July 17 where Vladyka Metropolitan Arseny serves. Arseny, Metropolitan of Lipetsk and Zadonsk (Epifanov Yuri Alexandrovich)
The puppet disease of Bishop Epifanov. The struggle for the patriarchal legacy is in full swing.
Sergey Bychkov
As soon as it became known that His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' was seriously ill, squabbles began in the church community. The dream of a patriarchal doll (in common parlance - doll disease) has seized many. The struggle for the patriarchal throne reached particular tension in Chisty Lane, where the residence of the patriarch is located. The patriarch's vicar, Archbishop Arseny (Epifanov) of Istra, is also located there, whom relatives began lovingly calling “the patriarch” during the days of the patriarch’s illness. In Chistoye there is also the residence of the permanent member of the Holy Synod, managing the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Sergius.
The next meeting of the Holy Synod will take place on December 25. Our sources claim that it will decide not only the issue of filling two vacant episcopal sees - Tambov and Nizhny Novgorod. They say that a serious struggle has already unfolded around the post of manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate. This seems to be true, since this place is key in the Russian Church. Therefore, the patriarch appointed Metropolitan Sergius (Fomin) of Solnechnogorsk there 6 years ago. Metropolitan Sergius is known as an experienced church leader who knows how to get along with both his brothers and government officials. Over the years of Russia's democratic existence, he has not stained himself by participating in any of the many scandals. But, from the point of view of many church leaders, he has a serious drawback - he is a serious and consistent opponent of the church “gays,” whose influence in the Russian Church today is stronger than ever.
Among the permanent members of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Sergius is opposed by the “tobacco” Metropolitan Kirill (Gundyaev), head of the Department for External Church Relations, and his senior friend and mentor, Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna Yuvenaly (Poyarkov). Vladyka Poyarkov, who passionately dreamed of a patriarchal doll, after a crushing failure in the patriarchal elections in 1990, came to terms with the fact that he would no longer become a patriarch. But he sees his younger friend, Vladyka Gundyaev, as the patriarch. Although the chances of Vladyka Gundyaev after the terrible scandal at the 7th World Russian Council became scanty. Neither representatives of the Presidential Administration nor the government came there. Moreover, the patriarch also declined to participate. Gundyaev placed all his hopes on Zhirinovsky. And he did not disappoint - from a high rostrum in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he accused the Orthodox clergy of collaborating with the KGB! The congregation became so excited that they heard whistling and shouts: “Judas!” The chairman of the cathedral was confused and failed to master the situation.
Therefore, today “tobacco” is forced to reckon with the church scientific center “Orthodox Encyclopedia”. It was created by Archbishop Arseny, who until recently opposed both Metropolitan Sergius and the Gundyaev-Poyarkov tandem. Our informants in the DECR are convinced that relatively recently a compromise was reached between the “tobacco” and Bishop Epifanov. They united against Metropolitan Sergius. Gundyaev promised support to Bishop Arseny in his struggle for the position of business manager.
It was decided to send Metropolitan Sergius either to Tambov or Nizhny Novgorod. In this castling, Epifanov dreams of taking the place of business manager. This will be the last step, in his opinion, before taking a decisive step towards the patriarchal throne. What is Archbishop Arseny and his entourage like? It must be admitted that in recent years he has done a lot and assembled a powerful team.
This fall, the St. Tikhon’s Theological Institute, created to strengthen and deepen theological education in Moscow at Moscow State University, celebrated the 10th anniversary of its existence. It is completely controlled by Bishop Epifanov. The rector, priest Vladimir Vorobyov, is not even a candidate of theology, but he is immensely devoted to Bishop Arseny. The St. Tikhon's Institute, the church scientific center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", as well as the Center for the Study of Religions of the Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (headed by Olga Vasilyeva) work closely with Bishop Epifanov. The formal head of the CSC is a certain Sergei Kravets. Once a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, who joined the circle of Alexei Losev in the late 80s. A sort of strange hybrid of Orthodoxy and Marxism. However, he showed remarkable business acumen - in the early 90s he headed the publishing house of the Valaam Monastery. To this day he is remembered with sadness in the ruined monastery. Then he managed to get as close as possible to Archbishop Arseny (Epifanov), under whom all 410 Moscow parishes languish.
