Happiness lies within us. Blessed is he who
realised it.
(Saint Nectarius of Aegina)
November
22 will be the day of Saint
Nectarius, Metropolitan of Pentapolis and the Wonderworker of Aegina (1920). It is
also
the patron saint's day of the church located at the territory of the Boarding
Home for Children with Special Needs. It was on this day seven years ago when the first Divine Liturgy was
celebrated in the new wooden church. The sisters have been praying to this
wonderworker and ascetic, who was canonised by the Church of Greece in 1961,
since the very first days of their ministry in the boarding home for children.
November 22 soon became a special day for the children, the sisters of mercy,
volunteers, personnel, and the administration of the boarding home.
In anticipation of the feast, we
would like to recall the amazing saint, St Nectarius of Aegina, and tell you
about the incredible efforts of every member of staff, every sister of mercy,
every volunteer. We would like to share everything we can possibly fit into one
short post.
The first
person I had an interview with was Nun Martha (Matveeva), who had responded to
pain and suffering of others almost two decades ago.
Nun Martha, could you please tell us how your
ministry in the Boarding Home for children with special needs began?
It all
began when Father Andrew (Lemeshonok) invited me to the Sisterhood. It was in
1998. I studied in the Academy of Fine Arts, majoring in painting, and I was
writing my diploma thesis. I approached Father Andrew, believing that the Lord
Himself wanted me to serve other people. Father Andrew took my hand and introduced
me to another sister, saying, "This is Olechka. She will go to the
boarding home for children." It must be noted that I had always dreamed of
helping children but I had never told Father Andrew about it. Naturally, it was
visibly divine action.
What was next? How did other people come?
Little by
little, the Lord would send us new helpers. Currently, there are over 50
sisters, about thirty volunteers, and a youth group of twenty young boys and
girls from the Sunday School, who visit the boarding home on a regular basis. I
have listed only those who visit the children at least twice a week. There are
also volunteers from other places, like the Pedagogical University.
Has anything changed in the course of your
ministry?
A lot has
changed with regard to the cooperation of the administration of the boarding
home with St Elisabeth Convent. Valery Sivtsov, the Headmaster of the Boarding
Home, responds well to suggestions and projects, comes up with many new ideas
of his own, is always open to dialogue, and is actively doing his best to
improve the life of the boarding home and the children who live there. See how
cosy our yard is! We have our own church and a small belfry, which is
accessible for the children. I recall a very telling situation: when we were
negotiating a trip, he said, "Would I allow my own children to go? Yes, I
would. These kids are mine, too." You see, he considers these children to
be his own.
What joint projects of St Elisabeth Convent
and the Boarding Home have already been implemented?
I'll
start with the trivial ones. Apart from material aid such as supplying the
boarding home with essential medicines and personal hygiene kits, which, as you
might expect, are in constant demand, we do a lot of other things with the
children. The sisters of mercy and volunteers organise trips for the children
every weekend. We have started a small zoo with beautiful birds and a couple of
rabbits. There is a project of a sensory garden, which is a territory that will
give the children an opportunity to get to know the environment by touch,
smell, and taste. The idea belongs to Aliona Ovlashevich. The headmaster
supported this initiative, too. And I could go on and on…
What would you do better? What else would you
like to do for the children?
I have a
dream, which has started to become true already, and it is to build a house, a
dacha, for our children not far from the Rehabilitation Centre of St Elisabeth
Convent. We have received a big plot of land lately, and we will start the
design stage soon. It is going to be a cosy family-type house — a house for
meetings of one big and friendly family.
Mother Martha, how did the church in honour
of St Nectarius of Aegina appear on the territory of the boarding home? Why St
Nectarius and not any other saint?
That's an
astonishing story. Long ago, I was invited to take part in a sightseeing tour
to Greece. I did not go to church at that time, and I knew very little about
the Church. We visited Aegina Island during our voyage, and saw the tomb of
Saint Nectarius. I was a student at that time, and I used to go to a bookshop
every time I received my monthly student allowance. So I came across a book
about St Nectarius of Aegina. The story of the saint's life and works impressed
and inspired me. It turns out that Agni Parthene prayer was written by this
holy hierarch. He heard Angels sing the tune, and then wrote the lyrics.
I started
visiting the boarding home just around the time when I got to know Saint
Nectarius. I asked Father Andrew if I could pray to this saint for our kids.
Naturally, we were dreaming of having our own church all the time. There are
many children who cannot go outside. The church turned out to be even more
necessary than I used to think. It is the place that unites us. The children
feel it and respond to it. The church is their home…
***
Nun
Martha can go on and on talking about the boarding home and its little
dwellers. Now allow me to introduce our new interviewee. You could have spotted
him during all meetings, events, and concerts where the children with special
needs participated. Now I know that his name is Oleg. He is 36. He works as a
senior lecturer at the Belarusian State University. Oleg has been a faithful
friend of the Boarding Home since 2000. Just imagine: he's been doing it for
seventeen years!
Oleg, what can a volunteer really do,
especially if we take the bedridden children?
