I can’t say for sure, but I guess that many consider Holiness to be the destiny of the chosen few. The lot of units. Such giants of the Spirit as, for example, our venerable fathers Sergius of Radonezh or Seraphim of Sarov. But for us, ordinary sinners, this is an unattainable ideal. Beautiful, sparkling somewhere in Heaven, but unreal “by definition.” How, for example, can we, the laity, completely stop the hectic racing of thoughts in our heads “for half an hour”? Or is it absolutely worthy to prepare for Holy Communion? This is impossible! - we exclaim. This means that you don’t need to particularly strive for this - you can’t jump over your head. It is enough for us that in our souls we consider ourselves Orthodox, wear a cross and sometimes, in between sins, appear in church. Let's stick a candle and get out of there!!!
However, having visited the Alatyr Holy Trinity Monastery with our parish the other day and standing at the grave of Archimandrite Jerome, I remembered one of his interesting and instructive phrases.
But first, a little about the personality of this unique person.
FIGHTED A GOOD FIGHT... I’ll say right away that I was not part of the narrow circle of his spiritual children, but I listened to the priest’s advice. Sometimes he came, and called even more often. And he always answered thoroughly and completely - even from his cell, even from Moscow, even from Yekaterinburg... And he never interrupted the conversation, did not crumple it up and did not say: “Sergius, forgive me, I feel terribly bad today.” Only sometimes, suddenly stopping his speech, he fell silent for a long time... And when he received people here, in Ulyanovsk, I always visited him with my whole family. And the reason for this was his undoubted foresight.
Relations with him were clouded only by the need to hide these contacts from our first ruling bishop. We loved them both equally, but what kind of imp galloped between them? And when? I don’t know... They say that this has been going on since their youth in the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery. And, probably, it was I, the editor of an Orthodox newspaper, who suffered more than others from this. The Alatyr Monastery of the Chuvash diocese was actively being revived, information about it was flowing, but I could not print anything. But then one day, in 2000, the monastery in Alatyr, which had risen from the ruins, was visited by Patriarch Alexy II himself. And they finally met - two long-time Pskov-Pechersk workers - Archbishop of Simbirsk and Melekessky Proclus (Khazov) and the abbot of the monastery, Holy Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin). Together, among a host of bishops, they served the Liturgy, received the Mysteries of Christ, stood in the same row on the salt and looked at each other quite friendly. I still keep this photo. I really hope that it was then that this whole sad story of theirs ended...
And now they both have rested - one in the crypt under the altar of the cathedral in Ulyanovsk (03/23/2014), and the other here - in the monastery cemetery of the Alatyr Monastery (08/28/2013). Two workers, two Shepherds, and now two neighbors. What should they share now? Both burned with love for God, both did not spare their health for the sake of church work, and both, in fact, sacrificed themselves for the sake of us sinners. By the way, this has given us a wonderful example, literally according to the Apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”(2 Tim. 4:7) .
GOD IS AWESOME IN HIS SAINTS... I think the fates of these two ascetics are still waiting for their attentive researchers, but I will still briefly mention the life path of Father Jerome (in the world - Viktor Fedorovich Shurygin). What do I know.
He was born in 1952 in the Urals, in a remote village. But he spent his childhood and youth in Anapa and Novorossiysk. His father, an NKVD officer, at one time was even the head of a camp in the Gulag. But, despite this “toxic” spiritual environment, the young man was able to find his way to God. You can easily imagine what this cost him in his family. And the external environment was still the same - the 70s, in the country - “developed socialism” and for being interested in religion one could easily end up “under treatment” in a psychiatric hospital. But the Lord was merciful.
The thirst for spiritual life, and obedience to the famous Caucasian elder Archimandrite Hilarion, brought the future Father Jerome to the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery in 1976, under the tutelage of the great John (Krestyankin). Then, in 1987, already in the rank of hieromonk, he went to Greece, to Holy Mount Athos, and then, in 1993, to the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem. And only in 1994 he came to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and asked to bless him to serve in the Cheboksary diocese.
So, in the end, Father Jerome ended up in the quiet and small Chuvash city of Alatyr, on the sad ruins of the former glorious monastery. After the revolution, it was here that the NKVD brought the Orthodox clergy from the entire then vast Simbirsk province. Everyone, along with their families. At night, they turned on the tractor in the yard, put a heavy brick on the gas pedal, and continued executions until the morning.
In subsequent years, there was everything here - the last one was a tobacco factory, in the current Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh... One day, in 1996, when I turned on the TV, I saw a story from Alatyr in Vesti. A priest unfamiliar to me spoke. He called on everyone to respond and come to revive the ancient Alatyr Shrine. He talked about difficulties, but joy, energy and absolute confidence in success shone in his eyes! Remembered. It's stuck.
But I first came here only a few years later, around 1998. And then they showed me two large plywood boxes - they were filled to the top...with skulls. This monastic brethren, raking up the remains of a tobacco factory, gradually reached a deeper layer. Indeed, everything secret sooner or later becomes clear - in front of me there was a huge number of human remains. But what caught my attention was that the seeds were mostly light or golden. Later, on Mount Athos, it was explained to me that this is a clear sign of holiness, a sign that the souls of these people have long been in the heavenly Heavenly Abodes.
But all the same, the remains of one large family do not leave the memory: father, mother and their five young children. All their light, yellowish heads had one common feature - holes in the back of the head of the same diameter. From revolver bullets...
The soul grows cold, the heart contracts, tears well up. Humanly sad...
ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT TO HOLINESS... But then the day came when the concept of Holiness, from a beautiful and abstract literary allegory, instantly turned for me into a completely attainable and real possibility. And Father Jerome revealed this spiritual secret to us. Here is how it was...
In the frosty winter of 1998, having accumulated a whole list of questions on a piece of paper, I appeared at his monastery for a conversation. Then it was time for the meal and everyone gathered in the spacious room - monks, workers and pilgrims like me. Everyone ceremoniously sat down in rows and silently awaited the arrival of the abbot. The door opened and Father Jerome quickly entered the refectory. Joint prayer began.
Having finished it, the priest turned to those present and unexpectedly uttered words that I remembered forever. They sounded authoritatively, convincingly, from the heart. It was absolutely clear to all of us then that these were not the book truths he read at night, but some kind of “dry residue,” the practical experience of his own spiritual life.
He said:
- Fathers and brothers! I want you all(pause) ...became saints!!!
We were speechless and frozen. There was a tense silence...
- But in order to become saints, before that, you must become righteous!
Again silence and again a pause. Father silently and slowly peered into our faces...
- And in order to become righteous, before that, you must become pious!
Somewhere a spoon clinked deafeningly on a plate...
- And in order to become pious, first you must become churchgoers! Amen!!!
Of course, he left many good deeds on earth. But for me personally, these words will remain his most important and dear gift. They opened my eyes, inspired me and gave me hope - it turns out that Holiness is available to everyone?! Really for me too?!.
