In this ancient conflict, Ekaterinburg Archpriest Vladimir Zaitsev fell another victim.

In 1992 he entered the Ural State University named after A.M. Gorky at the Faculty of History. On July 26, 1992, he received Baptism in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, the city of Yekaterinburg. Baptized, now Archimandrite Dimitri (Baibakov).

On May 11, 1997, he married Natalya Anatolyevna Shkarova in the Church of St. Panteleimon. He was presented by his confessor, now Archimandrite Dimitri (Baibakov), for ordination.

Nikon, Bishop of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood.

In 1998, His Eminence Nikon was appointed head of the Missionary and Catechetical departments of the Yekaterinburg diocese.

In 2001, His Eminence Vincent was appointed rector of the house church of Innocent of Moscow, at the Missionary Department, on Lenin 11-a.

In 2005, at his own request, he was released from his rectorship in the Church of the Innocent of Moscow, remaining there as a cleric.

In 2007, at his own request, he was relieved of his position as head of the Missionary and Catechetical departments, and, again, appointed rector of the Church of the Innocent of Moscow.

In 2010, at his own request, he was released from the rectorship of the Church of the Innocent of Moscow, remaining its cleric.

Currently he is a cleric of the Church in the name of Innocent of the Moscow city of Yekaterinburg."
http://www.ekaterinburg-eparhia.ru/person/145/

The last line is no longer correct:

“One of the most notorious ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Urals, Vladimir Zaitsev, has resigned.

As 66.RU learned, the reason for defrocking was Zaitsev’s divorce from his wife and his intention to marry another woman. The Russian Orthodox Church regards such actions as fornication, unworthy of the rank of holy father. Vladimir Zaitsev was the rector of the Yekaterinburg church in the name of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow. He has already held his last service, where he said goodbye to the parishioners."
https://66.ru/news/society/211061/

During the years of my active trips to Yekaterinburg, Fr. Vladimir was a very bright person. He was the liveliest priest in the city, burning with the idea of ​​missionary work.
Then his political radicalization began. Our contact somehow broke down...

And now - another break in his fate. Very sorry.

However, if the confessor is the editor-in-chief of the Soyuz TV channel Dimitry Baibakov, then this is not the worst outcome for the young man.

From the comments:

“The breakdown began a very long time ago, around 2007. Father Vladimir’s undertakings continued to fall apart. He stepped away from the leadership of diocesan departments. The Orthodox brotherhood he created actually turned into a sisterhood - a girl was chosen as chairman, her friend became deputy chairman. Having walked around without leadership of departments back and forth and not finding a normal occupation for himself, Father Vladimir returned back to the Church of the Innocent of Moscow to the then rector Father Alexander Igonin and asked to join the staff.

Father Vladimir planned to talk with people who came and conduct catechetical conversations. He didn’t last long and after some time he began to appear in the temple less often. I didn’t forget to take money from the cash register. But here's the problem. He didn't bring them home either. His wife began calling the rector with a question: why her husband spends the whole day in the temple and does not receive a salary.
All this upset Father Vladimir and he decided to remove the rector. And he moved, who will stop him. True, he left him at the temple so that he could serve services and cover the services. But the problem turned out to be deeper than it seemed. While Father Zaitsev was the head of departments, he had a driver who received a salary from the temple. This driver came to the wife of the deposed abbot for a settlement and threatened that he would tell everyone where he had taken Father Vladimir recently and to whom - to the deputy chairman of his brotherhood, in which only girls remained. The displaced abbot took pity on Father Vladimir and paid the driver money from his own pocket, but told Father Zaitsev that it was not good to do this.

What did Father Vladimir do? He sent Father Alexander on vacation. Well, like on vacation, he forbade services and sent everyone to confession. Then he says: take some rest, father, you’ve been working since the foundation of the church, but you’ve hardly ever gone on vacation. And two weeks later I wrote up Vikentia’s report. So they say, Father Alexander doesn’t go to services and I don’t know where he is. Father Alexander was sent to the monastery as a reader. And in that monastery the abbot is Father Flavian, a friend of Father Zaitsev. This is how it turned out to be a double punishment.

Then, of course, Father Vladimir got a department of theology. He brought his girlfriend into the department staff, to whom he went to take a break from hard work. The choir kicked out of the church so that the previous rector would not be reminded. The temple shared its building with the Central Orthodox Library. Her father Vladimir also sent her away. Then he began to accept “heroes of Donbass” in her place.
And so the archpriest’s life ended, and worldly life began. But somehow it seems to me that in it we will soon learn about Vladimir Zaitsev not from the best side."

