Will there be a procession? Procession - what is it and why is it needed? Examples of famous moves

The mention of the first religious processions is found in the Old Testament. Among them are the journey of the sons of Israel from Egypt to the promised land, the procession around the ark of God, the circumambulation of the walls of Jericho, the transfer of the ark of God by David and Solomon.

Religious processions are regular (or calendar) and extraordinary. Regular processions take place on certain days. They take place several times a year in honor of shrines and great church events, for example, the Velikoretsky Cross Procession, which takes place annually in early June, etc.

Calendar processions also take place on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, on Easter, on the feast of the second Savior for the blessing of water. During procession a bell ringing is called, which is called a blagovest. Priests are required to wear liturgical robes.

Extraordinary processions gather in times of distress, for example, during times of war, famine, epidemics, natural disasters. Such processions are accompanied by intense prayers for salvation.

The procession can last for several minutes, or several days, or even weeks or months. In this case, people stock up on food to eat during stops, and also take with them bedding for the night, waterproof raincoats, reliable shoes and necessary medicines that may be needed on the way.

Processions can take place both on land and in the air. The clergy take with them all the necessary attributes on board the aircraft and, while reciting a prayer, sprinkle the city with holy water during the flight. In addition, there are sea religious processions, when the clergy perform prayers or memorial services on board a ship or other vessel.

To take part in the procession means to accept spiritual purification and remind other people of the power of the Orthodox faith, since this procession symbolizes the bearing of one's cross and following the word of the Savior.

Sources:

• website of the Sayan Church of the Annunciation

There are many traditions in Orthodox Christianity. One of these are religious processions, performed on special solemn occasions. public holidays.

The practice of religious processions is very ancient history. Ever since the establishment of Christianity as the main religion of the Roman Empire (4th century), religious processions have been firmly integrated into church liturgical life.

The procession is a procession of believers with icons, external crucifixes and banners through the streets of the settlement. Religious processions are a visible symbol of the testimony of the Orthodox faith before people. Such processions can be carried out not only along the streets of a city or village, but simply around the temple. At the same time, the clergy and the choir sing certain prayers, and passages from the Holy Scriptures are read.

According to the liturgical Ordinance Orthodox Church religious processions are performed during patronal temple feasts. Also, the move can be carried out on other memorable church dates. The execution of the procession can be determined by the rector of a particular temple.

Religious processions can also take place on days when various shrines arrive in the city. For example, miraculous icons Mother of God. In this case, the clergy and people can march with the miraculous icon from one temple of the city to another. Processions of the cross can also be made to holy springs. When believers come to the holy spring, a water-blessing prayer service is performed.

The main component of the procession is the prayer of believers. Each participant in such a procession should silently pray for their needs, as well as the needs of their neighbors. In addition, during the religious processions, a prayer is carried out for the entire population of the city or village.

I went to the main city event of the past week - a procession in honor of the transfer of the holy relics of Alexander Nevsky. In addition to me, there were 99,999 other people there (as the organizers calculated), including the governor, the metropolitan, officials, state employees, deputy Milonov and actor Migitsko. To participate in the procession, I was given a prop - an empty stick.

How do I get a stick

Columns of participants in the procession are formed on the streets adjacent to Nevsky. The most numerous - regional columns gather on Kazanskaya. There are so many people that you can hardly walk down the street. But there are no random people here: those arriving in an organized manner take their places, receive props - Orthodox flags, icons, paper images. Shoulder to shoulder stand ladies in high heels, ladies in sneakers and headscarves, men in suits and ties, men in cassocks and yellow clerical robes. Everyone lined up in districts and are waiting for the start of the move.

- What are you wearing? I ask the man in yellow, who represents the Church of the Epiphany on Gutuevsky Island.

“I don’t know, they just put it on,” he is embarrassed.

- It's a surplice. Button up the button! - came to the aid of his colleague from the temple, who was running past.

In the column of the Central District, they change clothes right on the street: church vestments are taken out of a large checkered bag, the priests take apart and put on kamilavkas. The Kronstadt district is rehearsing the songs with which it will go to the procession: "Theotokos, Virgin Rejoice", "Save, Lord" and others. The priest distributes leaflets with texts.

They brought more sticks than tablets. Carry it as is. You will return the stick to the Pushkin district later

- Why did you come here? - I directly ask the lady in heels and with an expensive bag, standing under the sign "Kirov District".

- At the call of the soul, we are all here. And we were fired from work! she snapped unkindly.

“We are a kindergarten in the Kirovsky district,” said two others. - We are also at the call of the soul, but at work we will be credited with a working day.

- And I'm at work now. I am deputy Oleg Ivanov, - said a man from the Vyborg district. - And there is the head of the district - Garnets Valery Nikolaevich, next to him is his deputy, and there is the director of the school. We are all here! All in good mood! This event unites, unites, - the deputy explained why he came.

The Pushkin district prepared best of all for the procession. The entire column was armed with poles with portraits of the royal family. It turned out a whole forest of portraits. Why are they?

“Because we are from Tsarskoe Selo,” explained the parishioner of the Panteleimon Church. He handed me the pole too, but without the portrait.

"But there's nothing there!" I was surprised.

- And you imagine that there is! They brought more sticks than tablets. Carry it as is. Then you will return the stick to the Pushkin district, - the parishioner ordered.

I took the stick.

Then all the columns began to move - the procession began. For some time I walked among the royal portraits with an empty stick over my head. Nearby were other people with empty sticks.

Nevsky Prospekt was blocked for traffic the day before. But on the streets adjacent to Nevsky, there were columns of stubborn motorists. People stood and sat at stops waiting for trolleybuses and buses. They weren't outraged, but they didn't join either.

The procession was very strictly guarded. At the crossroads, the streets were blocked by heavy cleaning equipment, along the entire Nevsky - every 10-15 meters - there were policemen, voluntary guards, vigilantes, and in some places - metal fences. In order to prevent outsiders from entering the course, the guards (where there were no fences) held hands - a human chain was obtained. A platoon of OMON marched before the procession.

How they didn’t let me out of the prayer service

The procession was led by Metropolitan Varsonofy, speaker Vyacheslav Makarov, former vice-governor, now State Duma deputy Igor Divinsky, current vice-governor Igor Albin and other officials and priests.

The splendor was broken only once: Orthodox activists quarreled with the police. Believers carried banners with slogans: "Matilda is a slap in the face of the Russian people" and "The honor of the state is the honor of the people." The law enforcement officers demanded that the slogans be removed, but the crusaders refused.

Employees, help! - shouted a police lieutenant colonel, whom the Orthodox tried to push back from the slogans.

- Anathema on you! believers who carried banners cursed.

Other participants in the procession looked at the brawl with curiosity, but absolutely silently.

In the end, the police won, the banners were confiscated, but no one was detained.

It took us an hour to get from the Kazan Cathedral to Alexander Nevsky Square. Here the people were very dense. I wanted to leave, but they didn't let me out. The policeman did not let me go out from behind the fence, blocked my way. We had such a simple dialogue.

- May go out?

- It is forbidden!

- What about the toilet?

- I've told! Go forward. You will release one, and then you will all rush, - the policeman did not retreat.

Some lady came to my aid, began to find out from the policeman whether he believes in God and why he is not happy when there is such a national holiday. The policeman replied that he guards us, believers, on his day off, and what is there to rejoice about.

The believers listened to Makarov attentively. Some thought that this was Metropolitan Barsanuphiy speaking and were baptized.

And then we all listened to the festive prayer service. They delved into the words of Governor Poltavchenko and Speaker Makarov. The speaker's speech turned out to be the highlight of the course. It has already been taken away for media quotes, but as a whole it makes a very strong impression.