Sergey Seryubin , Orthodox director and writer, Ulyanovsk-Alatyr, August 2018
Hieroarchimandrite Jerome (Shurygin) with brethren
"I pray that all your murmurs when I die,
went through me to the grave irrevocably, and so that
The Lord did not remember sins"
Arch.Jerome (Shurygin)
Not even a day had passed before miracles began to happen at the grave.
Many, thinking that prayer is mastered step by step, from external to internal pronunciation, then lose the skill, thinking that they have achieved something. Father showed by his example that one must pray unceasingly. Although the stages are similar for everyone, you must use the means that at the moment, in the given temptation, helps you pray purely, i.e. without distracting images, thoughts, standing on guard to win the fight for the purity of the soul. That is why God revealed many things to Father Jerome. He revealed the secrets of the heart, so that he could speak out loud a person’s thoughts. He revealed the future so that he could help others stop their sin. But Father Jerome treated even this insight with caution, saying: “Do not seek insight. Appreciate more the gift of prudence.” After all, the will of God can change depending on many things. The Lord not only warns and punishes, but also has mercy. It often turns out that knowing the end, how everything will end, is not saving for a person, because... he relaxes and stops improving. And the mysteries of God cannot be counted. Only the Lord knows what can be revealed to a person and what cannot.
The more the priest asked for people, the more he understood God’s Providence, which was revealed to him about the coming person. Then all the person’s requests faded into the background, and the way to guide him to salvation came forward. Often, instead of the expected answer, Father Jerome asked a counter question, revealing the essence of the matter, the true problem that had tormented the person for a long time, but he could not understand himself.
An interesting story was told by the servant of God Lyudmila about how witnessing a miracle changed a person’s life. One secular woman came to the monastery knowing absolutely nothing about God. As she admitted, she couldn’t even put a scarf on her head to go into the temple, she was ashamed, and she went into the monastery just to look at its appearance. A fashionably dressed woman stood with a camera near the temple. Then she saw how a half-dead man was being carried into the priest’s cell on a stretcher. Interest made her stand for some time near the temple. Just at this time everyone around ran to Father Jerome to be anointed. Little time has passed. A stretcher appeared. A seemingly healthy man was sitting on them. The face was pink and beaming with happiness. His relatives rejoiced, because he had not been able to sit down, but had been unable to rise for several months, lying as if condemned to death. This miracle, which happened before our eyes, radically changed the seemingly completely secular woman. Every year she began to come to the priest, go to church, confess, and receive communion.
Another case. The possessed woman got cancer. Father told her a lot about repentance. My health did not improve, but while undergoing obedience to the monastery, I began to experience demonic possession. Giving up his will and doing what he was told, the demons came out, and the cancer devoured the body, leaving no hope. The critical moment came when there were only a few days left before death.
“Well, no, you won’t die here, you’ll go to your home to die,” the priest said firmly, assigning a monastery car so that the woman could be taken to another city.
What happened next is incredible - doctors at home witnessed a miracle. There was no more cancer, and the grateful woman could no longer live away from her spiritual mentor. She moved closer to the monastery. She clearly understood that the improvement began immediately after the priest’s words, even though he spoke about death, but, apparently, so that she would finally make her choice, praying to God, and would not attribute the miracle of healing to the priest, because the Lord heals those who believe in them. who asks.
This is how difficult the archimandrite was. An old man, to whom, after death, people come to his grave every day and receive the same help. Shortly before his death, the priest told many people: “You will come after the Dormition. Everything will be decided.” And when, after the Dormition, they came to the grave, everything was decided. One woman had an unbelieving son who could not come to God. Came. Another woman left without a crutch, crouching next to the grave. Everyone is accustomed to the miracles, of which there were many during Father Jerome’s lifetime, so they are not even counted. God helped. This is true. And this is how the father raised his children - not to attribute anything to him. God gives everything, but everyone should pray, without relaxing, constantly working on themselves to become better.
Communicating with people who shared their memories of the priest, each time we met with a new world of perception of the love that Father Jerome gave to people. Everyone has their own, but touching it, it becomes warmer in the heart, because the most important thing is not how you received grace, but how you preserved it and carried it through your life. You can convey the priest’s words in different ways, depending on your state, on your perception, on your view of what is important for you and what is not, but everyone must extract the meaning for themselves in order to follow the path that the holy fathers have prepared for us. Father Jerome always spoke about this, and his life is the path to holiness. His words are a living stream that feeds our soul. We will be grateful if people who knew the priest send new materials about their experience of communicating with him and about posthumous miracles.
Sayings of Father Jerome, collected by nun F.
Be attentive. If you accept just one thought and begin to think about it, then others will come, and it will be very difficult to resist them. Stay until the end. The enemy is cunning and is always looking for at least something with which to hook us. You only have to give in once and you will become completely entangled in these thoughts. Always ask the Queen of Heaven for help. Without it you will not succeed in prayer. And, if it is difficult to keep it in mind, then read the prayer in a whisper, unnoticeably.
Words are words, but deeds are deeds.
A person who is afraid of condemnation is always afraid of unnecessary conversations.
My joy, I will tell you only one thing - avoid idle talk. Talk less with worldly people. After all, through idle talk the soul becomes empty. Through the tongue, everything that you have collected so diligently is wasted in an instant. But you still can’t talk and tell everything. Be careful, my daughter. From your youth you dedicated yourself to the Lord and the Mother of God, remember this. What is a monk? "Monos" - one. Alone with God. So always be with Him, and avoid unnecessary conversations. They lead to condemnation. And by judging our neighbor, we anticipate God’s judgment, becoming judges ourselves.
As soon as they start scribbling, until their head hurts, only then do they begin to think that they have gone too far. And it turns out that from the spiritual conversation the horns and legs remained, but the demon only waved his tail and showed his teeth.
You can “help” with a word so much that after this word your sister won’t even want to live for long.
Many take monastic vows, and then instead of the brides of Christ they become simply Murzilkas.
The world is sick, which means you and I are sick too.
Know that no one will tempt us unless you and I are tempted ourselves.
Without us, without our participation, God cannot save us.
My children, if you only knew how much the merciful Lord loves us, giving the monks all the blessings necessary for life for every hour!
If you find humility within yourself, you will find patience and love. Strive for these three and you will be saved.
You need to love, but not everyone can be trusted.
A person who humbles himself in weaknesses and shortcomings has a reasonable approach to any feat.
17.11.2015Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin; November 17, 1952 - August 28, 2013) is recalled by Archimandrite Vasily (Pasquier), in whose life Father Jerome played a turning role: thanks to him, he, a Frenchman by birth from a Catholic family, monastic in a Melkite monastery in the Holy Land, accepted Orthodoxy and came to serve in Russia. Father Vasily and Father Jerome were connected for many years, serving in the Cheboksary and Chuvash diocese, and deep fraternal spiritual friendship. We also talk about the will of God and spirituality, about human understanding and about what problems should be addressed to a confessor.
