[xsexymasterix]

Interview with Fr. Daniil Sysoyev on His Apologetic and Missionary Activity in Russia

Below is an interview with Father Daniel Sysoev, the Moscow priest who was engaged in evangelism among Muslims as well as others of various beliefs and philosophies, and was shot dead last Thursday by a masked gunman:

Fr. Daniil Sysoyev's Autobiography

I'm Daniil Alekseyevich Sysoyev, a priest, born 12th of January in 1974 in Moscow, in a family of drawing-masters. My father, Aleksey Nikolayevich Sysoyev, a priest, now the senior priest of St. John the Evangelist Cathedral and the Classical Orthodox grammar school and the priest in charge of St Peter and Paul church in Yasenevo. My mother teaches Bible classes at the same school.

I was baptised on the 31st of October 1977 in Trinity Church at the Vorobyovy Hills by the priest Yevgeniy. Since that time we've been regular parishioners of St. Nicholas Church in Kuznetsky sloboda. Then we visited the small Cathedral of Donskoi Monastery, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Holy Virgin, Shabolovka. When my father was a sacristan at the Beheading of St. John the Baptist Church, I helped him in the altar and sang in a choir. In summer of 1988 I took part in restoration work at resurrecting Optina Monastery. In the period of the Church of All Saints I also sang in a choir and its senior priest recommended that I enter Moscow Seminary.

After leaving secondary school in 1991, I entered Moscow Seminary. While studying there I had the obedience of choir singer and senior choir singer of a mixed choir. On the 19th of December 1994 His Eminence Rostislav, bishop of Magadan and Chukotka, ordained me reader.

On the 22th of January in 1995 I married Iuliya Mikhaylovna Brykina. The Holy Mystery of Marriage was celebrated in St. John the Evangelist Cathedral by the priest Dionisiy Pozdnyayev. In the same year my first daughter, Iustina was born.

On the 13th of May 1995 His Eminence Yevgeniy, bishop of Vereiskian ordained me deacon. I graduated from Moscow Seminary on the 14th June 1995.

Interview

Father Daniil Sysoyev, senior priest of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church and the initiator of a growing community in honor of Daniel the Prophet. We met on the occasion of the opening of the mission site in honor of Saint Thomas the Apostle. Olga Kurova talked to Fr.Daniil.

- Fr. Daniil, we meet on the occasion of the opening of a mission site. There are no prizes for guessing, there has been great preliminary work. Tell us please the way it all began.


- Recalling just the very beginning, let me see...it was 1993, when I used to be a missionary in the street. And from August of 1996 I have been blessed by His Holiness Alexis II Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to conduct official discourses at Krutitsy Patriarchal Metochion. First these discourses were intended for Protestant conversion. Later more and more occultists and victims of different "sorcerers" appeared. And at last I turned to Moslem conversion. So, our center is open for paranormalists' victims, young people who want to learn the basics of Christianity as well as for non-Christians.

- What are your goals?

- Not so long ago we dedicated a temporary church in honor of Saint Thomas the Apostle. A large missionary church in honor of Daniel the Prophet with a chapel of Saint Thomas the Apostle is being built now. This chapel is already functioning, though as a separate church. One of our goals is the conversion of non-Christians, most of which aren't Russian. The Kantemirovskiy district of Moscow, where the church is situated, is a district of different expatriate communities. It is a place where different religious sects are very active. Right next to the church there is a large Mormon centre, there are Baptists, Adventists, and occultists. But there were no Orthodox until quite recently.

We opened a catechetical school about the basics of Christianity. Every five weeks we conduct a course of five catechetical discourses for those who want to be baptized or just to know more about Christianity. The community of Orthodox Tartars is already functioning in the church and the Informational agency of Saint Akhmet is starting its activity.

Very soon we are planning to have an Open Day; we'll paste up notices around the district saying that all those who wish may come to the church and ask the priest any question. Later we'd like to have such days every three months.

We work with the youth. Beside our church there is the Moscow Engineering and Physical University. Curiously enough, we were the first ones to hold a service before students' exams. Services before the beginning of the academic year have already become traditional in all Orthodox churches, although exams are a more strained period for students; somehow students don't go further than lighting candles. Anyway, we hold services before the exams after the Liturgy and invite all the students.

- Oh, how can you alone cope with all you have to accomplish? Have you got assistants, any initiative group?

- Yes, we've got an initiative group; it has been already formed at Krutitsy Patriarchal Metochion. In addition there is the Tatar Orthodox community, which has existed since 2003. And certainly many different Christians of different nations take part in our mission. After the feast of Holy Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ we hope to open missionary courses. Perhaps, later, we'll create a missionary institute based on it, and it will prepare preachers of the New Testament. Preaching will be different: on the internet, in the street, in universities. We want to deprive conventicles of their weapon.

- And how do you work with expatriate communities? Let's take the Azerbaijani, who live near Kantemirovskaya, for example. How can you enter their community? What can you talk to them about?

- I can't say anything about the Azerbaijani, because I haven't formed contacts with them yet. But I can say a lot about the Tatar expatriate community. I have appeared time and again in a Tatar cultural center, went to Kazan. Tartars are the third largest national group in Moscow. And our work is quite successful: many Tartars, especially young ones are becoming Christians. Since 2003 I have held services in Tartar about the whorish conversion. [meaning not clear - I queried the translator]

Our task is to break down the barriers that can be found in the culture of different nationalities and prevent them from accepting Orthodoxy. The information that Orthodoxy is ecumenical, universal, and is destined to accept all nationalities is still considered to be shocking.

- And how should a true young missionary behave talking to someone of the same age?

- A missionary should be the first one to start the conversation about God, otherwise he is not a missionary. But at the same time, he should check his own knowledge and skills. He should be aware of the basic questions his counterparts usually ask about Christianity. He should remember that attack is the best form of defense. He should never bow and scrape with each listener. But at the same time, he must not injure somebody's pride in order to prove his case. Jesus Christ died for everyone. A missionary should not think of people primarily as deluded, but that people should be esteemed. He should tear away falsity, but love a man as well.

It's difficult for a teenager to swim against the current, to become a black sheep, but it's essential to take the plunge. Previously, in the time of my youth, it was considered prestigious to differ from others. I believe we should restore hat tradition. A black sheep is a noble animal. A real Christian should be aware of it. And if he fails, he should ask God for help. A young missionary should certainly be prepared or his words to arouse indignation. But he shouldn't be afraid of that. Our mission is to say unpleasant things. Have you noticed that when reading the Bible you feel uncomfortable? The Book judges you! But that doesn't mean that the truth should be kept away. God Himself said: "Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."

One more mistake that can lure a missionary is to attempt to direct the mission to some definite group of people: there appeared a mission for children, a mission for the youth... Many clever young people don't adopt it. Why so? That's because when we talk to young people using their own language, as if condescending to them, we fix them at this level. But we should elevate them, teach them wisdom and not leave them at the level they have probably grown out of. It's even better to talk to children as if they were grown-ups. Do you remember Makarevich singing in a very Christian way; "It's not worth dancing to someone's tune"? That should be a motto not only for the missionaries, but for all Orthodox Christians.

And certainly we can't forget about prayers and going to the church, because sometimes invalid missionary outreach can enthrall a man so that he doesn't pray and go to church.

- And why should we go to the church on Sundays?

- Because Christ gave us such a commandment: "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work." He can demand us to return part of our time as our sacrifice. And the second thing: we should remember about our Heavenly Lord and about our Heavenly Motherland.



http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2009...astery-as.html