Condolence Message of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan on the Repose of Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy (Goroshko)

To His Eminence,

the Most Reverend SEBASTIAN,

Archbishop of Karaganda and Shakhtinsk

To the clergy and faithful of the Karaganda Diocese

To Abbess Olympiada (Salopeko),

Superior of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Monastery in Karaganda,

and the sisters of the holy monastery

To the spiritual children of the newly reposed Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy (Goroshko)

Your Eminence, dear Vladyka!

Reverend Fathers, Reverend Mother Abbess, dear brothers and sisters!

It is with profound sorrow that we have received the news of the repose of the oldest cleric of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy (Goroshko).

He completed a life “full of days” (Gen. 25:8), filled with many labors and trials, and now the Holy and True Lord (Rev. 6:10) has called to Himself His faithful servant, who manifested an example of sincere piety and the righteousness of God.

The newly departed shepherd was granted the blessing of being the humble novice and faithful disciple of St. Sebastian of Karaganda—a “servant of the Holy Trinity,” one of the last Elders of Optina, a confessor of the faith, and a heavenly patron of the land of Kazakhstan. In those distant years, when the Church of Christ endured severe persecution and oppression, the humble church in Karaganda’s Mikhaylovka district, miraculously established by St. Sebastian despite the decrees of the atheistic authorities, became a second Optina for hundreds of thousands of faithful from every corner of the vast country seeking consolation and spiritual support. It was there, in the hidden monastery dedicated to the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, that the path of service to God and His people began for the one whom we now accompany with prayer into eternity. The names of the disciples and fellow laborers of the Elder of Karaganda—of blessed memory Archimandrite Anatoly (Kiselev) and Schema-Hegumenia Sevastiana (Zhukova)—are written in golden letters in the history of Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan, and today the departed pastor is numbered together with them.

The traditions of piety and spiritual experience that Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy received from St. Sebastian he generously shared with all who came to him seeking counsel and help. Through his wise words, fervent prayers, and the example of his life, he kindled in human hearts the saving fire of faith in Christ, enlightening monastics and laypeople alike with “the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:6). The Lord granted him the strength to endure with courage the hardships of the godless era and made him a witness to, and participant in, the revival of the Orthodox faith in the mining region of Kazakhstan and the spread of the Gospel in the land of Karaganda. Father Pakhomy always sought to fulfill the testament of his spiritual father and repeatedly echoed the elder’s words: “Live in peace. Peace and love are the most important things.”

The newly reposed servant of the altar of the Lord devoted great efforts to the construction of new churches in Karaganda and lived to see with his own eyes the domes of the cathedrals dedicated to the Life-Giving Trinity and to his own teacher, St. Sebastian, rising toward heaven. In recognition of his many years of labor for the good of Orthodoxy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ bestowed upon Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy, among only a very small number of priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, the distinguished ecclesiastical honor of the right to wear a second pectoral cross.

Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy labored with burning zeal for the good of Orthodoxy in his beloved homeland of Kazakhstan, and now he has been born into eternity. In His mercy, the Lord granted His faithful servant, shortly before the end of his earthly life, to partake of the Life-Giving Mysteries, “for the remission of sins and life everlasting.” Together with the Apostle Paul we bear witness: “None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:7–8).

At this time I recall the words of St. Ephraim the Syrian, spoken upon the repose of a holy elder, and apply them to the life of the departed:

“You became like the disciples of the Son of God, who did not gather perishable treasures for themselves. Following their example, you acquired nothing on earth, thereby pleasing Christ, and you shall rejoice with Him in the bridal chamber of joy.”

Because of my responsibilities to the whole Church, I am unable to be personally present at the funeral service. Yet in spirit I bid farewell to the dearly beloved Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy, impart my archpastoral blessing to him as he journeys the way of all the earth, and offer all of you my prayerful support. I have instructed that memorial services for the newly reposed servant of God, Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy, be celebrated in the churches and monasteries of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan.

May the All-Merciful Lord grant rest to the soul of His faithful servant where the light of His countenance shines, where there is neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting.

May the memory of all who knew the departed be filled with sincere prayer that his soul may be numbered among the righteous in the heavenly dwellings. We believe that his spiritual counsels will remain a sure guide for Orthodox Christians in Kazakhstan, helping us all to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).

“May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,” comfort our hearts and “establish you in every good word and work” (2 Thess. 2:16–17).

Eternal and grateful memory to the servant of God, Schema-Archimandrite Pakhomy!

Calling down God’s blessing,

HEAD OF THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN