of the Kronstadt archpriest’s stay in the capital were scheduled in advance. Carried about. John, there was a lady in the city who accepted appointments for his visits. This lady, having learned that Fr. My father wants to see Joanna, made an exception for us and scheduled his visit to us on his first visit to St. Petersburg. And on the appointed day, the Kronstadt archpriest actually arrived to us. He was a short priest, with kind, but at the same time eyes that pierced his interlocutor, with a small black beard through which gray hair showed through. The priest was dressed in a black satin cassock. He entered us friendly, as if this was not the first time he had visited us, inquired about where the sick man was, and upon learning that he was in the office, he went there, hugged his father, and then talked alone with him for quite a long time. About what - my father never told us this. Then the priest asked to put a table with an icon in the middle of the living room, put dad on his knees and began to read a prayer. He read it indistinctly, abruptly, especially emphasizing some words, as if arguing with someone invisible to us. This reading made some kind of eerie impression on us, who also reverently knelt down. Finally Fr. John finished his prayer, and allowing his father to venerate St. Cross, invited everyone who was in the apartment to do the same. He blessed everyone, he told my mother that she was kind, the same for me, I don’t remember what for my sister, but it was also good. Only the cook was not allowed in by Fr. John kissed the Holy Cross, telling her that she was not worthy of it. It later turned out that she was a thief. Then we invited Fr. John was drinking tea in the dining room, and an interesting incident occurred here. My father was afraid that if S.P. Botkin 72 found out that Fr. John, then he, Botkin, will be offended and will no longer visit him. As a result, a curious order was given to the doorman: if Sergei Petrovich arrived, tell him that his father was not at home. This order was curious because of the fact that dad did not go anywhere, since he was forbidden by the same Botkin to go out into the air in winter. In addition, we did not take into account the fact that once Fr. John, the news of this instantly spread throughout the area and a huge crowd of people gathered around his carriage, waiting for his blessing. That's what happened this time too. As soon as the news of the priest’s visit to us spread throughout the neighborhood, the entire part of Liteiny Prospect, on which we lived, turned out to be crowded with people. S.P. Botkin just at that very time decided to visit his father and was quite surprised and even, as he told us later, was afraid that dad had died when he saw such a crowd of people in front of the house. Having inquired from the first person he met about the reason for such a crowd, he, of course, found out what was the matter and realized that the priest was probably with us, and therefore, without listening to the doorman’s confusing explanations, he went straight upstairs and, since the apartment doors were not locked, entered the hallway, took off his fur coat and appeared in the dining room. It is difficult to describe the embarrassment that took possession of all of us when the tall, dense figure of S.P. appeared at the door. An awkward silence reigned. One o. John was apparently pleasantly surprised to see the professor. He stood up and hugged Botkin with a kind smile. “Ay, ah, your Excellency,” Sergei Petrovich began reproachfully at the pope, “aren’t you ashamed to hide my friend from me, Fr. John... After all, we are both doctors, only I heal the body, and he heals the soul... Of course, after this phrase, the awkwardness that had taken possession of everyone disappeared, and a relaxed, even cheerful conversation began between the adults. When leaving, the priest kissed his father on the mouth. As they explained to us later, he always did this when he saw that his help was useless. This was his last farewell to the patient from where, alas, no one returns Published by: “New Time”. 1914. April 28 The first time I saw Father John was with my aunt, Countess Tiesenhausen. The old woman lived in the mezzanine of the Winter Palace with her niece Nina Piller, who was hopelessly ill. Fr. was invited to pray for her recovery. John, who made a strong impression on me. He addressed the sick woman and then those present with a speech, urging them to rely entirely on the will of God and surrender with submission to His good Providence. After that, he invited everyone to pray for the sick woman and began to read an impromptu and heartfelt prayer that moved everyone to tears. The sick woman cried, those present cried, and Fr. himself cried. John. After the prayer, he blessed the sick woman, promised to pray for her again when he served the liturgy, and encouraged all her loved ones. He advised everyone to pray, but not to expect a miracle and not to see anything terrible in the Christian death, but to everyone to always be ready for death, as long as it was a righteous death. Soon after this, about three weeks later, the patient died, and Fr. John served a memorial service for her, and again touched everyone with his kind pastoral words. Anyone who has ever seen the Kronstadt shepherd up close will never forget his meek gaze and his soft, warm voice when he uttered words of consolation. There was a sense of spiritual peace from him and one could feel a special power of grace in his speeches. He made an irresistible impression, and I remember how one of my relatives, who was keen on Lord Radstock and the false teachings of a Stundist character that were fashionable at that time, 73 met Fr. John, rushed to kiss his hands, and at one glance Fr. John was enough for him to stop his hobby and express a desire to go to Kronstadt to confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries, which he had not begun for more than ten years. After this, he became a sincere believer and ceased to shun the Church and its ministers. The more the fame of Fr. John, the more difficult access to him became. I remember during my mother’s illness I wrote and telegraphed in vain to Fr. John, and my call did not reach him. Then I went to see General Bogdanovich, who knew him closely, the father of my corps comrade, and he wrote me a telegram, forcing me to sign: “Page of His Majesty’s Court,” and, indeed, this time the telegram arrived. In response to her, Fr. John himself came and prayed for our dear patient, who was dying from an incurable illness. When I was a page, I went to see Father John in Kronstadt with a friend. When we boarded the ship in Oranienbaum, it turned out that Fr. John, to whom we immediately approached and had the good fortune to talk with him all the way and learn from his instructions. When the ship landed in Kronstadt, it turned out that Fr. They were already waiting for John there. On the street adjacent to the pier, beggars stood in two rows of trellises, about two hundred people. Father John, coming ashore, approached them and began to give them alms. At the same time, we were lucky enough to be eyewitnesses of Fr. John. One of the passengers near us, a young intellectual of a rather cheeky type, whispered to his neighbor, a student, in a low voice, pointing to Fr. John, handing out money at the other end of the street: “Encouraging parasitism!” When Fr. John finished the distribution, then returned to the pier, where those young people were still standing, waiting for the cab driver, and said, turning to them: “We should all be merciful to the poor, for the Scripture says: blessed is he who looks upon the poor! Oh, and the poor, on the day of cruelty the Lord will deliver him (Ps. XI), but we, priests, are obliged to take even more care of the poor, since it is also said there that the poor are left for you to eat!” And, having uttered these words, he walked away, leaving the young people in great confusion. In front of the house about. John there was a crowd through which it was impossible to squeeze through. Therefore, we did not dare to penetrate there, especially since we already had the good fortune to see Fr. John and talk with him, and headed to St. Andrew's Cathedral, where there was also already a mass of people, since they expected that Fr. John will come there to serve Vespers. After some time, Fr. arrived. John, and the people rushed towards him with such force that if the police had not stood there, the priest would have been crushed. After Vespers Fr. John blessed the people for a long time, and we witnessed such scenes: a decently dressed gentleman approaches and informs Fr. John that he was ruined and was threatened with shame and prison, since he had wasted other people's money. At this time, some poorly dressed woman in a headscarf passes some white bundle to the priest over the heads of others. Father John takes the bundle and, without looking at it, hands it over to a decently dressed gentleman. The woman screams: “Father, there are three thousand here!” Father John addresses her with the words: “You sacrifice to God, don’t you? The Lord accepts your gift, and your money will save a person.” And a man with a bundle in his hands is already kneeling in front of the icon of the Savior and repeating through tears: “Three thousand, three thousand! Exactly the amount I owe!” After Vespers Fr. John received us at his place, blessed us and, giving us a quick farewell, since many were waiting for him, promised to pray for us. We could not stay until another day, since we had to return to the Krasnoselsky camp that same evening, and therefore we left Kronstadt, taking with us the brightest memories in our souls. After that, I often met with Father John when I lived in Moscow, and he came there and visited Prince Dolgorukov. The prince showed signs of great attention and respect to the Kronstadt shepherd, each time leaving him to dine with him, and knowing how much Fr. valued his time. John put his carriage at his disposal and asked him not to be shy and to leave immediately after dinner was over if he had no time. Once the prince instructed me, at that time a young officer, to escort Fr. John to the Nikolaevsky station and order that the front rooms be opened. There was a huge crowd at the station, so the carriage had to walk at a walk, and when getting out of the carriage I barely managed to o. Ivan was escorted to the doors of the main chambers, the crowd squeezed us so tightly. Since they feared that the same crush would happen on the platform, where the crowd surrounded the first-class carriages, the station master ordered Fr. John slowly across the track and put him in the carriage on the opposite side. To divert attention, gendarmes stood in trellises on the platform in front of the carriage, as if awaiting his arrival, and the public surrounded them. At the very moment the train departed, the gendarmes dispersed, and in front of the astonished public, a curtain rose in the carriage window and the face of the beloved shepherd appeared, who, smiling tenderly, blessed those present. The prince laughed a lot when I reported to him how we managed to get Fr. into the carriage. John. That the danger of a crush was not a joke is shown by the fact that on the previous departure of Fr. John from Moscow, the station audience crushed him to such an extent that they bent his golden pectoral cross. When Father John was in Moscow, he also visited the commander of the troops, General Kostanda, and once, having arrived there in the second week of Easter, he made a sign of Christ with everyone present, since, according to him, Easter had not passed, but greet each other with the words: “Christ is Risen!” – you can not only all Easter, but all year round. Once I was lucky enough to go with Fr. John from Petrograd to Moscow with a fast train in one carriage. Having learned that Fr. was traveling in the compartment next to mine. Archpriest Sergiev, I knocked on his door, and he kindly invited me in and allowed me to spend several hours unforgettable in my memory in his edifying community. The next morning, approaching Moscow, Fr. John invited me into his compartment, and we continued yesterday’s conversation, which ended only