Λόγος στήν ἑορτή τῶν Ἁγίων Ταξιαρχῶν

Μιχ. Φραγκάκη, Ἱεροκήρυκος

Πολλές φορές, Ἀγαπητοί ἐν Χριστῷ ἀδελφοί, δυσκολευόμαστε νά περιγράψουμε μέ ἀκρίβεια ἱστορίες ἤ καί σκηνές τίς ὁποῖες ἔχουμε ζήσει οἱ ἴδιοι, ἐάν αὐτές ἦταν σοβαρές καί σημαντικές. Πόσο δε μᾶλλον, ὅταν καλούμεθα νά ὁμιλήσουμε γιά βίους Ἁγίων πού ἀφιέρωσαν τήν ζωή τους ἐφαρμόζοντας τό Εὐαγγέλιο στήν πρᾶξιν, ἤ ἀκόμα περισσότερο γιά τήν σημερινή Ἑορτή, τήν Σύναξι τῶν Ἁγίων Ταξιαρχῶν, θέμα καθαρά πνευματικό, διότι οἱ Ἄγγελοι εἶναι άσώματοι, ἄϋλοι, ἀθάνατοι κατά χάρι καί κανείς ἀπό ἐμᾶς τούς εἶδε. Γιά τούς λόγους αὐτούς, δέν θά τολμούσαμε νά δώσουμε ἀπό μόνοι μᾶς καμία ἑρμηνεία ἤ ἐλάχιστη ἐκτίμηση γιά τά γεγονότα τῆς σημερινῆς Ἑορτῆς, ἀλλά θά μοῦ ἐπιτρέψετε νά παραθέσω στήν ἀγάπη σας ἀπό τά ὅσα μᾶς καταρτίζουν οἱ ἑρμηνεῖες τῶν Ἁγίων Πατέρων καί Προφητῶν τῆς Πίστεώς μας, ἀλλά καί ἀπό τά ὅσα ἀναφέρονται στά θεῖα βιβλία τῆς Παλαιᾶς καί Καινῆς Διαθήκης.

Σήμερα ἡ Ἐκκλησία μας τιμᾶ καί ἑορτάζει τήν Σύναξι τῶν Παμμεγίστων Ταξιαρχῶν, τῶν Ἀρχαγγέλων Μιχαήλ καί Γαβριήλ, καί Πασῶν τῶν Ἐπουρανίων Δυνάμεων Ἀσωμάτων. Ἑορτάζει μεγαλοπρεπῶς καί φαιδρῶς πανηγυρίζει τήν ἀνάμνησι τῆς ἀρετῆς τῶν Ἀγγέλων ὅπου ἔμειναν πιστοί εἰς τόν Θεόν καί ἀποδοκίμασαν "ἐν οὐρανοῖς" τόν ἀποστάτη Διάβολο καί Σατανᾶ καί τούς ὀπαδούς του δαίμονες.

Ὁ Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Θεολόγος, στόν λόγο τῶν Χριστουγέννων λέγει, ὅτι πρό τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καί τῆς γῆς ἔκτισεν ὁ Θεός τούς Ἀγγέλους. Σήμερα λοιπόν ἡ Ἐκκλησία μας ἑορτάζει τήν Σύναξι αὐτῶν τῶν Ἀγγέλων καί σύναξις σημαίνει συνάθροισις, σάν τήν σύναξη, τήν συνάθροιση, τήν μάζωξη τήν σημερινή τήν δική μας, φίλοι μου. Ἀλλά γιατί συνάχθηκαν ὅλοι οἱ Ἄγγελοι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, γιά ποιά αἰτία καί πότε; Συνάχθηκαν πρίν ἀπό τήν δημιουργία τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους. Συνάχθηκαν διά νά καταδικάσουν τόν πρῶτο ἐκπεσόντα, τόν πρῶτο ἀποστάτη στήν Ἐκκλησία τῶν Πρωτοτόκων, τόν πρῶτο σχισματικό στή Μία, Ἁγία, Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ καί μέ τήν ἀρετή τους νά παραμείνουν ἀμετακίνητοι, προσκυνοῦντες καί ὑμνοῦντες τόν Τριαδικό Θεό.

Ὀ Ἑωσφόρος, ἀρχηγός τοῦ τάγματος τῶν ἐκπεσόντων Ἀγγέλων, φθόνησε τήν Θεία Βούληση νά δημιουργήσῃ ὁ Θεός καί ἄλλα λογικά ὄντα, δηλαδή τόν ἄνθρωπο. Φθόνησε τήν Θεία Βούληση καί τήν φιλανθρωπία τοῦ Θεοῦ νά ἐνσαρκωθῇ στή συνέχεια γιά τήν σωτηρία τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους. Καί μήν ἀντέχων ὁ ὑπερήφανος τήν ταπείνωσι τοῦ Δεσπότου καί Κυρίου πάσης σαρκός, ὑπερηφανεύθη. Ἀπό ὑπερβολικήν ὑπερηφάνεια λοιπόν, ὁ ἐπαρθείς διάβολος, ἐκαυχήθη νά ἀναβιβάσῃ τόν θρόνοντου ἕως τοῦ Θρόνου Κυρίου, τοῦ πάντων Ποιητοῦ καί Δεσπότου. Καί ὅπως μᾶς ἀναφέρει ὁ Προφήτης Ἠσαΐας, αὐτοστιγμής, μόλις διελογίσθηκε καί βουλήθηκε αὐτά, ἐξέπεσε τῆς οὐρανίου δόξης καί τοῦ Ἀρχαγγελικοῦ ἀξιώματος. Καθώς δέ ἀναφέρει ὁ Χριστός μας στό Εὐαγγέλιο (διά τοῦ Εὐαγγελιστοῦ Λουκᾶ), «ἐθεώρουν τόν Σατανᾶν ὡς ἀστραπήν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσόντα». Ὁμοίως ἔπεσε καί τό ὑποτασσόμενο σ'αὐτόν πλῆθος τάγματος τῶν Ἀγγέλων πού ἀποσκίρτησε ἀπό τόν Θεό, διακατεχόμενο ἀπό τήν ἴδια ὑπερηφάνεια μέ αὐτή τοῦ Ἑωσφόρου καί ἀπό Ἄγγελοι φωτός ὅλοι μαζί οἱ ἐκπεσῶντες ἔγιναν σκοτεινοί δαίμονες. Ἔτσι ἔχουμε ἀπό τήν μία τήν πρώτη καταδίκη ἀποστάτου ἀπό τήν Ἐκκλησία τῶν οὐρανῶν καί ἀπὀ τήν ἄλλη τήν πρώτη οἰκουμενική σύναξη τῆς Μιᾶς Ἐκκλησίας τῶν Πρωτοτόκων (Ἑβρ. ΙΒ´ 23).

Πάνω σέ αὐτή τήν ἀναταραχή καί ἀναστάτωση τῆς οὐράνιας ἁρμονίας καί Ἀγγελικῆς Τάξεως, ἔχουμε τήν Σύναξη ὅλων τῶν Ἀγγελικῶν Δυνάμεων, πρωτοστατοῦντος τοῦ Ἀρχαγγέλου Μιχαήλ νά ἀναφωνῇ πρός ὅλους: «ΠΡΟΣΧΩΜΕΝ, ΣΤΩΜΕΝ ΚΑΛΩΣ», δηλαδή, ἄς προσέξουμε, νά δοῦμε τί συνέβη καί τί ἔπαθαν ἀπό τήν ὑπερηφάνειά τούς οἱ ἐκπεσόντες δαίμονες, οἱ ὁποῖοι μέχρι πρό ὀλίγου ἦταν Ἄγγελοι μαζί μέ ἐμᾶς. Ἄς συλλογισθοῦμε ὅτι εἴμαστε κτίσματα καί δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ἄς σταθοῦμε καλῶς, προσεκτικά. Ἔτσι καί ἔγινε. Καί προσκύνησαν τόν Θεό μετά φόβου, ὅλοι οἱ Ἄγγελοι ἀναβοῶντες ταυτόχρονα τόν ἐπινίκειον ὕμνον, «Ἅγιος, Ἅγιος, Ἅγιος, Κύριος Σαβαώθ, πλήρης ὁ οὐρανός καί ἡ γῆ τῆς δόξης Αὐτοῦ».

Αὐτό λοιπόν τό μυστήριο ἑορτάζουμε καί ἐμεῖς, φίλοι πανηγυριστές, μέ τήν σημερινή μας σύναξι ἐδῶ, μέ ΠΡΟΣΟΧΗ, ΦΟΒΟΝ ΘΕΟΥ, ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ καί ΕΝΩΣΙ, προσκυνώντας καί δοξολογώντας τόν Θεό. Στῶμεν καλῶς, λοιπόν ἀδελφοί κι’ ἐμεῖς. Ἀμετακίνητοι στήν Πίστη καί τίς Παραδόσεις τῶν Πατέρων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ μας, μέ θεία εὐχαρίστηση ἀπό τήν μιά, ἀλλά καί μέ θλίψη ἐπίγνωσης ἀπό τήν ἄλλη, γιά τούς ἀνθρώπους καί ἀδελφούς μας πού χάθηκαν καί χάνονται καθημερινά σέ Σχίσματα καί Αἱρέσεις, σέ μιά ἀδιάκοπη πτώση, χρησιμοποιώντας πλαστά τό δικαίωμα τῆς ἐλευθερίας τῆς βούλησης. Ἀνθρώπινα πάθη καί ἐπιρροές μετέβαλλαν τήν ὀρθή κρίση τους, ὁδηγώντας τούς σέ πνευματική αὐτοκτονία, μακράν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἄς μείνουμε μέ τήν εὐσπλαχνία τοῦ Θεοῦ στήν Ἐκκλησία τῶν Πατέρων καί τῶν Προφητῶν καί πάντων τῶν Ἁγίων, στήν Ἐκκλησία τῶν Ἀγγέλων.

Στήν Ἐκκλησία τῶν Ἀγγέλων, ἐννέα εἶναι τά Αγγελικά τάγματα καί τρεῖς οἱ ἱεραρχικές τάξεις των ἤ διακοσμήσεις. Ἡ πρώτη ἱεραρχική τάξις πού βρίσκεται πλησιέστερα στόν Θεόνεἶναι οἱ Θρόνοι, τά Χερουβείμ καί τά Σεραφείμ. Ἡ δεύτερη τάξις εἶναι οἱ Κυριότητες, οἱ Δυνάμεις καί οἱ Ἐξουσίες. Καί ἡ τρίτη τάξις εἶναι οἱ Ἀρχές, οἱ Ἀρχάγγελοι καί οἱ Ἄγγελοι.

Ἡ πρώτη τάξις Ἀγγέλων (Θρόνοι, Χερουβείμ καί Σεραφείμ), εἶναι τά πλησιέστερα πρός τόν Θεό τάγματα. Στούς Θρόνους ἀναπαύεται ὁ Θεός. Τά πολυόμματα Σεραφείμ ἐκφράζουν τήν πρός Αὐτόν Θεία Ἀγάπη καί τά Ἑξαπτέρυγα Χερουβείμ "πεπληρωμένα πλήρους σοφίας καί γνώσεως Θεοῦ", ἐκτελοῦν ἀμέσως ὅλα τοῦ τά προστάγματα. Στή δεύτερη τάξη τῶν Ἀγγέλων (Κυριότητες, Δυνάμεις καί Ἐξουσίες), τό μέν τάγμα τῶν Κυριοτήτων εἶναι αὐτό πού ἔχει τήν κυριότητα τῆς προωθήσεως ὅλων τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρός ἄμεση ἐκτέλεσι. Τό τάγμα τῶν Δυνάμεων εἶναι αὐτό τό ὁποῖο ξεπερνάει καί ἐξουδετερώνει ὅλα τά ἐμπόδια πού μπορεῖ νά παρουσιαστοῦν, ὅσο μεγάλα καί ἄν εἶναι, προκειμένου νά ἐκτελεστοῦν ὅλες οἱ ἐντολές τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καί τό τάγμα τῶν Ἐξουσιῶν εἶναι τό τάγμα τό ὁποῖο διατηρεῖ τήν ἡγεμονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἐφαρμόζοντας, χωρίς ἀμφιταλαντεύσεις τίς διαταγές τοῦ Θεοῦ. Στήν τρίτη τάξη τῶν Ἀγγέλων ο(Ἀρχές, Ἀρχάγγελοι καί Ἄγγελοι), τό τάγμα τῶν Ἀρχῶν κατέχει τούς αἰθέρες, δηλαδή ἀπό τόν Θρόνον τοῦ Θεοῦ στόν οὐρανό, μέχρι τήν γῆ. Ἐλέγχουν, μεταφέρουν καί προωθοῦν πρός ἐκτέλεσι τίς διαταγές καί ἐντολές τοῦ Θεοῦ, πού παραλαμβάνουν ἀπό τά ἀνώτερα τάγματα. Τό τάγμα τῶν Ἀρχαγγέλων ἀναλαμβάνει νά ἐξυπηρετῇ Βασιλεῖς καί νά προστατεύῃ Ἔθνη ὁλόκληραρα, ἀνεξαρτήτως τῆς πίστεώς των, διότι καί ἀπό αὐτά τά Ἔθνη μπορεῖ νά ὑπάρχουν ἤ νά ὑπάρξουν στό μέλλον πιστοί τῆς μιᾶς καί μοναδικῆς γνησίας Ὀρθοδόξου Πίστεώς μας. Καί τέλος, οἱ Ἄγγελοιεἶναι λειτουργικά πνεύματα, "εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διά τούς θέλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν". Εἶναι δηλαδή μεσίτες μεταξύ Θεοῦ καί ἀνθρώπων. Ἄγγελος σημαίνει ἀγγελιοφόρος, ἐκεῖνος πού φέρει ἕνα μήνυμα, μία ἀγγελία καί μάλιστα καλή, χαρμόσυνη ἀγγελία. Λέγονται «Ἄγγελοι» διότι ἀγγέλλουν, μεταφέρουν στούς ἀνθρώπους καλές εἰδήσεις καί προστάγματα καί παραγγελίες τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅποιο καί ἄν εἶναι τό ἄγγελμα τοῦ Ἀγγέλου, ἐφ’ ὅσον στέλνεται ἀπό τόν Θεό καί πρόκειται γιά τήν σωτηρία τῆς ἀθανάτου ψυχῆς μας, μοναδικοῦ σκοποῦ τῆς ὑπάρξεώς μας, τό ἄγγελμα, ἀγαπητοί μου, εἶναι χαρμόσυνο. Ἡ κάθε πόλις, ἡ κάθε χώρα ἔχει τόν δικό της φύλακα Ἄγγελο. Ἐπιπλέον, ὁ κάθε πιστός ἔχει ἐπίσης τόν φύλακα Ἄγγελό του, πού τόν ἀποκτᾶ σάν θεῖο δῶρο κατά τήν βάπτισί του («Ἄγγελον εἰρήνης, πιστόν ὁδηγόν, φύλακα τῶν ψυχῶν καί τῶν σωμάτων ἡμῶν»).

Καί ἐμεῖς πολλές φορές, ἀγαπητοί μου, κάνουμε τόν Ἄγγελό μας νά θλίβεται μέ τίς πράξεις μας καί νά κλαίῃ καί νά ὑποφέρῃ, μένοντας ὅμως ἀγόγγυστα κοντά μας, ἐλπίζοντας καί προσευχόμενος γιά τήν δική μας μετάνοια. Ναί, ἀγαπητοί μου, δέν εἴμαστε μόνοι μας ὅταν σκεφτόμαστε, ὅταν προβληματιζόμαστε, στή χαρά καί στή λύπη, στήν προκοπή ἤ στήν ἁμαρτία, στήν ὑγεία ἤ στήν ἀσθένειά μας. Εἶναι μαζί μας, δίπλα μας, ἐπιτελώντας τό ὕψιστο καθῆκον πού τοῦ ἀνετέθηκε ἀπό τόν Θεό, τήν φύλαξι τοῦ σώματος καί τῆς πολυτίμου ἀθανάτου ψυχῆς μας, μέχρι τέλους τῶν ἡμερῶν μας. Μᾶς ἐπισκέπτεται πολλές φορές στά ὄνειρά μας, θέλοντας νά μᾶς περάσῃ κάποιο μήνυμα ἤ νά μᾶς προφυλάξῃ ἀπό κάποιο κακό καί κατά τήν πίστη μας τό ἀντιλαμβανόμαστε ἤ κατά τήν ὀλιγοπιστία μας τό μήνυμα παραμένει θολό. Πῶς νά ἐπικοινωνήσῃ μαζί μας ἕνας Ἄγγελος πού συναναστρέφεται Ἀγγέλους καί Θεό; Πῶς νά γίνῃ κατανοητός, ἐάν καί ἐμεῖς δέν προσπαθήσουμε νά τόν πλησιάσουμε ἔστω σέ ἀρετές καί πνευματική προκοπή; Ἔχουμε τήν δύναμη, φίλοι μου, μέ τούς ἀγῶνες μας σέ αὐτή τήν ζωή νά προσελκύσουμε τό ἔλεος καί τή Χάρη τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ὄχι μόνο νά σώσουμε τήν ψυχή μας, ἀλλά καί νά γίνουμε κατά χάριν μικροί θεοί. Ἔχουμε, λοιπόν, τήν δυνατότητα νά προσεγγίσουμε τόν Ἄγγελό μας καί νά ζήσουμε ἕνα παράδεισο ἐδῶ στή γῆ, συναναστρεφόμενοι τά ἑκατομμύρια τῶν Ἁγίων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας μας, διαβάζοντας καί μιμούμενοι τίς πράξεις καί τήν ζωή τους. Ἑπικαλούμενοι τήν βοήθειαν τῶν Ἀγγελικῶν Ταγμάτων, νά ξεπεράσουμε τά ἐμπόδια πού στέκονται μπροστά μας καί νά ζήσουμε ἕνα ἐπιπλέον κατά χάριν παράδεισο στήν παροῦσα ζωή, ἀδελφωμένοι, συμπορευόμενοι μέ βίο παράλληλο μέ αὐτόν τοῦ φύλακα Ἀγγέλου μας, μέ πράξεις θεάρεστες, μέ προσευχή, ξεκινώντας μίαν ἀρχή ἀπό σήμερα ἔστω, ἅπαξ τῆς ἡμέρας τουλάχιστον, προσευχόμενοι στόν φύλακα Ἄγγελό μας νά μεσιτεύῃ γιά μᾶς στόν Θεό. «Ἅγιε Ἄγγελε, ὁ ἐφεστώς τῆς ἀθλίας ψυχῆς μου καί ταλαιπώρου μου ζωῆς, μή ἐγκαταλείπῃς με τόν ἁμαρτωλόν…»

Προσευχή, ἀγαπητοί μου, μέ προσοχή, μέ προσήλωση, χωρίς νά φεύγῃ ὁ νοῦς μας. Ὑπῆρξαν Ἅγιοι οἱ ὁποῖοι ἀφιέρωσαν ὁλόκληρη τήν ζωή τούς στό Θεό. Ἡ Ὁσία Μαρία ἡ Αἰγυπτία, γιά παράδειγμα, σαράντα πέντε χρόνια στήν ἔρημο ἀφιερωμένη στό Θεό, προσευχομένη ἀδιαλείπτως, σέ μία ἀπόλυτα ἁρμονική ἐπικοινωνία μαζί Του. Ἐμεῖς, ἀγαπητοί μου, πόσα χρόνια ἀπό τήν ζωή μας ἔχουμε πραγματικά ἀφιερώσει στό Θεό; Πόσο χρόνο ἀφιερώσαμε ἀπό τόν σημερινό ἐκκλησιασμό μας; Τρεῖς ὧρες; Χωρίς νά φύγῃ ὁ νοῦς μας καί νά τρέξῃ στά βιωτικά; Μία ὥρα; Χωρίς νά ἀσχοληθοῦμε μέ τό ποιός μπῆκε καί ποιός βγῆκε. Μισή ὥρα; Χωρίς νά σχολιάσουμε τό σφάλμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μας; Δέκα λεπτά; Δύο λεπτά, ἴσως ,προσηλωμένοι καί ἀφοσιωμένοι στήν προσευχή; Στῶμεν καλῶς, ἀδελφοί, ΠΡΟΣΧΩΜΕΝ.

