Pastor’s Message
Fr. Alexander Goussetis

What is Freedom?

On July 4th, our country will celebrate its independence and freedom with fireworks, cookouts, and parades. It is a festive time to recognize the blessings we have of living in a nation that promotes and protects our liberty. Periodically we may disagree with decisions and actions made by our government  representatives. Yet the strength of our sovereignty is the freedom to comment and participate in the governing process. As Orthodox Christians, we are also fortunate as American citizens to fully engage and practice our faith, without fear of  government suppression.

The freedom to exercise one’s religious faith is not automatically granted in many countries in the world. Past and present atrocities by various nations have made martyrs of untold faithful Christians. Only in recent years have the realities of the Soviet regime uncovered the near annihilation of the Orthodox Church: 600 bishops, 40,000 priests, and 120,000 monks and nuns were killed during this 70 year period. Many of these died in the harsh conditions of prison or labor camps; others were shot or buried alive. The scale of this martyrdom is unprecedented in the history of the Church.

Those who attended Church services in the Soviet Union were watched carefully; they often lost their jobs and other opportunities – their children often refused entry to universities. People had to be secretive about their faith, even at home. Icons on display were dangerously visible proof of one’s faith. Schoolchildren were encouraged to report to their teachers if someone was praying at home; they were told that by betraying their families, they were helping their country. Religious education of any kind, at home, in Church, or at school was strictly forbidden. Perhaps the strength of religious faith in Russia can be measured by the ferocity of the battle which the communist regime thought it worthwhile and necessary to put up against it.

It was in this context that emerged a humble and prayerful person named Fr Arseny, who survived nineteen years in a Soviet prison camp. His life stories are highlighted in two significant books written by his many spiritual children: Fr. Arseny: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father and Fr. Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses. These book titles are not biographies; they are spiritual encounters of faith in the face of suffering, starvation, and cruelty. Fr. Arseny is a living witness not only of the systematic degradation of the Soviet labor camps, but of how  his faith brought comfort, peace, and hope to many desperate souls. Fr. Arseny is a testament to the spiritual reality that true freedom is a gift from God and not bestowed upon us from any sovereign nation.

Below is a brief description of Fr. Arseny by a spiritual child, though a more complete picture of the person comes only from reading the unimaginable horrors and blessings that took place in those prison camps:

Part of Fr. Arseny’s far-reaching life are revealed to us through the episodes recounted in these books. We meet a kind and simple man, with an honest, open face, a man who was not influenced by the convictions nor the habits of the world that surrounded him—a world impregnated with lies, self-interest, vanity, and cruelty. Fr. Arseny was uncompromising, courageous and unswervingly committed to what he believed to be right and fair. He did not fall victim to the cruel and passionate powers that had consigned him to suffering and persecution. Instead he was a man who chose freely his path toward God, in the name of God. He walked this path to the end with a rare dignity, selflessness, and simplicity. . . Reading these memoirs, one cannot help but remember the many people who suffered and died for the faith and for all of us.

Both book titles are available in our parish bookstore.