The unresolved situation with the "Orthodox Bulgarians" threatens our Church with a split. A Brief History of the Christian Church

In the textbooks on dogma, we can find various definitions of what the Church is. For example, the great theologian of the XIX century. Saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov) formulates as follows: "The Church is from God an established society of people united by the Orthodox faith, the law of God, the hierarchy and the Sacraments." But nevertheless, any verbal definition will always be insufficient, because spiritual life takes place in the Church.

The Church is a living organism (according to the Apostle Paul, 1 Cor. 12), the Body of Christ, and as in the body there is different members so Christ is the Head of the Church, we are all its members. This is not an image of the ap. Paul, but a spiritual reality.

Christ gathered the apostles, and this was the first Church in which there was already a hierarchy: Christ Himself, His 12 closest disciples, the next circle of seventy apostles and - the people of God, those thousands of people whom the Lord fed with bread. And those who believed in Him after Peter preached at Pentecost and became Christians.

The Inner Content of the Church - Concentration Around Christ... And the Church received the external form when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and they became not only disciples of Christ, but the heads of church people, generally recognized distributors of the faith of Christ. In this sense, the apostles are the first bishops of the Church, and the Spirit of God gave them the gifts necessary for this ministry, including spiritual authority for the building of the Church on earth.

According to their sermon and the sermon of the disciples of the apostles, different countries, believers began to appear and multiply throughout the earth. So, after the Jerusalem Church, the Corinthian, Athenian, Roman, Mir Lycian, Antioch and other Churches with their parishes and their primates were formed.

In fact, it is all one Church. Although each Church may develop its own traditions that differ from others. (As a rule, this is due to the details of the rituals, but not only.)

By now there have been 15 Local Churches: Constantinople, Alexandrian, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Greek, Albanian, Polish, Czech lands and Slovakia, American. There is also autonomous, for example, Japanese. All these Churches are fraternal. They are divided only on a territorial basis. Within each Local Church there are dioceses - area (different in size in different countries). The diocese, in turn, consists of parishes... You can draw a diagram like this:

Local Churches

Parishes (and monasteries)

Orthodox families

All Christian believers

(bishops, religious and lay priests)

It turns out that a person is in everything at once: in his family, and in the parish, and in the diocese, and in the local Church, and in the Church of Christ. He, as it were, enters the Body of Christ through these steps.

The parish consists of people who know each other well, communicate and can have a specific business in their parish. Even Cathedral where the bishop, who directs the entire diocese, serves, is a parish, has its own parish affairs, choir, christenings, funeral services ...

Before the 1917 revolution in our country, the parish division was territorial and even attributed. The parish had clear boundaries. A Christian had to attend services in his parish, make his contribution there. To some extent, this was due to the financial situation of the parish.

In Soviet times, it happened that when most of the previously existing parishes were closed, the remaining ones began to gather not only nearby believers, but also those who came, and often those who came from afar. Patriarch Tikhon canceled the parish boundaries by his decree. Now, as a rule, people go to one of the nearby temples, but at the same time, there are many parishioners who come “far away” along the most different reasons: they brought friends, I liked the priest, some kind of parish business, the prevailing life circumstances ...

A parish is a special unit also because it is a service is held in the parish church headed by a priest (or bishop), and all members of the parish participate in it.

Divine services in Orthodox churches are very beautiful. Iconostasis, priests in beautiful vestments, singing of the choir, precise movements of the altarmen (in bishop service- subdeacons) - everything is subject to the strict order of worship, which has developed over many centuries and is enriched with new prayers, as the Church grows with new saints.

The center of parish life in Orthodox Church is the liturgy. Every Sunday and on major holidays we gather in our village church and pray to the Lord for the gift of the Holy Spirit to us in order to partake of the Holy Church of Christ in all its fullness from ancient times to the present day.

At the liturgy, we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, and thus, it is realized the essence of the Church is gathering around Christ. This is the real life of a believer. That is why we strive to the Church. Everything that is done in the parish , everything is around the Eucharist(The Eucharist, in Greek. Thanksgiving is the succession of the consecration of the Holy Gifts).

Initially, the service took place as if spontaneously. The Lord took his disciples, went with them to the mountain, prayed - this is already a divine service, because it is prayer with Christ. But, for example, to the Last Supper, the apostles were preparing... They prepared everything for the Passover Jewish rite - an upper room, a meal ... And Christ, having blessed bread and wine, making them His Body and Blood, did the first Eucharist.

Immediately after Pentecost, the disciples began to gather together, ate meals, sang psalms, remembered the Lord and everything that He said to them, prayed for the sick, for those traveling. At the end of the meal, they asked the Holy Spirit to create specially prepared bread with the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so intimately they were united with Him.

Prayers in different communities were essentially the same - remembrance, thanksgiving and the celebration of the Sacrament of Body and Blood. And everyone found his own words and not in a rational way, but in the spirit, who suggested the exact and lively words of the prayers. The texts of these prayers were sometimes recorded.

By the IV century. in the Roman Empire, there were about 200 recorded orders of the liturgy. Among them were not very successful (or even heretical, distorting the Truth). There is a danger not committing Eucharist, not union with Christ

St. Basil the Great of the Cappadocian Church gathered the various orders that existed at that time, and composed a liturgy, in which, as can now be seen, everything is formulated ideally. As far as it is possible in human language to designate the highest things, so much he did it.

Several decades after St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom abbreviated the Liturgy, brilliantly expressing all the same in shorter words. At present, the liturgy of John Chrysostom is most often served.

So, at the dawn of Christianity, the liturgy was celebrated in a charismatic manner. People brought from home the bread and wine needed for the service. The priest, accepting these offerings, performed prayers over them, asking the Lord to accept and bless them as a sacrifice, as well as to remember the petitioners and their relatives. From these prosphora, one of the best bread and the best wine was chosen, which during the liturgy became the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The remaining bread was consumed at a meal and distributed to the poor.

Since, in conditions of persecution, these meetings of Christians were held at night, in the basements, in the Roman catacombs, it was necessary to light the room. People brought oil for lamps, candles.

In ancient theology, two main schools were formed that were "at odds" with each other: the Alexandrian school, which interpreted the Holy Scriptures purely symbolically, and the Antiochian, which interpreted it historically. The third school - the Cappadocian - combined and reconciled these two directions. She taught that in Holy Scripture, and in worship everything is both symbol and reality at the same time.

With God, everything is no coincidence. Sometimes it is even difficult to determine what comes first: the applied meaning or the symbolic one. The Lord talks a lot about light, that the human soul should be like a lamp ... Therefore, a candle is needed in order to illuminate the room, and at the same time this light reminds us of the Divine Light, and that our soul should find this Light.

Everyone knew the psalms and prayers. The Primate pronounced the Eucharistic prayer, All prayed as one, and the Holy Gifts were consecrated through the prayer of the entire Church.

With the growth of the Church, people began to appear who were engaged in the preparation of the service more professionally. Many new chants and choirs appeared, which had special talents for their performance. Large cathedrals had their own bakeries, vineyards, etc.

It turned out such, on the one hand, sad, on the other hand, absolutely inevitable separation. Indeed, it is easier for people to contribute and support the workers of the temple, who with these donations will purchase everything they need and prepare the service.

Now, even those who often visit the church, sometimes do not imagine what a difficult parish life is only around the divine service. Let's try to list what is needed to prepare services in our branch:

The temple needs to be cleaned, decorated with flowers;

Bake prosphora;

The choir must know the order of the services and prepare the choir for them;

In the altar, the priest is assisted by the altar men, and their duties are complex and varied;

It is necessary to sew vestments for the temple and clergy; and there are people in the parish who do it professionally;

There are people who wash, iron and prepare these vestments for the service;

There are people who bring candles and utensils.

