Church parish. Parish church

One of the pressing problems of modern church life is the development of parish communities. It is important that believers, united by the Chalice of the Eucharist, become not just casual acquaintances, but true like-minded people, helping each other in a common cause - the cause of salvation. It is necessary that a person does not feel like a random guest in the church, on whom nothing depends, so that the church truly becomes a second home for him, and the community - a second family.

We talk with the rector of the Church of St. Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhly by Archpriest Alexy Uminsky.

— Father Alexy, tell us how your parish developed?

- Gradually. Our temple is located in the center of Moscow. There are few residential buildings here. Almost all the buildings that surround us are offices, restaurants, cafes. And temples around sufficient quantity. At literally arm's length from us are St. John the Baptist convent, Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, Church of the Three Saints on Kulishki, Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Gryazekh. We have few “classical” parishioners who should be assigned to our parish at their place of residence. But at first there were none at all. Therefore, when in 1992 the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, our parish coexisted with the parish of the temple in the name of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, and the rector of both churches was Archpriest Sergius Romanov.

— The temple was destroyed Soviet power?

— Not destroyed, but closed in 1935.

— What happened here before 1992?

- What happened here! Both living quarters and different organizations. They even wanted to place an anthropological museum in which they planned to store the remains of great people. Unfortunately, the fate of our temple is not at all unique. It could have been worse... In the altar of the temple Vladimir icon Mother of God, for example, there were toilets.

— Your community is particularly united. How did you achieve this? Did you do anything specifically so that people could get to know each other better?

— You see, after all, a church is a place where the Eucharist is celebrated, and not a social club. Of course, it’s good if parishioners know each other, if they have the opportunity to communicate somewhere after the service. But such communication should not become an end in itself. I don’t think that a priest should come up with something like that on purpose to make everyone friends. Believers in the temple are united by a common Chalice and joint prayer. And all our varied activities grew not out of the desire to definitely get to know each other, but out of the desire to live a spiritual life together.

While the church stood in ruins, our entire parish (20-30 people) was housed in a small fenced-off corner with simple icons glued to tablets. The parishioners stood very close to the altar, they could clearly see and hear what was happening, and the meaning of the service became more clear. And I explained the difficult moments after the service. Since there weren’t very many of us, I had enough time and opportunity to confess each parishioner in detail: talk to each one, answer every question.

Everything that happens in our community grew naturally within it. The children grew up and Sunday school appeared. In the summer you need to go somewhere with your children - there were parishioners and parents who began to organize trips to camps. Our small youth theater grew out of communication with children; it has existed for many years. After the Liturgy, do parishioners want to communicate with the priest and with each other? This means the people need to be fed. And who will do this? Of course, the parishioners themselves. This means you need to make a schedule of who cooks what and when. This is how lists appeared of those who not only come to our church from time to time - there are also many of them, but who have the opportunity to regularly work in the parish. We pray for these people at every Liturgy, in addition to the fact that we are given the usual notes of remembrance.

In general, we have this rule: if a parishioner knows how to do something and somehow wants to serve with it, he comes and says: “Father, I can do this and that.” And he does. So we have a lot of talented, lively people gathered in our parish. And now things are such that we have no need for hired workers from outside. Only our parishioners work in the church, and there is not a single worker who is not a member of our parish.

— And only an amateur choir sings in your choir?

— What does “amateur” mean? You know, I'm also an amateur. As a priest, I am an amateur because I love what I do. We are all “amateurs”. If the Church is us, then there cannot be strangers here who do something not according to the dictates of their hearts, but for money. Otherwise, how will we build the spiritual house about which the Apostle Peter writes (see: 1 Pt. 2:5)? Those who sing in the choir are our parishioners. That is, they first became parishioners, and then began to sing in the choir. Someone already knew how. Someone learned. These people not only sing professionally, they pray and receive communion at the Divine Liturgy. Our parishioners read in the choir. The organization of the reading is carried out by the regent and the main altar boy. Of course, in order to sing and read in the choir, you need to study. We don’t teach this at our church, but at the St. Vladimir Orthodox Gymnasium, where I teach, you can get lessons in church singing and church reading.

We don’t have cleaners in our church to whom we pay salaries. Our parishioners themselves are divided into teams, and during the year each of these teams sometimes cooks, sometimes completely cleans the church and, accordingly, the parish yard. Our parishioners teach Sunday school, lecture on culture and art at our traditional meetings; lead a film club and select films for discussion.

Today you came to our temple for the first time. You were met, escorted to the refectory and fed by our parishioner - Uncle Andrey, watchman, catechist and just wonderful person. While the church is open, he stands behind the candle box, talking with those who come into the church during the day. He will definitely say hello to everyone, tell everyone everything, explain everything to everyone, teach everything. And when the temple is closed, he does homework with our children, because he is a physicist and mathematician by training. This is his varied ministry in our parish.

— How to become your parishioner? Can a person from the street just come to you, as they say?

- Well, how do people become parishioners? They come, begin to pray, take communion, look around, and if they feel comfortable here, they stay. We have parishioners who are not included in any lists, who do not carry out any obediences - not everyone has such an opportunity, but they have been going to church for many years.