when the train drove under the glass canopy of the Nikolaevsky station in the capital. The last words addressed to me by the loving Kronstadt shepherd were a promise to remember me in prayer during the liturgy and an exhortation - I was already a priest at that time - to perform liturgies as often as possible and mutually pray for him. I met Father John one more time in the Crimea, where he came in the fall of 1894, summoned to the painful bed of the Tsar the Peacemaker, and was honored to be invited by him to concelebrate in the Yalta Cathedral. First about. John served Matins, and he himself read the troparia of the canon, and at the end of Matins he preached a sermon. After the liturgy, Fr. John, as usual, despite the concelebration of the deacon, consumed the Holy Gifts, and then performed a prayer service for the health of the Sovereign Emperor Alexander III 74 . Modesty o. Joanna was amazing. He never cared about himself personally, never tried to move forward, never attributed the received mercies of God to his prayers, but always said that healing is given by God according to the faith of the sufferer himself and through the prayers of all those who prayed with him, and not just him. The more he expressed Christian humility and efforts to conceal himself, the more the Lord brought forward His righteous man and glorified him. I remember such an incident. When he first appeared to Prince Vladimir Andreevich Dolgorukov 75, no one from the governor general’s servants knew him yet: he was taken to the hallway and left there to wait. Nobody noticed him; officials walked past him into the reception room, not paying attention, and no one even thought about reporting him to the prince, and he himself did not remind anyone of himself, standing modestly in a corner, in a cassock and kamilavka. In this form, I found him in the hallway and immediately told the official on duty about him, who hastened to report him to the prince, and the prince immediately ordered him to be brought to him. From then on, the prince constantly invited him to his place and showed signs of respect; I remember once in the presence of Archbishop Ambrose 76 the prince approached Fr. John for a blessing, and he did not refuse to give it to him, although it is not customary for priests to bless in the presence of a bishop. Relationships about. John's approach to the people who turned to him for help was touching: he suffered with the suffering and cried with those who wept, but he sternly and angrily denounced stubborn heretics and sectarians, like Leo Tolstoy and his followers. For this, the latter hated him with that irreconcilable hatred with which Satan hates the angels of light. Meanwhile, Father John of Kronstadt could not at all be called a narrow fanatic, since he did good to both Orthodox and non-Orthodox people alike, and I know of such a case just in the Crimea, when Fr. John advised one sick person who called him, a Pole who had not been to confession for a long time, to confess and receive Holy Communion from his priest, and when he followed the priest’s advice, he recovered. I know that o. John even did good to the Jews, and knew Jews who highly respected him and considered him a saint. Abroad the glory of Fr. John has grown since Vanutelli 77 wrote about him in his book about Russia, and compared him with his namesake, the parish priest of Ars, who lived during the Napoleonic era, John Vianney 78, canonized by the Catholic Church. Leo XIII 79 was also very interested in the personality of Fr. John and asked me a lot about him. Both the French and the English (Protestant) clergy were interested in him in the same way, and when I was abroad and in Paris, and in London, and in America, I constantly had to talk about the Kronstadt shepherd as an ideal priest. Once, at the request of passengers, I read about Fr. John gave an entire lecture on a ship in the Pacific Ocean, and his name often appeared in my sermons among non-believers. Unfortunately, I must say that even in Russia there were people who belonged to Fr. Ioannou is negative. Thus, one revered hieromonk of a suburban monastery, which I deliberately do not name, expressed himself in a conversation about John of Kronstadt: “He is not in use among us.” It seems to me that this was indicated by a certain kind of monastic jealousy that such an ascetic did not belong to monasticism, but adorned the ranks of the white clergy. I often had to speak out in defense of Fr. John, especially when he was reproached for precisely the things that he most avoided. They reproached him for his expensive velvet cassocks, which he never ordered for himself, but wore because his admirers gave them to him so as not to offend them - once, and secondly, because he filially remembered the lesson taught to him by the late Metropolitan Isidore 80 when he came to him in a simple woolen cassock. “Is it really possible,” said the Metropolitan, “that you show up at the palace in such a cassock?” In reply that this was his best dress robe, the Metropolitan remarked to Fr. John, that appearing in such simple clothes to high-ranking persons shows a sign of insufficient respect. Just after this Fr. John was given a new cassock, and he began to wear it when he had to visit high-ranking persons. Likewise, Fr. John could not be considered responsible for the fact that he was closely surrounded and looked after by his female admirers, whose veneration was later expressed in the ugly form of a special adoration of a sectarian nature 81 . In essence, it was the same feeling that surrounds every respected priest in the parish, but brought to its apogee due to the charm of Fr. John and his ever-increasing popularity. No monarch in the world received as many letters and offerings as Fr. John: these piles of letters and telegrams were sorted by those around Fr. John, and only the most important ones, in their opinion, were passed on to Father. Here, of course, there were abuses, but Fr. John had nothing to do with this, since he could not personally, with a lot of work to do, re-read several hundred letters a day 82. Subsequently, he got himself a secretary, and then things went smoother and the abuse stopped. In conclusion, I will say that I saw Fr. John for the last time after my return from abroad, shortly before his righteous and peaceful death. He treated me as sympathetically and kindly as before, gave me his “Life in Christ” as a souvenir and blessed my works, which I most respectfully presented to him. Fr. John has always been my ideal of a good shepherd, and when I served in the parish, just like many of my comrades in ministry at that time, the same admirers of Fr. John, like me, we tried to imitate him and always set him before us as a model of all pastoral virtues and often in difficult cases asked ourselves how Fr. John acted in this case, and they tried to do the same. St. John has left us, but his memory and example are alive among us, and we can confidently hope that the soul of this good shepherd now stands for us before the throne of the Most High and his prayers for us, sinners and sorrowful ones, have become even more effective than they were during his lifetime. Published by: “K. P." 1916. N 38. P. 538–542; N 39. pp. 551–553. O. Tikhomirov. Meeting with Father Ioann Ilyich Sergiev My only meeting with Father Ioann Ilyich Sergiev was in 1906 in Petrograd, where we had recently moved from Moscow. This meeting took place in a family close to Father John and us. Arriving in Petrograd, father, as they called Fr. John was his admirer and often visited the Bilibin family. Having learned about my desire to see Father John, V.L. Bilibin on one of his visits to them, she sent her son to tell me that the priest was with them and, if I wanted to see him and at the same time pray, so that I would hurry to their house. The Bilibin family lived so close to us that in a few minutes I was already with them. While still on the stairs, going up to the third floor, it was impossible not to notice that the usually empty landings of this staircase were this time occupied by the public, apparently wanting someone or something. There were also a lot of people in the front of the Bilibins' apartment. The owner of the house, N.I. Bilibin, who met me, not without difficulty, even walked with me through this crowd and the room closest to the front door into the living room, where the hostess met us. In the back of this room, on the sofa, Father John was sitting and reading a newspaper; we came closer, and a minute later the owner introduced me to Father John, who gave me his blessing. Having said a few words about the events of that time and mourned 83, Father John fell silent. V.L. Bilibina took advantage of this moment of general silence and asked the priest to pray. Father John immediately agreed, stood up and, turning his gaze to the icon, began to pray. I cannot say what prayers Father John read, but within a minute all of us here, in this room, as one person, knelt down and fervently prayed after Father John, his prayer had such a strong effect on everyone present. At the end of the prayer, which did not last long, V.L. Bilibina invited us to the dining room. At the same time, turning back, I saw that the entire living room (except for us, the invitees) was full of people; how and when these people came here, I did not notice at all; so quietly, so reverently, everyone who was here came in, stood and prayed. In the dining room where we arrived, I was seated at the table opposite Father John, and I could clearly observe everything that happened during breakfast. In addition to the Bilibin family, who did not sit at the table, there were other strangers here besides me who took part in this breakfast. Everyone's attention, of course, was drawn to Father John; everyone listened to him, or rather wanted to listen to him, but he, however, had little to say. Every minute they turned to him with questions; the owners diligently treated him and insisted that the priest eat or at least try the dishes on the table. Father John agreed to take the pie, which the owner of the house put on his plate. As soon as Father John cut off and put the first piece in his mouth, voices immediately came from all sides, asking for a piece to be given to them too. Following this, almost immediately, Father John’s plate with pie was completely unceremoniously taken from him by one of those present. Noticing this, N.I. Bilibin hastened to offer another piece of pie, which Father John, however, refused and took the glass of tea served to him by V.L. Bilibina. The owner offered something else and then, taking a bottle of wine from the table, poured half a glass and placed it in front of Father John. At that moment I was finishing what was on my plate, and as soon as I swallowed the last piece, Father took a bottle of wine and turned to me. “I want to drink to your health,” said Father John and looked at me intently; I hurried to take the empty glass that stood opposite my device, into which Father poured me some wine. “Be healthy,” said Father John and, clinking glasses with me, drank a sip of wine. V.L. Bilibina drew Father’s attention to the fruit and asked him to take something. Father John blessed the fruits standing in a large vase among the table, putting one grape into his mouth and then immediately got up from the table. Father John, having given a blessing to everyone who approached him, said goodbye and left. Although the door from the dining room led straight into the hallway, Father had to walk quite a long time to the exit. The mass of people standing in the hallway and on the stairs continued to approach Father John one by one for a long time, asking for a blessing. After waiting a little, I said goodbye to the hospitable hosts and went to my home. At the entrance to the Bilibins’ apartment, I found many more people who had just seen Father John off. This meeting with Father Ivan Ilyich was my first and last. At the beginning of summer we moved to Tsarskoye Selo. My constant illness, which began in Petrograd, by this time had intensified even more and finally turned into a serious illness that put me to bed for many months. The doctor (Professor Ya.), who treated me, told my husband that my situation, if