But there are many more other cases:

The icon painter paints the iconostasis of the Temple, the restorer is engaged in the restoration of old and damaged icons;

There are people who prepare a meal, feed everyone, and then clean up the refectory, wash the dishes;

Implementation of construction, restoration and repair work requires enormous effort and time;

Someone is engaged in gardening;

Someone is cleaning the clergy's house, the territory;

The watchman watches ... etc., etc.

Some of these matters are handled by the permanent workers of the temple. But thank God, there can never be a complete separation and the help of all parishioners will never stop. Many help - some regularly, some occasionally, and some secretly.

In this and subsequent issues of the newspaper, we will try to tell about all aspects of parish life in our church. Maybe someone will want to associate themselves with her more closely - there is no need to be shy. There is always a case in which you can help.

A parish is a large family, where each member has his own responsibilities, each is needed, and each needs his own care. And as members of the same Body of Christ, everyone should know one another and care for one another.

And when during the service the petition of the litany is sounded: “We also pray for those who bear fruit and those who are good in this holy and all-honorable temple, who toil, sing ...”, please remember - these are specific people who stand next to you and also pray for themselves, their relatives, for all of us.

Priest Leonid Tsarevsky

1. A parish is a community of Orthodox Christians, consisting of clergy and laity, united at the church.

The parish is a canonical subdivision of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is under the commanding supervision of its diocesan bishop and under the leadership of the priest-rector appointed by him.

2. A parish is formed by the free consent of believers of citizens of the Orthodox faith who have reached the age of majority, with the blessing of the diocesan bishop. To get status legal entity the parish is registered by state authorities in the manner determined by the legislation of the country where the parish is located. The boundaries of parishes are established by the diocesan council.

3. The parish begins its activities after the blessing of the diocesan bishop.

4. A parish in its civil legal activity is obliged to observe the canonical rules, the internal regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church and the legislation of the country of residence.

5. Arrival at mandatory allocates funds through the diocese for general church needs in the amount established by the Holy Synod, and for diocesan needs in the manner and amount established by the diocesan authorities.

6. A parish in its religious, administrative, financial and economic activities is subordinate and accountable to the diocesan bishop. The parish implements the decisions of the diocesan assembly and the diocesan council and the orders of the diocesan bishop.

7. In the event of the separation of any part or the withdrawal of all members of the parish assembly from the parish, they cannot claim any rights to the parish property and funds.

8. If the parish meeting decides to withdraw from the hierarchical structure and jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, the parish is deprived of confirmation of belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, which entails the termination of the activity of the parish as a religious organization of the Russian Orthodox Church and deprives it of the right to property that belonged to the parish as property, use or on any other legal basis, as well as the right to use the name and symbols of the Russian Orthodox Church in the name.

9. Parish churches, houses of worship and chapels are built with the blessing of the diocesan authorities and in compliance with the procedure established by law.

10. The administration of the parish is exercised by the diocesan bishop, rector, parish meeting, parish council, chairman of the parish council.

The Diocesan Bishop belongs to the supreme administration of the parish.

The body of control over the activities of the parish is the audit commission.

11. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods are created by parishioners only with the consent of the rector and with the blessing of the diocesan bishop. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods aim to attract parishioners to participate in the cares and works of maintaining churches in proper condition, to charity, mercy, religious and moral education and upbringing. Fraternities and sisterhoods in parishes are under the supervision of the superior. In exceptional cases, the charter of a brotherhood or sisterhood, approved by the diocesan bishop, may be submitted for state registration.

12. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods begin their activities after the blessing of the diocesan bishop.

13. In carrying out their activities, brotherhoods and sisterhoods are guided by this Statute, decisions of Local and Bishops' Councils, decisions of the Holy Synod, decrees of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, decisions of the diocesan bishop and rector of a parish, as well as civil statutes of the Russian Orthodox Church, diocese, parish, which they are created, and by their own statutes, if fraternities and sisterhoods are registered as a legal entity.

14. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods allocate funds through parishes for general church needs in the amount established by the Holy Synod, for diocesan and parish needs in the manner and amount established by the diocesan authorities and parish rectors.

15. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods in their religious, administrative, financial and economic activities through parish rectors are subordinate and accountable to diocesan bishops. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods carry out the decisions of the diocesan authorities and parish rectors.

16. In the event of the separation of any part or the withdrawal of all members of the fraternity and sisterhood from their composition, they cannot claim any rights to fraternal and sister property and funds.

17. If the general meeting of the brotherhood and sisterhood decides to withdraw from the hierarchical structure and jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, the brotherhood and sisterhood are deprived of confirmation of belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, which entails the termination of the activities of the brotherhood and sisterhood as a religious organization of the Russian Orthodox Church and deprives them of rights to property that belonged to the brotherhood or sisterhood as property, use or otherwise legal grounds, as well as the right to use the name and symbols of the Russian Orthodox Church in the name.

1. Abbot

18. At the head of each parish is the rector of the church, appointed by the diocesan bishop for the spiritual guidance of the believers and management of the parish and parish. In his activities, the rector is accountable to the diocesan bishop.

19. The rector is called to bear responsibility for the proper performance of services in accordance with the Church Statutes, for the church sermon, the religious and moral state and the appropriate upbringing of the members of the parish. He must conscientiously fulfill all liturgical, pastoral and administrative duties determined by his office, in accordance with the provisions of the canons and this Charter.

20. The duties of the prior, in particular, include:

a) leadership of the clergy in the performance of his liturgical and pastoral duties;

b) monitoring the condition of the church, its decoration and the availability of everything necessary for the performance of services in accordance with the requirements of the liturgical charter and the instructions of the hierarchy;

c) caring for correct and reverent reading and singing in the temple;

d) taking care of the exact fulfillment of the instructions of the diocesan bishop;

e) organization of catechetical, charitable, church-social, educational and enlightening activities of the parish;

f) calling and presiding over meetings of the parish meeting;

g) if there are grounds for that, the suspension of the execution of decisions of the parish meeting and the parish council on issues of a doctrinal, canonical, liturgical or administrative-economic nature, with the subsequent transfer of this issue to the diocesan bishop for consideration;

h) overseeing the implementation of decisions of the parish meeting and the work of the parish council;

i) representing the interests of the parish in state and local government bodies;

j) submission directly to the diocesan bishop or through the dean of the annual reports on the state of the parish, on the activities carried out in the parish and on his work;

k) the implementation of official church correspondence;

l) keeping a liturgical journal and keeping the parish archive;

m) issuance of baptism and marriage certificates.

21. The rector may receive leave and leave his parish for a while only with the permission of the diocesan authority, received in accordance with the established procedure.

2. Reverend

22. The parish clerk is determined as follows: priest, deacon and psalmist. The number of members of the clergy may be increased or reduced by the diocesan authority at the request of the parish and in accordance with its needs, in any case, the clergy must consist of at least two persons - a priest and a psalmist.

Note: the position of the psalmist can be replaced by a person in the priesthood.

23. The election and appointment of clergy and clergymen belongs to the diocesan bishop.

24. To be ordained a deacon or priest it is necessary:

a) be a member of the Russian Orthodox Church;

b) be of legal age;

c) have the necessary moral qualities;

d) have sufficient theological training;

e) have a certificate of confessor about the absence of canonical obstacles to ordination;

f) not be under an ecclesiastical or civil court;

g) take the church oath.

25. Members of the clergy may be relocated and dismissed from their positions by the diocesan bishop by personal request, by ecclesiastical court or ecclesiastical expediency.

26. The duties of the members of the clergy are determined by the canons and orders of the diocesan bishop or abbot.

27. The parish clerk is responsible for the spiritual and moral state of the parish and for the fulfillment of his liturgical and pastoral duties.

28. Members of the clergy cannot leave the parish without the permission of the church authority, which is received in accordance with the established procedure.

