Return of Archimandrite Innocent. Bishop Evstafiy: biography Archbishop Evstafiy of Alexandrov and Yuryev of Poland

Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk Innokenty (Yakovlev), former secretary of the Vladimir diocesan administration, member of the Union of Artists of Russia, graphic artist and photographer, who is well remembered by Vladimir cultural figures, headed the Alexandrov and Yuryev-Polish diocese

Photo by the press service of the Russian Orthodox Church

On May 14, in the historic building of the Synod on Senate Square in St. Petersburg, under the chairmanship of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was held. A number of issues were considered at the event, in particular, the spiritual fathers approved the "Concept of the activities of the diocesan missionary department", discussed the issue of celebrating the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. In addition, a number of important personnel issues were resolved. One of them concerned the Vladimir Metropolis.

As follows from the minutes of the meeting, the Holy Synod discussed "the state of affairs in the Diocese of Alexander", as a result of which a new head of this division of the Vladimir Metropolis was appointed.

Recall that the unified diocese of Vladimir was divided into three constituent parts in July 2013. The new Vladimir Metropolis included the Vladimir, Murom and Alexander eparchies.

The Diocese of Alexandrov and Yuryev-Polish, divided into 5 deaneries, was formed by the decision of the Holy Synod of July 16, 2013. It unites parishes within the administrative boundaries of Aleksandrovsky, Kirzhachsky, Kolchuginsky and Yuryev-Polsky districts of the Vladimir region. The administration of the diocese is located in Aleksandrov, the cathedral is the Alexander Church in honor of the Nativity of Christ.

Archbishop Evstafiy

Since July 16, 2013, the diocese has been temporarily ruled by Metropolitan Evlogii of Vladimir. On May 30, 2014, by the decision of the Synod, Archbishop Evstafiy (in the world Evgeny Evdokimov) was appointed to the Alexander See. Prior to that, he headed the Chita and Krasnokamensk eparchies. Tough policy of Bishop Eustathius towards the priesthood Eastern Siberia, as they write in open sources, has repeatedly become the subject of public criticism. According to some reports, during his service in the Chita diocese, Evstafiy banned more than 50 people from the priesthood. Deacon Andrei Kuraev, according to some media reports, called Bishop Evstafiy "Stalin in a cassock" on LiveJournal.

During the service of Archbishop Evstafiy in Alexandrov, the clergy, local and regional authorities, the Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir Region, supervisory authorities, residents of the city of Alexandrov, and the public movement "The Essence of Time" were involved.

In October 2014, representatives of the Alexandrov diocese approached the deputies of the district council with a proposal to build an Orthodox center in Alexandrov next to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, which includes a school, a library and a monument to Alexander Nevsky. The construction of these facilities was hampered by another monument - the fighters of the revolution of 1905-1907 (popular name - "Woman with a Flag") on Sovetskaya Square, erected in 1987. Local deputies voted for the transfer of the monument, but the Alexandrov community stood up for its defense. Activists organized a collection of signatures for the cancellation of the deputy's decision with an appeal addressed to the Governor of the Vladimir Region Svetlana Orlova. Almost simultaneously, the deaneries of the Alexandrov and Yuryev-Polsky eparchies began under another appeal to Governor Orlova with a request to assist in the construction of an Orthodox center in Alexandrov and the demolition of the monument to the fighters of the 1905 revolution.

The scandal had to be extinguished at the level of the leadership of the Vladimir region. As a result, the "Woman with a Flag" remained in its place, the construction of the Orthodox center was not started.

At a meeting of the Holy Synod on May 14, Archbishop Evstafiy of Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky was "retired." The stated reason is the state of health. Gratitude was expressed to the archbishop "for the archpastoral labors incurred in the Alexander diocese." The Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra was determined as the place of stay of Evstafiy at rest.

The Synod appointed Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk Innokenty (Yakovlev) as the new Bishop of Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky.

Most of the life of Bishop Innokenty is connected with the Vladimir region. Yakov Yakovlevich Yakovlev was born (as he was called in the world) in 1947 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in a military family, he graduated from the Novosibirsk Architectural Institute, where he later taught. In 1975 he was admitted to the Union of Artists of Russia, after which he began to professionally engage in fine arts, participating in all-Union, republican and international exhibitions. In the 80s, he helped decorate the churches of the Novosibirsk diocese as an architect and icon painter.

Vladimir Yakovlev moved to in 1983. In 1992, after the death of his wife, he was ordained a deacon and then a priest. On September 1, 1992, he was appointed chairman of the construction and economic department at the Vladimir Diocesan Administration and a member of the Vladimir Diocesan Council.

On May 1, 1993, Yakov Yakovlev was appointed senior priest of the Holy Dormition Knyaginin convent in the city of Vladimir, on August 22, 1995 - secretary of the Vladimir diocesan administration. On April 13, 1997, the clergyman was tonsured a monk with the name Innokenty, on April 12, 1998 he was elevated to the rank of hegumen On December 21, 2005, he was appointed abbot of the Alexander Monastery in the city of Suzdal and dean of the monasteries of the Suzdal district, while retaining the duties of secretary of the diocesan administration. On March 19, 2007 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

A new period in the life of Innokenty began in 2011, when he was appointed Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Serov.

Vladimir cultural figures remember Innokenty well as a creative and sensible person with whom it was possible to conduct a dialogue and find a common language on a variety of, including acute, issues.

On November 12, the newspaper “Alexandrovsky Voice of Labor” published an article “Disinfection or love? May our land not be scorched! But the publication was preceded by a completely detective story. 3 days before the publication, the text of the article was stolen from the newspaper and was vigorously discussed in the diocesan administration! - the author of the topic reports about the local diocese.

