Recalling Bolshevism’s Victims

After having breakfast at the hotel, I met Matthew Casserly, my translator. He is a young American convert to Orthodox Christianity and has lived and worked in Moscow for seven year. We went to the metro and it is as amazing as any place you have ever heard. Matthew stated that he had no words to describe the Bolsheviks except that they created a magnificent subway system. They did.

We took a bus to get further out, then headed towards the southernmost edge of Moscow. The Church of the New Martyrs and Consciences of Russia was our destination. It is located at the far southern edge of Moscow. We then took a bus to get further out. Their bodies were buried there. It is believed that at least 1,000 of them were martyred for Orthodox faith. They are honored in the nearby church, as well as all those who were killed by the Bolsheviks, including the Romanov family.

This is the complete story about the killing field that was made into a mass grave. The tiny chapel made of wood, which is dedicated to martyrs, can be seen on the field. The big, white church is located across an asphalt road. This is where Matthew and me lit candles.

Matthew and I arrived at the New Martyrs Church, where the liturgy had ended. The worshipers had moved into the field, surrounded by trees, to stand in the snow and read aloud the names and victims. They would spend many hours doing it. They were surrounded by a long, rectangular path that was partly inspired by the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC. A granite wall that displays the names of all those who were killed on that particular field in a given month is visible as you pass by. Some mugshots of prisoners were found in the area surrounding the path. These men and women’s eyes speak volumes: defiance in some, calm resignation in others; and disbelief that this will be one’s final days.

A Russian man approached us from the edge of the field and began to talk with us. He was looking at a list of daily deaths, as well as an exhibit. Stalin had murdered his grandfather for telling the people of the collective farm that he had lived. He also told them that they were responsible for saving their houses from a fire. The authorities were informed by someone, and Vladimir Alexandrovich’s grandfather was killed. They killed the priest from his church and the man who was holding the door to the church.

Vladimir Alexandrovich asked, “And for what?” He didn’t expect an answer.

Matthew spoke to him in Russian and told him about my new book. He was shocked when I explained to him that Americans are losing their jobs over political issues.

He said that history repeats itself in one way or another.

It was snowing harder as the wind picked up. Matt and I found a military tent where men were pouring hot sugary tea into cups, and buckwheat-kasha into bowls to serve pilgrims. The buns were watched by a cheerful, strong babushka. She had a box filled with cabbage-stuffed buns and a box filled with apple-filled. She instructed us men, who were shivering under the tent, to eat more.

After we had finished our lunch, Father Kirill Kaleda (archpriest of the large church across the street) invited us to visit his log cabin. There, they met pilgrims. You can see that his table was full of food on this particular day.

He had just returned from Butovo, where he spoke to students. He mentioned that Vladimir Alexandrovich had told me how worried he was about the future, as so few Russians are interested in history.

“Unfortunately, he’s right. It is clear that the young people who I was speaking to today don’t know anything about this. It was obvious that they didn’t know anything when I began to talk about simple topics. There is always the risk of repetition in some way.

The table was located in the log cabin, which also served as Father’s office. It also served as the church’s reception room. This table was filled with wine, salmon and herring, as well as cheeses and blinis, to be served to all those who stopped by during this special day. Two cars with diplomatic plates from ex-communist countries were parked outside my car.

Father Kirill stated that protecting liberty is about the freedom of information and the right to form an opinion about the history of your country.

He said, “It’s very limited here, and I’ve heard that it’s even less in the US.” “It’s so important to be able to have a different view.

It’s not just about having opinions about one’s historical past but also about what’s right. It seems out of place and unacceptable to me that America believes that its actions are right and that there is no room to challenge that belief.

I shared with him some of the things happening in America. These included the suppression and firing of speech on college campuses and people such as Dr. Allen Josephson for their opinions.

He said, drily, “What kind of freedom do you talk about?” “All people have the right to make mistakes, even ideologic errors. We can call it unfreedom if someone restricts another’s freedom to express an opinion.