They were united not only by the Orthodox Encyclopedia, but also by several common hobbies. Vladyka Epifanov is famous in narrow circles as a passionate collector. My first passion is collecting banknotes. Knowledgeable people claim that he, of course, is far from Vladyka Gundyaev, but in terms of the number and variety of banknotes he is clearly in second place after “tobacco”. Once a month, the rectors of Moscow churches head to Chisty Lane with plastic bags in their hands. Knowing the lord's passion, they bring him banknotes... The lord's second passion is languid and vicious young men. They say that he has perhaps the richest collection in the Russian Church. And finally, Vladyka Epifanov’s last passion is collecting incriminating evidence on his brothers and writing denunciations. Here he, without a doubt, excels. Kravets actively helps, multiplying his collections. They say that sometimes he even corrects denunciations. Thanks to his indefatigable energy, the “Orthodox Encyclopedia” became a gigantic “laundromat”. They manage to sell the same editions of the encyclopedia 5 or even 6 times. In a word, Kravets and Vladyka Epifanov are now “encyclopedists.”To understand the “encyclopedists” and their experts, it is worth reflecting on the personalities of those who advise them in preparing new canonizations. For example, Grigory Rasputin. St. Petersburg historian Sergei Firsov shows amazing flexibility, describing in a thick tome the phenomenon of the Tsar's Friend and preparing his canonization: “The problem of Rasputin is the problem of the personification of the ideal, the perception of a “living symbol.” It is known that Rasputin was the closest friend and spiritual mentor of the imperial family. Empress Alexandra Fedorovna referred to him in letters to her husband only as “Friend.” Both Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna are now saints. CSC experts believe that the third one is missing—Rasputin...
Our sources in the DECR remind us that Bishop Epifanov, the recognized leader of the Orthodox “blues,” has already done a lot for the coming personnel revolution at the next meeting of the Synod. Bishop Nikon (Mironov), dismissed several years ago due to a scandal from the Yekaterinburg see and sent to repentance at the Pskov-Pechorsky Monastery, appeared in Moscow in August and became rector of the church in Veshnyaki. On December 25, he will again be appointed to the episcopal see. One of the most odious “blue” bishops, also retired, Savva Krasnogorsky, who headed the department for interaction with the security forces, will receive a new see. Thanks to the intercession of Bishop Arseny, he also received a rich parish in Moscow.
It seems that all the places have been allocated. And yet we are not inclined to literally believe our friends from the DECR about everything. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', despite his illness, is still full of strength and confidently leads the church ship. An experienced church politician, he is known for his system of checks and balances. He relies on healthy forces in the Church, fully understanding the danger of the powerful “blue lobby.” In recent years, Metropolitan Methodius of Voronezh and Lipetsk has significantly displaced the tobacco industry in the capital. The Makaryevsky Foundation, which he heads, relies on healthy forces in historical science and is unlikely to allow the canonization of Grigory Rasputin or Ivan the Terrible. In recent years, the patriarch has entrusted him with the solution of many important church problems. Its influence is completely ignored by DECR analysts. The removal of Metropolitan Sergius from Moscow is unlikely to make the task easier for Bishop Epifanov or his allies, Poyarkov-Gundyaev. Most likely, presiding over the next meeting of the Holy Synod, the patriarch will once again separate the warring parties into their own corners. He is well aware of the puppet claims of Bishop Epifanov. It may happen that, like a good master, the patriarch at the Synod will sweep away the spider webs of the “allies.” And although the “patriarch” will not get rid of the puppet disease, he will remain the scandalous leader of the Orthodox “gay” lobby.
"Moscow's comsomolets" December 24, 2002credo.ru
“The Providence of God watches over every person, the whole life of a person is under the direct, albeit invisible guidance of the providential and guiding right hand of the Most High.”
