Metropolitan Veniamin Fedchenkov on Assumption. “The wisdom of God is wiser than us!” Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) and his spiritual instructions
Life and ministry before 1917
1917-1920 years. white movement
Participated in the revival of the Religious-Philosophical Society that existed in the Crimea since the 1910s, whose activities eventually ceased. On March 4/17, 1919, Bishop Veniamin chaired the first meeting of the Tauride Orthodox Religious-Philosophical Circle (renewed society), and subsequently repeatedly made presentations at meetings of the circle.
After the restoration of Soviet power in the Crimea, Vladyka was arrested in June 1919 and kept in a cell of the Sevastopol Cheka. The formal pretext for the arrest was a photograph of an officer who had died of typhus, a personal friend of Vladyka, found in Bishop Veniamin's possession. After 8 days of arrest and interrogation, Bishop Veniamin was released from prison. After the Red Army left Crimea, two employees of the Sevastopol Cheka, including the employee who interrogated the bishop, were arrested and sentenced to death. Having received a letter from them asking for intercession, Bishop Veniamin managed to get the commandant of Sevastopol, General Vladimir Subbotin, to abolish the death penalty. Subsequently, Vladyka repeatedly appealed to General Pyotr Wrangel with requests for pardon, until a special decree was issued prohibiting such appeals.
On March 22 (old style), 1920, having received an offer to become Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (VSYUR), General Pyotr Wrangel arrived at the bishop's house to Bishop Veniamin and Archbishop Feofan (Bystrov) of Poltava, who was present there. The general asked for an opinion as to whether he should take command. Both bishops gave a positive answer, after which Wrangel accepted the offer and was elected Commander-in-Chief.
In late March - early April 1920, Vladyka accepted the proposal of P. N. Wrangel to head the military clergy of the All-Union Socialist Revolutionary Federation (from 05/11/1920 - the Russian Army) and was appointed Bishop of the Army and Navy. Thus, Bishop Veniamin became the first bishop in more than 200 years, and the only one during the Civil War, to officially head the Russian military clergy.
For the Church, both whites and reds, as long as they are believers, are equally acceptable, and therefore, when I work with whites, I do not leave the people.
Bishop Benjamin's sermon from the porch of the Alexander Nevsky Church, Sevastopol, 1920
On the initiative of Bishop Benjamin, a draft decree was prepared and preliminarily approved by Wrangel on the prohibition of swearing among the troops. However, the commander-in-chief did not approve it due to dissatisfaction with such a measure of the senior officers of the Russian Army.
Vladyka Benjamin repeatedly went to the front, including to the front line, and was under fire from the enemy.
Under the leadership of Bishop Veniamin, the newspaper "Holy Rus'" was published (editor - professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, priest Neil Malkov).
Carried out work to help refugees - clergy and members of their families.
He participated in the discussion of the land law, which was being prepared at the direction of P. N. Wrangel, supporting the position of the commander in chief on the agrarian issue.
By the decree of the All-Russian Higher Educational Commission, which included Bishop Benjamin, dated July 17, 1920, Art. throughout the territory controlled by the troops of General Wrangel, the days of repentance were appointed - September 12, 13 and 14, Art. Art. 1920. On these days, fasting and confession were prescribed to believers, Liturgies were performed in churches with Litiya for those killed and those who perished in confusion, memorial services, prayer services Mother of God, prayers with a repentant canon to the Savior, the rite of the exaltation of the Holy Cross. The churches prepared and approved by Archpriest Sergiy Bulgakov were read Message to the Orthodox Russian people with a call to repentance and awareness of the spiritual component of the ongoing events and phenomena of people's life: persecution of the Orthodox Church, apostasy and indifference to fate Orthodox shrines, the murder of Nicholas II and his family, fratricidal war, the thirst for easy enrichment. The Epistle to the Orthodox Russian people was signed by Archbishop Dimitry (Abashidze), Archbishop Feofan (Bystrov) and Bishop Veniamin (Fedchenkov). Archpriest Sergiy Bulgakov also prepared an approved VVTsU An Appeal to Orthodox Russian Soldiers in the Red Army, spread in various ways, including from airplanes. On the day of repentance, September 14, at the request of the All-Russian Exhibition Center and P. N. Wrangel, the miraculous Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God was delivered to Sevastopol from the Balkans. Subsequently, the icon traveled to other cities of the Crimea. Vladyka Benjamin took her to the front in his own carriage.
In November 1920, Bishop Veniamin was evacuated from the Crimea on the battleship Alekseev, along with the remnants of the Russian Army and civilian refugees.
Emigration
During the years of forced emigration, Bishop Veniamin visited Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Germany, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, the USA and Canada.
After these events, Bishop Benjamin, remaining Bishop of the Army and Navy, retired in 1922 to the Petkovitsa Monastery (named after Father Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa) near the town of Šabac in Serbia. During his stay in the monastery, Vladyka gathered more than 20 brethren, established monastic life and personally painted seraphim on the wall of the main temple of the monastery.
Missionary activity in Carpathian Rus
In 1923, Archbishop Savvaty (Vrabets) of Prague and All Czechoslovakia invited Bishop Veniamin to help in missionary work and minister to the Orthodox parishes of Carpathian Rus. Vladyka Veniamin resigned from the post of Bishop of the Army and Navy and in the fall of 1923 became the vicar of Archbishop Savvaty in Carpathian Rus.
Bishop Veniamin participated in the First Russian Student Christian Conference in Psherov 1-8.10.1923, which laid the foundation for the Orthodox Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM),
The missionary activity of the bishop in Transcarpathia lasted about eight months, during which time the number of parishes of the Patriarchate of Constantinople increased from 21 to 42.
On trips around Carpathian Rus, repeatedly, due to the lack Orthodox churches, arranged services in the open air, including in the winter in the snow.
