Bishop John, in the absence of special transport, the clergy were able to visit the family of reindeer herders due to the fact that the camp was located near the village of Sovetsky, 25 kilometers from Vorkuta.

“We went in 30-degree frost and in this ringing silence we saw a bright rainbow,” said the Bishop of Vorkuta. “For us, this was a sign that the Lord God was blessing us to communicate with the reindeer herders. When we got to the camp, it turned out that they were Khanty - a nomadic family from Yamal. We were met by the head of the family, Mikhail, with his wife Olga, daughter-in-law Maria and grandchildren. We brought them some food, toys for the children and the New Testament in Russian. We were pleased that the family turned out to be Orthodox. It is no secret that many reindeer herders in the North are converted to Protestantism and Baptistism. Our task is to carry out missionary work among reindeer herders throughout the North, Nenets and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug to return them to the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

The head of the department for church-state relations of the Vorkuta diocese, Abbot Nikolai (Belovolov), who accompanied the bishop on the trip, told Komiinform about an interesting conversation that took place with the head of the family, Mikhail.

“At first they didn’t understand who we were, but when they found out that they were talking with Bishop John of Vorkuta and Usinsk, they were delighted,” said Abbot Nikolai. – There were icons in the red corner of the tent. It is noteworthy that it is not customary for reindeer herders to walk between the potbelly stove and the red corner. This is prohibited and is considered an insult to religious feelings.”

The head of the family, Mikhail, said that he arrived in Vorkuta from Salekhard to see how comfortable life is for reindeer herders in the Arctic. However, having studied the situation, he came to the conclusion that staying in the Arctic was not economically profitable for him: he called the prices for venison extortionate. In Komi, venison is accepted at 180 rubles per kilogram maximum, in Salekhard - 500. Antlers in the Arctic are accepted at 1.5 thousand rubles, in Salekhard - 2.5 thousand. In addition, the head of the family, accustomed to the forest, was embarrassed by the tundra, which was poor in wood.

“After talking, Mikhail told us the story of his miraculous healing,” Abbot Nikolai continued. “In winter, his snowmobile broke down, and as a result, from hypothermia, he fell ill with pneumonia and furunculosis. Michael took to his bed and while he was lying there he read the New Testament seven times. They tried to treat him in several hospitals, but he attributes his recovery precisely to Divine intervention. He says that the Lord God helped him.”

Finally, the owner of the plague told the clergy another “fresh” story that exists among reindeer herders. According to him, recently one of the reindeer herders who had converted to the Baptist Church, going into the tent to see his Orthodox relatives, began to say that icons should be burned, and then began to spit in their direction. After a while, the reindeer herder’s entire family drowned, and he himself accidentally shot himself.

Date of Birth: November 8, 1966 A country: Russia Biography:

In 1983-1988. studied at the Novosibirsk Electrotechnical Institute (NETI, since 1990 - NSTU). After graduating from the institute, he remained to work in a research laboratory and studied in graduate school (by correspondence). In 1994, he defended his dissertation for the degree of candidate of physical and mathematical sciences in the specialty “Radiophysics, including quantum radiophysics.” Until March 1998, he worked as a teacher at the departments of Applied and Theoretical Physics and Antenna Systems of NSTU, the last two years as an assistant professor.

In 1996, he passed obedience in churches and monasteries, and in 1997, he visited the Nikolo-Shartomsky Monastery in the Ivanovo region as a worker. Since September 1997, he studied at the Novosibirsk Orthodox Theological Institute and completed the first semester. On February 6, 1998, he again arrived at the Nikolo-Shartomsky Monastery for a permanent stay.

On April 17, 1998, in the Kazan Church of the St. Nicholas-Shartom Monastery, he was tonsured a monk with the name John in honor of John the Baptist.

May 24, 1998 in the Church of the Archangel Michael in the village. Archangel of Komsomolsky district, Ivanovo region. ordained to the rank of deacon, on October 4 in the Transfiguration Cathedral in Ivanovo by Archbishop Ambrose ordained to the rank of presbyter.

In 1998-2001 studied by correspondence in , in 2001-2005. - at the Moscow Theological Academy. In 2006, at the Moscow Theological Academy he defended his dissertation for the degree of candidate of theology on the topic “The experience of building a dogmatic system based on the works of St. Basil the Great.”