Caring
for severely ill young patients of the boarding home is a multifarious process,
which cannot be reduced to physiology, physical health, feeding, and weight
gain. The importance of close contact between the staff and the children,
between the children and those who visit them, cannot be underestimated. How do
we tackle this issue? Volunteers come to offer additional support, to take (or
carry) the children outdoors. Even if you carry the little humans on your lap
for a little time, you will feel how grateful they are. Our children receive
constant care and attention from the staff, the sisters of mercy and the
volunteers around the clock. Their living conditions have improved
significantly in the recent years. The units, rooms, and classrooms have become
more comfortable and relaxing. Look at our yard: it is full of joy and
bristling with colours. It has everything the children need. Playgrounds were
renovated not long ago. It was made possible thanks to hard work of the
administration and the staff of the Boarding Home. Quality of health services
has also improved but this is a question you'd better ask the nurses who have
worked in the Boarding Home for a long time, such as Nadezhda Vladimirovna from
the Unit No.4 for bedridden children.
Oleg, let's recall the happy events in the
children's lives. Where do they go? How does the Convent and the volunteers
participate in their lives?
We can
keep talking non-stop about the events, trips, workshop sessions, birthday
celebrations, that we brothers and sisters of the Sisterhood, with the
assistance of the administration of the Boarding Home, have organised for the
children. We go downtown with the children every week: we visit the Botanical
Gardens, parks, theatres, museums, and other interesting places. We have been
to the Minsk Planetarium, the National Library, a Fun Science Museum, to name
just a few. Of course, we must mention the fact that our children participate
in performances and attend drama and animation film classes.
Alexander
Zhdanovich is an actor of the Maksim Gorky National Academic Drama Theatre and
a faithful friend of the children from the Boarding Home. It was thanks to his
efforts that our city saw The Little Prince, an inclusive theatrical play
staged by the children who will never grow up for the grown-ups who used to be
children, in Concert Hall Minsk on October 2, 2016.
Alexander, how did the idea of this play
appear?
People of
various occupations visit the children in the boarding home. I was always
interested in seeing how each person finds common ground with the children even
using his profession. Given that I'm an actor, we decided to stage The Little
Prince and we continue to perform it even now. This play is for adults, and the
audience is very receptive.
How do you rehearse?
Everything
changes and develops all the time. We used to rehearse in the assembly hall of
the Boarding Home. Gradually, with God's help, a Spiritual Education Centre
appeared at St Elisabeth Convent. It's a wonderful building with a small but
well-equipped stage. As far as rehearsals are concerned, it's always fun to
work with these kids. And you can never tell what happens next, there's always
some place for live and impromptu improvisation. Rehearsals and performances
give these people a chance to feel that someone needs and appreciates them.
Alexander, could you please say a couple of
words to our children and the readers on this patron saint's day of St
Nectarius of Aegina?
I would
like to quote the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, which are very close to
the Orthodox Christian spirit, "You become responsible, forever, for what
you have tamed." The Lord put these children on our way so that we could
be able to develop our best, God-given qualities.
Finally,
I met Maria Ivanova, the head of an animation studio who comes to the boarding
home every week to make animation films with the children.
Maria, can you please say what brought you to
the boarding home at such a young age?
It was
the Lord who brought us here. I came to the boarding home in 2010, first as a
volunteer. I wanted to teach these children how to make animated films. At
first, we had classes in the boarding home, and later our studio received
financial support and we managed to find a nice well-equipped room in the building
of the Sunday School of St Elisabeth Convent.
Could you please tell us about the most
memorable moments you have had with the special kids?
Naturally,
first of all I must mention presentations of our animation films. Our team has
had three shows in the TUT.BY Gallery, the Moscow House, and SPACE Venue. The
children go out quite often but here they presented their own works, too. The
fact that these children did something big and significant was striking to many
viewers. Generally speaking, conversations between people from the broader
world and people with special needs go easier when there is a common creative
space like that.
What are the new projects that we can expect
to hear about?
No doubt,
the volunteer movement in the boarding home is going very strong. Of course, it
is possible thanks to open dialogue between Valery Sivtsov, the Principal of
the Boarding Home, and us volunteers, among other factors. People from various
Russian cities visited our boarding home and were surprised at seeing how
welcoming the boarding home is to volunteers and their ideas. Last year, our
volunteers were trained for future work in children animation studios with the
support of the U.S. Embassy and UniHelp. We met Mikhail Safronov, a remarkable
director of YES Animation Studio from Saint Petersburg. He became our
inspiration for The Resurrection of Lazarus animation film. We hope that we
will start making a new animation film in January.
You can
spend hours talking about the ministry of St Elisabeth Convent. There are
plenty of wonderful stories. I believe that every person who has ever visited
the boarding home, could tell an interesting and unusual story or two. The most
important aspect of this motley diversity is joint prayer, participation in the
Sacrament of Eucharist, and our shared life in the Church. So many people and
so many fates have met in one place in order to really become one family, or
better still — one Body. We are thankful to God that we are all together!
I would
like to finish my article with the words of Novice Veronika who came to the
boarding home eight years ago as a lay sister and has since become a novice:
“The thing that the children from the Boarding Home miss most of all is
motherly care and love. This is why, when I asked the staff how I could help
these children and how to benefit their development, they replied unanimously,
‘Just hug them so that they could feel your warmth. This is crucial.’ Each one
of us has the opportunity to share their warmth with the children with special
needs. If you do so, you will know for sure that ‘happiness lies within us, and
blessed is he who has realised it.’” Saint Nectarius, pray to God for us!
St.
Elisabeth Convent
November,
2017
CONVERSATION