29. A clergyman may take part in the celebration of a divine service in another parish with the consent of the diocesan bishop of the diocese in which this parish is located, or with the consent of the dean or rector, if he has a certificate confirming canonical legal capacity.

30. In accordance with Canon 13 of the IV Ecumenical Council, clergymen can be admitted to another diocese only if they have a letter of leave from the diocesan bishop.

3. Parishioners

31. Parishioners are persons of the Orthodox faith who maintain a lively connection with their parish.

32. Each parishioner has a duty to participate in the divine service, to regularly confess and receive communion, to observe the canons and church precepts, to perform deeds of faith, to strive for religious and moral improvement and to contribute to the welfare of the parish.

33. It is the responsibility of the parishioners to take care of the material maintenance of the clergy and the church.

4. Parish meeting

34. The governing body of the parish is the parish meeting, headed by the rector of the parish, who is, by virtue of his position, the chairman of the parish meeting.

The parish assembly includes the clergy of the parish, as well as parishioners who regularly participate in the liturgical life of the parish, who are worthy of their commitment to Orthodoxy, moral character and life experience to participate in solving parish affairs, who have reached the age of 18 and are not banned, as well as not held accountable by an ecclesiastical or secular court.

35. Admission to membership in the parish meeting and withdrawal from it is carried out on the basis of a petition (statement) by the decision of the parish meeting. If a member of the parish meeting is recognized as not corresponding to his position, he may be removed from the parish meeting by the decision of the latter.

If members of the parish meeting deviate from the canons, this Statute and other regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as if they violate the statute of the parish, the composition of the parish meeting may be changed in whole or in part by the decision of the diocesan bishop.

36. The parish meeting is convened by the rector or, by order of the diocesan bishop, by the dean, or other plenipotentiary representative of the diocesan bishop at least once a year.

Parish meetings dedicated to the election and re-election of members of the parish council are held with the participation of a dean or other representative of the diocesan bishop.

37. The meeting is held in accordance with the agenda presented by the chairman.

38. The Chairman shall preside over the meetings in accordance with the adopted rules of procedure.

39. The parish meeting is competent to make decisions with the participation of at least half of the members. The decisions of the parish meeting are adopted by a simple majority vote, in case of equality of votes, the vote of the chairman is decisive.

40. The parish meeting elects from among its members a secretary responsible for drawing up the minutes of the meeting.

41. The minutes of the parish meeting are signed by: the chairman, the secretary and five elected members of the parish meeting. The minutes of the parish meeting are approved by the diocesan bishop, after which the decisions taken come into force.

42. The decisions of the parish meeting can be announced to the parishioners in the church.

43. The duties of the parish meeting include:

a) preserving the inner unity of the parish and promoting its spiritual and moral growth;

b) the adoption of the civil Charter of the parish, amendments and additions to it, which are approved by the diocesan bishop and come into force from the moment of state registration;

c) admitting and expelling members of the parish meeting;

d) election of the parish council and the audit commission;

e) planning the financial and economic activities of the parish;

f) ensuring the safety of church property and taking care of its augmentation;

g) adoption of plans of expenditures, including the amount of deductions for charity and religious and educational purposes, and their submission for approval by the diocesan bishop;

h) approval of plans and consideration of design estimates for the construction and repair of church buildings;

i) consideration and submission for approval by the diocesan bishop of financial and other reports of the parish council and reports of the audit commission;

j) approval staffing table and determining the content of members of the clergy and parish council;

k) determining the procedure for disposing of the parish property on the terms determined by this Charter, the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church (civil), the charter of the diocese, the charter of the parish, as well as current legislation;

l) taking care of the availability of everything necessary for the canonical administration of the divine service;

m) concern for the state of church singing;

n) initiation of parish petitions before the diocesan bishop and civil authorities;

o) consideration of complaints against members of the parish council, the audit commission and their presentation to the diocesan administration.

5. Parish council

44. The parish council is the executive body of the parish and is accountable to the parish assembly.

45. The parish council consists of a chairman, an assistant rector and a treasurer.

46. ​​Parish council:

a) implements the decisions of the parish meeting;

b) submit for consideration and approval of the parish meeting plans of economic activities, annual plans of expenditures and financial statements;

c) is responsible for the preservation and maintenance in proper order of temple buildings, other structures, structures, premises and adjacent territories belonging to the parish of land and all property owned or used by the parish, and keeps records of it;

d) acquires property necessary for the arrival, keeps inventory books;

e) solves current economic issues;

f) provides the parish with the necessary property;

g) provides housing to members of the parish clergy in those cases when they need it;

h) takes care of the protection and beauty of the church, the maintenance of deanery and order during divine services and processions;

i) takes care of providing the church with everything necessary for the splendid performance of divine services.

47. Members of the parish council may be removed from the parish council by decision of the parish meeting or by order of the diocesan bishop, if there are due grounds.

48. The chairman of the parish council, without a power of attorney, exercises the following powers on behalf of the parish:

• issues orders (orders) on the employment (dismissal) of workers of the parish; concludes with the workers of the parish labor and civil contracts, as well as agreements on material liability (these powers are exercised by the chairman of the parish council, who is not a rector, in agreement with the rector);
• disposes of the property and funds of the parish, including concluding relevant agreements on behalf of the parish and concluding other transactions in the manner prescribed by this Charter;
• represents the parish in court;
• has the right to issue powers of attorney to exercise the powers provided for by this Article of the Charter on behalf of the parish, as well as to maintain contacts with state bodies, local self-government bodies, citizens and organizations in connection with the exercise of these powers.

49. The abbot is the chairman of the parish council.

The Diocesan Bishop has the right, by his sole decision:

a) dismiss, at his own discretion, the rector from the post of chairman of the parish council;

b) appoint to the position of the chairman of the parish council (for a period of three years with the right to appoint for a new term without limiting the number of such appointments) an assistant rector (church elder) or another person, including a parish cleric, with his introduction into the parish meeting and parish advice.

The Diocesan Bishop has the right to remove a member of the parish council from work if he violates the canons, provisions of this Charter or the civil charter of the parish.

50. All documents officially issued by the parish are signed by the rector and (or) the chairman of the parish council within their competence.

51. Banking and other financial documents are signed by the chairman of the parish council and the treasurer. In civil relations, the treasurer acts as the chief accountant. The treasurer carries out accounting and storage Money, donations and other receipts, prepares an annual financial statement. The parish keeps accounting records.

52. In case of re-election by the parish meeting or change by the diocesan bishop of the composition of the parish council, as well as in case of re-election, dismissal by the diocesan bishop or death of the chairman of the parish council, the parish meeting shall form a commission of three members, which draws up an act on the availability of property and funds. The parish council accepts material values ​​on the basis of this act.

53. The duties of the assistant to the chairman of the parish council are determined by the parish meeting.

54. The duties of the treasurer include accounting and storage of sums of money and other donations, maintaining income and expense books, performing financial transactions within the budget on the instructions of the chairman of the parish council and drawing up an annual financial report.

6. Revision Commission

55. The parish assembly shall elect from among its members a parish audit committee, consisting of a chairman and two members, for a period of three years. The audit committee is accountable to the parish meeting. The Audit Commission checks the financial and economic activities of the parish, the preservation and accounting of property, its use for its intended purpose, conducts an annual inventory, audits the enrollment of donations and receipts and the expenditure of funds. The audit committee submits the results of the checks and the corresponding proposals for consideration by the parish meeting.

In the event of abuse, the Audit Commission immediately informs the diocesan authorities. The Auditing Commission has the right to send an inspection report directly to the diocesan bishop.

56. The right to audit the financial and economic activities of the parish and parish institutions also belongs to the diocesan bishop.