– The great destiny of Russia is to solve such problems that no other country in the world can solve! Russia is a world power, last hope God on planet Earth! That is why the Lord invisibly protects Russia from enemies, protects her small world for a saving outcome, in order to preserve Russia in its heavenly and earthly dimensions! I am Russian, I am baptized… I pray for the Russian tsar and God. It was the authority of the tsar, the strength of the tsar and the strength of the state that allowed our great power, Russia, to be invincible! St. Petersburg is the city of St. Peter the Apostle. The city that we must leave to our descendants as the great Orthodox city of the planet Earth. The Lord God and the Orthodox faith are with us! the speaker said.

The believers listened to Makarov attentively. But from the back rows it was not clear who was speaking. Some thought that this was Metropolitan Barsanuphius speaking and were baptized on the speaker.

Crusade Skirmisher

The procession in honor of the transfer of the relics of Alexander Nevsky was held in St. Petersburg for the fifth time. About 1.5 million rubles were spent from the city budget for organizing the celebrations. This is 400 thousand more than last year, and 800 thousand more than in 2015.

Religious processions have been very popular in Russia lately. New forms appeared - cross sailings and cross flying. So, on the Ob River, the Altai Cossacks spent a two-week cross voyage on the ship "Ataman Yermak" with the icon of the Iberian Mother of God with the relics of the apostles. In Rostov, Metropolitan Mercury and local officials held an aerial religious procession by helicopter. With the icon of the Don Mother of God, they flew around the city and prayed for the well-being of Rostov and Russia. In Taganrog, cross flying was improved. The priests of the local diocese poured eight tons of holy water into the tanks of the Be-200 amphibious aircraft and sprinkled the city and its environs from a height of 200 meters.

There are also religious processions on bicycles, motorcycles, buses and catamarans. St. Petersburg demonstrates to other regions new approaches to cross-walking. This summer, the first car religious procession took place (passed) along the route St. Petersburg - Kronstadt. Dozens of cars participated. For those who do not have their own car, 5 buses have been prepared. This format of the procession, according to the organizers, corresponds to the spirit of the times. "He does not contradict Orthodox tradition”, - says the official site of the Crusaders of the Cross.

The voyage of the Cross on a catamaran with a list of the Inexhaustible Chalice icon came from St. Petersburg to Kerch last week. The event was held public organization"Orthodox St. Petersburg".

The St. Petersburg diocese believes that cross-walking should be further developed. Representatives of the diocese appealed to the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation with a proposal to support the idea of ​​holding religious processions throughout the country on the Day of national unity. To begin with, Russia needs at least one all-Russian religious procession, otherwise everyone goes separately and in different time. A single religious procession will contribute to the consolidation and mobilization of society.

In 2017, St. Petersburg will become the absolute leader among Russian regions in terms of the number of large religious processions. According to the portal of religious processions.rf, 9 religious processions took place (and will still take place) in St. Petersburg this year. In second place among Russian regions is the Vyatka Metropolis (5 religious processions). The Moscow diocese is lagging behind - only 4 religious processions.

Elena ROTKEVICH

What can you get for a photo with the hashtag #KrestnyHod1209

In the St. Petersburg diocese, participation in the procession was stimulated with the help of an online competition. Photos (family or selfies) taken during the procession and published on social networks were accepted for the competition. A prerequisite is the presence of the hashtag #KrestnyMood1209.

Winners will be announced on September 25th. The winners will receive, according to the official press release, a large pectoral “Marine” cross from an Orthodox jewelry company. Second place will receive an encyclopedia album. For the third - also an album. All the winners will also be presented with “an image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, consecrated on his relics, who first arrived in Russia from the city of Bari.”

As City 812 was told in the jewelry company's brand store, since August 4, items consecrated on the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker have been brought to the store. The number of consecrated items is limited. Images of St. Nicholas are still on sale (10 pieces), each cost 650 rubles.

Where did the relics of Alexander Nevsky come from

Alexander Nevsky died in 1263 and was buried in Vladimir in the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin. According to the chronicles, in 1380 his remains were taken out of the coffin and they saw that they had not decayed. This was considered a miracle and the remains were placed "in a cancer (coffin) on top of the ground."

In 1491 there was a strong fire, after which, according to some sources, the remains burned down, according to others, they were miraculously preserved.

Alexander Nevsky was canonized in 1547.

In 1723, Peter the Great decided to transport the relics of Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg. But on the way they were overtaken by a fire again, probably after which they put a “stuffed figure” in the shrine - a cotton doll with a wax head.

In this form, in 1724, the shrine was transported to St. Petersburg and installed on September 12 in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (then it was the Holy Trinity Monastery). Since then, Alexander Nevsky has been considered the protector of the city in heaven.

In 1917, priests secretly examined the relics. What they found there was told in the press center of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

“Under the lid of the shrine, they found an open cypress coffin with a wax head and a “stuffed” prince made of cotton wool sewn into silk bags. Genuine relics were placed in it - part of the skull, bones of the arms and legs and two ribs. On paper, lying in a bag with small bones, it was indicated that the relics were collected “after the church burning,” the press center website says.

According to the same source, the priests put only "genuine relics" in the shrine, and threw the rest away.

In 1922, during an anti-religious campaign, the coffin with the relics of Alexander Nevsky was publicly opened by the Bolsheviks. The found remains were transferred to the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. They were kept there until 1989, then they were returned to the Lavra.

The procession is a long-established tradition of believing Orthodox people, which consists in a solemn procession led by clergy who carry banners, icons, crosses and other shrines. It takes place around the church, from temple to temple, goes to a reservoir or to another object of the Orthodox shrine. Processions pass through different occasions- to the glory of Jesus Christ, revered saints, church holidays. They are: Easter, funeral, water lighting, funeral, missionary and others.

Processions have become part of the life of the Orthodox world. The most famous of them are Easter, which begin close to midnight. Easter is celebrated annually and is calculated for each year separately. The criterion is the day of the equinox in the spring and such a phenomenon as the full moon. The first Sunday after these events will be the day of Easter.

The Easter Procession is a great event for the Orthodox who take part in this procession. The main essence is the believers, led by the clergy, go towards the good news of the resurrection of Christ. At this time, church bells ring. The participants in the procession sing festive chants. The procession takes place at night from Holy Saturday to Holy Sunday. In accordance with this, in 2019 the procession will take place on the night of April 27-28, in 2020 - from April 18-19.

On the days when Orthodox holidays are held, the procession is determined by the community.

According to the established tradition, religious processions take place in many settlements: cities and villages and have a specific purpose. Their list is very large. They are dedicated to various events and Orthodox dates. Here are some of them:

• Velikoretsky - takes place with the icon of the revered Velikoretsky Nicholas the Wonderworker from June 3 to 8;
• Kaluga - with the icon of the Mother of God, dates: 28.06-31.07;
• Kursk - with the icon of the Mother of God of the Sign of the Kursk-Root 9 Friday after Easter;
• Saratov - held in honor of the memory of the Russian New Martyrs and Confessors from June 26 to July 17;
• Georgievsky - to the places of glory and the heroic defense of Leningrad from May 5 to 10;
• Samara - with the icon of the Mother of God "The deliverer from troubles" in Tashla. It takes place on the first day of Petrov's Fast and lasts 3 days.

Procession is the essence

The performance of the procession always has some purpose and is carried out only with the blessing of the archpastor, bishop. The religious procession expresses the common faith of the people, unites people and increases the number of believers. A lantern is carried ahead of the course, which symbolizes the Divine Light.

They carry banners - portable banners on which the faces of saints are depicted.

Icons, the Gospel and all kinds of shrines are carried by clergy and believers who participate in the procession. Processions illuminate everything around - earth, fire, water, air. Prayers of people, icons, sprinkling with holy water, incense - have a sacred effect on the world around.

The reason for the procession may be different:

• The procession is organized by a specific church community and is timed to coincide with an Orthodox holiday or event. For example, the illumination of a temple or a celebration in honor of a revered icon.
• Easter - in Palm Sunday during Bright Week.
• The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - at this time the water is illuminated.
• Funeral - a procession escorts the deceased to the cemetery.
• Missionary, the purpose of which is to attract believers into their ranks.
• Public holidays or events.
• Emergencies - wars, natural disasters, epidemics.
• Procession taking place in the temple.