***
DISINFECTION OR LOVE?

Today, November 4th, is a holiday Holy Mother of God- in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. I came to the Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, of which I have been a parishioner for about twenty years, and did not recognize him. He was completely different, but not outwardly - but in spirit, in the inner atmosphere. There was such a strange feeling that I came home, and new people live and host there, whom I do not know and who do not know me. And new priests headed by Vladyka Eustace, and new faces in the icon shop to replace those expelled, and new parishioners. However, there are no new parishioners - there are parishioners of other churches who came here after the priests transferred to the cathedral from other churches. What is this? There are parishioners, but no parish? Was it fragmented, dispersed, destroyed overnight?
A church parish is a community that has been formed in each particular church over many years. In fact, this is a family with its own strict hierarchy headed by the rector. Our family was formed more than twenty years ago, when the cathedral was being revived. The family multiplied, grew stronger, brought up and raised children through the Sunday parish school. For one reason or another, the abbots changed, but everyone who came again respected the work of their predecessors and increased their achievements. Together we raised the temple - and it flourished before our eyes. How we rejoiced at the new iconostasis, the new dome with a cross, the new house, where the refectory and Sunday school were located ... With tears in our eyes, we listened to the sermons of our priests, who called us to a pure life, led to the salvation of the soul, asking the Lord to forgive our sins. In a word, we lived the Christian life, satisfied that we could introduce our children and grandchildren to it.
When we learned that we would soon have our own master, we were delighted. We love our Metropolitan Evlogy of Vladimir and Suzdal, we always meet him with reverence at our place - and he endows us with affection and love. And now we will have our own master - and we will love him, we will help him, we will find in him a good shepherd, with whom it will be easier to go to God.
Archbishop of Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky Evstafiy arrived to us with his entourage this summer. There was talk among the church people about the unfavorable situation in the Chita diocese, from where Vladyka was transferred. “We'll wait and see,” we said, not attaching any importance to these rumors.
Several months have passed. Weeping is heard everywhere. Discord, disorder, gossip reign everywhere. The situation is rapidly developing according to the "Chita scenario", where for several years dozens of priests were banned from serving without trial or investigation, and the rest were subjected to constant shuffling, where most parishes were ruined, where the Sunday school director was unexpectedly and innocently dismissed and anathematized, where an atmosphere of threats, reprisals, denunciations reigned, where the Orthodox Church was discredited so that it was almost empty.
The same thing is happening to us. In just a couple of months, there was a split into two camps: some look at what is happening with bewilderment and pain, others sing the glory of the “great prayer book”. I don’t know where they got it from that he was “great”, probably they pray with him. But every Christian knows that the result of prayer should be peace, peace, creation, joy, but we have destruction, anger, gossip: just a little bit more and we will grapple with each other and become enemies.
The first to be destroyed was the parish school of the cathedral, from the pulpit called defective. In her room is now equipped with the office of the lord. But the point is not that there is not enough space. The terrible truth is that behind all this is seen an attempt to destroy the Church from within under plausible pretexts. For example, it is said that the school was not destroyed at all, but will safely move to another place - to the premises of school No. 3. Lie. It will be a different school, it is just getting ready to open, but no one knows what it will be like. But has anything good ever been built on the site of destruction?
As in the Chita diocese, a shuffling of priests has also begun in our country. But it was not without reason that the ever-memorable His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II pointed out that it is unacceptable to transfer priests from place to place, thereby destroying the community, tearing the flock from the pastor. After all, Christian life is carried out through the activities of communities.
With the arrival of Vladyka and his retinue, we learned that we were an illiterate "village", that everyone without exception was deprived of God's grace, which now needs to be restored, that we are all in charm and demand improvement in all areas. Therefore, our "wild, ignorant" souls will be subject to disinfection through religious processions. However, isn't it strange that Vladyka Evstafiy calls the processions such an inappropriate word for a Christian as "disinfection"?
And we, the "Papuans", believed that processions of the cross are a prayer feat for the glory of God. And with what joy we always greeted the processions of the cross, who came to us with miraculous icons of the Most Holy Theotokos and saints, and with what love and reverence we joined them! Yes, we are sinful people, but we grieve, we pray to the Lord to help us cleanse our hearts so that we can receive at least a spark of Divine Love. Don't make idiots out of us: we know that God is Love. We saw it in the eyes of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, who visited us more than once. We felt it in Diveevo when we walked along the Canal of the Most Holy Theotokos, where the Monk Seraphim himself healed our souls. Finally, we live in the very heart of Russia, next to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, under the prayerful protection of St. Sergius of Radonezh. We have fertile places: there are several ancient monasteries around us, in which the relics of saints reside. We know that love is not moralizing, but courageous mercy. Yes, we need cleansing, but not disinfection. "Dichlorvos", of course, is a powerful remedy, but after it there is not purity, but a lifeless, scorched space. We need a Shepherd, not a disinfectant.
It is no coincidence that one of the Chita priests who suffered from the arbitrariness of the bishop writes to us: “I can sympathize with your situation. We must fight for the Church, for the good organization of diocesan and parish life. Here after Eustathius is like scorched earth. So hold on, don't give up. God help!”.
For nine years, as Chita residents write on the Internet, they “wept into the pillow” and prayed to the Lord to deliver them from this suffocating “disinfection”, from the authoritarian regime in the diocese. They complain about the "non-canonical actions of Bishop Eustathius, the complete arbitrariness in relation to serving priests, the policy of separation, setting priests against each other, exorbitant fees from parishes, the impoverishment and plight of the clergy of the diocese." They testify that “at the moment all strong parishes have been ruined”, that “active, respected and literate priests are banned (and this is more than half of the entire clergy of the diocese!)”, that “an atmosphere of denunciations, gossip has developed and is maintained in the diocese, and also threats and open blackmail on the part of the bishop" that "the priesthood has been persecuted and suppressed." They warn us that “the difficulty lies in the fact that from the outside everything looks good, and only the believers know the situation from the inside”, who “are afraid not only of the bishop, but also of each other”, they lament that in such a purposefully built atmosphere, “the weak in spirit break down, lose faith”, that “many young people and intellectuals have left the Church”. One of the priests admits that in the current situation there is also their fault: “We often indulge the licentiousness of the highest church dignitaries. Moreover, our church grandmothers contribute to this with their subservience (for some bishops, it’s just like God!). And also universal disunity, especially priestly, when no one stands up for the persecuted, everyone hides in their corners. And also, let's add, falsely understood humility, and also opportunism, flattery, walking over the heads of others!
The prayers of the Chita residents were heard. Now, by the permission of God, the test is before us. A test of our faith and our integrity. We are too greedy for external "piety" and easily fall into the hook of spiritual substitutions, forgetting that all answers must be sought in the Gospel, which teaches that "God is Love." And our loyalty to Christ lies not in the number of religious processions, but in the ability to “shed blood for our friends”, in the ability to love and mercy.
Today our test is to protect our priests, who themselves cannot do this due to addiction. It lies in the fact that we should not be separated, but united in the defense of our parishes. Staying aloof from the current unhealthy situation, betraying yesterday's mentors and friends, participating in gossip, denunciations, we betray the Church. This is exactly the case when our conscience calls us to act, when our Christian duty is to speak the truth openly and call a spade a spade. Yes, they can take away the premises of the temple from us, but they will not be able to excommunicate us from the Church if we are faithful to God.
O. SEMENOVA.
Newspaper "Alexandrovsky Voice of Labor", No. 46, November 12, 2014

Details can be found on the Chita forum in the topic "What is happening in the Chita diocese" (

bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, since December 29, 1999 at the Chita department, since October 10, 2009 has the title - Chita and Krasnokamensky

Biography

He graduated from high school and served in the army. In 1974 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, then the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1981 with a PhD in Theology.