— But doesn’t this result in a division into strangers and insiders?

— Such temptation always exists. Much depends on the priest. Sometimes the priest gives slack: he brings someone especially close to him, someone he keeps a little aloof, and often among those close to him are those who can ensure the parish. This is how the “inner circle”, “distant circle”, the division into friends and foes appear. A parish that has such a problem is easy to manage, or, to put it more bluntly, to manipulate.

Of course, the priest may have some personal sympathies. He might just be friends with someone. For example, I have old childhood friends in my parish. Of course, I will visit them more often than any other parishioners. This is fine.

But sometimes a situation arises when experienced parishioners believe that they are just such “parishioners” that they have the right to special treatment.

Let me give you an example from our parish life. Unfortunately, we don’t have a very large refectory, so this happens, especially when big holidays that there is not enough space for everyone. IN holidays We have a lot of people who don’t show up every Sunday. Someone comes from afar, from the Moscow region, and spends a lot of money on travel. And on Easter and Christmas, not only our parishioners come to our church, but also their friends and relatives... What to do? Give them a place behind festive table? But our parishioners worked all year: they cleaned the church, they cooked, they taught Sunday schools, they helped everyone, and they did everything else...

And then one day before Easter I walked into the refectory and saw that our parishioners had already taken their seats: they put down notes “Kolya”, “Tanya”, “Vasya”... I was terribly upset... I talked to them seriously. We haven’t had any more cases like this and I hope there won’t be any more. We try to somehow fit everything in... Although it’s difficult... Because if in the first years we had 20-30 people, this year at Easter we only had 500 communicants.

— Do you have people of certain views and tastes gathered in your parish, or are you all different?

— The political views of our parishioners, it seems to me, are still varied, although, of course, not diametrically opposed. There are no extreme liberals or extreme fundamentalists among us. And tastes... We cultivate taste, starting with how we made the iconostasis of our church, what chants the choir chooses. We regularly discuss films and books.

— Can not only your parishioners come to these discussions?

- Of course, everyone can come.

— On what basis do you choose films for discussion?

— We choose what interests us, as a rule, these are recognized masterpieces of cinema... Well, let’s say we discussed Luis Buñuel’s trilogy “Nazarin”, “Viridiana” and “Simeon the Stylite”. Luis Buñuel himself, although he graduated from a Jesuit school, considered himself an atheist, he even said: “Thank God, I am an atheist.” And his films show, in general, the collapse of Christianity. But not only. In my opinion, Buñuel, as a brilliant director with amazing intuition, showed something much more. There's a lot to talk about here.

— Does this endeavor have any missionary potential?

“Well, we don’t set ourselves any special missionary goal... There’s no such thing as: “Well, we’re going to discuss the film now, but in fact, we, such cunning ones, will now lure everyone into our Orthodox nets.” We try to look at the issues of the films we discuss from a Christian point of view. Maybe our discussions can influence someone. They really come to us different people. Yesterday, for example, at the discussion I saw many for the first time.

- How much for spiritual development Is enlightenment and education in matters of faith important for parishioners?

— Any knowledge is important for a person. But before giving a parishioner a theological education, you need to make sure that he is simply educated. Without a common base of knowledge, complex theological issues cannot be understood correctly. Theology is a high science, and it requires an appropriate degree of understanding and perception. Church dogmas cannot be learned as arithmetic formulas or theorems. To bear witness to your faith, you must study its foundations deeply. This can only be done by a thinking, thinking, reading and educated person.

In our parish, it seems to me that parishioners, if they wish, can receive an education no worse than in a seminary. We talk with them about dogmatics, and about liturgics, and about church art. Famous biblical scholars and church historians give lectures here. Every Saturday one of our priests gives a talk about Holy Scripture. Every Wednesday we have a religious and philosophical club “Sofia”. In Moscow, and I think not only in Moscow, there are such spiritual and educational centers at many churches.

— Is there a fixed or recommended amount of donations in your church for candles, prayers, books, etc.?

- What should we do? After all, the temple needs funds?

- But you need to trust... These are your people... You need to educate people so that they understand that the life of the temple depends on them. There are no prices at all in our temple. We have all the services and candles for donations. Well, except for the most expensive candles, which cost 150 rubles. Maybe it is important for someone to buy an expensive candle, and we give parishioners this opportunity. And so... If you want to buy a candle for a penny - please!

Our parish is supported not by parishioners, but by parishioners. They do everything with their own hands. They are aware of what is happening in their church, how the parish lives, how much the priest receives for his work. All Church accounting should be completely transparent to the parishioner.

— Maybe it’s worth bringing back the practice of church tithes?

— I believe that we should not be talking about tithing, but about feasible and regular financial assistance temple. A person must realize that the temple lives thanks to his work, his donations. That the parish is his family. It must be said that there has never been tithe in its pure form in the Russian Orthodox Church. Only the prince paid tithes; the common people were never burdened by it: for them, tithes are a lot.

— Social worker As far as I understand, you don’t have one at your headquarters either, but what about social work?