not hopeless, was at least very serious. For whole weeks I could not eat anything; I was so weak that I myself could not even straighten the blankets on myself or take anything from the table that stood by my bed. The temperature was high all the time, between 38 and 40, and it already seemed to me that I could not recover. Then, as I found out later, I was not the only one who thought this. Finally, I felt completely unwell; in the evening the temperature became very high, and I myself fell into some kind of sleepy, semi-conscious state. Although many of my close acquaintances visited me, no one except my doctor was allowed to see me. Day by day I was getting worse. Suddenly I remembered my meeting with Father John, and at the same time I had a desire to ask for his prayers, which I told my husband. Having approved this idea, my husband immediately wrote about this to our mutual friend with Father John, V.L. Bilibina. A few days later, without still having an answer to the letter sent by V.L. Bilibina, I woke up in the morning with the feeling that I was about to die, my health was so bad. A minute later I decided to tell my husband this. Immediately after this, my temperature was measured, which turned out to be close to normal. Soon Prof. arrived. Ya, looking at the thermometer shown to him, was so surprised by the rapid drop in the very high temperature that had been the day before that he asked to measure it again; At the same time, he held my hand for a long time and counted my pulse. Having made sure that the temperature had indeed dropped significantly and was almost normal, prof. Ya told me that such a rapid drop in high temperature was what caused my health to be so difficult. Although in the evening my temperature rose again, it was not so high and the next day it was again close to normal. It was clear, which was later confirmed by Prof. I. that such a rapid drop in the high temperature that had been standing for a long time was nothing more than a turning point in my illness. And imagine my surprise when V.L.’s letter was then received. Bilibina, in which she informed my husband that Father was praying for my recovery. The time of Father John’s prayer for me coincided completely with the turning point that occurred in my illness. From that time on, my recovery began, albeit slowly. Printed by: "K.P." 1916. No. 40. pp.568–571. Priest D. Pronsky. Father's insight It is difficult to convey what a deep loss Russia suffered with the death of the great merciful man and man of prayer, Fr. John of Kronstadt. Who didn’t he help with his prayerful boldness before God? Who hasn’t he done good with his generous hand in our callous age? Our alms are stingy and often indiscriminate. But charity is about. Joanna was united with his amazing insight and often helped a need hidden from human sight, without asking for help. I know this not only from rumors. I consider it a sin to remain silent about the significant fact of such charity by Fr. John and in relation to me. In April 1895, I, the former cathedral psalmist of the city of Kasimov, with a sufficient amount of money went to Kronstadt to ask for the blessing of Fr. John for marriage and other needs of the soul. The days of my stay in Kronstadt (April 23, 24 and 25), when I personally had to see the charming priestly service of Fr. I consider John, his gentle, penetrating glances, his popularity among the people, an unforgettably happy time in my life. In the rooms of the House of Diligence, where I stayed, there was at that time a huge crowd of admirers. But neither on the 23rd nor on the 24th. Due to lack of time, John was not in these rooms. By the evening of the 24th, my cash reserves were unexpectedly depleted; According to my calculations, I had absolutely no money left for the return trip from Kronstadt. I considered it a shame to ask in a remote city, especially from strangers; with the persistent thought of lack of money, he fell asleep. April 25th Fr. John usually served the early liturgy in St. Andrew's Cathedral, and I, as in previous days, had the good fortune to stand in the altar; and, I testify with my priesthood, not only did not ask, but I did not have any thoughts of bothering Fr. John to help on the road. At the end of the mass, Fr. John, having undressed, began to go down the stairs of the secret altar passage, and we all (there were about 25 of us standing in the altar) followed him with reverent gazes. Suddenly, as if he had forgotten something, he quickly returned up the stairs and, bypassing everyone, came up to me, the unworthy one, who stood furthest from the stairs and subtly quickly handed me a closed package with the words: “Here’s for your journey.” I was stunned by surprise and barely had time to kiss his beneficent hand. I opened the package with excitement, after leaving Fr. John. So what? It contains 20 rubles; the amount is quite sufficient for my departure from Kronstadt, I immediately considered it my duty to tell the venerable priest of the House of Diligence, Fr. Andrey Vasilievich Shildsky. On the same day Fr. John visited the House of Diligence, prayed in my room, honored me with his blessing and a short conversation, and with a joyful heart I left for the place of service. Let freethinkers continue to mock the Righteous One and call this fact an accident. Believers and those blessed by Fr. John will not forget his bright soul. At the end of 1909 and the beginning of 1910, I was in St. Petersburg with my wife, who was terminally ill and was lying in the Rhine clinic, and I dare to assure you that I have never visited any shrine in the capital as often as the tomb of Fr. John on Karpovka, and always left there with a renewed soul. On February 2, 1910, I served an early liturgy at Karpovka, and a memorial service for Fr. John, with the wonderful singing of the local choir and a large influx of pilgrims. On the same day, my wife, who walked like a shadow, and is now living, received the Holy Mysteries here. There will be a Righteous One in eternal memory! Printed by: "K.P." 1914. No. 5. pp. 78–79. F. Ignatov. From memories of Father John of Kronstadt On December 20, 1908, the venerable Kronstadt shepherd, Father John Ilyich Sergiev, died. Five years have passed since then. And 13 years have passed since my last meeting with him. But I remember him even now. I vividly imagine his face, hear his voice and want to share with my readers my memories of him. I personally had to visit Father John in Kronstadt three times; to see him, talk with him and be amazed at his tirelessness. The first time I went to see him was in 1895. At that time I was very sick. No medicine helped me. My nervous illness was getting worse and worse, and subsequently I began to fear for my sanity. At that time Fr. John was known everywhere for his good deeds. Everyone was talking about him. And many suffering and terminally ill people from all over Russia and other countries of the universe strove for the good shepherd and from him they found both joy and healing. I also decided to go to him. Meeting with Fr. John was absolutely amazing to me. Before my eyes, he healed two demoniacs; and, like an affectionate father, he stroked the heads of those who were crying, consoled and reassured the mourners, and at the same time helped those in need - financially. With one hand he received it himself, and with the other he immediately gave it to the poor. Everyone crowded around him, squeezing him, crushing his legs. But they did not realize that they were causing him trouble. All those crowded together thought only about their own sorrows and expected help and consolation from him. And the good shepherd, at times seemingly stern in appearance, treated everyone sympathetically. It was very noticeable how, looking at the mourners around him, he himself grieved for them and in his soul prayed to God for their forgiveness, consolation and healing. Among the noise and conversation of those turning to him, his exclamations were heard: “Trust in the Lord. He will help you! or: “Oh, unfortunate one! - repent of your sins, but do not lose heart! God will forgive, He is merciful!” Along with others, I also approached him. I told him about my suffering and asked him to pray for me to the Creator and hopefully waited for consolation from him. I looked at him with love, glad that I was standing next to him. I saw in him (not only with my eyes, but with my heart) not an ordinary mortal, but a man living for heaven, a true servant of God. He did not attribute anything to his labors, but told everyone: “The Creator will heal you! He is merciful... And I, out of my duty, pray - I am a priest of God...” Father John put his hand on my head and said: “God will have mercy on you! Pray to Him and partake of His holy Body and Blood every Lent!” Quite a lot of time has passed since then, and by the grace of God I am alive. And my illness stopped soon after my first meeting with Fr. John. I believe his prayers and advice healed me. At my second meeting with him, when I asked his advice about my life, he said among other things: “Evil is very strong on earth, and the evil spirit takes up arms against people everywhere, and even more so against those who strive to serve the truth.” We were alone with him at that time, and how gratifying it was to listen to his conversation. At the end of this conversation, he amazed me with his insight. Suddenly, when parting with me, he said to me: “What, brother, shouldn’t I give you some money?..” And with these words he lowered his hand into the pocket of his cassock... Before meeting him, I thought and worried in my heart that I really didn’t have enough money for the return trip. But when we met, I didn’t give him a word about it. Moreover, I was decently dressed. And from our conversation he saw that I was not a needy person... “My God! I exclaimed in my soul at that time. This man is truly a saint! He even sees my innermost thoughts!” - Dear father! – I exclaimed. – I believe that the Lord, through your prayers, will allow me to reach my place of residence safely and without need! - Do you believe it?! - Fr. said then. John. - So go with God! And I, having said goodbye to him and received his blessing, went. And I had just enough money for the trip. On one of my trips to see him, I was completely convinced of his insight. And his words to me: “Can’t those who are far away be near?” - are memorable to me to this day. You are unforgettable for me, dear shepherd! And although I am far from you, you are close to my heart! I grieve even now about your death, as about the loss of a person close and dear to me! I also grieve that during the “ferment of minds” and various slander against you, I allowed myself to doubt your piety!.. In my sorrow, I now transport my thoughts to the place of your eternal peace from your labors and ask you: forgive, good father, my cowardice and doubt! There is no doubt that everything bad that has been spread about you is vile slander and an invention of people who hate everything holy, with the goal of undermining the faith in you of the people who love you. A few days before your death, you told one correspondent who visited you: “I have prepared for death and am glad that I am leaving this life... I hope that after my death everything will become clearer. And then everyone will see that I am clean from the dirt that was poured on me during my life...” I join the number of many who see you and now write about your love and truth. In order to shame your slanderers, I am writing my memory of you and confirming that dirt cannot in any way stick to such pure people as you! Printed by: "K.P." 1914. No. 10. pp. 164–166. Archpriest A. Khotovitsky 84 . Letter to the editor You were kind enough to invite me to share with the readers of “The Kronstadt Shepherd” my memories of our forgotten father, the Kronstadt Shepherd. And I rejoice at this happy opportunity, and I feel how weak my pen is for such a task... Just a few days ago I happened to be in the same meeting and, together with other listeners, received spiritual consolation from the report of the famous theologian professor Archpriest. A. Smirnova. He spoke on the topic “The Joy of Faith.” The whole soul of the speaker, and with him those who