57. Members of the parish council and the audit committee cannot be closely related.

58. The duties of the audit commission include:

a) regular audit, including checking the availability of funds, the legality and correctness of the expenses incurred and the keeping of the expense books by the receipt;

b) conducting, as necessary, an audit of the financial and economic activities of the parish, the safety and accounting of the property belonging to the parish;

c) annual inventory of the parish property;

d) control over the withdrawal of mugs and donations.

59. The Audit Commission draws up acts on the inspections carried out and submits them to a regular or extraordinary meeting of the parish meeting. In the presence of abuse, lack of property or funds, as well as if errors are found in the conduct and execution of financial transactions, the parish meeting makes an appropriate decision. It has the right to bring a claim in court, having previously obtained the consent of the diocesan bishop.

One of the pressing problems of modern church life is the development of parish communities. It is important that the believers, united by the Chalice of the Eucharist, become not just casual acquaintances, but genuine like-minded people who help each other in a common cause - the cause of salvation. It is necessary that a person does not feel like a random guest in the church, on whom nothing depends, so that the temple really becomes a second home for him, and the community - a second family.

About how to organize the life of the parish, as well as about the difficulties and problems that arise along the way, we talk with the rector of St. Life-giving Trinity in Khokhly by Archpriest Alexy Uminsky.

- Father Alexy, tell us how your parish was developing?

- Gradually. Our church is located in the center of Moscow. There are not many residential buildings here. Almost all the buildings that surround us are offices, restaurants, cafes. And there are enough temples around. At a distance of literally outstretched hands from us are the John the Baptist Convent, the Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the Church of the Three Saints on Kulishki, the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh. We have few "classical" parishioners who should have been assigned to our parish at the place of residence. And in the beginning they were not at all. Therefore, when the church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992, our parish coexisted with the arrival of the church in the name of St. Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles, and Archpriest Sergius Romanov was the rector of both churches.

- Was the temple destroyed by the Soviet regime?

- Not destroyed, but closed in 1935.

- What happened here before 1992?

- What was not here! Both living quarters and various organizations. They even wanted to place an anthropological museum in which they planned to store the remains of great people. Unfortunately, the fate of our church is not at all unique. It happened even worse ... In the altar of the temple of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, for example, there were toilets.

- Your community is remarkable for its special cohesion. How did you achieve this? Did you do something specifically for people to get to know each other, get to know each other better?

- You see, after all, a temple is a place where the Eucharist is celebrated, and not a communion club. Of course, it is good if the parishioners are familiar with each other, if they have the opportunity to communicate somewhere after the service. But such communication should not become an end in itself. I do not think that a priest should specially invent something like that in order to befriend everyone. Believers in the temple are united by a common Chalice, joint prayer. And all our various activities grew not from the desire to make acquaintance without fail, but from the desire to live a spiritual life together.

While the church stood in ruin, our entire parish (20-30 people) was housed in a small fenced-in corner with simple icons glued to the boards. The parishioners stood very close to the altar, they could clearly see and hear what was happening, and the meaning of the service became clearer. And I explained the difficult moments after the service. Since there were not very many of us, I had enough time and opportunities to confess in detail to each parishioner: to talk to each one, to answer each question.

Everything that happens in our community has grown naturally in it. The children grew up - a Sunday school appeared. In the summer, you need to go somewhere with the children - there were parishioners-parents who began to organize trips to the camps. Our small youth theater has grown out of communication with children, it has existed for many years. After the Liturgy, do the parishioners want to communicate with the priest and with each other? So, the people need to be fed. Who will do this? Of course, the parishioners themselves. So, you need to make a schedule, who cooks what and when. This is how the lists of those who not only come to our church from time to time appeared - there are also many of them, but who have the opportunity to regularly work in the parish. We pray for these people at every Liturgy, in addition to being served with the usual memorial notes.

In general, we have the following rule: if a parishioner knows how to do something and somehow wants to serve it, he comes and says: "Father, I can do this and this." And he does. So many talented, live people gathered in our parish. And now things are so that we have no need for employees from the side. Only our parishioners work in the church, and there is not a single worker who is not a member of our parish.

- And only an amateur choir sings in your choir?

- What do you mean "amateur"? You know, I'm also an amateur. As a priest, I am an amateur because I love what I do. We are all "amateurs". If the Church is us, then there can be no strangers here who do something not at the behest of the heart, but for money. Otherwise, how will we build the spiritual house, about which the Apostle Peter writes (see: 1 Pt. 2, 5)? Those who sing in the choir are our parishioners. That is, they first became parishioners, and then they began to sing in the kliros. Someone already knew how. Someone learned. These people do not just sing professionally, they pray and take communion at the Divine Liturgy. Our parishioners read on the kliros. Reading is organized by the regent and the main altarpiece. Of course, in order to sing and read in the kliros, you need to study. At the church we don't teach this, but at the St. Vladimir's Orthodox gymnasium, in which I teach, you can get lessons in church singing and church-statutory reading.

We do not have cleaning women in the temple to whom we would pay a salary. Our parishioners themselves are divided into brigades, and during the year each of these brigades sometime prepares, sometime completely removes the church and, accordingly, the parish courtyard. Our parishioners teach Sunday school, lecture on culture and art in our traditional gatherings; run a film club and select films for discussion.

You have come to our church for the first time today. You were met, escorted to the refectory and fed by our parishioner - Uncle Andrey, watchman, catechist and just a wonderful person. While the temple is open, he stands behind a candle box, talking with those who enter the church during the day. He will surely greet everyone, tell everyone everything, explain everything to everyone, teach everything. And when the temple is closed, he does homework with our children, because by education he is a physicist and mathematician. This is his varied ministry in our parish.

- How to become your parishioner? Can a person from the street just come to you, as they say?

- Well, how do people become parishioners? They come, begin to pray, receive communion, look around, and if they feel comfortable here, they stay. We have parishioners who are not included in any lists, do not bear any obediences - not everyone has such an opportunity, but they have been going to church for many years.

- But isn't there a division into strangers and friends as a result?

- Such a temptation always exists. Much depends on the priest. Sometimes a priest gives a slack: he brings someone closer to him especially, someone keeps a little aside, and often those close to him are those who can provide for the parish. This is how the “inner circle”, “distant circle”, division into friends and foes appear. A parish that has this problem is easy to manage, if not more harshly manipulated.

Of course, the priest may have some kind of personal sympathy. He may be just friends with someone. For example, I have old childhood friends in my parish. Of course, I will visit them more often than any other parishioners. This is fine.

But sometimes a situation arises when experienced parishioners believe that they are such “parishioners-parishioners” that they have the right to special treatment.

Let me give you an example from our parish life. Unfortunately, we don't have a very large refectory, so it happens, especially on big holidays, that not everyone has enough space. On holidays, we have a lot of people who do not show up every Sunday. Someone comes from far away, from the Moscow region, spends a lot of money on the road. And on Easter and Christmas not only our parishioners come to our church, but also their friends and relatives ... What to do? Give them a place for festive table? But after all, our parishioners worked all year: they cleaned the church, and cooked, and conducted Sunday schools, helped everyone and did everything ...

And one time before Easter I go into the refectory and see that our parishioners have already taken their places: they put down the notes "Kolya", "Tanya", "Vasya" ... I was terribly upset ... I talked to them seriously. We have not had more such cases and, I hope, will not. We are trying to somehow fit everything ... Although it is difficult ... Because if in the first years we had 20-30 people, this year at Easter we only had 500 communion parties.

- Do you have people of certain views and tastes in your parish, or are you all different?

- The political views of our parishioners, it seems to me, are still diverse, although, of course, not diametrically opposed. There are no extreme liberals or extreme fundamentalists among us. And tastes ... We educate taste, starting with how we made the iconostasis of our church, what chants the choir chooses. We regularly discuss films and books.

- Can not only your parishioners come to these discussions?

- Of course, everyone can come.