— Social work- it’s in the social network. In the Church there are works of mercy. Our entire parish is always involved in every activity. Although, of course, there are leaders - people responsible for this or that matter. But when winter comes, we help the homeless - with the whole parish. We hold fundraisers, clothing collections, and charity fairs in which all our parishioners participate.

Once a month we have Divine Liturgy for children with cancer. Our parishioners become volunteers, bring these children to church for services, feed them, and then take them back. We do not have such a thing, and there cannot be such a thing in the Church, that someone would not care about what another is doing. The life of the parish - like the Liturgy - is a common affair.

Photo by Evgeny Bespalov

Journal "Orthodoxy and Modernity" No. 38 (54)

Introduction.

One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church (hereinafter referred to as the Orthodox Church) is the original and genuine New Testament Church, which was founded by Jesus Christ himself and His apostles.

This is described in the “Acts of the Holy Apostles” (in the Holy Scriptures - the Bible). The Orthodox Church consists of national Local Churches (currently about 12) which are headed by local patriarchs. All of them are administratively independent from each other and equal to each other. The head of the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ Himself, and in the Orthodox Church itself there is no board or any general administrative body. The Ecumenical Orthodox Church has existed without interruption, from its beginning until now. In 1054, the Roman Church separated from the Orthodox Church. Since 1517 (the beginning of the Reformation), many Protestant Churches have been founded. After 1054, the Roman Church introduced many changes in the teaching of the Church, and the Protestant Churches made even more. Over the course of many centuries, heterodox (Christian but not Orthodox) churches changed the original teachings of the Church. The history of the Church was also forgotten or deliberately changed. All this time, the teaching of the Orthodox Church has not changed and has been preserved in its original form until the present time. Someone who recently converted to Orthodoxy (converts) very aptly said that the existence of the Orthodox Church is one of the biggest secrets of our time - this is, of course, in the West. The teaching of the Orthodox Church can be characterized by completeness, since it contains everything that is necessary for the life and salvation of a person. It is holistically consistent with nature and with all sciences: psychology, physiology, medicine, etc. In many cases it turned out to be ahead of all sciences.

1. The beginning of the Church. Story Christian Church begins with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles (Acts 2:1-4) (this day is considered a major holiday in the Orthodox Church). The Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and they became braver, bolder, more courageous and began to speak different languages, which were not previously spoken for the preaching of the Gospel. The apostles, mostly fishermen, without any education, began to correctly preach the teachings of Jesus Christ in different places and cities.

2. Five ancient churches. The consequence of the apostolic preaching was the emergence of Christian societies in different cities. Later these societies became Churches. In this way five ancient churches were founded: (1) Jerusalem, (2) Antioch, (3) Alexandria, (4) Rome and (5) Constantinople. First ancient church, there was the Jerusalem Church, and the last was the Church of Constantinople. [The Church of Antioch is now also called the Syrian Church. And the city of Constantinople, (now Istanbul) is located in Turkey].

At the head of the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ Himself. Each ancient Orthodox Church was led by its own patriarch (the patriarch of the Roman Church was called the pope). Individual Churches are also called patriarchates. All churches were equal. (The Roman Church believes that it was the governing church and the Pope was the head of all five churches). But the first of the ancient Churches that was founded was Jerusalem, and the last was Constantinople.

3. Persecution of Christians. The first Christians were ancient Jews and experienced great persecution from Jewish leaders who did not follow Jesus Christ and did not recognize His teachings. The first Christian martyr, the holy apostle and first martyr Stephen, was stoned to death by the Jews for preaching Christianity.

After the fall of Jerusalem, many times more terrible persecution of Christians began from the pagan Romans. The Romans were against Christians, since Christian teaching was the complete opposite of the customs, morals and views of the pagans. Christian teaching preached love instead of selfishness, put humility in place of pride, instead of luxury, taught abstinence and fasting, eradicated polygamy, promoted the emancipation of slaves, and instead of cruelty called for mercy and charity. Christianity morally elevates and purifies a person and directs all his activities towards good. Christianity was prohibited, severely punished, Christians were tortured and then killed. This was the case until 313, when Emperor Constantine not only freed Christians, but also made Christianity state religion, instead of paganism.

4. Saints in the Church. Saints are those God-loving people who distinguished themselves by piety and faith, were marked for this with various spiritual gifts from God, and believers deeply reverence them. Martyrs are saints who suffered a lot for their faith or were tortured to death. Holy martyrs are depicted on icons with a cross in their hands.

The names of the holy martyrs, as well as other saints, are recorded in Orthodox calendars for veneration. Orthodox Christians remember their saints, study their lives, take their names as an example for themselves and their children, celebrate their days of memory, are inspired by their examples and try in every possible way to imitate them, and also pray to them so that they pray to the Lord God for them. Orthodox Russian people celebrate "Angel's Day" or "name day", and this is the day of the saint whose name they bear. One’s birthday is not supposed to be celebrated or is celebrated modestly with one’s family.

5. Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church. From apostolic times to the present time, there has been a continuous series of holy fathers and teachers of the Church. Church Fathers are church writers who became famous for their holiness of life. Church writers who are not saints are called teachers of the Church. All of them preserved the apostolic tradition in their works and explained faith and piety. In difficult times, they defended Christianity from heretics and false teachers. Here are some of the most famous names: St. Athanasius the Great (297-373), St. Basil the Great (329-379), St. Gregory the Theologian (326-389) and St. John Chrysostom (347-407).