On December 4, 1980, he was tonsured a monk at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra; on January 4, 1981, he was ordained a hierodeacon; on March 27, 1982, a hieromonk.

in 1984 - elevated to the rank of abbot and sent to serve in the Moscow Danilov Monastery.
in January 1988 - he was sent as a builder and confessor to the Yaroslavl Tolga Monastery.
in May 1991 - appointed abbot of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery in Rostov.
April 24, 1994 - elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

On December 29, 1999, he was appointed Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal; episcopal consecration took place on January 30, 2000 at the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow.

After the separation by the decision of the Holy Synod of October 10, 2009 from the Chita diocese of the independent Ulan-Ude and Buryat diocese, Bishop Evstafiy was determined to have the title of Chita and Krasnokamensky.

Criticism

A wave of criticism from Bishop Eustace swept through the first years of his ministry at the Chita cathedra. It was caused by a ban on the ministry of the former Ulan-Ude Dean Archpriest Igor Arzumanov. The reason for this was a letter from a certain young man, "an orphan who had nailed to the church," containing an accusation of the dean of pedophilia. As an independent investigation by Ulan-Ude journalists showed, the letter turned out to be a fake and was fabricated by envious people of a priest popular among parishioners.

In 2009, the policy of Bishop Evstafiy regarding the priesthood of the Chita diocese again became the subject of criticism. Decree of the ruling bishop on the ban on the service of the archpriest

until February 3, 2013 - Bishop
until October 10, 2009 - Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal January 30, 2000 - May 30, 2014 Election: December 29, 1999 Predecessor: Innokenty (Vasiliev);
Vadim (Lazebny) (high school) Successor: Vladimir (Samokhin) Name at birth: Evdokimov Evgeny Vladimirovich Birth: Nov. 1(1951-11-01 ) (67 years old)
Kaltasy village, Bashkortostan Taking holy orders: January 4, 1981 Acceptance of monasticism: December 4, 1980 Episcopal consecration: January 30, 2000 Awards:

Archbishop Evstafiy(in the world - Evgeny Vladimirovich Evdokimov; November 1, Kaltasy village, Bashkir ASSR) - Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archbishop of Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky.

Biography

He graduated from high school and served in the army. In 1974 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, then the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1981 with a PhD in Theology.

Bishopric

On December 27, 2000, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided "Temporary archpastoral care for the flock of the Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church living in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, to be entrusted to Bishop Evstafiy of Chita and Transbaikal in coordination with the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate."

On February 3, 2013, on the 35th week after Pentecost, before the start of the second day of the work of the Consecrated Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop Evstafiy of Chita and Krasnokamensk was elevated to the rank of archbishop.

On May 30, 2014, he was appointed Archbishop of Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky by the Holy Synod.

Criticism

In 2006, Bishop Eustathius banned Fr. Sergiy Taratukhin for recognizing Mikhail Khodorkovsky as a political prisoner and, on this basis, refusing to consecrate the administrative building of the colony in Krasnokamensk, in which the entrepreneur was serving his sentence.

Awards

Church secular

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Notes

Links

on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate.
in the Encyclopedia of Transbaikalia.





Bishops Chita and Krasnokamensk

Bishops Chita and Transbaikal

Bishops Transbaikal and Chita

Bishops Chita and Nerchinskiye

Bishops Transbaikal and Nerchinskiye

An excerpt characterizing Eustathius (Evdokimov)

