Hieromonk Veniamin (Krashennikov): “All the virtues of a person without God can serve to his death”

Five years ago, in winter, I had the opportunity to visit the Plus deanery and meet with Hieromonk Benjamin, although at that time his rank was that of a monk, I am writing this in the belief that, as the confessor of the Tvorzhkovsky monastery, he can be called a hieromonk.

As often happens, the priest has a lot to do, the church is being repaired, there are demands in the villages, so they literally spoke on the go, in Father Veniamin’s car. We drove along rural roads and talked about parish life and problems of the spirit. Father Veniamin has three parishes, he says: “Sometimes smoke comes out, you travel according to needs, in two years one hundred thousand kilometers.” Father often drives a “five”: the parishes are located at considerable distances from each other, you can’t get there on foot, and transport in the area is rare, and you won’t have enough money for trips. The car turns out to be a necessary assistant in the priest's service. The road is absolutely deserted, the villages are quiet, with churches, sometimes wooden, and the Pskov region seems endless, what then is the vastness of Russia! So we drove along these roads back and forth, from one parish to another.

The temple, in which Father Veniamin is the rector, was built in a pine forest in the Pskov wilderness in the name of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh. The same saint to whom they pray “for children” and who gave money to Peter the Great to create the Russian fleet, as we see, the saint’s money turned out to be strong, Peter created the fleet and won. Mitrophanievsky Church with its peace and quiet somehow fell on my soul, and I returned to Lositsy in the summer of 2007, for the celebration of the saint, however, there was no time to talk with Father Veniamin at all. But from the winter trip of 2005, there was an interview in the car and a recording of a meeting with Mother Veniamin, the leader of the community of homeless children and adults named after the New Martyr Veniamin (Petrogradsky). God willing, we will publish this text in the future. In the meantime, talk with the priest.
r.B. Natalia

- Your whole life, Father Benjamin, is on these roads: service and road, service and road?

- How did you get to the Church?

Born in 1961, in the Mari SSR, we lived there for a short time. Then we lived everywhere: we spent our childhood in Vyatka, Kirov region. But I was always looking for myself, there was an inner feeling of some kind of untruth. And passions, of course, were and were revealed, and everything was experienced. In the army he served in a special battalion, troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Then he worked on a state farm, turned the steering wheel, then went to St. Petersburg. There, too, I turned the steering wheel, then I entered the Mukhinsky (Higher Art School - approx.) Faculty of Artistic Metal Processing and studied drawing for four years. I graduated, taught, took part in exhibitions, but this whole life did not last long, because my soul was still screaming.

In my last painting - the triptych "Buffoonery", one buffoon suddenly turned white - this is where all my artistic work ended. I was baptized at the age of 33, immediately after the Nativity of Christ, when I was at a complete impasse. By the Providence of God I came to our elder Father Nikolai Guryanov, and he told me: “You will be a monk, Benjamin.” I was still in my rattles and fog, but internally I was already ready for change and was looking for a way out. Then I went to him for seven years, and turned the steering wheel for Father Roman (Zagrebnev), was a sexton, and often had to talk to Father Nikolai, asking for his help, his prayers. By the grace of God, a week before the death of Father Nikolai, I came to him, he was already hanging on a cross, his entire inner state was visible, he asked him: “Father, take me, don’t leave me.” He made a sign, blessed me, put his hand on my head, somehow I felt good right away. We did not attend the funeral, at that time we consecrated the church at the Housewarming of the Intercession of the Mother of God, and I served there for a whole year. Then Vladyka asked me to choose: Lyady or Housewarming. I chose Lyady.

Father Benjamin, when you begin to look within yourself, you are horrified by the abysses that are there inside, although outwardly you may well be a decent person, you do not commit crimes, you do not break the commandments. But the heart and mind remain in the abyss, and when a person goes to God, he begins to see this especially clearly, to understand this in himself, to notice this duality. How is the spiritual life of a person who has become a priest and is the confessor of the Tvorozhkovo monastery?

- We won't talk about me. And I will answer your question with the words of the Gospel, because the Lord has revealed everything to us about man, and man is always the same, any man of any age. The Lord spoke about the inner damage of man, and about the heart of man. When the Lord heals and a person begins to see himself, this is the most important thing. The most important thing is to realize your internal damage, hence all the height. Yes, and the saints say, the same St. Sysy the Great, who raised the dead, said, “I would ask God for more repentance.” And the saints who follow the righteous path, the more they lived life, the more they became enlightened in the knowledge of their complete worthlessness, damage, and insolvency. This is where the action of God's grace begins. The Lord said that grace is given to the meek and humble, but the Lord resists the proud. This is where all the height comes from.

- Please clarify, father.

The more a person learns the truth about himself, the more he will enter into humility and rise above his sin.

- And will the grace of God touch him?

Certainly. She sanctifies him. It is useless for a person to correct himself. The Pharisees tried it and became even more proud.

- Pride is such a subtle sin, a subtle trap, that no one notices it in themselves?

Yes. The saints say that pride is the sum of all sins. Pride absorbs all other sins, eating them in order to grow itself. I will not eat in order to appear to be a faster, I will not sleep in order to appear to be an ascetic, I will not speak in order to appear to be silent - hence the internal state of human death. And the saints said, “I am a worm of worms.” And they said this sincerely, from the depths of their being.

It is very difficult for a person in the world, Father Benjamin, to evaluate himself, he is so busy with the cares of the world, and he cannot turn his inner gaze into himself, it does not even occur to us. Maybe that’s why there are so few Orthodox Christians, that’s why it’s a “small flock.” And the Lord said, “Fear not, little flock, for I have overcome the world.” Will there never be many Orthodox Christians?

This is God's secret. And I can’t answer why “small flock”? This is not a human domain. I can say that the elect now are not those whom God has chosen, but those who have chosen God are the elect.

One of your parishes is the small village of Lositsa, how did you end up there? How did your life as a parish priest begin?

We came there with Father Roman (Zagrebnev) to celebrate Mitrofan of Voronezh; there was no priest at that time in the Church of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh. And I was not yet a priest, but I saw this place and thought how I could get here. And everything was resolved. When I was ordained about five years ago, I was sent here. Many priests of our Diocese passed through this parish, and Father Valentin Mordasov served here.

- What kind of saint Mitrofan of Voronezh is that he gathers priests at his place like this?

Sea saint in the forest. The one who built the temple of St. Mitrofan was a sea man, and the temple of this saint is the only one in the Diocese, and in general it is a rare church in honor of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh. Once we went to Plyussa to buy bells, and there they gave us an icon of St. Mitrofan. This is such a miracle. We also have the relics of the saint; we asked Metropolitan Methodius for them in the Diocese of Voronezh. He himself gave us a particle of the relics of the saints.