listened to his wonderful speech, was on the side of understanding Christianity as a feat of joy, light, warmth, and not grief, suffering, gloomy self-torture. From the life and words of the Savior and His first disciples, Fr. Smirnov, step by step, approached our times and presented his listeners with living faces of Russian spiritual luminaries close to all of us. St. was mentioned. Theodosius of Pechersk 85, the reverend elder Seraphim 58 is mentioned - “my happiness, my joy!” - elder Ambrose of Optina 86 ... And the listeners were warmed by heartfelt memories of these saints who brought joy and happiness to their neighbors and in joy performed their feat... And at this time, during the entire conversation about. professor, the brightest and most joyful face of our unforgettable priest Fr. John. All radiant, joyful and joyful, all surrounded by the radiance of his Heavenly Teacher, Whom he served here, truly he brought joy to everyone around him! They spoke about the Teacher with murmur and indignation: “He receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2), and Father Fr. John was not afraid of such indignation. He boldly went to sinners, ate with them, did not disdain the stench of spiritual and bodily poverty, with which sometimes the spark of God was almost completely extinguished in these people, and with an affectionate word, communication, friendliness, joy, he kindled this spark into the flame of hot repentance, fiery faith, and the fire of sinful passions was suddenly transformed into a bonfire that devoured everything bad in the heart of a person and illuminated the path to him for good, eternal Light and Truth... How many such poor people - poor spiritually and materially - have been extracted by Fr. John from under the sinful ruins, with which, it would seem, they were buried forever!.. These people are still alive. They can testify to this themselves. A story has been preserved that once on a holiday, dressed in his best light clothes, the famous sculptor and artist Michelangelo went with his friends to a feast. They were passing by a courtyard, and suddenly Michelangelo rushed there and began to remove a small block of marble from under the dirt and debris... Where are you going? What's wrong with you? Why do you need this?... - the amazed friends held the sculptor. “I need her,” Angelo answered, continuing to tear off the marble... You'll get all dirty... Look, you've already torn up your outfit... Let's go... No, no... I see an angel in her... I must bring him to the light of God... And he took this piece of stone to himself; debris and dirt did not hide the treasures from his view, and soon a snow-white angel, carved from an abandoned stone, adorned the collection of other works of the great genius. This is how Fr. knew how to extract an angel. John from the depths of such people who to others seemed to be the scum of the world. Corroded by the mud of passions and vices, they, under the spiritual hands of a loving, joyful and brotherly father, enveloped in joy, opened their souls, and the angel of goodness, already shackled by the darkness and chains of human sin, was reborn, never to leave these spiritually resurrected people... This is what I wrote down in my diary under the fresh impression of the sad news I received by telegraph, when I was then in North America, about the death of Fr. John. Rus' ORPHANED! The greatest prayer book of the Russian land, Fr. John of Kronstadt! Rus' has become orphaned... Those millions of simple, faith-filled hearts for whom Fr. John was the closest, dearest relative, for whom the mere consciousness that the Lord had adorned Rus' with such a holy, righteous man was the best consolation that brightened the lives of the most wretched people... Fr. rested. John... Whose being did not tremble at this news? Didn’t she drive away the smile from the most carefree face, didn’t she silence the casual, cheerful conversation even of people who only knew about Fr. John, but didn’t know him?.. Didn’t she fill the soul with a mysterious deep grief of each of those to whom God’s Providence gave the happiness of looking closely at life, at the personality, at the work of Fr. John? Didn’t it plunge those who knew into almost hopeless melancholy - and who can count the number of such? - that in a moment of trouble and sadness you have a person in the world who will accept your confession of grief, console your sadness, dry a tear and pour peace into your being, even if you were thousands of miles away from him, even if you were not connected with him by ties of blood, ties of close acquaintance, even if you were separated from him even by confession... This death, this transition of the righteous old man from earthly life to eternal life could not but be inherent in mystery. This husband could not die like others die. Death - in the usual concept that we have acquired - could not take Fr. John. The thought that he is no longer with us, even with his body, cannot be tolerated. Cheerful, radiant Fr. John, doesn’t he live in our hearts even now as if he were alive?.. No, he did not leave Rus', did not leave his “children” dear, unforgettable “father”!.. They say that there were no speeches at his holy tomb... Oh, but what was there to say at such a moment? The funeral sob was this farewell word - the funeral sob of millions of orphaned Russian people. There are probably remote corners in Rus' where the sad news of the death of Father Fr. John. But there is not a corner where, having penetrated, this sad news would not attract a Russian person to weep, would not form a prayer with his lips for the repose of the deceased, would not light a candle with his hands in front of St. image of the newly deceased servant of God Archpriest John... And how much knowledge do you need to have in order to describe with confidence what was happening in tens of thousands of our cities, towns, villages and hamlets, in majestic cathedrals and wretched churches at that moment when the priest, shocked by the terrible news, announced in an excited voice to his flock that Father Fr. John. He died! May your immortal soul rejoice, oh. John! Your life was not in vain. Your labor is not in vain. And we believe, as if by the wings of angels, through the prayer of the people your spirit will be lifted up to the throne of the Most High and numbered among the saints. And your new life will be a continuation of the same holy service of kindness and compassion to your neighbor. Yes. Even during his lifetime Fr. Joanna Rus' believed that he was a saint. And no attacks from the unbelieving blasphemous clique who tried to eradicate faith in Fr. John, who demonically took up arms against his good influence on the people, who stained his life, who did not spare his holy gray hair, who spat upon his prayerful communication with people - no attacks, we believe, will ever kill the conviction that lives in the hearts of the people that Father Fr. John went to the Lord and that the Church will soon give Rus' the consolation to call in her prayers, as a celestial being, the one whom the Lord during his lifetime bestowed with the high gift of miracles, and who showed himself to be an example of purity, love, mercy, humility, love of truth and understanding of the words of the Gospel. Wake up, wake up! Who had the good fortune to see Father Fr. John, he cannot forget him. Whoever heard him perform prayers and the Eucharistic Sacrament, even old age will not erase the memory of the high inspired word and the spiritual passion of the Kronstadt shepherd. For those who had personal communication with him, the memory of such communication will be an eternal consolation, the best joy experienced by a person in this life, full of vanity, evil, untruth, enmity and hatred... God destined me to have this joy: not only to see and hear the priest, but also to enter that large family of lucky people who were treated with his personal attention, love and advice. And of course, not with a feeling of vain boasting, but with a feeling of endless gratitude to the holy prayer book of the Russian land and in the desire to weave my own petal into the funeral wreath of the deceased elder, I allow myself to share some of my memories of the deceased. As now, I remember his inspired, kind Russian face, as if always illuminated by a smile, which did not lose its beauty even in moments of a formidable speech against the enemies of Christ. I remember his wonderful eyes, literally emitting rays and penetrating into the depths of the heart, his abrupt speech, his loud, imperious, convincing reading... I first saw Father John within the walls of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, about 18 years ago. I can’t forget how anxiously our student family awaited the distinguished guest. Himself a student of the same Theological Academy 87, Fr. John came here from time to time to visit the church and talk with young people. We were filling the lower lobby when Fr. appeared at the door. John, my God, what a youthful-looking priest he is! "Hello, friends!" – he greeted us. In a crowd, closely surrounding our dear priest, we began to escort him through all the classrooms and living quarters, bombarding him with questions, asking for blessings... Many from home, from the distant ends of Mother Rus', brought with them instructions to see the priest and ask his advice on certain issues. In some rooms Fr. John stopped, asked if there were any of his fellow countrymen, the Arkhangelsk residents, remembered where and how he himself had been placed when he was a student at the academy, and finally went to the church, from where he had to be escorted along other stairs, through the academic garden to a blind gate, behind which another crew was waiting for him, since she was always seeing off and instantly gathering at the places where Fr. John, the crowd had already blocked the front entrance and made it impossible even for our mighty academic guards to clear the passage for visitors. However, during my stay at the Academy, I did not have the opportunity to visit Kronstadt, and as part of the student delegations that went annually on October 19 to greet the birthday boy, Fr. Joanna, I never hit it. But what I did not happen to do when I was, so to speak, side by side with Kronstadt, when I was separated from it only by an hour’s journey, was destined to be done at that time, when from Kronstadt and from Fatherland. John was separated from me by the huge Atlantic Ocean. In 1900, I arrived from America to Russia to collect donations for the construction of the first Russian church in New York in place of the former wretched house church in a rented building. Who should I turn to for blessings? Who should lead the collection? Millions of Russian people did not start any important business without knowing what Father of Kronstadt would advise them. And this is a sacred, difficult matter... Already in my collection book the sympathetic word of our sovereign was recorded: “I am sacrificing 5,000 rubles from myself for this important and necessary cause.” The day had already been set for departure to Moscow, where I intended to begin the preparations. Will it really be possible to see Fr. John?.. And so, at the risk of not finding the priest in Kronstadt, I went to the Oranienbaum station in order to go from there to Kronstadt. It was quiet and calm at the station, but suddenly a crowd began to gather, it seemed as if they were waiting for something, and someone whispered that the priest would probably arrive now. What should I do?.. I knew that Fr. John is given a compartment or carriage, which means he won’t be able to see him until his home. However, just in case, I bought a first class ticket and hurried onto the train. A few minutes later, Fr. entered the same carriage with a quick gait. John. I rushed towards him and asked him to bless me. Haircut, young even then, in my outer cassock I looked more like a novice or a newly ordained deacon, and I was amazed when, after blessing me, Fr. John, when I kissed his hand, kissed mine too. I almost pulled my hand out of a feeling of unworthiness, but oh. John sternly said: “Why are you taking it away?.. After all, you’re a priest?” This was his first word, which helped me