Bishop Arseny
On Domodedovo land in the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery (monastery) in 1912-1924, Serpukhov Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky) lived often and for a long time. Abbess Yuvenalia (schema-abbess Tamar since 1916) built a house in the Seraphim-Znamensky Monastery, called “Cenovia,” in which Bishop Arseny and his friend Archimandrite Seraphim lived and served when they came to the monastery. During the years of the Civil War, Bishop Arseny lived in the Seraphim-Znamensky Monastery in complete solitude for a year and a half. In the summer and autumn of 1918, Bishop Arseny and Archimandrite Seraphim (the future Bishop of Dmitrovsky) lived continuously in the Seraphim-Znamensky Monastery with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon. Vladyka Arseny lived in semi-seclusion in the monastery until the end of 1919, leading the spiritual life of the monastery sisters, celebrating the Divine Liturgy daily.
In 1884, ten-year-old Alexander Zhadanovsky was sent by his parents to the Kharkov Theological School. And in 1888 he entered the Kharkov Theological Seminary. On November 21 (Old Art.), 1893, he was ordained subdeacon in the male bishop's Intercession Monastery in the city of Kharkov. After graduating from the seminary, Alexander Zhadanovsky began teaching the Law of God at a parish school instead of his father, and then became an overseer at the Sumy Theological School.
In his “Memoirs,” Alexander Zhadanovsky wrote: “From early childhood, “I liked one girl my age: my attention focused on her... I saw my imaginary bride, who lived and was raised far away, twice a year on vacation, waited I looked forward to meeting her, but I never expressed my feelings to her. But while I hesitated in this way, the girl I knew slipped out of my sight...
Afterwards I looked at the brides twice more, but to no avail. Thus my search for a friend in life ended... At the same time, the thought of monasticism did not leave me; every failure in life gave a push forward in this regard, and then I had to go on pilgrimage with my relatives to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Until now, I was not closely acquainted with monasteries and monks, but was drawn to them somehow unconsciously.”
Alexander Zhadanovsky, in a letter dated January 17, 1899 to Father John of Kronstadt, asked him for advice. After the answer of the righteous Father John, Alexander had an unshakable decision to accept monasticism. The superintendent of the school, Father Arkady, immediately sent Alexander Zhadanovsky’s request (and it was on Holy Saturday 1899) to Archbishop Ambrose (Klyucharyov) of Kharkov. The archpastor advised Zhadanovsky to go to St. Petersburg to see a friend of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod.
Zhadanovsky, having invited his friend, went with him from the city of Sumy on a trip; Moscow-Kremlin, Chudov Monastery; Holy Trinity Lavra; Saint Petersburg; Alexander Nevsky Lavra and Valaam. From Valaam, Alexander Zhadanovsky arrived at the Holy Synod, where he was received with a petition to become a monk with a further “promise to continue his education at the academy.” Returning to Kharkov, Alexander Zhadanovsky was received by Bishop Ambrose, and without delay they were allowed to tonsure Zhadanovsky as a monk. After which he was sent to live in the Svyatogorsk Hermitage, located in the Izyum district of the Kharkov province. Here, on July 17, 1899, the day after the feast of the Svyatogorsk Icon of the Mother of God, Alexander was tonsured as a monk with the name Arseny.
On the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Archbishop Ambrose came to the Svyatogorsk hermitage, and on August 15, 1899, after lunch, Vladyka ordained Arseny as a hierodeacon, and then blessed him to go to Moscow, to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, to the academy.
