Where does an Orthodox person go with his troubles and concerns? Of course, to the temple. You look, a believer will put a candle, he will follow the icon, ask for the cherished, and things will be improved. However, sometimes problems seem to haunt a person, one trouble replaces another and the usual prayer can no longer cope here. In this case, the Orthodox turn to the elders, who can perform real miracles in the name of the Lord and with His blessings. If you, too, do not leave unhappiness and illness, then try to go to the Belarusian city of Zhlobin. Father Basil serves in the local church for many years and took an active part in its restoration. Popular rumors tell a lot about him: this old man can heal, helps infertile couples find happiness, becoming parents, instructs and eliminates many everyday problems. It seems that there is nothing that this amazing clergyman could not do with prayer. What is true in the stories about Father Basil, and what is fiction? Today we will tell you about this in an article. We will also tell readers about the temple of the Holy Life-giving Trinity, where Archpriest Vasily serves.
A small digression into history
Trinity Cathedral in Zhlobin is very popular with the Orthodox population of Belarus and other countries. People from all over the world come to a small town eighty kilometers from Gomel primarily to ask for help from his abbot, Elder Vasily, who is often called not for his age, but for wisdom and piety.
However, the temple has a very ancient history, because it was built in the eighties of the nineteenth century. The place for the construction of the cathedral was not accidental; here, since ancient times, the Holy Cross Exaltation Church stood here. It was located on the highest point of the Dnieper, but after a terrifying fire, it burned down along with most of the city.
The new stone temple was built for about six years and became the most visited in the district. Believers from nearby villages often came and went to the service. It was always crowded during the holidays, and the parish was considered one of the largest in the region.
Soviet years
The thirties of the last century opened a new page in the history of the temple. It is filled with tragic events and desolation, which, however, is characteristic of many cathedrals during the period of struggle with faith in God.
The last rector of the secular church, Adam Zhinovich, was arrested in the thirty-second year of the twentieth century. He was sent into exile, but a new priest was not found to conduct the service. The church building began to gradually become desolate. Old people lamented that the place in which the Orthodox had been gathering since the eleventh century has now turned into the Soviet archive.
World War II became a series of sad events for the cathedral. Its domes were visible for many kilometers, and the Nazis adapted themselves, guided by them, to fire at the city and the positions of the Red Army. To confuse the enemy, it was decided to blow up the ancient temple. However, this was not easy to do, Russian craftsmen always built churches using special technology, so it was extremely difficult to destroy the walls even with a directed explosion. The soldier needed three bookmarks to bring down the domes. At the same time, the walls remained in place almost intact.
But after the war ended, the dilapidated cathedral was gradually dismantled by brick people. They urgently needed building materials to rebuild their homes destroyed by bombs, and no one disdained to take stones from the walls of the former temple for this purpose.
By the nineties, from the once beautiful ancient structure there were only miserable remnants, little resembling a temple complex.
Rebirth of the cathedral
The end of the twentieth century is considered the period of the revival of faith in God and cathedrals. Almost the whole world, people began to restore the temples, often this was done absolutely free. This happened with the church in Zhlobin. Father Vasily, who became its rector, took upon himself an almost impossible burden - in the very revelry of poverty to revive the church on the banks of the Dnieper and put the foundation stone in its foundation.
The abbot himself later said that he accidentally saw a dilapidated church and the soul responded to a mute call. He decided with God's help to return the cathedral to people and succeeded in this matter. Having rolled up his sleeves, Archpriest Vasily Pilipenko got down to work, becoming almost a foreman at a construction site. The rector was then thirty-three years old, and he managed to unite even unbelieving people around him. As a result, the temple was restored in just three years, which seemed simply unbelievable by the standards of that time.
New stage
The consecration of the new temple took place in the ninety-fifth year of the last century. This event gathered the heads of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the abbot was awarded several awards.
Father Basil did not stop there and continues to ennoble the church territory. For several years, he erected a bell tower, set up a new gate, opened a Sunday school and a special educational institution for icon painters. People are drawn to the temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, which has become literally a symbol of the new era. But most of all believers are attracted here by the rector of the temple. It will be discussed in the following sections of the article.
A few words about the father of Vasily Pilipenko
The rumor about the miracles that this person does goes far beyond the borders of Belarus. However, ordinary people know very little about Vasily Pilipenko himself, but in an interview he willingly shares the details of his life before assuming the post of rector of the church.
