The portal "Memory of the Church" continues to be updated with interviews with witnesses of the life of the Church in various periods of the 20th century. Every month, the project of the Educational Committee tells about people whose lives, destinies and spiritual development fell within the complex social processes of the Soviet era, which directly determined their life path.
Among the new materials on the portal are the memoirs of Bishop Ignatius of Cherepovets and Belozersky. Vladyka talks about the faithful inhabitants of the Chuvash village where he spent his childhood in the 1980s, and shares his memories of Metropolitan Barnabas (Kedrov), who was the ruling bishop of the Cheboksary diocese for 44 years.
"I don't remember in which year my parents built a new house, and my father agreed with Father Alexander to consecrate our house. I felt great excitement and trepidation about the upcoming event, because at that time the church and clergy seemed to us to be heavenly beings, and we had great respect for them. While waiting for the priest, my brother and I hid in the hayloft and watched from afar as he arrived and entered our house. However, curiosity got the better of me, and I went, and my brother stayed there, in the hayloft, at the observation post. During the rite of consecration, Father Alexander used me instead of a lectern. I read the Gospel, holding it over my head, as is customary in my homeland at private meetings," Bishop Ignatius recalls.
Archpriest Mikhail Dronov, head of the International Center for the Study of the Biblical and Patristic Tradition and rector of the community of St. Nicholas of Myra in Freiburg, vividly and in detail talks about the life of the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, where he became an employee in 1979-1980, when he was still a young seminarian. Father Mikhail especially warmly remembers the head of the department, Metropolitan Pitirim (Nechaev), and the many extraordinary personalities with whom he had the opportunity to cooperate. How the working day went in the Publishing Department, how the famous building on Pogodinskaya Street appeared, what projects were implemented in the 1980s, you can find out by looking into the life of the department from the inside with the help of vivid memories of Archpriest Mikhail Dronov.
"My first editorial board marked the beginning of my work in the department of preaching, which at first was a department within the theological department, but soon became independent," says Father Mikhail. — And this first editorial board made a huge impression on me. It was led by Vladyka Pitirim himself, and it was amazing that he could turn the most mundane working moment into some kind of sacrament, a holiday. He spoke easily and very beautifully, his expressions were emphatically literary and elegant. But the most important thing was his tone: he sounded like a Soviet radio announcer, but not officially, but somehow gently, with support in his voice. He let us know that we are all together, we are doing a common thing."
Nun Agnia (Glebova) was born in the Omsk region, served in the episcopal home of Archbishop Maxim (Krokha), who headed the Omsk department from 1974 to 1986, and cared for the sick in a nursing home. Mother Agnia remembers her family, parents, ancestors and spiritual mentors.
"We had a village, you know, well, honestly, it was blessed! We didn't have any confrontation. I remember going to school, running on November seventh: "Mom, today is a holiday." She: "What holiday do you like? Tomorrow Dmitry Solunsky will be a holiday,"— says Mother Agnia.
One of the oldest participants of the project, Maria Dmitrievna Samokhvalova, born in 1931, has lived in the Orel region all her life. Her story contains memories of her hungry childhood, when she had to harvest frozen potatoes in collective farm fields, and life under German occupation, about her Komsomol youth and coming to faith during the Soviet years, about numerous pilgrimages, communication with the elders of the Pskov Caves Monastery and many other ascetics of piety.
"I was an unbeliever, I did not have a cross, I did not have a prayer, I joined the Komsomol, then the party," recalls M.D. Samokhvalova. — I worked well, I tried to fulfill the five-year plan in 2.5 years. All this when she was an unbeliever. And as a believer, when I recognized God, I went to the district party committee and gave the party ticket. And she confessed that I believe in God and go to church. I baptized my son secretly when he was just born, and got married to my husband. I gave up everything, and the five-year plan, and I gave up everything."
Zoya Mihajlovna Ryazanova was born in 1964 in Crimea, into the family of a priest. Her story is dedicated to Father Archpriest Mikhail Ryazanov, his life and ministry, full of amazing and providential encounters. As a child, Father was a subdeacon of Archbishop Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) and received a recommendation from him to enter the seminary. During his studies, he met with His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Russia, and was introduced to his future wife by Reverend Kuksha of Odessa.
"He always started his day with prayer, with a daily prayer rule, even if he was not busy in the cathedral. Approximately this rule took 40 minutes. And there were three of us, his children, and Dad taught us to love prayer from childhood. It was customary at home that if we were not in church on polyeleic holidays, then Dad would definitely gather the whole family to read the akathist. And the akathists were previously typewritten and even written by hand. Dad always made sure that we arrived at church on time and always found out the reason if we were late. It was considered unacceptable to miss a service on a Sunday or a public holiday. While studying at the institute, since the school week was six days long, I fell in love with going to early Liturgy on Sunday in order to be able to go somewhere, go, and relax. Dad taught us to understand that without prayer to God, without a blessing, nothing good can happen. He was saying: "What good can a new day bring you that started without prayer?"" recalls Z.M. Ryazanova.