Sikharhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko: pages of life, instructions

In 1928 in the village of Ekaterinovka Krasnodar Territory an event took place that passed unnoticed for contemporaries. But, as it turned out later, that day was very significant - the Lord sent a true righteous man into the world, which from birth was the future elder Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko. But only did not remain accurate information, when exactly such a significant event occurred.

Birth of the servant of God Vitaly

Some argue that this, the second child in the family of a peasant Nikolai Sidorenko and his wife Alexandra, was born on May 5, when the Church celebrated the day of the Monk Vitaly, and it was in his honor that the baby was named. However, some of the admirers prove that this event happened on the day of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, celebrated that year on June 3.

The reason for this disagreement will be discussed below, but, be that as it may, it is generally accepted that Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko, whose photo is adorned with this article, from the day of his birth became the abode of the Holy Spirit, descended on him in the womb of his mother. There are innumerable proofs of this.

It is told, for example, how shortly before the birth, his mother had a dream in which she saw two suns shining in the sky, and heard a wonderful voice proclaiming that one of them is now in her womb. They remembered fellow villagers and how the village priest, who performed the sacrament of baptism, was dumbfounded, when in the holy font the eight-day-old baby suddenly smiled and rose to his feet. There were many other signs of the holiness and God's chosenness of the child, which are remembered and revered with reverence.

The First Life Habits

But the world is so organized-it is worthwhile to shine holiness, as soon as the enemy of man reveals its plots. Greedy and pomutil he heart of close people, his relatives on the paternal line - grandmother and two aunts. From birth they hated the child and with all the strength that their crafty demon gave them, they tried to lime him. But the Lord retained it by His great mercy, and in the future Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko, filled with the spirit of Christian forgiveness, prayed to God not to impute to them for sin past deeds, for "they did not know what they were doing."

During the war years, Vitaly, like many of his peers, lost his father, who died at the front, and the care of children fell entirely on the shoulders of his mother. Crying her widow's grief, she went headlong into a heavy hopeless work, which in the military and post-war years was the lot of millions of women. Life has coarsened her temper, dulled even a sense of maternal tenderness. Raising her sons, she often resorted to the help of a belt left in the house by her deceased husband. But these, often spanking schiarkhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko later recalled as a necessary life hardening.

The Young Preacher

Gifted from birth with a sharp mind and good memory, the boy perfectly studied, on the fly grasping all the explanations of the teachers. Even in the lower grades, when he had barely read the letter, he was addicted to reading the Gospel, which was kept in the house, but was very rare in those atheistic times. Unable to retain the impression of a holy book, he read it to classmates at school, to old women who arranged gatherings, and to all who were ready to listen to him.

In the country of "victorious socialism" such actions were regarded by the authorities as religious propaganda and could have the most disastrous consequences, since they were included in the number of unlawful acts provided for by the Criminal Code. Mother, aware of all the danger, which Vitaly subjected himself to, hid the Gospel from him, but the boy found him and stubbornly stood his ground.

Until some time this went to him with impunity, but for a long time this could not continue. It ended with the fact that Vitaly was expelled from school, as he put his teachers and teachers in gospel readings and religious conversations. Even those who sympathized with the young confessor in their hearts did not want to become his involuntary accomplices.

The beginning of the wanderings

With work on the collective farm, where he worked at the age of nine, also failed. The boy tried not to miss a single patronal feast in neighboring villages, and, visiting them, he was forced to skip work, which at that time was considered as sabotage, and was strictly punished.

Detached by the school and society and not finding support in their religious aspirations, even with their own mother, Vitaly decided to entrust himself with the feat of wanderings, of which he had heard and read many hardships. Having bowed to the walls of his home, and mentally asked for the blessings of the Most Holy Theotokos, still a young boy, he went to a world created by God, but rejected His holy name.

