More than two
hundred homeless or alcohol-addicted men gather on a farm 19 miles from Minsk
during the winter, where they are supervised by just a couple of sisters from
St. Elisabeth Convent.
“I feel I can’t
cope with all that,” Sister Joanna, one of the nuns of St. Elisabeth Convent,
admits. She is entrusted with an obedience at Lysaja Hara, the rehabilitation
center run by St. Elisabeth Convent and located 19 miles from Minsk. It is a
place where men who found themselves in a difficult situation—the homeless,
drug and alcohol addicts, or generally those who lost their path in life—can
come and stay.
Currently, there
are more than 200 residents at Lysaja Hara, with five sisters who look after
them. There are few rules: the patients must go to church and work. They must
abstain from alcohol, drugs, and foul language. It isn’t an easy task for the
brothers who come to the rehabilitation center to comply with these apparently
simple rules, though.
Many people come to
the rehabilitation center and leave, only to return later—and they are accepted
back no matter how many times they’ve left.
“I work really hard
to do what the Lord blesses me to do. Unfortunately, I see that I cannot cope
with all that. I’m weak and ill. I’m angry and impatient sometimes. I feel
especially bad when I have to tell someone what and how they should do and God
knows that I don’t mean to sound rude or patronizing but they still feel
offended. It’s really painful…” Sister Joanna complains.
“The sisters hold
the reins quite tight, believe me,” Maksim, one of the residents of the
rehabilitation center—a “brother”, as they call them here—chimes in. Maksim is
33, and he has spent about 14 years in prison.
The Old-Timers
Valery has spent
about thirteen years in the rehabilitation center at Lysaja Hara. He remembers
how the sisters kicked off this project in an old wooden house without any
amenities, including running water. There were 25-30 men in the rehab at that
time.
Valery works as a
librarian: ⅓ of his visitors read spiritual books, ⅓ prefer
classical works, and the rest like to read adventure and science fiction
novels.
“Of course, life is
easier here nowadays, although sometimes it seems that it was easier in the
beginning. There used to be fewer people and we were closer. Of course, it was
a little worse comfort-wise: bathing was a non-trivial task. We didn’t have a
wash stand and had to use a cup to wash hands. Life was harder but simpler. It
was like a student construction team: in spite of lack of comfort, the
atmosphere was awesome… We worked more because there were fewer people. You was
always easy to spot,” Valery recounts.
He was an engineer
in the past. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he tried to start a
business but he failed and started drinking… Finally, he found himself at
Lysaja Hara. He used to work in greenhouses, on a farm, in the candle workshop,
and in the refectory… Now he works in the library.
There are few
old-timers at Lysaja Hara: only Valery and another brother who works as a
tractor driver. There are a couple of other people who have been in and out of
the rehabilitation center for years. Only about a third of the current
residents are those who really want to break free from the bonds of their
passions. The rest simply come in search of a warm place to spend the winter.
There are more than 200 brothers in the rehabilitation center in winters but
their number drops to about 100 in summertime.
The main occupation
in the rehabilitation center is labor, to each according to their talent.
They come and go
and then come back. They are given new chances all over again.
“It’s important
that we give them that chance. They are probably waiting for us to reject them
but we don’t. And they are hooked by this attitude. They start climbing out of
the abyss. Sure, there are issues with us as humans, as living beings, and
there are spiritual aspects, too. The spiritual is at the core of everything
here, for sure. That’s the main thing. Otherwise, how are we different from
other organizations?” Sister Joanna reckons.
The
Nursery School
The rehabilitation
center has changed significantly in the thirteen years of Brother Valery’s life
here. There are new solid living quarters, a refectory, a church, and a
detached workshops building.
The brothers live
in cells: the more trustworthy ones in a room for two or three persons, while
the newcomers live in larger cells for up to twelve persons.
“This is intended
as a way for us to look after each other and not to fall into a temptation. If there
are few people around, they will be able to hide in a private place and use the
forbidden substances. Work makes us more responsible. When the sister in charge
sees that one has enough self-control and is willing to change, then she’ll
permit more comfortable terms,” Maksim says.
The newcomers go
through the so-called nursery school. They have separate prayer times. There is
a brother in charge of them. He talks with them and determines their labor
duties on a daily basis.
“If the person
pulls through the initial stage, he gets an assignment where he can earn some
money as a way of encouragement. We’re not talking about wages here. It’s just
an encouragement so that the brothers could buy tea or cigarettes, because most
of them smoke. Without the money, they cannot buy anything. Well, and it makes
them work harder,” Sister Joanna explains.
The most difficult
types to deal with are homeless by choice, in other words, vagrants, and those
who suffer from drug dependency.