The Procession of the Cross takes place relative to the sun against its movement. Old Believers go clockwise, i.e. by the movement of the sun. Depending on the purpose, the procession goes around the church, from temple to temple, to the shrine that is revered. Processions of the cross are short in time, for example, on Easter and multi-day, passing several days.

In our age of technological progress, the procession can be carried out by helicopter or plane by clergy who fly over certain territory with miraculous icon. On January 2, 1941, lists of the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God were loaded onto the plane and flew around Moscow with it. There is a high probability that it was this flight that stopped the enemy in his attack on the city.

History of the procession of Russia

Since time immemorial, the procession has been leading its history. During the battle in 312, Constantine, the emperor of Rome, saw a sign in heaven in the form of a cross, on which was the inscription - Conquer this!

Constantine ordered to make banners on which crosses were depicted, later called Banners.

An example of religious processions in Rus' was the Church of Constantinople. Appeal to God by universal prayer in case of disasters and emergencies. From the time of old testament we know that there were solemn processions. The city of Jericho and its siege - in the book of Jesus Novin it is written: the city will be subdued if you go around it for six days with the ark of the covenant. The seventh day was marked by the cries of the people and the walls of Jericho collapsed.

The Christian Church in the early days of its existence held secret night processions. The relics of Orthodox martyrs were transferred. At the end of the fourth century Christianity was legalized. Processions of the cross began to take place openly, which the Orthodox rejoiced at. In memory of the martyrs, they went through the procession through the cities and villages with hymns and prayers, visited the places of the Passion of Christ. Litany, that was the name of these processions.

Litany - translated from Greek means fervent prayer.

Also known is the fact about John Chrysostom, who started the rule of the procession, so that the people would be distracted from any heresy. It was in the 4th or 5th century.

Simultaneously with the Baptism of Rus', a tradition came to hold processions - religious processions. Illumination of the people took place on the banks of the Dnieper, which was accompanied by a solemn passage with the bearing of the face of saints. Since then, this tradition has become a regular. Processions were held on different occasions. The people believed that making a procession, reading prayers under open sky, they call on the Lord God to help in their distress and God hears them and helps.

The holding of religious processions in Rus' is widely represented in the paintings of Russian artists. Here are some of them:

Zaitsev E. Prayer on the Borodino field

B.M. Kustodiev

N.K. Roerich

A.V. Isupov

I.E. Repin

K.E. Makovsky

Velikoretskaya icon, a brief history with a photo

The history of finding the icon dates back to the 14th century. A peasant from the village of Krutitsy, Agalkov Semyon, was going about his business and saw sowing in the forest. On the way back, he was again attracted by the light, which beckoned to itself. Unable to resist, he approached this divine light and was surprised when the image of Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared to him. Subsequently, it turned out that the icon is able to heal diseases. They learned it this way: the villager had sore legs and could not walk, kissing the icon, he was healed. Since then, fame has gone about the icon. This event took place on the banks of the Velikaya River, so the icon was called Velikoretskaya. The clergy appealed to the peasants to transfer the miraculous icon to Khlynov in order to ensure its safety and to more people could venerate the miraculous icon. The place where the icon appeared, people wanted to mark, they built a chapel, and later a temple.

The city of Khlynov was first renamed into the city of Vyatka, then into Kirov - that is how it is called until now.

The icon is an engraving that depicts the life and deeds of the saint, there are 8 of them:

1. Teachings of St. Nicholas.
2. The dream of Tsar Constantine and the appearance of the miracle worker Nicholas to him.
3. Rescue of Demetrius from the bottom of the sea by Saint Nicholas.
4. Zion is the service of Saint Nicholas.
5. Salvation of the ship from the flood by St. Nicholas.
6. Deliverance from the sword of three men.

The return of Agrikov's son Basil from the Saracen captivity.

7. The resting burial place of St. Nicholas.

In the middle is the image of Nicholas the Wonderworker.

In 1555 the icon traveled to Moscow. St. Basil's Cathedral was just under construction then. One of the limits of the temple was illuminated in honor of the miraculous icon.

In 2016, a miracle happened again in the village of Velikoretsky. The Trifonov Monastery became famous in the courtyard of which the face of Nicholas the Wonderworker was discovered. One of the novices of the monastery wanted to make a damper for a technical window in a barn where they kept livestock. It was a piece of old iron sheet.

I found the face of Nicholas the Wonderworker on an iron sheet, the head of the farmstead, who came to clean the snow. She felt that someone was looking at her. Thus, the face appeared to people once again.

Velikoretsky Cross Procession route

The religious procession, its traditions and attributes, with the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas, began after its transfer to the city of Khlynov in the Vyatka region. It was agreed to return the icon to the place where it was found every year. It was kept in the church of St. Procopius of Ustyug, and subsequently the St. Nicholas Cathedral was built specifically for this icon.

In the 30s of the twentieth century, the procession was banned. When perestroika came, the attitude of the authorities began to gradually change. Gradually, the tradition began to revive. At first, a divine service was allowed on the banks of the Velikaya River, then a procession from the village of Chudinovo. Now the route is completely restored. Every year, at the beginning of June, thousands of people wish to take part in this event.

The route is quite long and it may seem that it is impossible to walk such a path on foot. Its length is more than 150 km. The procession begins with a memorial service at the Assumption Cathedral at 7 o'clock in the morning. At 8 o'clock - in the city of Kirov, in the Holy Dormition cathedral going on Divine Liturgy. On the Cathedral Square of the Monastery of the Holy Assumption, Trifonov, at 10 o'clock - a prayer service and from there at 11 o'clock the procession begins. The Trinity Church of the city of Kirov meets him. The next point is the village of Bobino.

You can use the buses that accompany the procession and transport people as they fill up. Buses are also waiting for pilgrims in the city of Kirov and deliver directly to their destination, to the village of Velikoretskoye.

In order to perform the procession according to all the rules, it is necessary to receive a blessing from the priest. When preparing, you need to stock up with the necessary things and water in advance.

1. Take a couple of plastic bottles with you. Water can be collected at stopping points, as well as specially brought water.
2. Buy a special travel mat for overnight stays.
3. Necessary medicines that you will need on the way, collect a travel first-aid kit.
4. You don't have to take food, you can buy it. Hot food and tea outlets are organized.
5. Dried fruits and nuts will not take up much space and will satisfy your hunger.
6. Raincoats, in case it rains.
7. From things - counting that the nights can be cold, warm things are necessary.
8. Headwear, sunglasses will save you from hot and sultry weather.
9. Comfortable shoes, a second pair may be needed.
10. Insect repellents - mosquitoes and midges.

During stops, you can have a bite to eat, a field kitchen is open. At the request of each pilgrim, things can be loaded onto a bus that goes to the stops. Everyone provides their own lodging for the night, someone takes a tent with them. Along the way, in the villages, kind people invite those who are going to eat and spend the night.

When gathering for a multi-day procession, you need to remember that this is a difficult path and you need to prepare for it in advance.

Archpriest Alexy Kulberg, rector of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, head of the department of religious education and catechesis of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis, answers questions from viewers. Transfer from Yekaterinburg.

- Today is marked by one important event. On June 3, a multi-day and multi-kilometer All-Russian Velikoretsky procession started from the St. Seraphim Cathedral in the city of Kirov. Many people participate in this procession. They will pass the 180-kilometer Way of the Cross. This procession has Official pagehttp://velikoretsky-hod.ru/, where you can track the movement of people and the route. In Yekaterinburg, on Children's Day, a procession was also held for children. And also on the night of July 17 in Yekaterinburg there will be a religious procession to Ganina Yama, to the place where the holy royal family was taken away. Therefore, today I propose to start the program with the topic of religious processions, to talk about why we perform such a feat and why it exists at all. First, let's talk about the etymology of these words: why "godfather" and why "move"?