- And on what basis do you choose films for discussion?

- We choose what we are interested in, as a rule, these are recognized masterpieces of cinema ... Well, let's say we discussed Luis Buñuel's trilogy "Nazarin", "Viridiana" and "Simeon the Stylite". Luis Bunuel himself, although he graduated from a Jesuit school, considered himself an atheist, he even said: "Thank God, I am an atheist." And his films show, in general, the collapse of Christianity. But not only. In my opinion, Buñuel, as a brilliant director with amazing intuition, showed something much more. There is a lot to talk about here.

- Does this undertaking have any missionary potential?

- Well, we do not set any special missionary goal for ourselves ... There is no such thing: "Well, we are now going to discuss the film, but in fact, we, such cunning ones, will lure everyone into our Orthodox nets." We are trying to look at the problems of the films we are discussing from a Christian point of view. Maybe someone can be influenced by our discussions. Different people really come to us. For example, yesterday, for example, at the discussion I saw many for the first time.

- How important is enlightenment and education in matters of faith for the spiritual development of parishioners?

- Any knowledge is important for a person. But before giving a parishioner a theological education, you need to make sure that he is simply educated. Without a common knowledge base, complex theological problems cannot be perceived correctly. Theology is a high science, and it requires an appropriate degree of understanding and perception. Church dogmas cannot be learned as arithmetic formulas or theorems. To testify of your faith requires a deep study of its foundations. This can only be done by a thinking, thinking, reading and educated person.

In our parish, the parishioners, it seems to me, can, if they wish, receive an education no worse than at the seminary. We talk with them about dogma, and about liturgy, and about church art. Famous biblical scholars and church historians lecture here. Every Saturday one of our priests has a Scripture discourse. Every Wednesday we have a religious and philosophical club "Sofia". In Moscow, and I think not only in Moscow, there are such spiritual and educational centers at many churches.

- Does your church have a fixed or recommended amount of donations for candles, treasures, books, etc.?

- And what to do? Doesn't the temple need funds?

- And you need to trust ... These are your people ... You need to educate people so that they understand that the life of the temple depends on them. There are no prices at all in our church. We have all the services and candles for donations. Well, except for the most expensive candles, which cost 150 rubles. Maybe it is important for someone to buy an expensive candle, and we give parishioners such an opportunity. And so ... If you want to buy a candle for a penny - please!

Our parish is not supported by the parishioners, but by the parishioners. They do everything with their own hands. They are aware of what is happening in their church, what the parish lives on, how much the priest receives for his labors. All Church bookkeeping should be completely transparent to the parishioner.

- Maybe it is worth bringing back the practice of church tithing?

- I think it should not be about tithes, but about feasible and regular material assistance the temple. A person should be aware that the temple lives thanks to his work, his donations. That the parish is his family. It must be said that there has never been a pure tithe in the Russian Orthodox Church. With us, only the prince paid tithes, the common people were never burdened with it: for him tithes are a lot.

- As far as I understand, you don't have a social worker at the rate, but what about social work?

— Social work- it is in the social security. There are works of mercy in the Church. The whole parish is always engaged in every business. Although, of course, there are leaders - people responsible for this or that business. But when winter comes, we help the homeless - with the whole parish. We organize fundraising, clothing collection, and charity fairs, in which all our parishioners participate.

Once a month we celebrate the Divine Liturgy for children with cancer. Our parishioners become volunteers, bring these children to church for worship, feed them, and then take them back. We do not have such a thing, and there cannot be such a thing in the Church that someone does not care about what the other is doing. Parish life - like the Liturgy - is a common cause.

Photo by Evgeny Bespalov

Journal "Orthodoxy and Modernity" № 38 (54)

Parish, parish community ... Unfortunately, for many of our contemporaries, there is practically nothing behind these words, because they simply do not know what it is. There are mainly two reasons for this. Firstly, many people come to church only for some kind of "need." Having satisfied it - by praying in front of this or that icon, lighting candles, at best - having defended the service, confessing and taking communion - they leave the church until “need” brings them here again. Secondly, not every church develops what can be called a community not on some formal basis, but in essence: not every church has this very community of people who come to it, their common life. Meanwhile, treating the temple only as a place for "satisfying religious needs" is a completely unacceptable thing, it is a disease that needs to be cured. The Church is originally a community of believers, in which everyone knows not only one another, but also the needs and circumstances of each other, it is one Body, not only in the mystical, but also in the very real plane. Otherwise, how can the words of the Savior be fulfilled on us, Christians: By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.(John 13:35)? And if they are not fulfilled, then He also - how will He recognize us as His disciples? What is a parish community, how is it built, how a person becomes a part of it, its full-fledged participant - we tried to answer these questions in the new issue of our magazine.

Archpriest Alexy Zemtsov, Dean of the Volsky District, Rector of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Volsk:

- A real parish is like a living organism, it has its own life, which follows its own laws. The main thing for which it is created is prayer communication and joint work. Therefore, registering a "religious organization" with the Ministry of Justice and saying that another parish has been organized is not entirely correct. The development of the parish, its growth largely depends on the clergy, on personal example abbot. This is especially important for rural parishes, where there are not very many people and everyone knows each other.

I would like to recall one small, but very friendly parish in the name of the great martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki in the village of Teplovka, Novoburassky district. The parishioners, with their own hands, without the participation of hired workers, rebuilt the former church gatehouse, turning it into a small but very cozy church.

Their desire to have a church in the village was so great that almost every week throughout the construction period they walked through the village with a donation mug. The reaction of fellow villagers was ambiguous: someone helped, someone was eliminated, but nevertheless the church was soon ready for the first divine service.

On first Divine Liturgy it was clear how much joint prayer and work brought people together - the walls of the temple became dear to them, they became a single family in which they experience both joy and grief, in difficult times they are ready to come to the aid of not only neighbors, but also distant ones.

Elena Romanova, choir director of the Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, Saratov:

- The parish is created by love. We go to church in order to throw away all our worldly and begin to experience a feeling of love. It is important to remember that others come to the temple for the same, and therefore one should enter the temple with a smile. We need to smile more, we need to say hello, and then gradually everything will follow: we will learn the names, we will start communicating. It is not easy for every person to ask another: "What is your name?", But there is always someone who is bolder, who is more open, who is easier to start communicating with. Whoever feels that he can, he should be the first to approach, the first to ask. In fact, there are always enough such people, and they can gather others around them, warm them with their warmth - so that it becomes easy and simple. If you see that a person is afraid of something, squeezed, tense, then you just need to come up and start talking to him. And it is also very important to greet affably if you meet a person you know from the temple, on the street or somewhere else. Then everyone will be like family. Maybe not right away. But gradually, with a smile, with love - everything will work out.

Sergei Nebaluev, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Saratov state university, headman of the parish of the Church of the Royal Passion-Bearers, Saratov:

- There are, as it were, two components in the creation of a parish: one is superhuman, in other words, liturgical, and the other is human, psychological, practical, as it can be called.

People who pray at one Liturgy, partake from one Chalice, are already invisibly united, whether they realize it or not. But in order for them to understand this, to feel, to finally recognize each other, they need common, unifying deeds. After all, it is really difficult for people to get to know each other if there is no reason. When there is something to do - whether it is cleaning the church, preparing for a holiday, or helping those in need - some kind of initiative group will definitely form, and it will involve others. But the central figure in the temple is, of course, the abbot. As a rule, this is the only person who knows everyone. If he is sympathetic and cordial, he knows the troubles and needs of the parishioners. Knows who can help whom and how. And another important figure is a woman who works on a candle box, in other words, in a church shop. She, as a rule, knows everyone, and a lot depends on her attitude towards people in the church.

However, if there was not that superhuman component above all this, the parish would turn into a club of interests.

It should be remembered: God unites people, but devil and sin separate. Therefore, the Church must be a unifying force. And this should be felt at every parish.