He spoke out about gender ideology and said that it was “unacceptable” for most Christians and Muslims because it has no natural basis.

Father Kirill stated that these phenomena have been around for a long time. “The only thing that has changed is that people now want to claim that it’s okay. We are now fighting for the distinction between good or evil.

But how do you resist? We talked about political combat. Father Kirill hadn’t heard of the Benedict Option. I did however tell him about my frustration at American Christians who believe that the only way to defeat these things is through the election of the right politicians.

He seemed to be in agreement.

He said, “The best and most effective way to fight is in your own world that you can affect.” While not everyone can agree with all of the opinions, the way you live your life and the way that your family runs is more accessible to the rest of us. St. Seraphim said that if you can acquire the Holy Spirit, then thousands will be saved. This path of Podvig [a feat or deed] was chosen by the Russian Orthodox Church faithful, even during the worst persecutions.

When Americans ask me about the Benedict Option in times of persecution, I’ll remind them of the words of the Bolshevik priest. He continued:

It’s important to not limit your thoughts to canonized saints when considering this topic. The white headscarves, which are called in Russia “white headscarves” — often women, with very low education, who went to church regardless of the circumstances. They were able save some money and passed it on to their kids. These are the most important. They were numerous.

It is easy to believe that they did not perform any holy acts, or that they simply went to church. They were actually the ones who saved faith and preserved the church.

As he spoke, i looked behind him and saw through the window. Snow was falling on a field, where 21,000 people died and were buried in an open grave. It gave weight and depth to the words of the priest.

Father Kirill spoke of the responsibility that every Christian has for the environment around him. He stressed that believers shouldn’t wait for great leaders who will make things right. This is a way to avoid taking responsibility for the small spaces we live in. He said, “Out of these tiny spaces, that’s what society is made of.”

He spoke of a saint from the second century who saw a mystical vision.

He was shown how to build a tower. People brought stones to help him build the tower. Some stones were perfectly shaped and could be used right away. Others required only minor work. Others needed to be thrown away. This vision was given to him by an angel. It is the church. A building that has been built throughout human history. Each stone is a member of the church. The builder was able to fix the stones that had spent their lives getting ready for the construction. This tower’s history is also the history and construction of the church. It is the history that defines humanity. This construction’s story is also about these people. This tower’s history is not about wars or church councils. It is not about a particular bishop who occupies a specific position. That is not what this tower is made from. The story of humanity is not about presidents, but individuals.

Father Kirill told me that I found the rise in identity politics to be a troubling sign. Because of their group membership, the American left trains its members to view others in terms of their own group identities. They also train their people to see some groups as oppressors and others as victims. Is it possible to resist this? I was curious.

The priest stated that the main thing was to maintain simple human contracts, making sure people are in contact with one another. This is what the people who visit Butuvo make clear. They come with many opinions about the past and what has happened here. You can see that a new relationship, perhaps even a brotherhood, is being formed by their conversations. Although opinions may not change, the weight of what transpired here starts to break down any barriers. It is important to see humanity in others.

Solzhenitsyn’s command to Soviet citizens to “live not with lies” was raised by me. How can an honest person live in a society in which lying is a common way of living?

He laughed and said, “With difficulty!”

He continued, “Ofcourse it’s hard, but thanks to God, there were people doing their best so that they could live in truth.” People understood that living in truth would require them to compromise their career progress in order to live in the truth. They made a choice and decided to live by it.

Father Kirill was born in Moscow in 1958. He is one of six children from an Orthodox family. They did not join the Komsomol, the Communist Youth League.

He said, “When I was a teenager I wanted to learn history.” My father explained to me that it was impossible to study history in the Soviet Union without being involved with Soviet ideology. I decided to become a geologist.

Many families opposed the Bolshevik regime sent their kids to the natural sciences in an effort to remove any traces of ideology.

