The Lord allowed the fire that we gathered for Liturgy

The autumn night was barely illuminated by the thin Crescent of a new moon. The man slowly poured gasoline wooden Church and an extension of the Sunday school. After five minutes, when the pillar of fire was above the dome, the guard called the police, firefighters and tried to extinguish the flames. And on the evening before the Veil the parishioners quickly closed up the wooden roof of the temple caved in during the fighting, cleaned the glass, carried the charred logs, debris. All the liturgical books and virtually all the clothing burned. Left everyday yellow surplice, Yes Menaion for October. Parishioners were convinced that the festive Liturgy on the Cover will be here in a conflagration mutilated the temple.

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“All Saturday I shoveled the ashes”

Ukhtomka the private sector lost between Lyubertsy, Moscow and Moscow. The area is more reminiscent of the Professor’s garden with rare and inappropriate inclusions of nine-than the metropolis. Cozy cottages, buried in the foliage of fruit trees, a wooden fence, which nobody hurries to change into corrugated sheet. All the neighbors know each other, living fence to fence, family to family.

It’s hard to describe the desperation of the Abbot Theodore Yanovsky, and he came with other parishioners after twenty minutes after reports of a fire. Talking about the incident, barely holding back tears: “When we started construction in 2013 year, the local population, indeed, this was a protest. Was indignant people. There was even a case of arson. Then a guard managed to put out the bag of debris thrown directly in front of the threshold of the temple.Over time, all the outrage has died down.

We went and talked with disgruntled and people saw how beautiful the temple is being built and somehow reconciled. The event on Saturday – shock. We don’t understand who, why, why did it, just whether it’s vandalism or malicious intent. Thank God, miracles occur. The wooden Church was damaged not so much the altar is preserved, charred only the outer part, and the ceiling blackened. Completely burned vestry and Sunday school.”

Before the entrance to the unfinished temple of the Mother of God “surety of sinners” is a parishioner. Before her on the table a small icon in polyethylene and hand-written advertisement “Icons have escaped from the fire. For a donation”. “All Saturday I shoveled the ashes, “she says,” put things in order, here are the icons found. Preserved. Can you imagine?! Isn’t this a miracle?”.

Large and unheated temple sealed with tape and scaffolding. The concrete floor is covered with polyethylene and office carpets, but even so feet were freezing. And only the glee club, who is trying very hard in this day, put an oil heater. Brick perimeter walls of the temple as a belt decorated with the names: Catherine, Anna, Maria, Photinia, Vyacheslav. Somewhere personal notes in black marker much taller than a man: Vladimir, Nina, Oleg, Vasily, Tatiana. Even the walls of the altar is decorated with frescoes not, they will be here a very long time, and inscribed with hundreds of names of those for whom this temple is the house of God.

“We see the Providence of God in this day”

After the gospel reading, Bishop Panteleimon, Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevo, went straight to the center of the temple. The pulpit is not here and is unlikely to be soon. The Lord, standing among the people, which a little parted, all that was seen and heard, comforted: “We are under the Cover of divine Mother. To us neither happened every time, learn to accept it with gratitude, only then our life will be constantly filled with joy. Then the services will be joy, and when leaving the services will also be joy. If we live as commanded by the Lord, we will rejoice and to thank God. Right?”. In response to a unanimous “Amen.”

And now the crowd closed, and the deacon silently, a gesture, invites all to approach the open Royal gates. Priests and parishioners from the throne divides the thin plywood wall of the temporary altar. But nothing shares the unanimous silence echoing in these walls, where in a special solemn and subtly calming sounds of the cherubic hymn: “Every now everyday postpone care…”

The night before, the congregation hastily closed up the wooden roof of the temple, broken by firefighters during firefighting, cleaned the glass, carried the charred logs, debris. All the liturgical books and virtually all the clothing burned. Left everyday yellow surplice, Yes Menaion for October. But all were sure festive Liturgy on the Cover will be here in a conflagration mutilated the temple.

In the evening there were the vigil, and the morning after learning of the tragedy, Bishop Panteleimon changed the schedule of worship and came to Cover on Uhtomka, keep coming. With the blessing of Patriarch low lighting was consecrated the unfinished stone Church of the Mother of God “surety of sinners” and made in the Sunday, October 14, the first Liturgy and prayer.