On the Holy Land
– Father Vasily, you have been associated with Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin) for many years. What was your first meeting like?
– It happened in Jerusalem. I was then a monk at a Melkite Greek Catholic monastery. And then one day - we already had Bright Week after Easter, and the Orthodox were still going on Holy Week - I saw that a delegation had arrived at our monastery: Metropolitan Gideon from Stavropol, no longer young, and with him his clergy from the Stavropol Territory and two Athos monk: Hieromonk Jerome and Deacon Jacob. As usual, we hospitably received everyone, showed them the monastery, then brought the guests to our library, where we treated them to tea, juice and fruit. That's when I first met Father Jerome.
– What were your impressions from this meeting?
Our eyes met. And I had a feeling that this was an unusual person and that maybe this person was my destiny
- Especially none, because we spoke different languages: he said two or three words in French, and I said two or three words in Russian. But our eyes met. And I had the feeling that this was an unusual person and that maybe this person was my destiny. But it was such a fleeting impression. I didn't even know if we'd see each other again. It turned out that Father Jerome remained in Jerusalem and did not return to Athos.
He lived in Jerusalem for two years. Lived in different places. And by the beginning of autumn he moved to the Greek Lavra of St. Sava the Sanctified. But he didn’t live there long – you could even say that he ran away from there on Catholic Christmas. At night, just for the All-Night Vigil from the 24th to the 25th, he appeared wet because it was raining.
– Why do you think he left the Lavra of Saint Sava?
“Probably because it was very difficult for him there.” Father Jerome was young and strong then. He had various obediences in the monastery: in the kitchen, sweeping the floors, going to fetch water - and this is not so easy: there is no running water, you need to go down to the source. The monks even collected rainwater from the ditches and from the roofs, and the ditches had to be strictly monitored so that they were clean. It is difficult to fulfill these obediences. And the cellarer of the Lavra, Father Cherub, was very tough and demanding. By the way, he later went into schism. Although he labored for many years and was a student of the famous abbot, Elder Seraphim: they lived together in the desert. Demons tempted him, and he ran away from the monastery.
So, it was not so much difficult physically for Father Jerome, but for other reasons: for him, a Russian monk, it was very difficult in this Greek monastery: the Greeks are great nationalists. Now at the monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified, the situation has changed a little thanks to the Russians who live there.
After leaving the Lavra, Father Jerome for some time helped the confessor of the monastery, served in turn and also worked as a carpenter and plumber: this is how he justified his bread, because he lived unofficially in this monastery. And then he retired into the desert. And when he returned to Jerusalem from the desert, we began to communicate regularly. Before that, they met occasionally, during services at the Holy Sepulcher.
I knew people who had close contact with him: they were Orthodox Jews - the young generation who left the USSR for Israel. There were many of them. And he and Father Jerome were very friends. They also came to our monastery. It was a special monastery; John the Baptist took refuge here for some time. There is a natural font there. The Russians loved this place. Father Jerome came to us with his children many times. And we got closer and closer.
And on Easter 1993, a stranger came to our monastery of St. John the Baptist.
-What kind of person was this?
– He walked from Vladivostok to Jerusalem. Now this wanderer is known as the monk Athanasius from Athos. Such a blogger is popular, a nationalist. But in those days he was more moderate. A simple layman, he was connected with the Vladivostok mafia, with some not very good deeds, and came to Jerusalem as a sign of repentance. Typical Russian person. A man of lawlessness - both in sin and in the feat of prayer. He came for Easter in 1993, was looking for a place to stay, and asked to stay with us.
- Why in your monastery, after all, it was a non-Orthodox monastery?
A meeting was organized in my cell. Of course, it was all secret, Father Jerome came to me through a hole in the fence
– Because we were very open, we did not look at who came: Orthodox, non-Orthodox... We accepted all people with a good desire. It was very interesting for me to listen to such an ardent person, very Orthodox. We worked together: I took him to my obedience. I needed to dig a hole for a foundation in stone. Not in the ground, but in the stone! And on Easter it was already hot in Jerusalem, I couldn’t cope alone. I took him to work, to obey with me. We worked a lot and chatted a lot, talking about Orthodoxy. And he very strongly pushed me to accept Orthodoxy. And several times he told Father Jerome about me that there was such a person in the monastery of St. John the Baptist, we need to work with him, he is ready to convert to Orthodoxy. He even organized a meeting in my cell. Of course, it was all secret; Father Jerome came to me through a hole in the fence.
- Why the secret meeting?
- So that no one knows about it. This was in the fall of 1993.
We must remember another very important meeting - important both for me and for Father Jerome: on Easter 1993. Then Bishop Varnava from Chuvashia (at that time an archbishop, now a metropolitan) came to Jerusalem. I fell in love with Vladyka immediately. And Father Jerome loved him too, he knew him from the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, when Vladyka came to this monastery, and Father Jerome was there for obedience and was tonsured there too.
Father Jerome and I had many things in common. We met at the Holy Sepulcher on Sundays for services. Then I went there almost every week. But the brethren of my monastery felt that I was slowly leaving them, that I had a great interest in Russian Orthodox people. And they began to forbid me to go to services there, forbid me to communicate with Russians. And I already felt out of place in a non-Orthodox environment. And somewhere at the end of October 1993, I approached Father Jerome and said: “I can’t live a double life anymore.” But then he could not accept me into Orthodoxy. He said that when he goes to Russia, he will take me with him. And I have my own: “It’s not good to live a double life. I can’t take it anymore.” “Well,” he says, “then leave your monastery.” Saying is one thing, but doing is another. This is such a step!..
“The next day I came to him: he was serving the Liturgy. He came out of the side door of the altar, took the cross from the Throne, blessed me and sent me to Patriarch Diodorus. We went with our wanderer, the future monk Athanasius, to the Patriarchate. We were met by Metropolitan Timofey (at that time he was still an archimandrite, and perhaps already a bishop); he was the patriarch’s secretary. He knew French well, I was familiar with him - several years before that I had already written to him about my desire to convert to Orthodoxy, but then this transition did not take place, many things prevented it...
- What exactly?
And so Father Jerome and I came to Patriarch Diodorus. He welcomed my decision, but doubted that I should accept the Orthodox faith in Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem is too small, everyone knows each other there, and it would be a scandal, especially since I have lived in this city for more than ten years.
Bishop Diodorus sent me to Russia. This was the will of God.
– Father, you once told how you and Father Jerome cleaned the sewer system in the Gorensky Monastery. How did your father feel about work?
- Like all of us. This is obedience. He wasn't afraid of work. And sewerage was not a problem for him. He was a very simple man. And it has never happened that we are not supposed to do some kind of work.