identify myself, and then, leading me into his compartment, the priest gave me the opportunity to speak, indicate the purpose of my arrival in Russia and Kronstadt and meeting with Fr. John. The unforgettable priest talked for half an hour, being interested in America, our mission, church and school affairs, my family and relatives. I witnessed how, as soon as the train started moving, a whole hurricane of notes, letters, lumps of paper, etc. burst into the compartment window. He immediately read some of them, and put some of them in a pile. During the journey, some of the passengers managed to make their way to the priest and personally reported their requests to him. You should have seen how energetically and persistently Fr. convinced his admirers. John, that he is not a prophet, cannot know much, how annoyedly he rejected all ingratiation! But then I also saw how attentively Fr. John to those testimonies about the power of his prayer that he had to listen to. He never objected to such evidence; on the contrary, he expressed his joy that the Lord was so merciful to him, a weak man, and insisted on the need to pray strongly. What a mistake it would be to see in this his proud consciousness of his righteousness! Isn’t this the highest lesson, how everyone, especially clergy, bearers of God’s grace, should value God’s gifts and not neglect the gifts placed on them by the hand of the saint! In Oranienbaum Fr. John took me into his sleigh, and we literally flew across the sea, over blocks of ice, through ice holes. It was very difficult just to get moving, as the people blocked the road with a solid wall, many hung on the shafts, grabbed the runners, risking getting under the horses, falling off, etc. We arrived in Kronstadt at night. Father took me to the House of Diligence that he had created and handed me over to the care of the local administration with the words: “Take care of the missionary, he is from distant America!” In the morning I was in church. Here about. John recognized me, took my collected book and wrote on the title page: “Lord, bless this collected book and the work for which it is given with an all-effective and all-generous blessing, and attract the hearts of Your faithful servants to the missionary priest, so that everyone will be disposed in his favor, or, rather, in favor of the cause of God. Kronstadt Archpriest John Sergiev. I donate two hundred rubles. March 27, 1900." This amount was no more than his usual donations, given to thousands of small churches and schools, for thousands of good deeds, but I did not count on a donation, and did not ask. But with this book I went through all of holy Rus', and everywhere this inscription opened people’s hearts, everywhere there was a mention of the blessing of Fr. John opened his wallets for this holy cause, and thus Fr. John was, in a strict sense, the creator of our church-cathedral in New York, as it were, the organizer of the mass and other good deeds and undertakings both in Russia and outside the fatherland. I was in a hurry to leave and therefore left St. Andrew's Cathedral earlier than Fr. John. Returning to the House of Diligence, I saw in my room a beautiful silk cassock with down, with gold buttons: this is Fr. John, it turns out, ordered me to dress warmly so as not to catch a cold on the way. Such kindness and caring for a stranger, such as he experienced in thousands! I keep this cassock like a shrine to this day. Printed by: "K.P." 1917. No. 8. pp.114–117; No. 9–11. pp. 132–136. A. F. Koni 88 . About I. Kronstadtsky The first time I saw him was in 1887 with my friends Andreevsky... on the occasion of the birth of their son. I saw in the hall, in front of the traditional table with the icon, a priest of average height with rather long light brown, sparse hair, a thin but ruddy face and light, almost transparent eyes that quickly cast unfocused glances around. His sharp nose and the colorless line of his mouth did not give his face any expression, but his voice was sonorous and pleasant, and his movements were fast, incessant and impetuous. His service was completely unusual: he constantly distorted the ritual of the prayer service, and when he began to read the Gospel, his voice took on a sharp and commanding tone, and the sacred words began to be repeated with some kind of hysterical cry. Such service aroused not reverence, but some strange anxiety, some anxious feeling that was communicated from one to another... Having finished the prayer service, he blessed the baby, drank from a glass of Madeira, told the owner that his head would no longer hurt (Andreevsky suffered from migraines), took the pear and the package with 25 rubles handed to him and headed towards the exit. Everyone began to come under the blessing, which he gave out willingly, gliding over everyone with a kind of gaze directed into the distance. But then a woman came up to him and bent down to receive a blessing. He glanced at her quickly and did not bless her. He walked past me, distributing blessings right and left, and was already at the exit doors of the front hall, when he suddenly turned around, took two steps back, parted the crowd of people in front of me and said: “Oh, my dear,” he took me by the head with both hands, kissed me in the eyes and, slightly pushing me away from him, turned and left, giving the first person he met on the stairs a bag with 25 rubles. This kiss and everything original in the personality and service of Father John made an involuntary but strong impression on me. I must admit that I felt somewhat elevated and nervous all day. In 1891, my good friend, Sharko’s student and assistant 89, Glafira Alekseevna Abrikosova, came to St. Petersburg. She brought with her her sister Katya, 17 years old, who suffered, probably due to hysteria, from an extreme stutter. None of the Russian neurologists - and neither Magnan 90 nor Charcot - could help the poor sufferer. The sister decided to take her to Father John, lived with her for 2 days in the unsightly atmosphere of furnished rooms, kept by various shady personalities, who had so much damaged the pure reputation of the Kronstadt shepherd, and was present with her at the general repentance or national confession, which gave her, an experienced psychiatrist, the impression of a sudden mass mental illness. Father John visited the girl, prayed with her and over her and said that she would be healthy. And indeed, a few days later, already in Moscow, one morning she got up completely healthy, happy and cheerful. In 1890 or 1891 I was invited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Slavic Benevolent Society 91. And, having arrived somewhat early, he took one of the places of honor on the stage. Soon Father John arrived, who greeted the chairman, Count N.P. Ignatiev 92, and, seeing me, quickly walked across the entire stage to me and kissed me again and blessed me, calling me “darling.” “Have you known Anatoly Fedorovich for a long time?” – Ignatiev asked. “No, sir, we don’t know each other, but who are they?” - John answered. “This is Senator Kony, our famous lawyer,” Ignatiev said. Father John made a stern and serious face, bowed somewhat ceremoniously to me, extended his hand and said: “I’m very glad to meet you.” The last time I saw him was in 1895 at the grand opening of the Judicial Department Charitable Society. Among the honorary members was Father John. After breakfast, as he was leaving, he blessed each of us, but stopped in front of me, put one hand on my shoulder, and put the other finger to my forehead and said: “Oh, this is famous, this one has been specially gifted by God.” “We have other celebrities here, Father John,” said Muravyov, 93 with an envious twist of his mouth, “for example, Professor Tagantsev 94.” “Well, yes, of course, and others,” answered Father John, heading towards the door, and left. Unsightly controversy with Fr. Yanyshev 95 regarding the words of the dying Alexander III, the false rumor about the flight of Father John from Kronstadt during the sailor revolt and the use by the government and the Synod of the politically narrow-minded elder as an instrument of monarchical propaganda and a participant in the unworthy campaign against Tolstoy 96, darkened the image of the simple-minded, direct servant of the covenants of Christ. The stern face of death, which accepted him into its equal embrace for all, dispels these artificial layers and makes one feel the greatness in the simplicity of the deceased, who knew how not in words, but in deeds, not for himself, but for the sake of others, “to put aside all worldly cares now.” TsGIASpb. F.2219, op.1, d. 72, l. 1–3. Memoirs of Anatoly Fedorovich Koni about I.I. Sergeev (Kronstadt). Bishop Gabriel 97. Memories. Significant dream In our lives there are such meetings, conversations, acquaintances, friendships that are not forgotten until the grave. For me, one of the brightest and dearest memories is meeting the unforgettable Father Fr. John of Kronstadt. I still remember my first meeting with him. It was in June 1890 in St. Petersburg, in the house of a pious family. Father John served a water-blessing prayer service and, having completed it, sprinkled us, pilgrims, with St. water, picking a few leaves from indoor flowers. In his prayer and in his entire figure one could feel extraordinary simplicity, sincerity, sincerity, but at the same time something soulful, spiritual, conquering the hearts of those praying with him. Truly he sang about the great God - and His praise was unfeigned. For a long time I could not forget this prayer, and my long-standing desire to enter a theological school was now firmly established. The liturgy on Sunday, November 8, 1892, in the church of the Society for Religious and Moral Education (in St. Petersburg) is also unforgettable for me. I was in my third year at the Theological Academy. The liturgy was served by Archbishop Anthony of Finland 98, co-served by Fr. John and the Council of Priests. Always joyful, shining like a red sun, with a pleasant blush on his cheeks, Fr. John went to the altar and began to dress. I helped him. Taking a moment, I decided to ask for his blessing on my cherished desire and said: “Father, bless me to become a monk!” “God bless,” said Fr. John put his hand on my head. I was incredibly happy and three months later, at the annual academic celebration, in February 1893, which was attended by Fr. John, I was already in monastic attire. Father loved the academy where he was raised, loved us students, and donated to student needs. We visited him many times in Kronstadt, and those of us who had holy orders always served him at the liturgy. And how much edification and tenderness there was here! The fiery prayer of the priest, the numerous congregation of those concelebrating with him, the thousand-strong crowd of pilgrims who came from the north, and the west, and the sea, and the east, the general stunning confession, the communion of 3-4 thousand people, which lasted 3-4 hours, such pictures of people’s faith and prayer will never be forgotten! Oh, how happy are everyone who contemplated this, and the concentration of everything - oh. John. Of my student trips to Kronstadt, I especially remember the trip to Maslenitsa in 1894, when we were in our fourth year at the academy. Father received us then somehow especially kindly, cordially, ordered us to be given a room in the House of Diligence and to arrange a meal, and after the liturgy he himself came to us, talked sincerely with everyone, asking about their needs, generously giving some money, comforting others with instructions and advice. “Who are you writing your candidate’s essay to?” – he turned to me. "Prof. Glubokovsky on New Testament grammar and syntax,” I said, “but I’m afraid, father, great demands are placed on the topic and I need to read a lot of foreign manuals.” “Don’t be afraid,” Fr. said decisively. John. - God help you! » After graduating from the academy, I went to see my father in Kronstadt every year during vacation time, mainly during the Assumption Fast. Of these trips, only the trip on August 9, 1899 is memorable. After Matins in St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the priest invited me to go with him to St. Petersburg on the Lyubezny