We have no communicants from the village, only our own children from the Community of the New Martyr Benjamin, Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdov. And all these villages of Strugokrasnensky and Plussky used to belong to the Gdov district. Before me, only the family of the director of the museum in Lositsy, writer Margarita Yamshchikova (Al. Altaev), was in the parish, and now our children from the community are receiving communion. The temple was robbed three times. The village itself is dead, and even now it has not become any more alive. You go to the sick, although many have no need. Many are now dying of cancer, you come to talk, to console, to receive communion, someone refuses, someone says: “I am an unbeliever.” Lositsy has a total population of 20 people. Someone is still standing, and the rest are lying down. You go and give them communion after the service. Our grandmother alone is almost 95, she was brought from St. Petersburg, and here in the community they are taking care of her. We give her communion every Sunday. Now we serve both resurrection and holidays with the blessing of the Lord. We are building a porch to the temple.

How wise was it before, if you are alone, why should you go to a monastery to pray and so that there is someone to look after you in your old age, so that you do not remain in the world, unnecessary to anyone, and die of hunger?

Yes, and for monastics there was benefit in caring for the sick. And it was much easier for the sick person to live at the monastery, both spiritually and physically.

- So you divide your worship time into three parishes?

I share. I serve Friday-Saturday in Lyady, Saturday-Sunday in Lositsy, and during the week I serve in the Tvorozhkovsky Monastery.

- Why does a parish exist in a village where almost no one goes to church?

With donations from kind people.

- Surprisingly, the parish is now supported not by donations from parishioners, but by benefactors?

My St. Petersburg friends and acquaintances help me. But I had to do repairs, I learned plastering work, I plastered ceilings, everything didn’t work out right away, and you also had to have patience, to withstand the force of the blow on you.

- Even ordinary repairs in a temple can turn out to be spiritually difficult?

Certainly. We have a community in Lositsy, you’ve probably heard about it. The children came to Zayanye from Leningrad to visit Father Roman, and Father Roman went to be blessed by Father Nikolai to take care of her, and I went with him. Father Nikolai blesses Father Roman, turns to me - and me. And I’m not a priest yet, but Father Nikolai says: “It’s possible, it’s possible.” I felt in my heart that the priest blessed me with these children. And when I was blessed to parish in Lositsy, the children later came from St. Petersburg to fetch me.

- What is life like, here in a remote area, in a village, with children, what is it like?

Complex. Our entire society opens up through children. They are naked, as if without skin, everything is open, everything is exposed. And it is clear how deep the degree of defeat of our society is.

Father, we travel along beaten paths: to Izborsk, to Pechery, to the Holy Mountains, to Porkhov, to Nikandrova Hermitage, but who would go to such a wilderness? Nobody? What kind of people live here? What kind of fucking people are here?

God sent me here, to Lyady. The temple here was in a kindergarten, in a nursery, so everything is biblical. The revival of our church in Lyady began with a manger, God be merciful. There was once a Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Lyady, but there was dancing and a club there, and we decided to build a new temple in a new place, the local administration supported us, did not interfere, even helped. They helped in any way they could. And the Lord tested us: how much we need it. By the grace of God, the temple is already standing; we will consecrate it at the end of December. God willing, we will serve by Christmas.

- Did the Transfiguration Church remain a club for young people?

Yes. And they still dance there. There are many accidents in the village, children's tragedies: someone drowned, someone was killed, because there is an old cemetery next to the temple. People don’t understand that you can’t dance in church. But the people saw how the new temple had now risen and were delighted, although they did not believe that we would build it. We started building it in May: the Church of the Ascension of the Lord.

- Are there many parishioners in Lyady?

The parish is very promising for a priest. There is a school there, there are children who come from the surrounding villages, you can talk to them. And the population is one and a half thousand. There are about twelve people in the service. We hope that the new temple will have more. We both baptize and perform funeral services, but we do funeral services, although so far we do more than baptize, and we very rarely perform weddings.

- Is the iconostasis ready?

No. A lot of things are needed. As soon as these thoughts begin, you immediately say: “Lord, bless! Lord, help!” A man immediately appears and offers his help. Everything happens miraculously.

- By prayer?

Yes, the Lord gives it to us at our request.

- He can't refuse?

Never. Just as the sun cannot help but shine and warm, so the Lord cannot help but give.

- What should we give to the Lord?

There is nothing to give: “The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me,” says the Lord. Victim of Praise. What should I give him if “everything is Mine?” Our body, our mind, and beauty are all His. What can we give him? See the mercy of God and praise Him.

- Isn’t the Sacrament of the Eucharist, when we receive communion, our thanksgiving to the Lord for everything?

- “Whoever does not eat My body, whoever does not drink My blood, has no part of My.” The Lord says, if you want to live, take Me into you, and I will revive you. Without Me you have no part, no matter how beautiful and smart you are. All the virtues of a person without God can lead to his death.

- How did you end up in the Tvorozhkovsky Monastery, Father Veniamin, Vladyka blessed?

Blessed to nourish. There were prayer services there, but no services. I started traveling and serving. I’m traveling from Lositsy, where my first parish is.

- A nunnery is a specific service, father, what spiritual problems are aggravating?

One problem, the Lord said, a woman is a weak vessel.

- She seems strong to herself, but in fact, this is weakness?

Her strong point is weakness. If she returns to this, understands the essence of the blessing of God, the Creator Himself, everything will be fine. The entire height of a woman is in weakness, but when she takes up other supports, her height is lost and she is damaged - which is a consequence of failure to fulfill the Law of God. What the Creator established must be fulfilled. Otherwise, spiritual illness begins. And from men He also demanded: “Learn from Me, for you are meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” - this is the entire height of man. As soon as you humble yourself, your feelings will immediately go to God, and a woman is given more to feel, to comprehend God with her heart, and not with her mind, like a man. And then the Lord gives grace, understanding, purity of heart.

