Father Arseny, 1893-1973
Subtitle: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father
Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Press
Published: December 31, 1998
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 277
ISBN-13: 9780881411805
Description: It is one of the great mysteries of life that in atmospheres of the harshest cruelty, a certain few not only survive but emerge as beacons of light and life. Father Arseny, former scholar of church art, became Prisoner No. 18736 in the brutal 'special sector' of the Soviet prison camp system. In the darkness of systematic degradation of body and soul, he shone with the light of Christ's peace and compassion. His sights set on God and his life grounded in the Church, Father Arseny lived by injunction to 'bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ' (Galatians 6:2). This narrative, compiled from accounts of Father Arseny's spiritual children and others whom he brought to God, gives stirring glimpses of his life in prison camp and after his release. It also tells the stories of people whose lives, often during times of almost unimaginable crisis, were touched and transfigured through their connection with Father Arseny. Emerging from the context of the particular tragedies of Soviet Russia, this book carries a universal impact certain to be felt by readers in the West today.
Table of contents: title: Translators Foreword; title: Introduction; label: I
title: The Camp; title: The Prison Camp; title: The Barracks; title: The Patients; title: The Silly Priest; title: "Stop This!"; title: A Summons to the Major; title: Life Goes On; title: "Where Two or Three Are Gathered in My Name"; title: "The Fair One"; title: "O Mother of God! Do Not Abandon Them!"; title: Mihail; title: "Whose Side Are You On, Priest?"; title: Sazikov; title: The Confession; title: "I Will Not Leave You"; title: A Hard Trek; title: "I Order You to Stop!"; title: A Joy; title: Life Continues; title: The Interrogation; title: Major Changes; title: Leave-Taking; title: Departure; label: II
title: The Path; title: Introduction to Part II; title: I Remember; title: Notes of a Woman Named Tatiana; title: We Meet Again; title: Letters: Excerpts from the Memoirs of O.S.; title: Returning from the Past; title: I Remember; title: Irina; title: The Journalist; title: The Musician; title: Two Steps to the Side; title: I Am Freezing; title: The Boots; label: III
title: Spiritual Children; title: "O Victorious Leader of Triumphant Hosts!"; title: Father Matthew; title: Father Platon Skorino; title: Mother Maria; title: O Mother of God, Help Me!; title: On the Roof; title: An Admission; title: A Note; title: A Panikhida; title: I Deliver Letters; title: Lena; title: Liuda; title: A Few Sad Thoughts; title: Pavel Semionovich; title: A Few Words in Conclusion; title: Translator's Afterword