Archpriest Andrei Tkachev: biography, family. Orthodox sermons

As Solomon once said, everything is already written and known for a long time, however, in spite of this, Protopriest Andrey Tkachev, whose biography has recently become familiar not only to Ukrainians, but also to Russians, does not stop and is not afraid to repeat what was said before. He serves, writes books and actively preaches, appealing to the heart of modern man and trying to learn it.

We will get acquainted with the creative and vital baggage of this remarkable person, writer, preacher, missionary and true shepherd.

The beginning of the life path. Archpriest Andrei Tkachev

His biography began on December 30, 1960. It was then that a future priest was born in the beautiful Ukrainian city of Lviv in a Russian-speaking family. Parents who wanted the boy to make a military career, at the age of 15, he was sent to study at the Suvorov School in Moscow.

After graduating from a severe military school, following the wishes of his parents, Andrei continued his education in this difficult craft in the walls of the Military Red Banner Institute of the Ministry of Defense. For some time he studied at the department, engaged in the training of specialists in special propaganda with a complex specialization in the Persian language.

This period of Andrei Tkachev's life provided him with an excellent foundation for further literary development, as he said in his interviews. Then there was an acquaintance of the future priest with the works of Russian classics, which had a huge impact on his worldview. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that, not having graduated from the institute, he left the path of the military because of his reluctance to continue his studies and chose a different path. Apparently, the soul of the future shepherd always went to battle, but not terrestrial, but spiritual, more complex and unpredictable.

Choice of vocation

After serving in the army, Andrei Tkachev in 1992 entered the Kiev Theological Seminary. Two years of study in it give him many new acquaintances with people who also chose a pastoral mission. Andrei's close friends include Archimandrite Kirill (Govorun), the brothers Sofiychuk.

The future pastor perfectly combines his studies with the ministry in the temple, in the spring of 1993 he takes the deacon's consecration, and a little later, in six months, becomes a priest. It was then that the staff of the servants of the Lviv church of St. George was joined by Archpriest Andrey Tkachev. Biography indicates that he dedicated this temple to twelve years of his life.

This period is also significant in that Father Andrey has a family. It is noteworthy that the priest is not particularly concerned about it. It is known only that he is married and is the father of four children.

Missionary Activities

This period was very busy both for Ukraine as a whole and for Andrei Tkachev, who in the difficult era of change begins his pastoral service, realizing it not only in the temple, but also in the world. He leads an active missionary activity, backed up by his own literary works. The sermons of Father Andrey are widely known far beyond his hometown. The man himself in his interviews notes that he did not elect the missionary's activity. The latter itself "chose".

The active position of the Orthodox priest, who is not afraid to call things by their own names and does not flirt with the public, has opened up new opportunities for him. The first of them was an invitation to work on one of the Kiev television channels.

Work on TV

Here, Protopriest Andrey Tkachev, whose biography was supplemented by another remarkable fact, received an excellent opportunity in telecasts to briefly, but simultaneously capaciously speak on the most diverse topics of concern to modern people.

This goal was served by a teleproject entitled "On a Dream Come", which was led by Father Andrei. Before going to bed, viewers had an excellent opportunity in a ten-minute conversation with the priest to discover something new for themselves, to hear answers to their questions.

The show found its viewers. Grateful responses were showered. These spiritual evening conversations with the priest about the events of the past day, about the issues that life poses to a person, opened the door for the audience in a completely different world. Andrei Tkachev in laconic form could tell about the life of the saints, about prayer and interpretation of the sacred lines of the Gospel. In these ten minutes, invested so much that it is impossible to imagine. Moreover, the conversations "For a dream to come" did not carry any moralizing or edifying character, but at the same time they attracted the audience with their thoughtfulness and obvious soul-saving effect.

Later on the Ukrainian channel "Kievan Rus" appears another project called "Garden of divine songs." Here in the spiritually cognitive form Andrei Tkachev introduces the audience into the depths of knowledge of the Psalter. While reading the psalms, the priest not only tries to explain what is being said in them, but also penetrates into the very depth of the content, linking them with the events of the time when they were created.

Moving to Kiev

Work on television, which brought the priest a fame, at the same time created him a lot of problems. Having no place to live in Kiev, Andrei Tkachev had to come every week from Lviv.

This went on for six long years. Finally, in 2005, the charter was torn between two cities, he received an absentee certificate issued by the Lviv diocese and moved to the capital. The step was rather risky, because at that time there were no directions and parishes for Father Andrew.

For some time he served in several temples. But a month later the priest was invited to serve in the church of Agapit of Pechersky, later on the permission of the Kiev metropolis, he becomes a clergyman, and in 2006 - a rector.

In 2007, Father Andrey took over another temple under construction, named after Archbishop Luke Voino-Yasenetsky.

Active and selfless service brought Andrei Tkachev a special award - the miter, which was awarded to him in 2011 by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.

In 2013, the archpriest takes over the leadership of the missionary department of the Kyiv diocese.

Writer and journalist

This is another role that Andrei Tkachev (archpriest) has. Books open one more aspect of his service to God, because in them he tries to reach out to his contemporary. The author, calling himself a journalist, writes about the topical and actual, about what everyone has heard, but at the same time tries to ensure that in every story, short story there is at least a drop of eternity. It is this quality that allows the product to survive. Andrei Tkachev, as he himself says, wants to write today about today, but so that it would be interesting and in a hundred years.