Saint-but-mu-che-nick Ve-ni-a-min was born on January 19, 1873 in the city of Kolomna, Moscow governor -In the family there is a saint named John Fa-min-tse-va and his wife-in-arms Mary. Education Ve-ni-a-min studied at the Moscow Spiritual Se-mi-na-ry, from which he graduated in 1893 yay. In 1894, he entered the temple in the city of Klin, Moscow province.
In 1901, Ve-ni-a-min Iva-no-vich was married to a church in the village of Kar-po-vo Bo-go- family district, and in 1906 - to the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Troitsk Bron-nitsko the district of the Moscow province. From 1912 to 1917, he served in the Pre-o-ra-women’s church in the village of Ga-ri, Dmitrovsky district, and in 1918 he was transferred -ve-den in the Kre-sto-voz-dvi-women’s temple in the city of Kolomna. Since 1919, he began to serve in the Church of the Birth of the Bo-go-ro-di-tsy in the village of Me-shche-ri-no Ko-lo-men-skogo uez-go Yes. In 1925, father Ve-ni-a-min was elevated to the rank of pro-to-i-e-ray, in 1931 he received the citizenship cross with decoration -I-mi. He had two children in his family, a son and a daughter. Son Serafim, being sick from birth, died in 1934 at the age of twenty-five years, the daughter lived from In fact, Ve-ni-a-mi’s father’s wife died a long time ago, and he lived alone, all his time and dedicated to himself serving the Lord.
In 1936, the Me-shche-rinsky village council forbade the priest from walking with mo-leb-na-mi in the houses of the ho-zhan. Before this, in order to go with mo-leb-na-mi, you had to get a certificate from the local am-bu-la-to-ria, that there are no epi-de-mi-che-diseases in the village; since 1936, the work-bot-ni-ki am-bu-la-to-rii from-ka-za-las-give the church-with-ve-tu such certificates, and without a certificate, the village council did not give permission for prayers in houses. The parish council nevertheless turned to the village council with a request: if it’s impossible to walk with icons and crosses, to whom the people come, then you can at least go with a mug, to which you don’t -who don’t put-in-it and in some place with-ho-zhan can add-ro-want-to-put money down for maintenance temple, after the priest greets them on the holiday. But this village council has repeatedly decided, mo-ti-vi-ruling by the fact that in the village epi-de-mia there are scar-la-ti-ny, although everyone would- It is known that this is only a few lives of bo-le-li an-gi-noy.
On March 7, 1936, the parish council of the temple made a statement to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, in which the parishioners of the temple wrote sa-li: “The par-ho-coun- cil has s-sta-viled to come together at once to resolve this issue in view of the pre- the hundredth Easter to the hundredth Central Commission under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. If it’s not possible to walk with icons and a cross, to which they are attached, then is it not possible to walk without everything , congratulating you on the holiday and co-bi-paradise is sacred to life and to paying taxes, and the old age is under -maintenance of the church and also for payment of taxes...
The internal access to the church is too small, because the people employed in collective farms do not always have time to go to church, - therefore, the main way to go is the requirement (baptism) -ny, po-ho-ro-ny), of which there are just a few, and go on holidays when they come.
The parish council asks the Cult-co-mission to give this or that clarification on this issue.” I didn't get any response from this letter.
In the summer of 1937, the persecution against the Russian Orthodox Church intensified sharply. On November 26, 1937, in the district newspaper “Vpered” an article appeared under the title “Co-ve-sh-cha-nie” village-co-ditch and re-dac-to-ditch of walls-newspaper”, in which-a-swarm as an example of “under-ditch” de-i-tel- but-sti "chur-kov-ni-kov" communicated about the priest Ve-ni-a-min Fa-min-tse-ve: "Me-shche-rin-sky Pop everyone can try to “be friends” with collective farms and “get closer” to them. He is not averse to reading the newspaper of the collective farms, “talking” with them about elections, writing about some kind of statement, etc. In every case, any fact, any newspaper note, he tries this is used in a beneficial light for oneself, a smear on the Soviet power, counter-re-vo-lu-ci- he-new campaign."
Having read this lie, Father Ve-ni-a-min went to the head of the local township to find out who the author was this article, in order to personally explain it to him and ask him, on the basis of some facts, what the article was about . But the boss almost answered this question from the hall, saying that it was a secret. Father Ve-ni-a-min, having heard such an answer, just waved his hand, saying in his hearts that “there is more Soviet power There’s nothing to write about, just to sort out these curses,” and he went out.
In the beginning of 1938, the co-worker of the NKVD on-tre-bo-va-li from the se-re-ta-rya of Me-shche-rin-sko-go-so-ve- so that he complies with the goals of the NKVD ha-rak-te-ri-sti-ku for the priesthood. The secretary wrote that Father Ve-ni-a-min for-no-small ex-plu-a-ta-tsi-ey re-bya-ti-shek, for-sta- Having taken them one day to chop wood, he carried out the illegal act of baptism without asking permission from the village. co-ve-ta, walked through some houses, where people built an-ti-go-state, that “from-ra-zha- is at work and at the construction of collective farms."
Would you like to see your friends: one of them, a ten-year-old teacher at a local school, -said that the priest in the na-cha-le of Jan-va-rya in 1938 sagi-ti-ro-val one of the teachers of the school - he became read the Gospel and go to church, for which he was fired from school and left the village to an unknown place, for some reason -the puppy, as the witness claimed, said: “You see, you’ve got more time to brag, you’ve become re-ho -to live in the right-glorious faith, the ra-zo-van-teacher has converted to the right-glorious faith, and everyone is talking - There is no god; soon all the people will be baptized.”
On February 27, 1938, Ve-ni-a-min’s father was arrested and imprisoned in the city of Ka-shi-re and on March 2 do-pro-shen.
- The consequence of the ras-po-la-ga-et ma-te-ri-a-la-mi, that you are on the ho-ro-nah... praise-la-li Mus-so-li -ni and po-li-ti-ku fa-shiz-ma. Are you confirming this?
- I don’t remember that time. There may have been some talk about the inter-native language, but I could not praise the fascists.
- How do you look at the note about you, printed in the newspaper “Vpered” on November 26, 1937?
- This is pure cli-ve, not a single word is true.
- The consequence is that when you received this newspaper, you were in the right place for the Soviet press. Do you know this?
- Indeed, at that moment I was at the post office, saying that it was a complete lie, and asked to call me fa-mi-liyu sel-ko-ra, to which I was told that this was a secret, and with that I left.
- As in some circumstances, you agi-ti-ro-va-li pe-da-go-ga Che-ka-li-na, which has become so -should I give up the church?
— In the summer of 1937, I was sitting on the bank of the river. Ivan Ti-ho-no-vich Che-ka-lin came to me and asked me if there is a God? I replied that yes. And after that, he and I talked for about two hours about the life of Christ. He asked me for Evan-ge-lie. I gave it to him, after that he began to attend church.
- Do you recognize yourself as guilty of the accusation presented to you?
- In the accusation presented to me, I do not recognize myself as guilty.
This was the end of the matter, and on March 6, 1938, the investigation was completed. On March 9, the NKVD troika sent Father Ve-ni-a-mi-na to execution. Pro-to-i-e-ray Ve-ni-a-min Fa-min-tsev was shot on March 14, 1938 at the Bu-to-vo training ground near Moscow and in the general unknown mo-gi-le.

