Interview with Matushka Larisa: The obedience of serving in the city hospitals
An interview with Matushka Larisa (Nezhbort), who is helping people in one of the Minsk hospitals.
- Matushka Larisa, what was the beginning of your
obedience serving in the city hospital?
It started with
two young women. One of them gave up studying in the university and began to
work as a nurse. The second one finished her studies, but came to a hospital
as well. Every day they faced the afflicted people and understood that those
people needed not only physical help, but Divine and spiritual as well. They had an
idea to invite a priest so that he could visit those people, pray for them and
help them to confess their sins. So, our sisterhood began with our service in the Minsk
City Hospital №2 and the National Mental Health Clinic.
- How long are you in the sisterhood?
Not from the
very beginning. On Sundays I saw the sisters gathering to read the akathist in
their white angelic vestments, and I wanted very much to join them. However,
Fr. Andrew (the spiritual father of our convent) did not allow me. At that time
the meetings of the sisterhood were held over a cup of tea in the frater of St.
Peter and Paul Cathedral. I was standing near the door and heard Fr. Andrew
saying something spiritual and significant to the sisters, and I wished to be
among them. Unfortunately, I had to stand outside. I was asking for permission
to join the sisterhood for a year, but Fr. Andrew said I was not ready, and
that I had too much sadness for such an obedience. But finally that wonderful moment
came – I was accepted.
- What was your first obedience? What were you doing
at that time?
Many years I
visited the Mental Health Clinic in Novinki. It was a pleasure for me to serve
there. I was working with people from the department of neuroses and
depression. It was not especially difficult to establish contact with those
people. They all were conscious people and were ready to open their hearts. We
had good and close relationships.
Fr. Andrew said
that a sister’s role is insignificant, because it is God Who acts through us. The
only thing a sister has to do is to open her mouth. I was 20 when I began to visit the hospital.
I had no previous experience of public speaking, but the personnel of the
hospital gathered 50 patients, and I had to say something to them. They were
people I saw for the first time, and I decided to follow the Father’s word: I
opened my mouth… but nothing happened. I could not find what to say. The nurses
began to help me, they whispered, “Tell them it is easier to live with God” and
other things like that.
When I came for
the second time, no one came out to greet me. So I started to visit the rooms. There was no
need to announce any Divine ideas to those people. They needed our attention
and sympathy far more. That is why my prior task was to listen to those people.
Every year our nuns visited Elder Nokolai Guryanov on the island, and on their
way there they also visited Pskov-Caves Monastery. When they had an excursion
there, their guide-monk told them that the young monks, who could not cope with
their passions, were sent to hospitals to care for elderly people. Those words
inspired me and I understood that I also needed an additional activity, which
would help me struggle against my own passions.
- What was your impression after your visits?
At first I had
a romantic mood. I was allowed to enter the doors of the resuscitation
department, where no one could enter, even the relatives. And I also understood
that I came there to heal myself from my passions. I visited the hospital
several times a week, and very often I could see a stretcher with a covered body
on it: someone had passed away… I felt an atmosphere of eternity, which
sobered my soul.
- What were you dealing with at the hospital?
Once a week, on
Thursday, a priest comes to us and serves a moleben, confesses patients
of the department. The day before, a sister of mercy visits each room and lets the patients know about this. Usually I enter the room, sit on a chair, ask for
a person’s name and whether he has been baptized or has confessed ever before.
There are eight
departments in the hospital. People are lying there not long, about two or
three weeks. Every time I come I see new people. Of course, many of them are
not going to establish contact, because many of them spend time sitting with
their gadgets, although it is forbidden. Fr. Sergius, my husband, visits the
patients of this hospital as well. Just imagine: once he came to a patient with
a Chalice, so that he could partake of the Communion, but a man lying on the
neighboring bed hopped up and barked “Get out of here now”. So you see, people
do not meet us with open arms. It is hard, and sometimes it makes me sad. I
begin to feel that no one needs us visiting this place. But there are moments
when God encourages us.
- What has this obedience given to you?
I gained life
experience. I have seen a lot of people, and I will remember everyone, who
has opened up to me. Fr. Andrew says, a sister should not just pop into the room,
anoint patients, and write down some names for a moleben, but to pass a person
through her heart even if does not respond.
- Could you tell us about the people your visit?
Many of them
have never confessed. There is a pattern: people who went to church in their childhood, respond to
us more often. I ask a seventy year old person if he wants to take communion, and he agrees to partake of the
Holy Mysteries.
Fr. Sergius
says, quite often people’s confession looks like this: “Tell me, what do you
want? - I want to feel better, to recover. - Perhaps, have you hurt someone? -
No, Father, not at all! - Some sins, maybe? - No, not really. I am all right. –
Do you repent at least of something? – Sure, I do…” However, Fr. Andrew says
that this is more than enough, that each human’s soul is a mystery, and we have
no right to judge these people.
In each room of this department, several patients are lying. They are naked, stuck full of
tubes and covered with a bed sheet. Some of them are unconscious, the
others are delirious. And when I come to them, some of them ask to leave,
because they feel bad, while the others are very thankful and are ready to kiss
your hands.
- How does God console you through these people?
Once I had a
conversation with an old man: “Have you ever visited a church? – Four times. When
I got sick, I went to the church not far from my home. – And what brought you
there? – I have seen a saint in a dream. So I decided to go to a church. At
first I went to a Catholic church, because the saint said, “I am Panteleimon”. So
I thought that was kind of a Polish name, and thus I decided to visit a Catholic
church. – Are you a Catholic? – No, I am an Orthodox. In the Catholic church I
was told that there was no icons of that saint. Then I went to an Orthodox
church, and people there showed me an icon of St. Panteleimon. Now I visit the
church and light candles for him in front of the icon. – Does the Saint on the
icon looks like the one you have seen in your dream? – Yes, he does. He has
exactly the same sandals.” The first time that man partook of the Holy Communion
was in that very hospital.
Another story.
Some years ago, when the World Hockey Championship was held in Minsk, a woman
came here from Moscow together with her husband. They were going to attend the
match for their national team. Unfortunately, she felt sick and the ambulance
brought her to the hospital. And at the same day Fr. Sergius came there to
confess the patients. The woman also decided to use that opportunity and
confessed for the first time in her life. Later Fr. Sergius told her, that it was as if the
championship was organized for her so that she could meet a priest and repent.
One more story. Once I came to another old man. I sat near him, and asked whether he
was baptized or not… then he said, “You know, Valentina of Minsk (a Belorussian
Saint) was the sister of my mother”. I was surprised and asked, whether she was
an unusual person, and he answered, “Well, she was quite strange”.
So, my work is
full of conversations like this. When I meet such people I understand, that our
ministry is needed. People need our help. As the poets say, we cannot foresee
how people will respond to our words. However, we hope that our ministry will never be
forgotten by the people whom we have helped.
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