The Velikoretsky cross procession is the oldest of all existing cross processions. Tens of thousands of people participate in it. We will assume that it does not come from Kirov, but from Vyatka - after all, let's return to the historical name of this city. The procession comes from Vyatka, from the place where the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was revealed on the Velikaya River. What is this procession for? A certain peasant on the Velikaya River discovered the icon of St. Nicholas, which was miraculously consecrated. Wondering what it was, he took the icon and brought it to Vyatka. The inhabitants of Vyatka vowed to worship this icon every year - to go to the place where it was found, and to pay honor, gratitude to the saint, who through this icon a huge number of prayers (voiced or not voiced), as well as the requests of the inhabitants of Vyatka heard and fulfilled. This icon became the main shrine for the Vyatichi people. And the Velikoretsky Cross Procession is an outward expression of gratitude to God and St. Nicholas for these favors.

I am not a historian, and it is difficult for me to trace the retrospective when the first religious procession was recorded in history. Probably, I will not be mistaken if I say that the first procession was the way of the cross of our Savior, which He made under the weight of the Cross, laid by the Roman soldiers on the verdict of Pontius Pilate and on the betrayal of the Israeli people. This is the first religious procession, as a result of which the saving sacrifice of the Lord was brought for the human race. The result of this way of the cross was the Resurrection and victory over death. Perhaps this is the most important meaning of any procession and the life of a Christian: to live your own path, not to grumble under the weight of the cross that the Lord places on us or that we ourselves lift up on ourselves, and come to the salvation of our own souls.

The second historical fact that I associate with the procession is an event that took place nine centuries later, which we remember as the feast of the Praise of the Mother of God. We celebrate it at the end of Great Lent or during the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. The inhabitants of Constantinople, besieged by the barbarians, understood that there was no hope for salvation, the city would now be captured, devastated, and rivers of blood would flow along the bridges of Constantinople. They placed their only hope in the Mother of God and marched around the walls of Constantinople with the girdle of the Mother of God and the icon, which is kept in the Blachernae Church. We know that the Mother of God saved the city. Numerous troops besieging the city were destroyed, and the inhabitants were saved.

Yesterday the Church commemorated the holy noble prince Dovmont of Pskov, in holy baptism Timothy. His life describes a similar phenomenon: after the death of the holy prince Dovmont, who was the defender of Pskov, the city was besieged. As the life says, about 100,000 German knights and Varangians, hired by them, surrounded Pskov and were ready to capture it and turn it into ruins. Prince Dovmont appeared in a dream to several townspeople and urged them to take the mantle with which his tomb was covered. With this shrine they passed along the walls of the city, and the city was liberated. This is the third example in history when a religious procession was performed. In the last two examples (in Constantinople and Pskov), people went to the procession not because of an overabundance of pious feelings, not because they so wanted to acquire special heavenly grace, tenderness and tears. And they went to the procession, because they understood: there is nothing more to hope for, now there will be a bitter and cruel death for us and our children. There is no more human hope, something needs to be done, to turn to God. This cry, made in desperation, was heard. The Lord intervened.

Today we are doing religious processions. They are beautiful - for example, on Bright Week around the temple. Now it's summer, a whole series of religious processions begins. Velikoretsky of them is the longest and most massive. It must be understood that this is not just a beautiful tradition. Yes, it is blessed and beautiful: so many people, banners, icons, how pious they all are! But in reality there is a crowd of sinners, a "crowd of problems." I know many people who go to the procession. The parishioners of our church left Yekaterinburg for the Velikoretsky procession, I know people who participate in the Borisoglebsky, Irinarhovsky processions. They go there not to communicate with similar Orthodox, to enjoy grace. They bring their problems there - husbands drink, children do not obey, there are some diseases. A person goes, realizing that he has an incurable disease, there is nothing to hope for: “I will bring the rest of my strength to God, maybe He will accept it, either give health or patience to bear this disease.” Such people, perishing in their sins, infirmities, sufferings, passions, gather, like the inhabitants of Pskov or Constantinople, in the hope that the Lord will at least accept this procession and deliver from what a person himself cannot get rid of.

What do people who have walked this path testify to? It's very hard. Imagine: 180 km on foot on the road, in any weather. Even though it’s a thunderstorm, even if it’s hot, they go, they spend the night wherever they can, some in the field, some on the floor. And they bring these works in the hope that the Lord will accept. The Lord accepts, of course, but not en masse. Not all 70-80 thousand are immediately healed, enlightened, and problems disappear. People say: “We have passed, we have received such a charge of affirmation in faith, in the desire for a pious life, that for a year ahead until the next procession of the cross, this charge nourishes and keeps us from falls and human infirmities.”

Now many religious processions will be performed. Of course, this is the royal procession, which will take place on the night of July 16-17 in Yekaterinburg, 21 kilometers long. About 50 thousand people gather for this procession. The main leitmotif of the royal procession is prayer for our country, repentance, which we bring to God before royal family for the sin of killing the sovereign and the sin of our own lukewarm, comfortable, well-fed life. We pray and hope that the Lord will send trials, give patience in these trials, and through this Christian deed, our country, our Rus' will still be made holy again, striving primarily not for life on earth, so that everything is satisfying, good, calm, comfortable but for the people to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and then everything else.

There are not only traditional religious processions, when people take a cross, an icon and set off with a prayer. There is, for example, a wonderful tradition when people board ships, kayaks, children and adults, take icons, banners, even a small bell tower is installed on the kayak, and such a procession goes along the river. People cover about 100 kilometers. This is done on the territory of the Yaroslavl and Tver regions, along the Nerl River. On the way, participants in the procession, or rafting, visit many villages that once had temples filled with life. And now the temples are abandoned, the inhabitants are also abandoned. This is a missionary cross rafting, the inhabitants of these villages know when to expect the coming of young prayer books. This is a joy and an opportunity once a year to participate in a prayer service, in a liturgy in abandoned churches. There is even a tradition to celebrate the liturgy on the island. Once a tragedy occurred: when the waters of the Rybinsk reservoir were raised, settlements were flooded. And such a picture arose: in the middle of the sea, the bell tower sticks out. There is an island there, on which the temple once stood, now the earth from the water and the remains of a brick are visible. Liturgy is celebrated on this island, in the place where the temple once stood. Such a procession is addressed not only to the people who participate in it, but also to hundreds of those who are waiting for it in these villages. During overnight stays, talks and concerts are held. People touch that spiritual life, which is inaccessible to them during the whole year. Here is the result.

Question from TV viewer Alexei from St. great post such as travelers. And if a person spent Great Lent carefully, then he was freed from Peter's fast. Have you heard of this rule?