I will write down what remains in my memory from the books I read and from what I saw personally.

His father, Ilya Sergiev, was a simple psalm-reader in the village of Sura, Pinezhsky district, Arkhangelsk province. His mother's name was Theodora. As far as can be judged from various sources, the father was a man of a balanced, meek disposition, and the mother, undoubtedly, was an extremely energetic woman, with the look of an eagle. The father had a delicate calligraphic handwriting, which was passed on to his son, but gusts of strength passed from the mother into the handwriting of the future lamp.

In addition to the boy, there were girls in the family. The child was born frail, so they rushed to baptize him on his birthday, October 19, 1829, on the day of remembrance of the Bulgarian ascetic John of Rylsky, after whom the baby was named. When he began to grow up, they began to teach him to read and write and sent him to school. But the initial wisdom of adding letters into syllables was difficult for the boy. And so, the priest himself later said, he knelt down and began to fervently pray that the Lord would open his mind to learning. And suddenly it was as if some kind of film had been removed from his head, and he began to understand everything clearly. And he graduated from the Theological Seminary as the best student.

Then, unlike my time (1900s), students studied conscientiously, and Sergiev was distinguished by his special diligence. By the way, I received a textbook on philosophy, from which a diligent student studied this science. The book was preserved in amazing cleanliness, and only here and there, in his beautiful handwriting, were notes made on what he read: it is clear that he assimilated everything seriously and deeply.

But, in addition to the required subjects, Ivan Ilyich also read the holy fathers. He especially loved the works of St. John Chrysostom. Sometimes, while sitting reading his teachings, he suddenly began to clap his hands to Saint Chrysostom: he was so amazed by the beauty and depth of the oratory of the Great Universal Teacher.

At this time, his father was no longer alive, and the young student, in order to help his mother and sisters, became a scribe in the office of the Theological Academy and sent the small allowance he received to his homeland. Here his beautiful hereditary handwriting came in handy. And the office premises, closed to others, gave the serious student an even greater opportunity to study in solitude his education and especially the Holy Fathers. Reading now (1948) Chrysostom and Father John, you clearly see how close they are, especially in matters of wealth, poverty, love, communion, and repentance.

Apparently, he did not have any particularly close relationships or friendships with his comrades, much less cheerful friendly parties. Like the ancient Saint Basil the Great, he was respected and even feared by the students: he had no time for fun and no time for idle talk. Study, office and self-education took up all his time and attention.

But in such silence and study, the spirit of parental faith grew in him, strengthened by the Word of God, enlightened, moreover, by Orthodox science and the holy fathers, and in general and in particular, nurtured by the Holy Orthodox Church.

Towards the end of the academy, he first had a desire to take on the feat of missionary work in the monastic rank. But, taking a closer look at the surrounding life of the capital, he saw that there was no end to the end of pastoral and spiritual work around him. Therefore, I changed my mind about my first decision and settled on pastoring. As you know, the priest had to first marry the girl: there were almost no celibate pastors at that time; Yes, this, in general, is both more correct and wiser.

At this time, the archpriest of St. Andrew's Cathedral, Father Konstantin, died in the city of Kronstadt; and he left behind an adult daughter, Elizabeth. According to old customs, especially if the deceased left orphans, the parish was transferred to the candidate who married the orphaned daughter. The custom is also good. So John and Elizabeth got married. But from the very beginning of their life together, the young husband begged his wife to live in virginity, like brother and sister. The history of the Church knows similar examples, albeit few. Sergiev also knew about them, but it was not they who resolved such a difficult issue, but the pure chaste soul and firm will of the future shepherd. He wanted to devote himself entirely to serving God and his neighbors. If monasticism has already been rejected, then one must preserve virginity during marriage. Everyone understands what a difficult task the young student took upon himself. But he raised it boldly.

The young wife did not accept celibacy in marriage so easily. Tradition testifies that she even filed a complaint against her husband with the diocesan bishop. But the young priest persuaded her to voluntarily agree with him:

- Lisa! There are enough happy families without you and me. And we will give ourselves entirely to God and our neighbors.

And she finally agreed. I personally saw her in the house during the life of Father John. During one visit to my father, a tall, gray-haired old woman, covered in old wrinkles, came out to meet us when my bell rang. I saw her for the first time.

- Is Father at home? – I asked her.

“Yes, Brother John is at home,” she answered meekly and quietly went to report to him.

Then I realized that this was the glorious “wife” - mother of the world-famous “Father of Kronstadt”. How simple and quiet she was! And she was always in the shadows, with such fame as her “husband”!

Ordained a priest, Father John devoted himself to his work with his characteristic energy: divine services, classes in schools, visiting parishioners in their homes, composing sermons, home prayers, doing good to the poor - all this took him both time and energy. Soon he began to write down his special thoughts in a diary, under the title: “My life in Christ.”

Divine services became more and more frequent; and he finally began to perform the liturgy daily: it became the need of his soul.

All this gradually created a reputation about him as a completely exceptional shepherd. They began to invite him more often to private services in homes, especially where there was some kind of grief, the sick, etc. And miracles began to happen through his prayers. But there was one special moment in this last type of service. They invited him to serve a prayer service for the health of the sick. According to his custom, he served firmly and with faith. But one of his admirers who was present here said that the priest did not pray as he should, and as he could pray. He should pray with great boldness, with undoubted hope that what he asks will be fulfilled, and not simply, as everyone else prays.

These words - by the priest’s own admission - had an exceptional effect on him: he heard the voice of God in them - and from that time on he began to pray more boldly, as if personally standing before God and “demanding” from Him mercy, mercy and help to the unfortunate, suffering, poor to the earthly children of Heavenly Father.

There were many miracles in his life. Nobody knows their score. But the entire Orthodox and even heterodox world knows the Kronstadt Wonderworker. And in his diary he himself openly testifies more than once that the Lord worked miracles through him. Therefore, it becomes clear why they began to call him to all places where there was need, grief, suffering. And first of all, they began to invite him to the multimillion-dollar St. Petersburg. But numerous groups of pilgrims came and went from all over Russia; hundreds of requests for prayers or advice flowed through the telegraph every day. His fame grew more and more. And they began to call him to other cities: Moscow, Kharkov, Kazan, Kyiv, Vilno, Ufa, etc.

The Royal Family also knew him. When Tsar Alexander III fell ill, the great man of prayer was summoned to the Crimea, to the Livadia Palace. The king received him with respect and love. Father John served the Liturgy and gave communion to the sick man. And although the Tsar’s days were numbered, through the priest’s prayers he received some relief.

