Priest Parkhomenko Konstantin: biography

Parkhomenko Constantine is a clergyman of the cathedral in the name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity and a teacher of the Theological Seminary and the Public Orthodox University (St. Petersburg). His personality is quite popular and known: he works as an editor of the Internet resource "ABC of faith", on diocesan radio stations "Blagodatnaya Maria" and "Grad Petrov".

Biography

Parkhomenko Konstantin was born on June 29, 1974 in Novorossiysk, but for a long time he lived with his parents in Perm. His father was engaged in journalistic activities, his mother worked in music college as a teacher in the piano class. As a boy, the future priest practiced martial arts and music.

In 1987, Parkhomenko Constantine began to believe in God and began to help restore the Assumption Church, transferred to the Perm Diocese. And soon he obeyed the sacristan and the psalmist.

He was just drawn to the church. He came to the temple, stood and curious, and then began to pray, he was attracted to church singing and fragrant smell.

In general, Constantine dreamed of becoming a historian and was preparing to enter the Perm State University. But after he became acquainted with Archpriest Victor Norin, who became his confessor afterwards, he went to study in theological seminary (1991-1995), and then graduated from the theological academy in St. Petersburg (1995-1999).

Konstantin Parkhomenko, "ABC of faith"

During his training, he also assumes missionary obedience: speaking with conversations on various religious topics in social societies of the disabled, police units, libraries, etc.

Since 1995, Father Konstantin Parkhomenko has become the author and presenter of a number of Orthodox programs on the radio station "Theos". He was also the creator, and later the head of the Orthodox youth center "OKO".

If you start to understand who Constantine Parkhomenko is, the "ABC of faith" - his popular site - will help answer this question. He has to spend a lot of time and effort on writing a number of articles and books, lectures that introduce readers literally from the alphabet of the Orthodox faith directly from the basics.

A number of video lectures were taken by Konstantin Parkhomenko. "The Old Testament" is one of his popular lectures, which is often viewed by those who are interested in this topic. With this material you really need to get acquainted, because it is so lively and very professionally served.

Today Konstantin Parkhomenko is a priest who also leads the parish Sunday school for adults and children and the sector for working with the family of the St. Petersburg diocese.

Appointments

Since 1997, he was first a reader, and in 1999 he was ordained a deacon at the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg.

In 2000 he was ordained a priest and was appointed rector to the church of St. Constantine (n. Leninskoye, Leningrad region).

In 2001, he became a full-time priest of the cathedral in the name of the Holy Life-giving Trinity, and in 2010 he was elevated to the rank of archpriest. Konstantin Parkhomenko is a priest who serves in this church to this day.

Excerpts from the interview

Father Konstantin recalls that as a child he and his younger sister read books and paid much attention to their education and upbringing. For this he is very grateful to his parents, because these works have brought their worthy fruits. As a result, Konstantin became a priest, and his sister - a music teacher-teacher of the highest category in Perm. But the most interesting thing about his childhood was that he loved books about Lenin, and who from Soviet children did not like a kind and caring leader then?

Now Archpriest Constantine Parkhomenko is married, there are five children in his family, and they are also accustomed to reading and enlightening. True, the priest himself confesses that he protects them from literature of poor quality.

It is also surprising that Constantine's path to Orthodoxy went through atheistic literature. Once he found a shelf in the school library with atheistic literature, which he read greedily, and another world opened before him, because before that he had not read anything religious. Quotes from the patristic books were silly and somehow ridiculously commented on, so he had the impression that this atheistic literature did not fulfill its purpose at all, but, on the contrary, only fell in love with the Christian faith. And then he began to engage in a selection of magnificent spiritual utterances.

The Holy Gospel

However, the first Christian book was the Gospel. In 1988, his father brought the New Testament, donated to him by the Permian bishop Athanasius (Kudyuk), whose father interviewed just before the 1000th anniversary of Rus.

Constantine was so happy, he saw in her a wisdom that every person needs to know. This pocket book he gave as a seminarian to his aunt, but she did not use it, then Constantine asked her back and gave her another gospel. And this woven into velvet, pasted a icon on it and now always carries it with him to the posts.

Teachers

When Constantine entered the seminary in 1991, he began to get acquainted with the new authors of religious literature, which made a strong impression on him. And it was Archpriest Alexander Men, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, Russian Orthodox writer Ivan Shmelev. Then he began to discover more and more new names: the French theologian Vladimir Lossky, Archpriest George Florovsky. Of the Holy Fathers - St. Gregory the Theologian and St. Justin the Philosopher. From the Russian fathers, St. Theophan the Recluse and St. John of Kronstadt.

Modern Orthodox writers and theologians

From the contemporary church figures, Constantine Parkhomenko singled out, undoubtedly, Patriarch Kirill, Archbishop Illarion (Alfeev), Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev and teachers of his spiritual academy - Archimandrite Iannuaarius, Archimandrite Augustine, Archpriest George Mitrofanov and Archpriest Alexander Sorokin.

However, if we do not take theologians from novelists, then the most memorable authors for Parkhomenko became prot. Nikolay Agafonov, Yu. Voznesenskaya, O. Nikolaeva, prot. Yaroslav Shipov. And the book of N. Urusova "Mother's weeping of Holy Russia" simply stunned Father Constantine with its magnificent content.

Writing

The first book, or rather a collection of articles by Konstantin Parkhomenko, developed into a book series entitled "The Sacrament of Entering the Church" was published in 2002.

The book "Introduction and expulsion of the devil" Constantine wrote with his wife, who for him is not just an assistant, but an equal participant in his missionary work. Very warmly and kindly he speaks about his wife Elizabeth. According to him, it is a great joy for him to see her like-minded in her. She is an Orientalist by education and now gets a second education - a psychologist. It is very necessary for her, as many parishioners of their church often require professional psychological help. The entire Sunday school, where conversations are held, and various projects also stick to Liza.

Joint Works

The first joint book of the couple Parhomenko - "On Prayer", and now they are finishing work on a book, which will deal with how to educate children in the Orthodox faith.

Konstantin Parkhomenko also published the book "A life written by hand" based on his personal diary. He considered that others will replace one impression and everything will be forgotten, so he began to write down everything that excited him, remember his thoughts and remarks. So his diary was born - a coin box of wise and intelligent thoughts.

Now Archpriest Constantine Parkhomenko perceives his writings as if through a camera lens: give him one, he will not take anything interesting, and another will notice so many interesting things that you will be surprised.

Conclusion

In 1998, for his active work in educational activities, Parkhomenko Constantine was awarded the honorary mark of St. Martyr Tatiana, as well as the Order of "Heart of Danko" (2006), the Order of St. Peter the Apostle (2008), etc.