Father Jerome served a prayer service for the road, sprinkled me generously with holy water and blessed me: “Go to France, we’ll meet in Moscow.”
We lived together until about half of November. I had a plane ticket to France. Father Jerome served a prayer service for the road, sprinkled me generously with holy water and blessed me: “Go to France, we’ll meet in Moscow.” Of course, I had no doubt that this would happen.
– When did you end up in Moscow?
– In France, I had to work for some time to save money for a trip to Russia. My younger brother is an antique furniture restorer. He taught me a little, and I worked for him for a month and a half. Finally I bought a ticket to Moscow and flew to Russia around January 9, 1994.
In Moscow and Pechory
– Were there any difficulties with your arrival? For example with a visa? After all, at that time it was still impossible to come to Russia so easily... - In general, no. But this is what happened. The Jerusalem children of Father Jerome knew about my intention to convert to Orthodoxy. These were mostly Jews, I have already spoken about them. And among them there were many people associated with Father Georgy Kochetkov. They called their friends in Moscow and said that there is such a father, Vasily, a Frenchman, who is converting to Orthodoxy and is going to Russia. I don’t know how, but the Kochetkovites found my parents’ phone number and started calling me. I said that I needed an invitation to get a visa. And they sent me an invitation.
I immediately went from Sheremetyevo to Lubyanka, 19. Father Georgy then lived above the altar. He came down and met me. I have never hidden the fact that he did not make a very pleasant impression on me.
- Why?
“I didn’t immediately understand where I ended up.” I figured it all out the very next day. This was not what I expected. They were very attentive to me... I still don’t understand why they are so affectionate. They thought that I was an icon painter, they showed me a place where I could paint icons... But, you know, I don’t like it when people, let’s say, meddle with me too much. I immediately move away. Well, okay, I went to sleep in that building, which is no longer in the Sretensky Monastery - a new temple is being built in its place, and before there was an administrative building and a publishing house. I was given a room in this house. And then I met a cockroach for the first time in my life. They made me a bed on the floor. And then for some reason I thought that I would live here with my cockroach friends until my last days. It was scary, I didn't sleep all night.
In the morning I went to work. Of course, the temple looked different then than it does now. There was no iconostasis, the royal doors were low. And some group of people dressed in white. They explained to me that they had just been baptized and now for a week they would wear white and receive communion every day. I came to the altar and they invited me. And then, very unexpectedly for me, Father George asked: “Will you receive communion?” How can he offer me to receive communion when the Orthodox Church has not yet accepted me?! And I refused.
I had several other phones, I called one friend - she is now a mother, her father serves in America, in New York. And she tells me: “You need to immediately leave Father Georgy Kochetkov.” She then sang in the choir of Father Alexander Shargunov in the Church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi. We went there.
Father Alexander, so stern and unsmiling, greeted me very well. And it was also important for me that he spoke to me in French.
– Did Father Alexander Shargunov help you?
– Yes, I needed to register, and I also asked you to write me another invitation. And he wrote from his parish. So I went to officially register from the parish of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi.
Then we met Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov) - then Father Tikhon - through Olesya Nikolaeva.
– When did you convert to Orthodoxy?
– March 15, the day of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God. This was the first week of Lent. And immediately I was invited to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Danilovsky Monastery, received communion on Friday, and on Saturday I served the Patriarch, also in the Danilovsky Monastery, on the patronal feast day of Prince Daniil of Moscow. And then for some time he was sent to the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery.
When we arrived there, Father Tikhon was there. Together we went to Father John (Krestyankin), whom I had already met before - in February 1994. He remembered me and was glad that I was accepted into Orthodoxy.
– Do you remember your conversation with Father John (Krestyankin)?
“He asked if I had been anointed.” I answered that no, there was no confirmation. Just the rank of joining. But Father John (Krestyankin) said that it was better to be anointed. Then Father Tikhon took me by the hand, we went to the Assumption Cathedral, to the cave temple, where Abbot Spiridon served the sacrament of confirmation. And Father Tikhon was nearby, and therefore I consider him my godfather.
Then I lived in a monastery, but it was hard because I didn’t know Russian. And I kept thinking: when will Father Jerome arrive?
– How did they treat Father Jerome in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery?
- Differently. Young monks, for example Father Joasaph, Father Alypius, are positive. And the older generation is negative. And, by the way, Father John (Krestyankin) is also negative.
- Why?
Father John (Krestyankin) said: “Father Jerome did not listen to me. I didn’t give him the blessing to go to Mount Athos.”
– When I said that Father Jerome sent me to Russia, Father John (Krestyankin) said: “Father Jerome did not listen to me. I didn’t give him my blessing to go to Athos. But he didn’t listen to me and went without permission.” This upset me a little: how can this be? Father Jerome always presented himself as the child of Father John (Krestyankin), but how can a child not obey his spiritual father?!
In June 1994, Father Jerome finally returned to Russia. We met, he visited the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, but here’s what’s interesting: Father John (Krestyankin) did not accept him, did not let him in.
– Did you once talk about this situation with Father Jerome?
- No. It's none of my business. Father Jerome, I think, was surprised and disappointed, because he really counted on the blessing and support of Father John and did not receive it.
Of course, this is human vanity, that he labored in the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery, labored on Mount Athos, labored in Jerusalem... Perhaps he expected that he would return to Russia as an elder. But Father John (Krestyankin) himself did not bless.
Father Jerome visited Father Nikolai Guryanov on the island of Zalit. Well, they probably received him more kindly there. I cannot say whether Father Nikolai knew Father Jerome before.
Father Jerome and I met at Sretensky Monastery. It was then the courtyard of the Pskov-Pechersk monastery, Father Tikhon was in charge, I lived with him. It was here that Father Jerome found me. We served on the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. We served together, and then went to Athos together for two weeks. And having returned from Athos, we were at a reception with Patriarch Alexy.
– Why did Father Jerome return to Athos?
“He needed a leave certificate, which he did not have, because he, one might say, illegally stayed in Jerusalem and illegally returned to Russia. He took a vacation pay and his Greek passport from Jeremiah's father. And with this vacation pay we came to the patriarch, and Father Jerome asked to be transferred to Chuvashia. He asked me to also send him along. Since September 1994, we served in Chuvashia.
In Chuvashia
– How were you received in Chuvashia?
“Vladyka assigned us to serve in a Chuvash village, but the local people did not accept us. There was a real scandal. We barely served the all-night vigil on Saturday. The people were noisy, shouting that we couldn’t serve, that we were Masons, bought this place... I don’t know where they got all this from, who started such a rumor. Of course, this was unexpected for us. I didn’t know Russian then, I didn’t understand what was happening, I only saw and felt that people were very angry, they even waved sticks, threatening us. We were forced to return to Vladyka Varnava. And he assigned us to another, Russian parish - in the village of Nikulino, Poretsky district.