Wanting to fully experience himself as a warrior of the King of Heaven, he deliberately refused everything that connected man with the God-oppressive power that reigned in the country. In particular, Vitaly broke and threw out his passport, thereby placing himself in an illegal position. It is this step that explains the difficulties in establishing the exact date of birth. From now on, in his wanderings, he was doomed to avoid meetings with representatives of the authorities, who demanded to present documents at every step.

Blessing on a hard and thorny path

Shortly before the end of the war, the ways of wandering led Vitaly, sixteen, to Taganrog, where he happened to meet with the elder Alex's father, who was tied up there. Deprived of in the front of view, this truly God-given man invariably amazed those around him with his gift of spiritual vision, unerringly predicting the future and revealing to the people who came to him the fates of people close to them who fought the enemy.

Already in our days were written and published from the press numerous books about schiarkhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko. In them, this episode is invariably cited as one of the main moments of his life. The significance of the meeting is that the blind elder Alexis, foreseeing the vessel of the Grace of God in Vitaly, was the first to bless the young wanderer on the path of monasticism, hard at all times, and in the years of religious persecutions, especially thorny.

Stay in the holy abodes

Spending four more years, spending the night where to eat and feeding on God's name (Christ's alms-giving), in 1948 Vitaly came to the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, which had just opened and lay in ruins. With his young, strong hands, he worked hard to restore the war-wounded walls, which earned him universal love and gratitude, but the brothers could not leave the brisk young man in his place - having accepted a man without documents, they violated the law and put the whole monastery under attack.

On the advice of the abbot of the laurels, Vitaly went to the deaf forests of the Kursk diocese, where away from the close gaze of Soviet power hid the Glinsky male abode. It was she who was chosen by her retinue future Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko. The book about his life, published in 2004 by the printing house of the Novospassky Monastery, describes in detail the difficult and full of hardships life in which a young traveler has plunged.

Sometimes he, like all other inhabitants, had to settle for a few days only with a piece of stale bread or boiled beets, and sometimes even starving altogether. But for him it was a great happiness that the Lord granted him to live in a holy place.

Here, under the tutelage of wise elders, he comprehended the difficult science of monastic ministry. Resigned to pride, obediently obedience related to the most difficult and dirty work, but, most importantly, he was trained in incessant prayer, which allowed to feel an inseparable union with God. This went on until 1961, when on the wave of another anti-religious company, the Glinskaya Pustyn was closed.

In the Caucasus Mountains

In those years when most of the monasteries were abolished, and solitary desert life was often the only way to preserve the monastic order of life. In this regard , Vitaly's spiritual guide, hieromonk, Father Seraphim, sent him to the Caucasus, where far away in the mountains the monks, who had chosen this path of religious service, were tied up. He was also joined by future Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko.

The book, which became a detailed description of the circumstances of his life (mentioned above), tells how, at night before departure, two elders from the cloister ruined by the authorities of the Glin monastery, secretly tonsured him as a monk, and how pious women who met him in Sukhumi led to the mountains . Voluntary hermits greeted the visitor cordially and provided first aid in settling in a new place.

Among all, what filled the new life schiarkhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko, the prayer took the main place. It began at four o'clock in the morning with the reading of the cell rule and ended at a deep night, leaving time only for the most urgent business matters. Strict asceticism, in which the newly arrived monk embodied his existence, struck the rest of the members of their small brethren. In food and clothes he was satisfied with only the most necessary, willingly giving out to others even what he needed himself.

The First Steps of Spiritual Mentoring

Soon, fearing possible reprisals from the local authorities, the brothers left a hardly lived place, went even further in the intermountain of the Azanta River. He retired with them to the wild, uninhabited region and Shiarhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko. Prayer and incessant meditation, combined with hard work connected with the production of food, here, as in the previous place, became his permanent destiny.

Despite the remoteness of the place and the absence of not only the roads leading to their refuge, but even barely noticeable paths, people eventually sought refuge with the hermits seeking spiritual support and support. A special reverence among those who visited was enjoyed by Shikharhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko. The book, published by the Novospassky monastery, paints a picture of how reverent the spiritual advisers came to him, and with what warmth and cordiality they were addressed to all those who arrived.

