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Peculiarities of the Rostov and Taganrog (Novocherkassk) Diocese’s Clergy Formation in 1940–1950
The article is devoted to the problem of clergy formation of the Rostov and Taganrog (Novocherkassk) Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1940–1950s.
As a result of the repressive policy pursued by the Soviet State against the Russian Orthodox Church, by 1941, such a religious Institute as the parish clergy was destroyed. Change of the Church policy during the Great Patriotic war
and the legalization of the parish clergy workers became the basis for the formation of a new social group. After the liberation of the Rostov region from occupation, here developed a complicated situation due to, fi rstly, unclear borders
of the Diocesan structures operating in the territory of the Rostov region, and secondly, the connection of the clergy or its senior executives with the occupational authorities. With this in mind, on August 10, 1943 Eleutherius (Vorontsov)
was consecrated in Bishop of Rostov. To him belonged the main role in unifi cation and formation of the clergy of the Rostov Diocese of the post-war period. Just like in time of the Great Patriotic war, until the 1950-ies the clergy of the
Rostov Diocese remained mixed. Compulsory personnel recruitment of the clergy with “new people”, often without appropriate education and overwhelmingly driven by mercantile interests, determined both the employee turnover and
low morality level. Indicative was the time of the management of Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) in regard to the formation of the Rostov Diocese clergy. As the basis of his policy regarding the recruitment of the parish clergy, he
took the involvement of the clergy of countered orders from other dioceses, preferably from the Western Ukraine. The Analysis of the process of formation of the clergy of the Rostov and Taganrog (Novocherkassk) Diocese in the period
from 1942 to 1955 showed that as a result of changes in Church policy there was created a new social group of the Russian society. Since this group consisted of diverse contingent of priests, whose return to ministry or taking orders
was associated primarily with the survival strategy, the moral condition of most of them caused particular concern of the Church hierarchy, which could not aff ect the situation.
As a result of the repressive policy pursued by the Soviet State against the Russian Orthodox Church, by 1941, such a religious Institute as the parish clergy was destroyed. Change of the Church policy during the Great Patriotic war
and the legalization of the parish clergy workers became the basis for the formation of a new social group. After the liberation of the Rostov region from occupation, here developed a complicated situation due to, fi rstly, unclear borders
of the Diocesan structures operating in the territory of the Rostov region, and secondly, the connection of the clergy or its senior executives with the occupational authorities. With this in mind, on August 10, 1943 Eleutherius (Vorontsov)
was consecrated in Bishop of Rostov. To him belonged the main role in unifi cation and formation of the clergy of the Rostov Diocese of the post-war period. Just like in time of the Great Patriotic war, until the 1950-ies the clergy of the
Rostov Diocese remained mixed. Compulsory personnel recruitment of the clergy with “new people”, often without appropriate education and overwhelmingly driven by mercantile interests, determined both the employee turnover and
low morality level. Indicative was the time of the management of Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) in regard to the formation of the Rostov Diocese clergy. As the basis of his policy regarding the recruitment of the parish clergy, he
took the involvement of the clergy of countered orders from other dioceses, preferably from the Western Ukraine. The Analysis of the process of formation of the clergy of the Rostov and Taganrog (Novocherkassk) Diocese in the period
from 1942 to 1955 showed that as a result of changes in Church policy there was created a new social group of the Russian society. Since this group consisted of diverse contingent of priests, whose return to ministry or taking orders
was associated primarily with the survival strategy, the moral condition of most of them caused particular concern of the Church hierarchy, which could not aff ect the situation.
the Don clergy, clergy, the Rostov and Taganrog (Novocherkassk) Diocese, clergy files, Bishop Eleutherius (Vorontsov), Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)