Priest Alexander Domovitov, rector of the church in the name of St. Luke, Confessor of Crimea, on the territory of the 3rd Clinical Hospital, Saratov:

- The main thing in creating a real parish is not the building of the church, although it cannot be ruled out. The main thing is the unity of people. Let's remember the proverb: "The church is not in logs, but in ribs." Why do people come to the temple? For the most important thing - for communion with Christ. This is the main thing that should unite parishioners and strengthen the parish.

Our temple is new, it is less than a year old. But the parish cannot be called newly formed: its backbone is made up of residents of nearby houses and people who previously visited the temple in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov. New people appeared in the temple, of course, but so far there are not very many of them: they have just begun to delve into church life... The "mechanism" of connecting with the rest of the parishioners is very simple, it works through a candle box. In our church there is Irina Nikolaevna: she bears obedience behind the box and helps all those who come for the first time to orientate themselves in the space of the church. With great pleasure, for example, she communicates with young Africans - students of SSMU, who also come to us from time to time. And it is work that holds people together side by side. After the service, our parishioners clean up the church themselves, as they see it as their duty.

How does a parish come about? By the will of God. The Lord Himself chooses those people who make it up. Our church was consecrated in honor of Saint Luke, and the Saint also gathers people into his temple - precisely those who are needed here, who love Saint Luke, have respect for him, venerate him as a saint, and resort to him for help and support.

A real parish is like a big family. Let it consist of very different people, with different characters, but everyone has one goal - salvation, communion with God. A priest should treat each person as his own, as someone whom he, a priest, is obliged to lead to Christ, in everyone he should love the image and likeness of God. The meaning of the family is the same - to bring children to God. I am very offended by the word "goers" in relation to people who rarely come to church. In fact, a person always comes to the temple - to God. And we cannot know what exactly brought him, what need or joy. We cannot know how consciously a person acts. But if he came, it means that it is necessary, it means that the Lord Himself directed his feet to His house. How do we know - maybe this moment will become a turning point for a person? One person has already come a long way, and another is learning to take the first steps. He is like Small child, does not know much - he needs help so that he becomes a Christian and a parishioner of the church, not by name, but by spirit. And not only the priest is called to help him, but everyone who happened to be around - so that a person entered the parish as a family.

Lydia Cherenkova, a parishioner of the Church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the village of Vozrozhdenie, Khvalynsky District:

- It is impossible to create a parish by order - it is necessary that people who are drawn to God come together. Their souls, tired of a vain life, seek peace that can only be found in the Church. And if there is no temple? To go 30 kilometers to the church is only if you really, really need to ...

I remember how a temple appeared in our village. Young people arrived, a priest with them, gathered the people, announced: "We want to open an Orthodox church here." They reacted differently to this: some were skeptical, some were happy. However, we thought that even if the construction starts, it will not be soon: all sorts of approvals will take a lot of time ... But everything turned out not so quickly, but swiftly. In a few days, on the feast of the Intercession Holy Mother of God, in the premises of the former kindergarten, which was ownerless and required extensive repairs, the first service had already taken place. A real priest served - a loud, clear voice. A chorister helped him. It was unearthly bliss! It turns out that in order to create a real parish, you need, firstly, great desire work for God, and secondly, a few like-minded people.

And so, we have a temple. We, parishioners, saw how the abbot himself, Father Vitaly Kolpachenko, was doing his best, working, and could not stand aside, tried to help as much as we could - even with a simple cleaning. They washed, whitewashed, planted flowers - work for the good of a common cause very much unites people, brings them together. We trusted our priest, believed his words, he was an authority for us in everything - and this also meant a lot for strengthening the parish. At the same time, he treated us with all severity, taught us to church discipline, did not like idle talk within the walls of the church, asked that they do not offend the house of God with chatter, so that they learn prayer concentration. Our priest had many responsibilities, but no one left the church unconsolated. Draftees went to Father Vitaly before being sent to the army, the groom and the bride before the wedding - everyone had to talk to him. If people receive answers to their questions in the church, then there will be a parish, it will grow.

The family of the abbot has become an example of moral and reasonable life for many. We could not help but visit the church almost every day - after all, father with mother and children are here, why won't we be? ..

A real parish is a close-knit family. A real parish is when you want to come to the service again and again, when everyone is the same before God, when the goal is one - to pray for your salvation.

Penka (Paraskeva) Shirokova, a parishioner of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Amsterdam:

- Our parish was formed about 35 years ago when several Russian and Dutch families rented a room for the service of the Liturgy. Gradually, the number of parishioners increased, then they rented a larger room, and then bought a house where about 250 people gathered. Several years ago this church became too small for us. Miraculously, they managed to exchange it for a large one, with an extension from the former monastery. Now up to 500 people gather there.

Among the parishioners there are those who permanently reside in Holland, and those who came here for a while. Our parish is like a family. Here they get to know each other, help each other, get baptized, get married, complete their life path... Russian parishes abroad are close-knit, and this is no coincidence. Far from their homeland, people strive for the Russian-speaking church, for their compatriots, for communication, because the Orthodox parish abroad is a part of Orthodox Russia.

Children of parishioners serve the priests during the Liturgy. There are a lot of children in the parish: in Holland, most families have many children, and Russian families are trying to keep up. Therefore, it is a lot of fun in our parish.

Hegumen Tarasiy (Vladimirov), rector of churches in honor of the Meeting of the Lord and the Nativity of Christ, Saratov:

- A parish is not only a gathering of believers around the liturgical Chalice, but also a common life, consistent with the lines of the Gospel. People feel their need and demand and wholeheartedly participate in the life of the parish, or rather, live its life.

The parish does not arise from scratch. Sretensky temple was built where historically the temple never existed. People, seeing that work was beginning at the site consecrated for the temple, did not remain indifferent and offered all possible help. It was they who became the first parishioners of the Sretensky Church, and later the foundation of the community. Works on the construction and improvement of the temple brought together the priests and parishioners. They learned more and more about each other. This is how our Christian family began to form. The possibility of almost home communication at the meal after the service, when people can ask the priest any pressing question. Today, when divine services are already being held in the Sretensky Church, people with even greater enthusiasm, seeing our labors and efforts, offer their help. There is a Sunday school at the church, which unites children and adults, allows not only to study the basics of the Orthodox faith, but also to develop creative abilities. Parishioners participate in festive events dedicated to various events of the church year.

In the church in honor of the Nativity of Christ, parishioners and priests also have the opportunity to communicate in their free time from worship and work. There are various circles and workshops for adults and children at the temple. Adult parishioners are always happy to respond to the needs of children from a shelter, a burn center, a psychiatric hospital, a boarding school, and a nursing home. The priests of our church, together with the parishioners, hold meetings and conversations with war veterans and elderly people, who sometimes just need attention and a kind word. According to the apostle, faith without works is dead(Jac. 2 20), and thank God that these words resonate in the hearts of our parishioners.

Marina Matasova, office worker, a parishioner of the Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, Saratov:

- I would compare the formation and development of a parish with the development of a child. Regardless of our actions, baby in certain time learns to sit, stands up, then goes, finally, runs. The same thing happens with the community of people who come to the same temple and pray together. People unite, they start to act together, in a coordinated manner, and this is also a completely natural way. And what can slow him down, create obstacles to him? The same thing that creates obstacles to the development of the child: either the wrong behavior of the adults around him, or some kind of disease, pathology. The reason that a person does not want, cannot unite with others is his own illness. Maybe egocentrism, pride, resentment, or maybe just isolation, constraint, tension. If a person enters the temple with open heart, with a sincere desire to love the people he meets here, he will not have big problems, the temple life itself will tell you where to go, what to do, how to enter it.

