In 2007, Internet users got the opportunity to watch the documentary film “The Salt of the Earth”, which is part of the general cycle, consisting of five films telling about the lives of our contemporaries, gaining in the people a reputation of elders - spiritual mentors, marked by the special grace of God. The creators of the series were Sergey Bogdanov and Hierodeacon Abel (Semenov). The first film tells about Archpriest Nikolai Rogozin - a man who became famous thanks to his prophecies, which were very ambiguous in church circles. Our story about him.
Young pilgrim from a peasant family
The future shepherd was born on May 9 (22), 1898 in a family of peasants of the village of Verkhoturka of the Belgorod province - Guryan and Matrona, people of the poor, but pious and extremely religious (photo above). His birth coincided with the day when the Orthodox Church recalled St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, in whose honor he received his name.
About the early years of Father Nicholas it is known that in his village he graduated from three classes of the parish school, and then was given to the local shoemaker. His main joy was the presence at divine services both in the village church and in the monastery located nearby.
The heavy cross of Bolshevism
It so happened that the year 1917, which made a turning point in the life of the whole country, was marked for Nikolai Rogozin by two important events. Firstly, he got married, and secondly, he ended up in the ranks of the Red Army. As a true Christian, going to the front, a young man prayed to God only that He would not allow him to shed human blood. His words were heard, and Nicholas worked throughout the Civil War in a shoe shop.
The elder’s first prophecy also dates back to this period - leaving the house, he predicted a future Reds victory. However, in private conversations, Father Nikolai subsequently emphasized that the Bolsheviks came to power and considered God's connivance sent to people for their sins (you need to come to terms with him and meekly bear this Cross).
Opponent of collectivization
Although Rogozin spent his pre-war years in his native village of Verkhoturka, he managed to live there without joining the collective farm, which he considered a godless initiative. He and his family, in which two daughters grew up, were fed from a small garden and a modest income, which brought them the repair of shoes of fellow villagers.
The future shepherd did not leave his village during the Great Patriotic War, because he was released from the army due to heart disease. He visited the temple regularly, but only as an ordinary parishioner, since the time of his pastoral ministry had not yet come.
On the path of church service
Despite the fact that Orthodoxy from an early age was an integral part of his life, it was only in 1953 that Nikolai Rogozin began to take a direct part in worship as a psalm-reader. Two years later, Archbishop John (Lavrinenko) ordained him a priest and gave direction to the village of Chusovsky Gorodki, Perm Territory. There, Nicholas was destined to serve the priest of the All Saints Church until the end of his days.
From the memoirs of visitors to the temple in which the priest served, it is known that he and his family lived extremely poorly. Even those meager means that he got, he tried to spend on parish needs. This was largely explained by the exorbitant taxes with which the atheistic power levied on the Church.
In this regard, Father Nikolai said that he was forced to give his last pennies to the state, since in case of non-payment of the tax the church would be closed, there would be no place for burial of the villagers to die. For a similar reason, he has never been on vacation for all the years of service, because in his absence someone could have passed away without being inveterate. In the above-mentioned film "Salt of the Earth" this is described in sufficient detail.
Miracle on a snowy trail
While working on the film, the members of the film crew had a chance to hear many amazing stories about the life of Father Nikolai. So, the elder’s granddaughter told them about how, one January morning, he went from the All Saints church to a neighboring village, where he was to collect the seriously ill patient. Winter was snowy that year, and the father walked along a narrow path laid between snowdrifts, when suddenly a huge dog blocked his path.
Not at all embarrassed, the priest raised the Holy Gifts that he carried with him over his head, and in a calm voice ordered her to step aside. The fact that the dog dutifully stepped aside can be explained by natural causes, but the deep bow that followed from it goes beyond human understanding.
Shepherd, soaring soul and body
Such a curious fact is also noteworthy - according to fellow villagers, Father Nikolai (Rogozin) never began to serve the liturgy before moving, as if raised by the blowing of the wind, the edges of the patron saints on sacred vessels. In this phenomenon, he saw a sign of the influx of God's grace.
And the story of several witnesses about how, having completed the next service and leaving their temple, the father, in the eyes of the amazed parishioners, took off from the ground, slowly soared to the height of a five-story building, may seem completely unbelievable. However, one can not hear about the miracles associated with his stay in Chusovsky Gorodoks.
The good glory of father Nicholas
Nikolai Rogozin served as rector of a rural church for 20 years, and during this time he gained a lot of admirers in all corners of the country. Even in those deaf anti-religious times, the rumor about miracles performed by him, the height of spiritual life was passed from mouth to mouth, attracted many people to him who became his spiritual children.
Conducted a priest and an active correspondence. Suffice it to say that subsequently, when the archive remaining after it was dismantled, correspondence was received from more than 200 recipients. Among them were such well-known religious figures as Metropolitan Zinovy (Mazhuga), Shiarchimandrite Andronik (Glinsky), Shiigumen Savva, Rev. Kuksha and many others.
Earth end
Father Nikolai went to the Lord on December 16, 1981, and since then has been revered by many believers as a holy elder, although not canonized by the official Church, he has acquired a worthy crown in the Kingdom of God. This belief is based on the miracles that were revealed to him during the days of earthly life, continued to be accomplished after a blessed death.
It is noteworthy that in 2003, during the reburial, his relics were found incorrupt. Now they rest in the crypt of the All Saints Church, located on Krasnaya Gorka.
Predictions of the deceased shepherd
It just so happened that the elders' prophecies made in the days of earthly life, after their death, for a long time excite the minds of people. This fully applies to everything that Father Nikolai once said and wrote. Of particular importance is given to his words because, according to admirers, he could penetrate into the depths of future times with his spiritual eyes, tell his contemporaries what awaits Russia and its holy Church ahead of him, to which he devoted his whole life.
It should be noted that the elder Archpriest Nikolai Rogozin, known for his prophecies, provoked a lot of heated discussion, circulated by the media. He predicted, in particular, the onset of global catastrophes caused by both foreign policy reasons and the spiritual downfall of the Russian people themselves. He did not stop at describing the moral decay of the clergy.
Forcing fear of tomorrow
All this largely determined how the Russian Orthodox Church relates to Nikolai Rogozin. Without specifying the positions of its individual representatives, we only note that their reaction to the elders' prophecies was ambiguous, sometimes they contained diametrically opposed judgments. Recognizing that what was said by Father Nicholas is generally consistent with the gospel prophecy about the Apocalypse - the end of the world and the coming into the world of antichrist, many religious leaders reproached him for excessive pessimism and arousing fear of tomorrow.
The result of an incorrect and too literal understanding of the elders' prophecies can be the actions of a number of impressionable and out of mind zealous adherents, as well as those who are trying to build their future lives on the basis of what they have heard.
It is enough to recall, for example, the "Penza Zakopane" - a group of sectarians of 35 people who left in 2007 in the woods. There, sitting in damp dugouts, they expected the end of the world. There are many other similar examples. Often the fulfillment of his gloomy prophecies is considered regularly appearing in the media about various crimes, military aggressions, natural disasters and other troubles, from which our perishable world is not immune.
On the basis of this, many have the wrong idea about the humane mission that the true Christian shepherd Father Nikolai (Rogozin) carried out in the days of his life. “Salt of the Earth” - a film dedicated to this amazing person, will help not only to know his life in more detail, but to correctly understand everything that he wanted to tell his descendants.