Kostantin Dyachkov

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Regardless Of Circumstances and Common Sense…

        Conversation with father Arkadiy Shlykov, dean of the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God in Kolodozero village, Karelia, Russia.

        Beginning
        In my boyhood and young days I showed no particular interest in the Church or faith. My parents did not go to church at the time. Only when I stayed with my grandparents (they lived in Pechory, not far from Pskovo-Pechersky monastery) once in a while, on major holidays I would go to services with them. I particularly remember Easter when I was about five years old: religious procession, a lot of lighted candles. By the way, my grandfather used to sing in the monastery choir and work as gardener for the monastery when he was young.

Father Arkadiy in Lyadiny | Kolodozero, Karelia, Russia

        Education, Friends
        In my school years I did not think about the Church at all. My interests were completely different at the time: music, football, and history. After school I entered Moscow Institute of History and Archives (now Russian State University for the Humanities), and later graduated from it. While studying there, I got disappointed in history as science. It happened when I realized that interpretation of events is always subjective. During my last years there I studied mechanically. I did not even attend lectures, just took necessary exams. I realized that neither history nor archives interested me any longer.
But, to tell the truth, at the same time I attended lectures of my own choice – those delivered in philosophical and historical and philological faculties. Here is a tentative schedule of my usual day at that time: several lectures in the morning, then I would hang out in bookstores or at exhibitions, and I was a constant guest of the Cinema Museum where I could watch several movies in a row. In the evening my friends used to get together, so we talked and listened to music.
        Strange though it may seem, years spent at the institute remained in my memory because of people I met then and not because of knowledge I got (which, of course, I did get there). Many of these people are still my friends. We traveled around the country a lot (at the time it was inexpensive and affordable even for ordinary university students), we have been to the Ural Mountains, the Altay Mountains, the Khibini Mountains and the Crimea… All the places were beautiful and interesting but this beauty did not particularly attract us and after all this we were still hungry for new impressions.
        Back then I was already interested in religion but to me Orthodoxy was just one of many ways. I was interested in everything: Buddhism, Christianity, Carlos Castaneda’s teaching and Sufism… I read a lot and there was a terrible mess in my head. Music used to play an important role in my life. I can say that my interest in poetry came through Jim Morrison (The Doors group leader), and my interest in religion – through Yegor Letov (Leader of Siberian punk band Grazhdanskaya Oborona (can be translated from Russian as "Civil Defence").

Holy Gospel | Kolodozero, Karelia, Russia

        How I Came To Church
        After the institute I spent one more year in Moscow but did not know at all what to do. Some kind of devastation came upon me. I did not have any desire to get a job according to my profession. So I went back to Estonia where I lived before my studies but that did not make me feel any better. I made some money while working as a docker in the port.
        One day, soon after the New Year’s, one of my incidental acquaintances invited me to go together to Pyukhtitsky Svyato-Uspensky (the Assumption) monastery. At the time it did not matter to me where to go: to a camping trip, a tour or a museum. So I expected it to be an entertaining trip. But it turned out to be different from what I planned. Everything happened regardless of my will or my desire.
        For some reason, at the monastery I was thought to be a member of the church. They asked me whether I was going to confess and take communion (we came there the day before Sunday). As for me, at the time I knew nothing of confession or communion. I asked what I was supposed to do, so they tried to explain to me that I needed to attend a church service, read certain prayers and confess my sins. Well, I stood in the church for the whole time of the service but, of course, there was not much I understood. I did not have to read the prayers myself because special communion prayers were read then. As for confession, it was more difficult since I did not exactly know what to repent of and what a sin was… But again, by my bed in a monastery cell I happened to see a booklet by Ignatiy Bryanchaninov called Help For Those Who Repent. Basically, I had nothing to do so I read it. Oh, my God! I realized that I was involved in all sins described there! In the morning I seemed to be the most courteous person and let everybody go first. The confession itself lasted for about thirty minutes and I still remember that my face kept turning red.
        My first confession lasted very long; it took place during liturgy. I just remember I was so sorry for many things I did, and the priest was very surprised that I have not confessed or taken communion for over15 years. The most important thing that amazed me then was an unusual feeling of freedom and inner peace that came to me after the Communion. It was some forgotten feeling of my childhood. Later I found out that the Lord grants people this state of grace so that they experience it and remember it to consciously strive to return it. But then I was just stunned, I got interested in the church life, some hope came into my life and I got some understanding of life.
        Very soon, according to advice of a priest I knew, I went to Zalit Island that is in the Pskov Lake to visit father Nikolay Guryanov (Elder, archpriest Nikolay Guryanov (1910 - 2002), famous Orthodox man of faith) and he gave me his blessing to enter a seminary.
        Many important things happened then. Now I can put events in order while telling you about this, but at the time I was not aware of time, everything seemed to be in one flow and in one go, just like in a fairy-tale: new impressions, new books and new acquaintances.