He lived with local residents in the city of Mukachevo. After the Vladyka ran out of funds, his wife carried food for him and the owners of the house. Orthodox priest, who served in one of the villages of the Mukachevo district.
Despite pressure from the leadership of the corps, Vladyka refused to perform a church commemoration of A. M. Kaledin, as a suicide, on the anniversary of his death on February 11, 1925, thereby saving one of the teachers of the corps from suicide.
St. Sergius Institute in Paris
He was invited to the Foreign Congress of part of the Russian emigration (4-11.04.1926, Paris), but refused to participate, considering it to be useless and far-fetched.
Loyalty to the Moscow Patriarchy
Exarch of the Russian Church in the USA
In July 1948 he participated in the celebrations on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the autocephaly of the Russian Orthodox Church.
From November 6 to December 15, 1948, he again served forty liturgies, writing down his thoughts in a diary, which became known as "Sorokoust in the Motherland."
In Latvia, he had conflicts with the local commissioner of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church. He came to the conclusion that there was no freedom for the Church in the USSR, which he stated to the Deputy Chairman of the Council S. K. Belyshev. At the request of the authorities, he was removed from the Riga See.
On November 28, 1955, he was appointed Metropolitan of Saratov and Balashevsky (since December 26, 1957 - Metropolitan of Saratov and Volsky).
The Council received numerous denunciations against the Metropolitan; at the end of 1956, he considered the issue of initiating a criminal case against him.
last years of life
While living in a monastery, when his state of health allowed, he performed divine services and preached in monastery churches, wrote on various spiritual topics and edited what had been written earlier.
Shortly before his death, he lost the power of speech. There is evidence that Metropolitan Veniamin accepted the schema.
Heritage
- Holy Sorokoust. 1927.
- World lamp. Reverend Seraphim Sarovskiy. 1932
- God's people. My spiritual encounters
- Penetrating.
- Father Isidore.
- Zosimov desert.
- Father Schemagumen Herman.
- Optina.
- Elder Nectarios.
- Stories about Father Nectaria.
- Father John.
- Reverence feat.
- Bishop Innokenty of Kherson.
- Father Dionysius.
- Crimean ascetics.
- Parish priests.
- Bishop's Notes.
- At the turn of two eras (also published under the title "Russia between faith and unbelief"). 1943.
- Sorokoust in the Motherland. 1948.
- Conversations in the car. On the way from Moscow to America. 1954
- About faith, unbelief and doubt. 1924-1955.
- Letters on monasticism. 1956
- New memories of monasticism.
- last period of life.
- Father John of Kronstadt.
In art
- Shown in the first series of the film "Run" arrived at the front in November in the same car with the commander-in-chief of the Russian army P. N. Wrangel.
What is the essence of Christianity, is it difficult for an educated person to believe, is intelligence important in matters of faith, what is the purpose and meaning of monasticism, where is the limit of self-hypnosis in the perception of the world?
Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov), a well-known hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, raises such questions in his book Conversations in a Carriage, which is based on the real conversations of the sixty-five-year-old saint with “non-religious,” as they call themselves, people — citizens of Soviet Russia.
God's people
Optina… This is how the pilgrims usually called this monastery for short. Similarly, the Sarov Monastery was simply called "Sarov".
Sometimes the word "pustin" was added to Optina, although there was nothing desert there, but by this they probably wanted to note the special holiness of this monastery.
Optina is located in the Kaluga province, in the Kozelsky district, a verst from the city, across the Zhizdra River, among a pine forest.
Lord's Prayer
The proposed book by Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) "The Lord's Prayer" until quite recently was available, perhaps, only to the monks of Pskov Caves monastery, since the only typewritten copy of this book was kept in the cell of one of the elders of this monastery.
At the turn of two eras
“At the turn of two epochs” is a book of memoirs by Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkova, 1880-1961), already beloved by the reader.
Vladyka witnessed three revolutions, two world wars, lived during the years of persecution of Christians, in exile he felt the brunt of church schism. Metropolitan Veniamin writes about his life, recalls what he experienced, but thanks to the gift of humility, the focus of the story is not his personality, but the time in which he lived and the people he met.
Vladyka is a talented storyteller, a sensitive observer, he has an attentive eye and a sharp memory, and therefore the pictures of events coming out from under his pen become alive, and the portraits of his contemporaries - the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, P. N. Wrangel, G.E. Rasputin and many others are bright and memorable.
On Faith, Disbelief and Doubt
The book is a kind of biographical notes, which the saint himself called a confession of the heart.
Vladyka sincerely and without embellishment tells about his path to God. He reflects on faith, on the paths leading to the truth, on the place of man in this world and on the meaning of life, on religion and the significance of the Orthodox Church in the life of society and the individual, on temptations and doubts on the path of knowledge of God, on the Providence of God, on God's grace and help.
Metropolitan Veniamin frankly speaks of the hesitations and doubts that visited him himself, when, after a simple-hearted childlike faith, he longed for “reasonable” faith, when his mind was looking for proof.
(Fedchenkov Ivan Afanasyevich; 09/2/1880, the village of Vyazhlya (Ilyinka) of Kirsanovsky district of the Tambov province - 10/4/1961, Pskov-Pechersk monastery), Metropolitan. ex. Saratov and Volsky. From an employee's family. Under the influence of his mother, who came from the clergy, V. and his two brothers devoted themselves to serving the Church. In 1887-1891. I. Fedchenkov studied at the Zemstvo primary school in with. Sergievka, in 1891-1893 - in the county school of Kirsanovsky district, after graduating from which he entered the Tambov DU, from 1897 he studied at the Tambov DS.