In addition, it is very important for us to see how our priests live and work. People who are far from the Church often think that they have a "dust-free job." But a person who goes to church constantly sees the true picture of this ministry - very difficult and very responsible. When my uncle was dying, I ran to our priest right after the service, he was very busy that day, he had completely different plans, but after hearing my story, he immediately put everything aside and went to the dying man. After that, how can I refuse to help - to him, to the church, to the parish?

Archpriest Valery Gensitsky, rector of the church in the name of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, Marx:

- A parish is a family. And is born as a family. I remember my first parish in Novouzensk - the late Vladyka Pimen blessed me there in 1989. It was very difficult, because they had to start from scratch: the church in Novouzensk was destroyed in 1935, believers of the older generation - those who kept the tradition, went to Saratov on great holidays - left one after another to another world. Vladyka Pimen allocated us a certain amount, we bought a house, and began to create a parish. But a close-knit, strong family did not work out, and I was very painful about this - that people do not know, do not understand how important it is for Christians to be together. Only after a while I realized that people cannot be blamed for this. They grew up without the Church.

Over time, the power handed over to us the former district library in the city center - we began to repair this building. And it played a huge role! We all worked together - both grandmothers and young people, everyone saw their contribution. And it rallied. Everything that is done in the temple must be done together. A priest - if we are talking about a remote place - should live where he serves. Then the parish will really be a family, and he will be a father. If a priest comes to the village on Sundays and rushes home after the service, there will be no strong community.

Then I served in Shikhany - a small parish, but wonderful. And now in Marx ... I don't know why, but it doesn't work out. Does not work. Everything seems to be fine - the church is being set up, we put new domes, bells, Vladyka praises us ... But there is no community that would care about the parish. The saddest thing is that I do not see people among the parishioners who would like this. I don't know, maybe I'm guilty of something, I'm doing something wrong? .. But in other parishes where I served - and I have been serving for twenty-five years - it was not a problem to gather people to clean the church, for example, - one had only to call. And here ... two or three come. I ask: "Do you love your temple?" - "We love!" - "Who came to clean up?" Four out of one hundred and fifty. Yes, in the end we will find some way out, some people will find, and we will do everything, and everything will be all right. But this joy - joint labor, participation in the life of the church - is not enough. And I'll tell you honestly, it really depresses me.

Journal "Orthodoxy and Modernity" № 15 (31)

Archpriest Maxim KozlovChurch of St. MC Tatiana at Moscow State University. MV Lomonosov, Patriarchal Compound. Divine services were resumed in 1995. The parish has a Sunday school (profile - spiritual singing), free legal advice is provided, free pilgrimage trips for children from low-income families at the expense of the courtyard. Nonresident students are given the opportunity to regularly earn extra money as teachers or housekeepers in the families of wealthy parishioners. The newspaper "Tatiana's Day" is published at the church. There is an educational consultation, assistance with admission to universities (especially for boys and girls from low-income families), assistance in finding free or extremely cheap housing for nonresident students, graduate students, young teachers.

Archpriest Alexy Potokin Temple of the Icon of the Mother of God "Life-giving source" opened in Tsaritsyn in 1990. The church has a spiritual center of the same name, a Sunday school, and an Orthodox gymnasium. The parishioners of the church participate in the work of the orphanage-boarding school for mentally retarded children No. 8.

Archpriest Sergiy Pravdolyubov Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Trinity-Golenishchevo. Built in the middle of the 17th century. In 1991 it was returned to the Church. Since then, the church has been successfully restored with community funds. The parish is engaged in publishing activities (the parish magazine "Kiprianovskiy source", books and brochures of liturgical, scientific and everyday content). In Sunday school, in addition to the Law of God, icon painting, singing, handicrafts are taught, and teenagers - iconography, church architecture, the beginning of journalism, a children's newspaper is published. There is a parent club. Processions of the cross to local shrines and prayers are performed with them.

No candlestick privatization!

For the parish, it is not the number of parishioners that is important, but whether there is love between them

- How was your parish created?

O. Sergiy PRAVDOLYUBOV:

Our parish, one might say, was opened for local residents and remains so to this day.
Basically, our parishioners are energetic working people of various professions. Young mothers, fathers and their children. We have few old grandmothers.
People with children get to know each other very quickly. They pass clothes and shoes to each other. Information - where to go and what to do. It is funny when children pass shoes to one another, and suddenly a third, older child says: "These are my shoes." And in these shoes, 12 children were already leaving. This communication is natural, simple and usual.
From the very first day we have a service that deals with the distribution of clothes. It is difficult for people to throw away their clothes, and they bring them to the temple. This service is already 15 years old. And you know, people are happy to take clothes and shoes. Moreover, once he took a coat from us ... one bishop - can you imagine! It was incredible, we were so happy! We have a list of the most disadvantaged people in our ward that we help first.
Once in our church, ten icons were pacified. So, the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" pacified in a special way: the world was only along the contour of the Most Holy Theotokos and an angel holding the inscription "Naked robe". We saw in this a special sign, a heavenly response to our social service. And we are still doing this business.

Alexy POTOKIN: In 1990, when Father Georgy Breev was appointed rector in Tsaritsyno, everything here was drowning in mud. Even the floors in the temple were earthen. I remember this time as difficult, but very fertile. Many of those who from the very beginning helped to restore the temple became deacons, priests, some - elders and assistant elders in other parishes.
From the very beginning, Father Georgy Breev said that the future of the parish is a spiritual and educational center. As soon as regular services began in the church, a Sunday school was created, and educational and publishing activities began around it.
The modern parish in a big city is very multidimensional. There are regular parishioners who not only participate in the sacraments, but also conciliarly carry the obediences assigned to the church. Nursing hospitals, nursing homes, visiting sick and old people at home is impossible without their help. And there are people who receive communion once a year. There are many who have already internally recognized Christ, sometimes attending services, but have not yet realized the need for the sacraments. We do not alienate these people, on the contrary, our Sunday school is more focused on them. There we try to tell them about the Church, to strengthen them in Orthodoxy. Some of them then become our parishioners, and some leave for another church, but is this a loss? After all, the Church is one. A person with us laid the foundation, gained faith, and we are not offended if he later finds a confessor in another parish. Many people come to church today simply for help. They feel bad, they have a trouble. Their arrival is not even connected with faith, but only with a ray of hope. In many respects, it depends on us whether the light of faith will gradually light up in their hearts.

O. Maxim KOZLOV:

We were formed as a new temple with traditions that were just beginning to take shape. For example, we do not have the notorious "angry old women" as a class. It was immediately decided: no "privatization" of candlesticks. For a word of condemnation spoken to a person, for example, for “ left hand"(That supposedly you cannot pass the candle with your left hand), a strict penalty will follow. This was said both from the pulpit and personally. It is allowed to make comments to children only to those who are instructed to do so. It is not allowed to teach parents how to raise their children.
I think the parish begins when, after the divine service life, its natural development takes place - Christian communion Orthodox people... “By this they will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
As the parish grows, "crystals" of the community appear - according to areas of activity. Community is a narrower concept. It implies a great concentration of joint efforts in a specific direction: for example, raising children, publishing - or even novice, nurturing with one priest. When the parish grows (over 300-400 people), several communities appear in it. We have a number of "projects" that bring parishioners together. For example, the school of spiritual singing. There are about 150 people in it: children and their parents. Or a newspaper at a church, quite a lot of young people gather around it and make it. Missionary pilgrimage trips gather a lot of people: sometimes we go by three buses. As a rule, these are members of the ward, but it happens that they bring friends of their own who seek to gain faith. True, the priest makes sure that the number of newcomers is limited, and the trip itself does not turn into just a tourist trip.
We arrange missionary trips about once a year, there are fewer people there. But they also unite some active part of the parishioners. This year we are going to Siberia, Barnaul, Altai Territory.
We also created a free legal service law students and parishioners with a law degree. Three times a week, every person, whether he is our parishioner or not, can get free legal advice. This is also a part of parish life.