Was the best manager I've ever worked with, and that manager fired me. And don't ask why. It happens. Especially in creative teams, where some careless workers openly abuse discipline issues. Once I managed to go to the All-Russian Orthodox Media Competition, where our newspaper “Pokrov” took first place in the “Youth Media” category, and... didn’t make it. Father Dimitri just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

Everyone who knows him: both friends and enemies (and Orthodox monks, as you know, have many enemies) agree on one thing: he is a professional, and a Professional with a capital P. When I came to him with the pilot number for Pokrov, he simply asked: “When can you start working?” - “When is it possible?” - “Better from tomorrow!” And by evening there was a new desk and a new computer in the editorial office. But this is not the main thing. The main thing is that Father Dimitri gave us complete freedom in working on the newspaper. For many journalists, especially Orthodox ones, this sounds like a revelation. What other freedom? Do you want to say that you did not discuss the development strategy, the topic of the issue with the manager, did not approve the plans and the set course? No! No! And again no! Just as an old captain steering a huge ship does not climb onto the shrouds to check how the knots are tied, and does not run to the galley to try what kind of lunch the cook is having today, so Father Dimitri entrusted us to do our work ourselves, almost without interfering with creative process. The captain's job is to lead the ship. The job of sailors is to tie knots and set sails. Everyone is in their place and everyone is doing their own thing. A smart captain knows this, a stupid one drowns.

We offered. He agreed. Or not. He could smile or simply say: “Show off.” But he didn’t point out or teach. We could print a photograph of President V.V. on the first page. Putin, ringing in the bell tower, with the caption “Valaam Bell Ringer” or a photo of an old man walking on his knees in a religious procession with icons and signing “The Russians are coming!”, and this was appropriate and normal. Just like a photo of a yawning girl next to a disabled person and the caption “If someone feels bad next to you, don’t yawn!” For us there was nothing more terrible than gold leaf Orthodoxy in museum slippers with roosters, and Father Dimitri understood this perfectly well. Young people are not interested in beautiful reasoning; young people need either everything or nothing. Faith is fire, it is an unburnt bush, it is the freedom to speak with God, looking into the eyes, and not get burned. And if you don’t understand this, you don’t need to make Orthodox youth newspapers. You'll be wasting paper. Nobody will read them.

They said: this is not a format. But this informal format turned out to be a sincere conversation between students and their Patriarch

When His Holiness came to Yekaterinburg for the first time in history, it was only thanks to Father Dimitry that we held the “Ask your question to the Patriarch” campaign in ten leading universities of the city, where any student, without exception, regardless of his religious beliefs and views, could ask the Patriarch his question. These were not specially selected Orthodox Timurites and excellent students in ironed shirts, this was pure non-format. Many told us then that it was not the level of the Patriarch to participate in such interviews, but we said that you were confusing His Holiness with the Chairman of the CPSU Central Committee, reading from a piece of paper. Father Dimitri supported us, and this informal format turned out to be that sincere live conversation between students and their Patriarch, which everyone understood and appreciated.

They say happy hours don't watch. He arrived at the editorial office early in the morning and was one of the last to leave. Dimitri's father's working day lasted exactly as long as needed to get everything done. And neither hunger, nor disease, nor natural disasters could prevent this. Night kiosks always sell “Hot Mug,” instant aspirin is available for colds, and “Orthodox Newspaper” will be published even if the sky falls to the ground.

The Orthodox Newspaper, published for a quarter of a century, was the first stone that he laid in the foundation of one of the best Orthodox media holdings in Russia. Today, under the brand of the publishing department of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis, newspapers, magazines, books are published, the circulation of which is more than 30 million, and the Orthodox TV channel “Soyuz”, broadcasting all over the world.

The Soyuz TV channel became the first Russian truly national television

The Soyuz TV channel became the first Russian truly national television. Unlike the same “Public Russian Television”, which is financed by the state, the Soyuz TV channel exists only thanks to donations from television viewers. And this is the fundamental difference. There will always be budget money, but your wallet is often empty. And if people have been voting for the Union with their blood for ten years now, then they need the TV channel. This is trust of the highest standard, which cannot be won with beautiful words or loud slogans.

The fact that Orthodox people in our country wanted to have their own TV channel also says a lot. Society is tired of endless empty series, reality shows and the dirt of modern television. And the “Union” appeared, where, as if in a mirror, another, also real, but good life was reflected - life with God. You may like the TV channel or not, but this is a real testimony of our Church in the modern unspiritual world. Testimony of Christ and the truth of our faith. I realized this when my friends from Israel and France told me that they watch “Soyuz” at home. They learn about Orthodoxy, about saints and monasteries, and listen to Father Dimitri thousands of kilometers from Russia. And for them this is a real spiritual event.