In 1903, Fedchenkov was sent to St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, from which he graduated in 1907 with a Ph.D. theology and the right to apply for the degree of Master of Theology without passing examinations. By decision of the Council of the Academy, he was left as a supernumerary professorial fellow in the Department of Biblical History for a year. While studying at the academy, the young man often made pilgrimages, during which he met with many others. ascetics of piety, including from St. rights. John of Kronstadt, Optina Elder St. Nektarios (Tikhonov), shiigum. Herman (Gomzin), hierochem. Alexy (Soloviev), priest. Isidore (Kozin), the impressions from these meetings formed the basis of the book. V. "God's people" (M., 1991). While studying at the academy, Fedchenkov was closely associated with the confessor royal family, SPbDA inspector archim. Feofan (Bystrov), who headed the student circle for the study of patristic writings. Nov 26 1907 in the academic church. archim. Feofan Fedchenkov was tonsured a monk with a name in honor of schmch. Benjamin of Persia. Dec 3 SPbDA Rector Bishop Yamburg Sergius (Tikhomirov) ordained V. as a hierodeacon, December 10. Met. St. Petersburg and Ladoga Anthony (Vadkovsky) consecrated V. as a hieromonk. From 18 Nov. 1909 to 11 Sept. 1910 V. carried the obedience of the secretary of the Finnish and Vyborg archbishop. Sergius (Stragorodsky, later Patriarch), served at the Yaroslavl Synodal Compound in St. Petersburg. From 11 Sept. In 1910, he held the position of associate professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in the department of pastoral theology, homiletics and asceticism, from November 15. 1911 - position of SPbDS inspector.
Nov 21 1911 V. was appointed rector of the Tauride Palace of Culture, 26 Dec. elevated to the rank of archimandrite. In the Taurida diocese, V. combined the duties of rector with the positions of chairman of the diocesan school council and the missionary committee, and editor of Tauride EV. Awarded the Order of St. Anna 2nd degree. Aug 26 1913 appointed rector of the Tver Palace of Culture. He took part in the Local Council of the Orthodox Russian Church in 1917-1918, at which he represented the lower clergy and clergy of the Tver diocese. In the autumn of 1917, by decision of the teaching corporation of the Tauride Children's Union, V. again took up the post of its rector. He was a delegate from the Taurida diocese at the All-Ukrainian Church Council in Kyiv in 1918, where he defended the position of canonical integrity Ukrainian Church and opposed church separatism.
By the decision of the Synod of the Ukrainian Autonomous Church and with the consent of Patriarch St. Tikhon V. was appointed to the bishop's service. Consecration V. Bishop of Sevastopol, vicar of the Tauride Diocese, headed by the Archbishop of Taurida and Simferopol. Dimitri (see Anthony (Abashidze)), took place on February 10. 1919 in the Intercession Cathedral of Sevastopol. V. was a member of the Provisional Higher Church Administration (VVCU) of the South-East of Russia. In 1919-1920. was a professor at the Department of Theology of the Tauride University. In the summer of 1919, during the short-term capture of Sevastopol by the Red Army, V. was arrested, kept in the Cheka for 8 days, but due to widespread popular indignation, he was released. On March 31, 1920, at the request of the commander of the Russian Army, General. P. N. Wrangel V. accepted the position of head of the military and naval clergy with the title of bishop of the army and navy, provided spiritual guidance to the troops of the White Army, often went to the front to perform services, provided reception and accommodation for refugee clergy, as well as members of their families, widows and orphans of dead clerics. By decision of the All-Russian Exhibition Center of the South-East of Russia, V. was entrusted with the representation of the Church in the government of Wrangel.
After the capture of the Crimea by the Red Army in November. In 1920, V., together with units of the Russian Army and refugees, emigrated to Istanbul, where he organized assistance to the Russians. emigrants, visited camps on the island of Lemnos and in Gallipoli, took part in the work of the Russian Council under the gene. Wrangel. At the suggestion and with the active participation of V. in November. In 1920, the Supreme Church Administration was created, the task of which was to organize the activities of the Russian. clergy in Yugoslavia, Turkey and Greece. After negotiations, Mr. Anthony (Khrapovitsky) and V. with representatives of the K-Polish Patriarchate 2 Dec. In 1920, an epitropia, or the Provisional Higher Church Administration Abroad, was established under the jurisdiction of the K-Polish Patriarchate. In con. 20s - early 1921 V. lived in Bulgaria, took care of Russian. emigrant parishes and cadet military educational institutions, headed the commission "on the organization of the church life of the Russian diaspora", the result of the work of which was the holding of a "diocesan congress" in Istanbul, which prepared the convocation of the Russian All-Diaspora Council. After moving to Feb. 1921 VVCU from Istanbul to the city of Sremski-Karlovtsi (Yugoslavia) V. actively participated in the preparation of the Karlovac Cathedral, which opened on November 21. 1921 and formed the All-Border VCU. V. refused to sign the resolution adopted on behalf of the Council on the need to restore the monarchy in Russia in the person of the Romanov dynasty.