Yes, I heard about such a tradition that Peter's fast was established for those people who either did not have the opportunity to properly follow the path of Great Lent, or did not have such a desire - for example, they were only baptized the day before, on Holy Saturday. Naturally, they did not fast during Lent. The post was dedicated to the apostles. These labors, which Christians brought during the short period of Peter's fast, gave certain fruits. Today there is a discussion: “If in ancient times there was no Petrov fast, why are we now diligently fasting both on Great and Petrov? Let's cancel the Petrov post. Since we fasted on Great Lent, it means that we will not fast on Petrov.” There are interesting arguments for and against this. The Synodal Commission has gathered many intelligent, educated both theologically and historically spiritually experienced people who are preparing proposals regarding the attitude towards Peter's post. I can only say as a priest and as a Christian: I am now happily waiting for the end of a continuous week, the moment when Peter's fast begins. Lent is called "spiritual spring". When it begins, the soul blossoms like an apple tree warmed by the sun in spring, throws out its leaves and blossoms. When does the post end? Well, who has not experienced this sad reality: Easter, joy, the Resurrection of Christ, a week, a second, a third - and that tension of spiritual life goes away, there is time for relaxation, some regrets that that taste of spiritual life is washed away, lost. And where to find it? The opportunity to devote two to four weeks to God is a joy for me personally and for those people whom I, as a priest, minister to. We are waiting for the opportunity to fast, study the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of the Holy Apostles, we are looking forward to fasting in order to control our womb and practice piety and thereby benefit ourselves and those around us, who, seeing us fasting for real, will benefit. Fasting does not just mean that we do not eat something, but we need to limit ourselves in spectacles, idle talk. This benefits not only the person, but also the people around him. Who else, but I think that for a Christian this is a great benefit and whoever fasts will gain. There are people who are looking for: “How can we not fast?” Don't fast. God will give you something else, some other grace, maybe he will send some kind of illness, sorrow, or maybe he will look after His love, warm your heart so that you will feel good even without fasting. This post is consecrated by our ancestors for centuries. In the life of the Monk Varlaam Khutynsky, a great saint revered in the Church, it is mentioned that on Tuesday or Thursday of the first week of Peter's Lent in the summer he came to the prince on a sleigh, predicting this arrival in advance. That is, Peter's fast for people who lived during the time of the Monk Varlaam Khutynsky, who carried such missionary labors, was an important milestone, for them it was essential. They, too, probably knew that this tradition comes from the holy apostles, not from the Lord Jesus Christ. There was such a tradition, we adopted it, therefore, probably, Rus' is called Holy. Faith was in Rus', but in the West, without fasting, it cooled, emasculated, and now they have come to the troubles that exist. Therefore, the strength of tradition matters, especially for a Russian person, tradition means a lot. I believe that traditions should be preserved, respected carefully, with love. Then the Lord will give a lot of things to a fasting person. If someone is having a hard time, then there are enough indulgences for people who are having a hard time, who are sick, who are weak. I think that your confessor will determine the measure that you can bear. Moreover, fasting is not strict, the fish is blessed. So let us fast with the apostolic, auspicious fast.

Question from TV viewer Tamara from Volgograd: “I buy icons in the temple and put them not on the shelves, but glue them to the wall with glue. It is a sin?"

If the glue is strong and the icons do not fall off the wall, this is not a sin. I think you paste with love and then pray in front of them. And if they are badly glued, fall off or the corners turn away, find a good glue. It is only important that the icons do not fall and that, looking at them, you turn to the Mother of God, to the Savior, to the saints. This is a very rewarding work. Buy, attach, pray for us, and for all listeners and viewers of the Soyuz TV channel. And it will be a great blessing, not a sin.

We spoke earlier about the fact that those who participate in these solemn processions are penitent people, sinners, as you said - "a crowd of problems." And if we take children's religious processions, is there such a feeling of this event in the souls of children that they are sinners, that they are performing some kind of feat? Or is it one of the solemn events in which they participate for them?

This is an educational event for children who participate in these moves.

- Is it carried out educational work to explain the meaning of what is happening?

The children who take part in the procession on June 1 and in the river rafting are not random children. They went to this procession for a certain time, studying in Sunday school, preparing for the rafting, studying the route, studying the icons that they will have in their hands. Preparation time is a serious educational moment. Here the children go to school, do their homework, but why, for what - it is not very clear. One feels the aimlessness, the meaninglessness of their existence. They are immersed in social networks, in their childhood problems. There is a feeling of frivolity, virtuality of everything they do. When a child lives with one foot in the virtual world, he has the opportunity to touch real life then, when he goes on a cross-rafting trip, he finds himself in a village. City residents see a different reality, completely different people, residents of distant villages and villages. For us today they are like aliens. How the expressions and behavior of children change when they start talking with the inhabitants of these villages: a completely different dialect, a completely different sense of time. They live a year, and someone two years of their lives in the experience that they acquire: overcoming themselves, communicating with those people whom they would never have met either on TV or on Instagram. They get the experience of doing good. And they know that what they are doing now is good. It brings joy and comfort. For a whole year they receive a boost of energy, because a long stay in such good deeds does not pass without a trace for the soul. And when they return to their apartments, to the circle of friends and comrades, they feel that it was so good, but now it is not. Where is "good"? It is "good" where "two or three are gathered in My name", where the Church is. People who have touched long-term good work, then look for the opportunity to communicate, to continue this good work in Sunday school, in the Church, in the parish. The same applies to those children who walked the streets of Yekaterinburg the day before yesterday. People live in the city, they know that city life is chaos, vanity, they advertise something, they sell something. And what they touch in the Church, they do not meet on the streets, in the lanes, on the avenues of the city. And here they have the opportunity to open this church, inner, secret life to the people around them and to be not just some kind of kids standing on the sidelines, but this is their missionary work. Myself baby goes with a cross, with an icon, he sings songs and hymns to the Lord. When the procession ended, the children approached the chapel in honor of St. Catherine. There once was a temple. Peers approached them and asked: “Guys, what is going on here?” And what is it like for a young banner-bearer to tell and substantiate this in such a way as to interest a peer in the seriousness and grace of his doing? It is, in essence, an examination of what he studied during the year in Sunday school, or an examination of the faith and faithfulness he acquires in the temple. It's one thing to be embarrassed, shy: after all, everyone is so dressed up, painted, dancing to the music on Children's Day, but we somehow behave differently. But to substantiate, not to be embarrassed - this is a serious test. If the child was capable of this, then there is hope that when tomorrow or the day after tomorrow he walks through the streets of the same city, passes by the temple, he will not hesitate to make the sign of the cross. When he is at school and sees some social atrocity, some of the younger ones will be insulted, he will have something to cling to, he will have a “ledge” in his soul, on which he can stand and not slip, not be like everything, but still remain the person that we saw here during the procession. This is very important for others and for the participants in the procession.

Question from TV viewer Yevgeny from the Belgorod region: “Christ spoke with the Pharisees about fasting. They asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples fast?” He said, “How can they fast when the Bridegroom is with them. When the Bridegroom is taken away from them, then they too will fast.” The Bridegroom is Christ. And fasting was done for Him. And Peter's fast is made for the sake of the apostles? And why is the fast in honor of the Apostle Peter, why did we bypass the Apostle John? He alone did not run away and did not renounce Christ.”

A Christian is a person who seeks every opportunity life situation use for spiritual salvation. We fast for the sake of Christ: in Great Lent - for the sake of Christ and in Petrov - for the sake of Christ. We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. The crown of fasting is preparation for the Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, not Peter and Paul or John, but Christ. Therefore, the fast is called Petrov, but this does not mean that we fast in honor of Peter, and does not mean that we do not notice Paul or other apostles. Let's think like this: firstly, during the Petrine Lent, the Church calls on Christians to pay close attention to the One about whom the apostles testified; secondly, to strive to imitate the lives of the holy apostles. We can very quickly slide into Protestantism: “Nothing matters, only Jesus Christ and the gospel matter. We are not interested in anything else." We know that by such an imaginary focus on Jesus Christ and on the text of the Gospel, the Protestants have deprived themselves of a huge range of spiritual means that the Lord and the Church give to a person, a Christian. I would not like to go this way and limit myself. The Lord chose the apostles and sent them to preach, so that they would spread the news about Jesus Christ and the Gospel throughout the earth. Jesus Christ could say, “I am in charge. Believe in me, I will preach about myself throughout the earth. The Lord doesn't do that. He reveals Himself to the disciples, the apostles, He gives them the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, so that their word would not be a human word, filled with some vices and lust, but a divine word, full of the power of the Holy Spirit. Then He says, "Go and preach the gospel to every creature." What we know about Christ, we know from the apostles. Is it not worth at least for the sake of this 2-4 weeks to devote to what they said, wrote, what kind of life they lived and how the holy apostles ended it. Peter's Lent traditionally ends on July 12, the feast day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. If you are embarrassed that on this day we end the fast and exalt two apostles, and humiliate the rest, do not be discouraged. Fast until July 13, on this day the Church commemorates the Synod of the Holy Apostles, all twelve. Continue fasting one more day and dedicate this fast to John the Theologian, James Zebedee, Andrew the First-Called and other holy apostles, whom, I have no doubt, you love, honor, read and whose life you imitate. Continue until the 13th, come to the temple for the service (in Belgorod, I have no doubt there is a temple in the name of the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles), it will be yours good deed, good veneration of the holy apostles of Christ. You began with the words: why the disciples of Christ do not fast, and the Lord answers that the time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away. Yes, that time has come. On Wednesday, Judas betrayed Christ; on Friday, the Lord was taken away from the disciples and crucified on the Cross. Therefore, every Wednesday and Friday are fast days. A Christian is attentive to Wednesday and Friday, not just changing the diet, but paying attention to what services are performed. On Friday, the Cross of Christ is always venerated, on Wednesday - the Mother of God. Attention to these details will certainly make your post, and the post of any person, more meaningful and faster leading to Jesus Christ. I wish this for you and for myself.