Prince Vasily fulfilled the promise given at the evening at Anna Pavlovna's to Princess Drubetskaya, who asked him about her only son Boris. He was reported to the sovereign, and, unlike others, he was transferred to the guards of the Semenovsky regiment as an ensign. But Boris was never appointed adjutant or under Kutuzov, despite all the troubles and intrigues of Anna Mikhailovna. Shortly after Anna Pavlovna's evening, Anna Mikhailovna returned to Moscow, directly to her wealthy relatives, the Rostovs, with whom she stayed in Moscow and with whom her adored Borenka, who had just been promoted to the army and immediately transferred to the guards warrant officers, was brought up and lived for years. The guards had already left Petersburg on August 10, and the son, who had remained in Moscow for uniforms, was supposed to catch up with her on the road to Radzivilov.
The Rostovs had Natalia's birthday girl, mother and younger daughter. In the morning, without ceasing, trains drove up and drove off, bringing congratulators to the large, well-known house of Countess Rostova on Povarskaya, all over Moscow. The countess with her beautiful eldest daughter and the guests, who did not cease to replace one another, were sitting in the drawing room.
The countess was a woman with an oriental type of thin face, about forty-five years old, apparently exhausted by her children, of whom she had twelve people. The slowness of her movements and speech, which came from the weakness of her strength, gave her a significant air that inspired respect. Princess Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya, like a domestic person, was sitting right there, helping in the matter of receiving and engaging in conversation with the guests. The youth were in the back rooms, not finding it necessary to participate in receiving visits. The count met and saw off the guests, inviting everyone to dinner.
“I am very, very grateful to you, ma chere or mon cher [my dear or my dear] (ma chere or mon cher he spoke to everyone without exception, without the slightest nuance both above and below him to people standing) for himself and for dear birthday girls . Look, come and have dinner. You offend me, mon cher. I sincerely ask you on behalf of the whole family, ma chere. These words, with the same expression on his full, cheerful and clean-shaven face, and with the same firm handshake and repeated short bows, he spoke to everyone without exception or change. After seeing off one guest, the count returned to the one or the other who were still in the drawing room; pulling up chairs and with the air of a man who loves and knows how to live, with his legs valiantly apart and his hands on his knees, he swayed significantly, offered guesses about the weather, consulted about health, sometimes in Russian, sometimes in very bad, but self-confident French, and again with the air of a tired but firm man in the performance of his duties, he went to see him off, straightening his sparse gray hair on his bald head, and again called for dinner. Sometimes, returning from the hall, he would go through the flower room and the waiter's room into a large marble hall, where a table was laid for eighty couverts, and, looking at the waiters, who wore silver and porcelain, arranged tables and unfolded damask tablecloths, called Dmitry Vasilyevich, a nobleman, to him, engaged in all his affairs, and said: “Well, well, Mitenka, see that everything is fine. So, so, - he said, looking with pleasure at the huge spreading table. - The main thing is serving. That's it ... ”And he left, sighing smugly, again into the living room.
- Marya Lvovna Karagina with her daughter! the huge countess, the outgoing footman, reported in a bass voice as he entered the drawing-room door.
The Countess thought for a moment and sniffed from a golden snuffbox with a portrait of her husband.
“These visits tortured me,” she said. - Well, I'll take her last. Very stiff. Ask, - she said to the footman in a sad voice, as if saying: "well, finish it off!"
A tall, stout, proud-looking lady with a chubby, smiling daughter, rustling her dresses, entered the living room.
“Chere comtesse, il ya si longtemps… elle a ete alitee la pauvre enfant… au bal des Razoumowsky… et la comtesse Apraksine… j"ai ete si heureuse…” [Dear Countess, how long ago… she should have been in bed, poor a child... at a ball at the Razumovskys... and Countess Apraksina... was so happy...] animated female voices were heard, interrupting one another and merging with the noise of dresses and moving chairs. , say: "Je suis bien charmee; la sante de maman ... et la comtesse Apraksine" [I am in awe; mother's health ... and Countess Apraksina] and, again making noise with dresses, go into the hall, put on a fur coat or cloak and leave. The conversation turned about the main city news of that time - about the illness of the famous rich man and handsome man of Catherine's time, the old Count Bezukhy and about his illegitimate son Pierre, who behaved so indecently at the evening at Anna Pavlovna Sherer.
“I am very sorry for the poor count,” said the guest, “his health is already so bad, and now this chagrin from his son, this will kill him!”
- What's happened? the countess asked, as if not knowing what the guest was talking about, although she had already heard the reason for Count Bezukhy's grief fifteen times already.
- That's the current upbringing! While still abroad,” the guest said, “this young man was left to himself, and now in St. Petersburg, they say, he has done such horrors that he was sent out with the police.
- Tell! said the Countess.
“He chose his acquaintances badly,” intervened Princess Anna Mikhailovna. - The son of Prince Vasily, he and one Dolokhov, they say, God knows what they were doing. And both were hurt. Dolokhov was demoted to the soldiers, and Bezukhoy's son was sent to Moscow. Anatol Kuragin - that father somehow hushed up. But they were sent out from St. Petersburg.
“What the hell did they do?” the countess asked.
“These are perfect robbers, especially Dolokhov,” said the guest. - He is the son of Marya Ivanovna Dolokhova, such a respectable lady, and what? You can imagine: the three of them got a bear somewhere, put it in a carriage with them and took it to the actresses. The police came to take them down. They caught the guard and tied him back to back to the bear and let the bear into the Moika; the bear swims, and the quarter on it.
- Good, ma chere, the figure of the quarterly, - the count shouted, dying with laughter.
- Oh, what a horror! What's there to laugh at, Count?
But the ladies involuntarily laughed themselves.
“They rescued this unfortunate man by force,” continued the guest. - And this is the son of Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhov, who is so cleverly amused! she added. - And they said that he was so well educated and smart. That's all the upbringing abroad has brought. I hope that no one will accept him here, despite his wealth. I wanted to introduce him. I resolutely refused: I have daughters.

Evstafiy (Evdokimov Evgeny Vladimirovich) - Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal. Born November 1, 1951 in the Bashkir ASSR. He graduated from high school, served in the army, after demobilization he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary in 1974, then the Academy, from which he graduated in 1981. In 1980, he became a monk at the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra (Sergiev Posad). In 1982 he became a priest (hieromonk). In 1984 he was sent to Moscow to restore the St. Danilov Monastery. In 1988, he was sent as a confessor and builder to the newly opened Tolga Monastery in the city of Yaroslavl. In 1991, he was appointed vicar of the Spaso-Jakovlev Dimitriev Monastery, opened in the same year in the city of Rostov Veliky, Yaroslavl Region. On December 29, 1999, he was appointed Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal. On January 30, 2000 he was ordained a bishop. February 14, 2000 arrived in the city of Chita.

Bishop Evstafiy

By the decision of the Holy Synod of December 28-29, 1999, the abbot of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery, Archimandrite Evstafiy, was appointed Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal. On January 29-30, Archimandrite Evstafiy was consecrated Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal at the Moscow Epiphany Cathedral. The consecration of Archimandrite Evstafy as a bishop was performed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, co-served by the bishops: Juvenaly, Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Sergius, Metropolitan of Solnechnogorsk, Pitirim, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and Yuryev, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese, Eusebius, Archbishop of Pskov and Velikolulu , Archbishop of Vladimir and Suzdal, Mikhey, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov, Savva, Bishop of Krasnogorsk, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese, Alexy, Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsky, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese.

When he was named Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal, which took place at the all-night vigil on January 29, Archimandrite Evstafiy said:

“Your Holiness, His Holiness Vladyka, His Grace Archpastors, Hierarchs of the Church of God! In the determination of Your Holiness and the Holy Synod to be my bishop, I see the will of God, without which nothing happens in the world, therefore I humbly accept the great lot of serving God and people and nothing contrary to the verb. If I had been allowed to act according to the movement of my heart, I would have prayed, “Let this cup pass me by” (Mt 26:39), but when the first storm of “doubtful thoughts” subsided in my soul and having tested my conscience before God, I feel that I was a stranger to the desires of the highest honors.

In confusion and trembling I now stand before you. St. John Chrysostom, and St. Gregory the Theologian, and the great mourner of the Russian land, St. Sergius, shied away from this lofty ministry.

I cannot hide from you the inner agitation and fear that “overwhelm my humble soul” from the realization of my unworthiness and how much the Holy Church expects from a bishop. Will I be able, as the Lord requires, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14).

I know by Holy Scripture and the holy fathers that a bishop must have deep and ardent faith, self-sacrificing love for God and people, meekness, temperance, moderate severity, worldly wisdom, the gift of speech, and many other virtues.