Serving in the Tbilisi church

In July 1969, Father Vitaly accepted the schema, thus rising to the highest level of monastic ministry. Shortly thereafter, after leaving his cell lost in the mountains, he came to Tbilisi, where he was cordially welcomed by the then head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Zinovy. From this time on he devoted himself entirely to pastoral service. Many who still live today, the spiritual children of Shikharchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko remember with what dedication that he helped them endure life's trials and tribulations.

However, universal love could not ease his daily life. Still without a passport and being thus outlawed, Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko could not even get a temporary residence permit and constantly changed his place of residence, taking advantage of the hospitality of pious parishioners.

Savior is saved by Metropolitan Seraphim. With great difficulty, he managed to straighten out the documents for the "passportless monk" - the so-called police officers. But it was even more difficult to persuade Father Vitaly himself to take such signs of God-oppressive power that he hated. He was not intimidated by the prospect of being imprisoned, but he really was afraid of losing the opportunity to communicate with his spiritual children. This argument was also used by the Bishop.

The last period of life of the elder Vitaly

Having received the legality necessary for any person, the father settled in Didube settlement on the outskirts of Tbilisi. His glory of a wise and perspicacious old man, capable of foreseeing the future with a spiritual vision, stepped far beyond the borders of Georgia. From all corners of the country people came to him, thirsting for instruction, comfort, ease of conscience in the sacrament of confession, or wise advice in a difficult life situation. In addition, it was clearly observed that the prayer of Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko miraculously carried healing even to hopeless patients.

In the seventies, the priest repeatedly came to Russia. The purpose of one of these trips was the restoration of the church in the village of Burdino, Lipetsk region. Returned to believers in 1945, for lack of funds for restoration, he remained in ruins for thirty years. For his spiritual father stretched and his numerous children. Having gathered from all parts of the country, they, with their own hands and with their own donations, restored the defeated shrine.

In addition, during the last period of his life the priest had two years to live in the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, where he stopped, having arrived in Moscow for the treatment of stomach disease. The walls of the ancient monastery were memorable to him on days of youth, when he was in them a twenty-year-old wanderer. Unfortunately, the years of deprivation have had such a detrimental effect on his health, that the doctors of the capital's clinics were powerless.

Teachings and prayers, embodied in themselves the gospel truths

The cross of the eldership, accepted from the first days when people lurched into its secret cell, was carried to the end of his life by Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko. The teachings and instructions addressed to the spiritual children were subsequently compiled not by one collection, which became the reference book of his admirers.

Many people know his words about the fact that every day should be lived as if it is the last one, and upon its completion should appear before the Heavenly Judge. Or do they remember the wise teachings not to argue with blaming and contradicting people, not to be like them, but only to repeat mentally to Jesus' prayer. At first glance, they do not seem original, but this happens solely because the teachings of the gospel are based on eternal gospel truths.

Prayer to many is also the blessing of the house of Shiarchimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko. In the Orthodox tradition, it is customary to consecrate each new dwelling, and previously built periodically cleanse the name of the Lord from the presence of the forces of darkness. Known a number of sacred texts spoken in the performance of this rite. Their number has replenished and schiarkhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko. The prayer for the blessing of the house, compiled by him, according to the testimony of many, brings peace, peace and prosperity to the homes of believers, and those who keep the commandments of God.

In anticipation of the crown of holiness

His father's earthly journey ended on December 1, 1992, at the age of sixty-four. For several days people went to the Tbilisi church of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, where a coffin with his body was exposed.

Schiarkhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko, whose canonization by the Georgian Orthodox Church is only a matter of time, even during his lifetime was a model of true holiness. Proof of this can be witnessed by many miracles, occurred according to his prayers. And not far off is the day when in the Orthodox churches an acathist will be heard by the sniikhimandrite Vitaly Sidorenko, who has acquired eternal life with selfless service to God.