In 1998-1999 - teacher at the Ivanovo Orthodox Theological Institute of the Apostle John the Theologian. Since 1999 - first vice-rector of the institute. In 2001-2005 and 2007-2009. - director of a boarding school for boys at the Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery. In 2000-2005 taught at Ivanovo State University and Shuya State Pedagogical University, 2005-2014. - at the Alekseevsk Ivanovo-Voznesensk Orthodox Theological Seminary.

In June 1999, he was appointed acting. rector of the church under construction in honor of All Saints at Ivanovo State University. In 2005-2006 - rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in Ivanovo. Since 2009 - dean of the Resurrection Cathedral in Shuya.

Since 2011 - Dean of the Nikolo-Shartomsky Monastery.

April 20, 2016 during the Liturgy in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker p. Alferyevo, Teikovsky district, Ivanovo region. to the rank of archimandrite.

By Patriarchal decree of July 20, 2018, he was relieved of his post as rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Sviblovo, Moscow. By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill dated July 27, he was released from the management of the North-Eastern Vicariate and appointed manager of the South-Eastern Vicariate, the Vicariate of the New Territories of Moscow, as well as the deanery of stauropegial parishes and Patriarchal metochions in the Moscow region.

By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of January 24, 2019, he was released from the management of the South-Eastern Vicariate of Moscow, retaining for him the vicariate of the New Territories of Moscow, as well as the deanery of stauropegial parishes and Patriarchal metochions outside the city of Moscow.

Date of Birth: November 8, 1966 Ordination date: April 24, 2016 Date of tonsure: April 17, 1998 Day Angel: 11 September A country: Russia Biography:

In 1983-1988. studied at the Novosibirsk Electrotechnical Institute (NETI, since 1990 - NSGU). After graduating from the institute, he remained to work in a research laboratory and studied graduate school (by correspondence). In 1994, he defended his dissertation for the degree of candidate of physical and mathematical sciences in the specialty “Radiophysics, including quantum radiophysics.” Until March 1998, he worked as a teacher at the departments of Applied and Theoretical Physics and Antenna Systems of NSGU, the last two years as an assistant professor.

In 1996, he passed obedience in churches and monasteries of the Novosibirsk diocese, in 1997 he visited the Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery in the Ivanovo region as a laborer. Since September 1997, he studied at the Novosibirsk Orthodox Theological Institute and completed the first semester. On February 6, 1998, he again arrived at the Nikolo-Shartomsky Monastery for a permanent stay.

On April 17, 1998, in the Kazan Church of the Nikolo-Shartom Monastery, Archimandrite Nikon (Fomin) tonsured him into monasticism with the name John in honor of John the Baptist.

May 24, 1998 in the Church of the Archangel Michael in the village. Archangel of Komsomolsky district, Ivanovo region. Archbishop Ambrose (Shchurov) ordained him to the rank of deacon; on October 4, in the Transfiguration Cathedral in Ivanovo, Archbishop Ambrose ordained him to the rank of presbyter.

In 1998-2001 studied by correspondence at the Moscow Theological Seminary, in 2001-2005. - at the Moscow Theological Academy. In 2006, at the Moscow Theological Academy he defended his dissertation for the degree of candidate of theology on the topic “The experience of building a dogmatic system based on the works of St. Basil the Great.”

In 1998-1999 - teacher at the Ivanovo Orthodox Theological Institute of the Apostle John the Theologian. Since 1999 - first vice-rector of the institute. In 2001-2005 and 2007-2009. - director of a boarding school for boys at the Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery. In 2000-2005 taught at Ivanovo State University and Shuya State Pedagogical University, 2005-2014. - at the Alekseevsk Ivanovo-Voznesensk Orthodox Theological Seminary.

In June 1999, he was appointed acting. rector of the church under construction in honor of All Saints at Ivanovo State University. In 2005 -2006 - rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in Ivanovo. Since 2009 - dean of the Resurrection Cathedral in Shuya.

Since 2011 - Dean of the Nikolo-Shartomsky Monastery.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of April 16, 2016 (magazine No. 6), he was elected Bishop of Vorkuta and Usinsk.

April 20, 2016 during the Liturgy in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker p. Alferyevo, Teikovsky district, Ivanovo region.