Finally, his fame grew to such an extent that cells of his special admirers and admirers were formed in different places in Russia, who even reached the point of sectarian enthusiasm that the priest is the incarnation of God himself. Such sects called themselves “Johnnites” after the priest’s name. Church measures had to be taken against them. And Father John himself publicly and in print condemned these madmen, but this did not always help...

In the world, Fedchenkov Ivan Afanasyevich, was born on September 2 (14), 1880 in the village of Ilyinka (Vyazhli), Kirsanovsky district, Tambov province. Father - Afanasy Ivanovich - was a serf peasant of I. I. Baratynsky, then served there as a clerk.

As a child, Vanya was often sick. Due to poor health, he was even baptized on the very day of his birth. At the age of one and a half years, he became dangerously ill with pneumonia, and his mother made a vow to God: if her son remained alive, she would go with him to venerate the relics of St. Mitrophan of Voronezh. The baby recovered, and the mother set off with him on the journey.

Vladika learned about what happened next many years later from his sister. “Mother stood in the church of St. Mitrofan. A monk watchman walked past her. I, a baby, was spinning around (and maybe even standing decorously) next to my mother. He must have blessed us, but about me he said: “He will be a saint!” And my mother never told me about this.”

He received his primary education at the zemstvo school in the village of Sergievka, Kirsanovsky district, then studied for two years at the Kirsanovsky district school (1891-1893).

He studied at the Tambov Theological School and the Tambov Theological Seminary.

Then he entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, graduating with a candidate's degree in theology. At the academy, he met the spiritual mentor Archimandrite (later Archbishop Feofan (Bistrov), with whom he remained in touch in the future, when both of them, teacher and student, found themselves in forced exile outside the Fatherland.

Archimandrite Feofan was the confessor and “abba” of Ivan Fedchenkov. He tonsured him into monasticism on November 26, 1907, on the eve of the celebration in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”.

As a first-year student, the future Metropolitan Benjamin became seriously ill and was hospitalized, where, on the advice of Archimandrite Theophan, he began to diligently read the ascetic works of the holy fathers (Abba Dorotheos, Saints Barsanuphius and John, Saint John Climacus and Saint Macarius the Great, whom he had not known until that time or read superficially. “Reading these ascetic works,” Metropolitan Benjamin later wrote, “had such a strong effect on me that very soon I felt an attraction to monasticism, without telling anyone about it...

And gradually the desire for God began to grow. I began to realize the insufficiency of other ideals, even good ones, such as serving one’s neighbors; and in any case, it became completely clear to me that nothing can satisfy a person except love for God.”

In the summer of 1905, Ivan, together with two fellow students, visited Valaam, where the students, who were getting acquainted with the life of “Northern Athos,” visited the resident of the St. John the Baptist Skete, Schemamonk Nikita the Elder, who was revered by the brethren of the monastery and visiting pilgrims.

The ascetic talked for a long time with the young man, prophetically called him “lord” and blessed him to enter the monastic path. Another ascetic, the elder of the Gethsemane monastery at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Hieromonk Isidore (Kozin), also predicted the future metropolitan’s path in life.

During the academic years in the life of I.A. Another significant meeting took place between Fedchenkov and Hieromonk Veniamin. In November 1904, the future saint, together with two comrades from the academy, visited Father John for the first time in Kronstadt.

After his ordination, Hieromonk Benjamin again visited the Kronstadt righteous man and served him in the Divine Liturgy. The last time Father Veniamin visited Father was six months before his death, which followed on December 20, 1908.

Subsequently, throughout his long life, he turned to the works of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt and kept in his heart the image of this fiery prayer book.

In conditions of emigration (Vladyka himself called his life abroad a refugee, thereby emphasizing the forced nature of the separation from the Motherland), Bishop Veniamin brings the name of Father John to the educational activities of Russian refugees who remained faithful to the Moscow Patriarchate. At the Three Hierarchs' Metochion he founded in Paris, there operated an Orthodox publishing house and a printing house named after Father John of Kronstadt.

Among the books published by this publishing house was his book, compiled based on the works of the Kronstadt ascetic - “Heaven on Earth. Teaching about. John of Kronstadt on the Divine Liturgy.” The book “God's People” includes the essay “Father John” - a small work compiled by the Bishop during his ministry in America (1933-1948). Metropolitan Veniamin’s work “The Feat of Venerance” is also dedicated to Father John. In the 1950s, Vladyka completed his fundamental research “Father John of Kronstadt”.

On December 3, 1907, the monk Veniamin, who was tonsured in honor of the holy martyr Deacon Benjamin (October 12 and March 31), was ordained a hierodeacon by the rector of the academy, Bishop Sergius (Tikhomirov) of Yamburg, and on December 10, his ceremony took place in the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. ordination to the rank of hieromonk. The consecration was performed by Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) of St. Petersburg and Ladoga.

Having graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1907, he was retained there as a professorial fellow in the Department of Biblical History by Professor Archimandrite Feofan (Bistrov). At the end of the fellowship year, he was appointed personal secretary of the Archbishop of Finland and Vyborg Sergius (Stragorodsky).

In 1910-1911, Father Benjamin served as associate professor at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in the department of Pastoral Theology, Homiletics and Asceticism.

In October 1911, at his request, he was appointed inspector of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, but he did not hold this position for long, about three months.

On December 21, 1911, he was appointed to the post of rector of the Tauride Theological Seminary, and on December 26 in Vyborg he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by Archbishop Sergius (Stragorodsky).

On August 26, 1913, Archimandrite Veniamin received a new appointment, taking the post of rector of the Tver Theological Seminary.

The events of February 1917 found Archimandrite Veniamin in Tver. These events, as can be seen from the book of memoirs of Vladyka Benjamin, were far from bloodless, and aroused in him a feeling of heartfelt sorrow over the flaring up fratricide. A monarchist by conviction, he grieved the fall of the Orthodox monarchy; as a patriot-statist, he mourned the military defeats of Russia and the “paralysis of power” that threatened to lead the country to chaos.

October 1917 found Veniamin’s father already in Moscow. The fact is that in the summer of 1917, at the Diocesan Congress in Tver, he was elected by the clergy of the diocese as a member of the Local Council of the Orthodox Russian Church and took an active part in its work. Archimandrite Veniamin was a supporter of the restoration of the patriarchate and participated in the election of St. Tikhon to the Patriarchal throne, whom he deeply revered.