To organize the life of the parish, did you have to somehow specially call people, distribute assignments? What did you get from the abbot, and what on the initiative of the parishioners themselves?

O. Alexy POTOKIN: No method will help create parish life. The basis of the parish is active, initiative people. If there are a lot of such people, the matter is argued. And it happens that a person gets tired, grace temporarily leaves him, obedience turns into a heavy duty, and the matter immediately begins to fade. And when a person works with joy, the life of the parish and everything around flourishes.
The modern parish is very similar to a doctor's clinic. We know that in the hospital, some patients are able to care for their neighbors, while others (for example, paralyzed or temporarily immobile) require only attention and care. So it is here - the parish consists of active people and people in need of care. It is wonderful that the Church has a place for everyone - the sick, the abandoned, the rejected. The world has expelled some (possibly through their fault), but in the temple they are accepted, tolerated, and, if possible, take care of them. And these people also enrich the Church. They are not a burden, but equal members of the community. They just participate in her life in a peculiar way.

O. Maxim KOZLOV:

Basically, everything was arranged as necessary. But we tried to organize something and purposefully.
For example, they created a Sunday school. I didn’t even have a thought that it would be with a bias towards church singing (I have neither hearing nor voice). But it soon became clear that the Sunday school was just “scrolling”. Some kind of core of specialization is needed, otherwise after two or three years it becomes unclear how to continue teaching and what to demand from students. And then a complete educational cycle was formed: the Law of God, Church Slavonic and Greek. But in the center is singing, and almost everyone can sing.
Another example: the newspaper "Tatianin Day" was formed on the initiative of the parishioners, the hierarchy had only to support it. The same with the lawyers - the guys came and asked to try it themselves. Missionary trips have been suggested by your humble servant. The lectures of professors from the theological academy (there are many of their cassettes and books on sale) or the university turned out to be not very needed, and musical concerts (of sacred and secular music) suddenly became very popular.
A good parish, in my opinion, is, first of all, where the fellowship of parishioners includes not only joint tea drinking after the liturgy, but also implies mutual assistance: in studies, in work, in the provision of medical services. To sit with children, to sympathize with a person when it is difficult for him, to support, when necessary, and financially. It works best when it naturally goes from person to person, and there is no need to create a social institution, for example, to collect clothes for large families.
It is very important that the parish is open to the outside world. So that he does not lock himself into a community of people who are good with each other and do not care about those who are outside their parish. Openness lies in the ability and desire to see the pain and problems of those people who are outside the temple and who could be helped.

O. Sergiy PRAVDOLYUBOV:

Everything turned out somehow by itself. It seems to me that such spontaneous generation is more characteristic of Orthodoxy than a rigid organization with funds and funding, in the Western manner.
Personally, I have always been afraid of turning the parish into a public organization. I think that such a community as, for example, Fr. Georgy Kochetkov practices, is deeply alien to us. I spoke with one woman from the Kochetkovo community, she is very burdened by the fact that she is obliged to attend their meetings. She is always assigned this and that, and she feels not free. When a person, who is naturally characterized by concentrated contemplation and silence, is told: do this, do this, he begins to feel weary about it. And this can turn him away from coming.
Another thing is that there are people at the parish who are lonely in life. They can feel lonely at the parish, and if they get sick, then even more so. We have such people in our parish - some parishioners visit them, call them up, help them. But I cannot and do not want to create in my parish a community for which I would be an abbot.
A person who comes to the temple gradually begins to communicate with other parishioners himself. Of course, there are difficulties, and then you need to help. For example, I once had to act as a matchmaker. The man in love had no one - neither mom nor dad, no one to help. Then I went to matchmaking myself, but what to do? It is natural. Earlier, when parents died, they took the child up Godfather... And now the institute of godparents has become somewhat different. But priests can help. It happens in our parish, although this does not mean at all that all marriages in the parish turn out to be happy, it happens in different ways.
When children are born to our parishioners, then after baptism we try to arrange so that the rite of churching is performed on Sunday. The young parents, brothers and sisters of the child being churched come, the whole parish is worth it. Before the communion of the laity, remembering that the birth rate in Russia is falling at a terrible pace, I leave the altar and declare: brothers and sisters, a baby was born to such and such people, and now we will solemnly celebrate it! Everyone listens to the prayers of the fortieth day to mother, everyone sees how I bring the baby into the altar, and then I partake him for the first time, and everyone is happy. This is community, this is the participation of the entire parish in the life of one family. In ancient times it was so. And I also appeal at such a moment to all parishioners: why am I only one baby today to church? Where are the others? Why don't you give birth, let's give birth!

What is an Orthodox parish?

There are enough Easter eggs not only for parishioners, but also for patients of hospitals, wards of the patronage service, inmates of orphanages and just guests

A place for everyone

- Should the life of the parish be interesting? Or is this concept not applicable to parish life?
O. Alexy POTOKIN: I am a supporter of an interesting life, but I believe that it should develop naturally, from an excess of heart. People wanted to stay for a common meal, then they came up with a joint business. Please! We go on pilgrimage trips all the time. Our priests go to the parishioners, where they are called. I am often invited to a conversation by single mothers, disabled people, veterans - there are also many such Orthodox in our time. A youth group gathers weekly. They eat together, walk around Moscow together, travel around Russia together.
Communication is the body of life. It is good when it develops in the community. On the other hand, the body must obey the soul. If the main thing is, the rest is not always necessary. Some people live a very stressful life at work and in the family. Believe me, the sacraments of the Church unite us very deeply. And what about the divine services? Forgiveness Sunday when we all ask each other for forgiveness. Memorial services parental Saturdays- services of deep unity of people. I'm not talking about Easter.

O. Maxim KOZLOV:- We all want our ordinary life not to be locked in a monotonous cycle: work-food-shopping-sleep. And parish life also needs holidays, both for children and adults. For example, we decided to make an unusual surprise for our children. Santa Claus gave the children a big beautiful box. When they untied the bow, 50 live tropical butterflies flew out of the box - large and incredibly beautiful. Not only the children were amazed, but also their parents, and there was no limit to delight! But you can't do it a second time. Therefore, you need to look for something else. The same work is being done for both young people and adults.
But the parish is still not a hobby club. All work is not done for the sake of a get-together, but is a kind of help for the sake of striving towards God.
The danger is that worship itself can become “ free application»To all these initiatives. Something like, “Of course, we go to services. But in general, the most interesting will begin later. " And here it is necessary to restrain some initiatives and correctly place accents. In the youth environment, the tendency of "near-church hangouts" periodically sprouts. It should be weeded out regularly. For example, I noticed that in spring and summer our young people somehow strangely gather after the service and are going to go somewhere. "Where are you going?" It turns out that you can drink beer in the Alexander Garden. Stopped in the bud.

Many people complain that they feel lonely in the parish too. How do I find my place in the ward? Do you think everyone should participate in the life of the community? Is it always bad when parishioners disperse after the service, and do not go to a meal or obedience?

O. Maxim KOZLOV: New people coming to our church often say: “Father, I liked it with you, what can I do? I have such and such a profession ... ”As a rule, you answer them: start with regular attendance at church services. The most important thing is to pray together. And respond to general calls. Get used to the idea that you are not here as a guest, but at home. And gradually you will see for yourself what your heart will lie to and what the Lord will dispose of your possibilities. Finding one's business happens naturally. A person who regularly visits the temple gradually gets to know people. Step by step it becomes clear where the Lord takes him, to which he can put his hands. Sometimes this case has nothing to do with the idea of ​​its usefulness in the parish. He may ask to "steer", but it turns out that he has not forgotten how the nails are hammered or the wire is laid. In the end, it turns out that this is what he does best.