In May 1922, after the publication by the Patriarch of St. Tikhon's decree on the abolition of the All-Border HCU, V. turned out to be the only bishop in its composition who accepted the decree for execution. After leaving the HCU, he retired to the Serb. Mon-ry Petkovitsa in honor of mts. Paraskeva near the town of Shabats, where he gathered inhabitants from among the Russian. emigrants. On June 3, 1923, by decision of the foreign Synod of Bishops, V. was relieved of his duties as head of the military and naval clergy. In Aug. 1923 at the invitation of the Archbishop of Prague. Savvaty (Vrabets) (K-Polish Patriarchate) V. as a vicar bishop took care of the Russian. parishes in Carpathian Rus, engaged in missionary work among the Greek Catholics, through his efforts 21 Uniate parishes were converted to Orthodoxy. Due to disagreements over the issue of jurisdiction over the Carpatho-Russian parishes, on May 8, 1924, V. was expelled from Czechoslovakia and again settled in the monastery of Petkovitsa, where he devoted himself to monastic work and lit. work. In the autumn of the same year, Mr. Anthony (Khrapovitsky) appointed V. to the post of clergyman and confessor of the Russian. Don Cadet Corps, located in the city of Bilecha. In the summer of 1925, at the invitation of the archbishop. Evlogy (Georgievsky) V. arrived in Paris, served as an inspector and teacher at the Orthodox Theological Institute of St. Sergius of Radonezh. In 1926, after an unsuccessful attempt to return to Russia, V. received from the Metropolitan. Anthony, appointment to the post of head of the theological and pastoral courses, rector of the Russian. parish in the city of Bela Tskva (Yugoslavia) and teacher of the Russian law. cadet corps.
All R. In 1927, V. again retired to the monastery of Petkovitsa, where he learned about the publication of Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky) and the Provisional Synod under him "Declaration" of 1927 V. corresponded about this document with the inhabitants of the Russian in the name of the Great Martyr. Panteleimon of the Athos Mon-rya. Aug 31 the bishop submitted to the foreign Synod a petition for retirement, 29 Nov. through the archbishop Evlogy (Georgievsky) sent an application for joining the clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate with his retirement and stay in Serbia. Dec 3 Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky) gave a positive answer to this statement, after which V. retired to the monastery in honor of St. Savva Serbsky near the monastery of Studenica. In 1929, at the request of Bishop Shabatsky. Michael (Uroshevich) (Serbian Patriarchate) returned to the abbot in the monastery of Petkovitsa, but in the autumn the archbishop was called again. Evlogiem to Paris to resume teaching at St. Sergius Institute.
In 1930, after the departure of Met. Evlogy under the jurisdiction of the K-Polish Patriarchate, V. remained faithful to the Moscow Patriarchate and left St. Sergius Institute. On the initiative of V., a small group of parishioners was organized, which in 1931 founded the parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in Paris in honor of the Three Hierarchs, which received the status of the Patriarchal Metochion. 19 Apr. 1932 V. was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
March 27, 1933, after the unauthorized proclamation of Met. Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of the autonomy of the Metropolitan District in the North. America, V. was appointed temporary exarch of the North American diocese. Arriving in New York in May 1933 to give lectures on Orthodoxy, V., on behalf of Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky) tried to negotiate with Metropolitan. Plato on the status of Amer. dioceses. However, Mr. Plato avoided contact with V., and on November 22. V. was approved by the Archbishop of the Aleutian and North American, Exarch of the MP in America, and was awarded the right to wear a cross on his hood. Despite opposition from schismatic church groups, V. to ser. 40s managed to unite within the framework of the exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate in the North. and Yuzh. America ok. 50 parishes. On June 14, 1938, he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan “in view of the special position of our small diocese in America in the face of militant schismatics, as well as in retribution of the selfless readiness with which our Grace Exarch bears heavy hardships, labors and reproach” (Decree of 14.06. 1938, No. 555).
During the Great Patriotic War, V. was one of the inspirers of the patriotic movement, which covered a significant part of the Russian. emigration and united people with different political and religions. glances. On July 2, 1941, at a crowded rally in Madison Square Garden in New York, V. addressed his compatriots, in which he urged them to forget past differences and provide all possible assistance to the Motherland in the fight against fascism. V. led the work of the Medical Committee for Assistance to Russia, which organized the collection of funds and medicines for the needs of the Red Army, actively participated in the activities of the International Committee for Assistance to Russia, the National Slavic Congress and other public organizations.
Dec. 1944 V. received permission to come to the USSR and at the beginning. 1945 arrived in Moscow to participate in the 1945 Local Council. The bishop asked for Soviet citizenship, which he received on June 30 of the same year. Aug 21 1947 he was appointed Metropolitan of Riga and Latvia, 19 Feb. next year arrived in Riga and entered the administration of the diocese. V.'s main concern at the new place of service was the restoration of church life disrupted during the war years, the bishop made frequent trips to the parishes of the diocese, ordained clergy, and held diocesan meetings. V.'s efforts began to publish the publication of the diocese "Vesti", an attempt was made to open pastoral theological courses. A particular problem for V. were relations with the state. power, since the bishop understood the loyalty of the Church in relation to the state as the rejection of the Church from political activity and non-interference of the state in church life. V. often had conflicts with the local representative of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church. Feb 22 In 1951, the metropolitan said to the deputy. Chairman of the Council S.K. Belyshev: “When I was traveling here from America, I was convinced that in the USSR there really is some kind of freedom in relation to the Church. However, having been here for 3 years, I came to the firm conclusion that there is no such freedom here, but, on the contrary, there are persecutions of the Church” (GARF. F. 6991. Op. 7. D. 27. L. 29). At the request of the authorities, V. was removed from the Riga See, on March 27, 1951, he was appointed Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk.
In the Rostov diocese V. faced the problem of a shortage of clergy, he sought and ordained worthy candidates, paying special attention to raising the level of theological literacy of the clergy. The bishop allocated sums from diocesan funds for the repair of churches and the construction of prayer houses for communities that did not have registration. Feb 8 In 1954, in connection with the formation of a new region on the territory of his diocese, V. received the title of "Metropolitan of Rostov and Kamensky." During this period, V. became close to the archbishop. Simferopol and Crimean St. Luka (Voyno-Yasenetsky).