I will not talk here about the feelings of my sinfulness and personal unworthiness, which I recognize and deeply experience, and which are known to God. I believe that the grace of God, “weakly healing and impoverishing, replenishing,” grants me in ordination what is lacking.

From childhood I knew that “my help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 120:2). Mentally returning to the distant days of my youth, I see that “the Lord shepherds me” (Ps. 22:1), that He, the All-Merciful, led me to the Moscow theological schools and made me put off the “everyday custom of wandering” in the monastery of the Life-Giving Trinity and at the shrine of the monk Sergius put on the angelic image.

With full dedication of myself, I carried out obediences in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and in the St. Danilov Monastery, and in the Tolgsky Monastery, and in the Spaso-Yakovlev Dimitriev Monastery.

It is with deep sadness that I leave my last obedience. For almost nine years, the Lord judged me to be the abbot of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery. With all my feelings and thoughts, I belong to this holy monastery, and at the relics of Saints Demetrius and Jacob, the Monk Abraham of Rostov miracle workers, who are blessedly resting in the monastery, I thought to stay until the end of my days, for I know “from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, more will be exacted from him” (Luke 12:47-48). But my hour has come, and with all my consciousness that I have not reached being called, I must follow the One who calls me.

I console myself with the hope of the eternal protection of the Queen of Heaven and the prayerful intercession of St. Sergius of Radonezh and Daniel of Moscow, all Rostov saints. I resort to the prayers of the saints of Siberia and the Far East, especially to St. Innokenty (Veniaminov), to help me manage the God-given Chita flock.

I thank you, His Holiness Vladyka, for the high trust that you have placed in me by electing me as a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. I ask you, Most Holy Master, all of you, the saints of Christ, lift up your holy prayers for my unworthiness, so that the Lord sanctifies and strengthens me with His Holy Spirit, so that in my service to the Church I would not become a temptation and the culprit of the death of the faithful, but could on the day judgment to say: “Behold, I and the children whom You have given me, Lord” (Heb. 2, 13). Amen".

Many of his spiritual children, pilgrims, who knew him from serving in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and from the Danilov Monastery, from the Tolga Monastery, and from the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, came to the naming of Archimandrite Eustathius in the Epiphany Cathedral. Praying in the temple and Chita residents living in Moscow, but originating from Transbaikalia. After the naming, after Archimandrite Evstafiy left the church, pushing his way through the huge crowd wishing to take his blessing, the people of Chita congratulated Evstafiy, lovingly talking about their homeland, supporting the shepherd with warm words and talking about the great thirst of Russian people in Transbaikalia for communion with Orthodoxy and about that he is very much expected in distant Chita.

The next day, January 30, at the Divine Liturgy the church was full of people who had come from Rostov, Yaroslavl, Izhevsk, Moscow and the Moscow region. All zealously and reverently prayed with a single prayer, listening with trepidation to every word uttered by His Holiness the Patriarch, the archpastors serving him, and Archimandrite Eustathius. "Axios!" - the voice of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia was heard. "Axios, axios, axios!" - echoed the bishops in the altar of the temple. “Axios, axios, axios” - rushed from above the temple, where the cathedral choir is located at the vaults. "Axios!" - sounded in the soul of each fervently and tearfully praying. And now the newly appointed Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Evstafiy, came out of the altar. Most of those who came to pray at the consecration of Archimandrite Eustace took communion of the Holy Mysteries. At the end of the service, all the bishops, led by His Holiness, left the altar to the middle of the church, where their new brother Bishop Eustathius appeared next to them. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, while presenting the archpastoral baton to Bishop Evstafiy of Chita and Transbaikal, pronounced the Word:

“His Grace Bishop Evstafiy, our beloved brother and fellow-servant in the Lord! By the all-good Providence of God, by the election and approval of Our and the Most Holy Synod, you have been determined to be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in the God-saved city of Chita.

Now, according to the order of the Holy Church, through the mystical laying on of the hands of the bishops co-present here, you have been rewarded with episcopal grace.

Now you, our brother, expect from us fraternal guidance in the way of your forthcoming episcopal ministry.

From a young age you loved the Lord and followed Him. In the Lavra of the Monk and God-bearing father of our Sergius, you joined the ranks of the monastics and in the garden of spiritual enlightenment - the Moscow Theological Schools - you were a diligent pupil, cared about your spiritual and moral perfection in the spirit of devotion to the Holy Orthodox Church and Fatherland. For several years in your life, you were guided by the instructions of Archbishop Evlogii, at that time the abbot of the Danilov Monastery being revived, with him taking care of the return of the ancient holy monastery to its former splendor.

When the time came to revive other shrines of our Fatherland, your lot fell to work first in the Tolga Monastery, and then in the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery, where you grew from strength to strength.

We know what a sad look this monastery had when you were entrusted with the care of it. The fruits of your vigilant care were the restoration of the monastery, the strict statutory order of its divine services, the good spirit among the monastic brethren.

All this allows us to hope that in your episcopacy you will be “an example for the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12), a worker without reproach, who faithfully teaches the word of truth. » (2 Tim. 2, 15).

Watch over the spiritual richness of the apostolic and patristic tradition, act as one should act in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Tim. 3:15).

Preserving and affirming the inseparable connection of the Orthodox spiritual tradition, be a strict guardian of the laws and regulations of the Church, applying them in full force in your own life, insistently demanding from others their strict observance.

In his new and responsible ministry, first of all, love for the flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ to His apostles, and in their person and to all the recipients of their ministry, gave the commandment: “Be careful not to despise any of these little ones” (Matthew 18:10). The good shepherd, according to the Savior's word, must lay down his life for each of them (John 10:11).

But not only love, sometimes strictness, should be guided by the archpastor. It is our responsibility to see that shepherds do the work of the Lord not with negligence (Jer. 48:10), but with zeal and reverence, so that by their behavior they do not offend the holiness of their service and do not tempt the pious people who want to see in the shepherd an example of piety.

Shepherd the flock of God, "overseeing it, - according to the apostle, not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, out of diligence, and not ruling over the inheritance of God, but setting an example for the flock" (1 Pet. 5, 2-3).

You confessed yesterday in your naming speech that you are terrified by the height and responsibility of archpastoral ministry. This sacred awe seizes every newly appointed bishop.