Last week, the primate of the newly formed Vorkuta diocese, Bishop John (Rudenko), made his first archpastoral visit to Usinsk. The Bishop served the Divine Liturgy as a bishop in the city churches of the Resurrection of Christ and the Icon of the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts”, visited a nursing home, an orphanage, a Society for the Disabled, where, together with veterans, he watched a concert prepared by artists from the art school and the first school. Vladyka congratulated everyone he met on Easter and Victory Day. During his stay in Usinsk, Bishop John gave a short interview to the city newspaper.

– Your Eminence, this is your first time in our city, so for the readers of the newspaper, please tell us a little about yourself.

– All the years of my church life were spent in the Shuya diocese, which used to be part of the Ivanovo diocese, now the metropolis. The city of Shuya with a population of about 60 thousand people is located near the regional center - the city of Ivanovo. According to historians, it was formed more than 600 years ago. I have been asceticizing since 1997 within the walls of the Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery, which arose, according to historical data, in the 12th century. During the years of Soviet persecution it was closed, and at the end of the last century it was revived again.

– How unexpected was your appointment to serve in the North? Have you visited us before?

- This is my first time here. He was appointed here by the Moscow Patriarchate in the person of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, although, of course, he did not foresee such a turn of events in his destiny. The option of sending him to the Salekhard diocese was considered, but the issue of reorganizing this diocese was postponed. During my short stay, I already visited Vorkuta, Inta, Pechora, took part at the invitation of Archbishop Pitirim of Syktyvkar and Komi-Zyryan in the Easter cathedral service in Syktyvkar, met with the Minister of the Komi Republic for National Policy Elena Savtenko.

– Have you been anywhere else in our municipality, besides Usinsk?

– We went to Ust-Usa, Novikbozh, Kolva, Parma. On the banks of the Usa River in Parma there is a picturesque place where it would be possible to erect a temple. I noticed that on the territory of the Usinsk deanery there are churches, but there are not enough clergy. I intend to resolve this issue. We will train from among those who want to serve God and the church (and there are such) clergy who will also minister to rural parishes.

– What are your first impressions of your stay in our district?

- In general, not bad. Church life, in general, is organized: services are regularly held in the city, sacraments are performed. Parish activities need to be further developed. There are problems, they need to be studied and ways to overcome them need to be outlined. As for the diocese as a whole, one of the difficulties lies in the great distance between settlements and the lack of constant transport connections with many of them, especially rural ones. It is possible that there will be two centers in the diocese. I will travel around cities and regional centers, with more or less long stays in both Vorkuta and Usinsk.

– What would you wish to the people of Usinsk during these Easter days?

- To warm up, to preserve in their hearts for as long as possible the Easter joy, the grace of God, which they received during the days of the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Let her help in good deeds of mercy, professional and public service and work, raising children and grandchildren. And, of course, try to share this joy of Christ’s Love with your neighbors and relatives, so that they too feel it in their lives.

Interview conducted by Grigory Kozhevin
http://www.usnov.ru

Beloved in the Lord, all-honorable fathers, God-loving monks and nuns, brothers and sisters!

Christ is Risen!

Once again, after the grace-filled days of Holy Great Lent, we have the happiness of congratulating each other on the great and joyful holiday, the worldwide joy of the Bright Resurrection of Christ! In the language of church hymns, the holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ is called the holiday of all holidays and the triumph of all celebrations. The bright Resurrection of Christ is the triumph and affirmation of our Christian faith, the triumph of our Christian hope and the affirmation of Christian love. The triumph and affirmation of all that is good, bright and holy, dear to us.

We said that the Holy Resurrection of Christ is the confirmation, the triumph of our Christian faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ, having incarnated on earth, taking upon Himself our human nature, taught the human race the true teaching about everything that exists. And about God, about His works; about man and about the world, about their purpose and future fate. We see that the true teaching about everything that exists, given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, is Divine teaching, the true revelation of God - it bears the stamp of Divine origin and in its character, in its content and dignity it is, of course, more sublime and holy, and different at the root of the teachings of the sages of this world. There is no alien admixture of truth, lies and delusion in it, which we notice in the works of people, always imprinted with the limitations of the human mind.