Arkadiy with children | Kolodozero, Karelia, Russia

        New Life
        I failed to enter the seminary first time but stayed there as a novice. I attended services, daily kissed relics of the St. Sergiy Radonezhsky and asked for his help. The next year I became a student of the seminary. I will never forget four years spent in the Troitse-Sergiyeva Laura. To me, they mean fellowship with priests, meeting new people from different places of the country (many of them became priests and we still keep in touch), solemn services and just presence in this holy place. Of course, there were many difficulties there, too. I especially did not like being humbled. I was used to free life and obedience was sometimes a burden because of this.
        At some moment I realized that I had to part with everything I had before, even with my friends, because everything that used to unite us became uninteresting and unnecessary to me. And I was even inwardly ready to part with them. But again, by God’s providence it happened that almost all my friends also came to Church, independently of one another. So our relations grew even deeper and our friendship became even stronger…

Father Arkadiy by the entrance to Kolodozero churchyard | Kolodozero, Karelia, Russia

        Kolodozero
        As I said before, we traveled a lot in Russia. One day we found ourselves in Karelia, in a remote and deserted Tambichozero village where only one person lived. We experienced some new feeling – we realized that this place attracted us. It could be because of beautiful nature or the person we stayed with… We started coming there more often: for a few days at first, then for a week, then for longer… We even started constructing a new house for ourselves there. But then this person died – he froze to death in the forest. We buried him and began thinking of what to do next. We had a desire to build a temple but since no more inhabitants were left in Tambichozero there was no sense in building it there. But close to the village, 25 kilometers away, there was Kolodozero village where there were people and a church used to exist there. We moved there and decided to restore this church.

        Construction of the Temple
        We came up with the idea of building a temple long ago; I was still a seminary student then. We wanted to do something good for both people and God. In Kolodozero, in contrast to other places, there was a school, kindergarten, post office and shops. Not all people moved to cities yet. It is very important that the temple is not empty and people come to it. After all, the purpose of the church is to bring people to God. It is important to add that Kolodozero used to have its own church which was quite ancient (built in the 18th century). To tell the truth, services had not been conducted in it since 1930s. Instead, it had been used as a recreation centre and a library. But the building of the church burnt down in 1977. This is why our temple was supposed to become the successor of the old temple traditions. We even decided not to change the name. Just like the old one, it would be dedicated to the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, and its side-altar – to the St.Nicholas.
        As late as in June 2002 we managed to begin construction. Before that we had to do some preparatory and organizational work: get blessing from the archbishop Manuila, develop a detailed design and find a team of qualified carpenters. By the way, we failed to get any help from the state or from the eparchy… And everything we managed to build was built because of help of our friends and acquaintances. And, of course, the most important thing – it would be impossible without God’s help.

Evening service in the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God | Kolodozero, Karelia, Russia

        Local Population
        At first, attitude of local people was quite reserved and even suspicious. They could not understand why we came and what we wanted. But with time everything changed for the better and they began helping us. Especially local kids like to come and ask what they can do to help.
        Not all villagers have time to participate in the church life. You know, gardens, household chores… And they are just not in the habit of coming to services. Hopefully, the situation will change with time. Temple construction is not the only important thing; it is also essential to fill it with people.
        The first liturgy took place on the patron saint’s day, September 21st, 2005. Since then church services have been conducted regularly. So far not that many people come to church but little by little everything is changing. Many people come here to be baptized: not just from our village but also from neighbouring towns. They say they want it done in our temple and not somewhere else. During the ceremony I try not to just read certain prayers but also to talk to a person, tell them about faith, Church and a need to come to church for worship services. I try to get people to understand that they should do this consciously.

        Two Ways
        There are two main approaches to action: conditionally speaking, cataphatic and apophatic approaches. The first one implies rational planning and active personal involvement. On the contrary, the second one is built on rejection of personal will and obedience to the will of the Lord. I am more inclined to the second approach to life.
        A human is unlikely to comprehend the Divine providence. It is difficult to live within strict limits of the law and premeditation because these plans often turn out to be self-deception and, in the long run, they do not come true. Besides, I cannot force people to do some work if they do not volunteer to do it. If God wills, they will make up their mind and do some work, say, will help us with wood. And if they do not make up their mind, we are not going to have wood.
        I never make plans, just live as the Lord blesses. Here, in Kolodozero, everything is done not because of but rather regardless of circumstances and common sense.
        Of course, the other way is not completely excluded. If now we do not support the school that each year has less and less students and is often threatened to be closed down, if we do not help lonely old people dying in poverty and illness, then soon there will be no people left in the village. So far I have not managed to start Sunday school for kids. To be honest, I did not have time for this, since construction was taking all my strength. But now, when church construction is drawing to a close, we should take it more seriously because, strangely enough, many adults are brought to church by their children. First, kids come to church and then their parents follow them.

