I arrived at noon to get acquainted with the life of the Saratov Orthodox Theological Seminary and its pupils. At this time, usually in secular educational institutions, classes are completed, and in the theological seminary, the educational process is in full swing. However, it never stops here. A strictly regulated daily routine is an indispensable condition for the life of seminary students. Closeness from the outside world disciplines future priests, fosters tolerance, respect for each other, and fraternal relations. That is why seminarians are called not students, but pupils.

Main audience - temple

Only a wide metal staircase with forged railings remained from the past life here, otherwise it is difficult to recognize the building of the former forge of teaching staff. Now everything is different here: beautiful, spacious, perfect cleanliness and a lot of icons. There is everything necessary for the spiritual education of the clergy, but the main auditorium is the temple, in which the seminarians pass the skills of liturgical life, carry out the obedience of the sexton and singing, receive the first experience of pastoral service and church preaching.

In a church university, everything is not the same as in other educational institutions. Teachers respectfully address students in a cassock not just by name, but “father”. On any course, one can meet priests serving in parishes, rectors of temples, although they are still far from receiving a diploma. The criteria for initiation into the dignity, that is, into the profession, are different here - spiritual.

I want to serve God and people

Sophomore priest Artemy Dobrynin, rector of the church in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Privolzhskoye, Rivne region, head of the missionary department of the Intercession diocese, I asked the traditional question that all applicants are asked when entering the seminary: “Why did you decide to become a priest?”

“Vladyka asked me the same question before blessing me to study. I replied that I wanted to serve God and people. I had before my eyes a wonderful example of such service. I then lived in Marks and often watched how our local priest, Archpriest Valery Gensitsky, communicated with parishioners - like a father. This made a huge impression on me and gave rise to the desire to also become a priest.

Even to myself, this thought seemed incredible at the time, because I had everything a young man could dream of. As a teenager, I was already professionally involved in basketball, was a master of sports, earned good money, played for the Russian national team. In a word, there were no problems. But there was no understanding: why do I live? Once, having broken my leg while playing, I sat at home for a long time and decided to read the Gospel. I had never opened the book that my godfather once gave me. And I was literally dumbfounded by what was revealed to me: I realized that I was living wrong, and this is how most of my peers live. I began to go to church, read spiritual literature, learn more about Orthodoxy.

I remember my first confession: I was very worried, but Father Valery supported me, saying: “You come more often.” Since then, I have not missed a single service, but I have not given up sports either. Great Lent came, and for the first time I fasted for real, in a Christian way. My teammates looked at me like I was crazy, they did not understand why I was doing this, because the competition requires a lot of physical effort. And while I was fasting, I felt in great physical shape.

When the idea of ​​studying at a theological seminary came up, I shared it with Fr. Valeriy, then I wrote a letter to Vladyka, and when we met, he blessed me to study. Until the last minute, until I got on the bus, my parents did not believe that I would turn my life around so abruptly. Studying at the seminary convinced me of the correctness of the choice. I found my place, and in my second year I was ordained to the priesthood. The Lord so ruled that now all my numerous relatives have become churched. Half of our parish in Marx is my relatives.

You are a family man, you have to support your family. Tell me, is the priesthood a job for you?

In one word, it's joy. As soon as you begin to feel the temple of God as a place of your work, you are already just a performer of various needs, and not a priest.

... By the way, the young priest did not finally say goodbye to sports. Father Artemy intends to train children in his village, so there will soon be an Orthodox basketball team.

Our teaching continues in the temple

Four years ago, a young man approached Priest Viktor Tikhonov, the dean of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, and asked for permission to serve in the altar, immediately revealing his plans for the future: he intends to enter a theological seminary and become a priest. They took him, served as a sexton, then as a subdeacon, a year later he entered the second year of the seminary right away - the future priest already had a higher legal education. A year later, the seminarian Shmatko became Father George. This is how everything quickly happened in his life, although the young priest went to his goal for a long time, overcoming doubts and misunderstanding of his loved ones.

It was, of course, not a spontaneous step. Already in high school, I began to read spiritual literature, think about the meaning of life, and more and more inclined to think that a person from generation to generation cannot come to this earth only to eat, drink, produce offspring, and again everything in the same circle. It seemed pointless to me. There is such a thing as god-seeking. So I did this for quite a long time, I was fond of many philosophical and religious ideas, until I realized that the truth is in Orthodoxy.

- Who influenced your worldview?

“I walked this path on my own. In my environment at that time there was not a single believer, so no one supported me in my searches, on the contrary, the attitude towards me became more and more negative and suspicious. It seems that he was an ordinary person, he could make a decent career, make good money, and suddenly he became an alien for everyone around him. Time passed, I made the most important choice in my life, and everything fell into place.

Has your life changed much since then?

Everything has changed, even friends and acquaintances. I found a new family in the Church and met my future wife here. My whole life is now connected with our church, where my mother used to take me from time to time as a little boy.

- The life of a priest is never calm, you can never fully belong to yourself, your family.

This is the meaning of our service. The priest is called to lead people to God, to eternal life. The responsibility is enormous. You need to constantly remember your priesthood, at any moment go to where your help is expected, you must always remain a priest, including when you go outside the doors of the temple. This is the only way to become a good priest, whom the parishioners will listen to and love.

You have recently become a priest. Isn't it difficult to combine studies in the seminary with church service and family concerns?

“Now I am serving the obligatory magpie for newly ordained magpies, which means for forty days daily Liturgies and evening services. The priest must serve not when he wants, but as long as his parishioners need, so you have to get used to it. With study, of course, it is difficult, I only manage to do half of the classes. They go to a meeting in the seminary, because our training continues in the temple.