Yes, in the teachings of Christ there are such mysteries that lead to bewilderment and doubt of some people who think humanly, that is, in a limited way. Therefore, His inner dignity cannot give them full evidence of the Divinity of Christ’s teaching; strong external evidence of His Divinity and the Divinity of His teaching is also required to certify them. Such external evidence is, first of all, the miracles that the Savior performs while preaching the Gospel. Announcing to people about His Divinity, proclaiming to them eternal life, the Lord at the same time opened the eyes of the blind, restored hearing to the deaf, healed the paralytic, cast out demons from the possessed, fed five thousand people, raised the dead and those already decomposed. And these testimonies fully confirm the truth that our Lord Jesus Christ is Almighty God and the teaching He taught is the Divine teaching. And these testimonies would have been quite sufficient for many, undeniable, if not for one event in the life of the God-Man, which temporarily shook this truth in them.

This event is the death of Christ the Savior. The Savior voluntarily went to it for the sake of our salvation. Through humility, through extreme self-abasement - for the sake of our salvation, the Lord goes to the feat of the cross, but those of little faith do not want to appreciate and understand this mystery of the redemption of the human race and see in Him Who was revered as the Great Miracle Worker and God, they see in Him only powerlessness, a reason for malicious ridicule. And if the Savior’s life had been limited only to suffering and death and there had been no Resurrection of Him from the dead, then what could we say to this malice? The Apostle Paul says: if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain (1 Cor. 15:14). Our faith is in close connection with the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith stands if Christ has risen. It falls if Christ is not resurrected. So great is the significance of the Resurrection of Christ for our faith! Christ rose from the dead. And He rose again by His own power. By this He showed that He is the true God, because only God has power over death and life. And our Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, revealed Himself as Lord over life and death. And since our Lord Jesus Christ is the true God, then the teaching He taught is the Divine teaching. And our faith in Him is saving, but the mistrust that was revealed by the enemies of Christ is false. The miracles of Christ are also true. It was the Resurrection of Christ that resurrected this faith, this power of Christ’s miracles, again gave them meaning, and people understood that the Lord Jesus Christ only for the sake of our salvation accepted suffering and death, condescended to extreme self-abasement, that He could, as Almighty God, and avoid this death, this suffering, and come down from the Cross, and destroy His enemies. But He did not want to pass that cup of suffering that was prepared for Him by the Heavenly Father. Thus, the Resurrection of Christ is a triumph, a confirmation of our Christian faith.

It is also an affirmation of Christian hope. The good hope of every Christian in his life is the joyful hope that after temporary earthly suffering, sorrow, deprivation, misfortune, after bodily death at a time determined by God, people who believe in Christ will rise from the dead and enter eternity for an endless blissful life. This good, joyful hope sweetens the bitterness of earthly life, helps a believer to courageously and patiently endure all his sorrows and, without falling under their burden, courageously bear the cross placed on each of us by God's providence.

Both in the Old and New Testaments there are many indications that in addition to temporary life there is eternal life, that a general resurrection will come. So, the ancient prophets spoke about this: Your dead will live, your dead bodies will rise! (Isa. 26:19). The prophet Ezekiel, with his prophetic eye, saw the greatest miracle when, at the command of God, the bones came closer to each other, converged, then became covered with veins, flesh, blood, and then the spirit entered them, they stood on their feet - the greatest multitude of people (Wed: Ezekiel 37 , 1-10). In the Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ says that the time is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who have done good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28-29). These words of Divine Scripture inspire the soul of a believer and, of course, inspire hope.

But in order to maintain this hope, strong faith in the word of God is required, because we constantly see death before us, when the body is destroyed, but we do not see anyone resurrected. Although we also have examples of the resurrection of the dead - the prophets Elijah and Elisha raised the dead, and our Lord Jesus Christ raised the dead, and His disciples, our Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, but these resurrections are not the general resurrection that will happen at the end of the world. For here the resurrected people were resurrected in the same mortal form in which we live. And then they died again. And with the general resurrection, people will rise incorruptible, spiritual and immortal. But there is a stronger testimony from the life of Christ the Savior, which fully confirms the hope of the general and our own resurrection, and of eternal blessed life - this is the resurrection of Christ the Savior Himself from the dead. Christ rose from the dead, trampling death, and death no longer has power over Him. Christ does not die. Christ rose as the firstborn of the dead. And the time will come when all who believed in Christ will be resurrected in the same way, but will be resurrected in a new, glorified body, just as our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected. Therefore, the resurrection of Christ is both the confirmation and triumph of our Christian hope.

