Kostantin Dyachkov

BIOGRAPHY | SERIES | PORTFOLIO | BLOG

"I do not need another place..."

I suggested to father Pyotr that we stop by our parents’ grave at the cemetery together. The priest was glad to do it and started walking so fast that Gena and I barely kept up with him.

Gena called after him: "Father, what about you? Where do you want to be buried: in front of the altar, within the church fence? – Just a regular conversation, with no half-words and frills between them. – Or at the cemetery, with your family?"
"Well, – answered the priest. – Bury me here, next to my parents; I do not need another place..."

It may seem strange but the whole life of Pyotr Timofeyevich passes in work and prayer. Even during Soviet times he went to church every Sunday. He said that he would have done it on a daily basis if there were church services nearby every day. As for topics of conversation, he only talks about his family. His father is a constant guest of his memories. The father is also the priest’s standard of evaluation and experience.

One more thing, his hat seems to be used not so much to keep his head warm but rather to be taken off to divide events into worthwhile ones and those not very important. The hat stays in the priest’s hands much more often than on his head.

kd