The priesthood is an endless work

Raising pastors from yesterday's schoolchildren is not an easy task, therefore, when applying to a theological seminary, they pay attention not only to the baggage of necessary knowledge, but, most importantly, to the spiritual state of future priests. Not everyone can be trusted to stand before the Throne of God, to be a conductor between God and people.

Today, many young priests serve in the parishes. The opening temples need clergy, they are not enough. And the shortage of personnel, and the Providence of God, invisibly acting in the lives of those who are ready to accept it - apparently, everything came together. The road to the seminary of Andrey Kasimov, who carries out the obedience of a senior subdeacon, is in many ways similar to the path that his comrades in the seminary went through.

Andrei grew up in a family in which they did not talk about religion at all. But a school teacher in history, a Kazakh by nationality, often liked to repeat: "History must be known, like" Our Father "". Few in the class understood what it was. An inquisitive guy found out that the Lord's Prayer begins with these words. He began to read the Gospel on his own, to fast secretly from his parents. There was no church in the village of Trudovoy in the St. Petersburg region, but by that time the topic of Orthodoxy was present in many media outlets, and Andrey began to think more and more about faith.

Entering the Faculty of Journalism at SSU, he became a parishioner of the Saratov Holy Trinity Cathedral, where he received the Sacrament of Baptism. The first obedience - reading on the kliros - Andrei received from the former rector of the temple, the current Bishop of Intercession and Nikolaev Pachomius.

The young man found himself in a different world, with different human relations, and no longer wanted to return to his former environment. The moment came when I had to decide: to continue my studies at the university or to devote myself to the Church. The categorical rejection of his parents' decision to study at a theological seminary became a difficult test for the young man. He was forced to leave home, he experienced this conflict hard, but insisted on his own. Andrey is now in his last year of study.

– Isn’t the army regime, the rigid framework in which you live all five years of study, hard for the students of the seminary? Is it possible for a young person to get used to a life in which everything is done on a call?

- Not everyone survives, almost half of the seminarians for various reasons leave without finishing their studies. But I wouldn't call our life in the seminary "hard lines." These are the conditions that a person needs if he is a Christian, and even more so if he is preparing for pastoral service. We are taught to force ourselves in everything, while remembering that the bar we strive for will always remain unattainable. The priesthood is an endless work, and we are prepared for it in the seminary. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, as it is said in the Gospel. And I reconciled with my mother, thank God!

In an interview, the Rector of the Theological Seminary, Metropolitan of Saratov and Volsky Longin, admitted that during conversations with applicants for studies, he tries to understand what is inside a person, why he crossed the threshold of the seminary. And at the beginning of the new (2016-2017) academic year, in a traditional address to seminarians, he wished them to develop the most important thing in themselves over the years of study - love for worship, God and people.

Olga Strelkova

Becoming a priest takes dedication, time, and education. But if you feel called to it, then the path to service awaits you no matter what. This is what awaits you if you intend to follow your calling

Steps

Recognition

Pray and meditate. If you are waiting for God to call you to build your destined career as a reverend, pray and meditate to get a clue and determine if the call comes from God, as well as to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into.

• Being a priest or following any ministry is not about you. Moreover, you have been called to serve God and others in a special way. For you, this is not a profession out of desperation or a way to glorify yourself.
• Consider what other people have said to you in the past. If you were especially active in the church, and those around you noticed your dedication and invited you to officially accept the dignity, then your calling is true, and those around you see it. If there are no such positive responses, do not neglect the spiritual prompting. Ultimately, the approval of others is far from the only indicator of whether you have been called by God.

1. Study the specific tenets of your denomination. Most Christian followers follow the same path outlined in this article, but some may skip or rearrange some of the steps while others advance additional tenets not covered here. Before starting this journey, find out what you will need to do before becoming a reverend.

   • There are various sources where you can learn about dogmas. The simplest, perhaps, is the Internet. Otherwise, you can ask your youth or young adult church leader. Or talk directly to your shepherd about what to expect.

2. Talk to your shepherd. The first person you can consult on an "official" level is the pastor in your church. He or she will want to know why you are interested in becoming a priest. If the pastor believes your intentions are noble, he or she will raise the issue in a formal church council or committee.

   • If there are no clear warning signs that your intentions to become a clergyman are unclean, your shepherd will be supportive and help guide you to the next step. The conversation with your shepherd will be the most personal and ceremonial of all the inquiries you will undergo during this process.

3. Get support from your church. In most cases, when you receive your pastor's approval, you will need to go to a local or house church council or committee to discuss your calling with the congregation. If the committee recognizes your intentions as sincere, it will most likely offer you its support.

   • Please note that this is not always the case. It all depends on how your faith is structured. If the church has a formal patriarchal hierarchy rather than a small, community-oriented structure, your shepherd's approval may be all you need to advance to the next level. In this case, you may end up attending your church and support groups, but they will simply support and guide you without deciding if you are worthy to walk this path.

4. Go to the church committee. When the house church recognizes your desires, you must persuade the district church committee to support you as well. These committees will interview and test you on a more professional level to determine if the path is right for you. If you are rejected, the process will end, at least for the time being.

   • The names of this committee may vary depending on the name of your denomination. You may have heard such definitions as "eparchy", "presbytery", "synod", or "annual conference".
   • The Regional Committee will interview you. He may require you to submit a psychological profile or a certificate of whether you have a criminal record.
   • Throughout the conversation, be frank, even personal problems should be stated.
   • Surely the committee will turn you down if it suspects that you are plotting to get rich at the expense of the church by running away from your old life or problems at work, or if you do not show yourself as an adequate person. In addition, you may be denied if you have a criminal record.
   • If you earn the recognition of the committee, you will be appointed as a seminarian. This means that you will need to enter a theological seminary.
   • While you are studying in it, you will need to report your achievements to the committee.