Bishop Arseny wrote: “The Lord destined me to take the academy course in the monastic rank. I must, however, admit that it is difficult to combine being a student with monasticism... If you get tired morally or physically, some kind of sorrow will happen - you will go to the honest relics, pray from the heart, and your heart will be easy... Yes, the Reverend’s cancer, surrounded by many sighs and tears Russian people, is a fertile source of consolation... Large space, further, in the Lavra for sacred rites. Every day eleven liturgies are celebrated, so choose any one: at three o’clock in the morning - in the Church of the Holy Spirit, at four o’clock - at St. Nikon’s, at five o’clock - below under the Assumption Cathedral, and then in the churches of Smolensk, Zosima and Savvaty and others. The Lord vouchsafed me to serve in all these churches in the rank of hierodeacon. I also loved going to Trinity Cathedral on weekdays for vespers to listen to the singing of the stichera with the canonarch. The wonderful, harmonious performance of them by the mighty choir gave me the highest spiritual pleasure. Not only the learned monks, but also all the students of the academy clearly felt the protection of St. Sergius over them..."
Bishop Arseny had an excellent literary gift. An excellent lyricist, at the end of his life he wrote “Memoirs” about many great champions of Orthodoxy: about the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, about the Moscow Metropolitan Macarius (Nevsky), about the elders of Zosima Hermitage Schema-Abbess Herman and Hieroschemamonk Alexy, about Schema-Abbess Tamar, about the outstanding shepherds of the church Father Alexy Mechev, Father Nikolai Smirnov (Kadashevsky), Father Vasily Postnikov and Father Alexander Stefanovsky.
Bishop Arseny recalled how one day Elder Hieromonk Varnava “...in a conversation with me this time he foreshadowed: “You will be a bishop not far from Moscow, a small bishop.” Now the prophecy has been fulfilled."
In the Gethsemane monastery, Zhadanovsky visited Father Isidore, who three days before his death, saying goodbye, said to him: “Take my last words for edification and consolation: the power of the cross and reflections on the sufferings of the Lord save a Christian from all troubles, but memories of the Savior’s plagues protect from sorrows."
While at the Theological Academy, student Arseny remained a deacon for three years and only in the fourth year of study became a priest. On May 9, 1902, he was ordained hieromonk.
At the last exam at the Theological Academy in dogmatic theology, Moscow Metropolitan Vladimir (Epiphany) was present, who offered priest Arseny the position of treasurer at the Chudov Monastery. Hieromonk Arseny arrived in Moscow, to the place of his new ministry at the Chudov Monastery, on August 3, 1903. Having venerated the relics of Saint Alexy, Arseny appeared to the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Innocent, who took the hieromonk to the treasury apartment. Hieromonk Arseny served as treasurer for only five months. The abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Innokenty, who was consecrated Bishop of Alaska, left for America. Hieromonk Arseny (Zhadanovsky) was appointed to the place of the abbot of the Chudov Monastery. And on March 24 (Old Art.), 1904, on Holy Saturday, Hieromonk Arseny was ordained to the rank of archimandrite.
In 1906, on October 11, the mother of Archimandrite Arseny died, and a month later, on November 11, his father died.
In the Zhadanovsky family, several generations were in the clergy. The priests were great-great-grandfather Afanasy, great-grandfather Stefan, grandfather Andrei and father, Archpriest John. Together they served for more than a hundred years in the city of Chuguev in the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God.
Bishop Arseny wrote: “With the death of my father and mother, interest in my homeland was lost, the desire and desire to visit there disappeared.”
In 1913, Archimandrite Arseny, together with Hieromonk Seraphim (Zvezdinsky), made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
The consecration of Archimandrite Arseny as Bishop of Serpukhov took place on June 8 (old style) 1914 in the Alekseevsky Church of the Chudov Monastery, in which he was left to serve by decision of Moscow Metropolitan Macarius and the Holy Synod.
Bishop Arseny took part in the establishment of the convent “Gethsemane” near the city of Zaraysk near Moscow and the convent “Seraphim-Znamensky Skete” near the Vostryakovo station of the Paveletskaya railway on Domodedovo land.
Vladyka Arseny was destined for a new field - to be the confessor and elder of schema-abbess Tamar (Marjanova) and the sisters of the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery that she created. Schema-Abbess Tamar built a monastery with a house church near the monastery in the name of the Monk Arseny, where the bishop at times retired to gather spiritual strength, rest and prayerful works.