6. Ecumenical Councils. When it was necessary to resolve some controversial issue or develop some general approach, then councils were convened in the Church. The first church council was convened by the apostles in 51 and is called the Apostolic Council. Later, following the example of the Apostolic Council, Ecumenical Councils began to be convened. Many bishops and other representatives of all churches were present at these councils. At the councils, all churches were equal to each other, and after debates and prayers, various issues were resolved. The decisions of these councils were recorded in the Book of Rules (Canons) and became part of the teaching of the Church. In addition to the Ecumenical Councils, local councils were also held, the decisions of which were then approved by the Ecumenical Councils.

The 1st Ecumenical Council took place in 325 in the city of Nicaea. 318 bishops were present, among them St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia. Besides them, there were many other participants in the cathedral - about 2000 people in total. The 2nd Ecumenical Council took place in 381 in Constantinople. 150 bishops attended. The Creed, the most short definition Christian faith, was approved at the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils. It consists of 12 members that precisely define the Christian faith and which could not be changed. Since that time, the Orthodox Church has used the unchanged Creed. The Western Church (Roman and Protestant societies) subsequently changed the 8th member of the original Creed. The 7th Ecumenical Council took place in 787, also in the city of Nicaea. 150 bishops attended. At this council the veneration of icons was approved. The 7th Ecumenical Council was the last at which all Churches were present to this day and was not convened again.

7. Holy Scripture (Bible). The sacred books that make up the Holy Scriptures have been used by Christians from the very beginning of the Church. They were finally approved by the Church in the 51st year (85th canon of the Apostolic Council), in the 360th year (60th canon of the local Laodicean Council), in the 419th year (33rd canon of the local Carthage Council), and also in the year 680 (2nd rule of the 6th Ecumenical Council in Constantinople).

8. Apostolic succession. Apostolic succession is a very important sign of the True Church. This means that Jesus Christ chose and blessed His apostles to continue His preaching, and the apostles blessed their disciples, who blessed the bishops and who blessed the priests, and so on to this day. Thus, the initial blessing of Jesus Christ, and therefore the Holy Spirit and confirmation, is on every priest in the Church.

Apostolic succession exists in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church (which includes a number of Local Orthodox Churches, including the Russian - the largest) and in the Roman Church. The Protestant Churches have lost it. This is one of the many reasons why, in the eyes of the Orthodox Church, Protestant Churches are not Churches, but Christian societies.

9. The Roman Church separates, 1054. From the very beginning of Christianity, in the Roman Church there was a desire for primacy in the Church. The reason for this was the glory of Rome and the Roman Empire, and with it the spread of the Roman Church. In 1054, the Roman Church separated from other churches and became known as the Roman Church. Catholic Church. (The Roman Church believes that the Orthodox Churches separated from it and calls this incident the Eastern Schism). Although the name "Orthodox Church" had been used before, the remaining churches, in order to emphasize their insistence on the original teaching, began to call themselves Orthodox Churches. Other abbreviated names are also used: Orthodox Christian, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox Catholic, etc. Usually the word “Catholic” is omitted; this means “Ecumenical”. The correct full name is: One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church.

10. The Orthodox Church after 1054. After 1054, the Orthodox Church did not introduce any new teachings or changes. New national Orthodox Churches were created by mother churches. The mother church founded a new daughter church. Then, first she prepared local priests, then bishops, and after that she gradually gave more and more independence, until complete independence and equality were given. An example of this is the creation of the Russian Church, the Church of Constantinople. In the Orthodox Churches the local language is always used.

11. The Roman Church after 1054. After 1054, the Roman Church introduced many new teachings and changes, distorting the decisions of the first Ecumenical Councils. Some of them are given below:

1. 14 so-called “Ecumenical Councils” were held. Other churches did not participate in them and therefore they do not recognize these councils. Each council introduced some new teachings. The last council was the 21st and it is known as Vatican II.
2. The doctrine of celibacy for the clergy.
3. Payment for sins, past and future.
4. The Julian (old) calendar was replaced by the Gregorian (new) calendar. Because of this, changes occurred in calculating the date of Easter, which is at odds with the resolution of the 1st Ecumenical Council.
5. The 8th article of the Creed has been changed.
6. Posts have been changed, shortened or eliminated.
7. The doctrine of the infallibility of the Roman popes.
8. The doctrine of the non-involvement of the Mother of God in the original sin of Adam.

Not a single Church dared to do this, preserving the unity and purity of the faith. In the Orthodox Church, where the Holy Spirit is, all Local Churches are equal - this was taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Roman Local Church, not having achieved primacy over others, withdrew from the Universal Church. Hence the distortions came without the Spirit of God...

12. Protestant Churches. Due to the many and obvious deviations of the Roman Church from Christian teaching, and also because the monk Martin Luther did not know about the existence of the Orthodox Church, he demanded changes in 1517. This fact marked the beginning of the Reformation, when many people began to leave the Roman Church for the new, so-called Protestant Churches. It was a movement to improve the Church, but the result was even worse.