– Were you better received there?
- Much better. Father Jerome remained at this parish for more than a year, and I for two years. We served together for more than a year: I as a deacon, and he as a hieromonk-rector. And all this year, Bishop Varnava wanted to transfer Father Jerome as governor to a new monastery in Alatyr. Father Jerome at first refused: he believed that it was impossible to revive this monastery - it was too destroyed. And so it was. But the bishop insisted and Father Jerome eventually agreed. And at the end of 1995, he received an appointment as governor of the Alatyr Holy Trinity Monastery.
-Where were you sent?
“I was ordained a hieromonk, and when Father Jerome was sent to the Alatyr Monastery, I was appointed rector of the church in the village of Nikulin. I served for a year, and then Father Jerome asked me to come to him in Alatyr. So in the summer of 1996 we united again and began the revival of the monastery.
We were very close spiritual friends, even brothers. Understood each other
We were close, but as friends. It cannot be said that he was my spiritual father. Of course, he was older - six years, and had experience from Mount Athos... But... We were very close spiritual friends, even brothers. They understood each other. I was near him. He influenced me, but spiritually I was a bit of a hooligan and retained my independence.
That period was not very favorable for our friendship. I was slandered that I stole diesel fuel and gasoline from the monastery and sold it. Our drunkard caretaker slandered us. He was a novice and he himself stole fuel so that he had money to buy booze. And when it was discovered that diesel fuel was disappearing somewhere, gasoline was disappearing somewhere, he blamed me for everything. Father Jerome was very angry, he didn’t even want to listen to me, that drunkard kept repeating the same thing: “It’s him.” It was so hard for me: how I loved Father Jerome, and here he listens to a drunk man, and accuses me... And I said: “Father Jerome, I can’t do this.” At this time, there were changes in the management of the convent in the city; a new abbess came there. Father Jerome obliged me to help the new abbess. And soon she wrote a petition to the Bishop for my transfer to them as a senior clergyman. And I agreed.
– Was it hard to leave Father Jerome?
- Yes, it’s hard. And there’s also this story about the theft of gasoline. She really hurt me. I was offended. And Father Jerome was very disappointed, he even cried, locked himself in his cell for two weeks and did not come out. So our friendship was destroyed, but, thank God, not for long. But he excluded me from his synodics, did not pray for me, did not remember my name! That was the insult. But at one time I approached him, bowed to the ground - and heard: “I don’t need your repentance.” What can you do?
But then our friendship was gradually restored, we supported each other. And when it was difficult for him, I was always there.
For five years I served as a priest in a convent, and then the bishop gave me a new obedience - to revive the temple in Alatyr from ruins.
– How did you react to this new and difficult obedience?
“I felt that Vladyka had given me a new field for activity. He entrusted me as a pastor with a very good active missionary parish. Father Jerome supported me financially, morally, and spiritually along this path.
But there were also sorrows at this time. Father Jerome was often sick. And he was seriously ill and could not always leave his cell. Once he even had a seizure, so someone even called the diocese and said that Father Jerome was dying. And that day it was so hard for me like never before. And it never happened that after the Liturgy I went to lie down. And then he fell asleep. And in my sleep I hear that someone is calling all the time. Finally, I shook off this drowsiness and picked up the phone, and it was Bishop Barnabas, who was trying to get through to me to say that Father Jerome was dying. How does he die?! “Go, you are his only friend. There is no other priest in Chuvashia who could help him.”
A car arrived, we drove off at high speed, and in two hours we reached the monastery. All the way I thought: what will I see? who will I meet?
Finally we arrived. The monastery is so quiet, like in a horror movie. Almost no one is there. I go up to the cell of Father Jerome...
Finally we arrived. The monastery is so quiet, like in a horror movie. Almost no one is there. I go up to Father Jerome’s cell, I think that there will probably be a lot of people there, some will cry, some will lament... I enter: there is no one. Emptiness. And surprisingly, even the doors of his cell are open. I enter. Father Jerome is lying on the sofa... I walked up, knelt down, quietly took his hand and called: “Father Jerome!” Suddenly he opens his eyes and looks at me: “Oh! Father Vasily has arrived...” He sits down on the sofa, speaks, and even invites me to tea... That’s it.
“I called the bishop and said that Father Jerome had come to life. The Bishop blessed him to receive unction. And the very next day, Monday, Father Jerome was given unction.
In the evening after the unction, I arrived in Cheboksary and, although it was already late, I went to the bishop’s cell. “Vladyka,” I say, “I myself don’t understand what was the matter. Either Father Jerome is a great actor, or I am a “great miracle worker.” And the bishop laughs: “Of course, you are a “great miracle worker.” After this incident, Father Jerome and I became even closer friends.
– What’s the story with the temple in Cannes?
– The Russian Church in Cannes needed a lot of help. Father Jerome persuaded me to apply to become its rector. There was a great temptation. Some officials from Moscow were involved in this case, who came to Cannes every year and went to this temple. Father Jerome wanted to please them. And Vladyka Varnava, when he found out what was going on, immediately said: “Don’t get involved! I won’t let you in!”
– Did Father Jerome persuade you to agree to this abbotship?
- Yes. We visited there. I was in great inner turmoil. I then told my godfather, Father Tikhon (Shevkunov), about all my experiences. And although I felt internally that no insistence was needed, something was still gnawing at my heart. Father Tikhon said: no need, forget it. And Vladyka Barnabas did not bless.
Father Jerome really wanted me to go to Cannes. Then I realized that nothing was working out. And if one of us is perspicacious, it is Bishop Barnabas. He is the most experienced, he said right away that I didn’t need to go there. But these Muscovites organized a meeting at the very top, even Metropolitan Hilarion came from New York, met with Bishop Varnava, and said that it would be nice if Father Vasily moved to the DECR. And the bishop: “I really need him in the diocese.” And then Bishop Hilarion, a very spiritual man, said: “Father Vasily, I respect the decision of Bishop Barnabas. They won’t let you go.” That was the end of it.
But what’s interesting: after all these negotiations there was a trial in France, and he took the temple from the Moscow Patriarchate. He took it away and gave it to the schismatics. They kicked out the priest who served there. He found himself on the street and had nowhere to serve because the keys to the church were taken from him; he was forced to take refuge in the Catholic Church, where there were practically no services. And he still doesn't serve. Vladyka Varnava foresaw all this and therefore told me: “Don’t get involved.” And then Father Jerome also saw that the bishop was right.
After that incident, Father Jerome's health deteriorated.
- He almost didn’t serve at that time?
- Yes. He lived like a recluse and did not leave his cell. And even on his day he no longer served as an angel. And then he was paralyzed after a stroke, he could hardly be baptized, and it was very difficult for him to speak. But he was treated. And they even nominated him as a candidate for the bishopric. But on Assumption 2013, Father Jerome died. We found out about this only two days later.
