22.08.2009

You were one of the first sisters of mercy to choose monastic life. How did it happen?

Before I came to the Church, I always felt insincerity in human relations. I thought I should not live like that. Often in my childhood, when I went to bed I wished to get up in a completely different world. I thought, “Now I am a part of a whole, and later when I grow up I will have to be alone.” This was what I did not want.

Each person has a moment in his life when the Lord touches his heart. I had questions inside my soul and I felt the urge to find answers to these questions. Once I came to Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral and saw sisters of mercy there. I wanted to be one of them.

Do you mean you liked their appearance? Some people in the city say that the sisters look like Angels.

I do not remember my first impression of their appearance. It is just that I saw Father Andrew and the sisters, I saw how they talked, I saw their faces and their eyes, and I wanted to be together with them, to be a part of their family.

Why did you decide to become a nun?

When I was in the Sisterhood, I did not think about monastic life. When they started building the church and they were saying that there might be a Convent here, I did not think about becoming a nun. However, gradually I came to realise that this was God’s will.

What is the main difference between a monastic and a lay person, and is there a difference at all?

Any Orthodox person, any Christian is called to the same fulfilment of God’s commandments as a monastic. The only difference is that it is easier for a monastic. A monk lives in a monastery where everything helps his concentration and prayer. It seems to me that a monastic must be different from a layperson with regard to having a more grateful heart.

How does St Elisabeth Convent differ from other convents?

Novice Olga once said that when she travelled to Vitebsk, they asked her, “All monasteries have their sacred objects, such as relics or wonderworking icons. What do you have in your Convent?” She answered, “We have the hospital.”

I wish not our monastic sisters were the main persons in our Convent, but rather the people who come to us. It appears to me that this is true to some extent today.

Our Convent is open to the world. There is the ministry in the hospital, the activity of workshops, and the participation in Orthodox fairs. Does that interfere with the inner life of the monastics?

I think these activities only help us because this is what God blessed us to do and this is obedience to the Church. It is through obedience that a person learns how to live with God. If we confine everybody to their cells, they would not know what to do. It is when we overcome difficulties in the communication with those around us, caused by our sins, that we learn to understand ourselves.

You have been visiting patients of the narcology department of the National Psychiatric Clinic for ten years, which is quite a long time. Can you please tell us about this obedience?

I can only say that this obedience was my life, it helped me to become a nun, and I am very grateful to God for it.

Who are the saints that you venerate most?

St Euphrosyne of Polotsk, St Sergius of Radonezh, St Seraphim of Sarov, St John the Russian, Ss Martyrs Boris and Gleb.

Can you say why they are so dear to you?

Maybe this is because they are our fellow-countrymen, our relatives to some extent. They are somehow close to me.

The convent is one family. How do the sisters become closer to one another?

Surely, first of all through the Sacraments of the Church. As far as everyday life is concerned, we become closer through surmounting our sins and forgiving.

Your name – Euphrosinia – means ‘gladness.’ What makes you rejoice in the monastic life?

The Divine service. I am also very happy when I can surmount my infirmities.

Do sisters also make you happy?

Yes, of course. They make me happy as much as they make me sad.

What will you wish the sisters on the tenth anniversary of the Convent?

I wish them to be grateful to God.