Δηλώνουν οἱ ἄθεοι, ὅτι δέν ὑπάρχει ἀθανασία ψυχῆς καί ὅτι ἡ Κόλαση καί ὁ Παράδεισος εἶναι ἐδῶ, θεωρώντας οἱ δύσμοιροι ὡς κισμέτ, ὡς μοιραῖο, ὡς δεδομένο καί μή ἀνατρέψιμο τόν τρόπο βίωσης τῶν καλῶν καί κακῶν στιγμῶν τῆς ζωῆς. Ὄχι, ἀντιπαραθέτουμε. Μέ τίς πράξεις μας καί τόν τρόπο ζωῆς μας, μποροῦμε νά κάνουμε κόλαση ἤ παράδεισο καί τήν τωρινή σύντομη ζωή μας καί τήν μέλλουσα αἰώνια.Ἔχω γνωρίσει ἀνθρώπους πιστούς στόν Θεό, στό κρεβάτι τῆς ἀσθένειας, πού εἶχαν γαλήνιο βλέμμα, ὑπομένοντας ὡς θεῖο δῶρο τήν ἀσθένειά τους, πλημμυρισμένοι ἀπό Θεία εὐτυχία. Ἔχω γνωρίσει ἀνθρώπους κατεστραμμένους οἰκονομικά, νά θεωροῦν ὡς θεῖο δῶρο τήν καταστροφή τους, μετουσιώνοντας τήν θλίψη τούς σέ θεία εὐτυχία. Ἐπίσης ἔχω γνωρίσει ἀνθρώπους μέ ἄρρωστα ἐκ γενετῆς παιδιά, πολύ πιό εὐτυχισμένους ἀπό γονεῖς μέ ὑγιῆ παιδιά, πού πέσανε θύματα τῶν ναρκωτικῶν, πού πέσανε θύματα μιᾶς κοσμικῆς κοινωνίας πού κυνηγάει τό χρῆμα. Καί ἔχω γνωρίσει πλουσίους καί ὑγιεῖς δυστυχισμένους, θύματα μιᾶς κοινωνίας πνευματικά στεῖρας, πού δέν θέλει τά παιδιά της, τά ἀρνεῖται ἄν δέν τά σκοτώσῃ πρίν γεννηθοῦν, μιᾶς πλαστῆς κοινωνίας ἀχόρταγης πού θέλει νά καταστρέψῃ ὡς δαιμονοκρατούμενη ὅσους περισσότερους μπορεῖ. Σάν τούς λύκους πού δέν σκοτώνουν μόνο γιά νά φᾶνε, ἀλλά συνεχίζουν ἀπό φονικό ἔνστικτο ὁδηγούμενοι, γεμίζοντας τό περιβάλλον πού ζοῦν μέ σάρκες σέ ἀποσύνθεση, χωρίς λογική καί χωρίς συνέπεια. Μακριά ἀπό τούς λύκους τῆς κοινωνίας μας, ἀγαπητοί μου. Μακριά ἀπό τούς λύκους πού παρουσιάζονται κατά καιρούς καί στούς χώρους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Μακριά ἀπό τούς λύκους πού θέλουν νά ξεσκίσουν τό πνεῦμα καί τίς ἀρετές τῶν ἐναρέτων ἀνθρώπων. Διότι ὅταν τούς συναναστραφοῦμε, τότε ἴσως τά πνευματικά μας ὅπλα λερωθοῦν κι’ αὐτά ἀπό τό αἷμα καί δέν φανοῦν ἱκανά νά μᾶς σώσουν. Τά ὅπλα τά δικά μας εἶναι ἀποτελεσματικά ὅταν βρίσκονται μέσα στήν ἐμβέλεια τοῦ περιβάλλοντος τῶν Ἀγγέλων, τῶν Ἁγίων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας μας καί τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τά ὅπλα μας εἶναι ἀποτελεσματικά ὅταν τά χρησιμοποιοῦμε πρός ἀποφυγήν τῆς συναναστροφῆς μέ τόν παμφάγο κόσμο, μέσα στήν σιγουριά τῆς μάνδρας τῶν λογικῶν προβάτων.

Τρεῖς εἶναι οἱ Ἄγγελοι, ἀγαπητοί, τῶν ὁποίων τά ὀνόματα μᾶς εἶναι περισσότερο γνωστά, Μιχαήλ, Γαβριήλ καί Ραφαήλ. Ἐξωβιβλικές παραδόσεις ἀναφέρονται καί σέ πολλά ἄλλα ὀνόματα καί καθήκοντα Ἀγγέλων. Πάρα πολλές εἶναι ἐπίσης οἱ παρουσίες, οἱ ἐμφανίσεις καί τά θαύματα τῶν Ἀγγέλων, πού ὁ χρόνος δέν θά μᾶς ἔφτανε οὔτε νά τά ἀπαριθμήσουμε.«Στάσου Ἀβραάμ. Ἐδοκίμασεν ὁ Θεός τήν πίστη σου καί δέν χρειάζεται νά θυσιάσῃς τόν ὑἱόν σου". Ἦταν ὁ Ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαήλ φέρνοντας χαρμόσυνο μήνυμα στόν Ἀβραάμ, τόν ἀποφασισμένο νά θυσιάσῃ τό παιδί του γιά τήν ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ. «Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, Μαρία, ὁ Κύριος μετά Σοῦ» Ἦταν ὁ Ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριήλ, ὁ ὁποῖος ἐμήνυε στή Θεοτόκο τό μυστήριο τῆς Σαρκώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου, ἀποκαλύπτοντας στή Θεοτόκο, "τό ἀπ’ αἰῶνος ἀπόκρυφον" καί ἀπό τούς Ἀγγέλους ἀκόμη ἄγνωστο Μυστήριο τῆς σωτηρίας τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους, Μυστήριο σχεδιασμένον παρά τοῦ Κτίστου πρό πάντων τῶν αἰώνων, Μυστήριο τό ὁποῖο πραγματοποιεῖται μέχρι τῶν ἡμερῶν μας, σώζοντας ψυχές ἀνθρώπων πιστῶν πού βρίσκονται στήν Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ, Μυστήριο πού θά συνεχίζεται μέχρι συντελείας τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. Τό Μυστήριο αὐτό ἐφθόνησε ὁ διάβολος, τήν ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ γιά τόν μέλλοντα ἄνθρωπο, τήν Ἐνσάρκωση τοῦ Θεοῦ, τήν φιλανθρωπία Του, τήν Κένωση τοῦ Δεσπότου καί ἀποφάσισε νά φθάσῃ μέχρι Θρόνου Θεοῦ, ἀπό ὑπερβολική ἔπαρση καί ἐγωισμό, μέ ἀποτέλεσμα ἀπό Ἄγγελος φωτός νά ἐκπέσῃ μέ τούς ὁμοίους του καί νά γίνουν δαίμονες τῆς αἰωνίου κολάσεως.

ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ ΒΟΥΛΗΣΗΣ ΑΓΓΕΛΩΝ καί ΑΝΘΡΩΠΩΝ. Οἱ Ἄγγελοι καί οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι τά μοναδικά κτίσματα τῆς δημιουργίας πού διαθέτουν φύση λογική καί αὐτεξούσια βούληση. Οἱ Ἄγγελοι εἶναι ἄϋλα ἀσώματα καί ἀθάνατα πνεύματα μέ ἐλεύθερη βούληση καί ὑπηρετοῦν τόν Θεό. Δέν ἔχουν ὑλικό σῶμα ὅπως εἶναι τό ἀνθρώπινο σῶμα, ἀλλά εἶναι πνευματικές ὑπάρξεις, γι’ αὐτό καί δέν εἶναι ὁρατοί, ὅπως ὁρατή δέν εἶναι καί ἡ ψυχή μας. Κατά τόν Ἅγιο Ἰωάννη τόν Δαμασκηνό, «Ἄγγελος ἐστίν οὐσία νοερά, ἀεικίνητος, αὐτεξούσιος, ἀσώματος, Θεῷ λειτουργοῦσα, κατά χάριν ἐν τῇ φύσει τό ἀθάνατον εἰληφυῖα». Οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐπίσης εἶναι ὄντα μέ νοῦ καί ἐλευθερία βούλησης. Εἶναι δηλαδή ἐλεύθερα ὄντα. Κάνοντας χρήση τοῦ μυαλοῦ τους μποροῦν νά ἀποφασίζουν γιά ἀπλᾶ ἤ γιά σοβαρά θέματα. Τό θέμα τῆς ἐλευθερίας γενικότερα, ἀγαπητοί μου, ἀπασχόλησε καί ἀπασχολεῖ ὅλη τήν ἀνθρωπότητα ἀπό κτίσεως κόσμου. Ἀπασχόλησε ἀκόμη καί τούς πρώτους ἀνθρώπους, τόν Ἀδάμ καί τήν Εὔα, τούς Πρωτοπλάστους καί Προπάτορας ὅλων τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τούς ἀπασχόλησε στό δίλημμα τοῦ ἄν θά ἔπρεπε νά δοκιμάσουν τόν ἀπαγορευμένο καρπό ἤ ὄχι, παραβαίνοντας τήν ἐντολή τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀποφάσισαν νά παραβοῦν τήν ἐντολή τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τήν παρέβησαν, ὁδηγώντας τούς ἑαυτούς τους σέ πνευματική αὐτοκτονία, διαπιστώνοντας ταυτόχρονα τό πλαστό δικαίωμα τῆς ἐλευθερίας ὅταν τό χρησιμοποιοῦμε πρός ζημίαν μας. Οἱ ἐχθροί τῆς πνευματικῆς ἐλευθερίας εἶναι ἡ ἀλαζονεία καί ὁ ἐγωϊσμός, πού ὁδηγοῦν στήν παρακοή τοῦ Θείου θελήματος. Εἶναι πλαστό τό δικαίωμα τοῦ νά διαβάλουμε τόν πλησίον μας λόγῳ ἤ ἔργῳ γιά δική μας πρόοδο, ὅταν ἡ ἐντολή τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι νά ἀγαπᾶμε τόν πλησίον μας σάν τόν ἑαυτό μας. Εἶναι πλαστό τό δικαίωμα τῆς ἐλευθερίας τοῦ νά κρίνουμε, καί μάλιστα δημόσια, τόν συνάνθρωπό μας, παραβαίνοντας τήν ἐντολή τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅταν μάλιστα οἱ δικές μας πράξεις εἶναι χειρότερες ἀπό αὐτές πού κρίνουμε. Τό αἴσθημα τῆς ἐλευθερίας καί τό δικαίωμα τοῦ νά τήν ὑπερασπίζεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος, εἶναι τόσο ἔντονο πού πολλές φορές ὅταν αἰσθάνεται ὅτι τοῦ δεσμεύουν τήν ἐλευθερία του, μπορεῖ νά φτάσῃ στά ἄκρα. Γι’αὐτό καί ἔχουν γίνει πόλεμοι, ἐκστρατεῖες ὁλόκληροι, μέ ἑκατομμύρια νεκρῶν στήν ἱστορία τῆς ἀνθρωπότητας, γιά τήν προάσπιση τῆς Ἐλευθερίας. Ἡ πρώτη λανθασμένη χρήση τοῦ δικαιώματος τῆς Ἐλευθερίας στήν ἱστορία τῆς κτίσεως, μέ ἀποτέλεσμα τόν πρῶτο ἀποστάτη στήν Ἐκκλησία τῶν Οὐρανῶν, ἔγινε ἀπό τόν ἐκπεσῶντα Ἑωσφόρο καί τό ἀγγελικό του τάγμα, ὅταν αὐτός ἀλαζονικά καί ἐγωϊστικά σκεπτόμενος, προσπάθησε νά κατακτήσῃ τόν ἴδιο τόν Θρόνο τοῦ Θεοῦ, θαμπωμένος ἀπό φθόνο γιά τό Θεῖο φῶς, πού ἀντί νά τό ἀπολαμβάνῃ μέ τούς Ἀγγέλους του, ὑπέστη, μέ τήν σκέψη καί μόνο, τήν κόλαση εἰς τόν αἰῶνα τόν ἅπαντα, σχίζοντας τά νήματα πού τόν κρατοῦσαν ἑνωμένο μέ τήν Οὐράνια Ἐκκλησία.

Σήμερα ἀγαπητοί μου, ἡ παγκόσμια κοινότητα πλήττεται ἀπό ἕνα σοβαρό χρηματοπιστωτικό κίνδυνο, πρόβλημα πού ἀπειλεῖ νά παρασύρῃ σέ πλήρη οἰκονομική κατάρρευση ὅλη τή γῆ. Ἡ ἔπαρση καί ὁ ἐγωϊσμός τοῦ ἀνθρώπου νά προχωρῇ ἀνεξέλεγκτα, ὑπό τό πρόσχημα τῆς ἐξέλιξης, ἀψηφώντας τίς ἐντολές τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀντί νά ἀπολαμβάνῃ τά φυσικά ἀγαθά, χωρίς νά παραβιάζῃ τήν φύση, καταβάλλει προσπάθεια νά προσαρμοστῇ στό δημιούργημά του. Διότι πῶς ἀλλιῶς σήμερα ὁ ἄνθρωπος, μπροστά στή μεγάλη βλάβη καί ζημία πού ἔχει ὁ ἴδιος προκαλέσει παγκοσμίως, μπορεῖ νά διορθώσῃ καί νά ἐπαναφέρῃ τά πράγματα στή φυσική τους κατάσταση; Πῶς νά διορθώσῃ τήν τεράστια ρύπανση πού ἔχει προκαλέσει, τήν πεῖνα ἑκατομμυρίων συνανθρώπων του σέ ὅλη τή γῆ, τήν κοινωνική ἀδικία, τόν καθημερινό βιασμό τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων, τήν τρύπα τοῦ ὄζοντος διά τῆς καταστροφῆς τῆς ἀτμόσφαιρας, τήν ραδιενεργό ρύπανση, καί τόν διωγμό τῶν γνησίων ὀλίγων πιστῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Τί σκυτάλη νά ἀφήσῃ στόν ἀναπτυσσόμενο λεγόμενο «τρίτο κόσμο», ὅταν τό πρότυπο τῶν δῆθεν «ἐξελιγμένων» ἔχει ἤδη καταρρεύσει; Μόνο ἐάν κατανοούσαμε τήν ταπείνωση καί τό, ΣΤΩΜΕΝ ΚΑΛΩΣ -μέχρις ἐδῶ. ΠΡΟΣΧΩΜΕΝ, μέ προσοχή καί φόβο Θεοῦ. Καί φόβος Θεοῦ δέν σημαίνει τρομοκρατοῦμαι, σημαίνει ἐπίγνωση Θεοῦ. Καί ὡς ἄνθρωποι, ἐν ἐπιγνώσει Θεοῦ ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι τήν θέση μας καί τό μεγαλεῖο τοῦ Θεοῦ, διακατεχόμενοι ἀπό θεῖο φόβο, νά ὑμνήσουμε καί νά δοξολογήσουμε τόν Κύριο καί Σωτῆρα ἡμῶν, ὅπως ἐντέλλει ἡ ἀπ’ αἰῶνος Ἐκκλησία Του, γιά νά βροῦμε τό κουράγιο νά συνεχίσουμε καί σύν Θεῷ, νά διορθώσουμε τά λάθη πού κάναμε, καί τίς ἀδικίες στήν κτίση, στούς συνανθρώπους μας καί στούς ἑαυτούς μας.

Σέ εὐχαριστῶ, ἀδελφέ μου, πού μέ ἀφύπνισες πνευματικά. Ἄς μήν ντραποῦμε νά παραδεχτοῦμε στόν ἀδελφό μας τήν εὐεργεσία πού μᾶς ἔκανε. Σέ εὐχαριστῶ, Πατέρα μου Πνευματικέ, πού μέ διορθώνεις καθημερινά. Σέ εὐχαριστῶ, Θεέ μου, Πλάστη καί Δημιουργέ μου, πού μέ συγχωρεῖς συνεχῶς, ὅπως τούς Ἰσραηλῖτες στό ὁδοιπορικό τους στήν ἔρημο. Σέ εὐχαριστῶ, Ἅγιε Ἄγγελε, φύλακα τῆς ψυχῆς καί τοῦ σώματός μου. Δέν τά ξέρω ὅλα, ἀφήνω τόν Θεό νά κρίνῃ τί εἶναι πρός τό συμφέρον τῆς ψυχῆς μου καί νά μέ ἀπομακρύνῃ ἀπό λογισμούς, πράξεις καί ἀνθρώπους πού λειτουργοῦν σέ βάρος τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ψυχῆς μου. ΣΤΩΜΕΝ ΚΑΛΩΣ, ΑΔΕΛΦΟΙ, ΠΡΟΣΧΩΜΕΝ. Μέ φόβον Θεοῦ εἰς τόν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἀμήν.