- How so?
“He was sick a lot, he could not leave his cell for two or three days. Nobody thought of anything like that. Father didn’t go to work, which means he’s sick. The cell is closed. He doesn’t answer, which means it’s necessary. It was like he lived in seclusion. But after two or three days the brethren began to worry. We looked out the window: he seemed to be sleeping. And then after some time they looked - and he was lying in the same position. That's when we thought something had happened. They broke down the doors of his cell and found him already dead.
I arrived at the monastery when he was already lying in a coffin in the Trinity Cathedral. I came up and remembered the day when the bishop called me and said that Father Jerome was dying... I approached him and said: “Father Jerome, this time I was late.” The next day the bishop arrived, and we sang the funeral service for Father Jerome.
– Father, many people revere Father Jerome as an elder.
– I would call Father Jerome a highly spiritual man. But if someone says that he performed miracles... It is not man who creates miracles. The Lord works miracles through man. This is a slightly different attitude. It's like in the movie "The Island", remember? Father Anatoly considers himself a sinner, considers himself a murderer, and all his life he prays, repents and cries, because he considers himself a murderer and is at a loss as to why the Lord gave him such a great gift of clairvoyance and miracle-working. And you only realize this at the end of the film, when his friend, whom he supposedly killed, turns out to be alive. The Lord arranged it so that it was his daughter who was possessed and that it was her father Anatoly who healed her. This is a very good story.
He was a man who considered himself a sinful Jerome. And he was always ready to help others
Father Jerome was a very intelligent man. He was a psychologist, he understood people very well, he approached people very easily, he penetrated a person very easily. He helped others a lot because he was approachable. I loved Father Jerome very much because he was a man who considered himself the sinful Jerome. And he was a man who was always ready to help others. A selfless person. He didn't like money and was very honest about it. I didn't keep anything for myself. Not a penny. I always wore old clothes. He wore the cassock that he had worn in Jerusalem. He was not interested in material things.
One day he was given a very expensive cross. And he gave it to Vladyka Varnava: he took it off himself and put it on the Vladyka. Completely unexpected! And even the bishop was not surprised by this, because for Father Jerome it was a common thing: if you have something, give it to other brothers.
But he could have joked. Once he gave me a very old car, which he knew would not go very far. And he always joked later that he gave me a Mercedes. And it was a complete wreck. And so we gathered in the village where we once served together, in Nikulino, to buy potatoes. We drove it 20 meters and the engine stalled.
I think it was helpful. So as not to be proud, so that a person does not expect help from anyone except from the Lord.
Confessor – guide on the spiritual path
– People still remember Father Jerome.
– Many people, in whose fate Father Jerome took part, now go to Vladyka Barnabas for advice. They are now in great difficulty. But Vladyka Barnabas cannot deal with them. Father Jerome tonsured someone, promised something to someone, got a wedding for someone, and for someone, on the contrary, a divorce. Everyday situations. This is not the authority of the ruler. It’s hard... The Lord sends them to me.
I once warned Father Jerome not to associate himself with the destinies of people. How will he be responsible for them later? But to some extent he was sure that it was from God.
So the other day two people also came to Vladyka, he sent them to me. The situation is very difficult. And I scolded these people: “You used Father Jerome as a fortune teller! “What will happen to us? Which house should I buy? Which car should I buy? Where should I invest my money?” You had to decide for yourself. And if you acted on his advice, then this is your choice and you are responsible for it.” And these people answered me: “He told us that we need to buy this apartment. We bought it and now we can’t sell it.” They ask me what they should do. Unfortunately, I can't answer anything. Father Jerome could answer because he graduated from the Institute of Trade and understood all this. And I am an agricultural specialist by training, I can tell you how to milk a cow, how to feed a cow. But I don’t know how much a cow costs. The trouble is that you came to Father Jerome with this question, and not how to be saved.
The confessor must answer spiritual questions and give spiritual answers. Figure out what you're looking for
The confessor must answer spiritual questions and give spiritual answers. Figure out what you are looking for. The Lord said: “Seek first the kingdom of heaven,” and not material spoils.
And it’s not even with family problems that you need to come to your confessor. The Lord gave us reason to solve family issues. And your spiritual father should accompany you on your spiritual path. And so it turns out that there is no spiritual father, and the children are attached to material things...
– And what is the way out of this situation?
“We must pray that the Lord will show us what to do.”
Archimandrite Jerome (in the world Shurygin Viktor Fedorovich) was born on November 17, 1952 in the village of Belorechka, Kirovograd district, Sverdlovsk region. In 1973 he graduated from 10 classes in Anapa, from 1973 to 1974 he studied at the nautical school in Novorossiysk, and in 1975 he graduated from the trade college in Saratov.
Since 1976, novice of the Holy Dormition Monastery in the town of Pechery, Pskov region. In February 1980, he was tonsured a monk with the name Jerome in honor of the Venerable Jerome of Stridon (June 15 according to the church calendar), on August 28, 1980, Metropolitan John (Razumov) was ordained a hierodeacon, and on January 9, 1981, a presbyter.
From 1987 to 1993, in the St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, he served as cellarer, sacristan, librarian, dean, housekeeper, confessor and treasurer, after which he left for Jerusalem and then returned to Russia to the Cheboksary-Chuvash diocese.
From 1994 to 1995, rector of the church in the village of Nikulino, Poretsky district.
From 1995 to the present, abbot of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Monastery in the city of Alatyr.
He was awarded the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, 3rd degree, the title of Honorary Citizen of the city of Alatyr, the medal of the Order of Merit for the Chuvash Republic, the Order of the Badge of Honor of the Chuvash Republic, orders and medals of various public organizations.
Path to the monastery
It was pointed out to many inhabitants of the Alatyr Holy Trinity Monastery by the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin)
The Holy Trinity Monastery in the Chuvash city of Alatyr is an ancient place in Orthodox Russia, marked by monastic feats of prayer, where people from different lands and regions come to venerate the shrines, receive spiritual advice and guidance. Among the lovers of God there are many spiritual children of the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin), some of whom, by the Providence of God, when the hour comes, dress in the black robes of novices, and then take monastic vows.
Even a short time spent in the holy monastery puts the soul in a prayerful mood, gives the mind abundant food for thought, and fills the heart to the brim with quiet joy for our holy Orthodox faith, the beauty, purity and strength of which even today in many ways lead to the haven of salvation - monastic work - a variety of people.