Father Vasily has been serving in Zhlobin for twenty years, but his path to God was not so simple. He said that he himself never considered himself a true believer. But every day I saw how anxious all the members of his family were towards the Lord. Vasily Pilipenko grew up among people who attended church not only on holidays. For example, his grandmother’s sister was a nun. And now in this field is the niece of the abbot, and his brother has become a priest.
After graduation, young Vasily did not even think that he would connect his life with God. He joined the army and, like many young men of that time, ended up in Afghanistan. He went through the war without injuries, but he always said that it was the Lord who protected him for another mission. However, he was not yet destined to understand this at the age of twenty.
Way to god
Returning from the army, Vasily went to work as a forester and met archimandrite Pavel Voitovich. They often had intimate conversations about God and their destiny in life. Young Vasily did not notice how the soul began to tremble and reached for the light. A few years later, in the eighty-eighth year of the last century, he took the priesthood.
Literally immediately after that, he became interested in the restoration of temples. As part of his mission, Pilipenko traveled many abandoned and destroyed churches, in the restoration of which he took an active part. But the real vocation of Father Basil in Zhlobin was the Trinity Cathedral, restored by him together with like-minded people by brick.
Gift of Father Vasily
Why are people from all the former post-Soviet space going to Zhlobin? They say that the local abbot can literally perform miracles in prayer. He goes to him when life's problems turn into a real disaster for the family.
It is then worth gathering, dialing the phone of Father Vasily in Zhlobin and making an appointment. Local residents say that the abbot accepts absolutely everyone and everyone. And sometimes he goes out and points to people who really need help and cannot wait long in line. Families with children are also accepted by the priest in the first place.
People whom the abbot has already helped write that he simply has incredible strength and gift. With one glance, he reads all the information from a person and looks into his soul. Even without asking the question aloud, Father Basil says why you came here. He instructs some, heals others, and for the third he prays and their life is miraculously straightened.
Many families come to Zhlobin with the problem of infertility, and a few months after the visit, they call the priest here with gratitude and talk about the long-awaited pregnancy.
Popular rumor says that there is no such misfortune in which Father Basil could not help. However, you should not go to him with trifling everyday problems. In this case, he can scold, because there are so many people around who really need help.
What does Vasily Pilipenko say about his gift?
The abbot of the temple in Zhlobin does not like when his help to people is associated with the gift. He himself always notes that he is only a vehicle of God's will. If the Lord does not want, then the priest will not be able to solve the problem of man. Therefore, the most important thing is to understand God's purpose and not to oppose it.
Father Vasily often says that sometimes the most difficult thing in communicating with people is explaining to them the need for humility before a particular situation. After all, only the Creator knows what he is saving us from, allowing this or that misfortune. But if a person can be helped, then be sure that the abbot Vasily will do everything in his power so that his prayer can be heard by the Lord.
Father Vasily (Zhlobin): how he accepts
First of all, those who plan to go to Trinity Cathedral are interested in what days the rector conducts reception of citizens and how to get to it.
Most often, Father Basil receives parishioners on Saturday and Sunday. Many come to the temple in the early morning, but even at this time, the waiting room will most likely have a queue. Visitors line up on the street and often expect to communicate with the abbot for several hours. Reception begins in the afternoon and lasts until the last person.
The priest himself calls many, regardless of his place in the general queue. However, do not forget to call Father Vasily before the trip. He answers calls either himself or mother. There are cases when he instructed some people by telephone. In this case, it was no longer necessary to come to the temple.
Before visiting Zhlobin, it is better to confess and receive communion. If you hit the road due to infertility, then consider that only the married couples help the priest. Therefore, do not waste time in vain and carefully prepare for the trip.
How to get to the temple?
Most often, believers plan to get to Zhlobin by bus from Gomel. However, this option is only good for those who plan to spend the night in the city. The fact is that according to the schedule, buses to Gomel do not go on weekends. You can get into the city only on Friday. Travel time varies about an hour and a half. The cost of a one-way ticket does not exceed two hundred rubles.
The most convenient option is a train. In this case, you will get from Gomel a little over an hour.
The temple itself is located on Karl Marx Street, any of the locals will be happy to tell you how to get to it the fastest.