Father Dimitri was born in the small town of Talitsa, in the Sverdlovsk region, the homeland of the legendary Soviet intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov. When it comes time to enter medical school, he will be given one point in the competition for being from a rural area. His parents are simple people. Mom is an accountant, dad is a carpenter. From childhood, they instilled in their son the habit of work, patience and perseverance. Already from the second grade, little Dima began to show a serious (as far as possible for a seven-year-old boy) interest in chemistry. He became friends with teacher Tamara Dmitrievna and soon became a regular at the school laboratory: here he was given books with different formulas to look at and allowed to be present during experiments. But they were still not allowed to work with reagents. Therefore, he spent the practical part of his classes in a secluded place with medications purchased at the pharmacy. He crushed the medicines, mixed them, dissolved them in water, carefully observing the changes. The results of the experiments were carefully recorded in a notebook. Already in the fifth grade, Dima became the winner of the Chemistry Olympiad among high school students and received the well-deserved nickname Mendeleev. Due to his interest in the unknown and secret, Dima developed a new hobby: microbiology. Now it could be found in the bacteriological laboratory of the local sanitary and epidemiological station or the infectious diseases department of the district hospital.

After a conversation with the young Komsomol member, the rector handed him a Bible. But, as you know, the enemy of all good things never sleeps.

And there was also a great love for Alla Borisovna Pugacheva and her songs. Because of which he once left home. And to Yevtushenko. Then it was simply impossible to get his poetry collections in Talitsa. And Dima went to the library reading room, where he took photocopies of his favorite poet’s books and carefully copied the poems into a large notebook. He generously shared his hobbies with his classmates. Dima studied well, and, as was customary in those days, he became an October student, a pioneer, and a Komsomol member. He joined the Komsomol not because it was necessary, but out of conviction, sincerely considering (read N. Ostrovsky’s novel “How the Steel Was Tempered”) this organization was an association of progressive youth. Having become the deputy secretary of the Komsomol organization of the school for ideological work, Komsomol member Dima began to conscientiously study atheistic literature and the works of V.I. Lenin. His sincere conviction that the teachers of communism were right and his strong desire to understand the surrounding reality through their works played a cruel joke on him. Criticism of the Holy Scripture turned out to be completely unscientific, biased, and most importantly - impenetrably stupid. And then he decided to turn to the primary sources. Why did I go to the oldest church in Talitsa to take the Gospel from the priest. The temple, despite the surrounding Soviet reality, was never closed and was popular in certain “unconscious” circles of society. After the conversation, the abbot handed him a Bible. As you know, the enemy of all good things does not sleep: my mother found the Bible and took it to the district party committee. They listened to her attentively and immediately opened a case about church propaganda among young people. It would be nice if they found a Playboy or BBC recordings on a Soviet teenager, that would be understandable. But the Bible? A scandal arose, after which the priest was forced to leave their small town. But the main thing happened. Dima opened the Gospel and met God there.

By the end of school, he decided that he would become a doctor. And to the military. To do this, he twice entered the Military Medical Academy. Each time he was one point short, and eventually he entered the Sverdlovsk Medical Institute. By that time, Dima was a believer, went to church and confessed to his spiritual father. Christianity and communism coexisted peacefully in his worldview for the time being. After all, who are Christians? The salt of the earth, and therefore the leading part of society. Who are the communists? (Read N. Ostrovsky’s novel again.) He sincerely thought that communism and Christianity were, if not twin brothers, then certainly relatives. Dima sincerely remained in this delusion until he joined the army and became a sailor on a nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet.

Here, at a depth of several hundred meters, there was a parting with the childish naive world and illusions characteristic of young ardent natures. Shattered by the realities of party life, they quietly drowned at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. On the submarine, he first encountered the insincerity and hypocrisy of those he trusted. The most offensive thing is that these were good people whom he respected. But only party cards connected them with the ideals of communism. Because only holders of such tickets could be on a nuclear submarine. And these good, decent, honest people had to be hypocrites. This brought such discord into the soul of the young sailor (an electrician of ship equipment, deputy secretary of the ship's Komsomol organization, awarded a diploma for conscientious study of the classics of Marxism-Leninism) that a year later he submitted an application to leave the ranks of the Komsomol. His older comrades tried to reason with him. They sincerely worried about him: “If you want to believe in God, believe, but why leave the Komsomol? Why ruin your career and spoil your biography? But he couldn’t explain to them that it’s simply impossible to live by a lie!

He was expelled from the Komsomol in disgrace. And soon a dispatch came from the political department from the shore that the sailor Dmitry Maksimovich Baibakov as unreliable should be written off to land in the very near future. But unexpectedly for his superiors, the entire crew stood up for him, from the cook to the ship’s commander. A report was filed asking that he be left on the boat. The crew took the unreliable sailor Baibakov on bail. And he was left to serve.

It was necessary to choose: either science or the altar. He chose the altar

When he returned to the institute, he began working under the supervision of Professor Alexander Sergeevich Grigoriev at the Department of Microbiology. Helping his teacher in scientific works, he devoted his student work to the topic in which he was studying. He liked absolutely everything about the department. He worked so often that he was allowed to sleep on the sofa in the hall. He brought a pillow from home and now could not leave the laboratory for days. And when he left, he immediately went to one of the oldest churches in Yekaterinburg - the Church of the Ascension, where by that time he was already an altar server. After some time, it became simply physically impossible to combine work at the department of microbiology and the temple. It was necessary to choose: either science or the altar. He chose the altar.