Then, I asked him his experiences growing up in Soviet Union about how important it was to understand propaganda. He stressed that propaganda didn’t end after the Soviets fell.

Because people have more information, things are different today. We also see so much propaganda despite the fact that so much information is available. Consider what is happening in Ukraine right now. These people are our family. We’ve seen how TV made us Russians see them as our enemies instead of our family. These same tactics are still being used in the communist era. Today’s people have to be able to find more information than they get on TV and to critically examine what they read and see. This is what’s different than ever before.

Father Kirill told me that I wasn’t worried about Stalin 2.0 becoming totalitarianism. I don’t expect the Butovo killing fields to be returned. However, I fear the gradual, profound loss in freedom of humanity. People will willingly give up control over their thoughts, actions, and lives to avoid suffering, even inconvenience. He was interested in my Millennial friend from Budapest and her testimony about how her generation is driven by maximization of “well-being” — which in their case means avoiding all forms of suffering, regardless of the cost.

Before answering, the priest thought carefully. He then said:

Christ told his followers to always be ready to take up their cross and keep it with them at all times. It is going to be uncomfortable to take up your cross and carry it. This current comfort ideology is anti-Christian. We should also point out that the Church has never called its followers to seek suffering. In fact, they even warned against it. However, if someone finds himself in suffering, he should be strong and bear it.

Each person goes through a test in their lives. People who are used to living in comfort, both in the traditional household and in a spiritual manner, are not able bear these trials. I am reminded of Father Alexei Mechev, a Russian saint who lived in the early 20th century. His life was a story of how everything began. Because of the location of their home in this church, their service was limited and unheated. His wife died from tuberculosis, and he was left with a young son. He was devastated because the Orthodox Church prohibits you from marrying again if you are a priest. Father John of Kronstadt (now St. John of Kronstadt) met him and said, “What’s the point in walking around grieving?” Look around you. Take a look at the grief of those around you. You can take that grief on yourself and you will feel less grief. He fulfilled the words of St. John.

In his old age, Father Alexey Mechev passed away. Sergey, his son, was also an Orthodox priest who was killed by the Bolsheviks. This is the story of their family from a Russian Orthodox website I was not aware of his name or story until Father Kirill mentioned it to me.

Fr. Sergius was chosen for his uncompromising stance in ecclesial issues to join Russia’s New Martyrs. His pastoral skills are his main remark. In Moscow, the Maroseyka parish was the only one to cultivate an inwardly monastic orientation. Fr. Alexey said often that his task was “a monastery in this world.” He meant a parish family directed towards the same goal, sanctity, and deification, as the monastic.

Fr. Sergius believed in the same principle, but he didn’t refer to it as “monastery of the world” until later because others had used the term to describe a community of secret monks and nuns who lived in the outside world under monastic vows. Instead, Fr. Sergius took from ancient Russian church practice the term “repenting family.” He also referred to his parish as a “repenting-liturgical family.” It was very apt. He was a spiritual director who sought to instill in his flock the spirit of repentance. He encouraged regular attendance at church services which he believed were the best schools for spiritual growth.

My God. Father Sergei Mechev was a martyr-priest and lived what I call “the Benedict Option” and led his parish in that manner. While I’m in Moscow, I will search for an icon of him.

Father Kirill was kind enough to answer my question about his message for American churches. He replied:

The 20th century events in Russia are a testimony to the fact many Russians believed in God and entrusted their lives to God. They saw the spiritual world as a reality. It was difficult and scary, despite the fact that they were human, this time. Their podvig is a witness to another world, a spiritual realm, and the Kingdom Of Heaven. We can learn from their podvig that the earthly values, including comfort, pale in comparison to the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a difficult lesson.

He meant that believing is more than just saying that you believe. It is important to have deep faith in God’s kingdom and live it. There is no other way.

Matthew and I changed into our coats for the journey, when Father Kirill called us to his office. He showed us the mitres of St. Alexey. We crossed our arms and kissed the precious relic.

Russia! What a country!