Brief, yet priceless, information from the writings of S.V. Shumilo:
Valuable witness was also preserved about Hieromonk Philaret (Metan's) clandestine catacomb service, who after the war, lived in the village Dobrianka in the Chernigov region, and later in the town of Ahturka in the Soomsk region.
The author of these lines came to know quite closely the last Diveyevo nun, the catacomb confessor Matushka Seraphima (Koorkaik) who had close ties for a long time with Father Philaret and the catacomb TOC communities. After the closure of the monastery in 1927, Matushka Seraphima rejected Sergianism, and with the blessing of Staretz (St.) Nektary Tikhonov (of Optina), dedicated all her life thereafter to the Catacomb True Orthodox Church. From 1950 and through to the 1970’s, she had a close tie with Fr. Philaret (Metan).
Inasmuch as the priest was under close surveillance, he practically never left his house. He conducted Services secretly in his room, while maintaining contact with his parishioners through Matushka Seraphima. On prearranged days, she would enter Fr. Philaret’s garden and leave the parishioners’ letters and confessionals in a hollow log, then return after a while to collect the Holy Gifts and Fr. Philaret’s pastoral preceptorials and letters, which she then delivered to the faithful.
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A Life of Father Philaret (Metan):
Hieromonk Philaret (Metan) was a monk of the Kiev Mikhailovsky monastery.
He did not accept the revolution and the atheist authorities. After the notorious declaration of Metropolitan Sergius in 1927 he joined the Catacomb Church, and was in communion with Hieromonk Theodore (Rafanovsky), Hieromonk Hilarion (Andreyevsky), Schema-Hieromonk Ambrose (Kapinus) and other catacomb confessors.
In the 1930s he lived secretly in the village of Dobryanka, Chernigov province. It was possible to go to him only with his blessing.
A.D. Sukhovskaya recalls that two nuns lived with him. One of them had been a spiritual daughter of St. John of Kronstadt. Her civil name was Claudia, in monasticism, Cherubima. She was a Cossack by origin. The other nun was called Anna Naumovna Kurkaj in the world, and in monasticism, Seraphima.
She had been in the Diveyevo monastery, and was also a Cossack. She died on May 11, 1997.
In the house in Dobryanka Fr. Philaret would live in a separate room that was locked. When the police or someone else came to check, the nuns would say: “That is the mistress’ room. She locked it, we don’t have the key, and we don’t go in there.”
After the martyrdom of Fr. Paul Levashov in 1937, Fr. Philaret began to look after his spiritual
children. He lived in Pokolyubichi, and people would visit him there from Gomel.
In 1942, after the arrival of the Germans, Fr. Philaret began to serve openly. After the war he again went into hiding in various villages. He performed Divine services at night in his house, accepted confessions by mail, and sent the Holy Gifts via ‘envoy’ monks and Mother Seraphima.
He had a large catacomb flock in the Ukraine and Belorussia.
At the end of the 1960s he was hunted out by some Komsomol activists and arrested by the KGB
on the laughable charge of spying for the USA, but after a short investigation he was released and allowed to live with his brother in the city of Khorol, Poltava province.
His brother was compelled to spy on him. He lived with his brother in an old hut, where he set up a hanging altar. His brother did not allow parishioners to come to him, but people found ways of secretly getting through to him at night in the kitchen gardens. They would leave notes for him, and he would leave notes for them.
Fr. Philaret died on March 3, 1976 in Akhtyrka, and was buried in Khorol.
In the 1930s he lived secretly in the village of Dobryanka, Chernigov province. It was possible to go to him only with his blessing.
A.D. Sukhovskaya recalls that two nuns lived with him. One of them had been a spiritual daughter of St. John of Kronstadt. Her civil name was Claudia, in monasticism, Cherubima. She was a Cossack by origin. The other nun was called Anna Naumovna Kurkaj in the world, and in monasticism, Seraphima.
She had been in the Diveyevo monastery, and was also a Cossack. She died on May 11, 1997.
In the house in Dobryanka Fr. Philaret would live in a separate room that was locked. When the police or someone else came to check, the nuns would say: “That is the mistress’ room. She locked it, we don’t have the key, and we don’t go in there.”
After the martyrdom of Fr. Paul Levashov in 1937, Fr. Philaret began to look after his spiritual
children. He lived in Pokolyubichi, and people would visit him there from Gomel.
In 1942, after the arrival of the Germans, Fr. Philaret began to serve openly. After the war he again went into hiding in various villages. He performed Divine services at night in his house, accepted confessions by mail, and sent the Holy Gifts via ‘envoy’ monks and Mother Seraphima.
He had a large catacomb flock in the Ukraine and Belorussia.
At the end of the 1960s he was hunted out by some Komsomol activists and arrested by the KGB
on the laughable charge of spying for the USA, but after a short investigation he was released and allowed to live with his brother in the city of Khorol, Poltava province.
His brother was compelled to spy on him. He lived with his brother in an old hut, where he set up a hanging altar. His brother did not allow parishioners to come to him, but people found ways of secretly getting through to him at night in the kitchen gardens. They would leave notes for him, and he would leave notes for them.
Fr. Philaret died on March 3, 1976 in Akhtyrka, and was buried in Khorol.
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| Fr. Philaret (Metan) |