Two years later he was offered to take holy orders. By this time, he had already firmly decided to devote himself to God. Soon after the reception with Archbishop Melchizedek and a detailed conversation with the bishop, his ordination took place. Dmitry Baibakov became Father Dimitri.

Outwardly, his life has changed little. He spent the working week at the institute and only on weekends he went to the village of Rudyanskoye, Sukholozhsky district, where he served as rector of the local parish. When, in practice at the regional psychiatric hospital, the doctors learned that there was a priest among them, they brought him to the head physician so that he could help set up a church at the hospital. This is how the history of the temple at the regional psychiatric hospital in Yekaterinburg began in 1993.

And then he began to build a temple right on the territory of the regional psychiatric hospital

After graduating from medical school, Father Dimitri began working right there in the hospital as a psychiatrist. He worked here in the department for a year and a half. But the service (it is in these categories that he evaluates the work of people in white coats) of a doctor requires the whole person. All 24 hours a day. No other way. Or you're a bad doctor. Father Dimitri has such a firm conviction. But he was alone. And there are two ministries. In the hospital and the temple. And again he was faced with a choice. And again he chose the Church. Leaving the hospital was a big drama for him, which the Lord turned into a holiday. Father Dimitri prayed and asked God for help, and a simple, clear idea came to him to build a temple right on the territory of his native hospital. Didn’t the same people, paralyzed and mentally ill, come to Christ, and He healed them? And then he began to build a temple right on the territory of the regional psychiatric hospital. Construction lasted five years and ended in 2002. During this time, a huge church complex with a snow-white church and a modern parish building with a winter greenhouse grew up there. Without any serious benefactors, Father Dimitri was forced to master many professions - from economist to builder. Then, at the consecration of the temple, builders and designers came up to him and said to his face: “We never believed that this construction would be carried out.” And the grandmothers from Rudyansky smiled and said: “From peg to little house.”

Since 1994, he began publishing a newspaper in his parish, which he called simply and tastefully: “Orthodox Newspaper.” The newspaper was born on the carpet in the house of Dimitri's father's parents. The logo was drawn by his older sister. Typesetting and layout were done on a computer in the editorial office of the magazine “Krasnaya Burda”, with whose employees the rector had friendly relations.

When the young, energetic Bishop Nikon replaced Bishop Melchizedek, he immediately drew attention to this newspaper. He liked her. Not having the habit of shelving good ideas, he summoned the editor and appointed him head of the publishing department of the diocese. Thus, Father Dimitri acquired a new obedience, which became one of the main ones in his life. There was no experience in publishing in the diocese, and in general the situation with Orthodox media in the country was not the most optimistic. The church was rising from ruins after 70 years of persecution, and all its forces were thrown into restoring churches and opening new parishes. There were not enough people, not enough funds, not enough experience. Everything had to start from scratch. But this did not bother Father Dimitri, who was accustomed to difficulties. He reasoned monastically simply: since the Lord sent new obedience, he will send strength and help to fulfill it. You work, and the fruits are from the Lord.

His experience in construction, accounting and knowledge of political economy were very useful to him then. Then he joked about this: “If you look at the building in which we work, then from the point of view of political economy everything is arranged impeccably. The first floor is the base. Here is the printing house and production premises of the publishing house. The second and third floors are an extension. Here are the editorial offices of newspapers, radio and television, employee offices and management.” The matter is set up in such a way that one team produces information material in several formats at once: for newspapers, for radio, television and the Internet. This makes it possible to work interactively. Our own production base allows us to reduce costs as much as possible and increase the circulation of published books and newspapers. All this ultimately allows some of the literature to be distributed in hospitals, military units, prisons and educational institutions. This is political economy in a monastic way.

Now let’s give the floor to Father Dimitri.

– Father, you often have to start something from scratch.

This pleases God - that is the whole secret of Orthodox success

– And I’m not particularly worried about this. Why? Because I do everything according to obedience and the blessing of the Lord. As one theologian noted, the ruler is a transcendental figure. And his blessing actually means a lot. And one more thing: we work not for our own good, glory or wealth, but for the good of the Church. Therefore, the Lord helps us to create every new thing. And indeed it is. If you look at what I was like twenty years ago, and at the volume of tasks that I had to solve, then, looking at that young monk, I personally would say: there are three options: either the priest is an adventurer, or a rogue, or, excuse me, unhealthy on the head. After all, no one believed that the Panteleimon Temple would be built. But the temple stands. Because it pleased God. This is the whole secret of Orthodox success.

– Where does the knowledge come from?

– I am skeptical about all kinds of educational seminars and trainings and consider them unproductive. You need to learn with your hands. I myself went to secular TV channels and radio stations, was in editorial offices and printing houses and looked at who was doing what and how. If it was not clear, I asked.