In the post-October 1917 era of persecution of the Church of Christ and the faith, Bishop Arseny carried out the feats of confession and martyrdom for two decades.
In the summer and autumn of 1918, Bishop Arseny and his spiritual friend Archimandrite Seraphim (Zvezdinsky), the future Bishop of Dmitrov, lived in the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery near Moscow. Schema-abbess Tamar fulfilled the obedience of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon to preserve the safety of the lives of the bishops in her little-known, quiet and modest monastery. During the years of post-revolutionary hard times, Bishop Arseny celebrated Divine Liturgies daily in the Cenology Church.
In solitude he studied church singing, music, painting, medicine and was engaged in icon painting. At the same time, Vladyka made notes, which later appeared in the book “Memoirs”.
In the skete church in front of the abbot's place there was an image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, painted by Bishop Arseny. Until 1923, Bishop Arseny continued to serve in the city of Serpukhov as a bishop. In the city of Serpukhov there was the ancient Vysotsky monastery, founded in 1374 by the Serpukhov prince Vladimir Andreevich. Before the revolution, there were several dozen churches in the city of Serpukhov; after the revolution, many churches were closed. Many nuns arrived from Serpukhov to the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery.
The place of the solitary exploits of Bishop Arseny was the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery until 1924, the year the monastery was closed.
About the Seraphim-Znamensky Skete, Bishop Arseny left the following lines: “In the small church of the Seraphim-Znamensky Skete, with the high religious inspiration of the builder and sisters, a great attraction and concentration of grace-filled power took place. Here the Lord Himself blessed the hearts of those praying and especially those singing; here, near everyone, rejoicing and having fun, there was a guardian angel - that is why the consecration of this wonderful church was so deeply imprinted in the memory of the nuns of the monastery... The day comes. Skeletons at obediences. Some of them work alone: some in the garden, some with bees, some clearing the grove of dry leaves, others work together to mow grass, dry hay, graze cows, and cultivate vegetable gardens. Everyone is commanded to continually say the Jesus Prayer, sing psalms, read akathists, and they inviolably and holyly fulfill this rule: they work and pray.”
And from the hillock near the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery on the right bank of the Rozhaya River, the bishop observed the following picture: “You look to the right and see a mill through the bushes and sparse trees. You listen and hear the noise of its wheels, which before, captivated by the beauty of nature, you did not seem to notice. And an amazing thing! Nothing, it seems, decorates the river bank more than a water mill, as if it were its essential accessory, having won the eternal right to this place... If you walk along the bank, past the mill and further, you will reach a steep climb. You will climb the hill and find yourself so high that you will involuntarily think: it’s not for nothing that the wanderers call this place “the Caucasus”.
Below, a stream runs over the pebbles, formed from a river already familiar to us after it was blocked by a dam. It flows steadily, continuously, pleasantly murmurs, has a calming effect on the nerves... Then you will look around the space you have passed, the space left behind you, and you will see somewhere far, far away a river, a meadow, and a mill, moreover, your horizons expand so much that you notice a village with a church behind the hill, and there are endless fields.”
How amazingly accurately Bishop Arseny described the local nature!
These blessed places have been loved by me since childhood: the Resurrection Church in the village of Bityagovo with the ancient cemetery where my ancestors are buried, and the wonderful mill with the miller’s house that existed until the mid-fifties of our century, and the Savvinsky (Zaborievsky) ravine with the mountain that received local residents the name “Nun”, with whom we skied as a child, and these mysterious mounds, and, of course, the lovely Rozhaya river with its once spring water.
How many times have I, without knowing it, walked for many years along the same paths that Bishop Arseny walked along before I was born. Oh, the power of the printed word!
In 1924, Bishop Arsenia moved to the village of Kuzmenki near Serpukhov and lived in the house of the rector of the local church, Archpriest Michael. The bishop was followed by two cell sisters - nuns Alexandra and Matrona from among the nuns of the Seraphim Znamensky monastery. In half of the priest's house, a house church was built in which the bishop served since 1924. After the closure of the Seraphim-Znamensky monastery of Kuzmenki, schema-abbess Tamar and sisters from the monastery, who lived at that time in the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery, came.