Nov 28 1955 V. was transferred to the Saratov and Balashov department with the assignment of rectorship in the Saratov Palace of Culture. In connection with the increased pressure on the Church from the state. authorities (see Art. Khrushchev N.S.), he openly opposed the intervention of the state in the internal life of religions. associations, repeatedly spoke critically about the actions of the authorities in sermons. Responding to the complaints of believers about the closure of churches, V. urged them to strengthen their faith, emphasizing that the Church is strong not only by its rites, but by the strength of the faith of every Christian. The Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church received numerous denunciations of V., in con. In 1956, the issue of initiating a political case against him was decided, but thanks to the intervention of Patriarch Alexy I, the campaign against V. was stopped.
Dec 26 In 1957 the title of bishop was changed to "Metropolitan of Saratov and Volsk". Feb 20 In 1958, according to the petition, he was retired for health reasons with a stay in Pskov-Pechersk in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God mon-re, where, despite his ill health, he often served, preached and worked on systematizing his works. Buried in the caves of the monastery. In present time, by decision of the spiritual Council of the monastery, materials are being collected to prepare for the glorification of V. in the face of the venerable fathers of the Pskov-Caves.
V. left a rich lit. heritage. Among his works are works devoted to the dogma of the Redemption, the liturgical heritage of the Church, imyaslavie, biographies of the ascetics of piety in the 19th - early. 20th century V.'s works of the memoir genre, written in excellent language, are a valuable source of Russian. church and civil history 1st floor. 20th century
Arch.: RGIA. F. 796. Op. 439. D. 226; GARF. F. 6991. Op. 7. D. 27; Archive of the Moscow Patriarchate: personal. a business; MDA archive: personal. a business.
Cit.: Heaven on Earth: The Teachings of Fr. John of Kronstadt on the Divine Liturgy. P., 1932; World Lamp: Rev. Seraphim of Sarov. P., 1932; M., 19962; Life of St. Seraphim of Sarov. P., 1935; The word of Mr. Veniamin, Exarch of the Moscow Patriarchate in America // The Truth about Religion in Russia. M., 1942. S. 282-291; My impressions of Russia // ZhMP. 1945. No. 3. S. 21-24; O Roman Catholic Church// There. No. 4. S. 7-10; 100th anniversary of the Riga diocese // Ibid. 1950. No. 9. S. 56-57; Simple speeches for peace // Ibid. 1952. No. 4. S. 26-28; God's people. M., 1991; About faith, unbelief and doubt. St. Petersburg; M., 1992; St. Magpie: Thoughts on the decrees of Met. Sergius about loyalty // ZhMP. 1993. No. 1. S. 77-88; At the turn of two eras. M., 1994; Letters to the Jews // Christianos. Riga, 1994. Issue. 3. S. 203-295; The Lord's Prayer: From the Creations. M., 1996; From that world: Book. wonders and signs of our time. M., 1996, 20022; God's People: My Spiritual Encounters. M., 1997; Divine Providence in my life. SPb., 1997; About the end of the world // AiO. 1997. No. 1(12). pp. 196-212; “... And becoming human. crucified for us…”: Christmas sermon // Ibid. 1998. No. 2 (16). pp. 78-81; “For Orthodoxy the Lord have mercy on me...”: Diary entries. SPb., 1999; About the end of the world and the life of the next century. M., 1998; On the worship of the Orthodox Church. M., 1999; "Serve the people...": Two magpies. M., 1999; “Schism or Unity?”: Materials for Resolving the Question of the American Church // TsIV. 1999. No. 4/5. pp. 5-139; Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer. M., 2000; Father John of Kronstadt. M., 2000; Bishop's Notes. M., 2002; Easter: Letters on the Twelve Feasts. M., 2002; Life of St. Seraphim, Sarov wonderworker with an akathist and an akathist to the Mother of God "Tenderness". M., 2002; Heaven on earth. M., 2003; Catholics and Catholicism: the Spiritual Face of Poland. M., 2003; On Sev. Athos: Zap. student-pilgrim to Valaam. M., 2003; Letters on monasticism. M., 2003; Conversations in the car. M., 2003; Russia between faith and unbelief. M., 2003.
A. K. Svetozarsky
55 years ago, on September 21 (October 04), 1961, Metropolitan Veniamin Fedchenkov reposed in the Lord. Confessor of the Wrangel Army, one of the largest spiritual leaders of the white emigration, an outstanding theologian of the twentieth century. About Metropolitan Benjamin - article Dmitry Filin ( filin_dimitry ), originalOne of the great theologians of our time, a man in whom the spirit of obedience to the Church and patristic Tradition lived to the fullest extent. How strikingly different is his theology from the "theology" of those who, neglecting Tradition, base their investigations on their own "knowledge", bowing before the idol of science.
Metropolitan Benjamin has a completely different spirit... and we should learn from him how to love our worship and how much wisdom is hidden in his texts. They left us many wonderful books as a legacy. My lovely - " Letters on the Twelfth Feasts
". I highly recommend everyone to read the books of Metropolitan Benjamin.
Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)
Fedchenkov Ivan Afanasyevich was born on September 2, 1880 in the village of Ilyinka (Vyazhli) of the Kirsanovsky district of the Tambov province. Father - Afanasy Ivanovich - was a serf of I. I. Baratynsky, then served as a clerk there. Siblings - Rev. Alexander and Sergey, teacher at the Bethany Theological Seminary.
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 fell dangerously ill with pneumonia, and his mother made a vow to God: if her son survived, go with him to worship the relics of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh. The baby recovered, and the mother went along with him on the road. Vladyka learned many years later from his sister what happened next. " The mother was in the church of St. Mitrofan. Some kind of watchman-monk passed by her. I, a baby, was spinning (or maybe standing decorously) near my mother. He must have blessed us, but about me he said: "He will be a saint!" And my mother never told me about it ".
He received his primary education at a zemstvo school in the village of Sergievka, Kirsanovskaya district, then studied for two years at the Kirsanovskaya district school (1891-1893).