Since the Protestants were dissatisfied with the leadership of the Roman Church, they almost erased 1500 years of Christian experience of the Church and left only the Holy Scriptures (the Bible). Protestants do not recognize confession, icons, saints, fasting - everything that is necessary for life, correction and salvation of a person. It turned out that they withheld the Holy Scripture, and did not recognize the Orthodox Church, which developed and approved the Holy Scripture. Because they did not recognize the Holy Fathers, who explained a lot Christian faith, and only use the Bible, they created uncertainty in their teaching and gradually many different sects (churches) arose. Now, in the whole world, there are about 25,000 different sects that call themselves Christian! As stated above, there is no apostolic succession in the Protestant Churches. This is one of the many reasons why the Orthodox Church does not recognize them as churches, but only as Christian societies.

A temple is a building built with an altar (front) facing east, in which services are performed. Externally, it differs from the rest of the premises in that there are domes on the roof, crosses on top of the domes, and there is a bell tower, which is used to convene believers for worship.

The creation of the first Temple and its structure was given by the Lord himself

IN Old Testament Through the prophet Moses, the Lord God himself let people know what a temple for worship should be like; the New Testament Orthodox church is built in the same image.

Features of construction, forms, devices and other information about Temples

An Orthodox church may have various shapes And different quantities domes, it is often built in the form of a cross, but there are cases when the temple is built in the form of a ship, a circle, an octagon, and each shape has a certain meaning.

The front of the Temple is always built facing east, towards the rising sun.

Each temple is dedicated to God, bearing a name in memory of a particular event, the Mother of God or the Saints. After construction, the temple is consecrated by the Patriarch or the Ruling Bishop.

Visually, the temples vary in size, but the size also determines the purpose of the temple in the end.

Large churches can have two or three altars, i.e. have a number of iconostases, equal to the quantity thrones consecrated in the temple, but there are also such exceptions as the second - an attached throne.

There are parish churches and churches on the territory of monasteries.

Parish churches are built for parishioners, for the population; it is parish churches that are designed for visitors ordinary people, in them, in addition to divine services, there is an opportunity to contact the priest with a question, advice, performing any existing requirement, prayer service or rite, for any help.

Monasteries are built for the brethren and therefore can be of a semi-closed type, so often monasteries do not perform such services as Baptism, Wedding, and Funeral services.

The number of altars determines the ability to serve the daily number of liturgies. At 1 altar, no more than 1 liturgy is served daily. Accordingly, 3 altar churches can celebrate 3 liturgies. The only condition is to start the last liturgy later than 11-00 am.

Types of parish churches:

"House Temple"

It can be located inside a building (university, hospital, etc.), but the peculiarity is only the external location of the temple, while the interior decoration and arrangement are completely consistent with an ordinary temple. Usually the number of priests is no more than 1 person. Services are held on weekends and holidays.

"Parish Church"

As a rule, this is a small to medium-sized church, usually single-altar, with a staff of clergy of no more than 2-3 people. Services are held on weekends and holidays.

"Cathedral type temple"

- this is a temple big size, often 3 thrones. The staff of clergy is 5 or more people. Services are daily. On major holidays and on Sundays, 2 liturgies are celebrated (early and late).

"Cathedral"

- a large temple, often with 3 altars. It is called a cathedral because the chair of the ruling Bishop is located in it; he often serves there. The staff of clergy is 8 or more people. Services are daily. On major holidays and on Sundays, 2 liturgies are celebrated (early and late).

Interior decoration and interesting nuances:

The front part is the main part of the temple - the altar, in which the clergy perform divine services, there is a holy throne, an altar, and a seven-branched candlestick.

The altar is separated from the middle part of the temple by an iconostasis.

The iconostasis is a partition with icons depicted on it.

Icons are depicted on the iconostasis with a certain meaning, and not as one wishes.

In the right aisle of the temple, behind the iconostasis, there is a sacristy (where the priests change their vestments and keep their priestly vestments).

In the left aisle of the temple, behind the iconostasis, there is a sexton; church utensils are stored here, a censer is prepared, and the temple employees - sextons - are in it.

The middle part of the temple is intended for believers. Gospel scenes and icons can be depicted on the walls of the temple. And also here there are icons in beautiful frames - “cases”.

In the central part, in front of the ambo, there is a central candlestick, and in front of it on the lectern there are icons of those saints or the event that is remembered today.

In the right aisle and the left aisle in the front part of the Temple, in front of the iconostasis, the most revered icons are located in the most beautiful frames. This could be an icon of the throne church, as well as the most revered saints.

In some churches - not all - you can see a tomb containing the relics of a saint. Believers venerate these relics, and the Holy Church has many examples of how those who came to the relics with faith were healed of illnesses and received the strongest help in various circumstances.

You can also see small boxes in beautiful arks in the temple - the relics of various saints are stored in them, and believers also venerate them.

A large chandelier is usually attached to the ceiling on a chain; it is correctly called a chandelier; it has many rows of lamps that are lit during the solemn moments of the service and brightly illuminate the entire temple.