– Was the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon the first experience of a successful folk project, which you later embodied in the Soyuz TV channel?

– No businessmen gave money to the Panteleimon Temple. Everything was built with the money of my grandparents. And my aunty and uncles. This is in the full sense of the word a people's temple. A temple that the people built for themselves. That’s why we always have a lot of parishioners there, always a lot of children and grandmothers. People love their temple.

It became one of the main bases of social ministry of the Yekaterinburg diocese. We have a sisterhood to care for the sick and lonely. The first Orthodox office for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts in the region was opened here. We regularly conduct classes with teachers from educational institutions on abortion prevention. We have a charity canteen open every day. We collect things for the poor. In general, this is a common practice in any Orthodox church.

“I know that in none of the churches where you serve as rector do they collect money during services. Are you living too well?

- We usually live. This tradition originates from my childhood complexes: I didn’t like it when, during services, grandmothers walked around the parishioners with trays, right under the exclamations of the priest, poured money into the sacrificial box, and the rumble of coins drowned out the service. When I had the opportunity to cancel it, I immediately canceled it. For me, if a person wants to donate, he will find an opportunity to do so.

– How do you find the strength to bear numerous obediences?

I'm going to perform the blessing. Without “I want/don’t want”, “I can/can’t”. I can’t do it any other way: I’m a monk

– My whole life is carrying. Usually the bishop calls me to him and says: “Father Demetrius, here and there we need to restore (or build, or open) a new temple. Won't you take it?" I answer: “As you bless.” And I go to perform the blessing. Without “I want/don’t want”, “I can/can’t”, “I’m in the mood/not in the mood.” I can't do it any other way. I am a monk.

– Have you ever given up on something halfway or simply failed to cope?

– God’s works simply cannot be unrealized. Even when, it would seem, there are no conditions at all for their implementation. But man proposes, but God disposes. Another thing is that the Divine plan is sometimes embodied in a completely different way than you imagine.

I had one story. One day they were going to open a temple in a hospital. The patients wanted this, the doctors wanted it. I got ready and came to the head physician. He received me well and listened attentively. And at the end of the conversation he said: “Father Dimitri, I am not against the opening of the temple. I'm even for it. Let's walk through the hospital now. And wherever you find a place for him, that’s where he should be.” We went to check out the hospital. I look: there’s no room! The cramped conditions are terrible. The corridors are narrow, there is no hall, the wards are overcrowded. And then I decided to go a different way. Now this hospital has one of the best sisterhoods in the city. They took over several wards with seriously ill patients for full service. The priest constantly comes there, administers unction, and gives communion. So the Lord turned our failure into a greater good than we wanted.

– What do you think, what should the Church do first of all today?

No political system, no regime, nor death itself can tear a person away from God. And that's the most important thing

– Like yesterday, like a thousand years ago and tomorrow, and for all times, the Church must preach about Christ. To put into practice the gospel morality that the Son of God brought to earth. This is the main and, by and large, only task of the Church. As for the attitude towards all kinds of political systems, I remember one elderly priest who lived under Stalin, who was asked, knowingly expecting a negative assessment of that time, and so he, answering the question, was silent for a minute, and then said: “And to me Stalin didn’t stop me from praying.” No political system, no regime, nor death itself can tear a person away from God. And this is the most important thing.

This is not the first time for Archimandrite Dimitri (Baibakov) to take up complex projects. He created the Soyuz TV channel from scratch.

The first Orthodox school appeared in the capital of the Urals, unnoticed by the residents of Yekaterinburg.

A seven-story building has risen in the Lechebny microdistrict - near the church of the healer Panteleimon. Despite the fact that the educational institution operates at the temple, it will be a secular secondary school, the priest who built it promises. Doctors at the mental hospital located next door behind the fence have already diagnosed him.

The hefty seven-story red brick building looks expensive and impressive. The area of ​​7,000 square meters will house a kindergarten, school, gym and swimming pool. All this was built by a priest - Archimandrite Dimitri (Baibakov). By training, he is a psychiatrist: in his youth he was a practicing doctor - he worked in the regional psychiatric hospital located nearby until he found himself in ministry. The temple of the healer Panteleimon, created by him, at first huddled in this hospital, in a small room that was adapted as a church.

Archimandrite Dimitri gives a tour of the school to Anton Shipulin and Olesya Krasnomovets

There is now a legend about how the construction of the new brick temple began. “One day Father Dimitri came into the staff room and said: “We decided to build a temple,” Svetlana Ladina, editor of the Orthodox TV channel Soyuz, told URA.Ru. “The doctors asked him: “Have you found a rich sponsor?”, to which he replied: “No, we will do it with the help of the parishioners.” After this, fellow psychiatrists quickly gave him a “diagnosis.”