Finally, faith in the resurrection of Christ is also the greatest affirmation of Christian love. Love, especially true Christian love, requires great sacrifices and great self-denial from a believer; sometimes even to the point of self-sacrifice, to death. To love God means to devote your whole life, all your strength to serving God. This requires self-denial and self-sacrifice, a willingness to sacrifice life for the glory of the name of God, for the sake of holy faith, for the sake of the Law of God. Love for neighbors requires tireless work, concern for their eternal spiritual salvation and well-being, for their bodily life, and also requires a willingness to sacrifice one’s property and life for the good of one’s neighbor. These are the sacrifices that love requires. But how can we decide to make these sacrifices when our self-loving nature always seeks benefit, benefit only for itself? When does our pride inspire us that we should live only for our own pleasure, enjoyment, for our own benefit? Isn't it really better to live for your own pleasure? But no. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. He who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8). And an example of this is the love of Christ. The more selflessly a person sacrifices himself for the good of his neighbor, the more fruitful love is. And we see this in the example of Christ the Savior. The Lord loved God the Father with boundless love. For Him, food was to do the will of the Heavenly Father. And out of love for the Heavenly Father, out of obedience to Him, the Lord took upon Himself the greatest feat - redemption, the salvation of the sinful human race. And out of love for Him, the Lord laid down His life for his neighbor.

The Lord also loved the sinful human race. He betrayed Himself for his sake, for the sake of his salvation he went to all the suffering and to a shameful death. And what is the result of this His boundless love? The results are priceless. First of all, the Lord rose again after suffering and death - also for people. He was resurrected in a new, glorified body and received from God the Father power in Heaven and on earth, ascended into Heaven with glory and sat down at the right hand of the Father. The Lord redeemed humanity from sin, curse and death, granted it freedom, opened for it free entry into the Kingdom of Heaven, and resurrected the human race. And these fruits of suffering, death on the cross and the Resurrection of Christ are truly priceless. The Savior glorified the Heavenly Father with His suffering: He founded His Heavenly Kingdom on earth - the Church of Christ. And many believers, following the example of Christ the Savior, in response to His love, kindled in their hearts the flame of love for God the Father, and for the Savior, and for their neighbor.

This year we especially prayerfully remember many Christians in Russia who suffered persecution, humiliation and even martyrdom for confessing the faith of Christ during the century from 1917. Within the Vorkuta diocese, again and again we discover the names of the new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church who suffered here for Christ and who shone forth: the Venerable Martyr Ardalion in Adak, the Hieromartyrs Vladimir and Nicholas in Vorkutlag and Kozhva. Their life, exploits and death are the most striking, closest example for us of life-affirming following the path of Christ's love for the Church, for one's Fatherland and neighbors. The triumph of victory over the death of their love was based on the triumph of their faith and Christian hope. And this love brings us joy, as it brought joy to the whole world. These are the priceless fruits of Christ's love. Therefore, the Resurrection of Christ is also a confirmation of our Christian love.

May this day - the day of the Resurrection of Christ - be a day of joy for us. And always remembering that this holiday is precisely the affirmation of our Christian faith, let us love our holy faith, cherish it and try to manage our lives according to this faith. And remembering that the Resurrection of Christ is the confirmation of our hope, let us hope, and we will endure all the labors, sorrows, and hardships with joy in the hope of our future resurrection and our future eternal life. And remembering that the Resurrection of Christ is the triumph of our Christian love, let us put on the virtue of Christian love and bear abundant fruit, let us love each other. By this we will show that we are real followers of Christ, who came to earth out of love for the human race. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another, says the Lord Himself in His Gospel (John 13:35). May this bright holiday, the bright Resurrection, always be for us a holiday of joy, a holiday of the victory of life over death. And may he help us to patiently, uncomplainingly endure all the hardships of earthly life in the hope that the time will come when we will hear the longed-for voice of our Savior: come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world (Matthew 25:34). Amen.

Christ is Risen!

Bishop of Vorkuta and Usinsk John