All the pastors of the Church of Christ need to place all their hope not in their own strengths and labors, but in God, who is doing great and glorious in our weaknesses (2 Cor. 12: 9), the more necessary is such a humble consciousness for you, in view of the importance of the episcopal ministry ahead of you .

"Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will support you" (Ps.54, 23).

“The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and piety (Is. 11:2) guide you and instruct you on the path of your archpastoral work.

“Be faithful unto death” to your ministry and the Lord will give you “the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).

The prayers and blessings of the marvelous host of the Yaroslavl-Rostov saints, the prayers of Saints Innocent of Irkutsk, Innocent of Moscow, and other ascetics of faith and piety in Siberia and the Far East - may they accompany you in your service and labors.

The diocese that is being handed to you is located in the Far East, which has undergone terrible destruction during the years of the domination of atheism and the struggle against religion. By the grace of God and the labors of your predecessor in the department, a lot has been done during the years of the revival of church life, but you have to continue the organization of diocesan and parish life, helping the inhabitants of the region to their spiritual growth.

Your consecration was performed on the days of the epochal anniversary - the 2000th anniversary of the coming into the world of our Lord Jesus Christ. I congratulate you on the grace of the bishopric, prayerfully wish God's generous help in nourishing the children of the church and those who are looking for the way to the temple and to God, find this way, return to the eternal, enduring spiritual values of the Christian faith and the Holy Gospel, which the Lord left us.

Accept this rod as a sign of your hierarchy and a sign of the power of God bestowed on you.

And now go up and with love give your first archpastoral blessing to the faithful people present here, who reverently and fervently prayed for you during your consecration.”

The church was full of those wishing to receive a bishop's blessing from the newly appointed bishop, several hundred people, and it was impossible for everyone to come under the blessing. Those standing in front, congratulating Bishop Eustathius, were able to present him with flowers, while the rest conveyed their congratulations - a huge number of flowers floated over all heads to Bishop Eustathius, where large bouquets of white roses clearly predominated. The temple was full of love and spiritual joy. When leaving the church, the short distance separating the cathedral from the refectory, the bishop was almost carried in their arms, the pilgrims surrounded him in a dense and huge ring, congratulations of those who could not approach the bishop for blessing sounded loudly in the air. The bright and joyful face of Vladyka was somewhat embarrassed by such an explosion of manifestation of reverence and love. a large number of people. Many warm, heartfelt words were said to Vladyka Evstafiy at the festive meal. Vladyka Eusebius still remembered Bishop Evstafy of Voronezh, Vladyka Evlogii ministered to the future archpastor for many years, and they shared their memories of his spiritual development. The words of the chairman of the government of the Yaroslavl region V.A. Kovalev, who spoke about the importance of the newly appointed bishop in the revival of the monasteries of the ancient land of central Russia, and about the exceptional respect and love of people, many of whom Bishop Evstafiy led to the Church.

Evgeny Evdokimov, the future Bishop Evstafiy, was born in the Bashkir village of Kaltasy, in the southern Urals, in 1951 into a Russian family. His mother was a teacher, his father was an employee. The family had two more younger children, Dmitry and Galina. There was no church nearby (the nearest one was 150 km away), but the boy received the first beginnings of the holy faith from his grandmother Anna Kuzminichna. At the request of his grandmother, he often read to her the Holy Gospel and Akathists, which she had for every day, thereby instilling faith in the Almighty in the sensitive heart of the child. A year before her death, my grandmother saw her beloved grandson in the priesthood, which she was incredibly happy about. After graduating from school, Eugene worked for a year as an electrician at a local factory in the district center. On the way to the entrance exams to the Technological Institute in Voronezh, he stopped at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Vladyka Evstafiy considers this first visit to the Holy Monastery in 1969 to be one of the main moments in his spiritual life. While studying at the Voronezh Technological Institute, he came to the temple, where the future Bishop Eusebius was a priest. After the third visit to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in 1971, Evgeny had the idea to serve God in the monastic rank. Having learned that they take him to the theological seminary only after the army, he leaves to serve. In the army, he received the specialty of a radio operator, and with the rank of sergeant, he was entrusted with a radio station. Here, at the radio station, and it was located in a small wooden house, he was often alone, which Eugene used to improve spiritual knowledge, read prayers, and seriously think about temporary and eternal life. At the end of his military service in 1974, his desire to enter the seminary finally matured. In the same year, Eugene entered the Moscow Theological Seminary. He considers this admission a miracle, because he did not have a recommendation from the bishop or from the priest, which was a mandatory requirement for entering the seminary. Years of study in theological schools, seminaries and academies for Vladyka Eustathius are the brightest and most significant pages of spiritual life. He regularly attended Lavra services, went to church and often took communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, communicating with the monks of the Lavra, and was spiritually edified. For several years he carried out the academic obedience of a subdeacon of Vladyka Rector Archbishop Vladimir (Sabodan). At the end of the third year of the Academy, he entered the brotherhood of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In 1980, on the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple at the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Trinity Cathedral, he received monastic tonsure with the name in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Eustathius Plakida. In 1981, on January 4, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. In the same year, Hierodeacon Evstafiy graduated from the Theological Academy, having defended his Ph.D. thesis on the topic: “The Teaching of St. Simeon the New Theologian on Grace. Of those who graduated from the Theological Academy together with Bishop Evstafiy, today there are already four Bishops: Bishop Sergiy (Poletkin) of Samara and Syzran, Bishop Tikhon (Emelyanov) of Bronnitsa, and Vadim (Lazerny) Bishop of Irkutsk and Angarsk. In March 1982, Hierodeacon Eustathius was ordained a hieromonk, and two years later, on the day of Holy Pascha, he was elevated to the rank of hegumen. As a resident of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he carried out the obedience of a rukholny, assistant housekeeper, teacher of the correspondence sector of the Moscow Theological Seminary and Academy, being a professorial scholarship holder. In 1984 he was sent to the newly opened St. Danilov Monastery in Moscow. Through the efforts of the father of the Viceroy, Archimandrite Evlogii (Smirnov), he was transferred to the brotherhood of the Moscow monastery, where he carried out the obedience of sacristan and assistant to the governor. In 1986 he was awarded a cross with decorations. In January 1988, he was sent by the Viceroy Archimandrite Tikhon (Emelyanov) on a business trip to the newly opened Tolgsky convent as a builder. There hegumen Evstafiy had to be both the steward and the confessor of the monastery. In Tolga, hegumen Evstafiy met the elder Archimandrite Pavel (Gruzdev). Eight years of communication with him taught Abbot Eustathius a lot, and most importantly, to firmly believe in the wise Providence of God. Father Pavel, who had gone through a great life and spiritual school, tested by 11 years of camps, had the gift of clairvoyance. This holy elder predicted a lot to hegumen Eustathius. Among the predictions that have come true, there is one about his future archpastoral service.