5. Find a mentor. If the church committee approves of your candidacy, they may assign you a support group or mentor to help you through the process of spiritual training. If you don't have a mentor assigned to you, find one yourself.

   • A mentor or support group guides you throughout the process so you don't burn out. If you feel that you are not coping, they will try to help you out of any trouble.

   Education

   1. Get a bachelor's degree. Before entering the seminary, you must complete four years of study at the faculty with a basic training cycle. Basically, you don't need to study a specific field, but a bachelor's degree in any field of religious studies will be a clear plus when applying to seminary.

   2. Be active in your studies. During your studies at a bachelor's college, you should definitely get involved in any extracurricular activities of this institution. This way you will not only get a taste of what it is like to be a priest, but also prepare an application to the seminary that will look more convincing.

      • If your school doesn't have any spiritual groups, you can start a small Bible group with a few like-minded people. Moreover, you can find officials and clergy in the local church.

   3. Prepare for seminary. Some seminaries have special conditions that you will encounter before admission. These conditions may require more than just a bachelor's degree and support from a church committee.

      • Choose the right seminary. Most denominations require that you choose a seminary that is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. Some denominations also insist that you choose a seminary that matches your denomination. However, this is not the case everywhere.
      • Most likely, you will need various letters of recommendation. Application for admission is also required.

   4. Attend seminary classes. Seminary education takes two to four years. When all is said and done, you will earn a Master of Divinity degree, but you can also graduate to a Doctor of Clergy or Doctor of Divinity degree.

      • Attend classes on Old and New Testament Studies, Biblical Interpretation, Sermons, Biblical Languages, Christian Worship History, Christian Worship Practice, Counseling, Curriculum Development, Sociology, Church History, Ethics, Theology, and Nonprofit Management.

   5. Take internships and workshops. Seminaries will require you to complete a certain number of internships and workshops before qualifying. Find out the requirements and follow them.

      • During your internship, you will work with a pastor at a local church, charity home, or hospital part-time.
      • However, you are unlikely to be required to write and defend a dissertation.
      • For part-time students, study can last up to eight years.

   6. Complete any additional training required. While not always required, some denominations may require you to receive additional training during or after your seminary studies. This training focuses on aspects such as working with people and the legal aspects of the profession.

      • Additional teaching also includes such hot topics as sexual harassment, clinical pastoral care, and religious persecution. Classes are usually run by a responsible denomination insurance company. For this purpose, you can also undergo psychological and personality testing.

Archpriest Andrei Khvylya-Olinter. Retired Police Colonel. Scientist, criminologist, religious scholar. In the past, Deputy Head of the Center for Criminal Information of the Main Information Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. One of the leading experts in the field of non-traditional religions and destructive cults.

- Father Andrey, first of all, let me congratulate you on the day of your heavenly patron Rev. Andrey Rublev from the editorial staff of the Rublev.com portal.

It is somehow unusual that a high-ranking employee of the Main Information Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia became a priest. Many of your colleagues still remember you as a police colonel - and not just a colonel, but the highest specialist in the field of information systems and forensics. What did you do in the Ministry of Internal Affairs?

I was involved in the development, implementation and operation of information support systems, including those in forensics, which are used in the investigation of crimes. Crimes are committed wherever a person is present and acts - therefore, forensic science encompasses all types of human activity. Accordingly, the development of information systems required a comprehensive study of many areas of life.

- Is it not only the collection and analysis of data, fingerprints, as ordinary people usually think?

Of course not. Even if you like some detective films or stories, there are a variety of databases in information systems. For example, restoring the appearance of a corpse, the appearance of a person from his skull. Or compiling an identikit when witnesses are being interviewed and a probable portrait of a criminal is being made. So is the description of various crimes, when it is necessary to catch serial ones from a huge heap, that is, committed by the same group or by the same person - according to the method of commission, according to other signs. We were doing different mathematics - take at least image processing. Suppose there is a photograph of the suspect, but it is “blurred”. And I had to develop an algorithm that allows you to get a very clear picture from an out-of-focus image. From a mathematical point of view, everything turned out to be quite simple.

Of course, science does not stand still, it was then that computer programs appeared.

- But you were a pioneer.

In any case, one of the first in our country ... It was vital! For example, to bring a defocused and blurred picture into a normal image. To expose the criminal or vice versa to prove that the suspect is not really involved.

- What were the years?

Nineties. Although I came there back in the late 70s. In the beginning, we did mostly mathematics. The USSR did not yet have such technical means, and in order to process images, including fingerprints, it was necessary to purchase foreign equipment. And at first we became inventors, and such that, I remember, even the Americans were surprised!

We managed to create one of our first variants of a fingerprint system on a personal computer. The Americans thought it was theoretically impossible. And we showed it to them on a personal computer, they decided that we were deceiving them. But it was very easy to prove it: we asked them to roll their own fingerprints on our input devices and found everything we needed. It amazed them! After all, it was not the current computer, but something like the Iskra. Now people have not heard, they have already forgotten about such PCs. But we then neutralized the frailty of our technique by applying very ingenious mathematics.

- The backwardness of technology was compensated by the power of the brain?

Well, yes. The Americans solved this due to the unlimited possibilities of technology.

- How was your service, did you eventually reach the rank of colonel?

And not just a colonel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - I then held a post on the information conveyor, that is, in addition to purely scientific work, I was also responsible around the clock for the "operation" of our systems. And we served the disclosure of crimes not only in the USSR, but also at the level of international structures, Interpol, for example. We were very often approached from our embassies, but from anywhere - from all countries, one might say. Russians, we are such a crazy people, we commit crimes in different countries (although this is not only the specificity of Russians, but also of other peoples).

Yes, and against the Russians, crimes were committed, that is, you had a vast field of activity, the whole globe.