Question from TV viewer Artem from Sochi: “During the service we pray to the saints to pray to God for us. We pray to the Mother of God with the words "save us", although the Gospel says that we have one Teacher - Christ. Why do we pray to the Mother of God "save us", and to the saints - "pray to God for us"?

Such is the tradition. By this we emphasize the special role of the Mother of God in the salvation of mankind. So God was pleased that it was through the chosen Virgin that the God-Man Jesus Christ came into the world. God so trusted this person, this Virgin, that She taught Him human life She taught him to walk, talk, write. She was His closest person on this earth. This closeness was expressed in the event of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, when the Lord Himself came to earth in Gethsemane in order to take the soul of the Mother of God, and then the body and ascend to Heaven. These special relationships between the Mother of God and the God-man, Her Son, Jesus Christ, are emphasized by the fact that we see a special relationship to Her. She brought the Savior into the world, served the cause of salvation, we turn to Her: “Mother of God, as You served for the salvation of all mankind, so I ask You to serve the cause of salvation for me personally.” We turn to Her: "Save us." But this does not in the least detract from the dignity of the saints of God.

We read the life of the saint and wonderworker Nicholas about how he repeatedly saved people who were dying, who were preparing to be executed by beheading with a sword or who were drowning on a ship. They did not pray according to a prayer book or an official. They had a cry in which all faith is concentrated: “I am dying, I ask you to help, save!” Such a prayer was heard. Here, in these words “Most Holy Mother of God, save us”, “holy saints of God, pray to God for us”, is not a dogmatic component, but rather a measure of the participation of the Mother of God and the saints in our life and in the work of our salvation. The measure of the Mother of God is greater than the measure of the holy saints of God, who also participate, help in the same way, but still not to the same extent, not to the same degree, significance and closeness to God and people, as is shown by the Mother of God. But, turning in a difficult situation to the God-pleaser you revere - St. Nicholas, St. Spyridon, the Holy Great Martyr George, St. Constantine and Elena and others - you will not offend the Mother of God in the least. I think you will be heard by those whose name you call on. But this is a tradition that exists in the Church, consecrated by the fact that generations of people before us lived by this tradition, and in this tradition they were brought up in holiness and entered into Heavenly Kingdom. For them, such a formulation did not at all become an obstacle in order to believe in the Risen Christ, the Mother of God and the saints and imitate their life. This helped them become saints themselves and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If we, as Christians, lovingly accept church tradition, just as children lovingly accept the language spoken by their parents, then this will be salutary for us.

Today I was walking down the street and I saw from afar beautiful family: dad is handsome, mom is modestly and beautifully dressed, and two kids. And I hear that they are “banging” in the Central Asian language, I don’t even know what language it is. If I had heard the language first, then maybe I didn't have best thoughts were born (in our land they don’t really like aliens from other countries). And at first I saw the beauty of this family, this love that is present. They walked as one. And when they approached, I had no choice but to glorify God: “Lord, glory to Thee, who nourishes and blesses every person living on earth.” And if we, like children, perceive the tradition that our ancestors brought with their sweat and blood, preserved, then we are approaching salvation. Greece has a different tradition, the Copts have a third. They live the way they received from their fathers. Let us live and be saved in the tradition that the Orthodox Church has preserved for us.

I would like to return to the topic of Children's Day and to the all-Russian action in defense and remembrance of those children who could be among us. We are talking about unborn children. What is the essence of this action, how did it go?

Everyone's favorite pastor, Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov, who is the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family and Child Affairs, addressing His Holiness the Patriarch and discussing the topic of abortion with him, received a blessing from the Patriarch to make every possible effort to ensure that this misfortune, this pestilence from our land lime. And the Patriarch, in fact, blessed the holding on June 1, on Children's Day, of a special prayer work: to read a penitential prayer to our God, the Mother of God, to the saints with a request to take this plague away from our people, our country, to light candles on the salt to designate that in this day, in this prayer, there is a certain exclusivity. In Yekaterinburg, 5,000 red lamps were prepared, they were marked with information about this penitent action. These lamps were distributed to the churches of the city, the diocese, and the media were warned. Thus, on June 1, the priests spoke from the pulpit, saying that the children who are under the mother's heart, the children in the womb, are full-fledged living citizens, that abortions are the murder of full-fledged citizens. We must protect not only those children who live, but those who live under the heart of their mother. These words were rebroadcast by many TV channels. We hope that they were heard by viewers. There is hope that the Lord still hears His Church and fulfills what we ask. People learned, heard, were ashamed of what was done, or what they intended to do - thank God! In the temples, all salt, all the steps that are in front of the pulpit and to the left and right of it, were filled with rows of burning lamps. We understood that people brought lamps with a spark for a reason. Someone has one or three ruined children on their conscience. Someone has non-resistance, assistance, stupid advice to people to commit this crime. You see how these lamps burn, and the heart melts; people came. It was necessary to look into the eyes of these people who were praying: so much grief and hope was hidden in them, the hope that when the souls of the ruined children who stand before God meet their souls, the meeting will not be so terrible, for the sin they have committed there will be no descent into hell. Still, there is hope for salvation. We know that His Holiness Patriarch came up with an initiative in the State Duma that abortions be excluded from the system of compulsory medical insurance, so that abortions are not performed at the expense of the state, taxpayers. It is not easy for such an initiative to pass. There are high-ranking people who resist this initiative of the Patriarch. But I really hope that the Lord, Who has worked a miracle on our land so many times, will eradicate this cannibalistic practice from our people. Children will be born, brought up - and they will observe Peter's fast (this tradition will not leave our lives). They, too, will enter the Heavenly Kingdom not as martyrs who have not been baptized and are waiting to meet their unfortunate parents, but as the children of the holy saints of God entered.

Host: Dmitry Brodovikov
Transcription: Natalia Maslova

Today at Public Chamber The Russian Federation will host a round table "Crusading as a form of social consolidation and spiritual mobilization." About multi-day religious processions, everyday life, everyday life and miracles of the crusaders - a conversation with Andrey Bardiz, the organizer and leader of the religious processions on foot, including one of the longest in the history of Russia, whose participants in 2015 walked 2000 km along the route Sevastopol-Kerch- Smolensk.

Christianity needs to suffer - here and now

- Andrei, tell me, why do people go to the procession? What is the task before them?

One of the tasks of the multi-day religious procession is to form a community. In routes less than 1000 kilometers long, the community, as a rule, does not have time to form. If you need to go 1500-2000 kilometers, everyone gets very tired, and such projects are not always justified. This is a very important and interesting process, when absolutely strangers different ages who came from different regions and dioceses, representing different classes and professions, begin to rub against each other - and rub against each other in Christ. They learn to pray with each other, help each other, share the last, lend a shoulder, literally "carry each other's burdens." This is what pastoral sermons and good books. In practice, unfortunately, this does not happen so often, but in the procession it happens every day, every minute. And since everything is done at the limit of strength, it is immediately clear who is who in reality.

If a person goes with prayer, works in the sweat of his brow, wipes his feet in blood, gives God his strength and time, disinterestedly, voluntarily sacrificing what he has, this is comparable to the feat of wearing chains, with pilgrimage. As one bishop said in his sermon, for participating in such a procession, for enduring voluntary suffering and sorrows for the glory of God, God forgives many sins.