Baptism (of an infant) | village of Krivtsy, Karelia, Russia

        Disappointment Periods
        Not all plans turn out to be successful, and difficult periods come when all actions seem to be senseless. Everything is fine for awhile, one is sure of his deeds and then a moment comes when Grace is taken away. This condition may be very hard to go through, but one should not lose heart but have strength to survive such times. Only faith helps in such situations. When grace departs from someone, faith remains. During periods of Godforsakenness one should always have a core, and it is very scary to live without it.

        About Theological Education
        We have a lack of priests in our area, just like in all districts of Karelia. Few Karelians have a desire to go to a seminary, even altar boys. Most people prefer to get secular education since diplomas of theological higher schools are not recognized by the state. Of course, I understand that one cannot learn everything in theological schools. Inner calling, spiritual qualities and desire to serve both people and God are very important, too. I know two wonderful priests in Tallinn (father Foma and father Iuvenaliy) who never studied at a seminary but this fact does not interfere with their ministry. Of course, I am not going to deny the fact that they constantly work on perfecting themselves.
        Nowadays all priests should have special education and those who failed to obtain it earlier have to take courses by correspondence in one of theological higher schools. But experience shows that, as a rule, a parish priest does not have time to read books and study for exams. So such education is of inconsistent nature. As a result, a priest only has time to read half of a study book before the exam and forgets everything by the evening. That’s all there is to it.

Evening in a parochial house | Kolodozero, Karelia, Russia

        Celibacy
        People often ask me why I chose a ministry of celibacy. The thing is that it is much easier for me to live alone. Why break another person’s life with one’s own principles? I know quite a few priests who get married and divorce after awhile. After divorce they are not allowed to remarry – which is the same celibacy. Father Nikolay Guryanov gave me his blessing to be celibate. There are questions you cannot find answers to, then it is good to see your spiritual father, an elder, and do what you are told. At first, I had some doubts but his opinion turned the scale. An opinion of strangeness of a different way of life is just a medical point of view, and it has nothing to do with the spiritual things. If you rely on God’s help and live by faith, all matters will be taken care of. Little by little, I am getting more and more convinced of it.

        Monkhood
        Among the clergymen it is widely believed that celibacy is the first step towards becoming a monk. Besides, monkhood is considered to be giving a person special grace. They say it is absurd to turn it down, even more so if you made such an important step in this direction.
        But life of an ordinary parish priest is closer to my heart. A monk should live in a monastery and I feel responsible for the life of my parish. By the highest standards, vows of chastity, obedience and absence of love for money should concern every Christian and not just monks.
        Of course, a monk lives under special protection of Mother of God. But a priest is not a stranger or a forsaken person. Should one deliberately become someone in order to get what is given to him anyway? Of course, my experience is not very abundant, so my opinion on this can be incomplete.

Entry to the churchyard of Kolodozero | Kolodozero, Karelia, Russia

        Way to Salvation
        Yes, to some people the Orthodoxy does not seem to be the only way of unity with the Lord. As for me, I do not find depth in other religions. On the other hand, a story about Filaret Drozdov comes to my mind. He lived in the 19th century. One day a young lady asked him about Catholics. His answer was “I do not know whether they will be saved in their Catholicism but I know that my salvation is in the Orthodoxy”.
        It is important to know whether you do something out of pure love for God or your actions are motivated by gain. Counting on a reward after death is a form of gain, too. Yesterday we read Gospel of Mark that contained such words: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned”. Faith and not baptism is emphasized here. The second part of the phrase says nothing of baptism. One can approach the Holy Scriptures from different points of view. And the official, the dogmatic one, is not always the most complete one.

        Insert: About Kolodozero
        Kolodozero village is situated on the border of Karelia and Arkhangelsk region. Settlements of this area are now considered dying. There is basically no social infrastructure in villages of Pudozhsky district of Karelia. There is complete decline of economy here. Traditional way of life of local population (mostly hunting and fishing, since agriculture is unprofitable here due to climatic conditions) was disrupted in Soviet times when most local people were re-oriented towards timber cutting. In post-Soviet period enterprises of timber industry were closed down in this area. As a result, 90 per cent of local population lost their jobs. Now over a half of population capable of working are alcoholics. Life expectancy is 40 to 45 years. There is a great number of orphans and lonely old people in the region.
        In 2001 three young people from Moscow – Arkady Shlykov, student of Moscow theological seminary, Alexander Shumskih, IT manager of Ferrero company (Russia), and Mikhail Skuridin, an employee of Moscow icon-painting workshop, decided to build a new temple in Kolodozero, in the place of the one that burnt down. The archbishop blessed the construction that began in June 2002. In the course of construction the congregation started growing, too. Other people from Moscow and Saint Petersburg started joining it.

The conversation was conducted by
Eugene Gorny and Konstantin Dyachkov