It is always
interesting to get acquainted with new people. Especially, if these people come
from other countries, where the cultural, social and economic atmospheres are
completely different from ours. However, the Orthodox Christians are similar to
each other no matter in what country they live. They are similar in the spirit
of God, which enlightens us. But is this always like this? Is it always easy to
be with God? We discuss these and many other questions with Father Mark Luimes,
a cleric of the Canadian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
(ROCOR).
Father Mark, to begin with, could you tell us a few
words about yourself?
I was born in Ontario, Canada. I grew up on a farm
in a village. My parents were from the Netherlands, but they moved to Canada
during their childhood.
I attended the
Protestant church of the Netherlands. During my study at the university, I
studied the history of the Byzantine Empire. Thus I learned about the Orthodox
Church for the first time. My lector offered me to study Orthodoxy, and after
that the Orthodox theme thrilled me even more. I read the book “Vindication of Tradition” by Yaroslav Pelican, which changed my views on how we understand
and interpret the Holy Scripture.
Once I visited an
Orthodox Church in Canada. I did not understand what was said there, but I felt
a strong spiritual connection with Orthodoxy, and I was ready to accept it,
while my wife was not. She would come to Orthodoxy only seven years later.
At that time, I
attended services at the Bulgarian Orthodox church located not far from Niagara
Falls. I was baptized there and served as a reader, as a subdeacon and,
finally, as a deacon. I have served as a deacon there just for one year, but I
still maintain good relations with the laity. Once, I even had a possibility to
visit Sophia, Bulgaria together with a priest from that church.
In whose honor was the church?
The church of
St. John of Rila. It was under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church
Outside Russia, although it is a Bulgarian church. When I served there,
Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov) was the Hierarch of the ROCOR. The Bulgarian
Orthodox Church was going to accept the new style calendar, and I asked for
blessing to stay within the ROCOR and served for a certain period of time in
the Orthodox Church of America (OCA).
When were you tonsured?
It happened in
2009, on the feast day of St. Nicholas. Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and
Canada tonsured me in the cathedral of St. Nicholas in Montreal.
Where are you serving at the moment?
I served as a
deacon in the OCA for five years. I was “borrowed” from the ROCOR. On the feast
day of the Three Hierarchs, February 12, I was tonsured as a priest. Now I
serve as a second priest in the Intercession church in Hamilton, Ontario. It is
not far from Toronto. Father Peter Shashkov is the Senior Priest there.
So you are a “young” priest…
Yes, an elderly
person, but a young priest. My son is studying in the Holy Trinity Seminary in
Jordanvile. My spiritual father lived there as well. Eight times a year I
visited this place.
Is your son the only child in your family?
No, we have two
sons and two daughters. The eldest daughter is about to finish her studying in
the theatre school. Another daughter is working in the city, and she is dealing
with animal grooming – haircuts and so on. The third child, our son George, is
studying in the seminary. The youngest one is 13, and he is homeschooled. Our
youngest son is adopted, he was born on Haiti.
Father Mark, what brings you here, to Belarus?
I am here for
my work. My secular activity is connected with programming. So I decided to use
the possibility and visit the country as an average tourist.
It turns out that priests in Canada have to work
during the week and serve only on the weekend?
Yes, for the
most part. The priests who serve in the large churches do not work, but if you
serve in a small church, then you need additional work.
What is your impression of Belarus and the Orthodox
people in our country?
It seems to me
that Orthodoxy is in their blood. I had the opportunity to serve together with
Archimandrite Alexis in the Holy Spirit Cathedral, and I was very impressed by
that.
What do you think, what is the biggest problem the
orthodox people face today in Canada?
Perhaps, the
biggest problem is the same as at any time. I mean, fighting for salvation.
There are also the things, which distract people from their salvation: work,
different earthly worries… It reminds me of the proverb about the weeds, which
suppress spiritual life.
The immigrants
have more experience than the native citizens of Canada. However, it is really
hard for them for the first time, as they have to work more to get on their
feet. Or course, this distracts them from their spiritual development.
On the other
hand, those people who have come to Orthodoxy and have been baptized, also have
their own “bunch” of passions to struggle with. However, I see a great promise
for development of Orthodoxy. A large amount of new missions and churches
appear all over the United States. The dynamic is good. I hope it will spread
all over America. It surprises me that for the last 15 years so much churches have
been built! This growth inspires me.
It often can be in our life that a person comes to the
church, takes part in the sacraments, partakes of the Holy Communion, but then
his faith faints, and the person leaves the Church. What should we do to make
people come and stay?
I would like to
give an example from the Old Testament. Our life is like the history of the
ancients Jews, who were held in slavery by the Egyptians. Crossing the Red Sea
became their baptism. They rejoiced after that, they had a spiritual growth.
But they did not know that after that growth there would be the desert, they
did not think about that. We can compare their trip across the desert with the
period of godforsakenness. At the same time God was always with them and
provided them with everything they needed to survive. When the Jews crossed the
river of Jordan, it was their second baptism, which is death. This is an
example of spiritual life.
After the
baptism a person feels special glory, he feels that he is close to God. Then
God makes us go through the period of “godforsakenness”. However, people should
remember that God never leaves them, that it is just the period for working on
yourself, for spiritual development and strengthening. It is kind of a desert a
person has to cross to become closer to God.
This is why we
should strengthen each other. If there is no desire to pray, we should force
each other to do this. If there is no desire to go to church, we should help
each other to go there. We should support each other in such moments of
temptation. This way is hard.
Such periods can last for years. A person goes away
and it can happen that he never comes back…
God sends us as
much trials as we can endure. Not more. Sometimes even the holy fathers, who
lived in the deserts and prayed there for 40 years, could not feel what they
wanted to feel – some kind of glory. But they never gave up, they continued to
stay with God and pray, without paying attention to what was happening around
them.
Let us speak a little bit more about you and the
period when you have come to God. What did you feel then?
For me, as for
a person who was grown in Protestantism, it was kind of an intellectual
process. With time my developments became more spiritual and became a part of
my DNA. At first it was quite easy for me to explain why I was Orthodox. Now it
is more difficult, but at the same time I can understand and feel my faith far
better. It is like with the marriage – it is easy to fall in love and see the
best traits of a person, but later it will be not so easy. However, after I
have lived 25 years with my wife, if you ask me about this, I just do not have
the words to say…
What piece of advice can you give our people, who
dither and cannot decide whether to go to church or to stay in bed on Sunday? How
can a person force himself to go?
I am glad to be
a priest. Otherwise, I could be one of those who idly lie on the couch. Therefore,
I wish that people, who can become priests or just somehow serve the Church
spiritually, that they do this.
I would like to
mention gym as an example. A person has to force himself to go there and
constantly increase the workload. He has to make it a habit. The same concerns
visiting the church, in a spiritual sense, of course.
When your
children visit the church, it is especially vital to give them some solace. And
after that, to buy them an ice cream or go to café together. The liturgy will
be a joy for them in this case, but not a duty. In no case, you should be too
serious and strict in relation to your children’s church and spiritual
development, because this can only push them away.
St. Elisabeth Convent,
CONVERSATION