Near the icons you can see candlesticks; they are needed for believers to light candles, thus making a sacrifice to the saints.

Each temple has some of its own traditions, for example, in some places candles are lit exclusively during services, in some churches they are allowed to be lit at any time. If for some reason it is not possible to light and place a candle, then it can be placed on the desired candlestick, and it will certainly be lit by church employees at one of the services.
The prejudice that unlit candles are returned to the store for sale is completely incorrect.

In the right or left aisle you can see a lectern with the Gospel and the Cross lying on it - this is the place of confession. Those who wish come to confession to the priest one at a time and repent of their sins; the day and time of confession is indicated in the schedule of a particular church.

At the back of the temple there is a large crucifixion of the Cross and immediately behind it big table, people put food there, there is also a large flat candlestick and a lot of candles on the table - this place is called “Eve”. This is the only candlestick where candles are placed for deceased people. The products are transferred there as a remembrance of the deceased. At the end of each day, the clergy and temple employees thus remember the deceased at a meal. Important! It is not customary to pass on meat and dairy products for the deceased.

You can also see a water tank in the temple - this is not plain water, and consecrated, anyone can dial required amount and take it with you. Drink half a glass of holy water on an empty stomach (empty stomach).

At the back of the temple there are still church shop and the registry, where possible, they are separated.

Church shop

In the church lava you can buy everything you need for Orthodox man: icons, thematic books, candles, chains, crosses, everything for Baptism, everything for Wedding, everything for funeral services, etc.

At the reception

At the reception desk, as a rule, you can ask about something, you can submit notes about health, about repose, order magpies, make targeted donations.

If you have a simple question -

You can ask for an answer at the reception; if the situation is more complicated, then contact the priests directly. If you didn’t see a priest in the church, you can ask the employees if there is a priest on duty or, perhaps, his phone number.

If you would like, say, to provide major assistance to a temple, then it is better to ask the rector of a particular temple.

Dear friends, I draw your attention to the fact that the author of the project asks for the help of each of you. I serve in a poor village Temple, I really need it various help, including funds for the maintenance of the Temple! Parish Church website:

The concept of parish comes from Greece. The Greek word "parikia" translated means "near the house", the area around the temple with the population that was under its guardianship. A bishop was assigned to her and performed sacred rites for the parishioners. This name was common in Russia, especially in the western regions.

Over time, the meaning acquired a slightly different meaning.

What does the word "arrival" mean today?

Nowadays there are many churches, and transport allows you to quickly get to a service or holiday, not only in churches located near your home. There is no strict assignment of parishioners on a territorial basis.

The parish consists not only of residents of the surrounding area, but also of those who like the way services and sermons are held here, and those who find a priest for spiritual nourishment.

A community of people who constantly attend one temple constitutes its church parish, although each believer may have several such favorite temples.

History of parishes

But parishioners did not always enjoy such freedom of choice.

Previously, parish churches kept metric books. They recorded dates of birth and death, weddings. Each citizen turned in accordance with his faith to the synagogue, mosque, church to which he was assigned at his place of residence.

Sale and purchase agreements, relocations were also taken into account, characteristics of parishioners, and information about trustworthiness were given. This form of accounting existed until the Revolution of 1917, then these functions were transferred to the registry offices.

All requirements were fulfilled strictly in their parish, and they could get married in the church of the bride or groom’s parish.

Church parishes were formed directly at the place of residence, without taking into account personal wishes.

For a parish of less than 700 people there was a priest and a psalm-reader, and if there were more parishioners, then there was also a deacon.

In ancient times, parishioners could choose clergy, then only recommend them to the bishop.

The community chose general meeting the elder, who was entrusted with the management of the church household. What was the parish in terms of territory? The bishop himself approved the boundaries between the churches of the diocese. To conduct charity, brotherhoods were created from community members.

What were the parishes like after the Revolution?

What is the arrival after the Revolution? Due to historical changes in Russia, many churches were closed, priests were shot or exiled to camps. The concept of “church parish” gradually began to change its original meaning.

People prayed in the catacomb churches and performed their services in secret. At home, funeral services were held for the dead and infants were baptized, prayers were served and akathists were read. This life was hidden from the world by a veil of secrecy, because believers were punished, expelled from educational institutions, fired, imprisoned.

Churches were destroyed and converted into warehouses, cultural centers, Sport halls. The parish did not gather around a specific place, but held on to a specific priest.

By the time churches began to open again, the concept of community had become synonymous with the word “parish,” which consists of both those Christians who live next to the church and those who visit it constantly, at the call of the soul.

Organizations of parishes at present

Despite the fact that parishioners could not choose a priest, communities still inform the bishop of their desire to see a specific priest as rector. Often these wishes are taken into account when appointing a rector, especially in small towns.

What is a parish in our time?

All communities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia must hold parish meetings, adopt a new parish charter revised in accordance with the standard, and have it approved by the diocesan bishop. Each parish must approve its charter and register it with the Ministry of Justice.

The bishop makes a decision on the creation and abolition of a parish in his diocese, appoints the composition of the Parish Assembly and the rector.