steamer to serve the liturgy. The north wind was blowing. There was a slight swell on the bay. O. John remained on the upper deck. “Northern countryman!” - he said, moving his head towards the wind. There was no one on the ship, which was small in size, except for the captain and 2-3 servants. I had the great happiness of spending time alone in communication with the great man of prayer and enjoying his conversation. Father devoted himself entirely to the memories of his childhood and youth, spoke about his teaching at the Arkhangelsk Seminary, about his comrades in the seminary, about his pastoral service, “Christ is our sweetness!” - he repeated soulfully. Unforgettable moments of love from the righteous! And now, as if alive, he stands before me with a bright look and a face, as if illuminated from within, with his enchanting, touching speech. And his eyes - oh, those light blue eyes of bright tenderness! How much affection, love and charm shone in them! On this trip, the priest gave me a New Testament, firmly and clearly writing in it: “When we met in St. Andrew’s Cathedral and on the ship “Lubezny.” I now look at this priceless gift and thank God. The last time I visited my father was a year before his death. How to forget this date! Father served, according to custom, the early liturgy in St. Andrew's Cathedral with a host of clergy. The deacon finished the funeral litany. The priest needs to say an exclamation, but he completely unexpectedly moved silently to the left side of the throne. There was a pause. I look - the priest makes a sign to me with his head, and then I say a funeral exclamation: “For Thou art the resurrection and the life and rest of Thy servants who have fallen asleep”... So what? Alas, this was my last meeting with the priest, the last concelebration of the liturgy with him: a year later I had to offer a funeral prayer for him. But the following circumstance is more significant, which is what I want to tell you about, for it is commendable to announce the works of God (Tov. 12:7). In October 1908, in Zhitomir, according to the definition of the Holy Synod, the School of Shepherding was opened. Having been appointed head of this school, I was very sad that I did not have the opportunity to see the priest and ask for his prayers and blessings for the new institution. In addition, sad news about the illness of the elder of God came day by day. And it was so sad, sad... Oh, how I wanted to visit Kronstadt at least for a minute. And I did not lose hope, thinking of seeing the priest at Christmas time, and with these thoughts I fell asleep and got up... And so on December 20, at about 8 o’clock in the morning, before waking up, I heard in a dream the voice of Fr. John, so familiar to me: “I will be with you! » I get up and am surprised. And on December 21st news comes: Fr. John December 20, at 7:40 min. morning, he rested in Bose. Why the dream? - I think and decide: a game of nature! 3 weeks after this, I am going on business for the School of Pastoralism to St. Petersburg to visit Archbishop Anthony 99. I came to see him (January 16, 1909), and he greeted me: “Congratulations!” “With what?” - I ask. “Yesterday, the Holy Synod, at an emergency meeting, on the occasion of the Highest Rescript addressed to Metropolitan Anthony, determined: “The newly established School of Pastoralism in Zhitomir should be named a school in memory of Father John of Kronstadt.” It was then that I remembered my dream on December 20, the last meeting with the priest, the liturgy and the funeral exclamation... Everything became clear to me and the word of the Lord was clearly understandable: “With God everyone is alive” and the apostolic: “Love never ceases 100; there is no time or space for it.” He who has fallen asleep in God lives eternal life, which he begins on earth. He who loves God here on earth loves us, his brothers, and there, beyond the grave, loves with an even more perfect, expanded love and tells us about it. Oh, Elder of God, good shepherd, our blessed father John, support and comfort your loving brothers, as you supported and comforted them in your earthly life! Published by: “K. P." 1914. N4. pp. 5 8–61. Priest I. Albov. Memorable days of my life (From memories of the funeral of Father John of Kronstadt) With what irresistible power and brightness the truth of these prophetic words was reflected in the death and burial of the ever-memorable shepherd Fr. John of Kronstadt. Whoever had the good fortune to be at his tomb on the day of his burial, for him the mystery of Christian death was, as it were, clearly resolved already in the sacrament of resurrection. The words became deeply understandable: “There is a coffin on the stairway to heaven”... Three years have already passed since the death of Fr. John, and the impressions of his tomb live in the soul with irresistible brightness and I want to share them. Moreover, I would like to share that I attended the funeral of Fr. John completely unexpectedly, “by some miracle,” to use the popular language. It was like this. Three days before the death of Fr. John, I see a dream that is unusually vivid in the strength of the experience and the clarity of the impression. We are at the altar with Fr. John, and he gives me abundant communion from St. cups of the Holy Blood in the same way as a bishop usually gives communion to priests during the liturgy. And at the same time he treats me so tenderly, so lovingly, tells me such wonderful words of consolation that I woke up completely under the impression of this dream and began to think what the dream meant. He was completely unexpected. I had not seen Father John for several years before. I knew nothing about the worsening of his illness. True, 10-8 years ago I had to serve with Fr. 2-3 times. John's liturgy. Once he was with me and had dinner... But that was so long ago. Why now this unusually vivid dream? “That's right o. For some reason John remembered me,” I thought and calmed down. On the third day I find out that Fr. John died. On the day his body was transported to St. Petersburg, I firmly decided to go say goodbye to the good shepherd, that is, go into the church of the St. John's Monastery for a few minutes, bow at his coffin and give the last kiss to the deceased. I didn’t even take my robe with me, thinking that they would serve there only by appointment or by special invitation. I'm going. Kamennoostrovsky Avenue is full of people. And the closer to Karpovka, the thicker the crowd. All the streets along which the procession with the body of Fr. John from the Baltic Station to the Ioannovsky Monastery. And for hours the people stood on the street under the wet snow, in reverent silence, waiting for their beloved shepherd. But it was necessary to see the surprise, the individual faces distorted by anger of some people riding on the tram, observing these huge crowds of people. These are obviously those who thought that fame was about. Joanna was buried by their malicious slanderous words. I'm moving on. At the turn to Karpovka, where the monastery is located, there is a strong police presence, and no one is allowed through without a ticket. I approach the crowd of policemen and say: - They let you through immediately. I'm moving on. The second police outpost. They say: - Oh! It's impossible, impossible. No one is allowed to enter without a ticket. “I’m a priest,” I answer, “look: I’m wearing a priest’s cross.” - All the same, father, we can’t, we can’t... Go back and ask the bailiff. “But they already let me through there,” I say. Now I walked unhindered through two more outposts. I enter the church. The nuns and novices of the monastery sit on the stairs, starting with the youngest, two on each step, and with sad faces they wait for “their” priest. Finally I'm at the altar. We wait for 2-3 hours and at about 9 o’clock in the evening the sad procession approaches, and the religious procession enters the church. All of us who were waiting in the church are standing with burning candles in our hands. The coffin with the body of Father John is brought in, and the church is filled with loud sobs of the sisters of the monastery. The all-night vigil begins - parastas. His Eminence Micah of Arkhangelsk serves 102. The nuns sing. I really wanted to take part in the service. But no vestments. The monastic ones have all been dismantled. But one priest, who came with the religious procession, will not go to the litiya and gave me his vestments. Let's go to lithium. His Eminence Micah and about 20 priests, all who came voluntarily. But what kind of service is this? The songs are sad, but the mood is reverent and festive. There is something reminiscent of bright matins. And the further the service goes, the more this festive mood grows and rises. Some kind of grace-filled power emanates from the tomb and fills the hearts of those present with unearthly joy, as if it inspires them, elevates them, frees them from something. It is felt, tactilely felt that a righteous man lies in the tomb. Having been at his coffin, there was no doubt about it. Some kind of spiritual fragrance emanated from his coffin, and it was spiritual, immaterial, not perceived by smell, but felt by the spirit... Now I could no longer leave until the end of the service. I again went out in vestments to the middle of the church at “Immaculate.” A familiar feeling of grace fills my soul, and at first I prayed for the deceased, then the need to pray at his tomb for others appears. I began to mentally remember loved ones and acquaintances, living and deceased, especially sick people who asked to pray for them, and there was confidence that through his prayers God would accept our prayers. This wonderful service is over. The clergy went to venerate the deceased, and again there was this feeling of grace-filled power. The all-night vigil ended at one o'clock in the morning. I didn’t want to leave the church. I wanted to stay there all night. And many remained. I'm leaving. A huge crowd of thousands of people is waiting in line to be allowed into the church to say goodbye to Fr. John. All night long people filled the church one by one. Requiem services were served all night. Then the early, then the late liturgy... The all-night vigil was so good that I decided to definitely attend the liturgy and funeral service and begged Mother Abbess for a ticket. “Only two tickets left,” Mother Angelina told me, handing me one of them. The next day I was in time for the funeral service. I enter the altar. I'm getting dressed. Metropolitan Anthony 103 and a whole host of clergy are serving. And again the feeling familiar from yesterday fills the soul. The closer to the end of the service, the stronger and stronger it becomes. When I approached the tomb to kiss the hand of the good shepherd, a feeling of grace filled my entire soul. And kissing Fr. for the last time. John, I already prayed to him in my soul with the words of the prophet Elisha to the prophet Elijah: “Father! Give me some of your spirit! Give your fiery faith, your bold prayer, your all-encompassing love for people, your tender affection for everyone...” 