In 1897 he graduated from Tambov religious school in the 1st category, in 1903 - the Tambov Theological Seminary in the 1st category.
Then he entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, graduating in 1907 with a degree in theology. At the academy, he met the spiritual mentor Archimandrite (later Archbishop Theophan (Bystrov), with whom he kept in touch later, when both of them, teacher and student, found themselves in forced exile outside the Fatherland. Archimandrite Theophan was the confessor and "abbot" of Ivan Fedchenkov. He He was tonsured a monk 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 Veniamin fell seriously ill and ended up in the hospital, where, on the advice of Archimandrite Theophan, he began to diligently read the ascetic writings of the holy fathers (Abba Dorotheus, St. Barsanuphius and John, St. John of the Ladder and St. or read superficially." Reading these ascetic creations, Metropolitan Veniamin wrote later, - 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. He began to realize the insufficiency of other ideals, however good, such as service to others; and in any case, it became completely clear to me that nothing can satisfy a person except the love of God ".
In the summer of 1905, Ivan, together with two fellow students, visited Valaam, where students who got acquainted with the life of "Northern Athos" visited Schemamonk Nikita the Elder, a resident of the John the Baptist Skete, who was revered by the brethren of the monastery and visiting pilgrims. The ascetic had a long conversation with the young man, prophetically called him "lord" and blessed him to enter the monastic path. Another ascetic - the elder of the Gethsemane skete at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, hieromonk Isidore (Kozin) - also predicted the future metropolitan of his life path.
In the academic years in the life of I.A. Fedchenkov - Hieromonk Veniamin, there was another significant meeting. 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 Veniamin again visited the Righteous of Kronstadt and co-served with him in Divine Liturgy. The last time Fr. Benjamin visited the priest was six months before his death, which followed on December 20, 1908.
Later on, 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. Under the conditions of emigration (Vladyka himself called his life abroad a refugee, thereby emphasizing the forced nature of separation from his homeland), Bishop Veniamin overshadows the name of Father John educational activities Russian refugees who remained loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate. The Orthodox Publishing House and the Printing House named after Father John of Kronstadt operated at the Three Hierarchs Compound, founded by him in Paris. Among the books published by this publishing house was his book, compiled according to the works of the Kronstadt ascetic - " Heaven on earth. Teaching about. John of Kronstadt on the Divine Liturgy". In the composition of the book " God's people"Entered Essay" Father John"- a small work, compiled by Vladyka during his ministry in America (1933-1948). The work of Metropolitan Benjamin is also dedicated to Father John" The feat of veneration". In the 1950s, Vladyka completed his fundamental research "Father John of Kronstadt".
He was tonsured a monk and named in honor of the martyr Benjamin, deacon of Persia.
On December 3, 1907, he was ordained a hierodeacon by the rector of the academy, Bishop Sergius (Tikhomirov) of Yamburg, and on December 10 he was ordained a hieromonk. Ordination at the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra was performed by Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) of St. Petersburg and Ladoga.
He was left at the academy as a professorial fellow in the department Bible History with Professor Archimandrite Feofan (Bystrov). At the end of the scholarship year, he was appointed personal secretary of the Archbishop of Finland and Vyborg Sergius (Stragorodsky).
In 1910-1911, he served as an assistant professor at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in the Department of Pastoral Theology, Homiletics and Asceticism.
In October 1911, at the request of Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky), 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 rector of the Tauride Theological Seminary, and on December 26 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by Archbishop Sergius (Stragorodsky).
The events of February 1917 found Archimandrite Benjamin in Tver and aroused in him a feeling of heartfelt grief over the flaring fratricide. A monarchist by conviction, he grieved over the fall of the Orthodox monarchy, as a patriot-statist mourned the military defeats of Russia and the "paralysis of power" that threatened to lead the country to chaos.
In the summer of 1917, at the Tver Diocesan Congress, he was elected 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, participated in the election to Patriarchal Throne Saint Tikhon, whom he deeply revered.
In the autumn of 1917 he was elected rector of the Tauride Theological Seminary. As a representative of theological and educational institutions and deputy diocesan bishop, Archimandrite Veniamin participated in the work of the Ukrainian Supreme Council in Kyiv (from December 1917 to December 1918), where he had to defend the unity of the church from the encroachments of the Ukrainian church "independence", grouped around the so-called. "Verkhovna Rada", which demanded an immediate break with the legitimate Higher Church authorities and acted under the slogan: "Get away from Moscow!" The firmness, and sometimes even personal courage, shown by the supporters of the 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-consecrated" schism, whose followers Vladyka Veniamin had to deal with later during his ministry in America.
Decree of the Holy Synod of Ukrainian Autonomous Church, acting under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) in Odessa, Archimandrite Veniamin was elected to the Sevastopol episcopal see.
On February 10, 1919, he was consecrated Bishop of Sevastopol, Vicar of the Diocese of Tauride, and assigned to the post of rector of the Chersonese Monastery. The consecration took place in the Pokrovsky Cathedral of Sevastopol, it was led by Archbishop Dimitry (Abashidze), co-served by other hierarchs. At that time, Sevastopol was occupied by the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. In the summer, the city was occupied by the Reds, and Bishop Veniamin was arrested by the local "emergency", but under pressure from the flock, the authorities had to soon release him.
The spring of 1920 was marked for him by joining 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 the South of Russia, evacuated to the Crimea in January-February 1920. As Bishop of the Army and Navy (such was the new title of 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.