In May 1991, the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery in Rostov the Great was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Yaroslavl diocese, where hegumen Evstafiy was appointed governor. On April 24, 1994, on the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia, hegumen Evstafiy was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

Vladyka Evstafiy is not yet 50 years old, but what a significant spiritual path he passed. Having received the beginnings of the spiritual path in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, known for its ancient spiritual traditions, founded in the XIV century by St. Sergius of Radonezh, he was at the origins of the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church, the restoration of three famous Russian monasteries, in the past lamps of piety and holiness. Almost from the first days, he participated in the restoration of the Danilov Monastery, the first monastery revived in Soviet times, in the initial period of restoration of the monastery on Tolga. He came to the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery already with a huge spiritual and building experience, and here his talent as a pastor, builder, housekeeper was used to the maximum.

Hegumen Evstafiy served the first Divine Liturgy in the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery in the Demetrius Church on May 16, 1991, on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Ahead were works to restore the liturgical life of the monastery. Three weeks later, before the feast of All the Saints Who Resplendent in the Land of Rostov and Yaroslavl, hegumen Evstafiy organized the transfer of the holy relics of St. Demetrius from the museum funds to the monastery in a procession. Already this procession, led by Vladyka Platon, reminded the God-saved city of Rostov that it had been the spiritual center of Russia throughout its history, numerous churches closed in the 1920s testified to this in the city over the past decades, and now the streets of the city were consecrated with prayers. It was the first urban religious procession, which showed the city that a monastic monastery had begun to live here again.

During the very first service, hegumen Evstafiy left the altar and taught the parishioners how to fold their fingers and how to lay a cross on themselves, the next time he taught how to sing "Our Father ..." in the church. And this is in the ancient Orthodox land, the ancient diocesan center, which is Rostov the Great!

Everyone who has ever been in the service of Archimandrite Eustathius knows that he is an example of tireless, cheerful, high and spiritual prayer. Vladyka Evstafiy showed the beauty of church services. He gave us parishioners an instruction in faith and life by his own example, a strict and pure life, a tireless worker for the glory of God. In Rostov, they quickly recognized and fell in love with Father Evstafiy. In the city today there are many destroyed buildings-mansions, which speak with their ruins about the presence of order and solvency of the Rostovites in the past. And if it were not for the Yakovlev monastery in the city, one could become discouraged. The revival of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery with its intense spiritual life, with the special beauty of divine services, an example of the rigor of monastic life, and most importantly, the vicar's father's active love for the Lord, kindled in the hearts of many people the sacred fire of faith and repentance, the joyful hope of salvation. With its life, the Yakovlevsky Monastery brought order, peace, purity into the Russian soul, into Russian life. And none of us can imagine life without the Church, without the Yakovlevsky Monastery, and this is the great merit of the father vicegerent, who preaches the faith of Christ with all his ascetic life, spiritual, prayerful and economic. His active love for the Lord kindles in the hearts that come to the temple, and everyone strives to help the monastery. We all know that Vladyka is very strict, but this is a special severity, it is permeated with Vladyka's all-forgiving and all-covering love for everyone who comes to the temple. Everyone who entered the monastery experienced the attentiveness and sensitivity of the father of the governor, even by chance, whether it be a high-ranking rank or a poor old woman. His zealous and active love for the monastery, for divine services determined the lives of many. His paternal care, wisdom of advice, his power of prayer protected many from worldly and other hardships.

Enormous economic work lay ahead of him in the monastery being revived. The place is new, no technology, no acquaintances, no connections - only hope for God's help. The first inhabitants of the monastery, and there were four of them, were allocated a small room in the kindergarten, which was connected to the toilet. But even in this room they spent only a few hours of sleep at night, the rest of the time - the most difficult primary work in the monastery. Helpers did not immediately appear, and the abomination of desolation in the huge monastic ensemble was exceptional. Here is one telling example. In the rectory building for several decades was Kindergarten. The sewer system was damaged, and all human waste was washed into the basement, since it was deep. The father viceroy in wader boots scooped out all the fetid dirt accumulated over decades with a shovel and buckets for several days. And so it was in everything.

From the first day, a strict monastic Rule was established, the day began with a fraternal prayer service at 5 o'clock in the morning: Liturgy, chores, Vespers, and again work until late at night. When abbot Evstafiy entered the Yakovlev monastery, 17 families lived on its territory, a kindergarten and a museum were located. Everywhere was the abomination of desolation. With the help of God, the prayers and labors of Archimandrite Eustathius with the brethren, numerous pilgrims and pilgrims, the monastery has been restored today.

The first monastic vows in the resurgent monastery were taken in the spring of 1993. Today's abbot of the Rostov Borisoglebsky Monastery, Abbot John (Titov), was tonsured into the mantle just then. Today there are 12 brethren and 10 novices in the monastery.

In 1997, on August 25, the Vatopedi icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, the miraculous image of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Demetrius monastery, and the cell icon of St. Demetrius were brought from Moscow. Since this year, the feast of the Meeting of the Vatopedi Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos has been established in the monastery on August 25.

The planning works of the territory of the monastery were carried out (the ground was removed about 1 meter, drainage and storm sewers were arranged throughout the territory), a garden was planted, a magnificent flower garden was laid out, the beauty of which is known far beyond Rostov. Landscaping of the territory was done according to the project of landscape architect Yaroslav Volkov (Yaroslavl). The pond in front of the monastery was cleared of pollution (for several decades, an enamel shop was located next to the pond, which dumped production waste into the pond). The pond was drained, a layer of earth was removed, then filled with water and crucians were launched.

On the site of the holy spring, buried during the years of Soviet power, in 1996 a chapel was erected and consecrated in the name of St. Jacob by Archbishop Micah of Yaroslavl and Rostov. Studies of water samples from this source showed that the water belongs to mineral (chloride-sulfate calcium-sodium water) and can be used as a medical table.

Today the monastery has a monastery library, sacristy, icon-painting and restoration workshop, a sewing workshop (for tailoring the clothes of the brethren), a bakery, a prosphora shop, a carpentry workshop, a transport and equipment repair workshop. There is a bath, laundry.