104 And I vividly, tangibly felt that the spirit of the righteous man nourished and graciously embraced all those gathered. One more minute. They lifted the coffin, the church was filled with the sobs of the sisters of the monastery. And they carried away the body of the righteous man. Together with others, I carried this coffin. He was already precious to me. Here we are in the crypt, in the new, newly illuminated church - a tomb that all shines with white marble and electricity. Lithium is being performed. They sealed the lid of the coffin and placed it in a tomb built on the floor of the church. Loving hands threw sand on top of the coffin, which was soon taken apart “as a keepsake” by those present. And the top of the tomb was covered with a metal board. Father John, even after his death, remained in body with the people, who during his life were always so close to him. For several days and nights I was completely filled with the feeling that I experienced in the church at his tomb. For the first time in my life, I tangibly experienced and felt the living connection of the deceased righteous man with us who still remained here. How many times during this time have I been in the peaceful white tomb of Fr. John. And every time it was filled with people to the point of crowding, and the people were always touched and touched. What attracts people here? What touches him? It was no longer possible to explain this phenomenon by some selfish goals, as some had explained before. No. Here there was only selfless love for the deceased shepherd and faith in his righteousness, in the power of his prayer beyond the grave. And then my soul felt warm. It was obvious that the Orthodox Church was alive, truly alive, and was held together by its inner spiritual strength, independent of anyone and anything, by the power of faith, hope, and love. The life of the Russian folk spirit flows here with a living spring in its most cherished hiding places, the hiding places of faith in the resurrection, in the life of the next century, in the absolute truth of God. ... And there is no sadness at his tomb, but peace and consolation emanate. Our immortality is felt more clearly, the dawn of our resurrection shines brighter, and over the shepherd lying here, the word of the Savior seems to be clearly fulfilled: Published by: “K. P." 1912 N1. pp. 17–21. St. Andrew's Cathedral is the main cathedral of the city of Kronstadt (at the beginning of the 20th century there were 15 Orthodox churches in the city). Built at the beginning of the 19th century. designed by architect A.D. Zakharov. Place of the 53-year ministry of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt. After the October Revolution it was closed. The building is destroyed. See, for example: Sursky I, K. Father John of Kronstadt. Jordanville, 1979. Vol. 1. – Approx. composition Kronstadt Shepherd. 1912. N 2. P. 36. – Note. comp. See this collection. – Approx. Composition See for example: Memories of the miracles and deeds of the righteous Fr. John of Kronstadt. San Francisco. 1967; Sursky I.K. Decree. op. T. 1, 2, etc. – Note. comp. See the bibliographic index in the book: Semenov-Tyan-Shansky A., bishop. Father John of Kronstadt. Paris, 1990. – Approx. comp. Sergiev I.I., archpriest. My life in Christ. M., 1894. T.1.S.8. – Approx. Macarius, Metropolitan. Mercy in the pastoral feat of Father John of Kronstadt // Kronstadt Shepherd. 1913. No. 8.P.338–339 – Note. Comp. Quote from: O. John at the Sovereign Emperor Alexander III // Kronstadt Shepherd. 1912. N 23. P. 395. – Note. comp. Quote By: Saltykov K. Father John of Kronstadt and M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin // Kronstadt Shepherd. 1914. No. P.421. – Approx. Comp. See for example: Rostovsky A.O. John of Kronstadt as a missionary // Additions to the “Church Gazette” 1909. 51.С-52. P. 2412–2417; 1910. No. 10. P. 451–454; No. 25. pp. 1018–1020; No. 26. pp. 1068–1074; No. 30. pp. 1257–1262. – Approx. See: Kronstadt Shepherd. 1913.No.22.P.400. – Approx. comp. Ostroumov S.S. Crime and its causes in pre-revolutionary Russia M.1980.P.99. – Approx. Bulgakov S. N., prot. Autobiographical notes. Paris.1946. P.81. – Approx. Composition Fomenko Kl., prot. Hooliganism // Kyiv Diocesan Gazette. 1913. No. 40. Ch. unofficial. P.1129– Notes. TsGIASpb, f. 2219, on. 1, d.1, l. 93–94. – Approx. comp. Ivanov P. The Mystery of the Saints. Introduction to the Apocalypse. Paris, 1949.P.567–568. – Approx. See: Stepanov S.A. The number and composition of Black Hundred unions and organizations // In the book: Political parties of Russia during the revolution of 1905–1907. Quantitative analysis. Sat. articles. M., 1987. P.198.-Approx. See: Stepanov S. A. Bankruptcy of the Black Hundred unions and organizations (1870–1914). M., 1982 /Typescript/. P. 62. – Approx. comp. See: Ostretsov V. Black Hundred and Red Hundred. M., 1991. TsGIASpb, f. 2219, on. 1, d. 71, l. 40–40 rpm Archpriest John Ilyich Sergiev of Kronstadt (December 20, 1908) // Church Bulletin. 1909. N 1. – Note. composition Anthony, Metropolitan. In memory of Father John of Kronstadt. B. m. B. g. S. 7. See: In memory of O. John. Extract from the file of the office of the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg... // Addition to the Church Gazette. 1909. N 8. P. 359–364. TsGIASpb, f.2219, op.1, d.71, l.16. - Approx. Albov Ivan Fedorovich - priest, teacher of the law and rector of the church at the Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy Speech given at the ceremonial meeting of the Society in Memory of Fr. John of Kronstadt" February 2, 1912. In the hall of the house of the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod. – Approx. Composition Exact text: “The love of God was revealed to us in this: God sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might receive life through Him. This is love, that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” - Note. Comp. Karpovka - Ioannovsky Convent on the river embankment. Karpovki (Petrograd side). Erected in 1900–1903. designed by architect N. N. Nikonov. The monastery complex included the five-domed Church of the Twelve Apostles, monastic cells, a shelter for girls, an infirmary, a hospice house, and an icon-painting workshop. On December 23, 1908, the initiator of its creation, Father John of Kronstadt, was buried in the lower church of the monastery. The monastery, a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christians, in the early 20s. was closed and desecrated. Currently returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, the first nuns appeared in it. Restoration work is underway. Sarapul (Sarapul) is a city in the Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, located on the right bank of the river. Kama. Bishop Micah (Alekseev; 1851–1931) – from 1902 to 1906. Bishop of Sarapul, vicar of the Vyatka diocese. From 1906 to 1908 Bishop of Vladimir-Volyn, vicar of the Volyn diocese. From 1908 to 1912 - Bishop of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory. Since 1912 - Bishop of Ufa and Menzelinsky. In 1913 he was retired. Lived in Optina Pustyn. In. 1. 8:44. – Approx. ed. During his life, Father John of Kronstadt constantly kept a spiritual diary, the full title of which is “My life in Christ, or Minutes of spiritual sobriety and contemplation, reverent feeling, spiritual correction and peace in God.” In 1894–1899 5 editions of Fr.'s work were published. John, it was also included in three volumes of his Complete Works. Reprinted abroad. Now released in our country. Ozerov David Aleksandrovich - Lieutenant General, Head of the Department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Anichkov Palace; Treasurer of the Committee of the Primorsky Sanatorium for Chronically Ill Children; trustee of parochial schools at His Imperial Majesty's Own Court. Holy Synod Fr. John was allowed to provide general absolution to believers who came to him for confession. In 1891, as a result of a crop failure, 20 million people were on the verge of starvation. Appanage peasants are a group of feudal-dependent peasants in serf Russia, along with landowners and state peasants. Until 1917 - palace peasants. They were considered to belong to the imperial family. In 1857, their number was 837.9 tons of male souls. The “Regulations” on appanage peasants of June 26, 1863 extended the main content of the Peasant Reform of 1861 to them. The Society of Primorsky Sanatoriums was founded on the initiative of the maid of honor Ozerova (apparently Ekaterina Sergeevna Ozerova) under the patronage of Empress Maria Feodorovna in 1898. E. S. Ozerova was the Chairman of the Committee of the Society of Primorsky Sanatoriums for Chronically Ill Children. Vindava is the former name of the city of Ventspils in Latvia, an ice-free port on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Venta River. Maria Fedorovna (Dagmara of Denmark; 1847–1928). Since 1866 - wife of Alexander III, since 1881 Empress of All Russia. After the October Revolution she lived in Denmark. The VI International Psychological Congress took place in Geneva in 1909 (see for more details: VI-me Congres international de psychologie Rapports et comptes rendus. Geneve, 1910) Ozerov David Aleksandrovich - Lieutenant General, Head of the Department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Anichkov Palace; Treasurer of the Committee of the Primorsky Sanatorium for Chronically Ill Children; trustee of parochial schools at His Imperial Majesty's Own Court. D. A. Ozerov is talking about the First Russian Revolution. Terijoki is the former (until 1948) name of the city of Zelenogorsk, St. Petersburg region; resort area Lintul Trinity Convent is approximately 15–16 km away. from Zelenogorsk (Terioki). In 1895, a women's community was founded, which in 1905 was converted into a monastery “Judaizing” press - this term very often and undeservedly in the right-wing press denoted newspapers of the so-called “left direction”, to which, starting with the Kadet Rech, all non-governmental liberal and left-wing publications were attributed. Paraphrase from the Gospel - Matt. 5:11. – Approx. Red Bishop Andrey (Prince Alexander Ukhtomsky; 1872–1944). In 1911–1913 Bishop of Sukhumi, 1913–1921 Ufa and Menzelinsky. In 1921, appointed Bishop of Tomsk, he did not go to the place of service. From 1922 to 1928 openly and secretly installed a number of bishops. At the end of 1925, he deviated from the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Peter. Founder of the “Andreevsky” schism. The House of Diligence is a complex of buildings in Kronstadt, built on the initiative of Fr. John for the purpose of charitable assistance to the poor and low-income segments of the Kronstadt population. The name comes from the first building - the House of Diligence, opened on October 12, 1882. It included about 20 institutions: workshops, libraries, classes, a shelter for orphans, orphanages, etc. In the House of Industriousness, anyone could hire a simple job, for which they received food, a small salary, and cheap accommodation. “The House of Industriousness is a whole city, full of the most vigorous, versatile and meaningful activity” (Sursky I.K. Father John of Kronstadt. Jordanville, 1979. Vol. 1. P. 34). In 1888, a new building was built for an overnight shelter, and in 1891, a hospice house was built where those who came for prayer and advice from Fr. John's pilgrims. There was a guardianship of the House of Diligence. After the death of Fr. John's House of Industriousness was experiencing a crisis. Trinity-Sergius hostel men's hermitage 18 versts from St. Petersburg (Baltic Railway). Founded at the beginning of the 18th century (1735). It existed until the early 1920s. The rector of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage was St. Ignatiy Bryachaninov. In the 1920s, the “ShKID Republic” was located on the site of the desert. Currently, there is a police school on its territory. The old cemetery was demolished and some of the buildings were destroyed. We are talking about the suburbs of St. Petersburg. Compound of the Leushinsky St. John the Baptist Convent (Novgorod province). It was founded in 1875 as a women's community, which was renamed a monastery in 1885. It was located on Basseynaya Street (now Nekrasova Street). Closed during the years of Soviet power. Schema-nun Angelina (1867–1927) – abbess of the Ioannovsky Convent in St. Petersburg from the time of its opening (1903) until its closure by the Soviet authorities (early 1920s) Belgorod celebrations are celebrations associated with the canonization of St. Joasaph (1705–1754) in 1910. An unknown author, apparently, is passing off wishful thinking as reality. Bishop Pimen (P. G. Pegov; 1875–1942). Since 1918, Bishop of Podolsk and Bratslav. Since 1921 - archbishop. In the early 1920s. drifted into the renovationist schism. Since 1935 - again converted to the Orthodox Church. Bishop Platon (P. Rozhdestvensky; 1866–1934). In 1902 he was consecrated Bishop of Chigirinsky, in 1907 - Archbishop of Aleutian. From August 13, 1917 – Metropolitan of Tiflis and Baku, Exarch of the Caucasus. From 1918 to 1920 - Metropolitan of Kherson and Odessa. In 1920 he emigrated to the USA. Since 1922 - approved by the Metropolitan of All America and Canada. In 1933 he declared the American Church autonomous, which was met with sharp