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Priest Volkov answered whether storing things of deceased loved ones threatens disastertranslated

September 24, 2026 · 1 min read

Things of deceased relatives do not need to be thrown away because of the superstitions associated with them: they can be kept as a keepsake or passed on to other people. The head of the information commission of the Moscow diocese, priest Alexander Volkov, told Channel Five about this. He explained that the Orthodox Church does not endow the clothes and personal items of the deceased with any mystical powers.

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If the things left behind by a person are in suitable condition, the clergyman recommends giving them to those in need. If desired, relatives can also keep individual items in memory of the deceased. Clothes that were on the person immediately at the time of death are allowed to be thrown away, and there is no need to carry out special rituals for this.

Volkov spoke separately about old church calendars and other items that contain Orthodox symbols. Items that have become unusable do not need to continue to be stored. At the same time, images of crosses and icons should be treated with respect.

The priest advised that such images should be destroyed separately from other unnecessary things. In particular, they can be torn into...

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Κατερίνα Παπαδοπούλου

Good article, I liked that Father Alexander made it so simple. Two years ago I only kept my grandfather's watch and gave the rest of the clothes to a family in the neighborhood who was in need. I tore the old diaries with the pictures to pieces myself, as he says, without fanfare.

Photini Taylor

My mom kept my dad's old fishing jacket for years after he passed, and it brought back good memories every time I saw it hanging in the closet. Good to hear Fr. Alexander say it's fine to pass usable clothes on to people who need them or just keep a few things like that watch Katerina held onto. I always tear up old calendars with icons too, but never thought to do it separately from the trash—makes sense.