And so my regimen was frantic: during the working day, from 60 to 70 there were only combat calls. A “fighting” call is when they call me, say, from our embassy in the Republic of South Africa and ask me to check some person or something else. I hold the phone, use another phone to communicate with subordinates (and I had about four hundred subordinates), give the order to find such a person, this is done immediately, and I immediately answer the request by phone. These are battle calls. Several control cards with a red stripe, that is, at the level of the minister, and I have to prepare the relevant documents and send them during the day. Combat mode.

But how did it happen that a promising scientist, forensic scientist, Colonel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Andrey Igorevich Khvylya-Olinter turned into "Father Andrei"? To change your life so drastically...

It can be compared to the birth of a child. On the one hand, it happened as if “suddenly”. As in a maternity hospital, a woman suffers, strains and “suddenly” gives birth. On the other hand, the birth of a child was preceded by a long period of some events.

It somehow happened to me that from childhood there was a thirst for truth, if you like. Even if it was clothed in the form of official ideology, Marxism-Leninism. After all, I have read not only those works of Marx and Engels that are usually studied in institutes, but also many others. Especially the early works of Marx. At first I followed the official ideology, but at the same time I was very fond of mathematics and philosophy. Teilhard de Chardin played the role, Stanislaw Lem and other such philosophers. And I began to look for the reason, the meaning of our existence, but, however, within the framework of rational human activity. I began to create a gigantic theory that, at least for me, explained everything that was happening in the world. Yes, great erudition has appeared, but, you understand, in order to systematically study all this, you need to cook in the appropriate environment. And since I basically studied everything on my own, there was also a share of the superficial in this, it was an endless run towards the horizon.

But there was another side. I drew (and my father also painted, he is also a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR), and this feeling of the beauty of the world prompted me to think that this beauty has some kind of foundation, some kind of superbeginning.

- In the same way as physicists see the incredible intelligence of nature, even the human body, its body is an amazing super-mechanism ...

Yes. And at first everything was perceived as a kind of property of nature, but then, when I got deeper into this matter, some well-known principles of the same nature, say, Hamilton's principle of least action, showed that behind all this there is clearly something else, which is higher nature. We throw a stone - and it initially flies along the trajectory of the least action, that is, it seems to know where to move. And if we consider the functioning of the human body, the brain, if we get to such the highest natural systems and causes... It is clear that sooner or later all this leads to God.

Even Francis Bacon said (and he is considered the founder of modern science) that partial knowledge leads away from God, but such complete, deep knowledge is sure to return to Him. Take the great scientists, Nobel Prize winners, founders of quantum mechanics: Werner Karl Heisenberg, Max Planck - they are all deeply religious people. Not to mention Newton and so on. Yes, and our Soviet, truly great, scientists: the same academician Boris Viktorovich Raushenbakh, developer of control systems for Soviet spacecraft, one of the founders of Soviet cosmonautics, please - the deepest believer. Wrote, among other things, interesting books on Orthodoxy. Aircraft designer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, famous both in Tsarist Russia and in the USA. Wrote wonderful books on the Lord's Prayer. Many more examples could be cited. The fact is that there are no less believers among scientists than among ordinary people.

And so my hobbies began to lead me to a dead end: that is, constructing my gigantic theory, I always found holes in it, weak points. So, it was necessary to study new scientific works and new directions. It is clear that in the end these fruitless searches could lead to a lunatic asylum or to some historical sects, which is actually the same thing.

But suddenly I met people who actually laid the foundation for me, showed me where everything is. One day I came to one of our greatest scientists, philosophers, head of the Department of Problems of Cognition at the Institute of Philosophy of the USSR Academy of Sciences. I came to him with my opuses on the recommendation of Anatoly Garmaev (he was not yet a priest then). And this philosopher, Genrikh Stepanovich Batishchev, read with great interest my opus, in which my “theory” was briefly described (I say with humor), and suddenly I was taken aback. “You urgently need to be baptized and go to church,” he said. And then he introduced me to his father Dimitri Smirnov.

Gradually, a completely new circle of acquaintances appeared for me: Anatoly Garmaev (he was not yet a priest), philosopher Heinrich Stepanovich Batishchev (John in baptism), priest Daniil Sysoev (I began to contact him against sectarian activity while still an officer), Archpriest Feodor Sokolov (he just oversaw the power structures).

And so Father Dimitry Smirnov invited me to somehow attend the baptism. I came to him in the afternoon, at lunchtime, and there my grandmother brought her two overgrown grandsons and granddaughters to be baptized. An empty temple, I stood on the sidelines, I didn’t know anything, I didn’t understand anything, I didn’t understand anything. I stand, I stare, I wonder. When the baptism began, suddenly a strange, new feeling came over me for the first time - I didn’t understand what was happening to me, but I felt as if wings had grown behind my back ... And when the baptism was over, I was supposed to go up to Father Dmitry and thank him, say some words - and I silently crawled out of the temple and spent the rest of my working time walking around Moscow, everything inside me rang.

- But then you were just a spectator.

He just stood on the side of the wall and did not understand anything. As a result, for some time, by inertia, I followed the rational path, I pounced on Christian literature, and began to read even more. And so I strengthened myself precisely in the rational, rational plan, that God exists, and that's it.

I began to walk around different religious buildings, taxied to Muslims, to Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists. Just like that, take a look. But the feeling that I was “at home” arose only in an Orthodox church. Nowhere else. So for about a year I passed. As a result, like a snowfall - I was baptized in the church of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsy, Father Valentin Asmus baptized me, by full immersion, as expected. My godmother Valentina Fedorovna Chesnokova, the world's leading sociologist, played a big role then (very modest, apparently she was a secret nun, she worked at the Institute of Sociology, she has wonderful books on sociology).

But you did not stop at baptism and, in the end, took the holy orders. How did your colleagues and family react to this?