Of course, any participation is good, but, you see, there is a difference: to make a half bow or a hundred earthly tears with repentant tears. In this case, everyone participated in the most different ways- with their time, legs, prayer, money, pies, someone gave an overnight stay with a bathhouse ... The Lord appreciates not what comes easily to us, but our efforts. It is for them, for prayerful work in patience and humility, that God gives the right to every person to beg something from Him. The more effort is made, the more tangible the result.

- Sometimes comfortable bus rides and excursions are called processions ...

I think that it is not entirely correct to call such events religious processions. In general, over the 15 years of the existence of religious processions in Russia, various traditions have formed in different places, in different dioceses, are not always, in my opinion, correct. It is difficult to transplant the same tradition into another soil. She doesn't settle down. It is one thing to walk for several days, and quite another for several weeks or months. This is the same as inviting a person who has recently learned to ride a bicycle around the yard to participate in the Paris-Dakar rally. There is a completely different scale, different tensions, different efforts are required from a person. After all, there is a difference: to come and live in a monastery for several hours or to work hard in it for a month, two, three.

But after all, most people have families, work, and they have neither the time nor the strength to participate in a long and large-scale procession.

Agree. As a rule, people really do not have time for such multi-day projects, but they can go to one-day religious processions (for example, in Yekaterinburg). And other people can go to the five-day ones, such as Velikoretsky or Irinarhovsky procession. Tens of thousands of people take part in them, but the return is different there.

- Are there many young people in religious processions?

As a rule, the main participants are not young people. The youth of today cannot do this. Young people do not have a need, and a conscious need, there is no understanding of the purpose and meaning of the procession. Not without reason, our participants are often over 50, 60 and even 70 years old. They have seen life, they know the value of words and deeds. Some of them looked death in the eye. But they again and again choose the procession as the most significant thing in their lives. To understand, you have to try and experience it yourself - to suffer. Here, unnecessary pathos and empty talk pass quickly, a real assessment of oneself, one's life and, perhaps, a new, correct goal appears. Christianity must be suffered, and not by the efforts of previous generations, but here and now - by each of us. Talks and photos alone are not enough.

With a prayer for peace

- Please tell us how the route is created.

Any religious procession should have a relevant topic, a logical beginning and end, fit into a reasonable time frame, go through new settlements and, if possible, away from federal highways. There are many things to take into account. When we plan a route with God's help, we never know whether we will pass it to the end, whether we will overcome all the difficulties that will be on the way, all the hardships, bad weather. For example, in 2004 it rained all summer, and 2010 was, as you remember, very hot. It happens that the whole route does not immediately add up. So in 2015, it was “not given” for a long time, even Sevastopol and Smolensk did not appear immediately. There was an idea to go with a prayer for peace along the border with Ukraine, but when, how and where to go is the question.

By the way, we talked with Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk about the fact that the delegation of the Smolensk Metropolis a year earlier ended up in Crimea at the feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God, because we have the icon of the Intercession! I think this is the Providence of God - to go through the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War along the border with Ukraine from Sevastopol to Smolensk, where the icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria" is located in the cathedral, which has been a guide for our Orthodox people for many centuries.

Walking the procession, a person changes

- Did experienced crusaders participate in the Sevastopol-Smolensk procession?

Most of the participants were newcomers from the Crimea. In my opinion, there are no such large religious processions in Crimea. After all, there are short distances - a day, two, a week, a religious procession can go on, rarely more. During this time, a person does not have time to really get tired, or get sick, or even get hungry properly. We walked not three days, but more than three months. Here we need a different approach, a different margin of safety. We have strict discipline, though not army.

This procession was also attended by several military men who have their own idea of ​​discipline and order. Although these are Russian Orthodox people, at first it was very difficult with them. Fortunately, we parted on friendly terms. This is where people really change. better side. This is what repentance is.

According to the established tradition, at the end of the procession, I leave a notebook on the table and ask those who want to take part in the next project to leave their phone number and address. And almost everyone wrote: both our military and the grandmothers who were with us. One of them, an old acquaintance, I twice kicked out of the procession for disobedience. For her, it was a real tragedy. But she was able to find the strength to ask for forgiveness, repent and return. And we remained friends. I think that all these 65-70-year-old grandmothers (as, for example, schema-nun Seraphim) will go to the procession again.

- How and for what purpose do people get into your projects?

We are extremely naked, we come as we are, and it turns out that we do not need anything from God

Most people come through word of mouth, although sometimes through websites, social networks, mail. They come to us again and again in search of the truth, which they often lack - a simple truth that they understand. It seems to me that people love the procession for its sincerity. IN modern life too much prudence, cunning, lies, betrayals, cowardice, empty talk, benefits. And there is no ground for this. Here we get fellowship with like-minded people and, most importantly, we dare to turn to God. We are extremely naked, we come as we are, and it turns out that we do not need anything from God, according to by and large.

How is this not necessary? Read prayers - in them we usually ask for health, work, housing, some kind of well-being for our grandchildren, children ...

In the procession, it turns out that there are more important things, here a person manifests himself in the most unexpected way for himself. You yourself seemed so right and good, well, just very Orthodox, rarely - in some way a little bit bad. And suddenly, when you, concentrating on business, in constant voltage you walk and pray, overcome the difficulties of continuous daily walking, regardless of the weather and health, you suddenly turn to your neighbors, friends and yourself with some new, not always good facets. You have to change, learn to be better - without this you can't survive here, you can't get along with others, you can't get through. Through repentance, with the help of God, we change.

- You said that 20 people went all the way from Sevastopol to Smolensk, and how many other people went with you?

Thousands of people participated in the procession in fragments, that is, they walked with us for an hour or two or three, sometimes for a day or two. There were cases when people came for a day, plunged into it, saw the beneficial effect of the procession and returned again after a while. The procession ended on the feast day of the Hodegetria icon of the Mother of God. And I received a lot of congratulations on the phone and mail from those people who somehow participated in the procession. They wrote, for example: “Thank God, you have reached! We watch the Soyuz channel, read Orthodox newspapers, and support you. We were sure you'd get there. Thank God it happened." They asked about what would happen next. We discussed possible scenarios with representatives of the Smolensk diocese. Having plunged into this project, they unexpectedly, as it seems to me, saw in it what they themselves needed, what the Orthodox residents of Smolensk, Roslavl, those smaller settlements that were on our way, needed. None of them remained indifferent. This touched everyone in the best possible way - connected with each other and with God.

Do you remember any highlights?

In this procession there were two people, not newcomers, participants in our previous projects. One lives permanently in the Urals, the other lives in Moscow. At first they walked for two weeks in the Crimea, then, out of necessity, they left for home, and when they returned, both said: "We returned to another religious procession." The same one, with the same people, but already different, changed, a little better. This is a very serious and important point.

Here the Lord rules, clearly showing that He is always there

- What makes the same people take part in religious processions?

The road actually goes - into itself

The search for God and His righteousness. A person who has entered this story often cannot get out of it, because there is nothing like it anywhere. This is some other existence, I dare say - more correct. Different people, priests from Moscow, from other large cities said more than once or twice that they live in urban conditions, where there is noise, passions, urban problems, dynamics, running, vanity. And they strive to escape to the procession at least for a day or two, for a week, in order to live, to breathe in a different air, a different spirit. Here the road actually goes - in itself. But at the same time this movement is taking place collectively, together. It can be very difficult here - to tears, to fainting, and you are amazing! - glad about it. Because - for the sake of Christ is done, nothing else.

We go with the Jesus Prayer, which works wonders for people. To those who sincerely ask God, the Lord helps. He is always there. On church holidays, we often come to the very temple where there is a chapel or a revered image. For example, without specifically planning, on Trinity we came to the Trinity Church in the city of Azov. We “accidentally” met the feast of St. Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles in a church dedicated to him in the village of Kletnya in the Bryansk region. Here the Lord rules, clearly showing that He is always near, that He is with us.