condemnation from the Russian Orthodox Church. “The Society in Memory of Father John of Kronstadt” was founded in 1909 in St. Petersburg at the initiative of a circle of people who were close to Fr. John, among whom were Archpriest P. A. Mirtov, priest I. N. Ornatsky, his wife Anna Semyonovna, Father’s niece, and others. “The society arose and is developing,” the charter said, “on church soil. It aims to provide assistance to those in need: spiritual and material, if possible in the same ways that were carried out by Father John of Kronstadt. And these methods are completely Orthodox. And in the close connection of the “Society in Memory of Father John of Kronstadt” with the Church lies all the vitality, all the stability of its activities, its institutions” (TsGIASpb, f. 2216, on. 1, d. 1, l. 18). At the beginning of 1913, a repository was established at the Society in memory of Fr. John, which collected documents related to the life and ministry of the Kronstadt Shepherd (TsGIASpb, f. 2216, on. 1, d. 14. l. 11). After 1917, the Society ceased to exist. Now revived. Bishop Alexander (A.G. Zakke-Zakkis; 1834–1899). From 1890 to 1893 - Bishop of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory. In 1893 he was retired, and six months later he was appointed Bishop of Polotsk. Venerable John of Rila is a 10th-century Bulgarian saint, a hermit and ascetic who labored for 60 years in the Rila desert, living in a hollow tree. Founder of the monastery. He died “in 946. Fr. was named in his honor. John of Kronstadt. The day of glorification is October 19 (November 1). Samoyeds is the old Russian name for the Nenets (Yurak Samoyeds), Entsy (Yenisei Samoyeds), Nganasans (Samoyeds - Tavgians), parts of the Selkups (Ostyak-Samoyeds). This word has nothing to do with “self-eating” and anthropophagy in general. After 1905, the problem of the “decline of religion” confronted the Russian Orthodox Church with all clarity. So, shortly before his death, Fr. John wrote in his diary: “Lord, the sea is in turmoil, the devil is triumphant, truth is destroyed. Arise, Lord, to help the Holy Church” (TsGIASpb, f. 2219, op. 1, d. 71, l. 40–40v). The publicist B. Tsesarevsky noted in 1916 that “before the war (i.e., World War I * - S.F.), not only lack of faith, but also disbelief grew noticeably among the people” (quoted from: Ryabchenko A.E. Open letter to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod about the needs of church life. Pg., 1916. P. 15). In his “Autobiographical Notes,” the outstanding Russian thinker Archpriest. S. N. Bulgakov also spoke about the years preceding World War I as a time when “Russia was growing economically spontaneously and rapidly, spiritually decomposing.” (Bulgakov S., prot. Autobiographical notes. Paris, 1946. P. 81). According to church philosopher P. Ivanov, in the second half of the 19th century, “the church finally became a church where individual people came to pray, having nothing in common with each other, even shunning each other, and not brothers and sisters in Christ. What is called the church has lost all influence on society” (Ivanov P. The Secret of the Saints. Introduction to the Apocalypse. Paris. 1949. Ch.P. pp. 567–568). And at the same time, it should be noted that the religious need of the people did not decrease. Khilkov Mikhail Nikolaevich (1834–1909) – prince, Russian statesman, in 1895–1905. – Manager of the Ministry of Railways; member of the State Council. Medem Otton Ludvigovich (1846–1925) – count, actual state councilor, senator, member of the State Council. In the public service - since 1873. Since 1893 - vice-governor of the Voronezh province; from 1896 - acting governor of Novgorod, from 1897 - governor. Died in exile. Golitsyn Pavel Pavlovich - prince, actual state councilor. In public service - since 1877. Since 1901 - leader of the nobility of the Novgorod province (in the position of huntsman); honorary justice of the peace of the Novgorod province; honorary trustee of the Novgorod real school. See for more details: Saltykov K. Memories of my father M. E. Saltykov (Shchedrin) // New time. 1914. April 28 pp. 4–6. In The Kronstadt Shepherd the end of these memories is slightly shortened. Botkin Sergei Petrovich (1832–1889) – the largest clinician and diagnostician of his time. He took part in the Crimean (1853–1856) and Russian-Turkish (1877–1878) wars. Professor. Since 1872 he was the personal physician of His Imperial Majesty.” Stundists, stunde (German) hour, is the name of a number of Christian sects that arose in the middle of the 19th century in the south of Russia under the influence of Protestants - immigrants from the West. In the communities they tried to find the fulfillment of their social aspirations. In this case, apparently, they meant the Pashkovites - followers of a religious sect that owed its existence to the English preacher Lord Redstock. Redstock preached in the 1870s. XIX century in St. Petersburg and Moscow among high society. The Pashkovites got their name from the name of the former guard colonel Vasily Aleksandrovich Pashkov, an admirer of the lord. Salvation, according to Pashkovites, is achieved by repentance and faith in Christ, accepting Him into your heart. He who believes cannot help but do good deeds. Pashkovites deny icons, saints, sacraments and church hierarchy. Alexander III (1845–1894) – Emperor of All Russia (1881–1894). Dolgorukov Vladimir Andreevich (1810–1891) – prince, infantry general, adjutant general. From 1865 to 1891lt. served as Moscow Governor-General. Archbishop Ambrose (A.I. Klyucharev) (1820–1901). Famous scientist and church philosopher. Apparently, Vannutelli Serafino (1834–1910s) was a cardinal from 1887 and held a number of prominent positions in the Vatican. Supporter of the course of Pope Leo XIII. Vianney John (John) Baptist-Mary (1786–1859) – Arsky shepherd (France). He was greatly respected and revered by the population of Ars and by Catholic believers throughout Europe: from 1827, pilgrims began to visit Ars; from 1845 until Vianney’s death, up to 20 thousand people came to him annually for advice and prayer. Canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Leo XIII (Gioachino, Count Pacelli; 1810–1903) – Pope from 1878 to 1903. He published the encyclical “Rerum nova rum” (May 16, 1891), in which he formulated the first outlines of the official Catholic social doctrine in the changing situation in Europe. Metropolitan Isidore (Ya. S. Nikolsky; 1799–1892). From 1860 to 1892 Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga. Crowned Emperor Alexander II. He took an active part in preparing the canonization of St. Tikhon of Zadonsky. Ioannites are admirers of Fr. John of Kronstadt, who spread the opinion that in the person of Fr. John, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself came to earth for the second time. The Johannite sect appeared in the early 1880s. in the House of Labor, from where it spread throughout Russia. The Johnites were condemned by the Kronstadt Shepherd himself (see for more details: Rostov A. O. John of Kronstadt as a missionary // Additions to the Church Gazette. 1909. N 51–52. pp. 2412–2417; 1910 N 10. pp. 451–454; N 25. p. 1018–1020; N 26. pp. 1068–1074; N 30. pp. 1257–1262). Some of the letters and telegrams that came to Fr. John, is now kept in the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg (TsGIASpb, f. 2219, on. 1, no. 8). In February 1906, during the first week of Lent, Fr. John, touching on the events going through the country, among other things, said: “On the basis of unbelief, weakness, cowardice, and immorality, the disintegration of the State is taking place. Without instilling faith and fear of God in the population of Russia, it cannot resist” (TsGIASpb, f. 2219, on. 1, d. 1, l. 94). Archpriest (later protopresbyter) A. A. Khotovitsky is the keymaster of the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Shot in 1937 Venerable Theodosius of Pechersk is a Russian saint of the 11th century. In his early youth he went to the Kyiv caves - to the Monk Anthony (who laid the foundation for monasticism in Rus'). He advanced through asceticism and asceticism. In 1057 he became abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery founded by the Monk Anthony. Died in 1074. Day of glorification - May 3 (16). Reverend Ambrose (A. M. Grenkov; 1830–1891) – elder of Optina, hieroschemamonk, successor of hieroschemamonk Macarius, great seer, creator of the Shamordino women’s monastery (about 15 kilometers from the Optina Hermitage), spiritual mentor of many thousands of Christians. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in the year of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus'. Memory 10(23) October. Father John graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1855. Anatoly Fedorovich Koni (1844–1927) is an outstanding Russian lawyer and public figure, author of the five-volume memoir “On Life’s Path.” Senator, Member of the State Council. Academician. Charcot Jean Martin (1825–1893) is an outstanding French neurologist, one of the founders of his discipline. Magnan Joseph Valentin (1835–1916) - French psychiatrist. The Slavic Charitable Society grew out of a circle of Moscow Slavophiles led by M. P. Pogodin (“Slavic Charitable Committee”), formed in 1858. In 1868, the St. Petersburg department of the Slavic Charitable Committee was formed, transformed in 1877 into the St. Petersburg Charitable Society. Ignatiev Nikolai Pavlovich (1832–1908) – count, statesman of Tsarist Russia, diplomat. In 1881–1882 - Minister of Internal Affairs. Since 1882 - member of the State Council. Chairman of the Slavic Charitable Society. Muravyov Nikolai Valerianovich (1850–1908) - Russian statesman, from 1891 - Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Cassation Department of the Senate, from 1892 - Secretary of State. From 1894 to 1905 - Minister of Justice. From 1905 to 1908 – Ambassador to Italy. Tagantsev Nikolai Stepanovich (1843–1923) – Russian lawyer, specialist in the field of criminology. Senator, member of the State Council. Professor at St. Petersburg University. He held liberal views. Protopresbyter John Yanyshev (1826–1910) – Doctor of Theology, religious writer and preacher. Since 1883 he was the confessor of the reigning persons, in charge of the department of the court clergy. Regarding the attitude of Fr. John to the religious teachings of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, see: Sergiev I.I., prot. Answer of the Church Pastor to Leo Tolstoy to his “Address to the Clergy.” St. Petersburg" 1903; About the soul-destroying heresy of Count L.N. Tolstoy. St. Petersburg, 1907 (4th edition); In denouncing the false teachings of Count L. Tolstoy. From the diary. St. Petersburg, 1910. Bishop Gabriel (Voevodin; c. 1871–1938). Since 1910 - Bishop of Ostrog, vicar of the Volyn diocese. In 1922 – 1923 evaded the Patriarchal Church. In 1923 he repented and was forgiven. From 1924 to 1927 - Archbishop of Kingisepp, vicar of the Leningrad diocese. Since 1927 - Archbishop of Polotsk and Vitebsk. He retired in 1928. Metropolitan Anthony (A.V. Vadkovsky; 1846–1912). Since 1892, Archbishop of Finland and Vyborg, since 1898 - Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga. Since 1900 - leading member of the Holy Synod. Metropolitan Anthony (A.P. Khrapovitsky; 1863–1936). Since 1902, Bishop of Zhitomir and Volyn, since 1906, Archbishop of Volyn. Since 1914, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyrsky. One of the candidates for the Patriarchal throne. Since 1918, Metropolitan of Kyiv and Galicia. Since 1919 in exile. One of the main organizers of the “Russian All-Foreign Church Council”, held in 1921 in Sremski Karl Sheep (Serbia). Creator and spiritual leader of the Russian Church Abroad. 1 Cor. 16:16. – Approx. Ed. Os. 13.14; 1 Cor:15:55. – Approx. ed. Bishop Micah (Alekseev; 1851–1931) – from 1902 to 1906. Bishop of Sarapul, vicar of the Vyatka diocese. From 1906 to 1908 Bishop of Vladimir-Volyn, vicar of the Volyn diocese. From 1908 to 1912 - Bishop of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory, Since 1912 - Bishop of Ufa and Menzelinsky. In 1913 he was retired. Lived in Optina Pustyn. Paraphrase of 2 Kings. 2:9. – Approx. ed.