"Return to Paradise", "Letter to God", "We are eternal! Even if we do not want to "- all these names are a vivid confirmation of what their author wants to say - Andrey Tkachev (archpriest). These books are the fruit of the author's reflections, embodied in the stories. They, as a rule, are small, but very colorful and capacious, they convey events and individual episodes from life as holy ascetics, as well as ordinary Orthodox people - our contemporaries who came to faith and live according to the commandments of Christ.

Many books are written in the form of a dialogue with the priest and are built from the answers to the questions posed. The last is a great variety, the topics are very different: about the complexes, the birth of children, about art, attitude to sports, about sex relations, etc. In addition to such everyday themes there are deeper: about life and death, God and questions to him, old age And passion, etc.

The author, an Orthodox priest living in the world, knows human passions and problems, misfortunes and misfortunes. But at the same time he knows them much deeper than ordinary laymen, and therefore knows the answers to many seemingly incomprehensible questions.

In addition to books, Archpriest Andrei Tkachev also takes part in the work of Orthodox sites and magazines. His articles and interviews can often be found on the portals Pravoslavie.ru, Pravmir.ru. His participation in the upbringing of the youth takes the priest with the help of Orthodox journals. One of such widely known projects is Otrok.ua. Father Andrey has been working here for many years as a member of the editorial staff and permanent author.

About Skovoroda

A special controversy was caused by the book "The Fugitive from the World". Archpriest Andrei Tkachev is not afraid of resorting to complex and taboo topics. Here we are talking about the bright personality of the eighteenth century - Grigory Skovoroda.

Considering as if through a magnifying glass the personality of a philosopher, Andrei Tkachev does not sing to him praises, as many of his predecessors did. He only marks love for Skovoroda almost all - from nationalists to Communists, and they do not like from a great mind or from what they read, but just like that.

The priest, as usual, looks at things sensibly and notes that reading Grigory Savich is not an easy task, and he himself is by no means as harmless as it seems, but he is worthy to read. However, one should approach this "immersion" with prayer.

Sermons and talks

A special place in the missionary work is occupied with the sermons of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev. The priest addresses to the most different people. Among its listeners are parishioners of temples and atheists, students and pensioners, representatives of the most diverse social strata and faiths.

He does not try to embellish anything or persuade listeners. Father Andrew says clearly, clearly, capaciously and so that everyone will hear and will understand: there is not much time left, and nobody will lisp with him.

Such a radical position makes the preaching of Protopriest Andrei Tkachev especially popular and ambiguous. His understandable and modern language, seasoned with citations of thinkers of antiquity, destroys illusions, reveals a real picture of the world and makes it possible to realize the regularity and inevitability of many events.

About love for people

In his sermon, "How to learn to love people?" Protopriest Andrei Tkachev raises one of such important questions that many people who have embarked on the path of faith ask themselves. Today, people, spoiled by the housing issue, lost themselves and their landmarks. And living in a sort of "hive", in which there is no love, you need to be able to find yourself. For this you need to leave, but not for long. Such remoteness from people gives the person the opportunity to recover.

The conversations of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev make it possible to trace the idea that loneliness and society are two sides of the same coin, absolutely impossible without each other. Personality is tempered in communication, but grows away from it. A person apart from society needs loneliness. Life in the crowd gives rise to such a dangerous disease as underdevelopment of the person. A person needs spiritual health, for the preservation of which one must retire to stop becoming infected with other bad thoughts, passions and other nonsense from others.

Social network "Elytsy"

Andrei Tkachev's activity is a clear indication that he, in his pastoral ministry, uses every means available to modern man: preaching in the temples, television programs, books, websites and even social networks.

Elitsy.ru is one of the newest projects of the restless missionary thinker. Here, network users get a great opportunity not only to listen to the instructions of Protopriest Andrei Tkachev, but also to ask him questions. Every morning, visitors to the site can receive a farewell message in the form of wishes and reasoning.

Where is Andrei Tkachev now?

The archpriest left Ukraine in the summer of 2014, hiding from the persecution that began in the country after the events of the Maidan. Considering the fact that Father Andrey always openly expresses his opinion, he was not afraid to express a negative attitude to the revolutionary events taking place at that time in Kiev. This was one of the reasons for the persecution of the Orthodox priest by representatives of the Kyivan authorities. As a result, he moved to live in Russia and served for some time in the walls of the house church of the martyr Tatiana, who was created at the Moscow State University.

Now the place where Archpriest Andrey Tkachev serves, is in the heart of Moscow - in the area of the Assumption Vrazhka. In the Temple of the Resurrection of the Speaker, the priest continues to bear his pastoral duty. In addition, he continues to preach from the media: he is broadcasting on television, taking part in the work of one of the Orthodox channels (Soyuz), as well as Radio Radonezh.

Pushing aside the Pharisaic authorities and ostentatious correctness, he talks about the main thing, and does it so that it is simply impossible not to hear him. He wakes us up today, shakes his shoulders, invigorates his harsh words and unflattering comparisons.