God called. Everything is the will of God. Although during the period of churching, this sometimes took an anecdotal turn. We had such a category of officers who dragged after women, while wearing such well-groomed beards. And no one protested against the beards. But as soon as I began to grow my beard, “for religious reasons” (it was also cut, short, that is, outwardly it almost did not differ from these Don Juans) - the onslaught against my beard began!

Andrey Igorevich! So that tomorrow you come without a beard! You are an officer!

And this despite the fact that there were many with beards, and no claims were made against them. I also had quite funny cases: I spoke at the Collegium on Zhitnaya with a serious report on the information and operational system, there were heads of all departments, generals. And suddenly I see them laughing, giggling. And I say serious things. Then I notice with horror that I switched to the Church Slavonic language. And then I went to Church Slavonic courses, and I had to take an exam in it, and in my head I was obsessed with this.

- “For”, “because”, “Paki-Paki, we don’t speak languages”?

That's pretty much how it was. But I was already the talk of the town there, they knew that I was Orthodox ...

But seriously, in my acceptance of the priesthood, of course, there was the will of God. I understand it now. For example, for some reason I began to create a library of the priest, liturgical literature. Just felt the need to learn it. Then there was a moment: Vladyka John of Belgorod (Chairman of the Missionary Department), when I was working on a guide to destructive religious organizations, so that no one would interfere with me, sent me into “seclusion”. And such a moment comes: the reference book is completed, and Vladyka John suddenly announces to me: “In three days you will be ordained a deacon.” This is 2002.

I went to Moscow. At first my wife thought that I would become a monk. Well, you can imagine, there was a panic: they say, the collapse of the family and so on. Relatives started talking that I would sell the apartment now, there was a stir. But see how the Lord turned everything around.

In 2000, I retired from the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to my age, I was ordained a deacon in 2002, and in 2004 I was ordained a priest.

- Perhaps, at that time, your inner state was already summed up to this?

I'm telling you, it's the same as becoming a mother: a girl, a girl - they hear something about the birth of a child, they, of course, have some idea about motherhood, about the birth of a child. But when it actually happens, it's a quantum leap! And it is infinitely different from all theoretical ideas. It's completely different now. So it is with ordination.

When a person becomes a priest, and if this happens sincerely (there are, of course, conjuncture - there are few such cases, but there are: when a priest-priest pushes his child to such a choice), he becomes a completely different person.

- It happens that the priesthood is accepted as one of the new, popular "professions", as a way to get a good job.

Among the priests are also living people. Therefore, it is different. But still, the bulk of the priests are hard workers, this is a cross. And even more so the bishops, the bishopric - this is generally the hardest cross.

Father Andrei, today the Church celebrates the memory of the Monk Andrei Rublev. How do you yourself perceive his personality and work - a man of faith, art and silent theology of Ancient Rus'?

This period is called by many scientific researchers the period of the Russian revival. If in the West, in Western civilization, the period of the Renaissance contained a clear element of theomachism, the replacement of God with man-God, then in our country the revival is expressed primarily by the work of St. Andrei Rublev. And it is enough to remember his icons, to look carefully and deeply, to understand that our revival included the flowering of all the basic values ​​of Christianity. First of all, love, truth, tolerance in everyday life and social life, but unshakable standing in faith - religion and love in the broadest sense.

We look at the images of St. Andrei Rublev and see love - and this love extends to God and the whole earthly world, including nature. And, of course, we see a special place of man.

- But Andrei Rublev did not leave behind any letters, messages, teachings ...

He left behind icons. Take, here, the "Trinity" - I can talk about this icon for a week. It contains the highest semantic series: both the New Testament and the Old Testament elements. The composition of three angels repeats the letter "Sh" - this is a sacred letter, especially distinguished in the ancient Jewish alphabet, which marks sacred objects. And here are the angels, they are lined up in the form of this letter. This is not immediately noticeable, because their relative position simultaneously repeats the circle as a symbol of fullness. A lot can be said about this icon, in my opinion, it is worth many ideological volumes, philosophical and theological. The objects behind the angels, the tree of life (this is the symbol of the Church), the building, the mountain, and so on. And, of course, the most important thing is the chalice on the throne. It occupies a central place, the geometric center of the whole circle. The New Testament sacrifice is actually Christ Himself. And the middle angel, the symbol of Christ, points to his own sacrifice.

Therefore, for me, these images of Andrei Rublev are always a means of the strongest purification. And in my cell (even now you can see) this icon of the Trinity is always present. Rublev is not only my saint, but also one of the strongest words in Orthodoxy in its heyday.

- It turns out that Rublev's work is also theology, only theology in colors?

Exactly. In general, an icon as such is a theology in colors, just as, say, the Church Slavonic language is a linguistic theology. Of course, icons are also different, there are similar to the picture, "partes", secular options. But we are talking about a canonical icon. Such an icon is a prayer, yes, theology in colors, but theology is, first of all, a prayer. The theologian is, first of all, a praying, not a learned lecturer.

After all, our Church recognizes only a few theologians with a capital letter. John the Theologian, Gregory the Theologian, Simeon the New Theologian... Of course, we have theological faculties, which riveted new theologians every year. But with all due respect to them, the Church calls only a few saints great "Theologians". Therefore, the icon is both theology and prayer. Even when it is made (we know all the stages of making a board, gesso and paints) - all this is accompanied not just by prayer, but by a special ascetic state of the icon painter, from which he has no right to leave.

By the way, I also drew all my life and especially respected such symbolic variants of writing, that is, meaningful ones. And when the question arose about my baptism, the priest, seeing all my artistic aspirations, purposefully chose St. Andrei Rublev as my patron saint. I confess that I myself had an idea to do this seriously, and even I tried to do something myself, but for many, many years I have had to deal with counteracting destructive religious organizations and cults ... The fight against sects is a completely different area, and, alas, it takes all the power. But we have no right to abandon this struggle for the spiritual security of the peoples of Russia. If not us, then who then?