Nun Kirien: “The meeting with Archimandrite Jerome changed my whole life”
- I have been at the Holy Trinity Monastery for almost five years. Came here from the Holy Land. It was there that my first meeting with Archimandrite Jerome took place, which changed my whole life. I was only sixteen years old then. And I arrived in the Holy Land with my mother from Odessa for permanent residence. At that time, my relative was already living there. She is a believer and has known Father Jerome for a long time. We decided to stay with her. And on the day of our arrival, Father Jerome stopped by to see my aunt. This was before the Nativity Fast. We met the priest, talked for a long time, and after this memorable meeting my whole life changed! It was some kind of miracle of God, because before I was not at all interested in either faith or the Church. Apparently, that very evening the Lord laid it on both my father’s heart and mine that my path was a monastic one. Two weeks later, Father Jerome left, and I began to go to church and read a little prayer. Then she began to observe fasts. It turned out that the Lord r-time! - and pulled me out of everyday life, and I could no longer live as before.
At first, I came here to the Holy Trinity Monastery only during school holidays. My father did not bless me to stay here, he said that I must first finish school and serve in the army, because in Israel even girls serve without fail. But I didn’t want to join the army, I was looking for ways to replace it with alternative activities. It’s not easy, but, thank God, I was finally released from military service. But even then Father Jerome did not allow me into the monastery. For another whole year I was in uncertainty, doing works of mercy, like other sisters who go from house to house, offering help to old, sick, and infirm people. I worked hard, and only after that the priest blessed me to finally come to the Holy Trinity Monastery. I was happy to return to Russia, to this ancient holy monastery, to Father Jerome, but in a different, new capacity for me.
My main obedience is the icon shop. Nothing comes easy for a Christian. There are joys in my work, and there are also difficulties. People must be treated with love, with faith, so that they feel it in their hearts. This is especially true for those who are just starting on the path of faith. We must share with people the joy of the Risen Christ with all our hearts.
Many pilgrims come to our monastery on major holidays, during fasting, and especially during Great Lent. Local residents rarely come to our services. It would seem that there is such grace here, but alas... Mostly people come from other cities and even from abroad.
Hieromonk Tarasius: “I thought I couldn’t make it this way”
- I came to the monastery recently, with the blessing of Archimandrite Jerome. I dreamed of becoming a monk for a long time, but I thought that I would not be able to complete this path. The Lord revealed His will to me through Father Jerome, and here I am. My ex-wife also, thank God, took monastic vows.
Each person comes to faith in his own way, and the Lord accepts everyone with great love. As the Scripture says, Christians of the last times will come to the Truth through sorrows and needs - and so it is.
I was born and raised in the Tambov province. From the age of seventeen until my monastic vows, I lived the life of a military man. He traveled around the country all the time, serving in different parts: in the North, the Far East, Kamchatka, Vladivostok. Harsh lands – only the climate is worth it! And I began to think about faith with the search for the meaning of life, the answer to the question why a person comes into this world. While doing many things in life, I tried to find, but could not find, answers to the questions that worried me. Naturally, in the usual way of my life I could not find these answers. So he gradually fell and crawled into sins. But the Lord had mercy and already at a more mature age gave me faith.
Some of my friends have not accepted faith in their hearts, and their souls grieve so much that people do not want to go to the light. Faith is a gift from God. But we still have to work a lot in order to cultivate this gift in ourselves, to deserve it! Like the talent spoken of in the Gospel, which we must not bury in the ground, but multiply.
Our faith requires effort, work, prayer, humility and repentance. Humility is a great virtue. It is given to a person through tireless work, self-restraint, and unceasing prayer. We must pray to God: Lord, let me feel with my mind, my heart, and my whole being that I am the most sinful of all men. When we pray like this, the Lord will send us corresponding thoughts, feelings and moods and will help us in what we ask. A living example for us is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, because He was the first to humble Himself until His death on the Cross.
Hierodeacon Africanus: “Monasticism is unceasing work”
- My father was an officer, a communist, so we, his children, grew up unbaptized. I became Orthodox at the age of forty-five. And he baptized his sons only in 1991. From that moment my churching began. At that time, my family lived in the north, on the Yamal Peninsula, in the city of Muravlenko - four hundred kilometers from Surgut. I worked for an oil company. I began to take time off from work to go to church for services, prayer services, and akathists - three times a week. Colleagues treated this with understanding. My wife and I lived for thirty-seven years. They didn’t even think about monasticism at that time. As we approached retirement age, we began to think about which place to choose for permanent residence, because we were going to move from the north to central Russia. Once, during a pilgrimage trip to Diveevo, we met an amazing woman, now she is the nun Isidora. And so she invited us to visit the Holy Trinity Monastery in Alatyr. A year later we came here. From the first meeting with Archimandrite Jerome, the abbot of the monastery, the impression was enormous. He immediately knew all our spiritual and heart secrets. And with all our hearts we clung to our father, Father Jerome; they stayed here. This was in 2001.
Just in those days, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' came to the Holy Trinity Monastery and consecrated the Church of the Nativity of Christ in the monastery monastery. By that time, three churches had already been restored in the holy monastery: in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Seraphim of Sarov. The Holy Trinity Cathedral was still in complete destruction; there was no bell tower at all. It was then that His Holiness laid the stone for the construction of this cathedral. By God's grace and the efforts of its guardians, the temple was built in 2006; it was consecrated by Lord Barnabas.
While still in Muravlenko, in a subtle dream I was privileged to see a Guardian Angel, who said that I needed to change my life. The impression from this dream was so strong that I could not help but follow this advice. And my life slowly began to change. First of all, I reconsidered my attitude towards people. I noticed that those around me became more attentive and sensitive to me. And here, in the monastery, Father Jerome, with his behavior, his fatherly kind disposition towards everyone, inspires us to serve the Lord God. Last Maundy Thursday I read the Twelve Gospels in the St. Sergius Church of our monastery. Father did not serve for health reasons, but stood at the altar for the entire three and a half hours while the All-Night Vigil was going on. And on the banner of the Mother of God “The Sign” I saw a white and silver dove that had been sitting there all this time.
The Lord entered my life gradually. I knew that I had to attend church services, read the morning and evening rules, and learn to humble myself. When a person humbles himself, there are fewer temptations. What does it mean to humble yourself? This means having peace in your soul, going to every person with love, with a kind word, so that after communicating with you, he leaves with goodness and peace in his heart. This means being obedient to God, your spiritual father, and accepting with peace of mind everything that our Lord Jesus Christ sends for our salvation.