SCHEMA ABBESS MAGDALINA OF YEKATERINBURG (+ 1934)

By Vladimir Moss

In the world Pelagia Stefanovna Dosmanovna, was born in 1847 in the city of Irbit, Perm province। On January 19, 1859 she entered the Novo-Tikhvin monastery in Yekaterinburg and worked in the candle factory. From 1871 she became the assistant of Abbess Magdalina (Neustroyeva). On January 19, 1893 she was tonsured into monasticism. In July 8, 1896 she was appointed treasurer. On February 23, 1897 she was raised to the rank of abbess and received a golden chest cross. Under her, the monastery reached its greatest flourishing, becoming the third largest monastery in Russia with 911 inhabitants in 1917. In 1900 she was appointed guardian of the church-parish schools of the diocese. After the closure of the monastery in 1919 she secretly gathered around her the nuns who remained in Yekaterinburg; the majority of them worked in the city’s hospitals. She was arrested eight times, but then released. She died on July 16, 1934 and was buried in Yekaterinburg, next to the altar of the church of St. John the Forerunner. Three days before her death, she had a vision of the Mother of God who told her the exact day of her death, after which she took the schema.

HIEROCONFESSOR NICETAS OF VYATKA (+ 1974)

By Vladimir Moss

It is not known where Protopriest Nicetas (Illarionovich or Ignatyevich Rodionov or Ignatiev) was born. Once he was asked: “Is your homeland far?” “Far, where the vines grow – my homeland is there,” replied batyushka. “When the pilgrims went to Jerusalem, to the Black Sea, they spent the night with us.”
The hospitable house of his parents was always open for wanderers. Fr. Nicetas had a brother, Demetrius, who was eight years older than he, and their father used to explain his hospitality as follows: “I have two sons. Maybe they will have to go wandering…” That’s how it turned out, at any rate in the case of the younger son. Fr. Nicetas said that since his parents gave refuge to pilgrims, he himself was later hidden by kind people.
One old wanderer lived for a long time with his parents, and they buried him… Many years later, Fr. Nicetas would be secretly buried, at great risk, by those who gave him his last shelter.
Fr. Nicetas had a Christian upbringing; he said that he had been close to the Church from his young years, and declined from playing games: “The young people would go and play, but I – to the church…” From his childhood he read and chanted on the kliros, and learned all the services; the boy also read the Apostle, for which he stood on a bench.
Fr. Nicetas’ parents were called Illarion and Euphrosyne. They were tortured by the Bolsheviks – starved to death. They locked them in one of the rooms of their house and didn’t let anyone bring them food, telling everyone that they were ill. But the neighbours knew what kind of illness they had – they said that if they had had something to eat, they would have recovered.
Fr. Nicetas was apparently born at the beginning of the century. Thus when the revolution came he was 16 or 17. It is not known whether his parents were still alive at that time. He was caught by the reds with an appeal in his hands written by a starets called Jonah. The young man was taken to be shot, but on the way he lost consciousness and turned up in hospital, where a doctor he knew helped him to escape.
At some time in his youth, in the south, he met Archimandrite Seraphim and Matushka Catherine (Ilyinichna Golovanova). She was a nun in a monastery whose spiritual father was Archimandrite Seraphim, and had been raised in the monastery since her childhood. The future destiny of Fr. Nicetas was closely bound up with the destinies of these two people, although, unfortunately, we do not know under what circumstances their acquaintance took place. Perhaps it took place later, during his exile in Turkestan, where he was sent for refusing to serve in the Red Army. There were exiled clergy and bishops in Turkestan at that time. Fr. Nicetas met them, and, according to some information, it was there that he was ordained to the priesthood. They said that Archimandrite Seraphim was from some monastery near Tashkent. Perhaps Fr. Nicetas met him during his term of exile?
The exiles wanted to go to the mountains, where there was a place already prepared for them. But then they were scattered, and Fr. Nicetas remained alone. When his term of exile expired, he did not go to be registered, but set off from Moscow, where his brother Demetrius was, serving as a deacon. There also was Archimandrite Seraphim, who had come from Tashkent.
Fr. Nicetas said that during the time of his service in Moscow he twice held the robe of the Saviour in his hands; he raised it and showed the ark in which it was laid to the people. The robe of the Lord was in the Dormition cathedral, so did Fr. Nicetas serve there, or did he receive the holy object during a cross procession?
Fr. Nicetas was not registered in Moscow. His life there became more and more intolerable; they were searching for him, and at one point he had to save himself by jumping out of a moving tram. His position became especially difficult after the declaration of Metropolitan Sergius in 1927.
Fr. Nicetas’ name’s day was May 24 according to the old calendar – the feast of St. Nicetas the Stylite.
In Moscow there was a certain matushka who was nicknamed ‘dark’, that is, blind. Once for some reason she started to abuse Fr. Nicetas:
“Schismatic, schismatic, you’ve left Vladyka Sergius?! I’m going to Sergius now; he’ll come for you in a van and take you with him – you’ll serve with him!”
But Fr. Nicetas, without panicking, firmly explained that he would never serve with Metropolitan Sergius, adding:
“He goes round Moscow in a van by day, while I walk the streets by night…”
“What’s your name? Nicetas?” asked the clairvoyant matushka (she did not know his name).
“Nicetas.”
“The Stylite?”
“The Stylite.”
At that point matushka as it were struck Fr. Nicetas on the head with the palm of her hand.
“So be a pillar of Orthodoxy!”
She had been testing him by reviling him as a schismatic…
It was during his time in Moscow that Fr. Nicetas got to know Bishop Maximus (Zhizhilenko), who had been consecrated to the episcopate with the blessing of Patriarch Tikhon specially for the Catacomb Church. They even rented a room together, but unfortunately nothing is known of their life together except the following tragic episode.
As they were returning home one evening, Bishop Maximus and Fr. Nicetas noticed a light shining in the windows of their room. This put them on their guard. “Something’s not right: there’s a light burning in the house, and our room is lit up…”
Fr. Nicetas went to the back door: the landlady, recognizing him, waved him away. It turned out that a search was taking place in their room: one policeman was rummaging in their things, while the other was dozing at the table. Fr. Nicetas tried to take Bishop Maximus away, but he decisively refused: “I have to go – my mitre and vestments are there!” He didn’t want to leave his hierarchical vestments in the hands of the police, so he went to the room and was arrested…
We don’t know whether this was the same arrest that brought Bishop Maximus to Solovki… But we know that on Solovki Bishop Maximus met the other Catacomb Bishops Victor of Vyatka and Nectarius of Yaransk. It was with the blessing of Bishop Nectarius that Fr. Nicetas was to carry out his service in Vyatka province…
This took place as follows. After Bishop Maximus’ arrest, they continued hunting for Fr. Nicetas, and it became impossible for him to stay any longer in Moscow. Archimandrite Seraphim was at that time in Yoshkar-Ola; and it was from there that Fr. Nicetas received an invitation to go to him. According to one version, this letter contained the advice to go to Kazan on his way, and meet Vladyka Nectarius. According to other versions, Fr. Nicetas first went to Fr. Seraphim in Yoshkar-Ola, and from there was sent by him to Bishop Nectarius in Kazan. “You go to Vladyka,” he said; “he’ll decide your course…”
Fr. Nicetas recounts: “I went to Kazan, and searched for the street, and the number of the house… I arrived – he was doing some carpentry. He was not tall, dressed in civil clothes and a jacket. “How can I find Vladyka Nectarius and see him?” “Right now,” he said, “you’ll see him.” He turned quickly – he was brisk, young, he’d only just left the Academy, He went up, put on his cassock, ryassa and klobuk, and said: “Here’s Vladyka Nectarius for you.”
Fr. Nectarius took his blessing and confessed that he felt awkward in front of Vladyka: “I took you for a novice…” “That’s nothing – I took you for a metropolitan…”
Fr. Nicetas was indeed impressive, good-looking. According to his spiritual children he was gifted both with good looks and height and a beautiful voice and hair…
Speaking about his voice: after the conversation, Vladyka Nectarius took Fr. Nicetas out of the cell to sing near the yard. When he began to sing, the neighbours began to run up and listen…
During their conversation, Fr. Nicetas said that he had not signed the declaration of Metropolitan Sergius and after that was subject to persecutions in Moscow, so that it had become impossible for him to stay there. “Archimandrite Seraphim advised me to come to you, Vladyka…”
“So go to Vyatka province,” said Vladyka. “Go to Sanchursk, live there, it’s a bit quieter…“ And Bishop Nectarius wrote a paper with approximately the following content: “I allow Protopriest Nicetas Ignatyevich to serve in all the Orthodox churches of Yaransk diocese…” (At that time there still existed Orthodox churches subject to Bishop Nectarius, which he ruled from Kazan.). “Vladyka, I just went to stay with Fr. Seraphim, just for two weeks…” Vladyka slapped him on the shoulder: “Perhaps for twenty years…”
His prophetic words were fulfilled twice over – Protopriest Nicetas spent, not twenty, but forty years in those regions…
Having spent the night with Vladyka, in the morning Fr. Nicetas went to Yoshkar-Ola, where a telegram, like the finger of destiny, came for him: in the village of Gorodishche they had seized a priest… He had to obey the Bishop and set off for the vacant place in Gorodishche, the more so in that he had failed to resolve his destiny in any other way: Fr. Nicetas had nowhere to return to. They used to travel by cart in those days; they found such a transport, and just as they arrived at Gorodishche the wheel fell off, as if it had been waiting just for that…
The villagers were overjoyed at the arrival of Fr. Nicetas; there had been an elder Miron in those parts who had prophesied: the hill of Gorodishche will be covered with velvet… And truly it was covered with people as if with velvet: parishioners came to it from all sides, both on foot and on horse, so as to delight in the services of Fr. Nicetas. During the service, they say, no one left the church, and at the end the people did not want to disperse, as if waiting for something… This waiting was characteristic of people who, it seemed, had been starved of a true pastor, who did not know how to act at this terrible crisis in Russian life. Fr. Nicetas gave everyone the advice not to join the collective farms…
But disagreements began with the second priest, Fr. D., apparently because of his jealousy. The wife of this priest even went to Vladyka Nectarius with some kind of complaints against Fr. Nicetas. She came into the Bishop’s cell without a scarf: “So.. go away,” said Vladyka. She waited and waited, and went in again, but again without a scarf – and the hierarch again drove her out.
At this time in the village of Tabashino they had constructed a new church, and the local fool-for-Christ used to say as he walked near it: “A new church, but no batyushka. There’s only one batyushka, a long way away – Fr. Nicetas…”
Then the brother-builders went to Vladyka Nectarius and asked that Fr. Nicetas be sent to them. The Bishop looked favourably on their request. But even at this new place Fr. Nicetas’s life was not without sorrow.
The warden of the church in Gorodishche demanded the return of the batyushka they had come to love; the priest who survived Fr. Nicetas, they said, got so angry that it even got to the stage that his kamilavka rolled over the floor of the church… They returned Fr. Nicetas to Gorodishche; but sorrows followed him wherever he went.
It was about 1929, and he began to be followed. The police attacked him; first two, then four fell on him. They tried to force him to cut his hair, but he didn’t give in. They struck his head on the bench, and he lost consciousness. When he came to there were blood-covered hairs all round him – he had been shorn… They didn’t even let him gather up his hair… But they let him go.
Fr. Nicetas continued to say: “Even if you’re down to your last shirt, don’t go into the collective farm…”
Once a GPU chief dressed in a sheepskin coat came to him for confession, to hear what the priest was teaching the people. Fr. Nicetas told him, too, not to go to the collective farm – the same as he told everyone at confession. But he felt something not good in this “confessor” and noted that he did not come up for Communion.
Two weeks later, Fr. Nicetas and Matushka Golovanova, who was his reader at that time, went to friends for a cup of tea. When they returned, batyushka did not go to bed. The bed in his room remained undisturbed. Batyushka himself told the story: “I sat down and kept on sitting, fur cap in hand, without undressing. I felt a pain in my heart – probably something was going to happen.” There was a knock at the window. “They’re coming to take me,” said Fr. Nicetas with conviction.
Matushka Golovanova went with a candle in her hand to see who the uninvited guests were. The door of the cabin opened outwards, and Fr. Nicetas stood behind the opened door in the hall. The “guests” hurled themselves from the street into the hall and suddenly found themselves in impenetrable darkness. “Oh, the candle’s gone out!” cried matushka. Go into the living-room - it’s light there.” As they went into the lit up part of the house, Fr. Nicetas left the house: he was quite ready for the arrival of the “guests” and he even had his outdoor clothing on.
“Where is batyushka?” asked the “guests”. “He’s been called for some need to Serkovo.”
They looked round the house. Batyushka’s bunk was undisturbed – when they had checked they went to Serkovo.
That was how Fr. Nicetas’ parish life came to an end. After serving a moleben in the church for the last time, Fr. Nicetas started a life of wandering. His heart told him that he would not serve in a church again in this life. And perhaps he shouldn’t?
Fr. Nicetas stayed sometimes for one night, sometimes for two, sometimes for a month. Matushka Golovanova went for some time to Kiknursky region as a reader; she had a cell there. She chanted on the kliros, and herself drew orphans to church chanting. This was how she educated them.
It was difficult until the war, then it became still harder. During the war there was a kind of break in Fr. Nicetas’ Vyatka life. Before the war he again went to Moscow, where Archimandrite Seraphim and many of their acquaintances were gathered. They had much to talk about… But it was impossible to stay long in Moscow, and the day came when Archimandrite Seraphim said to Fr. Nicetas: “Return to Vyatka.” “You know, I have no documents.” “There’s your document,” said Fr. Seraphim, pointing upwards with his hand, “- the Lord!”
It was impossible to travel in wartime without being checked; and this time guards were walking with torches from both ends of the carriage.
“The man checking me trained his torch on me,” said Fr. Nicetas. “I had no documents, only an icon of the Vladimir Mother of God hidden on my breast…”
The guard looked in silence at Fr. Nicetas for some time, while Fr. Nicetas looked at him… Those accompanying batyushka almost died from fear.
Then the second guard came up: “Well, why aren’t you checking him?” “All done, let’s go,” replied his comrade unexpectedly.
Everybody was amazed that they hadn’t checked them. Fr. Nicetas especially venerated the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God, and she saved him more than once…
But again it was impossible to avoid sorrows. On returning from Moscow, Fr. Nicetas discovered that there had been a search at his last refuge, some valuable vessels and white vestments that batyushka especially valued (they were prepared for his burial) had disappeared. The strain from his emotions was too much for him and Fr. Nicetas fainted and fell, and hit his face so hard that a swelling appeared which remained with him for a long time. Eventually he healed it by applying oil from a lampada.
Were there any days in Fr. Nicetas’ wandering life when he experienced no feeling of alarm and which he passed in peace? We don’t know of any, his spiritual children remembered only unceasingly anxious days. It goes without saying that the authorities were tormented with the thought that Fr. Nicetas was hiding somewhere in the region. Already all the other well-known catacomb priests had been arrested, including Fr. John Razgulin, otherwise known as Lisinsky from the village of Russkaya Lisa where he was born in about 1906-07. He had been ordained by Vladyka Nectarius in Kazan, but, because of his lack of knowledge and preparedness, had not been given the right to serve. Vladyka Nectarius had ordained him as it were in advance, for the last times, in case there was no one left who could give the Christians the Holy Gifts. It only remained to Fr. John to acquire the wisdom of priestly service; but, on his return journey from the Bishop, arriving in one of the villages on a feastday, when the priests went out for the litia, he, too, without the blessing of the Bishop, appeared next to them in priestly vestments, which greatly amazed the local inhabitants, who whispered: “Look, Ivanushka’s a pope!” Apparently the rumours spread quickly, and a little later the incautious Fr. John was arrested, which was the result of his disobedience to his Bishop. Fr. John Lisinsky was about ten years in prison and died already at the end of the 1970s, remaining a secret priest. But since he had undertaken to serve the Divine Liturgy without the blessing of his Bishop, he apparently did not have a big flock.
Also arrested was the notable pastor Fr. John Protasov, who was remembered with gratitude for many years and before his death in prison succeeded in transferring his flock to Fr. Nicetas. And Fr. Nicetas remained the only priest in the whole region – his single combat with the atheist authorities had begun.
The police in five regions searched and searched for Fr. Nicetas, but could not catch him. Every day he was conscious that they were after him. Only God, Fr. Nicetas and his spiritual children know what this cost him. But this spiritual unity of theirs was worthy more than life. “For us he was irreplaceable,” remembered his children. “For us he was a great elder.” But they added: “Like every man, he wanted to live…” And he said to them: “If our Church will manage to come out into freedom, if I will be able to come out of the house without hiding – don’t tell me immediately, I won’t be able to bear it.”
Fr. Nicetas found a temporary refuge with one widow in the village of Krutoi, Lisisnky region. At that time they were conducting a search throughout the village – they were looking for deserters. Stopping at the house of the widow, the searchers unexpectedly decided to display some uncharacteristic mercy: “Don’t go to her, we won’t trouble the old woman…” But if they had found the priest in her house, they would certainly have “troubled” her. All ages were suitable for prison, and there quite enough old people in the Soviet prisons – apparently old women presented a special threat for Soviet power… This was just one day out of thousands which brought this kind of alarm.
Another day, in another place, they were also searching for deserters. But when they failed to find them they decided to change from hunting men to hunting thrushes. There were shots, whose cause Fr. Nicetas did not know, he only heard them beginning to beat on their gates and shout: “Here!” How was batyushka to know that a shot thrush had fallen into their yard, and the hunters of me just wanted to take the bird to show what good shots they were…
Batyushka had an attack of nerves and was too frightened to remain there. So when a neighbour with children who lived about ten houses away came into the house, he took hold of her like a little child and said: “Take me to your house!” She took him to her shed, where they made a hole out of straw and put Fr. Nicetas there. He lay there for three months without straightening up; he just cut out a little chink with his knife to see the light, and prayed. The mistress of the house did not always bring him food; if she didn’t bring him bread, batyushka would remain hungry. After these three months he could hardly stand on his feet, he continually fell and could hardly comb his hair…
It was difficult to find a refuge for batyushka. Some feared to have him in their house, others were in a dangerous situation for one reason or another. On the house-owners there lay a particularly heavy burden of responsibility, and during the secret services, which took place, of course, at night, they usually didn’t so much pray, as watched. There were false alarms – but, alas, not always false. The secret had to be kept so strictly that, for example, if two people came to batyushka they were not allowed to talk to each other about it.
The situation was so dangerous that Fr. Nicetas’ parishioners decided to move him to another region 50 kilometres away, where they thought it would be less dangerous. But to move 50 kilometres was easier said than done. A simple matter of a walk by foot was turned into a complicated operation. Fr. Nicetas with his big beard was very conspicuous, so he had to pretend to be a hunched-up old man with a pile of bast shoes on his back going to the bazaar. The roads were covered by the police, so they had to go along a path through the fields of rye. Boys went out in front to see whether it was safe for batyushka and those accompanying him to leave the village. By the time the boys returned, two policemen were already on guard along the path; if batyushka had tarried just a little longer, he wouldn’t have got through…
But when they arrived in their destination, the village of Sobolyak, another difficulty awaited them. It turned out that the woman had invited Fr. Nicetas only in order to serve some kind of need, and not at all in order to give him a place to stay. Those accompanying batyushka, his devoted spiritual children, were so filled with sorrow at the prospect of leaving him that they couldn’t restrain their tears. “What are you crying for?” said the mistress of the house. “Take your batyushka back with you!” She was frightened of taking him. Now it was time to weep for batyushka, whose legs were covered in blood after the long and dangerous journey. He was too weak to return, and besides, returning was very risky. The woman’s heart softened when Fr. Nicetas foretold the return of her husband, from whom she had had no news for a long time: “Write down the date and the time, and make ready a parcel for the prison – your husband will be alive.” And indeed, after some time she received a letter from her husband, and he himself soon appeared with a wounded arm.
Fr. Nicetas returned to Sanchuk region and lived in a village nicknamed “Pig’s clearing” with an old woman. When she left the house, batyushka would lock it from the inside on hook, which the old woman would open on her return by pushing a stick through the hole. Once when she was away some people came up to the house and began to knock and push on the door: “It’s locked from inside, she’s not opening up – it’s obvious she’s dead!” Fr. Nicetas was standing behind the door holding the hook… Alas there were few in whose hearts were preserved the words: “I will not give the Mystery to Thine enemy…” There were far more who would give away the mystery than keep it; they would either make a denunciation or let the cat out of the bag. This woman suffered because of that.
One nun of the Catacomb Church, remembering that time, says: “Can a man living in freedom stand what a hunted man experiences…?” It is hard for us to understand now how real and terrible that threat was. 40 people suffered for Fr. Nicetas at one time (according to another source – 30 at first, and 10 later). Batyushka went from place to place, they couldn’t catch him, so they began to arrest his spiritual children. One woman was arrested just for giving him some cream. It seems that in her simplicity she didn’t think of hiding that from the persecutors. They tortured those whom they arrested, beat them, demanding the addresses where batyushka was hiding.
Among those arrested was Matushka Catherine Golovanova. She was arrested twice. The first time they came and tried to torture her to reveal where Fr. Nicetas was; two policmen dressed in civil clothes took her to the house which they had under surveillance – an elderly man and his wife were living there. On seeing matushka, they rejoiced, and the wife, thinking that matushka was accompanied by her own people, started to talk joyfully. Matushka couldn’t stop her because the police were careful that she not give her any sign. The woman gave away the secret of Fr. Nicetas’ whereabouts: “O Matushka, dear one, how are you? You know, we accompanied Fr. Nicetas like this: we hung a bag full of shoes on him and he went…” Matushka finally succeeded in winking at her, the woman stopped short. “Well, why have you stopped?” asked the searchers. “I remember nothing…” “We’ll lean on you now – you’ll remember.” They took off their outer clothing, under which, as under a sheep skin, was the inner wolf – policeman’s uniforms and guns. But it was already late, and the exhausted police wanted to go to sleep. One was dozing at the table, the other was at the threshold – he was evidently guarding the door to prevent matushka running away. Matushka waited and waited, then she opened a window and ran away. She was on the run for half a year, and then they arrested her again. “Well, then,” they said, “how did you run away?” “How? Well, they were sleeping and I thought: why should I simply sit here, I opened the window and left.” “You did well,” they said. But now they didn’t doze. They condemned all forty at one go (according to another source – thirty at the beginning). Matushka Golovanova was the chief culprit. They really gave it to her at the interrogation: many years later Matushka S. saw scars from the interrogations on her back.
They tortured them so much that some of them couldn’t stand it and revealed the addresses where they could find Fr. Nicetas; but it seems that the pursuers had so despaired of catching Fr. Nicetas that they didn’t believe them even when they told them the truth.
At the trial one woman in her simplicity said: “If you let me go, I’ll go to Fr. Nicetas again the same day.” Not believing her, they said: “We’ve been looking for him for so many years without finding him, and you’ll find where he is in one day?!”
They gave Fr. Nicetas’ parishioners sentences of many years in length. Matushka Golovanova was given twelve years, two of them in a lock-up…
While Fr. Nicetas’ spiritual children were going to suffer, he himself had another thirty years of suffering and wanderings ahead of him. And he was surrounded by the sufferings of the people; the war tormented Russia, their own Russian people tormented the Russian people. So often they would go up to door, enter as if they were the masters, say to the servants of God: “Time’s up!” and take them away, together with their last possessions…
Batyushka came to Shamakovo in Kiknursky region. The father and two sons were at the front, the mother of the house remained with the young children. They had taken everything away, so they boiled the tea and the soup in the mortar, they didn’t even have any spoons. The sated man is no friend to the hungry, but in this house batyushka was given a refuge – God preserved him…
And it was amazing that what the majority of the Russian adults had forgotten how to do – keep secret, the children in these families where Fr. Nicetas was concealed were able to do.
Later, when they were grown up and had preserved this great secret of love and faithfulness in their hearts, they rememberd how Fr. Nicetas had brought them up – he taught them about the life to come. He said to the children: “If I didn’t believe in the future life, I wouldn’t be hiding, but would go out onto the street and walk, or go by car… This temporary life passes, and however long you live you’ll have to answer at the Terrible Judgement. These are only temporary sufferings. Let us endure. Prepare yourselves – perhaps you’ll have to suffer.
At confession he insisted: “Be meek and humble, do good works” – and they received these instructions with all their heart, both his big and his small spiritual children. The seed fell on good ground, and these words did not remain simple words. There are no meeker or humbler people in Rus’ than the children of these secret batyushkas, the children of the True Orthodox Church. And there are no firmer, more unshakeable people in Rus’ than they.
Fr. Nicetas loved to joke, especially with children. He loved to read verses; the kids would come in and batyushka would meet them:

There was a fight in the yard,
The bull fought with the pigs.
The chickens went onto the attack –
A bloody battle began!
There were verses on more serious themes, about Lenin and Stalin:
They’ve lost the whole of Russia,
The two mad fools…
And so Fr. Nicetas went from house to house in that most terrible time. He lived in one family where he served in a hut which the neighbours passed on their way to get water. The service was going on while behind the wall the neighbour’s bucket was tinkling as he went towards the well. The owners just couldn’t understand how they hadn’t been caught. Batyushka did think of settling with an old woman from his parishioners. But the enemy was everywhere; her sister was caught and sentenced to ten years for refusing to vote. He had to leave again…
It is known that Fr. Nicetas did not allow people to enter the collective farms or to vote. One could say: did he not demand too much from his spiritual children, if they were threatened with prison for that? In our lukewarm time we have different ideas, and it’s not done to remember the example of St. Sophia, who blessed her three children to torments for Christ. That was the position of Fr. Nicetas and other catacomb priests. It looks strange when compared with the mass of Soviet clergy, who from the ambon blessed their children to go and vote, so as to give their voices for the communists, for “the ideal man” – Stalin, who blessed their flocks to lie and be hypocritical without limit, and to carry out all the demands of the antichristian authorities… They will say: Fr. Nicetas and those like him were strict! But did they really love their flock more, did they really care for it more when they blessed the Russian people to deliver themselves into the most fearful slavery that has ever been seen on earth?
The absolutely rightless Russian slaves laboured on “the great constructions of communism” until they fell dead. These same slaves, turned into living frozen skeletons, mined gold in the mines of Kolyma in 50 degrees of frost and looked for opportunities to cling to the boxes in which the bosses warmed themselves at the stoves, so as to gulp down, if only for a moment, the warm air, getting in return for that gulp of warmth a kick up the ass… In earlier historical periods, the learned historians tell us, masters valued their slaves and took care that they were well-fed. But there was no point in these masters feeding their slaves: in place of the one who died of hunger several more would come…
And one of the forms of this unheard of slavery was the collective farm.
One of Fr. Nicetas’ parishioners left the collective farm. They arrested her and began to ask her about everything: why she didn’t go to the elections, why she didn’t go to the church. That [Sergianist] church was necessary for the Soviets – to make them obey Soviet power, whose herald it was.
They gave her eight years, although she had four children. The person who took her away from her children received half a pound of oil. But the workers on the collective farm worked without being paid. The milk went to the milk factory, and the oil – to the executioners and above – to their bosses and the bosses of bosses… It was real slavery; which was why they persecuted those who did not want to enter slavery so cruelly And in spite of the fact that those on their own were threatened with prison, the collective farm-workers envied them and said: you live like tsars… Although there was not much to envy: they didn’t let the cow of the private worker into the field, he had to pay 200 working days for the right of keeping a goat. It came to the point that in one village the president even said to one person who did not want to enter the collective farm: your land is not yours – it belongs to the collective farm; don’t you dare to cross the threshold! If the old house was destroyed, they didn’t allow them to build a new one or even repair the old one. They had to lay new foundations or replace rotten blinds secretly, at night. Once Fr. Nicetas’ parishioners nevertheless succeeded in building a new house, and they had to roll it onto the site of the old one – as if it had always been there.
They will say: Fr. Nicetas was too strict, insisting that his spiritual children did not enter the collective farms and kept their individual holdings. Yes, on the background of the general mindless obedience the refusal to enter the collective farm was a podvig which involved the bearing of sorrows, sometimes up to prison and death. But did not those who blessed the Russian people to obey the antichristian authorities condemn them to worse sufferings even here on earth, not to speak of eternal life? And what if all the batyushkas – or at any rate the majority of them – had acted as Fr. Nicetas did? It would probably have been harder to drive the Russian people into this yoke: after all, the people were waiting for the decisive word of the Church. Nevertheless, there were many Russian people who put up a firm spiritual resistance to the violence of the satanists. Of course, these spiritually strong people were able to find for themselves true pastors, but, on the other hand, you could equally say that it was precisely these true pastors who nurtured and educated such a strong flock.
Only gradually did the renovationist clergy re-educate the Russian people, training them all to think that for the sake of the preservation of life one could surrender one’s faith – and as a result the people lost both faith and life… “He who wishes to save his life will lose it; while he who loses his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8. 35).
In her childhood Matushka S. had a friend, who once went to a neighbouring village and did not return home. Matushka went to look for her; someone told her that the police had taken the girl in the field and put her in a tarantass. They let her out five days later. On meeting Matushka S. the girl said:
“Don’t give the impression that you are friendly with me…”
“What happened?”
“Oh, what happened!”
Then she said that for three days and nights they had not let her eat or drink or sleep, and every night they interrogated her. They asked her: why don’t you join the collective farm, why don’t you marry, why don’t you go to church? This concern that citizens should visit the sergianist church was very characteristic of Soviet power. And do you know such-and-such? they continued to interrogate her. When she replied: “no” or “I don’t know” to all the questions, they threatened her that they wouldn’t let her out until she had signed that she would point the finger at such-and-such and such-and-such. The young victim, who was in her nineteenth year, couldn’t hold out and signed, and now she was frightened of speaking with her friend.
The investigator appointed a place of meeting in the thickets by the river, saying that a piece of paper or a cloth attached to a branch would signify the place. When she came for the meeting, she said only one thing:
“I know nothing, I don’t know them…”
“But you know such-and-such, and such-and-such. Go and listen to what they’re saying!” were his instructions.
Unable to endure such a life, the girl got a passport and went to her aunt, where she joined a sewing factory. After some time her mother went to see her daughter. But on the first evening a policemen appeared to check her documents.
“Well, stay for a month,” he said kindly.
Exactly a month later he appeared again. Unable to leave again, the frightened woman, knowing what this meeting held in store for her, tried to hide under the bed, but even there the policeman spied her out and ordered to come out. And he led her, knee-deep in the snow, saying all the while:
“Oh, I’m so sorry for you, the way you’re walking…”
Pity did not prevent this state criminal from being incarcerated in Perm. During the interrogations they kept asking her:
“What is your faith?”
“I’m an Orthodox Christian.”
“So you’re Orthodox… No, tell us what faith you adhere to.”
“I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ…”
“No, what is your confession of faith.”
The poor woman couldn’t make out what they were wanted from her and finally she blurted out:
“I’m a True Orthodox Christian.”
“There – you should have said that long ago!”
They gathered from her that she belonged to the Tikhonite tendency. They gave her ten years. Such charges as: belonging to the True Orthodox Church of the Tikhonite orientation still produced long sentences. In 1958 a nun of the Catacomb Church was condemned on such a charge, and there were many like her.
At the same time that they were condemning the mother of the girl to ten years, they also took her acquaintance. The investigator began to ask:
“Well, tell us: did you go to secret batyushkas?”
“But she went to your place and received communion in your place,” suddenly said the woman.
The investigator laughed. Some time ago he had gone to a village, claiming that he was a secret priest and, what is more, the son of the Tsar, Alexis Nikolayevich, who had supposedly been saved and received priestly ordination. When some trusting visitors decided to fast in preparation for communion, the mistress of the house said:
“You sleep here, and batyushka over there in that room. Don’t disturb him, he’ll be sleeping the whole night… The women couldn’t stand it, after a time they looked through a crack in the half-open door – they very much wanted to see how the holy batyushka was praying, and to be joined to his prayerful spirit… But “batyushka” wasn’t at all thinking of praying, he was in deep sleep, spread-eagled over the whole width of the bed.
“Let’s not receive communion from him, something’s not right here…” decided the women.