- Thank you, father Andrei, for this conversation, and once again accept our congratulations on your name day, Angel Day!

As far as I understand, your Orthodox information portal "Rublev" is also named after St. Andrei Rublev? That is, your editorial office also has a name day today. Therefore, for my part, I congratulate your team and your readers. God bless you!

Photo: personal archive of Fr. Andrei Khvyl-Olinter, A. Egortsev

A priest is not just a profession, but a choice of the whole life path. Few are capable of it, because it requires not only certain knowledge and skills, but also a general propensity for ordination, spirituality, responsibility and maturity. There are many common questions regarding church ministry. In particular, how to become a priest without a seminary? At what age can one choose such a profession? There are other questions, and all of them, no doubt, require detailed and thorough answers. So let's find out how to become a priest, and who can devote himself to serving the church.

Almost every man can devote himself to serving the church if he wishes. However, this path is not easy and requires great endurance and faith. Even before receiving a theological education, a priest must show an inclination to serve, cultivate high moral qualities, tame his base and sinful aspirations, and, of course, attend church often. It would be better if he studied church books and hymns in advance, familiarized himself with how the service was performed, and so on. This will greatly facilitate further learning.

Finding a profession and admission

Those who are wondering how to become a priest in Russia need to know certain rules. The primary task is to get an education in a theological seminary. Applicants must comply with the following rules:

age: 18 to 35 years old, male;

marital status: married for the first time or single;

After providing all the required papers, the applicant undergoes an interview, which assesses the motives for admission, the sincerity of intentions, as well as the ability to correctly and coherently express their thoughts.

The entrance examinations evaluate knowledge of the Old and New Testaments, the Catechism and the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. In addition, applicants must pass a written exam - a presentation on a church-historical or biblical topic. Knowledge of basic prayers and chants, as well as vocal data is checked. A mandatory requirement is the ability to read the Psalter in Church Slavonic.

How is the training going?

Those who are interested in how to become a priest should also know the conditions of study in the seminary. Entrance exams are held in August. Classes, as in other educational institutions, begin on the first of September. Studying in the seminary is a tough test of faith and the correctness of the choice of the life path. Strict discipline reigns in it, and not everyone can go through this stage to the end.

Note that students who come from other cities receive a place in a hostel for all five years of study. Naturally, seminarians must strictly observe the rules of living in it, in particular, nights must be spent in their room.

All students receive a scholarship. Young people who have completed training can expect to be ordained to the priesthood. This is possible only after passing confession and passing another exam. At the same time, we note that studying in the seminary does not guarantee the obligatory receipt of the dignity.

Parish priest or monk?

Even before graduating from seminary, students must determine whether they intend to marry. This decision is very responsible, for it is no longer possible to change one's marital status after initiation. So, the future minister of the church must either choose the path of a monk who is forbidden to marry, or marry and become a parish priest. At the same time, absolute monogamy is assumed not only from the man ordained to the dignity (he cannot dissolve the marriage or remarry even in the case of widowhood), but also from his wife: she must not be a widow or divorced.

What happens after graduation from seminary?

After completing their education, graduates are distributed by parishes, to which they are attached. With the course of service, it becomes possible to receive a new rank. The first level of the church hierarchy is the deacon. It is followed directly by the laying on of hands. And the highest degree of priesthood is the rank of bishop. At the same time, those who wish to know how to become a priest need to know one more detail.

Monks (those who have chosen celibacy) have more opportunities to move up in the church hierarchy. Only they have a chance to become a bishop and become a metropolitan, heading an entire diocese. In addition, the Patriarch is chosen exclusively from the monks. If a graduate has chosen the path of a married parish priest, he cannot rise above the archpriest in the position of rector.

Is it possible to become a priest without special spiritual education?

There is a question that interests many who want to devote themselves to the church. It sounds like this: “Is it possible and how to become a priest without a seminary?” In fact, this is possible, but only on the condition that the head of his parish personally performs the rite of passage. It should be noted right away that receiving the dignity in this way is practiced in very few churches. So, one cannot do without a special theological education in the seminary. This is an indispensable condition for receiving dignity.

Spiritual education in Belarus

For many, the important question is how to become a priest in Belarus. In this country there are a large number of relevant institutions in which those who wish to devote themselves to the church can study. Let's try to list them. So, in Belarus now there are three schools located in Minsk, Vitebsk and Slonim. In addition, a seminary and a theological academy operate in the capital. We also need to mention the Institute of Theology at the Belarusian State University.

At the same time, only men with higher theological education are admitted to the Academy. The future priest must be single or be in the first marriage, be sure to be baptized. The seminary of Minsk accepts both those who have a higher education and those who have only a secondary theological education. In addition, only those who served in the army or are documented released from it can get here. It should be noted that girls can also enter some departments of theological schools.

Thus, the choice of educational institutions is great, and here everything is also primarily determined by the sincerity of the motives and faith of the future clergyman.

What about Catholics?

Those who are interested in how to become a Catholic priest need to know some of the nuances. The path to service in the church is even more difficult than is customary in Orthodoxy. The first difference is that there is no so-called white clergy in Catholicism. Thus, a priest cannot create a family. The training of future ministers of the church takes place in seminaries, which can be entered either after receiving a higher education, or after graduating from a gymnasium.

In the first case, the training will take four years, in the second - eight. It is worth noting that a young man who wants to come to the seminary must already be a zealous Catholic and actively participate in parish life for at least two years. After completing the training, the future priest must serve in the church as a deacon for six months and make sure that the chosen path is correct. After this time, the rite of ordination to the dignity and appointment to a particular parish are performed.

