Your Eminence,
Our Most Reverend and dear
Hierarch!
With the blessing of His Eminence
Vladyka Dimitry, I venture to ask you to give us an answer to the questions put
forward by the pastors of the Penza diocese from the parishes that have joined
us. These answers will serve as guidance for us also for the future:
1) The Orthodox parishes are now
surrounded either by the Zhivtsy [“Living Church”] and the
Renovationists, or by the Sergianists. But the population of neighboring
parishes has mutual family ties, and therefore they often bring into Orthodox
churches infants baptized by the Renovationists and the Sergianists. Is it
necessary to anoint them with Holy Chrism, and how should one deal with those
baptized by the Sergianists?
Answer: Those baptized by the
Renovationists — yes, they should be anointed with Holy Chrism; but those of
the Sergianists — not yet! For they — the Sergianists — are such
due to a misunderstanding, and the resolution of this matter is still in
progress.
2) Three months ago, a
certain chanter Panov was ordained to the priesthood by Metropolitan Kirill of
Penza, in the same parish where he had been a chanter. Now both the parish and
he are considering joining us. What should be done with Panov? In what manner
should he be received?
The zealous among the
parishioners do not want to recognize his ordination. Our clergy there are
confused and are inquiring of us. The question is serious, and therefore we are
turning to Your Eminence for clarification.
Answer: He must be received
after an explicit and public confession of the truth by the one joining. For
the calming of the “zealous,” it can be recommended that the priest humbly
accept a certain epitimia — in the form of temporary abstention from
priestly ministry (2–3 weeks, up to a month).
With regard to ordination, one
must be guided by the practice established under the Patriarch for the
reception of those ordained by the Renovationists: those who received
ordination from bishops of the old teaching (who had deviated into
Renovationism) were received through repentance and epitimia (such as
the one mentioned above). By the same procedure it was permitted to receive
those who had received ordination even from new bishops, provided they had
themselves received their consecration from the old ones and without violation
of church rules (unmarried, etc.). Only those who received ordination from
married bishops and with violation of church rules were completely rejected and
regarded as unordained.
3) Civil marriages, that is, open
fornication and vile blasphemy, are gaining ground in the provinces. The
priests are asking for a blessing to deprive of Christian burial those who were
in these sins and died without having cleansed themselves through repentance.
Or should they be buried at home, and not in churches? These are the measures
proposed by the pastors to combat depravity.
And you, dear Vladyka, what is
your view?
Answer: That is correct, but
in particular cases some condescension is possible. For example, someone among
the unwed may have been constantly aware of his sin and did not manage to
correct it properly or was unable to. Such persons, though at home, may
fittingly be buried with a funeral service for the sake of lessening the sorrow
of their relatives. To bury manifest and hardened blasphemers would be a
scandal. Let them be buried in a godless manner. The same applies to those who
were unwed out of malice and estrangement from the Holy Church, without any
awareness of the sinfulness of their life.
I leave space here for a reply,
so as not to burden you with unnecessary writing. In all other matters, we have
peace and well-being. Only Your Holiness is lacking — will we see you? (Little
hope. I am waiting for you here.)
May the Lord God preserve and
strengthen you. For we live by you (and it is probably not easy, is it?). I ask
for your prayers and your hierarchal blessing.
Your humble and devoted obedient servant,
the sinful priest Nikolai Prozorov
Dear Father!
Greetings and blessing. And thank you for helping the Vladyka. Take care of
him!
9/22 February 1929
Original source:
http://www.eshatologia.org/273-voprosi-svyashenika-nikolaya-prozorova-i-otveti-na-nih-mitropolita-iosifa-petrogradskogo.html
(deleted, unarchived)
Hieromartyr Nikolai (Nikolai Fyodorovich Prozorov) was born
in the village of Pokrovskoye, Penza Governorate. At the age of 18, in 1915, he
left the seminary and volunteered to defend the Fatherland on the German front
after training at the Mikhailov Artillery School. At the front, he commanded a
battalion. The Revolution found him as a second lieutenant. In 1918 — inspector
of Vsevobuch.
After returning from the front to Penza in 1918, he was
accused by the Chekists of an “officers’ conspiracy” and sentenced to
execution. The young officer, full of life and courage, vowed to become a
priest if the Lord would preserve his life. While among those condemned to
death in a shared cell, he suggested reading aloud the akathist to St.
Nicholas, the defender of the unjustly condemned. Some officers agreed and sang
the akathist, while others refused. All who read the akathist were spared
execution and received prison sentences, while their fellow inmates were
executed. Once freed, Nikolai accepted the priesthood in 1919. He was ordained
by Archbishop Ioann (Pommer).
From 1919 to 1927, he served in rural churches near Penza. He
was arrested in 1924 and soon released. From the beginning of 1927, he lived in
Leningrad, studied at the Theological-Pastoral School, and then at the Higher
Theological Courses (until July 1928). He served in the church of the Lavra
Kinovia. In 1928–1929, he was rector of the Church of St. Alexander of
Oshevensk at Piskaryovka. A Josephite, he was secretary to Bishop Dimitry
(Lyubimov).
On November 28, 1929, the priest was arrested along with a
group of Josephite clergy who did not recognize Metropolitan Sergius’s
“Declaration,” and by the decision of the OGPU dated August 3, 1930, he was
sentenced to the highest measure of punishment. Bidding farewell to his
cellmates, the priest joyfully said: “The Lord is calling me to Himself, and
now I will be with Him!”
He was executed by shooting on August 21, 1930.
In 1981, Priest Nikolai Prozorov was glorified by the Russian
Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and numbered among the New Martyrs and
Confessors of Russia. His commemoration is on August 6/19.
Russian source:
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