A great deal of work was done by Bishop Benjamin to help refugee clerics and members of their families. Bishop Veniamin developed quite close relations 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 the Crimea. Bishop Benjamin took part in organizing the days national repentance, In the organisation religious processions, made efforts to raise the spiritual and moral level of his flock, but very soon 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 number, 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 Veniamin 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. In the same period, Vladyka Veniamin headed a commission to organize the church life of the Russian Diaspora. Under his chairmanship, a "diocesan congress" was held in Constantinople, which prepared the Karlovtsy Council of 1921, which took place in November 1921 under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky). On behalf of the Council, Bishop Veniamin, as the initiator of the All-Diaspora Church Forum, was thanked and proclaimed many years.
Making efforts to organize an independent church government for the Russian Diaspora, Vladyka Veniamin, like most Russian refugees in those days, believed that his stay abroad would be temporary. First of all, he sought to ensure that the foreign church authorities acted under the omophorion of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia. When the Decree arrived in Sremski Karlovtsy His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon and the united presence of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council on the abolition of the Karlovtsy All-Diaspora Supreme Church Administration (No. 347 of May 5, 1922), Bishop Benjamin (the only one from the HCU) accepted the decree for execution and decided to retire to the Petkovitsa Monastery (St. Paraskeva) near the city of Šabac in Serbia, where he gathered more than 20 brethren from among the Russian refugees. At the same time, until 1923, he continued to act as bishop of the Army and Navy.
In the autumn of 1923, at the invitation of Archbishop Savvaty (Vrabets), who was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bishop Veniamin became his vicar in Carpathian Rus, which at that time was 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 government of Yugoslavia, the authorities of Czechoslovakia expelled Bishop Veniamin from the country. This was due to the fact that on the territory of Czechoslovakia acted Orthodox parishes Serbian jurisdiction, headed by Bishop Gorazd (Pavlik), and the activities of Bishop Benjamin could lead to complications in relations between 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 writings, and in the autumn of the same year he became a teacher of the Don Cadet Corps in the city of Bilecha. In the summer of 1925, Bishop Veniamin was invited by Metropolitan Evlogii (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) the appointment to the post of head of the Theological and Pastoral Courses and teacher of the Russian Cadet Corps, as well as rector of the Russian parish in the city of Bela Tskrkva in northeastern Yugoslavia, but in the summer of 1927 he again retired to Petkovitsa. Here he found 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, celebrating the "magpie" service of the Divine Liturgy, seeking advice and blessings from the inhabitants of Mount Athos Schema-Archimandrite Kirikos - Confessor of the Panteleimon Monastery, and Archimandrite Misail (Sopegin). The service of the "sorokousts" in difficult moments of life is an integral feature of the spiritual image of Bishop Benjamin. The records left by Vladyka of his experiences during the "Sorokoust" are extremely useful and instructive for Orthodox Christians, especially for clergy.
Having joined the "Declaration", Bishop Veniamin at the same time sent through Metropolitan Evlogy a petition for retirement and, having received a corresponding decree from Moscow, retired to the desert monastery of St. Savva of Serbia, where he lived together with a Serbian ascetic monk. This skete was located near the famous Serbian monastery Studenica. Vladyka labored in the skete in 1927-1928, and in 1929, with the blessing of Bishop Mikhail of Shabatsky, he accepted the presidency in Petkovitsa, but in the autumn of that year he was again called to Paris by Metropolitan Evlogii and again took up his former post of inspector and teacher at the Sergius Theological Institute. In 1930, after Metropolitan Evlogy (Georgievsky) broke with the Moscow Patriarchate and went under the omophorion of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Vladyka Veniamin, 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 cherished - a roof over your head and a modest livelihood.
At the initiative of Bishop Benjamin, around whom a small but very close-knit group of parishioners gathered, a Patriarchal Compound with a temple in the name of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. Vladyka Veniamin explained the dedication of the main throne with his hope that " just as the three parties of Orthodox Christians, each contesting the predominance of their own head - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, eventually united together, giving the same honor to the saints (January 30), so through the prayers of these saints and the current division abroad, which has splits from the mother church purely earthly goals, leave sinful beginnings and reunite with our One Patriarchal Church ".
In May 1933, Bishop Veniamin left for America, where he was to read a series of lectures on the Russian Orthodox Church. The Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), who allowed this trip, instructed Vladyka to ascertain the position of Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) in relation to the Moscow Patriarchate. Metropolitan Platon, who had arbitrarily declared his Metropolitan District autonomous, evaded contact with Vladyka Benjamin, and then Metropolitan Sergius’s originally conditional order to appoint Vladyka Benjamin as administrator of the diocese with the rank of archbishop and temporary exarch of the North American Diocese came into effect. 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 decision of the Provisional Patriarchal Synod of November 22, 1933, Vladyka Veniamin was appointed Archbishop of the Aleutian and North American, leaving the 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 was aware of 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 Platon and the successor of his line, Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) had their own, albeit not canonically justified, but very good reasons that 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 Vladyka Benjamin had to put in a lot of effort to acquire the high authority that he had 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. One day, after a safety meeting, he was asked to exit through an emergency exit. But Vladyka decided to go, as he had entered, through the main entrance. Someone threw a cigarette butt at him, insulting cries of schismatics were heard. But Archbishop Benjamin imperturbably and courageously preserved his dignity.
But despite all the sorrows and hardships that befell him and his co-workers, Vladyka invariably thanked God and prayed for his persecutors and all those who "annoyed" him in any 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 peace of mind, the harmony of the spirit. Vladyka endured insults from Christian meekness and humility.
The tireless work of arranging church affairs demanded from Vladyka an enormous effort of mental and physical strength. He often visited American and Canadian parishes, officiated and preached. After the divine services at the meal, he liked to have spiritual conversations. In general, he was a wonderful preacher, and his sermons were remembered by the 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. This movement was joined by people of various political and religious views, Orthodox of different jurisdictions. The latter contributed greatly to the unification Orthodox people in America, trends towards which were outlined precisely during the war years.