The chairman of the parish council, who is usually the rector, has the right of first signature on financial and banking documents.

Every parish should have a Sunday school, participate in religious processions, conduct public conversations for those wishing to receive Baptism and godparents, do charity work, publish newspapers.

Parishes are created in new areas, restored churches, in hospitals, colonies and prisons, and hospices.

What is the arrival in the lives of the sick and prisoners? They can confess and receive communion, rethink their lives, have a heart-to-heart talk with a priest, and receive mentoring.

Participation in parish life

Opportunity to receive communion different temples, go to services in different churches sometimes it captivates believers. In one church there is a good choir, in another there are sermons, in a third there are beautiful paintings.

Imperceptibly, the love of change becomes almost secular entertainment. When making pilgrimages, getting to know various parishes, one must remember that the main thing for which a person goes to church is prayer and repentance, peace in the soul.

Of particular importance are Orthodox parishes Abroad. Parishioners from different cities gather there for holidays; for them it is an island of their native land.

Metropolitan Sourozhsky Anthony advised giving parishioners the opportunity to decide how actively they want to participate in the life of the parish or not participate in it at all.

He invited parishioners to fill out a questionnaire and indicate the desired level of activity in parish life: whether a person only wants to come to pray, participate in events, charity, and in organizing parish life.

Participation in parish life makes it possible to find friends and acquaintances of faith with whom you can travel to holy places, organize leisure time for children, and share the joy of Christian holidays. When communicating with other parishioners, you need to beware of gossip and condemnation, which often carry you away out of old habit.

In textbooks on dogmatics we can find various definitions of what the Church is. For example, the great theologian of the 19th century. Saint Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov) formulates this way: “The Church is an established society of people united by God Orthodox faith, the law of God, the hierarchy and the Sacraments.” But still, any verbal definition will always be insufficient, because spiritual life takes place in the Church.

The Church is a living organism (according to the Apostle Paul, 1 Cor. 12), the Body of Christ, and just as there are different members in the body, so Christ is the Head of the Church, and we are all its members. This is not an image of an up. Paul, but spiritual reality.

Christ gathered the apostles, and this was the first Church in which there was already a hierarchy: Christ Himself, His 12 closest disciples, the next circle of seventy apostles and the people of God, those thousands of people whom the Lord fed with bread. And those who believed in Him after Peter’s preaching on Pentecost and became Christians.

The internal content of the Church is gathering around Christ. A external design The Church received it when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and they became not only disciples of Christ, but leaders church people, universally recognized disseminators of the faith of Christ. In this sense, the apostles are the first bishops of the Church, and the Spirit of God gave them the gifts necessary for this ministry, including spiritual power for the establishment of the Church on earth.

According to their preaching and the preaching of the disciples of the apostles, who dispersed to different countries, believers began to appear and multiply throughout the entire earth. So, following the Jerusalem one, the Corinthian, Athenian, Roman, Myra Lycian, Antioch and other Churches with their parishes and their primates were formed.

In fact, it is all one Church. Although each Church may develop its own traditions that differ from others. (As a rule, this is connected with the details of rituals, but not only.)

By now there have been 15 Local Churches: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Hellenic, Albanian, Polish, Czech lands and Slovakia, American. There is also autonomous, for example, Japanese. All these churches are fraternal. They are divided only on territorial grounds. Within each Local Church there are dioceses - areas (different in size in various countries). The diocese, in turn, consists of parishes. You can draw a diagram like this:

Local Churches

Parishes (and monasteries)

Orthodox families

All Christian believers

(bishops, religious priests and laity)

It turns out that a person is in everything at once: in his family, and in the parish, and in the diocese, and in local Church, and in the Church of Christ. He, as it were, enters the Body of Christ through these steps.

A parish consists of people who know each other well, communicate and can have a specific business in their parish. Even Cathedral, where the bishop serves, governing the entire diocese, is a parish, has its own parish affairs, choir, baptisms, funeral services...

Before the 1917 revolution in our country, parish division was territorial and even ascribed. The parish had clear boundaries. A Christian had to attend services in his parish and make his contribution there. To some extent, this was also due to the financial situation of the parish.

IN Soviet time It so happened that when most of the previously existing parishes were closed, not only nearby believers began to gather in the remaining ones, but also those who came, and often those who came from afar. Patriarch Tikhon abolished parish boundaries by his decree. Nowadays, as a rule, people go to one of the nearby churches, but at the same time there are many parishioners who come “far away” in the most various reasons: they were brought by acquaintances, they liked the priest, some kind of parish business, current life circumstances...

A parish is a special unit also because it is a service is being held in the parish church, headed by a priest (or bishop), and all members of the parish participate in it.

Divine services in Orthodox churches very beautiful. The iconostasis, the clergy in beautiful vestments, the singing of the choir, the precise movements of the altar servers (in the bishop's service - subdeacons) - everything is subject to the strict order of worship, which has developed over many centuries and is enriched by new prayers as the Church grows with new saints.

The center of parish life in the Orthodox Church is the liturgy. Every Sunday and on major holidays we gather in our village church and pray to the Lord to give us the Holy Spirit in order to join the Holy Church of Christ in all its fullness from ancient times to the present day.