My ex-wife is now a nun Minodora. We got our hair cut on the same day. But it was more difficult for her. Before my tonsure, I was already a resident of the monastery, a novice. And she almost immediately came from the world to the monastery. After tonsure, she went to the Iversky Convent in the village of Sharauty, in Chuvashia. Now, after three years, she began to understand what humility, obedience, and what monastic life is. And monasticism is unceasing work, primarily on building the temple of one’s soul, prayerful and physical work. How else? And for everything - thank God!
| Irina Gordeeva Now even among the Orthodox there are many who stir up trouble among the people, pastors, and monks. And when they ask me how you look at the transition to a new style of Church services, to the Russian language, to the reduction of prayer services, I answer: negatively. I will never agree to this, I will remain at the point where I received the Sacrament of Baptism from the Font, holy and unshakable. |
Father Jerome was born in 1934, in the village of Pesochny, Yaroslavl region. The church in the village was already closed, but Boris was drawn to church from childhood. The nearest temple was seven kilometers from home, in the village of Dyudkovo, and he went there on the sly from his family and friends. My grandmother was buried near the church. And when anyone asked where he was going, he answered that he was going to his grandmother’s grave. When coming to the service, Boris stood behind him, at the entrance to the temple, so that no one would notice him. And there were reasons to hide. It was a time of official atheism and uncompromising anti-churchism. Boris's parents were afraid to open their faith. His mother was a teacher. She understood that if they found out that her son was visiting the temple, she would not only be threatened with dismissal from her job, but even more serious reprisals were possible. Therefore, when she noticed that her son was sneakily going to Dyudkovo, she wailed: “You will destroy us all!”
Now, after more than half a century, Father Jerome has established warm relations with the clergy and parishioners of the Dyudkovo church. Every year he comes to his homeland and celebrates the Divine Liturgy with special trepidation in the place that was the holiest in his childhood.
Already as a young man, Boris traveled to the regional center - Rybinsk, where he visited the Ascension-St. George Church. Here he met its rector - Abbot Maxim (later - Bishop of Argentina and South America, then Archbishop of Omsk and Tyumen, Tula and Belevsky, Mogilev and Mstislavsky). In this temple, Boris first began to serve as an altar boy. It was Abbot Maxim who advised me to enter the Leningrad Theological Seminary and gave a recommendation.
Boris entered the seminary in 1956. This was the height of the “Khrushchev church reform.” The head of the Soviet state set out to put an end to the Church and proclaimed the idea of “perestroika” of church life. It, like everything in Khrushchev's policy, was contrasted with the previous Stalinist era, at the end of which the Soviet state made some relaxations in its open persecution of the Church. The purpose of the new policy was to prevent church preaching in any form. Many forces of the state were thrown into trying to isolate the Church from the youth and thereby undermine its supply with new forces.
The leadership of the seminary was obliged to submit information about those who entered it to study to the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, and he sent information about them to local authorities. After all, this was their “flaw”. At first, people from the district branch of the Komsomol came to Boris’s parents, who promised that if they insisted that their son leave the seminary, he would be enrolled in a good university and given vouchers to a sanatorium. After this, a meeting was held at the village club, at which accusatory speeches were made against the mother: “Shame on such a teacher! We trusted her with our children, but she couldn’t raise her own son!” Somewhat later, the family moved to Dubna, where, after graduating from higher education, Boris’s older brother was assigned to the Institute of Atomic Research. My father also got a job as an accountant at the institute. When information about his youngest son reached here, a special meeting was also convened. At it, Ilya Ivanovich was demanded to renounce his son. He refused. Academician Bogolyubov came to his defense and shamed those gathered: “What do you want: for him, like Ivan the Terrible, to kill his son?” With his speech, he softened the accusatory intensity. The father was given a severe reprimand, and his brother, who was supposed to go on a business trip to Poland, was prohibited from traveling abroad.
But the seminary period in the life of Boris himself was not so harsh. The leadership of theological schools tried with all possible forces to protect students from the attacks of a state hostile to them. The students were surrounded by noble and dedicated teachers, most of whom were graduates of the pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Therefore, Father Jerome remembers his years of study as the brightest time of his life.
In the first grade, he had the opportunity to meet Archimandrite Nikodim, who was then graduating from theological academy. Yaroslavl seminarians gathered around the archimandrite, who served in the Yaroslavl diocese. (One of these meetings was captured in a photo from 1956). In 1960, Archimandrite Nikodim was consecrated Bishop of Podolsk, and after some time he was appointed ruling bishop to the Yaroslavl and Rostov Sees. It was Archbishop Nikodim who tonsured and then ordained Boris Karpov, who graduated from the seminary, in 1961. For that time, these were such unusual events that they were reported in the central church printed organ - the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate.
It is significant that the priestly consecration of Father Jerome, which soon followed, took place on July 30 in memory of the Monk Savva of Storozhevsky. Only later did he understand the providential significance of this day.
Archbishop Nikodim appointed the young hieromonk as rector of the Annunciation Church in Yaroslavl, but soon changed his mind, and with the words “my monks must be educated,” he blessed him to enter the Leningrad Theological Academy. For four years, the young shepherd studied at the academy, and after graduating for another three years - in graduate school at the Moscow Theological Academy, the last two years - in absentia, since he was appointed rector of the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross in Petrozavodsk and dean of the Olonets diocese.
In 1967, Father Jerome was consecrated to the rank of archimandrite. After Petrozavodsk, he served in the city of Kovrov, Vladimir diocese, in the village of Korostyn and in the cities of Borovichi and Valdai, Novgorod diocese. But Archimandrite Jerome spent most of his pastoral service - 27 years - in Zvenigorod. Here he found himself during the most crucial historical period for the Church, when church pastors for the first time had the opportunity to preach outside the walls of the church. It was a responsible time when “the harvest was plentiful, but the sowers were few.” For many kilometers around Zvenigorod there were no functioning churches, and therefore, there were no priests. It is with Archimandrite Jerome that the history of the resumption of divine services in many surrounding churches is connected - in the Zvenigorod church in honor of the blessed Alexander Nevsky, in the churches of the villages of Ershovo, Kolyubyakino and Troitskoye on the Moscow River, the consecration of the chapel in Korallovo and the laying of a chapel on the site of the destroyed Ascension Church in Zvenigorod. And of course, one cannot fail to mention the opening of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Father Jerome became the first governor after his revival. And, although he was appointed to this position in 1995, he began conducting divine services at the monastery long before the official opening of the monastery.
Archimandrite Jerome was destined to become an eyewitness and participant in many key events of our Fatherland in the twentieth century. He was familiar with many church historical figures, he had contact with people who had already been glorified as saints. For the residents of Zvenigorod, he is a dear person to almost everyone, since for the majority he became a shepherd who, having performed the Sacrament of Baptism over them, led them into the fence of the Church.
The well-deserved award was presented to Father Jerome on November 6 in the Administration building by the Head of the Zvenigorod City District, Alexander Smirnov, and the Chairman of the City Council of Deputies, Larisa Belousova.
At the beginning of October, during the period when one of the most famous residents of Zvenigorod - Archimandrite Jerome, rector of the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God on Gorodok - celebrated his 80th birthday, the Council of Deputies of the Zvenigorod city district received a letter from city residents with a request to award this wonderful man the title "Honorary Citizen of the Zvenigorod Urban District."
The deputies could not refuse such an initiative, and in accordance with the decision of the Council of Deputies of the Zvenigorod city district, Archimandrite Jerome, known in the world under the name Karpov Boris Ilyich, was awarded the most significant city title at the last meeting.