However, surprisingly, things worked out. “Where the bell tower is now, there was a small clearing,” says the priest. “We found her with the hospital administration and began to settle in.” And in 23 years they became so settled that they built a temple, a baptismal building and a church house, in which there is a library and a Sunday school.”. Along with the buildings, the parish grew, not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively - there were more and more parishioners with children, large families.

“From the city center, my family and I went to the Panteleimon Church, on the eighth kilometer of the Siberian Highway, with small children in our arms on public transport. There was an amazing family atmosphere there.", recalls Svetlana Ladina.

“On Sundays, the church began to turn into a kindergarten: there were many more children than adults,” recalls Father Dimitri. “I’m a monk myself and I’m wary of children because I don’t know how to handle them.” But something needs to be done with them! And so we decided to continue our complex of buildings and build an educational center, which would include a kindergarten and a school.”

The center took seven years to build. “We rely exclusively on donations - we have no sponsors or benefactors”, says the monk. And explains:

“It’s one thing when you take money from the budget and use it, it’s another thing when you build for yourself: you get completely different prices. Therefore, I will not say how much a square meter cost me. If someone finds out, they’ll just come and shoot me, because such prices don’t exist.”

The building is designed for five groups of kindergarten and 11 grades. Baibakov assures that it will be ordinary, general education - with mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry and so on. At the same time, icons and lamps hang in the classroom and in the corridor.

Now one kindergarten group and a first grade have been recruited, in which there are only 15 people so far (the classroom is designed for 25 students). “The education of children has not yet been documented in any way,” the priest admits, “that’s why we don’t advertise the educational institution. But we will receive all the documents". Father is confident that he will be able to license the school, citing his experience in obtaining licenses for television broadcasting (he launched the Soyuz TV channel in Yekaterinburg).

During a tour of the school, Father Dimitri admits that he personally planned the building. It consists of three blocks standing in a “cascade” so that the school does not “crush” the temple. “I myself am an architect, a planner, and a designer,” says the priest. “I even designed the cabinets in the classroom myself so that everything would be in color.”. A gym is currently being completed in the first block (it should be launched in November), and a swimming pool will eventually appear in the third block.

Good teachers with 30 years of experience were hired to teach the children. “You can’t call them grandmothers, but they are very experienced teachers”, says Father Dimitri. And the school, and the children's, and development groups - all services are paid. Baibakov’s assistants refused to name the exact cost of training, noting only that it was low - within a few thousand rubles, in order to “recoup” the cost of training.

According to people around the priest, neither the temple nor the school really had any rich sponsor - they collected everything “on a pretty penny.” Colleagues see the secret to the success of his projects in something else. “This is a man who is surrounded by miracles,” says Svetlana Ladina . - But I want to be understood correctly: he never pretended to be a miracle worker, it’s just that the Lord, seeing that he was doing the right things, sent him his help. First he created an Orthodox newspaper, then the “Resurrection” radio channel, then the “Soyuz” TV channel. It is known that in the midst of construction, Father Dimitri, in order to pay off the builders, sold his apartment.”

There is no doubt that the private school of Archimandrite Dimitry Baibakov will be in demand - his temple has long become a kind of cultural center of the microdistrict. “There are a lot of people here who come from the villages of Tubsanatorium, Mental Hospital, Medical, from cottages in the area,” says physical education teacher Olga Reshetkina . - All these children study with us, plus children come from the city. There are forests all around, fresh air, your own well, a separate territory. We think there will be more and more children.”