The “batyushka’s” purpose was to find out who went to the secret Church. For this, as we can see, he didn’t shun any means.
In the house where Fr. Nicetas was living the mistress’ son had returned from the army; the boys and girls were walking together; the mother suddenly saw that her son was being taken by two unknown men into the rye field. She was frightened, her heart missed a beat. Not far away she noticed a van. It turned out that the bosses had come and were trying to persuade her son:
“You’ve served in the army – now you’re a Soviet person. Now they’ve released the 58-ers, watch your mother, she’s an elderly person – see whether a man with a knapsack comes to her…”
The young man told all this to batyushka. He advised him: when they come the next time, ask them how much they will give you for this. When the son did this, they replied:
“We will show our gratitude.”
The young man couldn’t stand it: “No, I won’t accept the lot of Judas!”
They left him… But it was already impossible for Fr. Nicetas to stay in the house, which was being watched by the police.
And so once again Fr. Nicetas was living in a shack, sometimes in a store-room. Or they would section off a small room…
Once at Pascha Fr. Nicetas was serving in a narrow little store-room, half of which was curtained off. During the Paschal service the priest has to change his vestments, and Fr. Nicetas couldn’t do this without an assistant. He remembered a service in a big Moscow church where the choir alone numbered 70 chanters, - all the circumstances of his long and much-suffering life appeared in a flash before his mental gaze, - and Batyushka fell onto the altar and wept – as an eye-witness remembers – like a child… But Batyushka was immediately consoled, for the Saviour appeared to him at that moment and strengthened him. He ordered that this incident should not be related to others until after his death…
While ahead of him there were still more temptations.
One night the neighbour’s house was on fire. The people gathered to look, as in a bazaar. Batyushka’s frightened spiritual children ran up and asked the mistress of the house where batyushka was. She didn’t know. It turned out that batushka was in a shack, not knowing how he could get out when the people were all around. The neighbouring shack was already on fire, the sparks were flying; it was only 200 or 300 metres to the wood. Batyushka gave his devoted parishioner the church utensils; they finally plucked up courage to leave. Some thought that they were leading out an old man, others – that it was Fr. John Lysinsky.
It was winter; they buried the suitcase in the woods in the snow; they wanted to go on on skis, but batyushka couldn’t. The parishioner’s family went home from the fire and began to call out to them in the woods: they thought that he had been captured. Fr. Nicetas said:
“Go to the neighbouring village, tell them that I wasn’t in the fire, I was with auntie…”
“What do you mean: you weren’t in the fire, your whole back is burnt…”
Later there were many rumours about that fire. The women gathered together in a huddle and put the question straight:
“Tell us, who was with you?”
Batyushka went fifty kilometres away. His spiritual children who remained in the previous placed did not dare even to ask where he was… They were afraid to pronounce his name aloud.
Yes, the 58-ers were released, in the big cities a “thaw” took place, a new generation of Soviet people grew up, a far more carefree generation that the previous one, and it seemed that those who were still alive from the older generation could begin to live more freely. And only for Fr. Nicetas and his faithful children did not consolation come. Many people began to come to him, once nine people at once – such meetings could not remain unnoticed. Fear for batyushka began to grow in the hearts of his children; Matushka Golovanova, who had already been released for some years now, was also worried. She wrote to batushka that it was time for him to change his flat, and he began to prepare to leave. But the owners of the house were very much against his moving, and detained him almost by force. Perhaps they liked having such a remarkable peson with them; besides, he received many parcels.
At the feast of the Annunciation there was a service, and on the next day (fortunately, not on the feast itself, when many people came), the president, the accountant and the party committee arrived. They noticed a lamp and a man’s hand pulling the curtain to in the uninhabited part of the house where Fr. Nicetas lived And in the inhabited part they came upon a woman they didn’t know, one of Fr. Nicetas’ parishioners, who said she was a seamstress. Without wasting time to work out who she was, they began to break down the door – it was sealed from the house, and the entrance was from the courtyard.
Fr. Nicetas was hiding in the basement, in such a shallow space that he could only lie down in it. The accountant looked into the basement and saw a grey-haired old man lying there. And again, as in the train, an icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was on Fr. Nicetas’ breast…
The clerk slammed the hatch down and said: “Nobody there!”
Many years later, he explained his action thus: “I didn’t want him to..” – and here he added a strong expression – “on my grave…”
The visitors took two or three suitcases with ryasas, some lengths of good material, a Gospel in a golden setting, an altar cross with some precious adornments and some crosses to be worn on the breast. Although the police were informed, the investigation proceeded slowly. Perhaps they shared that which they had plundered amongst themselves, for only a part – and not the most valuable part – was displayed in the village soviet, as if in a museum. Some foreign balsam was displayed for all to see, but the altar cross, for example, had disappeared…
Now, of course, Fr. Nicetas’ landlords who had so insistently detained him earlier, immediately asked him to leave. By this time batyushka was old and sick and moved with difficulty, and he had nowhere to go – everyone feared to take him in. He spent some days in an uninhabited house, then with an old woman, until that same parishioner who had led him out of the fire found him. They had to go many kilometres, but batyushka was exhausted and could go only three houses away. After asking the old woman to shelter him for a little longer, the parishioner went off in search of help. This time six people came – four men and two women. They were ready to carry batyushka and had made a stretcher. When batyushka came out to them and saw the stretcher he said:
“What kind of boards are these?”
They explained that they were going to carry him, but he refused outright. They set off on foot; one went in front as a scout while the others supported batyushka on both sides. This was after the Annunciation, at the wettest and muddiest time of the spring thaw. And they went at night because they feared to go during the day.
Batyushka’s legs just wouldn’t carry him, and they managed to go only about two kilometres before stopping in an uninhabited village. While batyushka was resting on some straw in the bath-house, the others tried to construct a raft made out of logs from another bathhouse. But batyushka also refused this method of transport. So they had to walk…
It was eight or nine kilometres to the next village. They stopped in an uninhabited house – to get into it they had to break down the fence and take away the roof. They found some coal and burned it, so as to get at least a little warm without drawing attention to themselves with the smoke. It was so cold that after putting on his boots on his soaked feet, one of the men stamped up and down on the same spot for half a day “like a physical culture instructor”.
When they finally got to the first big settlement, from where they hoped to take batyushka out in a car, it turned out that the place was full of police – apparently they had begun to look for batyushka. Fortunately, the wind had broken the wires supplying electricity, and under cover of the darkness into which the village had been plunged they were able to take batyushka down the streets. But where to go – that was the big question. And once again Fr. Nicetas had to take shelter in a shack. Only the mistress of the house knew about this, the rest of the family, which included one of the bosses, suspected nothing. They made a nest for Fr. Nicetas in the straw of the shack, where the tormented sick man had to spend a week until his children could find a car with a reliable driver.
Finally, Fr. Nicetas was taken to where he spent the remainder of his life until his death in 1974. Surrounded by care and love, he could rest a bit… But his illness became worse. He tried to hide his increasing sufferings, because he knew that his death and burial would impose a heavy burden on those giving him shelter. How and where were they to bury a man whom, according to Soviet power, was not supposed to exist?
For many years Fr. Nicetas commemorated Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsa, Archbishop Victor of Vyatka and Glazov and Archbishop Nectarius of Yaransk. And not having certain news of their deaths, he continued to commemorate for some years after their deaths. But then he was for a time without a bishop to commemorate. This naturally worried him. But in about 1955 he came under the omophorion of Archbishop Anthony Galynsky-Mikhailovsky. This took place as follows.
When Matushka Catherine Golovanova was put in the camps, she got to know a woman called Daria Pavlovna, and through her she got to know about Archbishop Anthony. Daria Pavlovna was serving an eight-year sentence and had been arrested at the same time as Archbishop Anthony, with whom she had prayed in the same house. Their places of imprisonment were not far from each other , so somehow they were able to correspond, putting little notes in holes or under logs. And Vladyka greatly consoled and strengthened Daria Pavlovna with these notes.
When Matushka Golovanova returned from the camps, she of course told Fr. Nicetas about the remarkable Catacomb hierarch. Her information was confirmed by the Catacomb batyushka Fr. Athanasius, who had returned from exile. He had served three sentences of eight years, five years and three years. He had been ordained to the diaconate by Archbishop Nectarius before the declaration of 1927; and since he had refused to sign the declaration he had been immediately arrested. On being released, he went to Vladyka Anthony in Armavir and received ordination to the priesthood from him. Since the authorities knew about him, he did not have to hide as much as Fr. Nicetas did, and batyushka sometimes went to Fr. Athanasius for help. Once a sick girl had to be united to the Church. She couldn’t be taken to Fr. Nicetas, nor could batyushka, who was also sick, go to her. So he ordered that Fr. Athanasius be invited. Fr. Athanasius was able to go long distances around – for example, to Kozmodemyansk. So whoever could not go to Fr. Nicetas went to him.
So through Fr. Athanasius Fr. Nicetas came under the omophorion of Archbishop Anthony, and he now commemorated Metropolitan Philaret, first-hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, and Archbishop Anthony.
Another of the priests under Archbishop Anthony was Fr. Gurias, a good-looking, dark-haired priest who had served ten years in the camps. He had a family and lived after the camps in Kozmodemyansk. He was ordained by Archbishop Anthony. He lived openly, was very firm in his faith, but was condescending to those who had fallen. He once received the secretary of the village soviet with his wife, saying:
“They’re getting old, who can I not give them communion?”
Once, on entering a small town, and seeing that a house was full of people, he began the all-night vigil with a sermon:
“You don’t know me, or to what Church I belong. I want to explain.”

Then he explained, citing passages from the Old and New Testaments.
According to the witness of those who knew him, at the end of his life, in the middle of the 1980s, he was killed in a hospital, where he was given a treatment from which he died. Matushka Golovanova greatly valued and loved him.
Matushka herself had been raised from childhood in a monatery, becoming a nun with the name Catherine. At the age of 21 she was forced to leave her monastery destroyed by the Bolsheviks and went round the village churches as a chanter – she was an excellent choir leader. Her bishop (this was before the Church descended into the catacombs) blessed her to give sermons. According to the witness of those who knew her, she understood even the most complex church questions, and even, so they say, was able to reply to questions on any church theme. She herself said of herself that she ate more books than bread. She was Fr. Nicetas’ support during his suffering life; he respected her and listened to her opinions. Learning about Vladyka Anthony in the camps, she later went to him, was tonsured into the mantia by him with the name Antonia, and thus became, not Matushka Catherine or Aunt Katya, but Matushka Antonia. Vladyka Anthony himself said about her: “She is like a pillar with you stretching from earth to heaven.”
When the six had to accompany Fr. Nicetas from the dangerous place during the spring floods, one of them set off by train to Matushka Antonia to tell her about the catastrophe. When she got on the train she was so nervous that she shook; but tiredness took its tool and she dozed off. At this point it seemed to her that someone was bending over her and whispering that everything was alright with batyushka. When Matushka Antonia heard what condition Fr. Nicetas was in she was at first very worried, but on hearing about the incident on the train she calmed down and calmed her visitor. And truly, although they had to undergo many labours and suffer many sorrows, everything ended well.
Matushka Antonia died on August 17/30, 1979, already after the death of Fr. Nicetas.
One who also received the monastic tonsure from Vladyka Anthony was Matushka S. With the blessing of Fr. Nicetas, she was appointed to carry the Holy Gifts. She carried out this very responsible duty for 28 years. She always carried the Holy Gifts in a dry form.
Once someone they summoned the old woman: “She hasn’t communed for 30 years and is approaching death.” The old woman wept from joy. On the return journey she had to run and almost missed the bus, there were absolutely no roads. But it seemed to Matushka S. that she was travelling on a flat road because the old woman was praying for her. On other occasions they led her to some villages where the old women had also not communed for 30 years. And here also after receiving communion they did not live long – it was evidently God’s will; they received communion, and God took them. Matushka S. read a Lament over sins (the blessing of the community of the Three Hierarchs on Mount Athos) to them, and they sent their confession with her in envelopes. Once she was sent by Fr. Nicetas 30 kilometres to a certain village and then some more kilometres on foot by a big circuitous route.
Fr. V. was a spiritual son of Fr. Nicetas. He distributed the Holy Gifts while still a reader. Once he came to Fr. Nicetas, who told him that he was now under the omophorion of Vladyka Anthony. Later, with the blessing of Fr. Nicetas, he was ordained to the priesthood by Vladyka Anthony. A few years later, Fr. V. had to receive Fr. Nicetas’ flock.
The last days of Fr. Nicetas, besides his fears for his spiritual children, were darkened by another sorrow.
The sick man, who could not leave his refuge, was also unable to see Vladyka Anthony, and he gave his confession to Vladyka only through Fr. V. Vladyka awarded him with the mitre and showered him with prosphoras; and when he heard that Fr. Nicetas could not come to him he intended to visit him himself in order to tonsure him and raise him to the rank of archimandrite.
The date of Vladyka’s arrival was already decided on; everything had been collected for the journey, his vestments had been packed and a telegram had been sent to say that guests were expected. (Of course, it was impossible to announce his arrival directly; it had to be done in an allegorical form.) However, this telegram was interpreted incorrectly by the women who received it. They were frightened at the prospect of the arrival of unknown guests and, without saying a word to Fr. Nicetas, immediately sent a telegram telling them not to come. When Fr. Nicetas heard about this it was already too late, and a fitting moment for the journey did not present itself again. So the two men never met.
And then Vladyka Anthony’s name was besmirched by a slander. People said that he was a name-worshipper, although Vladyka had in fact fought against this heresy, for which the name-worshippers in the Caucasus had refused to recognise him. But when Fr. Nicetas heard these rumours, living as he was in almost complete isolation and not being able to check them out, he did not know what to do. Being on the edge of death, he did not know to whom to entrust his flock. Fr. V., his spiritual son, was under the omophorion of Vladyka Anthony, and Fr. Nicetas did not know whether to satisfy the request of his flock and hand them over to him.
Fr. Nicetas served his last service, a moleben and akathist to the Mother of God, on the feast of the 40 martyrs, March 9/22. He decided to take refuge in his sorrow to the Mother of God, who had always helped him out of all difficult circumstances.
“Let us ask the Mother of God what path she indicates for us. I as a man can go wrong. She has preserved me throughout my life,” said Fr. Nicetas.
They placed the lots behind an icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, one for the priests under Vladyka Anthony’s omophorion, and the other for those who did not recognise him. Then they took one out after prayer – it indicated the priests of Vladyka Anthony.
The next day it became clear that Fr. Nicetas’ end was near. They summoned Fr. V. He was at that time on quite a long journey confessing and communing the faithful; but, although he had not completed all that he had to do, he suddenly felt that he had to return home immediately. There they were waiting for him with the news that batyushka was dying…
When Fr. V. arrived him, batyushka told him to accept his flock, many of whom were present there. The priests managed to talk about the most important thing, then Fr. Nicetas did confession and received communion. He sat down, embracing Fr. V., and leaning closer and closer to him. They put him to bed and he seemed to doze off… After a time they noticed that he was departing, and Fr. V. began to read the prayers for the departing of the soul. He died very quietly. This took place on March 12/25, 1974.
They had to bury Fr. Nicetas… They dismantled the floor in one of the rooms in which Fr. Nicetas died and hastily dug out a grave for him under the floor. His parishioners came from the backwoods to say goodbye to their batyushka. There were so many of them that the neighbours were begin to notice something. They had to hurry. They made a coffin for batyushka and to the whispered chant, “With the souls of the righteous who have fallen asleep…”, they lowered him into the grave. Of course, the mistress of the house was especially worried, but they calmed her, saying: “Have no fear, the Lord preserved him for 40 years, he’ll preserve him now.”
There was no reason to fear. The burial was carried out without interruption and the house was put back in order. At night the mistress of the house clearly heard angelic chanting in the place under the floor when Fr. Nicetas was buried…
For nine months Fr. Nicetas remained under the floor. Then Vladyka Anthony ordered that his body be taken to the cemetery, which was done late in the autumn.

(Source: “I vrata adovy nye odoleyut yeyo…”, Suzdal’skiye Eparkhial’niye Vedomosti, N 4, June-July, 1998, pp. 32-40; N 5, September-November, 1998, pp. 35-40; N 6, December, 1998 – February, 1999, pp. 37-40 )

THE LIFE OF ST. MATTHEW THE NEW CONFESSOR (+ 1950)

By Constantine Kouris

“Hold high the Orthodox faith, and Sacrifice for Her”

St. Matthew the New Confessor

St. Matthew, the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, is to be praised for his zealous protection of the Orthodox Church and it’s Apostolic Succession, his Theological knowledge, his incredible monastic practice, and his love of God.

CRETE - ALEXANDRIA - JERUSALEM
He was born on March 1, 1861, in the village of Panethimon, (Kissamos, Chanea, island of Crete, Greece). His family were pious and God fearing Christians known for their strict adherence to the Orthodox faith. He was the tenth child born to Presbyter Haralambos Karpathakis, and Presbytera Kyriaki. He was baptized by his father, Presbyter Haralambos and given the name George, after St. George the Greatmartyr. When George reached the age of 12, his father reposed in the Lord. George’s older brother Constantine had followed in their father’s footsteps and had been ordained a Priest. After the repose of his father, George at the tender age of 12, approached his brother Presbyter Constantine and his mother the widowed Presbytera Kyriaki and received their blessings to enter the nearby Monastery of Chrysopigi in Chanea. George was received into the monastery in October of 1872 by the Abbot Archimandrite Kallinikos. George was then shortly thereafter tonsured a Reader, and was also given a blessing to serve as an acolyte. George’s hunger for ecclesiastical and spiritual knowledge was nourished as he studied at the monasteries library. Under Father Kallinikos’s tutelage, George studied among many other things, the writings of the Holy Fathers, the Typicon of the Orthodox Church, and the Holy Scriptures. George, who had a beautiful voice, also studied Byzantine Music, and also excelled in the holy art of Iconography.
During that time, the island of Crete was under Turkish occupation. George could therefore not pursue his secular education as the Turks had forbidden the Greek population from receiving any education. So in 1876, after spending 4 years at the monastery, George received a blessing from the Abbot Kallinikos to travel to Alexandria (Egypt), to live with a relative so as to complete his High School education. While attending High School he also worked at a pharmacy which his aforementioned relative owned. Through hard work and determination, he graduated from High School at the top his class. While in Alexandria, he had become acquainted with a group of pious Greek Orthodox laity who were planning a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate Pascha at the Holy Sepulchre, therefore he decided to join them.
In 1880, George along with the group of Holy Land Pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem the day before Pascha. He travelled throughout the Holy Land tracing the footsteps of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, while also venerating the Holy Places throughout the region. George then proceeded to the Offices of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Hierotheos, so as to receive his blessing. Patriarch Hierotheos, being a holy and clairvoyant man, sensed a unique and divine gift within George. After discussing several theological topics, Patriarch Hierotheos proceeded to successfully convince George to stay and study in the Holy Land at the prestigious Holy Cross Theological School. The curriculum at Holy Cross School was an extremely strenuous one. Over a course of five years, studies included the mastering of the Old and New Testaments, Ancient Church History, Patrologeia, Biblical Archeology, Philosophy, Dogmatics, Apologetics, Canon Law, Civil History, Mathematics, Botany, Laguages (Greek, Latin, Russian, Arabic, and French) among many other subjects. George always answered in complete humility showing great reverence when the things of God were discussed. Through his humility, work ethic and love of God, his fellow students and teachers alike came to greatly admire and respect him. In this School George had as co-students Meletios Metaxakis (an Ecumenist, at first Metropolitan of Kition, then Metropolitan of Athens and Patriarch of Constantinople and finally Patriarch of Alexandria) and Chrysostomos Papadopulos (the Metropolitan of Athens who changed the Orthodox Calendar in 1924). In 1885, George graduated from the Holy Cross Theological School with top honors, and was ordained a Hierodeacon by the Patriarch Nicodemos of Jerusalem, at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ where George continued to serve for another year.

ON THE HOLY MOUNT ATHOS
George’s spiritual life flourished, but he was bothered by the hectic life in Jerusalem. He wished to crucify himself to the world, engulf himself in constant prayer and partake of the hermitage of monastic life. George therefore received a blessing from the Patriarch of Jerusalem to go to Mount Athos. On April 30, 1886 George left for the Holy Mountain via sea travel. From the moment he stepped foot on the boat bound for the Holy Mountain, he submerged himself into a sea of calmness through prayer in anticipation of his arrival. Upon arriving on the Holy Mountain, he travelled to St. Anna’s Skete, where he began his life on the Holy Mountain under obedience of the Holy Elder Nectarios.

The Athonite Monasteries of the Great Lavra of St. Athanasios and Simonopetra

Under Elder Nectarios watchful eye George excelled in all the aspects of ascetism. His spiritual brothers marveled at the accomplishments of George, and were all drawn to his holiness. Elder Nectarios acknowledging the spiritual gifts of George wished to bestow upon him the then extremely rare honor of tonsuring him a Great-Schema monk. Therefore on September 26, 1886 he was tonsured and renamed Matthew. This rare and holy honor strengthened Ft. Matthew in the spiritual arena as he delved into the rich beauties of monasticism, perfecting the art of intense fasting and unceasing mental prayer. He kept himself continually busy, if not with prayer, then with manual labor.
After 7 years on the Holy Mountain, the monastic community of St. Anna’s Skete along with Elder Nectarios insisted on the ordination of Ft. Matthew to the rank of Hieromonk. Therefore on July 26, 1893, Elder Necatrios and Ft. Matthew travelled to the Holy Monastery of St. Gregory, where he Matthew was ordained a Hieromonk.
Ft. Matthew possessed nothing that might offer any bodily comfort. His cell also was a reflection of his deep love of monasticism, bereft of any comforts. Only out of necessity would he eat, and even then exercising extreme self control. He began composing ecclesiastical poetry which would inspire and bring tears to its readers. Ft. Matthew was beside himself in a state of ecstasy, shedding tears of compunction, while marveling at the great mercy and love of God towards man. It is during this time that he became the spiritual father and confessor of the Holy Monastery of Simonotetra, the Great Lavra of St. Athanasios the Athonite and the Holy Skete of Kavsokalivia. His fame began to spread throughout all of the Holy Mountain and Greece, his family of spiritual children continued to grow. Hundreds upon hundreds of people, clergy, monks and laymen alike would travel to see Fr. Matthew or write to him to receive his spiritual pearls of wisdom. It is during this time that those who knew him began calling him “the Holy Father” (in Greek "Agios Pateras".
Ft. Matthew labored intensively and faithfully in the mystical vineyard of Christ. His labors were done with the utmost humility all the while glorifying and thanking God. Ft. Matthew became an elected vessel of Divine Grace, living as a flesh bearing Angel, and a treasury of Divine knowledge, love and humility. He toiled in his ascetic labors in such a way so as to not make others envious of him, but instead inspired them to reach for the spiritual heavens. His all-night vigils, continual prayer, and unceasing tears, were a great spiritual inspiration to all, and were only exceeded by his incredible humility. Ft. Matthew had completely submerged himself into the monastic angelic life, partaking of all of the spiritual fruits which the Holy Mountain offered. As a soldier is trained for battle, the same way Ft. Matthew trained himself through the mercy of God, to be a spiritual soldier for Christ.