Thus, the path of a Catholic pastor, although not in many ways, is different from how to become an Orthodox priest.

Age restrictions

As already mentioned in the article, only a man aged at least 18 and no older than 35 can enter the seminary, that is, after graduating, you can become a priest at 40 or earlier. However, some people begin to feel attracted to this vocation much later than the established dates. They ask the question: "Is it possible in this case to become a priest?"

An option for such people may be distance learning at the Theological Academy - there the age limit is up to 55 years. But there is one condition: the applicant must carry out parish obedience, and this must be documented. Even after admission, you must annually provide a reference from the place of obedience, and it must be certified by the ruling bishop.

In any case, the issue of priesthood after the established deadlines must be decided on an individual basis.

How to become a priest's wife?

Many believing girls want to marry a priest. However, such a life is also a kind of vocation, and not everyone is ready for this. But for those who are still interested in how to become a priest's wife, you need to know some details.

First of all, it should be understood that a young person studying at a theological seminary cannot make acquaintances in the usual way, for example, by attending parties or concerts. The brides of future priests are usually girls from believing families who attend church or the regency class at the seminary. As we have already mentioned, the chosen one of the priest cannot be a widow or a divorcee and, moreover, must be a virgin, however, like her fiancé. At the same time, only the rector can give permission for a seminarian to marry.

By the way, there are certain requirements for the profession of the future wife of a priest. She should not compromise her husband in any way. And before there was a prescription forbidding church ministers to marry actresses, this profession was considered unworthy.

Be that as it may, girls who want to join their fate with a priest must be aware that this choice is fraught with certain difficulties. For example, a wife should follow her husband to any parish, even the most remote and poor, and not complain that her husband pays much more attention to other people.

In addition, the life of Matushka often causes discussion among church parishioners, she is always in sight. Thus, this path involves high responsibility and requires great moral strength and endurance in order to be not just a companion, but also a support and a reliable rear for your spouse.

Profession or vocation?

Now we know how a person can become a priest. However, certain moral qualities should also be added to the list of basic requirements: fortitude, patience, the desire to help in word and deed, love for people. Those who wish to become priests must be prepared to live according to special canons, to voluntarily renounce many joys and pleasures.

Not everyone is ready for such steps. And they should be performed exclusively at the behest of the heart, only then this path becomes truly righteous and good. And then the question of how to become a priest and how difficult it is fades into the background. And the desire to adequately prove oneself in this difficult field is already becoming paramount. Thus, the priesthood is not primarily a profession, but a vocation and a choice that determines a person's whole life.

Probably, before each person the question arose about the meaning of his own life - at some point more acutely, at some less. But the direction of human activity, human existence depends on the solution of this issue.

Life self-determination begins from childhood. A person learns the world, its good and negative sides. And in this process of cognition, it is important to make your own choice in the system of value orientation: what exactly, good or evil, he will bring to the world of human relationships. What will be guided in their actions - the motives of love or the motives of selfishness.

It is generally accepted that the most important step in personal self-determination is the choice of a profession. Each profession is associated with a certain type of activity, which carries a certain moral burden. Undoubtedly, the professions of a doctor and a school teacher differ in their nature from many others. Their activity is based on self-giving, love, compassion. The specificity of the work of a teacher or a doctor is that it requires not only the amount of professional knowledge, but also a kind loving heart. It is it that helps to do the impossible: to relentlessly sit at the bedside of the patient, experience and rejoice, endure and admire.

There is another area of ​​human activity that requires more dedication, more love and purity of heart - this is the ministry of a priest. And just as the representatives of secular professions once made an important decision in choosing the way of their activity, so the clergyman decided once and for all to connect his life with serving God and people.

When does this choice take place? It's probably different for everyone. But there is one point, which is decisive - this is the inner Divine call. At the moment of this call, a person feels how the One Who is the Source of life places special hopes on him in terms of cooperation in the cause of good. He seems to hear a Divine voice: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?" (Isaiah 6:1).

This ministry is not easy, and just as professional work is preceded by education, so pastoral work involves a process of preparation. What is it? In Christian theological terminology, this process is called "spiritual education." Spiritual education is specific. It is based on two components: intellectual and moral perfection. And these two aspects are inseparable from each other. The purpose of secular education is the acquisition of the amount of knowledge necessary for a particular profession. However, pastoral ministry requires more than just that. A priest must be, above all, morally perfect. What distinguishes the best graduate of a secular educational institution? - High level of education. On the contrary, the best graduate of a spiritual educational institution will be the one who, in the process of learning, strives to acquire a kind and loving heart, a firm and unshakable faith in God.

Traditionally in the Church spiritual education is acquired in theological schools. They can be divided into three groups: Theological Schools (special secondary), Theological Seminaries (higher professional) and Theological Academies (higher theological). The main educational and educational load falls on the Theological Seminaries, on the activities of which we will focus our attention. There are about thirty Theological Seminaries on the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church. The number of such theological schools is from eighty to five hundred people. The purpose of the activity of the Seminary is undoubtedly the spiritual education of the future pastors of the Church.

What is Spiritual Education? The answer to this question is deeply rooted in Christian theology. According to the Bible, man is called to be like God, that is, the whole meaning of his being lies in the constant striving for perfection, and in this movement there is only one guideline - the Divine image. Consequently, the basis of spiritual education is, first of all, the personal moral perfection of a person, and only then intellectual knowledge.

Unfortunately, in the secular education system, the aspect of moral preparation is practically omitted. Undoubtedly, such a phenomenon is a consequence of the culture that determines social consciousness. The ideal of modern society is the image of a materially prosperous person. We can say that the relationship of modern man to the outside world is based on the principle of "to have". It is he, as an integral aspect of consumer culture, that forms the attitude of the younger generation to education. Therefore, in modern society, those professions that provide a carefree and carefree lifestyle are popular.