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The phone rings, a woman's voice is on the receiver: - Father, my brother died unbaptized, 64 years old. He needs to be buried, but where he lived, the priest won’t give him the “earth grass”, he swears that they didn’t call him in time, and he drove his relatives out of the church. And my mother is already 86, she is very grieving, I’m afraid that she herself will die. Help me out, dear, give us “land”, I feel sorry for my mother. It's not her fault that this happened. He would have been baptized then, as a child, but there was no church nearby. And when he grew up, he became a communist. He did not recognize God and refused to be baptized. But, father, he was a good man, even a very good one. So why not sing the funeral service for him? After all, sometimes you perform a funeral service for such worthless people only because they were baptized once in childhood, but you don’t agree with my brother, so at least give me a “country land.” I didn’t argue with her, how could I convince her? Her confidence that this “countrywoman” would help - even if not her brother, but at least her mother - was unshakable. Eh, if the funeral service I performed saved the human soul, then I would probably just do the funeral service and the funeral service. And the unbaptized, and suicides, and everyone in a row, just to save them from suffering. Only it is not the priest who saves, nor the “countrywoman”, it is Christ who saves. For the sake of this salvation, a person joins the Church through baptism. Just what, is it really enough to save the soul like this, one day in deep childhood - to be brought to church by your mother? The man was baptized as a baby, and then, after the life he had lived, they brought everything in the same way to the same temple, but only for the funeral service. What's between these two events? Well, maybe a person went into church and lit a candle for God, and maybe not just one, but many candles: “Lord, give me what I ask, and I will light candles for you for it, many candles!” Once in my childhood, I bargained with Him in exactly the same way before entering the plane for the first time: “Lord, I’ll light you two candles, Just let me fly safely,” and when they began to take off, I was so ready to “fork out the money.” "and by three... As if our Lord, like a sweet tooth with sweets, is "overeating" - less often with wax, and more and more with cheap paraffin sticks. Funny. Now, if from the time when the same person was baptized as a baby, and then the funeral service was performed for adults, nothing else connected him with God, then, honestly, people are wasting their energy, their nerves, and their money in vain. Even if a person was good, but far from Christ, he is not saved, and no “countrywoman” will help here, even if there is a rash of buckets of it. Reading the lives of the saints, I noticed: many saints never had time to receive water baptism. When would they have done this if they were executed immediately after confessing their faith before their persecutors? They say about such people that they are baptized in blood. Instead of being baptized with water and the Spirit, they were baptized with blood and the Spirit. For ancient Christians, dying for their faith was as natural as living in it. We call such people martyrs, or witnesses, witnesses of the faith. Their willingness to endure suffering and accept death rather than renounce Christ testified that without faith earthly life itself lost all meaning for them... I wonder, do we today understand what we are doing when we baptize our children or are baptized ourselves? Are we able to stand up for our faith to the end, or is this just a game of tradition for us? Of course, someone will say: - So excuse me, what does this have to do with it? We, thank God, already live in the 21st century, and this savagery is a thing of the past. But who in the early nineties would have thought that in just a few years, executions of Christians would begin on a scale unprecedented in the history of mankind, and even with torture, as in the Middle Ages? In my understanding, baptism for an adult is the crossing of a certain spiritual Rubicon, after which there is no turning back. After baptism, much of what you did before should be forgotten, and now you need to live - according to Christ! During baptism, I always invite the godparents to “blow and spit” on Satan. This sentence almost invariably makes people, if not laugh, then at least smile. But blowing is the most common exorcist technique even in ancient times! I remember how I baptized a young woman at one time. The three of us were in the temple, me, her and her friend. So, when I blew on her, her knees gave way and she began to lose consciousness. After we brought her to her senses, I blew twice more, and each time she fainted... And somehow, before spitting on Satan, one student, who had been preparing for baptism for a long time, suddenly completely seriously and declares: “Maybe you shouldn’t spit on him?” Why should I ruin my relationship with him? It was the first time I encountered a person who thought like that. And I immediately remembered a joke... Do you remember how your grandmother lit a candle in front of the icon of St. George the Victorious? To George - a candle, and to a snake, the old woman invariably showed a fig. And so, in a dream she sees a snake, and he says: “Nothing, grandma, I’ll wait a little longer, and then we’ll get even.” Since then, the grandmother has already placed two candles in front of the icon: in front of the saint, and in front of the serpent, just in case... During baptism, a person devotes himself or his child to the service of Good, and renounces evil forever. Although, who knows... One day after the service, two women approach the pulpit, one holding a child in her arms: - Father, baptize our baby, the “grandmother” does not accept us without baptism. I answer: “Do you understand what you are asking me?” We will baptize the child, dedicate him to God, and you will immediately take him to the fortuneteller? I won’t baptize a child for a witch! “How evil you are, father,” one of the women replies. - Is “grandmother” kind? Why not “help” an unbaptized child? She doesn’t need a child, she needs to mock a shrine! So much for “spitting” in the opposite direction. A Russian woman turns to me: “Could you baptize a child from a Muslim family?” My parents are Tajiks, we work here for a living. A child has been born and they want to baptize him. I answer: - Of course, you can, but why? We will baptize the girl and give her up to be raised by non-Christian parents, and who will then teach her the faith? Time will pass, and no one will remember that she was baptized! After all, we must baptize children from believing families. And parents are obligated to teach their children the faith, raise them on the basis of the commandments, and most importantly, give their children communion. And the more often, the better. If you don’t do any of this, then there is no need to baptize children. Sometimes in families themselves there is no agreement between parents on the issue of baptism. It seems to me that in this case