A PREACHER THROUGHOUT GREECE
In 1910, Ft. Matthew made an open krisis to Prince Constantine (later King Constantine I), for his mariage to the non Ortodox German Prinses Sophia. For this reason he was exiled to Peloponessus. Some months earlier, several Orthodox communities throughout Greece petitioned the Sacred Community of Mount Athos for spiritual help. The Sacred Community of Mount Athos elected and blessed their most prized spiritual athlete, Hieromonk Matthew to travel throughout Greece to preach the Divine Word. So Ft. Matthew descended unto Greece and arrived in Nafplion (a town in Peloponnese, first capital of Greece) on the feast of the Sunday of All-Saints. Upon his arrival, he served an all night vigil, in a remote church dedicated to St. John the Baptist. To this day there are 2 icons at this church which he had painted. They are the icons of the Holy Napkin and the Evangelist Matthew, many still travel great distances to venerate these holy icons, which are signed ‘Hieromonk Matthew, Athonite, 1910’. While in Nafplion, Ft. Matthew made his residence at the Holy Monastery of the Life Giving Spring (in Greek "Agia Moni"). Using this as his spiritual base, he travelled the Peloponnese region spreading the word of God, confessing the people, and renewing their faith, while occasionally returning to the Monastery to replenish his strength through intense prayer and fasting. It is during this time that Ft. Matthew became the spiritual father and confessor of the historic Pantanassa Convent in Mystra (the Byzantine capital of the Peloponnese Despotat in 14th c.). That period the monastery was under Abbes Paisia Giatrakos (+ 1945).
As the fame of Ft. Matthew spread through the region, more and more people would descend on the Monastery of the Life Giving Spring to partake of the all-night Vigils he served. Many would travel for great distances to be confessed by and communed by the hand of “the Holy Father”. He was a great lighthouse at a time spiritual darkness that inspired many to live a life pleasing to God. Ft. Matthew had a deep connection to the people of the region, as well as a great love for the area itself; this is why he had wanted to establish a monastery in the region, but to due to various circumstances to no avail. The generation in that region that partook of the holiness of ft. Matthew never forgot his face, and considered his stay to be a blessing from God.

FT. MATTHEW’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ST. NECTARIOS
Still in 1910, Ft. Matthew travelled to Athens, and went to the Rizzarios Ecclesiastical School, so as to meet its Dean, Metrop. Nectarios of Pentapolis (Patriachate of Alexandria). Ft. Matthew, who in his youth had lived and worked in Alexandria, had heard of the holiness of Bishop Nectarios, as well as the persecution that he suffered. The two holy servants of Christ were immediately drawn to each other in spiritual friendship. Bishop Nectarios was extremely impressed with Ft. Matthew’s zeal, missionary work, and Ortho-praxis. He confided in Ft. Matthew about the difficulties he had faced in Egypt, as well as his worries about the direction the Hierarchs of the Church were heading. Bishop Nectarios, a holy clairvoyant, felt the holiness of his spiritual friend Ft. Matthew and decided to raised him to the rank of Archimandrite, adding to that, he gave Ft. Matthew his Epigonatıon, as a blessing. The Epigonatıon can to this day be venerated at the Keratea Convent. Bishop Nectarios and Archimandrite Matthew continued a deep spiritual relationship and continually exchanged letters (about the theme of martyrdom) and maintained contact until Bishop Nectarios’s repose, in 1920.
In that period Ft. Matthew was again in Mount Athos, in St. Menas the Greatmartyr Hermitage, at the Ahtonite desert, with a small brotherhood of monks. When a discussion if Nectarios was a Saint began among the monks, Ft. Matthew asked of them to pray and he himself went out to the desert to pray alone. When he returned back at the morning, he said “Yes, he is a Saint” and gave his name to one of his monks (the late Monk Nektarios, since 1952 Bishop of Vresthena Matthew II, + 1963). From that time Bishop Nectarios took his position in the Hagiologion of the True Orthodox Church, years before his official declaration by the Newcalendarist Ecumenical Patriarchate.

A SECOND PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND
Upon his return to Nafplion, Father Matthew became victim to the jealousy of the local Priests. These Priests resented the fact that hundreds of laity flocked to the monastery that Ft. Matthew resided in, to be confessed by him, and partake of his holiness. Therefore the jealous priests began slandering him to the local Metropolitan. Ft. Matthew being of extreme humility returned to the Holy Mountain so as to avoid any scandal.
In 1911, Ft. Matthew decided to make another pilgrimage to the Holy Land, for 14 months. En route to the Holy Land, Ft. Matthew made a brief stop in Constantinople and Smyrna. Upon arriving in Constantinople, he proceeded to the offices of the Ecumenical Patriarch, to receive a blessing to preach in the region. After receiving this blessing, he travelled throughout Asia Minor giving spiritual strength to the persecuted Orthodox communities. These Orthodox communities marvelled at Ft. Matthew’s fiery preaching and divine zeal, drawing great strength and guidance from him. That period in Smyrna was met with National Greek Martyr Metropolitan Chrysostomos Kalafatis, who later, in 1922, was killed by the Turks.
In July of 1911, Ft. Matthew arrived in Jerusalem. He immediately proceeded to the Offices of the Jerusalem Patriarch to receive a blessing to preach in the surrounding areas. Patriarch Damianos received Ft. Matthew with great joy as the fame of ‘the Holy Father’ had spread as far as the Holy Land. Patriarch Damianos assigned Ft. Matthew to serve at the most Holy Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Ft. Matthew, having heard of the strict monastic order of the nearby Holy Monastery of St. Savvas, wished to partake of the famed angelic life this monastery had become accustomed to. Upon his arrival at the monastery, a great joy filled his heart, his soul leaped to new bounds and he received a God given tranquility which set the stage for a spiritual blossoming. During his time at the monastery Ft. Matthew painted a beautiful icon of the Holy Napkin. He continued writing to his spiritual children never allowing even one letter to go unanswered. The monks of the monastery marvelled at the spiritual feats of Ft. Matthew and his continual pushing of himself to glorify God through his Ortho-Praxis. His monastic life soared with the eagles, while he attained to new heights within the monastic arena.
Ft. Matthew, prior to leaving the Holy Land, received a divine inclination to venerate the holy relics of Saint Catherine the Martyr. Upon arriving at Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Sina, Father Matthew was overwhelmed with tears as he approached the relics of Saint Catherine. As he humbly venerated the Holy Relics, he felt a divine strength possess him, as if to replenish him to continue his holy service to Christ and the Orthodox Church. He was so inspired by this event that he painted an icon of the Holy Napkin which he left as a gift at the Monastery. Father Matthew had visited the Holy Land for a total of 14 months, from July 1911 until September 1912, continuously in prayer, serving, confessing, communing, painting icons, and spreading the Word of God. In September of 1912, he returned to Mount Athos to distribute the spiritual pearls he had gathered in the Holy Land to his monastic brothers and spiritual children.

AGAIN IN MOUNT ATHOS
Upon his arrival on Mount Athos, he returned to his cell in the Holy Monastery of Simonopetra. Inspired by his experiences throughout the Holy Land, Ft. Matthew began pushing himself harder in the monastic arena. He began wearing chains under his monastic wear so that any form of comfort would be foreign to him. He performed all-night vigils continually, tying ropes and chains underneath his arms and around his body suspending himself upright so as to prevent falling asleep. For 3 straight years Ft. Matthew submerged himself in a strict monastic rule, continuously studying the writings of the Holy Fathers, all the while holding the position of spiritual father and confessor of the Holy Monastery of Simonopetra.
In 1916, Simonopetras’ Community elected Ft. Matthew to serve at the Metohion of the Ascension, in Athens. Upon arriving he was greeted by the Elder Father Panaretos, a Hieromonk (the two deeply respected each other and grew to be great friends). Ft. Matthew brought with him the Ortho-Praxis he had lived all his life, which inspired many within the Church. His homilies became legendary, his spiritual care healing all, attendance continued to grow at the church until there was no room within the church and people would wait outside just to catch a glimpse and receive a blessing from ‘the Holy Father Matthew’.
In 1923, Ft. Matthew in extreme humility returned to the Holy Mountain with tears in his eyes praying for those that had persecuted him. Upon his return to Mount Athos, he wished to find a place of solitude, so as to progress in the spiritual battle and to receive divine spiritual strength through intense prayer and fasting. After praying to Christ and the Theotokos to find a suitable dwelling, his prayers were answered when he found such a place just outside of the Great Lavra Monastery of St. Athanasios. It is here that Ft. Matthew built a hut; below this hut was a cave where he toiled in his ascetic labours day and night. The cave offered no protection against the intense heat of the day or the rigid cold of the night, but yet these discomforts were not enough for Ft. Matthew. He again began wearing chains under his monastic garb, partaking of dry bread and water only once a week, while receiving his divine sustenance from the Holy Mysteries of Christ. He truly was living the angelic life, all the while delving deeper and deeper into a spiritual euphoria. While in his cave Ft. Matthew painted a beautiful Holy Icon of St. Anna, which today can be venerated at the Monastery of Keratea. Ft. Matthew also had a deep spiritual reverence for St. Menas the Greatmartyr. He wished to honor the Saint by building a chapel dedicated to him. Therefore with the help of one of his spiritual children, he built a beautiful little chapel which was dedicated to St. Menas.

LEADER OF THE HOLY STRUGGLE OF THE TRUE ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS
In 1924, through freemasonic influence, for the benefit of synchronizing the pan-heresy of Ecumenism, the Ecumenical Patriarch followed by the Church of Greece uncanonicaly adopted the New Calendar. Through this adoption of the New Calendar, the Church of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarch created a schism within the Orthodox Church, and fell under the numerous Anathemas against the New Calendar. Leading up to the calendar change, the Government had banned all newspapers from being delivered to the Holy Mountain. This was done so as to keep the zealots of the Holy Mountain “in the dark” as to the purposed calendar change and ecumenist behaviour of the Ecumenical Patriarch.
The zealot monks of Mount Athos upon learning of the ecumenist apostasies and New Calendar adoption of the EP and Church of Greece, immediately severed communion with the innovating Hierarchs, and formed “The Sacred League of the Zealot Monks”. Likewise various pious Orthodox communities throughout Greece consisting of clergy and laity severed communion with the new calendarists and continued serving on the Orthodox ecclesiastical “old calendar.” As the “Oldcalendarists” were left without a Hierarchy, they commemorated “every Orthodox Bishop” a petition which is completely canonical in times of apostasy, heresy and schism. Although the Newcalendarists and those with them had fallen into schism, the Oldcalendarists placed their faith within our Lord’s word which assures us the gates of hell shall never prevail against the Church. Although the “Oldcalendarists” were not specifically aware of their names, there were rightly confessing Orthodox Hierarchs outside of Greece which in no way were in communion with the Newcalendarists or those with them. Therefore by commemorating “every Orthodox Bishop”, the “Oldcalendarists” were in fact commemorating these rightly confessing Orthodox Hierarchs.
In 1926, the “Oldcalendarists” petitioned Ft. Matthewand other Zealot Athonite Elders to take leadership of their Holy Struggle. The “Oldcalendarists” sent Alexandros Simeonidis to the Holy Mountain to plead with Ft. Matthew and return with him to Athens as quickly as possible. Ft. Matthew therefore in 1926 returned to Athens, where he was handed leadership over the “Oldcalendarists”. The “Oldcalendarists” began referring to themselves as Genuine Orthodox Christians, so as to differentiate themselves from there schismatic New Calendar counterparts. Under Ft. Matthew’s care, the faithful of the GOC were given strength, their faith was solidified, and there focus unified towards the glorification of the Holy Trinity. The GOC under him multiplied to over 800 communities throughout Greece. Ft. Matthew travelled throughout Greece building churches, and educating the faithful as to the schism of the Newcalendarists and the dangers of the anathematized new calendar.

THE FOUNDATION OF THE MONASTRIES OF HOLY THEOTOKOS AT KERATEA AND HOLY TRANFIGURATION AT KOUVARAS
In 1927, Ft. Matthew received a divine revelation which inspired him to build, with the help of his spiritual daughter Mariam and other 6 nonices, the Convent of the Entry of the Holy Theotokos to the Temple, near the vilagge of Keratea, Attica. As they travelled the region searching for appropriate grounds for the Convent, they passed by the “kaki thalassa” (in English "evil sea"). This body of water off the east coast of Greece had been given this name due to its volatile and loud crashing waves. Ft. Matthew began praying to God, and then made the sign of the Cross over the body of water. To the amazement of those with him, the sea became calm, and to this day is still an extremely calm body of water in contradiction to its name. A short distance from the “evil sea” on the nearby hills is where Ft. Matthew founded the Convent. The aforementioned Mariam went on to be the first Abbess of the Convent. Under Ft. Matthew’s spiritual guidance and Abbess Mariam’s watchful eye, the population of the Convent in Keratea rapidly grew, at its peak housing over 400 nuns (in ’40).
The Holy Convent did not escape the persecution of the Newcalendarists. At the behest of the Newcalendarists, the State Police made daily “visits” to the Convent. During these “visits” they would interfere with the Convents construction, halt supply deliveries, prevent pilgrams from visiting, as well as trying to prevent the serving of Divine Liturgy. The Newcalendarists persecuted the GOC with a barbarous tyranny. Although the Convent faced much adversity, by the grace of God and under Ft. Matthew’s care, those at the Convent faced the persecution with great bravery and zeal. Many members of the GOC in Athens were forced to scatter to the surrounding mountains, living in caves to escape imprisonment. The Convent offered shelter and safety to those who were hunted by the State Police for merely adhering to the traditions of the Orthodox Church.
As the fame of the Convent grew, it became a place of pilgrimage. On one occasion it was visited by a barren woman who for some time had been trying to become pregnant. This woman had heard of Ft. Matthew’s holiness, and that he had performed miracles. Upon meeting the barren woman, and hearing her humble pleas, he read a prayer over her and told her to drink of the water from the spring of the monastery. The woman did as she was told and left. A little over a month later she returned to the Convent frantic with joy. She informed everyone that she and her husband had conceived. When word began to travel of this wonderful miracle, barren women began to flock to the Convent pleading for help. Ft. Matthew would read the same prayer over these women and direct them to drink of the water of the spring, and woman after woman would return some time after to inform the Convent that they indeed had conceived. For this reason a chapel (and later, in 1948, a large church) dedicated to the Life Giving Spring of the Most Holy Theotokos were builded over the spring.
Over the next few years, pious men, spiritual children of Ft. Matthew, began joining him; month after month the number of them grew, eventually outgrowing the poor housing capabilities outside the Convent of the Holy Theotokos. So in 1934, he founded the Transfiguration Monastery at the village of Kouvara. The first chapel of the new monastery was dedicating to the Prophet Elias. The monastery grew to a point of over 170 residents.
Through Ft. Matthew’s great pastoral care, the Genuine Orthodox Communities of Greece continued to grow. He continued to preach throughout Greece about the dangers of the anathematized New Calendar and Freemasonry, all the while teaching the saving grace of the Orthodox Church. This greatly troubled the Newcalendarists, who thought that by this point the Genuine Orthodox Church would have disintegrated. They however did not foresee the fiery preaching and holy zeal of the servant of God Ft. Matthew. The Newcalendarist State Church enraged at the prosperity of the GOC, continued in its persecution of the Oldcalendarists by way of among other things, seizing churches and private properties, beatings, jailing, and segregation within the school systems. The laity of the GOC humbly endured all of this persecution, as they had been given inspiration by Ft. Matthew to suffer with joy when suffering for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and His Orthodox Church. All the laity of the GOC greatly loved and respected Ft. Matthew, as they realized he had given his very existence over to serving them, the Holy Orthodox Church, and God.

THE CONSECRATION OF ST. MATTHEW TO THE HIERARCHY
In 1935, three Hierarchs of the Newcaledarist State Church of Greece (Metropolitans Germanos of Demetrias and Chrysostom of Zakynthos, together with the retired former Metropolitan of Florina Chrysostom) left the Newcalendarist schism and expressed their desire to join the GOC. The three Hierarchs then openly read their confession of faith which declared the Newcalendarists schismatic. This was witnessed by over 25,000 faithful at the Church of the Dorimition of Theotokos in Kolonos, Athens. Because the consecrations of Bishop Germanus of Demetrias (in 1907 by Hierarchs of the Church of Greece) and Chrysostomos formerly of Florina (in 1908 by Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarch) took place prior to the 1924 Newcalendarist schism, their consecrations were valid. It was by this confession of faith, which declared the Newcalendarists completely schismatic, that the two Hierarchs were received into communion by the GOC with whatever level of Priesthood they had prior to their loss of grace in 1924 when they fell into schism through the New Calendar innovation. Immediately after this, on the same day, Metropolitans Germanos and Chrysostomos, read a cheirothesia on Metrop. Chrysostomos of Zakynthos, because he had been consecrated Bishop after the Schisn of 1924.