In 1925 - 1928, the bishop was expelled several times outside of Moscow and the Moscow region. In those years he lived either in the Seraphim-Ponetaevsky Monastery or in Arzamas.
In 1928, Bishop Arseny came to Perkhushkovo, where at that time schema-abbess Tamar, hieromonk Filaret (Postnikov) and ten sisters settled in a separate dacha. According to the bishop’s biographer, “obviously, in the first half of 1928, Bishop Arseny wrote mainly the book “Memoirs” (M., Orthodox St. Tikhon’s Theological Institute, Brotherhood in the Name of the All-Merciful Savior, 1995).
After the expiration period ended, Bishop Arseny returned and settled in Kotelniki, not far from the Lyubertsy station of the Kazan railway.
During difficult years for the Orthodox Church, the bishop said: “The hierarchs answer to the Council, the flock must go in the mainstream of the Church. You can’t make splits.” During the period of a new wave of arrests (1929-1931), schema-abbess Tamar, some of her sisters and Hieromonk Philaret were repressed. Concern for Vladyka Arseny did not leave Mother Tamar even in her distant Siberian exile. In her letter she expressed her desire to establish a bishop in Maloyaroslavets.
The life of Bishop Arseny in the thirties until his arrest and martyrdom is unknown. According to some recollections, Bishop Arseny lived either in Kotelniki, or, according to other sources, in a house at Udelnaya station. Bishop Arseny was arrested in Kotelniki on April 13, 1937. “The bishop was accused of organizing and leading a counter-revolutionary illegal monarchist organization of churchmen.” On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord - September 27, 1937, Bishop Arseny and all the clergy, monastics and laity arrested with him were shot in the village of Butovo near Moscow.
This is a brief biography of Bishop Arseny of Serpukhov, gleaned from the bishop’s autobiography and memoirs about him.
Based on his prayerful deeds, Bishop Arseny had the highest spiritual gifts: insights and reasoning. Naturally, he foresaw his martyrdom and offered prayers to the Lord in his last dying hours. Upon his death, Bishop Arseny appeared in a dream vision to his spiritual children, warning them about future events during the Great Patriotic War.
The famous Russian writer Pyotr Palamarchuk, author of the four-volume book “Forty Forties,” writes: “While studying the history of Russian churches and monasteries, I had the opportunity to come across such miracles of modern times more than once. Indeed, in the godless persecutions of the 20th century, Little, Great and White Rus' produced more new martyrs than in the entire previous two millennia of Christianity!” The Russian Orthodox Church will sum up the twentieth century and write down all the names of the Russian new martyrs who suffered for the faith and Christ.
local historian Nikolai Chulkov. From the series "History of the region in faces"
Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Archbishop Arseny of Istra, expressed concern about the careless attitude of some metropolitan clergy in performing priestly service and called for strengthening disciplinary measures against them, INTERFAX reports.
“Some young priests treat the charter with disdain, believing that they are their own charter. They often shorten the charter, forgetting about its lofty goals,” Archbishop Arseny of Istra said on Monday at the annual diocesan meeting of the Moscow clergy.
According to the bishop, haste during divine services has an adverse effect on believers and generally negatively affects the course of parish life.
“The Church considers the current charter valid; it cannot be left to the will of individual priests,” Archbishop Arseny emphasized.
The hierarch noted with regret the “distortions in the performance of services” that are characteristic of some priests. Thus, some priests today perform the sacrament of baptism by simply pouring water instead of complete immersion, do not read the “Creed” during baptism, and do not even bless the water before the sacrament.
“Responding to the sometimes heard reproaches against us regarding “Latinism,” let’s say that this is not “Latinism,” but simple inertia and laziness of the priests,” the bishop noted.
The baptism of wealthy individuals, he said, often unacceptably turns into “a show, a theatrical performance, accompanied by everyone’s laughter and photo flashes, and the priest, unfortunately, does not try to call those present to prayer.”
