KONSTANTINOV Archpriest Dimitry

The rector of Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, Father Victor Sokolov wrote a brief commemorative article that was published in "Notes Russian Academic Group"

About the Church - the Church. Article Priest. Victor Sokolov.

The fact that one is safety in numbers, we have long know and saying this is not going to argue. At the same time, and the Holy Scriptures, and life itself teaches us that this conventional wisdom does not relieve us from the high responsibility for their actions or inaction.

In addition, the true believers, and living the truth and can not imagine myself completely alone. A golden chain of the righteous, truth-seekers and truth-seekers has never been interrupted and did not run out until the end of days. In 1920 ZOh years lived and worked in the Russian Abroad Ivan Arkadevich Lagowski. He was a theologian and ecclesiastical writer, from the pen in which the "Bulletin of the Russian Student Christian Movement" came out a lot of critical articles, united heading: "Where are struggling with God". When those who wrestled with God, came to Estonia, Ivan Arkadevich was among the first to be arrested and soon shot in the dungeons of the NKVD. Is the price of truth. Is the price of faith. But neither the one nor the other can not destroy. Disappeared topic "Where are struggling with God", is the other: "On the religious front". Dmitriy V. was born on 8 / 21 March 1908 in St. Petersburg. In the years 1925-27 he studied at the Leningrad Theological Institute, at the same time as a student at Teachers College of. Ushinskogo. In 1930. Konstantinov graduated Editorial and Publishing Institute, and in 1933. - Post-graduate Research Institute of Book Science. In Konstantinovo teachers attracted scientist's inquisitive mind and persistent vigilance researcher, and he was at the rank of a senior researcher at the Research Institute on at the same time invited to teach at the secondary and higher educational institutions of Leningrad.

In those same years they were published several books ( "Registration of Soviet books and T. n.) and articles. Doctoral thesis on "Peter the Great and his publishing activities" was written on the eve of the Second World War, which prevented her defense.
Mobilized in the first days of the war, Konstantinov was awarded the rank of the officer. In 1944 he fell into German captivity after the war escaped extradition oprichniks Stalin and remained in the West. Began its now half a century of service to the Church. November 19, 1944 Metropolitan Anastasius (Gribanovsky) Dimitri ordained a deacon, and the next day, Metropolitan Seraphim (Lyade), he was ordained a priest. He served his father Demetrius in hiking churches Russian Liberation Army (ROA) and the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Western Zone of Germany. This period of his pastoral work he describes in his book "Notes of a military priest ROA" (1980). In 1949 o.Dimitry moved to Argentina, and since 1960 he was the priesthood in the United States, in the parishes Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America. In archpriest o.Dimitry was erected in 1955.

All these years o.Dimitry not interrupt their church journalistic activities. Even in Argentina, he founded and edited the church social newspaper "New Word" (1949-60). Also in Buenos Aires in 1952, he published his first book in Abroad, "I fought in the Red Army" - This work brought him fame. In 1954 he began a fruitful research cooperation Priest. Konstantinov with the Munich Institute of Higher Studies of the USSR. Under the cover of this remarkable scientific poblikatsy center, in 1971, have fallen victim to American spineless concessions regime, Khrushchev, was made public a lot of serious and profound works o.Dimitriya on the situation of religion in the USSR. In those same years archpriest Konstantinov published numerous articles in many Russian foreign publications. Among the many books of this author remembered such as "Orthodox youth in the fight for the Church in the USSR" (1956), "Religious Resistance Movement in the USSR" (1967), "Driven Church" (1967), "Summer Lightning spiritual rebirth. Russian Orthodox Church in the USSR in the late sixties and early seventies "(1973). Unifying, cross-cutting feature of these and in general all publications. Demetrius is his unwavering churchism. His point of view - not the position of an outside observer, he is an active member of the Church, living in her and her sacraments vskormlengy. Pain and sickness of the Church - his suffering. Victory Church - his joy.

Father Dimitry uncompromisingly defends a purely Orthodox, not turbid faith and yurisdiktsionkymi layers of views on the Russian Church. "Is it really necessary to explain again that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarchate - not the same ... This is a completely different concept. If by the Church ... We mean the whole church people, all the clergy and the episcopate, then under the Moscow Patriarchate is understood only by its senior management and the church only, never tires of explaining its principled and theologically unassailable position against. Konstantinov

. This researcher and writer can not be accused of compromise or of bad faith on the truth about the situation of religion in the USSR: the entire half-century of archpriest Konstantinova evidence in favor of his probity and integrity of his world,
. That does not mean that o.Dimitry - impartial observer, cold mind exploring personally do not affect its processes. Detachment inevitably would lead to great injustice, because the Church as a way comprehensible to only those who walks this path. At the same time, partisanship and personal involvement does not preclude objectivity. And his father Demetrius had again and again expound the truths of their opponents: focus "only on the negative aspects of life and deatelnosgi ROC" and an unwillingness to "see the positive aspects of her life and work", . rightly on his conviction, . - Biased, . unfair and simply sinful.,

. This is the last word, unthinkable in the mouths of secular ecclesiastical writer, living under the pen Minutes
. Konstantinova, not only did not correct it and hearing not shock the reader, but a remarkable way translates the entire debate in a completely different plan, raises the question of the Church's only worthy of its level-sacramental. Church of the living God is not a human organization. No human organization - the Party, society, the government - did not survive two millennia. Only the Church. Church, whose members were people from the very start small, weak, sinful, corrupt ... This same Church has survived everything, and all survived, despite all our infirmities and all our unworthiness.

Why? Because the Church - is sacred and holy it is not with you our holiness, and Jesus Christ. And this is the Lord, whom the Church owes its holiness and his own life. And life is given by the Church, that we have with you, its members, in the Holy Sacraments, and, above all, in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Only a true member of the Church, as archpriest Dimitry, can thus justify their beliefs: "The main thing is indestructible, invincible, great and infinitely holy - it is the Eucharist. While celebrate the Eucharist, the Church exists and lives. None of the Eucharist - there is no church. "

Church historian, theologian and preacher (and his father Demetrius and published many sermons and church catechetical talks) are inseparably merge in the creation of Archpriest Dimitri Konstantinov. This, on the one hand, makes his works hardly preemlemymi for Marxist-savvy teachers of social sciences in Western universities. On the other hand, this is the natural attitude and outlook are doing in the eyes of the people of the Church of Father Dimitri is not only accurate, but also a prophet: the processes in today's Russia is much the church had been presciently predicted Minutes. Konstantinov.

And not only predicted, but close: his sharp words, his astute understanding of what is happening helped us a lot more, where with God struggled to understand the church situation and define its position on the religious front.

Future historians will no doubt will appreciate that the heroic work being conducted in very difficult circumstances emigre scientists and publicists. Outstanding among them occupied and continues to actively take a tireless, . steadfast gaze of the observer and researcher, . meticulous reader and collector, . a Research Institute, . the entire state of which consists of one person-Archpriest Dimitry V. Konstantinov.,