On June 22, 1941, on the day the war began, Metropolitan Veniamin delivered an inspired sermon in the church of the Seraphim Compound of the Russian Patriarchal Church, in which he expressed his firm hope that the coming difficult trials were allowed by the Providence of God " for the good of our Orthodox Church and Motherland ", and then served the first prayer service to All the Saints of the Russian Land for the granting of victory to the Russian Orthodox people. On the very first day of the war, he declared:" Everything will end well! He lectured in auditoriums where funds were raised in favor of Russia, made speeches at rallies in various cities of America.The audience was especially impressed by his speech delivered on July 2, 1941 at a grand rally in New York's Madison Square. garden." Everyone knows then the lord said, - that the moment has come the most terrible and responsible 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 Rus' has risen! We will not sell our conscience and Motherland! "
Metropolitan Veniamin 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 Veniamin 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 later led to the reconciliation of those who broke away from the Mother Church. True, the unity did not last long.
At the beginning of 1945, after 25 years of exile, Metropolitan Veniamin again entered his native land. He participated in the work local cathedral(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 the years of the most severe persecution, and for a large part remained faithful to the Orthodox Church.
On February 18, 1948, Vladyka finally returned to his homeland and was appointed to the Riga cathedra. " Rejoice, always rejoice, and in sorrow rejoice ", - with these words he greeted his new flock. Vladyka's service in Latvia did not last long, 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 were placed and his theological articles and sermons, to prepare for the opening of two-year pastoral courses, to arrange in Dubulti near Riga a skete (under the guise of a bishop's dacha) with a temple in the name of St. Prince Vladimir Equal to the Apostles.
In March 1951 he was transferred to the Rostov Department, where he stayed until the end of 1955. During these years, he became especially close to St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea.
November 30, 1955 was appointed Metropolitan of Saratov and Balashov. The new appointment was due to the fact that at that time there was a theological seminary in Saratov, and therefore a bishop with a higher theological education and experience in teaching was required there.
Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)
By this time, Vladyka's health had deteriorated greatly, he suffered a stroke, he was often ill, but during the period of new persecutions against the Church launched by the authorities in the late 50s, he called on his flock to stand firm for the faith and the Church.
In February 1958 he retired and on February 27 he settled in the Pskov-Pechersk Assumption Monastery. When his state of health allowed, he served in monastic churches and preached, putting his rich spiritual and literary heritage in order. In these last years he survived the most difficult test - lost the gift of speech.
This spring we managed to visit the monastery and visit the God-given caves, where we venerated the tomb of Metropolitan Benjamin and asked for his holy prayers for us unworthy ones. Thank God for everything!
I believe that Vladyka now stands before the Throne of the Lord and prays for all of us!
Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)
At the 1945 Council, I first met Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov), who had then arrived from America. This was a wonderful person. Having once retreated from Sevastopol with the White Army, he later founded a Russian parish on Rue Petel, in the 15th "Arrondissement" of Paris, a parish loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate, contrary to the moods of a part of the "White Guard" emigration. It was the "church in the garage." It still exists. Its walls are decorated with wonderful frescoes of Hieromonk Gregory, which are now declared a monument of French national culture.
Then Metropolitan Veniamin was forced to leave for the United States and there he did a colossal job of mobilizing public opinion to help Russia. In 1941, when America was extremely hostile to the Soviets, he, having traveled the North American states from top to bottom and from right to left, single-handedly managed to turn public opinion around, and whole caravans with cargoes of aid went even before the formation of allied organizations against Germany: tens of tons drugs, military equipment.
His sister, Nadezhda Afanasievna, was married to Fr. Fyodor Mikhailovich Shebalin, and we continued to maintain relations even after his death, but we knew nothing about her relationship with Metropolitan Veniamin. Only before the Council of 1944 did she suddenly start talking about it: “Brother is coming; I would like to see him, but I don’t know how…” At the Council, I approached Vladyka Benjamin and said: <123> "Bow to you from your sister." He almost waved his hands: “Which sister? What sister?! I don't have any sister!!!" - he had heard a lot about the fact that the NKVD was all around in Russia and was frightened. But I continued: “Vladyka, do not be afraid! I really convey to you a bow from your sister - we have been friends for a long time as families, we knew the deceased Fr. Fedor. Nadezhda Afanasyevna then came to the service together with my sister, Nadezhda Vladimirovna. I brought her to Vladyka Benjamin. We met. - "Nadenka!" - "Lord!" “They haven’t even corresponded in all these years. I then left so as not to interfere. And Nadezhda Vladimirovna got into the newsreel frame at this Cathedral.
Once the Patriarch sent me to help Metropolitan Veniamin in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsy. I remember he then said: “What, do you think it was easy for me to accept Soviet power? I served forty liturgies before that!” But he was also a weirdo! At first he was assigned to Saratov, but he did not stay there for a long time. He used to ride in a car; if someone votes on the road, he will definitely give a lift, and on the way he begins to convert. The authorities did not like this, and he was sent to Riga, and then to rest in Pskov-Pechersky <124> monastery. The entire Patriarchate laughed at one episode for a long time. At one time - just before the monetary reform - there was a lot of money in the Patriarchate. Reforms were afraid, but Benjamin simply could not find a place for himself: “What to do? What to do? The money will be gone!” There was a nun Anna with him - an elderly, educated, from the nobility - he listened to her opinion very much - and so she calmly asked in response to his lamentations: “Vladyka! Maybe we should buy a plane? (her voice was deep, low, and she pronounced "l" like a European "l", which made the whole phrase sound very funny).
Unfortunately, Metropolitan Benjamin did not “fit in” with the life of Soviet Russia. The man was too selfish. But he wrote many books - he loved to write.
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