Equally unacceptable, according to him, is the practice of a hasty funeral service (in 15 minutes), as well as the suggestion to believers by some priests that the sacrament of unction can replace confession and washes away all sins from a person.
“It is necessary to identify persons who neglect the charter and petition His Holiness the Patriarch to free them from the overwhelming duties of priestly service,” believes Archbishop Arseny.
He also said that the Moscow Patriarchate continues to receive complaints from ordinary believers about the very high prices for sacraments and candles. Some priests even practice, in the words of Bishop Arseny, “paid repentance for abortion.” Such actions, the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate emphasized, push believers away from the Church.
Bishop Arseny also reproached a number of Moscow clergy for regularly being late for the beginning of the Liturgy and called on them to “value the time of people coming to worship.”
“Such clerics have a common excuse: traffic jams on the roads. But as a rule, everyone knows about them, so you need to plan your own schedule,” said Bishop Arseny.
The archbishop called for clergy who systematically neglect confession, which is obligatory for all clergy, to be temporarily removed from the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Priests who allow themselves to talk loudly in the altar during services, as well as sit during services, received special censure from him.
Bishop Arseny also asked the Moscow clergy present to install a fax machine in each church to enable prompt communication, since today, according to him, often when calling parishes, there are people on the other end of the line who are “not able to receive information.”
Metropolitan Arseny (in the world Avksenty Georgievich Stadnitsky) - bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Tashkent and Turkestan (1933-1936), previously for a long time was the ruling bishop of the Novgorod diocese.
Born in the village of Komarovo, Khotyn district, Chisinau province, in the family of a rural priest. He was originally from Moldova.
In 1880 he graduated from the Chisinau Theological Seminary and was appointed teacher at the Edinet Theological School.
He received his higher education at the Kyiv Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1885 with a candidate of theology degree and a master's degree.
In 1885 he visited Mount Athos twice. He outlined his impressions of his trips in the “Diary of a Student Pilgrim to Athos,” published in the “Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy” (No. 6-8, 1886). Subsequently, “The Diary” was published as a separate book and awarded the Makaryev Prize.
After graduating from the academy, he was appointed to the Kishinev Theological Seminary as a teacher of Greek, then church singing (he was considered one of its best experts) and (free) civil history.
In 1887-1895 he was the editor of the Chisinau Diocesan Gazette. Prof. I. V. Korsunsky subsequently wrote that A. Stadnitsky “was not only the editor of the diocesan newspaper, but also its most active and prolific employee.”
In 1887 and 1891 he participated in the All-Russian Missionary Congresses in Moscow. He outlined his impressions of these congresses in the article “The Activities of the First and Second Missionary Congress in Moscow,” which he published in the Chisinau Diocesan Gazette. In the Chisinau diocese he was a member of the committee for monitoring the activities of missionaries.
In 1895, for his dissertation on the topic: “Gabriel Bonulask-Bodoni, Exarch of Moldova and Metropolitan of Chisinau,” he was approved for the degree of Master of Theology.
In the same year, 1895, he was appointed inspector of the Novgorod Theological Seminary and, upon accepting monasticism on December 30, he was ordained a hierodeacon on December 31.
On January 1, 1896, he was ordained hieromonk and appointed to the position of inspector of the Novgorod Theological Seminary, and then appointed rector of the same seminary with the elevation to the rank of archimandrite and rector of the monastery of St. Anthony the Roman in Novgorod.
On January 10, 1897, he was appointed inspector of the Moscow Theological Academy and correcting the position of ordinary professor in the department of Biblical history.
On February 28, 1899, he was consecrated Bishop of Volokolamsk, third vicar of the Moscow Metropolis, and remained in the position of rector of the academy. The ordination took place at the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
In 1900, he, among the professors and students of the Moscow Theological Academy, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The result of the trip was the book “In the Land of Sacred Memories,” edited and published by him. The book contains 60 photographs, most of which were taken by Arseny.