In the fall of 1917, he was elected rector of the Taurida Theological Seminary. As a representative of religious educational institutions and deputy diocesan bishop, Archimandrite Veniamin participated in the work of the Ukrainian Supreme Council in Kiev (from December 1917 to December 1918), where he, together with Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky), other hierarchs, clergy and laity, had to defend unity churches from the encroachments of Ukrainian church “independents” grouped around the so-called. The “Verkhovna Rada”, which demanded an immediate break with the legitimate Supreme Church Authority and acted under the slogan: “Away from Moscow!” The firmness, and sometimes even personal courage, shown by supporters of legitimate canonical authority in the Church destroyed the plans of the “independents.” A sad consequence of the activities of the Church Rada was the “Lipkovsky” or “self-saintly” schism, the followers of which Vladyka Veniamin had to deal with later during his ministry in America.

By decree of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Autonomous Church, which acted under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) in Odessa, Archimandrite Veniamin was consecrated Bishop of Sevastopol, vicar of the Tauride Diocese, on February 10, 1919, and appointed to the position of rector of the Chersonesos Monastery in Odessa.

The consecration took place in the Intercession Cathedral in Sevastopol, it was led by Archbishop Dimitri (Abashidze) in the co-service of other hierarchs. At that time, Sevastopol was occupied by the Armed Forces of Southern Russia. In the summer, the city was occupied by the Reds, and Bishop Veniamin was arrested by the local “cheka,” but under pressure from his flock the authorities soon had to release him.

The spring of 1920 was marked for him by his entry into the white movement. At the invitation of General P. N. Wrangel, he headed the military and naval clergy of the Russian Army, formed in May 1920 from the reorganized Armed Forces of Southern Russia, evacuated to Crimea in January-February 1920. As the Bishop of the Army and Navy (this was the new title of the Bishop), he coordinated the activities of military priests, went to the front, and under his leadership the publication of the newspaper “Holy Rus'” was carried out.

Bishop Benjamin did a lot of work to help refugee clergy and members of their families. Bishop Benjamin developed a fairly close relationship with the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, and Wrangel invited him, as a representative of the Church, to the Council of Ministers formed in Crimea.

Bishop Benjamin took part in organizing days of national repentance, in organizing religious processions, and made efforts to raise the spiritual and moral level of his flock, but very soon he encountered the lukewarmness and even irreligion of many white leaders and warriors. But for the sake of that part of the white army, albeit insignificant in quantity, but infinitely dear to him, who fought “for God and the Motherland,” he went along with the whites to the end and left the borders of Russia in November 1920.

In Constantinople, Bishop Benjamin became a member of the Supreme Church Administration Abroad, and also became a member of the Russian Council formed under General Wrangel. Living in Bulgaria in 1920-1921, he, as Bishop of the Army and Navy, visited churches and parishes established by refugee and military organizations in Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia.

During the same period, Vladyka Veniamin headed the commission for organizing the church life of the Russian Abroad. Under his chairmanship, a “diocesan congress” was held in Constantinople, preparing the Karlovac Council of 1921, which took place in November 1921 under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky). On behalf of the Council, Bishop Benjamin, as the initiator of the all-diaspora church forum, was expressed gratitude and proclaimed many years.

Making efforts to organize independent church governance for the Russian Abroad, Vladyka Veniamin, like most Russian refugees in those days, believed that his stay abroad would be temporary. First of all, he strove to ensure that foreign church authorities acted under the omophorion of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia.

When Sremski Karlovci received the Decree of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon and the joint presence of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council on the abolition of the Karlovac All-Foreign High Church Administration (No. 347 of May 5, 1922), Bishop Veniamin (the only one from the VCU) accepted the decree for execution and decided to retire to the monastery of Petkovica (St. Paraskeva) near the city of Sabac in Serbia, where he gathered more than 20 brethren from among the Russian refugees. However, until 1923 he continued to serve as Bishop of the Army and Navy.

In the fall of 1923, at the invitation of Archbishop Savvaty (Vrabets), who was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bishop Benjamin became his vicar in Carpathian Rus, which was at that time part of Czechoslovakia. During the eight months of his activity there, Bishop Veniamin annexed 21 Uniate parishes to Orthodoxy, but in May 1924, under pressure from the Yugoslav government, the Czechoslovak authorities expelled Bishop Benjamin from the country.

This was due to the fact that Orthodox parishes of Serbian jurisdiction operated on the territory of Czechoslovakia, headed by Bishop Gorazd (Pavlik), and the activities of Bishop Benjamin could lead to complications in relations between the countries.

In the summer of 1924, Bishop Veniamin lived in Petkovitsa, but did not manage the monastery, devoting himself to monastic work and work on theological works, and in the fall of the same year he became a teacher of the law of the Don Cadet Corps in the city of Bilecha. In the summer of 1925, Bishop Benjamin was invited by Metropolitan Eulogius (Georgievsky) to Paris as an inspector and teacher at the Orthodox Theological Institute named after St. Sergius.

In 1926, Bishop Veniamin accepted from Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) an appointment to the post of head of theological and pastoral courses and teacher of the law of the Russian Cadet Corps, as well as rector of the Russian parish in the city of Bela Crkva in northeastern Yugoslavia, but in the summer of 1927 he again retired to Petkovica. Here he was found by the famous “Declaration” of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky).

In resolving the difficult issue for us of accepting or rejecting the “Declaration”, Vladyka was guided not only by considerations of church benefit, he sought to resolve this issue spiritually, performing the “forty feast” of the Divine Liturgy, turning to the inhabitants of Holy Mount Athos, Schema-Archimandrite Kirik, for advice and blessing - the confessor of the Panteleimon Monastery, and Archimandrite Misail (Sopegin).

The service of the “magpies” in difficult moments of life is an integral feature of the spiritual appearance of Vladika Benjamin. The records left by the Bishop of his experiences during the “Sorokoust” are extremely useful and instructive for Orthodox Christians, especially for clergy.

Having joined the “Declaration”, Bishop Benjamin at the same time conveyed through Metropolitan Eulogius a request for retirement and, having received a corresponding decree from Moscow, retired to the deserted monastery of St. Savva of Serbia, where he lived together with a Serbian ascetic monk. This monastery was located near the famous Serbian monastery of Studenica. Vladyka labored in the monastery in 1927-1928, and in 1929, with the blessing of Bishop Michael of Shabatsky, he accepted the abbotship in Petkovitsa, but in the fall of the same year he was again called to Paris by Metropolitan Eulogius and again took up his former post of inspector and teacher of the Sergius Theological Institute.

In 1930, after Metropolitan Eulogius (Georgievsky) broke with the Moscow Patriarchate and his departure under the omophorion of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Vladika Benjamin, who remained faithful to the Mother Church, had to leave the institute, and at the same time lose what every Russian exile in a foreign land treasured - a roof over your head and a modest means of subsistence.