Following this, Metropolitan Germa-nos of Demetrias became the canonical active Bishop of the G.O.C. He thus assumed the position of President and first-hierarch of the G.O.C. and Ft. Matthew humbly handed the 800 parishes into Metropolitan Germanos's care.
The three Hierarchs ( the first Holy Synod of the True Orthodox Church of Greece), then proceeded in consecrating 4 more Bishops. These consecrations took place at the chapel of the Virgine Martyr Marina, within the Holy Convent of the Entry of the Theotokos, at Keratea, which St. Matthew had founded. The newly consecrated Bishops and the dates they were consecrated were: Germanus of the Cyclades on May 23(o/s), Christopher of Megara on May 24(o/s), Polycarp of Diavlia on May 25(o/s), and Matthew of Bresthena on May 26(o/s). These consecrations were officially announced via an Encyclical which specifically praised the spiritual labours of Ft. Matthew:
``Thus this past Wednesday (May 23, 1935, Orthodox Calendar) the All-righteous Archimandrite Germanus Varykopoulos was elected and consecrated as Bishop of the Cyclades. On Thursday the Archimandrite and Military Dean, Christopher Chatzis, was elected and consecrated canonically as Bishop of Megaris, being relieved from the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Athens. On Friday, Archimandrite Polycarp Liosis, Parish Priest and Preacher of the Parish of the Presentation of Christ in Piraeus, was elected and canonically consecrated as Bishop of the once shining in days of old Diocese of Diaulia.
On the next day, the Holy Synod gathered under the Presidency of the Most Eminent Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius, and taking into account the very honorable services which the following has offered and continues to offer for the sake of the Sacred Struggle, whom we select for the elevation of Orthodoxy and pacification of the Church, the All-righteous Kathegumen of the Holy Monastery of Keratea, Hieromonk Matthew Karpathakis, graduate of the Theological School of the Holy Cross, and desiring on the one hand that he continue his most honorable services, and on the other hand so that he may be encouraged and strengthened even more in this Orthodox Struggle, [the Holy Synod] unanimously elected and canonically consecrated him as Bishop of the once shining in days of old Diocese of Bresthena...``
+ Metropolitan Germanus of Dimitridos
+ Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Florina retired
+ Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Zakynthos”

Therefore after the consecrations, the GOC Hierarchy consisted of seven Bishops, they were: Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius, Chrysostomos former of Florina, Chrysostomos of Zakynthos, Germanos of Cyclades, Christopher of Megara, Polycarp of Diavlia, and Matthew of Bresthena. All of the Bishops received their ruling diocesan titles and were given different parts of Greece to shepherd. Bishop Matthew of Bresthena was commemorated in the entire Peloponnese region, as well as in Crete, his homeland. He was also commemorated in the three parishes he founded in Athens as well as in the Keratea Convent and Kouvara Monastery in Eastern Attica region. Bishop Matthew was given the Diocese of Bresthena due to its close proximity to the Convent of Pantanassa, located in the Castle of Mistras, in the region of Lakonia. Since 1910, Bishop Matthew had been the spiritual father of this monastery.
Following the GOC consecrations, the Newcalendarists had the GOC Hierarchy arrested and put on trial. While awaiting trial, the GOC Hierarchy were subject to intense pressure and threats to join the New Calendar State Church. Bishop Matthew valiantly confessed the truth all throughout this “trial”; those that heard him were in awe of his God given zeal. Once they were put on trial, all were “defrocked” and the consecrations of 1935 deemed invalid by the Newcalendarists. Metropolitan Chrysostom of Zakynthos, Bishops Christopher of Megara and Polycarp of Diavlia, betrayed the GOC, and rejoined the Newcalendarists. Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius, Chrysostomos formerly of Florina, and Bishop Germanus of Cyclades were exiled to various monasteries throughout Greece. Bishop Matthew of Bresthena was sentenced to house arrest due to health issues and advanced age and was confined to his Monastery by armed guards. Prior to their exile and house arrest the GOC Hierarchy issued a Pastoral Encyclical which again proclaimed the Newcalendarists as schismatics and void of grace in their “mysteries”.

While under house arrest Bishop Matthew carved a small “cave” into the wall in his cell. He hid this “cave” with a very large icon that was placed in front of it. It was in this “cave” that he would retire to for days on end without food or water, so as to submit himself to prayer undisturbed, hidden behind the icon. No one would know where he had gone. The nuns of the monastery worried for him, while the armed guards feared that he escaped.
In 1937, Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius, Chrysostomos formerly of Florina, and Bishop Germanus of Cyclades were allowed to return from exile. Bishop Matthew rejoiced as he was reunited with his fellow Hierarchs. Unfortunately this joy was short lived. Shortly after their return, Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius and Chrysostomos formerly of Florina began preaching a heretical theory that the Newcalendarists were not actually schismatic put only “potentially” schismatic, and that the Newcalendarist mysteries were valid. This completely contradicted the confession of faith which these 2 Hierarchs helped compose and both signed. That very confession of faith was the foundation of these Hierarchs being received into the GOC and given leadership of it. Being that they now betrayed that very confession of faith, they had voided the prerequisites required for reception into the GOC, and for them to be handed leadership over it. It was a complete betrayal of the confession of faith which allowed them to be received in the GOC.
These irresponsible actions caused great confusion and protest within the GOC, and the Newcalendarists capitalized on this state of discord and intensified their persecution of the Oldcalendarists further weakening the GOC. Bishop Matthew concerned with the salvation and well being of his flock, immediately sent an epistle to Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius and Chrysostomos formerly of Florina asking that they condemn this new and unorthodox theory, or at the very least clarify their positions. This epistle was unfortunately completely ignored. Therefore Bishop Matthew sent an epistle pleading for a conveying of a council so as to condemn this blasphemous theory. Again this epistle was completely ignored, and Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius and Chrysostomos formerly of Florina continued in their preaching of their heresy. Therefore Bishop Matthew sent a final epistle severing communion with them for their preaching of ecclesiological heresy. This epistle was followed shortly thereafter by another epistle written by Bishop Germanus of Cyclades, who also severed communion with Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius and Chrysostomos formerly of Florina for the preaching of their ecclesiological heresy.

THE MIRACLE OF THE SIGN OF THE CROSS IN THE SKY OF CRETE (1937)
On September 14(o/s) 1937, the GOC Church of Crete, which was under the omophorion of Bishop Matthew, had gathered at the church of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross in Mount Kophinas, for an all-night vigil on the occasion of the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross. During the vigil, to the amazement of all, the sign of the precious Cross appeared in the sky, much like it did in 1925. Bishop Matthew’s confessing of the Genuine Orthodox faith was a lighthouse among the spiritual darkness and confusion which was created by the treacherous former Hierarchy of the GOC. Likewise this miracle was a lighthouse directing those that were in stasis or confusion to go under the omophorion of the right confessing Hierarch of the GOC, Bishop Matthew of Bresthena.
The miracle of the appearance of the Holy Cross in the sky in Crete caused many to leave Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius and Chrysostomos formerly of Florina and join Bishop Matthew of Bresthena. Metropolitan Chrysostomos formerly of Florina became enraged at this, and began by any means possible to slander and persecute Bishop Matthew. He went so far as to write a letter of petition to the Ministry of Religion in Greece asking for the persecution of Bishop Matthew of Bresthena and Germanus of Cyclades and that the decision of the New Calendarists regarding the calendar be made obligatory to everyone . The Minister of Religion along with the New Calendar State Church gladly accommodated Metropolitan Chrysostomos formerly of Florina request. Therefore in March of 1938, Bishops Matthew of Bresthena and Germanus of Cyclades were tried at the State Court in Chalkis. Bishop Matthew, a true zealot of Christ, boldly confessed the truth, never compromising the Orthodox confession of faith. But to the dismay and scandal of many, Bishop Germanus of Cyclades betrayed the faith by stating: “I am not an Archpastor, since I have ceased to be that after I had been deposed.” (Referring to his pseudo and uncanonical deposition in 1935 by the Newcalendarists prior to his exile.)
Bishop Germanus of Cyclades behaviour set off a round of protests throughout Greece among the faithful of the Genuine Orthodox Church. But this scandalous behaviour was overshadowed by the genuine confession of faith given by Bishop Matthew of Bresthena. Word of the uncompromising zeal that Bishop Matthew showed in the trial began to spread throughout the Genuine Orthodox communities of Greece. The Clergy, monastics, and laity drew great strength and inspiration on hearing of Bishop Matthew’s bold confession. They began wearing the persecution against them by the Newcalendarists for the sake of the Church as a badge of honour, following the example of Bishop Matthew of Bresthena.
Much like St. Mark of Ephesus, Bishop Matthew of Bresthena, even under intense pressure and persecution from the State and from his current and former brother Hierarchs, never compromised the Orthodox confession of Faith. The Newcalendarists marvelled at the zeal of Bishop Matthew and sent wave after wave of persecution against him, hoping that he would follow the example of the other former Hierarchs of the GOC, and compromise. But Bishop Matthew through his zeal, like a fortress encompassed the communities of the GOC, and protected their confession of faith from the heretical assaults of the treacherous Newcalendarists and their “Oldcalendar” accomplices. Bishop Matthew had toiled with these Genuine Orthodox Christians since the Calendar change. They were not just faces or names to him, but were his spiritual children who had suffered greatly for their faith. Bishop Matthew had witnessed first-hand the persecution which the GOC had suffered from the very beginning. The torture, the beatings, the jailing, and vandalism which the GOC suffered at the hands of the Newcalendarists, he had witnessed first-hand. These people he knew by name, he had been to their homes and eaten with them, he had prayed with them, and blessed them. Not only were the laity and clergy of the GOC his spiritual children, they were his brothers and sisters in the Holy Struggle, and by no means, no matter how much persecution he suffered, he would never betray them or the Orthodox Church.
Bishop Germanus of Cyclades continued in his erratic and inconsistent behaviour. Several of his clergy and laity became concerned after reading some of Bishop Germanus of Cyclades encyclicals, and hearing him preach. It was brought to Bishop Matthew’s attention that Bishop Germanus was preaching several anti-traditional beliefs. Bishop Matthew wrote an epistle to Bishop Germanus asking him to repent of these anti-traditional and blasphemous beliefs. Bishop Germanus of Cyclades ignored the epistle but responded by beginning to slander Bishop Matthew and refusing to serve with him. Bishop Germanus of Cyclades then contined in his blasphemy by proclaiming that he did not sever communion with Metropolitan Germanus of Demetrius and Chrysostomos formerly of Florina over matters of faith. To the disappointment of the GOC, Bishop Germanus of Cyclades did not repent but continued on his destructive path, forcing the GOC to sever communion with him. The majority of his clergy and laity left Bishop Germanus of Cyclades and were received under the omophorion of Bishop Matthew of Bresthena. In 1948, Bishop Germanus of Cyclades had been arrested and sentenced to a 2 year prison sentence.

THE CONSECRATIONS OF 1948
In 1945, the clergy and laity of the GOC began petitioning Bishop Matthew of Bresthena to consecrate Bishops on his own and to re-form the Synod of Bishops. Bishop Matthew while realizing the urgent need for consecrations so as to insure the continuation of the Apostolic Succession of the Genuine Orthodox Church, wished to explore every available option before exercising an economia of the Holy Canons and proceeding with consecrations by himself. Therefore Bishop Matthew in extreme humility pleaded but to no avail with Metropolitan Chrysostomos formerly of Florina to return to the GOC ecclesiology and to assist in consecrations. Metropolitan Chrysostomos formerly of Florina refused to repent of his ecclesiastical heresy as well as refusing to participate in consecrations.
Therefore within Greece, Bishop Matthew of Bresthena was the only Hierarch that held fast to the GOC 1935 confession of faith, and the only Hierarch that believed the Apostolic Succession of the GOC should continue. Bishop Matthew therefore attempted to contact Hierarchs from outside of Greece. Several Hierarchs (according to Archbishop Andreas in Poland), expressed their willingness to participate in consecrations with Bishop Matthew, and gave their blessings for them, but due to various political reasons within their countries of residence they were not able to obtain travelling visas.
Bishop Matthew sent one last appeal dated July 3, 1948, to Metropolitan Chrysotomos formerly of Florina, pleading for a union based on a genuine Orthodox confession of faith, and for his assistance in performing consecrations. Metropolitan Chrysostomos in 1945, publicly swore to the Newcalendarists that he and those with him would never participate in consecrations. But Bishop Matthew had hope that with the passage of a few years, and with the several humble epistles sent by him, that Metropolitan Chrysostomos would have heeded to the desperate pleas of the GOC and repented of his heresy and his uncanonical refusal to participate in consecrations. But unfortunately Bishop Matthew’s pleas fell on deaf ears. Metropolitan Chrysostomos sent an epistle dated July 6th 1948 back to Bishop Matthew, in which he stated that the issue of consecrations was a finished one, and that he would not participate in any consecrations .
Having exhausted every possible option, the Genuine Orthodox Church called an extraordinary clergy-laity meeting. This council discussed the only option which was left to the GOC, Bishop Matthew performing consecrations by himself. Hence, on August 26, 1948, a clergy-laity meeting of the "Matthewite" Synod decided that:
"...Our most Reverend Bishop Matthew of Bresthena should proceed to the consecration of new bishops, insofar as the other pseudo-bishops of the True Orthodox Christians neither understand nor confess Orthodoxy, nor unite with us, nor even agree to make consecrations. We grant him the authority to proceed both to the election of people and to their immediate consecration, in accordance with the divine and sacred canons and the opinions of our canon law experts, and in accordance with the practice of the whole Church of Christ, which has accepted, in case of necessity (as is the case today) such an act of economia [otherwise known as "leniency" or "dispensation"], as we have just heard from our Chancellor, Archpriest Eugene (Tombros), who explained the validity of the consecration of one Bishop by one Bishop alone in accordance with the law of our Orthodox Church..."
Therefore Bishop Matthew on September 6(o/s) 1948 exercised an economia of the Holy Canons of the Orthodox Church by consecrating (and renaming) the Athonite Archimandrite Gideon (former Abbot of Xenophontos’ Monastery in Mount Athos), as Bishop Spyridon of Trimythus. (The Genuine Orthodox Church of Cyprus had been petitioning Bishop Matthew to consecrate a Bishop for Cyprus since 1946. The local Canons of Cyprus permit the election of a Hierarch by the clergy and faithful in times of need. All of the hierarchy within Cyprus had apostatized to the New Calendar, so there was no hierarch in Cyprus that could assist with the election or consecration). The consecration of Bishop Spyridon took place at the Transfiguration Monastery of Kouvara, in the Chapel of the Prophet Elias. In the days following the consecration of Bishop Spyridon, Bishop Matthew together with him consecrated Hieromonk Andreas (brother of Transfiguration Monastery) as Bishop of Patras on September 13 (o/s). Then on Sept 20(o/s) the Hieromonk Dimitrios (also brother of Transfiguration Monastery) was consecrated as Bishop of Thessalonica. Then on September 27(o/s) the Hieromonk Kallistus (brother of Annunciantion Monastery at Corinth) was consecrated as Bishop of Corinth.
On September 15 (o/s) 1949, the Holy Synod unanimously elected and enthroned Bishop Matthew of Bresthena as the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece of the Genuine Orthodox Church. What joy the Genuine Orthodox Church felt seeing there Elder, “the Holy Father” Matthew enthroned as Archbishop of Athens and all Greece. I ask the reader to imagine themselves as the laity in 1948-49, imagine the anguish these people felt having suffered so much for the Orthodox faith, having their pleas for consecrations go unanswered for so long. Imagine how the thoughts swirled in their minds that they would be left orphaned without a Hierarchy. Now imagine the joyous occasion of seeing the Apostolic Succession of their Church safeguarded by God’s grace by the man who had struggled with them shoulder to shoulder from the very beginning. And then to see him enthroned as the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece. This glorious and historic occasion was and is an inspiration and a miracle, an answer to their prayers to all who were and are Genuine Orthodox Christians.
Afterwards the other 4 Bishops were elevated to the rank of Metropolitans. The joyous occasion was proclaimed through an encyclical which was distributed throughout the “Kingdom of Greece” and abroad. Communities of the GOC all throughout Greece rejoiced, and gave praise to God. What a historic sight to behold, Archbishop Matthew of Athens and all Greece, Metropolitans Spyridon of Trimythus, Andreas of Patras, Demetrios of Thessalonica and Callistos of Corinth, the Holy Synod of the Genuine Orthodox Church.
The Holy Synod in November of 1949, held an extraordinary council which declared an Anathema against one of the many enemies of Orthodoxy, Freemasonry. The clergy and laity marvelled at the zeal of their new Hierarchs as they all held firm to the Orthodox confession of faith, even under intense persecution. A few months earlier, on the Feast of Theophany 1949, Archbishop Matthew led a beautiful procession, assisted by Bishops Demetrios of Thessalinica and Callistos of Corinth. The faithful drew great strength from this Holy and joyous event.
As mentioned, the consecrations performed by Bishop Matthew gave great spiritual strength and stability to the Genuine Orthodox Church. Genuine Orthodox Churches began to be built, new communities throughout Greece were established, and the membership of the Church grew. But the consecrations, much like the Genuine Orthodox Church itself were subject to resentment and persecution by the Newcalendarists and their “Old Calendar” accomplices. The Newcalendarists had been assured by the other “old calendar factions” that they would not participate in consecrations of Hierarchs. Without consecrations to replenish the need for Hierarchs, the Newcalendarists and other “old calendar factions” believed that the Apostolic Succession of the Genuine Orthodox Church would eventually cease to exist, and the GOC clergy and laity would be forced to submit to the Newcalendarists. The enemies of the GOC gnashed their teeth and their blood boiled with anger as their satanic plan to destroy the Genuine Orthodox Church was by God’s grace foiled by the heroic efforts of Bishop Matthew . With the holy and historic consecrations, the Hierarchy of the Genuine Orthodox Church was replenished, and its Apostolic Succession safeguarded.

