Voices from Russia

Trinity Sunday (Valery Badakva, 2002)

Vara,

Our Priest gave a wonderful homily this morning. He shared about Metropolitan Laurus. I will attempt to share it with you, as I think you would appreciate his words (please forgive in advance any of my errors in telling about his homily, I am going from my memory and understanding of his words.)

Father tied in how last Sunday, the Triumph of Orthodoxy and this Sunday of Gregory Palamas are both Sundays of triumph. He then went on to relate the events that occurred in Russia during the time of Tsar Nicholas II and following. Father then spoke about the role that ROCOR had in preserving the Faith of the Russian Church, and, then, how after the fall of Communism Metropolitan Laurus worked to reunite the ROCOR with the MP. He told us how ROCOR and Metropolitan Laurus’ role fit right into the Triumph of Orthodoxy over the dark times against the Church in Russia… preserving the Faith.

One thing he also shared was about an event that occurred late last Saturday night at the Cathedral in San Francisco… have you heard about this? Sometime between 1130 and midnight (west coat time), the bells of the Cathedral began ringing. The next morning, when the faithful who live near the Cathedral asked about the bells ringing, those responsible for the bells and the keys that lead to the bells knew nothing about it. Later that morning, Vladyka Kyrill shared about the repose of Metropolitan Laurus. The angels had rung the bells, announcing the passing of Metropolitan Laurus.

A blessed week to you my friend.

~h

23 March 2008

This was a personal e-mail communication from Herman Layne Schroeder of Walla Walla WA.

Editor’s note:

Soon after the death of St Ioann Maksimovich, books appeared with collections of the prayers answered through his intercessions, events of his life, and the blessings he extended to the faithful both in this life and beyond. We should be doing the same for Holy Laurus. Perhaps, a central collection agency can be established for such material placed under the care of a cleric who knew Vladyki well, such as Fr Seraphim Gan. This is in addition to both a popular and scholarly biography of the future saint (we must act quickly, for some of the people with recollections of Vladyki in earlier years are elderly, and shall not be with us much longer). We should also be thinking of endowing an Orthodox academic to write a scholarly monograph on the negotiations leading to the reconciliation, the reconciliation itself, and the immediate effects the event had on Church life.

We should be thinking of ORGANISATION. Don’t tremble so! It won’t hurt! Tyotya Vara says so! If we do things in a well thought-out and orderly fashion, we can have some of these materials out within the year. We should also be thinking of issuing videos in English and Russian, and perhaps, an illustrated children’s book of his life.

This is all possible. We can, indeed, do it. All that we need is the will to do so. Vladyki’s memory deserves nothing less, I say. What about you?

Editor’s Foreword:

The following is important for we must know exactly what our foes in the right-wing are saying. I fear that it is not a pleasant read, however, I have every confidence that the faithful have the discernment to see through the distortions offered below. Caveat auditor.

Metropolitan Laurus shall enter history as an extremely negative figure

An interview by Aleksei Feoktistov of the website Portal-Credo.Ru with Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy, member of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Imperial Union-Order (RISO)

Aleksei Feoktistov

What comes immediately to your mind concerning Metropolitan Laurus?

Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy

I knew him for no less than 20 years. He listened much, but, he spoke little. Although he preached sermons, I believe that he was an uneducated man. However, this in no way means that Mr Skurla did not know how to rule. He required obedience and he knew how to use force. He shall enter history as an extremely negative person, as a traitor. Furthermore, he must give an answer to God for his treachery.

Aleksei Feoktistov

How do you account for the fact that Vladyki Laurus died on the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy?

Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy

As one of our parishioners said, the Lord removed the traitor so that he could not profane the day.

Aleksei Feoktistov

Are there going to be pannikhidas celebrated in your Church (editor’s note: the schismatic splinter group headed by Bishop Agafangel Pashkovsky of Odessa) for the memory of Metropolitan Laurus?

Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy

How can one celebrate a pannikhida for a Judas? Of course, there shall be those who shall pray for his soul because of personal friendship or former acquaintance.

Aleksei Feoktistov

Why do you think that Vladyki Laurus felt it was so important for the ROCOR to be united with the Moscow Patriarchate?

Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy

It is a great mystery to me. Certainly, some money changed hands… in any case; Mr Skurla had long spoken of such reconciliation with Moscow.

Aleksei Feoktistov

What shall now happen to the ROCOR/MP?

Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy

Most probably, some more parishes and faithful shall leave the group. Indeed, Vladyki Laurus allowed a clergyman the privilege of not mentioning the name of Patriarch Aleksei in services (editor’s note: I believe that the reference is to Fr Valery Lukianov of New Jersey)… perhaps, he shall leave the ROCOR/MP now.

Aleksei Feoktistov

In your opinion, who shall become the new primate of the ROCOR/MP?

Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy

Most likely, the new head shall be Vladyki Hilarion Kapral. Then again, it is well-known that he has fallen in love with the flock of his Australian diocese and many believe that he does not wish to leave them. There is also Vladyki Mark Arndt; however, he is German, although he speaks Russian fluently and well. Nevertheless… he is German. A very improbable choice would be Vladyki Gabriel Chemodakov.

Aleksei Feoktistov

What was the cause of Vladyki Laurus’ death?

Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy

No public announcement has been made of this. Many say that it shall always be unknown. There shall not be an autopsy, for such is usually not allowed in the case of a death of a monastic. However, he had been feeling very poorly for quite some time, and such was noticeable to all about him.

Aleksei Feoktistov

But didn’t Vladyki Laurus visit Russia recently and appear quite well?

Pyotr Koltypin-Vallovskoy

Everyone knows that today there are modern medications that help to sustain one’s health temporarily.

19 March 2008

Portal-Credo.Ru

As cited in EL Mager’s Journal

http://elmager.livejournal.com/ (in Russian)

Editor’s Afterword:

Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy gave out more information than he intended. “He listened much, but, he spoke little”. That is BAD? It shows that Vladyki had the good-sense to know when to keep his mouth shut, a lesson that Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy would do well to heed.

“(I)n any case; Mr Skurla had long spoken of such reconciliation with Moscow”. This means that Vladyki had long been sincerely seeking reconciliation with the MP as per the wishes of the founders of the ROCOR. This adds lustre to the legacy of Vladyki; by no means does it besmirch it. It is a sign that Vladyki kept his faith in reunification even in the dark days of the jurisdictional wars of the 1970s and 1980s, and even during the dark night of the Ustinovshchyna of the 1990s (when the ROCOR founded parishes in an irregular manner on the canonical territory of the MP).

“Although he preached sermons, I believe that he was an uneducated man”. My, my, my… I do daresay that the aristocratic prejudices of Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy are showing! As many in the faithful are well aware, a good number of the earlier ROCOR bishops were drawn from the ranks of the former pre-revolutionary nobility (St Ioann Maksimovich and Averky Taushev come to mind immediately). This is mud-slinging, pure and simple. Vladyki came from a down-to-earth peasant family in eastern Slovakia, he never disguised that fact, and he never put on airs or a false face. As for education, Vladyki held a degree from Holy Trinity Seminary and his position as its Rector was not an honorary sinecure, he participated fully in the life and mission of the institution.

No, he was not an academic scholar. Then again, most educated people are not academic scholars. This smells like the noisome contempt of the ivory tower pseudo-intellectual for the non-academic world. I say, go to Jordanville and have a look-see! “If you require a memorial, look about you”. The words of Sir Christopher Wren are à propos in this instance. Vladyki was silent, but, he WORKED; he CREATED, and he BUILT. As for the verbosity of Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy, let’s keep a decent reticence.

Note well Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy’s remark concerning Vladyki Mark of Berlin, Germany, and Great Britain. “Nevertheless… he is German”. This is racism of the worst sort being paraded proudly for all to see, and Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy is rather of proud of this statement, is he not? The ROCOR was never a vehicle for the promotion of exclusivist nationalism as seen in the so-called NBP. As for Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy… I would say that his words accuse him.

A naïve hope is expressed that more parishes and faithful shall leave the ROCOR. Based upon what evidence, Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy? He does mention a singular clergyman, but, that individual is notorious in ROCOR clergy circles. A waggish priest passed on to me a witticism common amongst the ROCOR clergy (so he says, and I believe him). “There are four orders of major clergy. They are deacons, priests, bishops, and Valery Lukianov”. If this one man decides to bolt, I do daresay that it shall be an isolated occurrence (in fact, I confide that the rest of the Lukianov clan shall stay loyal!). In fact, I believe that Fr Valery shall stay right where he is, and that Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy is “whistling Dixie” and being unrealistic. Singular is not a synonym for disloyal.

What the words of Mr Koltypin-Vallovskoy tell us is that the right-wing fanatics have declared war on the Church. They call an evident saint a Judas. We should not attack such people, the door should always be open for their return, but, we should not delude ourselves as to their nature. Their words, spoken freely and openly, accuse them.

Deus videte et iudicare!