On the initiative of Bishop Benjamin, around whom a small but very united group of parishioners gathered, a Patriarchal metochion with a church in the name of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom was organized in Paris. Vladyka Benjamin explained the dedication of the main throne with his hope that “just as three parties of Orthodox Christians, each challenging the advantage of their head - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, eventually united together, giving equal honor to the saints (January 30), so Through the prayers of these saints, the current division abroad, which has purely earthly goals in its splits from the mother church, will leave sinful principles and reunite with our One Patriarchal Church.”

In May 1933, Vladyka Benjamin left for America, where he was to give a series of lectures on the Russian Orthodox Church. The Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), who authorized this trip, gave the Bishop the assignment to find out the position of Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) in relation to the Moscow Patriarchate.

Metropolitan Platon, who arbitrarily declared his Metropolitan District autonomous, avoided contacts with Vladyka Veniamin, and then the initially conditional order of Metropolitan Sergius came into force on the appointment of Vladyka Veniamin as administrator of the diocese with the rank of archbishop and temporary exarch of the North American diocese.

The corresponding decree No. 319 of March 27, 1933 soon followed. Metropolitan Platon did not obey this order and was removed for causing a schism and declaring autonomy. Then, by the determination of the Provisional Patriarchal Synod of November 22, 1933, Vladyka Benjamin was appointed Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America, leaving him as Exarch of the Moscow Patriarchate in America.

At the same time, Archbishop Benjamin found himself in an extremely difficult situation. On the one hand, he recognized himself as a representative of legitimate canonical authority, but on the other hand, he was an exarch without an exarchate, an archpastor without a flock. Metropolitan Plato and the successor of his line, Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky), had their own, albeit not canonically justified, but very compelling reasons, which determined their activities.

These reasons were connected both with the specifics of church life in America at that time and with the mood of the flock. They were supported by the overwhelming majority of the clergy and laity, and Vladika Benjamin had to put in a lot of effort to acquire the high authority that he possessed by the end of his ministry in America. And at first he had to sleep on the floor, sweep the streets, endure insults for his loyalty to the Mother Church.

Once, after one meeting, for safety reasons, he was asked to leave through the emergency exit. But Vladyka decided to go, as he had entered, through the main entrance. Someone threw a cigarette butt at him, and insulting cries from the schismatics were heard. But Archbishop Benjamin calmly and courageously retained his dignity.

But despite all the sorrows and hardships that befell him and his colleagues, Vladyka invariably thanked God and prayed for his persecutors and everyone who “annoyed” him in some way. Evidence of this is the pages of his diaries and “magpies”. They also testify to how deeply and contritely the Lord experienced any conflict with his neighbor, how he knew how to ask for forgiveness, how he protected his spiritual peace and harmony of spirit. Vladyka endured reproaches with Christian meekness and humility.

The tireless work of organizing church affairs required enormous amounts of mental and physical strength from the Bishop. He often visited American and Canadian parishes, performed services and preached. After services, he enjoyed having spiritual conversations over meals. He was generally a wonderful preacher, and his sermons were remembered by his listeners for a long time.

During the Great Patriotic War, Metropolitan Veniamin became one of the inspirers of a powerful patriotic movement that embraced all layers of the Russian emigration. People of very different political and religious views, Orthodox Christians from different jurisdictions, joined this movement. The latter greatly contributed to the unification of Orthodox people in America, a trend toward which began precisely during the war years.

On June 22, 1941, on the day the war began, Metropolitan Benjamin delivered an inspired sermon in the church of the Seraphim Metochion of the Russian Patriarchal Church, in which he expressed his firm hope that the upcoming difficult trials were allowed by God’s Providence “for the good of our Orthodox Church and Motherland,” and then he served the first prayer service to All Saints of the Russian Land for the granting of victory to the Orthodox Russian people.

On the very first day of the war, he declared: “Everything will end well!” And from that day on, Vladyka worked tirelessly in the patriotic field, combining his church service with public service. He gave lectures in auditoriums where funds were collected in favor of Russia, and gave speeches at rallies in different cities of America.

His speech, delivered on July 2, 1941, at a grand rally in New York's Madison Square Garden, made a particular impression on those present. “Everyone knows,” the Lord said then, “that the most terrible and responsible moment has come for the whole world. It can and should be said that the fate of the world depends on the end of events in Russia... All of Rus' has stood up! Let’s not sell our conscience and our Motherland!”

Metropolitan Benjamin was the chairman of the Medical Committee for Assistance to Russia, a member of the National Committee of the Slavic Congress of the USA; Member of the International Committee for Assistance to Russia.

In December 1944, Metropolitan Benjamin received an invitation from Moscow to come to the Local Council and, for his part, made every effort to ensure that representatives of Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) were also invited to Moscow.

The stay of the delegation of the Metropolitan District in Moscow subsequently led to the reconciliation of the breakaways with the Mother. True, the unity did not last long.

At the beginning of 1945, after 25 years of exile, Metropolitan Benjamin re-entered his native land. He participated in the work of the Local Council (January 31-February 2, 1945), in the election and enthronement of Patriarch Alexy I (Simansky), performed divine services in Moscow churches, communicated with the church people, with the clergy and hierarchs.

The main impression that he took with him to America was the confidence that the people retained a living faith in God, despite years of severe persecution, and for the most part remained faithful to the Orthodox Church.

On February 18, 1948, Vladyka finally returned to his homeland and was appointed to the Riga See. “Rejoice, rejoice always, and rejoice in sorrow,” - with these words he greeted his new flock. The Bishop’s ministry in Latvia lasted relatively short-lived, until March 1951, but during this time he managed to do a lot: he obtained permission from the authorities to publish the bulletin of the Riga diocese “Vesti”, on the pages of which his theological articles and sermons were placed, to prepare for the opening of a two-year pastoral courses, to establish a monastery in Dubulti near Riga (under the guise of a bishop's dacha) with a temple in the name of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.

In March 1951, Metropolitan Veniamin was transferred to the Rostov See, where he remained until the end of 1955. During these years, he became especially close to Saint Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea.

By the decree of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy I of November 30, 1955 (No. 2030), Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) was determined to be the Metropolitan of Saratov and Balashov. The new appointment was due to the fact that at that time there was a theological seminary operating in Saratov, and therefore a bishop with a higher theological education and experience in teaching was required there.

By this time, Vladyka’s health had deteriorated greatly; he suffered a stroke and was often ill, but during the period of new persecution of the Church launched by the authorities in the late 50s, he called on his flock to stand firmly for the faith and the Church.