“Drugs are a
disaster! They warp one’s head and soul to such an extent… They even jump on
trees and sit there like birds. There was a young man who was helping in the
church. A boy, rather. He was possessed by demons due to drugs. He would talk
in a strange voice in church and collapse. He would even bang his head against
the floor and injure himself. It’s scary… As far as the tramps are concerned,
they are used to living in the street. Here they get everything one may
possibly need: a warm bed, food, and work… But they still prefer to wander
around,” Sister Joanna sounds puzzled.
You won’t be able
to stay away from work in the rehabilitation center. Both the newcomers and the
old-timers work six days a week. Aside from numerous workshops (carpentry,
locksmith’s, and candle workshops), there is a vegetable farm, a dairy farm,
and greenhouses.
Every day begins
with prayer, breakfast, and work. The brothers have lunch at around midday, and
continue working until evening prayer. They work half a day on Saturday. Sunday
is the day off. The brothers can leave the rehabilitation center at any time
with the sisters’ blessing. Sisters emphasize that they don’t force anyone to
stay in the rehabilitation center.
Maksim works in the
carpentry shop and makes genuine masterpieces out of wood.
Life Stories
Maksim (who, as
we’ve mentioned, spent 14 out of his 33 years of life in prison) has spent a
year at Lysaja Hara, although he had planned to stay for one month. His friend
had asked him to help the Convent to make church furniture.
“I’ve spent
thirteen and a half years in prison. I went behind bars when I was 14. I’ve
been in jail for as long as I remember myself. I didn’t suffer from any drug or
alcohol-related issues. I just… I was empty inside. I had money and a place to
live but I was empty inside,” Maksim says.
He doesn’t feel
empty any longer. He carries out his obedience in the carpentry workshop and
dreams of getting married.
“I’m not opposed to
family life. I would like to get married. And I would like to continue working
in the Convent, too,” Maksim admits.
Sister Joanna says
that she would easily let Maksim leave the rehabilitation center. She says that
she’s been asking God to send him a good and faithful wife. Unlike Maksim,
Brother Alexei is clearly unable to live on his own, she feels. He’ll go on
drinking until he dies.
Alexei is a young
man, a professional actor, who came from Moscow Region following the advice of
his parish priest. He had expected to spend three months here due to his
alcohol abuse issues. Instead, he has been living here for two years already.
At first, he attempted to run away. Now he doesn’t, he says.
“I just can’t stop.
You know, as it often happens: I’m late for a bus, I’m late for a train, but
I’ll always come to the liquor store in time,” Alexei jokes.
“Do you think that
we’d prevent him from leaving the rehab if he had a good wife and if he could
control himself?” Sister Joanna adds.
“Some people simply
cannot control themselves. The Lord uses this place to make some people strong
enough to live in the outside world. We have another Alexei, a construction
worker from Russia, who comes to us from time to time. He has been married and
his wife is great. Unfortunately, our Alexei will hardly do on his own in this
world. We talked with Nun Martha, who is in charge of the rehabilitation
center, and she doesn’t want to let him go. Honestly, he’ll end his life in a
ditch or on a road. That’s so appalling…” the novice explains.
Alexei came to the rehabilitation center from Moscow
Region, following the advice of his parish priest. Sister Joanna adopted this
dog and named it Malysh.
It seems that Igor
from Brest will also remain in the rehabilitation center. He came here to pull
through the winter. He used to be in charge of a cafe. Now he looks after
goats.
“If someone had
told me a year ago that I was going to work on an animal farm like a pro, I’d
have burst out laughing. I saw goats only on TV. When I came here, I saw
lambing and calving. It was a revelation for me,” Igor doesn’t hide his
feelings.
He came here in an
attempt to escape alcoholism, emptiness, and loneliness. It was here that he
went to the church and confessed his sins for the first time. He says he feels
the urge to start reading the Gospel now. When asked about his plans, he replies,
“I’ll stay and work here.”
The Mission
In addition to the
brothers, there are about 30 dogs and 40 cats at Lysaja Hara. They have
troubled fates, too. They were abandoned, crippled, and left to die…
For example, the
cat named Kutuzov has only one eye. In fact, it was the reason why he got this
name. However, he is brave like the famous general, too. At one point, he
rushed to the defence of Sister Joanna when one of the brothers yelled at her.
In spite of all difficulties
and the seemingly insufficient percentage of those brothers who return to
normal life, Sister Joanna insists that their work is effective.
“Even if there is
one person who gets saved and finds God after his stay here; if someone finds a
family and gets reintegrated into the society; if there is a person who works
and understands the true meaning of life—for the sake of others and for the
sake of God—it’s already worth the effort,” Sister Joanna explains.
Anyway, all
misunderstandings will certainly be forgotten on Sunday. It’s Easter time. The
brothers are looking for the festive meal, lots of friendly conversations, and
a solemn service in St. Elisabeth Convent. Easter is the great holiday that
encourages everyone to hope for salvation.
Pictures by Victor Tolochko
Source: https://sputnik.by/society/20180405/1034653985/kak-na-lysoj-gore-spasayut-poteryannyh-lyudej.html
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