That is why a real religious procession on foot is a huge, colossal force, as if the Banner of Victory was carried. These are not words invented by us, but a replica of a representative of the administration, a little churched person from the outside. It had such an effect on him, he felt it so, saw it. I think he saw correctly.

- Does it happen that crusaders become discouraged?

Once, during another religious procession in one of the Ural dioceses, we were unsuccessfully accommodated for three nights. Despite preliminary agreements, it turned out that there was nowhere to sleep, wash, treat, feed more than a hundred people. The first thought was to go to the next settlement, where everything would be more or less good. But this could offend those few parishioners who were waiting for us here. We approached the city, standing, talking. Nowhere to stay. Suddenly a car stops, a man comes out and says: “I built a house in which there is no one. I was planning on moving this week. Absolutely new house with outbuildings, kitchen, sauna. Live! And we stayed there for two days. It was such an unexpected holiday with treats from hospitable hosts! We do not eat meat during the procession, but we were happy to have shish kebabs and sturgeon barbecue. For the owner of the house, it was also a holiday, a kind of consecration of housing, of course. We once again felt the clear presence of God. Whenever there is a problem, He immediately helps.

Procession as a sermon

- Did the crusaders feel physically tired after walking 2,000 kilometers?

Certainly. But then they understand: this is the price of their real churching on the way to God. In the procession, everyone receives not only what they ask for, but even more. People come with their aspirations, problems, requests. Some of them share them. But a joint prayer to God for the world, for the Church brings us together very nicely. The prayer "Lord, have mercy" is a prayer for Russia, and for Ukraine, and for all our Church-Christian people, and not only Christian ones.

In the Sevastopol-Smolensk procession, we could not bypass the Armenian village. And in one of the previous religious processions, they passed through an area densely populated by Tatars, where there are no Orthodox churches. But we were able to build normal friendly relations with the Tatar and Armenian communities. In the Armenian Church, their idea of ​​Christianity is, in our opinion, incorrect. But these were our fellow citizens, our compatriots, good, kind people who, while waiting for us, prepared food, heated baths, brought water from wells to give us drink. It was humanly sincere and great. I hope that through this event they will have a different attitude towards Orthodoxy.

- What kind of difficulties do you have?

Different. Everyday physical exercise, lack of familiar comfort and mutual understanding, unpredictable events (for example, bad weather). In the procession there are proud people, quite radical people. After all, there is an open space for discussion, but also a hospital, a penal colony, if you like. Any Orthodox person can receive a blessing and participate in the procession, following the basic minimum rules: go with the Jesus Prayer, do not drink, do not smoke ... On the other hand, this entails certain difficulties, because everyone has their own ideas, beliefs, addictions in trifles, some kind of heels in the worldview. We walk 8-10 hours a day, sometimes more. But for communication there are halts, evenings, there is a rest on Saturday and Sunday. Often there are some discussions on political, economic, but above all, of course, on spiritual topics. It is good when a person does not insist on his delusions, but strives for the truth. It is very important that there are sensible shepherds to communicate with both the participants in the procession and with the local population. We need good books to give away. After all, we often spend the night in schools, especially in those places where there is no church. Teachers, parents, high school students come to us with questions. If there are radical people among us, the result of these conversations is not always good. But after all, God for some reason gives everyone the opportunity to improve, save? We all exchange experience, some knowledge.

- Have there been cases when people left the procession?

It is one thing when you preach on the Internet, lying on the couch, and quite another when you are in the procession. There is a lot of responsibility here!

Yes, there were two or three cases when I had to say goodbye to those people who were distinguished by non-church views, rudeness, and inappropriate radicalism. Unfortunately, no one is immune from mistakes, misunderstandings, misconceptions. At home we can afford to chat proudly on various themes on the Internet, lying on the couch. We have a free country. But when you start preaching on behalf of the procession, on behalf of the Church, it is much more serious, and you should try to be a responsible person, because many residents perceive information from the crusaders as the truth. And although the procession contributes to the eradication of stupidity, we must try ourselves. Here we need a real sermon, and not self-made, insolent and stubbornness.

Patience test

- With what feelings did people leave the procession if they were expelled?

It is necessary not only to take a universal step for everyone, but in general to subordinate our whole life to our neighbor.

Either way, it's a shame. The man walked with some hope, with some question to God. After all, this is one of the chances that are given to a person so that he tests himself and participates in church work. But the man could not, exchanged for nonsense. There are different levels problems, different margin of safety in people and different forces. We are not always able to endure the peculiarities and outlandish quirks, stubborn habits of each other. When you come to the church for the Liturgy, you don’t allow yourself to make noise, chat, gnaw seeds, drink alcohol, rattle weapons? It is necessary to treat the procession as a divine service. This is not a rally, not a concert, not a sporting event or a trip, but a church service. Of course, one can always endure a non-church person for a short time in the hope of correcting him, but it can be difficult to endure for a long time. A simple household example: someone can sleep 6 hours a day, and another 8 hours is not enough. The first one gets up early, makes noise, wakes up the others and stubbornly refuses to understand his petty sabotage. It seems like a trifle, but there is such a problem. We need not only to make a universal step for everyone, not only the pace and rhythm of movement, but in general to subordinate our whole life to our neighbor, to create a regime convenient for everyone. It's complicated.

Also, we are going through different territories, deanery. Some are close to metropolises, dioceses, where the situation with churches is more or less favorable, there are good priests, missionaries, confessors. And there are other places where there are no churches, books, where we even have to baptize people.

Let's say, walking in Udmurtia and the Urals, on average we walked 30-40 kilometers a day. In the procession of the cross of 2015 Sevastopol-Smolensk, the distance between the settlements was less and the average transition was 20-30 kilometers. Therefore, life was organized a little easier. But there were other problems. We left the Crimea in the spring, summer was on our heels, and the heat breathed down our necks. Just got out of Krasnodar Territory, from Rostov region, and there immediately heat for 40 degrees. Thank God, we left the heat in time, because moving in such temperature regime only possible at night. And it is difficult to move at night in the dark: this is a concern for traffic cops, for traffic participants, etc.

On one ship called "Church"

- Have all the dioceses turned out to be on top?

I sincerely thank the Smolensk diocese, where everything was organized surprisingly sensibly, although there was no experience in holding religious processions. From the very beginning, the right tone was set by the active participation of many priests of the Roslavl deanery, headed by the dean, Father Michael. Father Yakov also came to us several times. His friends, relatives, children took part either in the procession itself, or in our accommodation, in organizing everyday life. This is a very important moment of the procession, Christian life as it is: with real hospitality, hospitality, cordiality. What we, unfortunately, lose in everyday life, is miraculously reanimated and lives here.

The fact that the Smolensk diocese turned out to be at its best, a great merit belongs to the secretary of the diocese, Father Pavel, and above all, Metropolitan Isidor of Smolensk and Roslavl. In his sermon, he said that the procession unites our people at all levels, including even everyday ones. If earlier you, for example, did not greet your neighbor down the street, did not notice him, then, when you were in the same procession, you realized that you were like-minded, fellow believers. You lived your whole life in one locality, but only now ended up on the same ship, which is called the "Church".

- Did the secular authorities help?

Certainly. In all the dioceses where we went, a lot was done by the secular authorities. They provided escort on the roads, accommodation, meals, solving everyday problems, because people need to be washed, treated every day, they need to be washed. It was a pleasant surprise that many representatives of the authorities personally participated in the procession, walked next to us with prayer. Nobody forced them. So they saw something real here. The order of the governor or chief can be fulfilled in different ways. You can invest your soul or not invest. It seems to me that people put their soul into this business. As a result, one of the main tasks of the procession was solved - the unification of the whole society. Our Sevastopol-Smolensk procession achieved all possible goals, overcoming all obstacles, troubles and difficulties. And, God forbid, that with the blessing of God, with the support of spiritual and secular authorities, our work will continue.