THE REPOSE OF ARCHBISHOP MATTHEW (14.5.1950)
The time approached for Archbishop Matthew to leave this temporal life and partake of the everlasting Glory of God. He had fallen sick and was bed ridden. With great humility and gratitude he praised God continually for everything, never complaining of the pain caused by his sickness. He, even as he lay on his deathbed, showed no concern for himself, but instead only showed concern for the Holy Orthodox Church. He had the Hierarchs and clergy gather and exhorted them to serve and protect the Orthodox Church with all their being. He then gave his blessing to all that came to see him.
On Saturday May 14, 1950, on the feast of Pentecost, Archbishop Matthew, the humble servant of God, at the age of 89 years old, surrendered his holy soul into the hands of the Lord. Hierarchs, clergy, monastics and laity hurried to view and venerate the body of St. Matthew the New-Confessor which begat a heavenly aura. All cried and lamented having been deprived of their Holy Archbishop and Shepherd. As word spread throughout Greece that Archbishop Matthew had reposed in the Lord, thousands of people descended upon the monastery so as to pay their respects to him. All of the True Orthodox monasteries and churches tolled their bells from the day of his repose to the day of his burial, in respect for St. Matthew. Thousands upon thousands of letters and flowers were sent to the monastery as word spread outside of Greece about his repose. His spiritual children from around the world traveled great distance so as to pay their respects to their Spiritual Father.
In preparation for the funeral the monastery was draped in complete humility. But our Lord and Saviour glorifies his Saints, and therefore the monastery although decorated in humility, glowed with a royal splendour. Three days later the funeral for St. Matthew the New-Confessor was held. Hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and laity descended upon the monastery for the funeral, which turned into an enormous procession. As the funeral was in the summer, and in those days they did not have refrigeration for the deceased, many worried that the body of Archbishop Matthew would stink or start to decompose. But as mentioned before, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ glorifies His Saints. Even after several days of intense heat, the body of St. Matthew did not begin to smell or decompose at all. In fact, as St. Matthew’s body was brought out of the Chapel of Martyr Marina, in the countryard of the Convent, his body began to exude heavenly fragrant myrrh which abundantly flowed from his feet. All present marvelled at this miracle. Some of the myrrh was collected and distributed as a blessing to all present. Even after this, St. Matthew’s body poured forth the heavenly myrrh, continuing through the burial service. Upon exhuming his Relics some years later the heavenly myrrh continued to pour forth. And still to this day, his Relics pour forth myrrh. This myrrh and his holy and precious Relics have been known to be wonderworking and can be venerated today at the Theotokos Convent in Keratea.
In 1959, the Holy Synod of the Genuine Orthodox Church under the presidency of Archbishop Agathangelos, uncovered the Holy Relics of St. Matthew the New-Confessor. St. Matthew’s relics were found to be fragrant, and myrrh streaming. St. Matthew’s relics were then reburied, and a beautiful service was composed for him by the nuns of the Keratea Convent. In 1962, his relics were again uncovered and again found to be fragrant, and myrrh streaming.
His entire life had been lived in complete service to God and the Orthodox Church. St. Matthew had served as the spiritual leader of the GOC for 9 years prior to the return of 3 Hierarchs in 1935. It is under St. Matthew’s care that the GOC experienced its most prosperous time, growing to over 800 communities throughout Greece. He toiled and laboured establishing these communities, building dozens upon dozens of churches as well as several monasteries. He never in his life communed with the schismatic new calendarists, never betrayed the GOC, and never betrayed the GOC confession of faith or his Apostolic Succession.
Although St. Matthew endured many disappointments, betrayals and hardships, his Orthodox confession of faith was never compromised. His monastic labours to this day are revered and looked upon with great admiration and inspiration. His holiness is acknowledged, even by those that betrayed him. He served his spiritual children with all of his being.
We are left with several pieces of his poetry, his inspiring encyclicals and pastoral homilies, the many churches and monasteries he founded, the beautiful icons he painted, and even his holy relics as memories of this holy servant of God. But what greater thing is there to remind us of St. Matthew than the very apostolic succession of the Genuine Orthodox Church. Only through the mercy of God and the holy struggles of this great confessor Matthew did the Apostolic Succession tracing back to the pre schism Church of Greece survive.
St. Matthew the New Confessor fulfilled the main responsibility of a Hierarch, which is, to pass on the confession of Faith and Apostolic Succession preserved and unchanged. When he did this, a few years later he reposed in the Lord, having protected the Apostolic Succession and Future of the GOC. For having practised every virtue, he was fittingly glorified by God.

SOME OF THE MIRACLES PERFORMED BY ST. MATTHEW

CURING OF A BACK AILMENT
“We were going on holiday to Greece. The day before we left, I suddenly felt a pain in my back. I had slipped a disc. I felt awful. The last time it had happened, I had had to sleep on the carpet in our sitting-room, and could barely move or look after our little son. The doctor came, and I had to walk very straight, without bending, going down through my knees, etc. I had to get my back muscles back into shape again, and it took a long time – about two weeks.
My husband was in ill health, and the next day we had to board the plane. I got out of bed with great pain. I could hardly dress myself. Somehow I had to make it to the airport as I did not want to spoil the holiday for my family. My eldest son and his wife and little son were coming, too. I still don’t know how I managed to walk and get on the plane. It was agony. By the time we arrived at the hotel where we were booked in, I was bent over and walking very slowly in great pain. My face showed it. The hotel staff were not very happy to see me in such a state because it seemed as if I were suffering from a terminal illness and this was not very pleasant for the other holiday-makers in the hotel. I had a plank put under my mattress, and my food was brought to me.
Near the hotel was the wonderful women’s monastery of the Mother of God in Keratea. I had read about the founder of the monastery, Bishop Matthew, a great wonderworker and confessor of the Orthodox Faith who died in 1950, whose Relics were reported to be fragrant and working miracles of healing. I was convinced that he could help me, so I asked my husband to take me there so as to venerate his skull. My husband hired a car, and he and my son escorted me very slowly to the door of the car. The hotel waiters looked on sympathetically. When we arrived at the monastery, I gingerly got out of the car with great difficulty and in excruciating pain. Supported by two people, I made my way to the little room where the skull was standing on a table in a Bishop’s mitre. There was an opening in the mitre on the top of the skull. With great difficulty I stooped to kiss the skull through the opening. Immediately the pain disappeared and I was able to stand up straight! My family was very surprised and delighted. The next day I was playing tennis, which is unheard of for anyone who has just had a slipped disc!
When we returned to the hotel the waiters did not recognize me. I greeted them, but they looked at me as if I were a stranger. “Don’t you know who I am?” I asked. “I’m staying here.” I felt no pain, and I was walking quickly and upright. They shook their heads in disbelief. I told them what had happened, and as they were all Orthodox believers they had no difficulty in understanding my explanation…”

ST. MATTHEW APPEARS IN A VISION
‘After the death of the Holy Father Matthew, I along with the then Bishop of Patras Andreas and the nuns of the Monastery were imprisoned in Kallithea due to the persecution of the un-Orthodox New Calendarists. In the same prison there were also political prisoners (communists). A nun, Sister Anna, got sick and the prison staff asked if one of the other nuns could care for her, but no one volunteered. Only a political prisoner had offered her help. This lady had a dream, where a short Elder, who was holding a book was sorting out who was to go to paradise and who was to go to hell. As she neared the Elder, he stopped her and said ‘you are for paradise because you are helping my spiritual child, Sister Anna’, after which she awoke. Later, during Bishop Andreas visit, she noticed the “konkarda” of the Holy Father Matthew. Immediately she began to exclaim ‘that is the Elder from my dream!’ The Elder from the dream was in fact St. Matthew the New Confessor. She then gave an Orthodox confession of faith, received a blessing with Holy Myron, and became Orthodox.’

ST. MATTHEW CURES A CHILD ON HER DEATHBED
‘A bank officer by the name of Zacharias had a 12 year old daughter that was extremely ill, in fact, near death. Zacharias called the Holy Father and pleaded with him to come read a blessing over his daughter. St. Matthew told the couple that their daughter will get well, but they must dedicate her to the Theotokos, to which they agreed. St. Matthew made the sign of the cross over a glass of water and sprinkled the girl with the blessed water. Immediately the little girl regained consciousness, got up, and was completely healed.’

ST. MATTHEW CURES A PARALYTIC
‘A family from Volos, which had a paralyzed member, travelled to the Monastery on a pilgrimage. As their car pulled up, St. Matthew stepped out onto the balcony to see who it was. They family showed him the paralyzed man and pleaded with the Saint for his help. St. Matthew replied, ‘only God may make him well’, he then made the sign of the Cross over the paralytic, and behold the wonder, the paralytic was cured. All the monks that witnessed this marvel were overcome with emotion and began crying.’

THE APPEARENCE OF THE THEOTOKOS
‘Four possessed women came to the Monastery and entered the Church while St. Matthew was serving the Divine Liturgy. The demonized women began arguing amongst themselves causing a great disturbance. During the Cherubic Hymn, St. Matthew, came out to cense the people. Suddenly all present felt water sprinkled on them which was from the Life Giving Spring. The possessed women became stiff as boards and silent until the end of the Liturgy. Everyone had assumed that St. Matthew had sprinkled them with the Holy water but in reality during the time of the Cherubic Hymn, the Holy Theotokos had appeared and blessed the Holy Father Matthew, she then took water from the Life Giving Spring and sprinkled the people. The now healed four women when they came to at the end of the Holy Liturgy testified to this.’

ST. MATTHEW EXPELS A DEMON
‘Another time, Sister Maria was being held by 5 other nuns to protect her against the physical attacks of the demons. These demons would take Sister Maria into the woods and try to kill her. That particular day, while Divine Liturgy was being served in the chapel of St. Menas, the demons came and took Sister Maria and brought her to the sea to drown her. The nuns immediately notified St. Matthew. St. Matthew then knelt and began to pray to the Lady of Angels the Theotokos, for her to drive the demons out of Sister Maria and return her to him. And behold the wonder! Everyone heard a noise and low and behold who was standing there? Sister Maria, soaked with water up to her neck. She had been in the sea close to being drowned, but through the mercy of the Theotokos and prayers of St. Matthew the New Confessor she was saved.’

ST. MATTHEW HEALS A WOMEN
‘There was once a teacher who had a picture of St. Matthew. However she did not believe St. Matthew was a Saint, and threw away the picture. After a while she began having a problem with her vocal cords. Over time, the problem progressed to the point where she could no longer teach. But she never connected her ailment to her throwing out the picture of Saint Matthew. She went to go see a Spiritual Father, who after some questioning, discovered that she had thrown away the picture of Saint Matthew. The Spiritual Father told her about the life of St. Matthew as well as the miracles which he performed, even after his death. She repented of her mistake, and proceeded to the Monastery of Keratea, so as to venerate St. Matthew’s tomb. She then drank of the water in the Life Giving Spring, and after a few days her vocal chords were miraculously cured. What was even a greater miracle was when she returned home after visiting the Monastery in Keratea, the picture which she had thrown away was there.’

THE APPEARANCE OF THE GREAT MARTYR MENAS
‘St. Matthew along with a group of monks and laity were travelling to the remote chapel of St. Menas for Divine Liturgy. During the long journey they became lost. St. Matthew began praying to St. Menas to show them the way to his chapel. To the marvel of all, St. Menas appeared riding his horse, and proceeded to show them the way. All marvelled at the great miracle.’

ST. MATTHEW EXPELS A DEMON
‘There was a very beautiful woman named Alexandra who was around 22 years old, who was from Theavas. She was at the Monastery in Keratea with her parents and 12 years old sister. Alexandra was possessed by 7 demons 25 days ago. Her parents, being pious Orthodox, seeing their daughter in this condition brought her to the Monastery in Keratea for help. Alexandra screamed continuously day and night. Three nuns had to restrain her as she continuously tried to run towards the steep hills. Satan through Alexandra began yelling and swearing at St. Matthew, her voice so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire Monastery. Satan howled at St. Matthew, saying ‘you wrinkled old man, you will become the Patriarch of Constantinople, there are 160 Angels standing over you!! You wrinkled old man, you are gathering all these people here and burning us, you are taking these people from us, they were ours and now you are taking them.’ Everyone that witnessed this was terrified. The demon then turned to the faithful and howled ‘what are you doing here, you have your own priests in your villages, go away!! We have conquered the whole world, we have conquered half of Mount Athos, and the Archbishop Chrysostomos (Newcalendarist) is seated to the right of Lucifer! I will be gone in 4 days, Emmanuel will chase me off at his resurrection will I go... ’ At the time of Liturgy, all became scared because Alexandra refused to enter the Church, and had to be forced in. During the readings of the Exapsalmon and the 12 Gospels, the demons began swearing at St. Matthew. When St. Matthew came to the 87th Psalm, the demon began grinding his teeth, roaring like a wild animal, proclaiming that all the sinners and demons will fall into the dark hole, but the believers will not go with them. St. Matthew rebuked the demon and told him to silence himself which the demon did.
The possessed girl’s family asked St. Matthew what will happen to their daughter. St. Matthew wanting to know how deep their faith was and so asked them what they wanted to happen with their daughter to which they replied they wished for her to be rid of the demon. St. Matthew answered them that ‘the Theotokos will rid her of this demon tomorrow’. The next day was Pascha, as Christos Anesti was chanted, the demon began to scream ‘I am going but where am I going, I have far to go’. Alexandra was now on the floor convulsing, roaring, and mooing like a cow. She then bit a finger off of her left hand. As St. Matthew approached her, he made the sign of the Cross over her 3 times while proclaiming “Christ is Risen”, St. Matthew then commanded the demon, ‘depart and go to your father Lucifer’. The girl’s body became as dead. St. Matthew instructed that the bells were to be tolled because the girl’s soul was freed from the grasp of Satan. He crossed her 3 times and reached out with his right hand and said ‘get up Alexandra’. To the wonder of all, Alexandra opened her eyes and stood up, completely healthy. Truly a glorious miracle performed by the Theotokos through the prayers of St. Matthew the New Confessor.’

THROUGH THE PRAYERS OF ST. MATTHEW THE MONASTERY IS FED
‘In 1942, the monks of the monastery set out on their boats to fish. After days on the sea they had caught nothing. St. Matthew went down to the sea and went fishing with the rest of them. St. Matthew made the sign of the Cross over the ocean and said a prayer. That day the nets ripped from the weight of the captured fish. When the Holy Father got off of the water, a bright light came out of the sea towards the sky. Everyone in the Monastery witnessed this and marvelled as they proclaimed ‘miracle’.’

ST. MATTHEW’S PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED
‘During the German occupation, German generals came to see the Holy Father Matthew, the abbot of the Holy Convent of Keratea, and told him the convent was to be moved from it’s current location in order to house the wounded German soldiers from Crete. St. Matthew answered: ‘Impossible! You can cut off my hand but I will never sign.’(In Greek, this means a refusal to co-operate with the request). The Germans became extremely upset but left planning to come back to force the issue. St. Matthew instructed all the monks and nuns to commence a strict three day fast. At the end of the fast, he gathered everyone together and while distributing antidoron he proclaimed: ‘An order has come from above, the Germans will do nothing.’ The next day the German generals came to the convent and pleaded for forgiveness from St. Matthew.’

ST. MATTHEW’S PROPHECY IS FULLFILLED
‘In 1930 during the persecution of the Orthodox (by the Newcalendarists), St. Matthew had gone to Theava to preach. One night as he was sitting there, he sighed and prophesized: ‘I see a big lion around these villages; all of these villages will turn into ashes.’ In 1946 his prophecy came to be when the Germans surrounded the villages and then later burned the villages to ashes.’

ST. MATTHEW CURES A LEPOR
‘The was a man who was suffering from leprosy on his head and face. This man went to visit St. Matthew. St. Matthew gave the man his blessing and instructed him: ‘go and wash up at the Life Giving Spring at the Convent. Sure enough the leper went, washed up, and to everyone’s surprise the scales fell of him into the water, just as when a fish is descaled. He was completely cured.’

ST. MATTHEW CURES A PARALYTIC
‘A monk named Anthimos was busy working at a great height and fell a great distance to the ground breaking his spine. He was transported to Athens where the doctors who examined proclaimed: ‘there is no hope for this man’. (As per chance?) St. Matthew was also in Athens at the metohion on Alexander the Great Ave. The paralyzed monk was brought to the monastery. Mother Mariam asked the monk what the doctors had said, to which the reply was: ‘no hope’. St. Matthew asked for the monk to be brought to him. St. Matthew then took a glass of water and made the sign of the cross over it. St. Matthew then ran the blessed water down the back of the monk along the spine, and proclaimed ‘this will be your medication.’ To the amazement of all, the monk recovered from his life threatening injuries. The doctors marvelled as no amount of examination could explain this miracle.’

ST. MATTHEW’S PROPHECY IS FULLFILLED
In 1932, St. Matthew prophesized that Mother Mariam would be jailed and martyred for the Orthodox faith. In 1950, after the repose of Saint Matthew, Mother Mariam was in fact imprisoned and martyred for her adherence to the Genuine Orthodox Church.

ST. MATTHEW EXPELS A DEMON
‘On August 15, 1938, just prior to the Vespers service at the Convent in Keratea, there appeared a woman possessed by 25 demons. As Saint Matthew was entering the Church while the bells were ringing, the possessed woman began to scream and roar. Saint Matthew lifted and icon and commanded: ‘devil stop until the Doxologia’. The woman roared one final time and then stopped. During the procession of the Epitafios of Panagia, the demon began to yell: ‘she is lumunious, glorious day, she is luminous, the wrinkled one (Saint Matthew) is accompanied by 300 angels in the heavens.’ St. Matthew approached the possessed woman and touched her with his Holy Staff, the demons squealed in agony: ‘There are 25 of us, we are leaving, we are leaving immediately.’

ST. MATTHEW’S PROPHECY IS FULLFILLED
‘A woman from the island of Chios came to the Monastery. St. Matthew welcomed her and asked: ‘where are you from?’ ‘From Chios’ she replied. St. Matthew told her: ‘I must talk to you. When you return to Chios tell everyone to repent, because very soon there will be a large earthquake.’ The woman returned to Chios but disobeyed St. Matthew and did not say anything about the earthquake or repentance. Sure enough, shortly thereafter a large earthquake struck the island. The woman’s home was completely destroyed.’

ST. MATTHEW EXPELS A DEMON
‘A possessed man was brought to the Convent in Keratea with the hopes of curing him. He entered the church during Divine Liturgy and layed down in front of the Holy Gates. As St. Matthew exited the Alter holding the Holy Mysteries, the man began to violently and loudly bark like a dog. As St. Matthew passed over him the man became dead silent and was made well.

Through the prayers of Saint Matthew the New-Confessor,

Lord Jesus Christ have mercy of us!