there is no need for the other parent to rush and secretly baptize the child. You cannot begin the education of a future Christian with deception. Today there is no persecution; when he grows up, he will decide for himself. Everything will depend on the same Christian mother, whether she will be able to raise a child so that the child follows in her footsteps... Before baptism, once a week, I hold a meeting with those who are going to baptize children. I remember a couple of young parents came. I tell them about their responsibilities for Christian education: “We need to go to church more often,” I say. And they report to me that mommy can’t stand in church, she faints, and daddy doesn’t wear a cross, he strangles him. Here, such a damaged generation... Or the incident with the godmother. Before the baptism, I saw that the godmother had a lot of pendants hanging around her neck, but there was no cross. I wonder: - Where is your cross? - Father, I don’t wear it, forgive me generously, but it’s choking me. That's it, godmother! People don’t understand what a heavy cross they put on their shoulders when becoming godparents. You haven’t raised your child in the faith yet, and yet you’re already taking responsibility for someone else’s. Can you handle it? If you don’t at least pray for your godson, then the time will come when you will answer for your rash words. No one is forcing you to become a godfather. .. Promise God, and then obviously not fulfill what was promised - why? Sometimes Catholics and even Muslims are invited as godparents. I ask: “Would a Catholic teach your son Orthodoxy, much less a Muslim?” “Father, this is my business partner, it would be good for me to become related to him for business,” and he tries to sneak a penny in unnoticed. And one day, they bring their godfather to baptism. A young man in shorts, a stale T-shirt and sandals on his bare feet. True, there is a corresponding chain and a golden cross around my neck - a little smaller than my pectoral! I ask my parents: - Well, for such an important moment you haven’t found anyone more decent? The godfather heard and exploded. He swears and waves his thieves' finger in front of my nose. I turn to my parents again: “And is such a godfather really suitable for you?” They quietly said to me: “Father, cross him, he doesn’t have a lot of money.” It's clear. If you need it, take it. I don’t argue with my parents in such cases, why? Should I remake them? They will only get angry. Let life teach... Sometimes people cannot overcome themselves and share communion with everyone. “I’ll start picking up all kinds of infection from everyone’s mouths, there’s no point, we’ll get by, they say... I myself am a squeamish person by nature, and I will never eat in a cafe or canteen from a plate used by someone and a spoon licked by someone.” I won’t swear, I’ll just go and wash... And in church I give everyone communion with one spoon. And not only that, but after everyone else, I consume everything that remains in the bowl after the service. I wash the vessels and spoon with boiling water, and, again, I don’t pour all this water, but into myself. Nothing, not even the smallest drop of shrine, should be lost! And if people cannot imagine the state of health of those who came to receive communion, then I can imagine it very well. Today, a person’s path to church increasingly lies through illness and suffering. After all those suffering from oncology, AIDS, and hepatitis, the priest is the last to consume the gifts. And I don’t know of a single case when any of us, priests and clergy, fell ill. And if this were not so, the all-powerful SES (sanitary and epidemiological stations) would have “smeared” our last churches in the Soviet years, when they were looking for any clue to find an excuse. And all because the Holy Gifts, having an earthly nature, upon consecration begin to obey heavenly laws, and all the bad things that fall into the Chalice from us immediately cease to exist! Often people are concerned: - How should we dress when going to baptism? I always answer: “Dress decently, and as best as you can.” I never chase away women wearing pants. I remember talking to one girl. And it turns out that she no longer has a skirt in her wardrobe, as such! It’s okay, whoever decides to stay in the temple will eventually sew a skirt for himself, but there is no need to force anyone, Christ never acted through violence (with rare exceptions). For some reason, we have a common idea that in church the most important thing for a woman is to have a scarf on her head. Look, summer residents come in during the summer, and instead of a scarf, they cover the crown of the head with a handkerchief. It’s like the top of a woman’s head is the most seductive place for a man. Such a beauty in a miniskirt with a scarf on her head will stand in front of the icon, pray, and a fan will lay down. And where should all the men standing behind her put their eyes? It’s only the saints who don’t see anything, but we sinners notice everything... And instead of praying, the male half begins to get angry... For a woman to cover herself means not to pay attention to herself, especially male, and not only cover the head with something... Look how we depict the Most Holy Mother of God on the icons. This is how women dressed in Her time: simply, and at the same time majestic... Sometimes I hear the following question: - Father, how often should you go to church for services, and will it be enough to come once a month, or, after all, Should I check in more often? I don’t know what to answer. A believer is always drawn to church; he cannot bear being without the house of God... And then, we must begin Sunday day with prayer in church. For what? Yes, it’s very simple, after two hours in the temple you will go out into the world for a whole week, and what kind of Christian you really are will manifest itself outside the temple walls. At church we are all friendly, welcoming, smiling and loving to each other. And in the world we are who we are. So, in order to have the strength to be a Christian, we need to breathe in the sanctity during these two Sunday hours, otherwise, where will we get the strength? A woman of about forty is crying in the temple: “Something is happening to my daughter, when she issued herself a passport in a different name, that’s how it all started.” She became impudent, disobedient, smokes, and does not come home on time. Father, maybe let's cross her, maybe she will become a kind and loving girl again? “Eh, mother,” I think, “if everything were so simple, then we would probably do just that... They only baptize a person once, and then teach him to be a Human, and begin their studies immediately upon birth and without interruption from mother's faith and mother's prayer. We talked to her and told her about what I’m telling you now. He sympathized with the mother: “Now I wish you courage, strength and love for your daughter to overcome what she herself raised in her.” - Father, no one ever told me anything about this. If I had known this then, immediately after baptism, then everything would be different with my daughter now! So I’m telling you... Priest Alexander Dyachenk