In February 1902, he was present at the monastic tonsure of Sergei Simansky, a student at the Theological Academy, and in monasticism Alexy, the future patriarch. In the cave temple of the Gethsemane monastery, he pronounces the “Word” on this occasion. Arseny was Alexy's spiritual leader all his life.
In 1903 he was transferred to an independent department in Pskov. For almost 7 years he ruled the Pskov diocese, doing a lot of good and useful things for Pskov. Among the main things: the creation of a school of psalm-readers and a church museum and, under it, a historical and archaeological committee.
In 1904 he defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Theology on the topic: “Research and monographs on the history of the Moldavian Church.” Part 1. “The history of the Moldavian diocese and their saints from the founding of the state to the present day” and was approved for the degree of Doctor of Church History.
The extensive teaching experience of Bishop Arseny and his outstanding works in this area attracted the attention of the Holy Synod to him and he was invited in 1905 to the post of member of the Educational Committee at the Holy Synod, where he showed his brilliant abilities as a leader of church education in Russia.
In 1906 he was appointed chairman of the Synodal Educational Committee. In the same year he was appointed a member of the Pre-Conciliar Presence and was its chairman of the 5th department on the reform of church educational institutions.
In 1907 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop and in the same year he was elected a member of the State Council from the monastic clergy. Being the Archbishop of Pskov and Porkhov, Archbishop Arseny in 1909-1910 was confirmed as an honorary member of the Kazan Theological Academy in consideration of his scientific works and fruitful archpastoral activities.
In 1912, he chaired the Moscow Anti-Alcohol Congress.
In 1913, an ecclesiastical archaeological society was opened in Novgorod on the initiative of Archbishop Arseny.
In the fall of 1917, at the All-Russian Local Council there was one of three candidates for patriarch, along with Bishops St. Tikhon of Moscow and Anthony of Kharkov. At that time, popular rumor rated him as the “most strict” of the bishops of the Russian Church - in contrast to the “smartest” Anthony and the “kindest” Tikhon. According to the testimony of Metropolitan Evlogy (Georgievsky), Archbishop Arseny “was horrified at the possibility of becoming Patriarch and only prayed to God that “this cup would pass from him.”
He was arrested in November 1919 in Moscow. Then the arrest followed in Novgorod, where he was under the supervision of the authorities, in 1920. In 1922, Metropolitan Arseny was brought to trial along with Patriarch Tikhon on false charges of resisting the seizure of church valuables. He was in prison for almost a year. The Bishop had to endure the murder of his vicar Bishop Barsanuphius (Lebedev) and many clergy, the opening of relics, and the confiscation of church property and valuables in Novgorod.
Having left prison on January 10, 1924, just 5 days later he was again arrested and imprisoned in the Butyrka prison in Moscow.
At this time, he was deprived of the opportunity to take an active part in the management of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as to manage his Novgorod diocese. On August 11, 1933, he was already formally released from the administration of the Novgorod diocese and appointed Metropolitan of Tashkent.
For some time he took an ambivalent position in relation to the administrative activities of Metropolitan Sergius, but in 1927 he became a permanent member of the temporary Patriarchal Synod (although he did not take part in it).
According to the assessment placed in the biography compiled by Metropolitan Manuel (Lemeshevsky), Metropolitan Arseny was a man of difficult character, but fair and straightforward. Director of church services and singing. Formalist. Priests who had kamilavkas, but came without kamilavkas, were not allowed to come to his reception until they brought their kamilavka, even if they had to go back 150 km. Metropolitan Arseny was a famous spiritual writer and an outstanding political speaker (in the State Council) and a brilliant preacher. A tireless researcher in the field of local church antiquity and the author of numerous theological works. His performances in the Holy Synod, the State Council and in public church meetings were considered brilliant, as examples of outstanding improvisation. He had a strong voice - bass.
The saint, whose spiritual mentor he was and in whose arms he died in a Tashket hospital, responded to Arseny in this way: “You know better than me how immeasurable this loss is for the Russian Church, and it’s enough for me to just report the event, hang my head low and shed tears again.” .