In February 1958, Vladyka retired and on February 27, 1958 settled in the Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. When his health allowed, he served in monastery churches and preached, putting his rich spiritual and literary heritage in order. In these last years, he experienced the most difficult test - he was speechless.

On October 4, 1961, Vladyka Veniamin died and was buried in the caves of the monastery. The place of his burial is surrounded by veneration of the brethren and pious pilgrims.

Father Veniamin, you have been serving in Severodvinsk for about a year and, of course, the spiritual situation in the crews of the BVMB is clear to you. What is the spirit of our warriors?

Over the course of a year, I became convinced that the formation of a parish here is only possible when I, as a priest, regularly go to sea with the crews. Then you can determine which of the sailors is more inclined to spiritual communication, spiritual life, and in the future rely on them. What is the value of this flock and the importance of churching these people? The fact is that they are already warriors by definition, all that remains is to “adjust” their ideological position. After all, every soul is a Christian by nature, but this needs to be revealed.

- What is the ministry of a garrison priest?

I have a wide range of missionary work, the field is unplowed. According to statistics, in the Russian army 80 percent of those baptized in Orthodoxy. But they never pray, don’t go to church, and have never received communion. True, many wear a cross. This is where the connection with the Orthodox Church both began and stopped. I conducted a survey among more than half of the brigade personnel, and the majority responded that they practically do not pray and do not go to church services on Sundays.

Probably, circumstances should develop in such a way that a person remembers where he should strive and who to turn to. Well, maybe that’s why they say: whoever has not gone to sea has not prayed.

During this year, we worked on the “coastal elements” - on the day of remembrance of the righteous warrior Feodor Ushakov, October 15, we held a religious procession through the streets of Severodvinsk. Now the time has come, figuratively speaking, to practice “sea elements” - communication with crews directly at sea.

Faith comes from hearing. Where can sailors hear the Word of God? On shore, their daily routine is very tense, there are almost no free minutes, and not every Sunday is a day off. At sea, of course, it is also very busy, but nevertheless, a priest will be on board for 24 hours. I think it’s quite possible to carve out some minutes every day and provide sailors with the hearing that strengthens their faith. After all, without it, no matter how you jump, it misses the stirrup.

- Father Veniamin, did your appointment to the Naval Base have its own prerequisites?

In the army and especially in the navy, people are needed who are familiar with the specifics and who know the service. It's important not to be a burden. Of course, it is a risk for a commander to allow a person on a warship who does not represent the appropriate rules of conduct. Well, in order to go to sea with the crew, even I had to undergo special training and obtain permission.

I think one more point is important. Since 2005, I have been obedient in the Sanaksar monastery, in which the relics of the invincible Russian admiral, the righteous warrior Theodore (Ushakov), are buried, and before that I worked for three years in the Synodal Department for interaction with the armed forces, in the naval sector, with Archpriest Dimitri Smirnova. I remember how he talked about the radical change in his attitude towards officers. When Father Dimitri began leading the department, he was convinced: all general admirals are busy with personal problems, building their dachas, there is only one meander, and she is wearing a cap. The priest’s views changed dramatically after direct communication with the highest echelon of the leadership of the army and navy: Father Dimitri publicly declared more than once that the healthiest part of our society is the armed forces, and added: if only because doctors check them every year.

- How have service and faith been combined in your life?

I was a person far from faith, completely absorbed in military service. In spiritual terms, my biography is straight as an arrow, no searching.

Born in the Chelyabinsk region. My dad was a sailor in the Pacific Fleet and went through the entire Great Patriotic War. My father loved the sea, and in our house there were many photographs of him in his midshipman’s uniform and vest. All this, apparently, “lay down” in me. After graduating from the naval school in Vladivostok, in 1976 I arrived at the First Flotilla of nuclear submarines of the Northern Fleet and served in it for 21 years.

I was a completely average Soviet officer. I remember how in the late 1980s, articles in the magazines “Zvezda”, “New World”, “Neva” changed our worldview. The state is a machine that was aimed at destroying decent people, the Russian nation - all this was revealed. But we still lived according to the socialist dogma. Then I realized that the commandments of socialism are complete plagiarism of the Gospel. Well, for example, the socialist “man is man’s friend, comrade and brother” and the evangelical “love your neighbor as yourself”...

He received the sacrament of Baptism in 1991. Then Lent began... But I don’t eat cutlets, I don’t eat fish. The cook cooked porridge especially for me and, as if in secret, added butter to it. But I didn’t eat such porridge either. Fried potatoes became a delicacy for me on Saturday. In short, when I returned home from the hike, my wife began to cry. This is how I fasted...

In the early 1990s, they stopped going to sea on combat duty, and I waited for the end of my service, which no longer seemed uninteresting. Then I was transferred to the Main Headquarters of the Navy in Moscow.

-ABOUT. Benjamin, Is it difficult to control a submarine?

When the crew has worked, everything is automatic. In general, technology enlightens and helps to sober up. It is important that this reaches our soldiers. I am sure that the reliability of the most modern equipment on a ship depends on the spiritual state of the crew. The commander sinned, did God knows what, and all his torpedoes are on target? No. The Lord sees everything. If a person’s occupation is related to technology, then the Lord is admonishing him through this.

There was such a case in my practice. A ship was leaving the factory after repairs. And before that, the officers proposed to consecrate it. Then, it was 1992, the command categorically opposed. And what do you think? As a result, we put the unit into normal turbogenerator mode 15 times. The chief designer arrived, took his head in his hands, looking at the drawings, in which there were only two pipes and no more wisdom. There is pressure at the inlet, but not at the outlet. Where did it go? The design is a pipe within a pipe, nothing more. If you didn’t want to consecrate the ship, you’ll get it. Then the Lord, of course, spared the personnel.

You treat technology with trepidation, oh. Benjamin. Apparently, that’s why your vehicle is a reliable, vintage Volga?

Yes, it was done thoroughly. I got a car a year ago, providentially. I came to my homeland on vacation, where my classmates gave it to me. This gift was especially useful when I went to Severodvinsk to my place of service: I was carrying an Orthodox library and an iconostasis in a trailer. Moreover, he selected the brochures specifically for his sailors.

Here, of course, we have to move away from those most important qualities that must be acquired in a monastery: silence, inner concentration. In addition, there is no way to avoid excessive information content. I need to communicate with my flock on the topic of the main political trends, the tasks that the country's leadership and the Supreme Command set for the navy and armed forces. And, of course, I want more people who wear shoulder straps to become active warriors of Christ. This is my prayer.

Interviewed by Lyudmila Selivanova