Christian philosophy suggests looking at the world through different eyes. Man exists on earth not to consume, but to give his strength to serve others. At the same time, the quality of this service depends on the degree of formation of the personality itself. Therefore, the system of spiritual education is not conceivable without internal moral perfection. A person should base his relations to the surrounding world not on the principle of "to have", but on the principle of "to be", but this requires a long and stubborn struggle with his egoism. If there is no such struggle, the degradation of the personality is inevitable. Just as the muscles of a person atrophy with complete inactivity, so the strength of the soul, in the absence of the desire for self-improvement, makes it incapable of resisting evil and doing good. It is this important aspect of education that has been lost in secular educational institutions, but traditionally existed and still exists in spiritual institutions - theological schools.

So, the basis of human existence, according to Christian theology, is the striving for perfection. Perfection itself is impossible without Divine help. This is the defining landmark of spiritual education.

How is this improvement carried out? The beginning of this path lies in the meeting with Christ. Actually, Christians are not called those who recognize the uniqueness of the person of Christ, but those who need Him, who feel His participation in their personal lives.

According to Christian anthropology, Divine grace is not something external to man, it is a force without which man is deprived of the basis of his being. And this grace-filled power, once lost by Adam and Eve, was again returned thanks to the Person of Christ the Savior. This emphasizes the uniqueness of the Christian religion. If in Buddhism - Buddha, and in Islam - the Prophet Muhammad, they are only teachers-preachers, then in Christianity the main emphasis is on the importance of mystical union with the Personality of Christ, outside of which a person is not capable of perfection. Christ says: "I am the vine, and you are the branches; whoever abides in Me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:15).

Where is the meeting with Christ? Of course, in the temple. Therefore, here is the main "audience" of the seminarian. Participation in worship, in the sacraments of the Church, fasting, prayer - all these are the main components of spiritual education. In this regard, it is the criterion of churchness that serves as the basis for admission to the Seminary. The applicant must know not only the main features of the sequence of worship, but also take a direct part in it, not only regularly attend church services, but also love their atmosphere, their inner essence.

Thus, spiritual perfection has two components - the personal striving of the will and the help of Divine grace. The personal striving of the will, in contrast to the action of Divine grace, is characterized by its instability. Man, being weak in the choice of good, needs external support, external conditions that contribute to his internal development. In religious schools such conditions exist, and one of their aspects is strict internal discipline.

Seminary, the inner way of her life, often resembles the army. There is a clear daily routine, there is a system of rewards and punishments, students have the same uniform. The image of a warrior is not accidentally borrowed by Christianity. The ancient Church was identified with a military camp, constantly in full combat readiness. Yes, and the clergy themselves are often called the soldiers of Christ. Of course, all these analogies have a symbolic meaning. Both the image of a warrior and the image of a military camp reflect the spirit of unity, constant readiness to attack the enemy and, of course, good internal preparation, hardening and courage.

The life of a Christian is a struggle. And this struggle, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, "is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spirits of wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). In such a struggle, the priest is the commander, on whom the outcome of the battle often depends. Therefore, in battle, the enemy tries to hit him, and in this regard, it is he, like no one else, who needs to be especially vigilant, especially prepared.

Something similar happens in the Christian life. The church community is centered around the priest. He is the leader of the spiritual life of the members of his parish. In him they see an example to follow and a prayer book before God. Undoubtedly, this is a very high service, requiring special inner talents, special inner strengths. Considering the height of pastoral ministry, the Church pays special attention to the moral life of students of theological schools. Teachers and educators are indirectly responsible for who will continue the work of Christ. What if this person turns out not to be a shepherd, but a hireling, what if, through his fault, people turn away from God? The price of a mistake is too high - this is the life of many people who are plunged into death through the fault of a negligent shepherd.

That is why there is a careful selection and strict discipline in theological schools. Both educators and teachers feel a special responsibility for those who have expressed a desire to become a clergyman. And if a young person cannot do what he has started, if he does not correspond to such a high rank, then he is excluded from the number of pupils of the Theological School. This exclusion is not from the Church, it is not caused by personal condemnation and contempt: in this case, everyone understands perfectly well that not only his personal salvation depends on the moral life of the priest, but also the salvation of those people who are entrusted to him by God in this or that parish.

The situation in modern theological schools is not simple. Young people of varying degrees of morality and religiosity come here. As a rule, these are guys of eighteen - twenty years old who were brought up in a society dominated by material and hedonic values. And it was into their world that the ray of the Divine call penetrated, to which they responded, thanks to which they entered the Theological Schools. Now they are faced with a difficult task - personal improvement. The difficulty of this task lies in the fact that all modern culture deprives a person of the experience of striving for a moral ideal, so they come to theological school not fully prepared. Here, in the Seminary, students have to learn the basics of the ascetic way of life and acquire the first skills of spiritual struggle with their passions.

Given these circumstances, one should not have any illusions about the ideal atmosphere of a seminary society. Some of those who have come here assimilate the world of the Church, while others, on the contrary, continue to live by the old values ​​that are contrary to the Christian spirit. Someone copes with himself, someone suffers defeats. This is fine. The main thing is not to lose aspirations, not to lose desire, not to become lukewarm, indifferent to one's condition, that is, simply not to give up. After all, the Church is called holy not because its members have absolute holiness, but because they strive for holiness. Similarly, the seminary society is not a society of the perfect, but of those who are improving, both intellectually and morally.

Yes, the ideal of a priest is high. The path to it is very difficult. Here a person overcomes the most important obstacles - his own passions and selfishness. But it must always be remembered that there is no higher service than that of a good shepherd, and there is no more worthy title than that of a priest. For in this service a person becomes a friend and co-worker of God, both in the matter of his own salvation and in the matter of selfless and selfless service to other people.