“Oh, Mistress! Umaschi the hearts of the wicked that rise up against us, nor will die of their hearts in wickedness, but to our Holy, Gracious, Thy Son and our God, let umeric their hearts with the world, the devil is the father of malice – let them be put to shame! slowly, from the heart, said Bishop Panteleimon. – Precoda Lady virgin of grace, hear us in this hour, sokrasheniya the hearts of the wealthy, protect us in peace and love to each other and to our enemies, cast away from us all malice and enmity, Yes, sing to Thee, and to Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ our: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!”

“We see the Providence of God this day, ‘ said the Abbot to the Bishop and seven priests, who also came to the temple to support the father Fyodor and his coming. – Mary once again covered us with her omophorion. Exactly a year ago to Cover the Bishop came to the consecration of the cross, which was then raised over the dome. So our meeting is already a tradition”.

“The Lord foreknew that we want to come here, said Bishop Panteleimon. – How was it to arrange? The temple is not sanctified, a blessing on the Liturgy no. Many of the priests who are with us today, served, and did not know about your temple. And here the Lord allowed man to start a fire, that we with you together. Thank God. You there today? I’m with you was very well and happy, especially because today was the largest number of communicants – 107. It’s a record. At Easter you have less. I am grateful to all the priests, for the support. We know, father Fyodor, what you have experienced and suffered. Well, you comforted? Let’s just console ourselves and collect money for the restoration of the temple and burned the school encouraged all who came to litrugy the Lord. – Please donate much as you can and even a little more than can. Worship should not be interrupted. While a small temple not so, then we will conduct services in a large, though not completed. The devil wants us to not praying and not going to the Liturgy. But the Lord will not allow to happen to such evil.”

“Now we have a family-period,”

Once there was a football field where it chased the local kids in winter and summer. In the 90s spouting ideas of the head of the local government planned to turn Uhtomka in a prestigious gated development. He was looking for sponsors. In a vacant lot wanted to build the temple, expecting fashion on Christianity will increase the price of real estate. Looking for support, whispered the neighbors, they say that the people at the casino did not go, and we go, let’s to build the temple. He replied that temples are not built in opposition to anyone. God’s business does not. When many years later this man learned that the temple here will be all the same, they became the most ardent opponents of such initiatives.

In General, assured the parishioners, the perturbation is normal for Moscow. “There are whole groups of those who organized opposed the construction of churches. They have their community in social networks, negotiate and come to protest, raising the banner of rare enemies of the locals, tells the reader and local resident Dmitry Sedov. And talk about how on a small patch between two private homes was planning to build a clinic and a kindergarten, nonsense. None of the locals about anything like not heard. Yes, if on city land and planned the construction of clinics, are unlikely to be land was given to the temple. Once construction began, there was a churchwarden. Local resident a few years ago she lost her only daughter. Sold the apartment, a dacha, and all the money donated for the construction of the temple.

We now have a very family-period. It happens when just beginning a common cause. Everything interact with any grief like this grief for the whole family. Babies cry because it’s not only their Church and their Sunday school three times a week was about those who are on a family form of education”.

After the service people gathered in the streets. Under a huge willow tree, which once upon a time, father Theodore served as the first prayers for the building, now prepared a Trapeza. Lord plate after plate was taken from the table and bore children, adults, repeating: “whatever the sorrow, the trouble, it only multiplies our joy. This is what we need to remember and never be embarrassed. The Lord will help to overcome all the things that need to be overcome in this life to enter the Kingdom of heaven, into which no sorrow can not enter”.

And the Lord says to you, “fear Not”

On the porch, like Chicks gathered the kids. Blond head, blue handkerchiefs. They sang to the congregation a hymn, written by Matushka Nina: “mother of God, our intercessor, do not leave us in this way…”

“Do not be afraid, ‘ says the Lord. – Don’t be afraid! In this house the day before yesterday you were doing. And now everything is burned. Scary to you? And the Lord says to you, “fear Not.” Do not burn, would not then your concert today. There would be so many viewers. The priest wouldn’t come, I would not come and would not know how you sing. There would be a service… All evil is powerless before the power of God, so do not be afraid of anything. Be afraid to lose faith, to be afraid to forget about God, about the rules of basics of life safety, which gives us God.

In the world is evil, but it is powerless. Evil can only frighten, to boast. When you were baptized, your godparents evil spat, and the priest blew on it. And the evil departed. Here’s a powerless evil force. God is able to defeat all evil. You have to remember that. Evil is powerless. It only multiplies the good. All evil turns to good, if you pray and believe in God. Don’t be afraid! These are the main words which the Lord tells us”.

Text: Darya Rowena

Photo: Sergey Shedrin

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