In the district, many agricultural associations have ceased to exist, in the monastery there is an exemplary subsistence economy: a vegetable garden, a greenhouse - 2.5 hectares, 20 hectares of hay, 10 hectares for sowing rye; 12 cows, 40 chickens. The monastery has 2 caterpillar and 2 wheeled tractors, an excavator, 3 trucks, 2 cars.

The roofs of buildings have been replaced, all windows, doors, partially floors, stairs have been completely replaced, walls have been re-plastered and painted, electrical wiring has been replaced, heat, water, and sewerage have been supplied. Each monk has a separate cell, novices live in 2 people.

The monastery was visited twice by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II. On the patronal feasts of the monastery, Archbishop Mikhei of Yaroslavl and Rostov served.

The monastery published a book: "The Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery" with a circulation of 15,000, a set of postcards "The Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery in Rostov the Great" - 30 stories with brief comments. Separate postcards were published with the image of St. Demetrius and views of the monastery and a wall calendar with a circulation of 7000 for 1999 with views of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery and an indication of the patronal feasts of the monastery.

“There is nothing impossible for an Orthodox person who believes in life, he can accomplish everything with the help of God, overcome all difficulties, all temptations,” the abbot of the monastery often liked to repeat.

The strict monastic Charter of the monastery, the prayers of the father of the governor and the brethren quickly made the monastery widely known far beyond the Yaroslavl region. Through the prayers of Saints James and Demetrius, the prayers and labors of the Father Superior with the brethren, and the feasible help of the pilgrims, the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Demetrius Monastery blossomed spiritually, and again became “the light of the world,” “the salt of the earth.”

On October 4, 1999, on the day of commemoration of the uncovering of the relics of St. Demetrius, the Divine Liturgy was held in the Demetrius Church with the service of His Eminence Micah, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov, and Peter, Bishop of Turov and Mozyr. They were co-served by Archimandrite Athanasius (Alafinov) from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, who had been in prayer for 38 years at the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh, hegumen of the Boriso-Gleb Monastery John (Titov), hieromonk of the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery Siluan, priests of Rostov, its environs, as well as priests of Moscow Archpriest Alexander Kulikov and others, of the Ivanovo diocese, hieromonks Hermogenes, Kliment and others. By the holiday, pious pilgrims from Rostov-on-Don donated a carved shrine and a canopy made of beech wood for the relics of St. Demetrius

Farewell to the newly appointed Bishop Evstafiy took place on the feast of the Vatopedi Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on February 3. The Divine Liturgy was served by Archbishop Mikhei of Yaroslavl and Rostov. He was co-served by Bishop Evstafiy of Chita of Transbaikal, the priesthood of Rostov and its environs, as well as priests from Moscow and the Moscow region. After the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Eustathius said goodbye to the brethren, parishioners, and the monastery. Words of gratitude for the revived monastery and good wishes to Bishop Evstafiy were spoken by Bishop Micah. The abbesses of the convents of Evstoliy (Nikolsky Monastery of Pereslavl-Zalessky), Pavel (Nativity Monastery of Rostov) and their sisters came to say goodbye. The temple did not accommodate all those who came to the last service of Bishop Eustathius.

On the day of Vladyka's departure for Chita, spiritual children from Moscow, Yaroslavl, and other cities and villages came to the monastery early in the morning. Vladyka Evstafiy blessed the brethren, having spoken with each monk, as well as with many parishioners. At about 5 p.m., he went out with a staff into the courtyard of the monastery and, before setting off, invited those who had come to see him off to the Yakovlevsky Church, where all together in a kneeling prayer in front of the Vatopedi image, together with Vladyka, sang “My Queen, Presiding ...”, the favorite prayer of Vladyka Eustathius, the brethren and everyone parishioners of the monastery. Vladyka read the prayers to Saints Demetrius, Jacob and the Monk Abraham. In parting, Vladyka said: “Once again, dear brothers and sisters, I sincerely thank you all for your love, for your prayers, for your indulgence, and I ask for your blessing for the work ahead ... so that I can worthily go the blessing entrusted to me ... ". In Yaroslavl, he was seen off, in addition to numerous children, pilgrims, representatives of the administration of the Yaroslavl region, the head of the administration of Rostov A.K. Rudenko, his deputy V.I. Poikolainen, deputy of the regional Duma A.I. Sergeev and others. Yaroslavl branch of the Northern railway provided Vladyka Evstafiy with a service car for travel to Chita.

Many people came to meet Bishop Evstafiy in Chita. In addition to Orthodox clergy, there was also television (the plot of the bishop's meeting was shown on central television channels), radio, the regional government and other officials. Warm words were heard at the meeting, and their meaning was one, that they were waiting for Vladyka, and everyone was very happy about his arrival. Vladyka Evstafiy served the first Divine Liturgy in Chita on the feast of the Candlemas, and the next day he completely plunged into solving the problems of church life - with the architect of the city they chose a place for the construction of a cathedral church (the former cathedral was destroyed in the time of theomachism). If in previous years Bishop Evstafiy participated in the revival of three famous monasteries, now the Lord has ordered that Vladyka should revive an entire diocese located on a vast territory, several times larger than the Yaroslavl region. The Chita diocese suffered greatly in the time of theomachism; it was recreated three years ago. – Vladyka Evstafiy will have to take care of the organization of diocesan and parish life, help the Russian people in acquiring the Faith and joining them to the Church, strengthen and support them in difficulties and trials.

For 12 years he served in the Yaroslavl diocese of Fr. Evstafiy, carrying out obediences in the Tolga and Spaso-Yakovlevsky monasteries, being the diocesan confessor and dean of the monasteries of the diocese. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the most famous and respected priest in the Yaroslavl region. Realizing that his consecration as a bishop is a high appreciation of Fr. Evstafiy for the good of the Church, yet everyone is sorry that he left, so the joy for Vladyka Evstafiy is adjacent to the sadness associated with parting with him. this shrine. The new appointment of Bishop Evstafiy is seen as Divine Providence: now for us the Russian Orthodox Church is not only central Russia, but also the vast expanses of the Far East, where every day Vladyka Evstafiy lifts up his fervent hierarchal prayers to the Lord not only for his new flock, but also for us who remember and love him and pray for him.

IN AND. VAHRINA.
Rostov the Great, 2000