At the liturgy we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, and thus the The essence of the Church is gathering around Christ. This real life a believer. This is why we strive to join the Church. Everything that happens in the parish , everything is around the Eucharist(Eucharist, in Greek. Thanksgiving - the consecration of the Holy Gifts).

Initially, the service took place as if spontaneously. The Lord took his disciples, went with them to the mountain, prayed - this is already a divine service, because this is prayer with Christ. But, for example, at the Last Supper the apostles were preparing. They prepared everything for the Passover Jewish rite - the upper room, the meal... And Christ, having blessed the bread and wine, making them His Body and Blood, performed first Eucharist.

Immediately after Pentecost, the disciples began to gather together, had meals, sang psalms, remembered the Lord and everything that He told them, prayed for the sick and for those traveling. At the end of the meal, they asked the Holy Spirit to make the specially prepared bread the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so they were most closely united with Himself.

Prayers in different communities were essentially the same - remembrance, thanksgiving and the celebration of the Sacrament of Body and Blood. And everyone found their own words, not in a rational way, but in the Spirit, who suggested precise and vivid words of prayer. The texts of these prayers were sometimes written down.

By the 4th century. There were about 200 recorded rites of the liturgy in the Roman Empire. Among them were some that were not very successful (or even heretical, distorting the Truth). Danger has appeared not committing Eucharist, not union with Christ

St. Basil the Great of the Cappadocian Church collected the various orders that existed at that time and composed a liturgy in which, as is now clear, everything is formulated perfectly. As far as it is possible to designate the highest things in human language, he did it.

Several decades after St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom further shortened the liturgy, brilliantly expressing all the same things in more in short words. Currently, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is most often served.

So, at the dawn of Christianity, the liturgy was performed in a charismatic way. People brought bread and wine needed for worship from home. The priest, accepting these offerings, performed prayers over them, asking the Lord to accept and bless them as a sacrifice, and also to remember the petitioners and their relatives. From these prosphoras, one of the best bread and the best wine were chosen, which during the liturgy became the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The remaining bread was used at meals and distributed to the poor.

Since, under conditions of persecution, these meetings of Christians took place at night, in basements, in Roman catacombs, it was necessary to illuminate the room. People brought oil for lamps and candles.

In ancient theology, two main schools emerged that were “at war” with each other: the Alexandrian school, which interpreted the Holy Scriptures purely symbolically, and the Antiochian school, which interpreted it historically. The third school - Cappadocian - united and reconciled these two directions. She taught that in both Scripture and worship everything is both a symbol and a reality at the same time.

With God, everything is not accidental. Sometimes it is even difficult to determine what comes first: the applied meaning or the symbolic one. The Lord talks a lot about light, that the human soul should be like a lamp... Therefore, a candle is needed to illuminate the room, and at the same time this light reminds us of the Divine Light, and that our soul must find this Light.

Everyone knew the psalms and prayers. The Primate said the Eucharistic Prayer, everyone prayed in unity, and the Holy Gifts were consecrated through the prayer of the entire Church.

As the Church grew, people began to appear who prepared services more professionally. Many new chants and choirs appeared that had special talents for performing them. Large cathedrals had their own bakeries, vineyards, etc.

The result was, on the one hand, sad, and on the other hand, a completely inevitable division. Indeed, it is easier for people to contribute and support the temple workers, who will use these donations to purchase everything they need and prepare the service.

Nowadays, even those who frequently visit the church sometimes have no idea how complex parish life takes place just around the divine service. Let us try to list what is needed to prepare services in our small parish:

The temple needs to be cleaned and decorated with flowers;

Bake prosphora;

The regent must know the order of services and prepare the choir for them;

At the altar, the priest is assisted by altar boys, and their duties are complex and varied;

It is necessary to sew vestments for the temple and clergy; and in the parish there are people who do this professionally;

There are people who wash, iron and prepare these vestments for service;

There are people who bring candles and utensils.

But there are many other things:

The icon painter paints the iconostasis of the Temple, the restorer is engaged in the restoration of old and damaged icons;

There are people who prepare meals, feed everyone, and then clean the refectory and wash the dishes;

Carrying out construction, restoration and repair work requires enormous effort and time;

Some are engaged in gardening;

Someone is cleaning the clergy's house and territory;

The watchman is watching...etc, etc.

Some of these matters are handled by permanent temple workers. But thank God, complete division can never occur and the help of all parishioners will never cease. Many help - some regularly, some occasionally, and some secretly.

In this and subsequent issues of the newspaper we will try to talk about all aspects of parish life in our church. Maybe someone will want to connect themselves more closely with her - there is no need to be shy here. There will always be something you can help with.

A parish is a big family, where each member has his own responsibilities, each is needed, and each needs his own care. And as members of the one Body of Christ, everyone should know each other and care for each other.

And when during the service the petition of the litany is heard: “We also pray for those who bear fruit and do good in this holy and all-honorable temple, who labor and sing...”, please remember - after all, these are specific people who stand next to you and also pray for themselves, their relatives, for all of us.

Priest Leonid Tsarevsky