"The Yekaterinburg archimandrite Dimitri (Baybakov) told how he managed to build an entire school. A seven-story building of a secular secondary school appeared in the Lechebny microdistrict - near the temple of the healer Panteleimon. Do you know who created and headed

I was the best leader I have ever worked with, and this leader fired me. And don't ask why. It happens. Especially in creative teams, where discipline issues are openly abused by some negligent workers. Once I managed to go to the All-Russian Orthodox Media Competition, where our newspaper Pokrov won first place in the Youth Media nomination, and ... I couldn't get there. Father Dimitri just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

Everyone who knows him - both friends and enemies (and Orthodox monks, as you know, have a lot of enemies) - agree on one thing: he is a professional, and a Professional with a capital letter. When I came to him with the pilot number "Pokrov", he simply asked: "When can you start working?" - "When is it possible?" - "Better from tomorrow!" And by evening the editorial office had a new desk and a new computer. But this is not the main thing. The main thing is that Father Dimitri gave us complete freedom in working on the newspaper. For many journalists, especially Orthodox Christians, this sounds like a revelation. What other freedom? Do you want to say that you did not discuss the development strategy with the head of the issue, did not approve the plans and the set course? No! No! And again no! Just as the old captain, who manages a huge ship, does not climb on the shrouds to check how the knots are tied, and does not run to the galley to try what the cook is having today, so Father Dimitri entrusted us to do our work ourselves, almost without interfering with creative process. The captain's business is to lead the ship. The business of the sailors is to knot and set the sails. Each in his place and each doing his own thing. The clever captain knows it, the stupid one drowns.

We offered. He agreed. Or not. He could smile or just say: "Ponty." But he did not point out and did not lecture. We could print on the first page a photograph of President V.V. Putin, ringing in the bell tower, with the caption "Valaam bell ringer" or a photo of an old man walking on his knees in the procession with icons and captioning "The Russians are coming!", And this was appropriate and normal. As well as a photo of a yawning girl next to a disabled person and the caption "If someone feels bad next to them, don't yawn!" For us, there was nothing more terrible than Orthodoxy leaf in museum slippers with roosters, and Father Dimitri understood this perfectly. Young people are not interested in beautiful reasoning, young people need either everything or nothing. Faith is a fire, it is an unburned bush, it is the freedom to speak with God, looking into the eyes, and not to burn out. And if you don’t understand this, you don’t need to make Orthodox youth newspapers. Waste paper. Nobody will read them.

They said: this is not a format. But this non-format turned out to be a sincere conversation between students and their Patriarch.

When His Holiness came to Yekaterinburg for the first time in history, it was only thanks to Father Dimitri that we held the “Ask Your Question to the Patriarch” action in ten leading universities of the city, where any student, without exception, regardless of their religious beliefs and views, could ask the Patriarch their question. These were not specially selected Orthodox Timurovites and excellent students in ironed shirts, it was a pure informal. Many then told us that it was not the level of the Patriarch to participate in such interviews, but we said that you were confusing His Holiness with the Chairman of the Central Committee of the CPSU, who was reading from a piece of paper. Father Dimitri supported us, and this non-format turned out to be that sincere lively conversation between students and their Patriarch, which everyone understood and appreciated.

They say that happy hours are not observed. He arrived at the editorial office early in the morning and was one of the last to leave. Father Dimitri's working day lasted exactly as long as needed to be in time. And this could not be prevented by hunger, disease, or natural disasters. There is always a Hot Mug on sale in nightstands, there is instant aspirin for colds, and Pravoslavnaya Gazeta will be published even if the sky falls to the ground.

Pravoslavnaya Gazeta, published for a quarter of a century, was the first stone he laid in the foundation of one of the best Orthodox media holdings in Russia. Today newspapers, magazines, books with a circulation of more than 30 million, and the Orthodox TV channel Soyuz, broadcasting all over the world, are published under the brand of the publishing department of the Yekaterinburg Metropolitanate.

TV channel "Soyuz" became the first Russian truly national television

The Soyuz TV channel became the first Russian truly national television. Unlike the same Russian Public Television, which is financed by the state, the Soyuz TV channel exists only thanks to donations from viewers. And this is the fundamental difference. There will always be budget money, and your wallet is often empty. And if people have been voting for Soyuz with their own money for ten years now, then they need the TV channel. This is trust of the highest standard, which cannot be won with beautiful words or loud slogans.

The fact that Orthodox people in our country wanted to have their own TV channel also says a lot. Society is tired of endless empty TV series, reality shows and the filth of modern television. And there was "Union", where, as in a mirror, reflected another, also real, but good life - life with God. You may like the TV channel or not, but this is a real testimony of our Church in the modern spiritless world. Testimony of Christ and the truth of our faith. I realized this when my friends from Israel and France told me that they were watching Soyuz at home. They learn about Orthodoxy, about saints and monasteries, listen to Father Demetrius thousands of kilometers from Russia. And for them this is a real spiritual event.

Father Dimitri was born in the small town of Talitsa, in the Sverdlovsk region, home of the legendary Soviet intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov. When the time comes to enter medical school, he will be awarded one point in the competition for being from the countryside. His parents are ordinary people. Mom is an accountant, dad is a carpenter. From childhood, they brought up in their son the habit of work, patience and perseverance. From the second grade, little Dima began to show a serious (as much as possible for a seven-year-old boy) interest in chemistry. He made friends with the teacher Tamara Dmitrievna and soon became a regular at the school laboratory: here he was allowed to look at books with different formulas and was allowed to be present during the experiments. But they were not allowed to work with reagents. Therefore, he spent the practical part of the classes in a secluded place with medicines bought in a pharmacy. He mixed the medicines, mixed them, dissolved them in water, carefully observing the changes. The results of the experiments were neatly entered into a notebook. Already in the fifth grade, Dima became the winner of the Chemistry Olympiad among high school students and received the well-deserved nickname Mendeleev. Due to his interest in the unknown and secret, Dima developed a new hobby: microbiology. Now he could be found in the bacteriological laboratory of the local sanitary and epidemiological station or the infectious diseases department of the district hospital.

After a conversation with the young Komsomol member, the abbot handed him the Bible. But, as you know, the enemy of all good things does not sleep

And there was also a great love for Alla Borisovna Pugacheva and her songs. Because of which he once left home. And to Yevtushenko. At that time it was simply impossible to get his poetry collections in Talitsa. And Dima went to the reading room of the library, where he took photocopies of the books of his beloved poet and diligently copied his poems into a large notebook. He generously shared his hobbies with classmates. Dima studied well, and, as was customary in those days, he became an Octobrist, a pioneer, and a Komsomol member. He joined the Komsomol not because it was necessary, but out of convictions, sincerely considering (read N. Ostrovsky's novel "How the Steel Was Tempered") this organization is a union of advanced youth. Having become the deputy secretary of the Komsomol organization of the school for ideological work, the Komsomol member Dima began to conscientiously study atheistic literature and the works of V.I. Lenin. The sincere conviction of the righteousness of the teachers of communism and a strong desire through their labors to understand the surrounding reality played a cruel joke with him. Criticism of Holy Scripture turned out to be completely unscientific, biased, and most importantly, impenetrably stupid. And then he decided to turn to primary sources. Why went to the oldest temple in Talitsa to take the Gospel from the priest. The temple, despite the surrounding Soviet reality, was never closed and was popular in certain "unconscious" circles of society. After the conversation, the abbot handed him the Bible. As you know, the enemy of all good things does not sleep: my mother found the Bible and took it to the regional party committee. They listened to her attentively and immediately opened a case on church propaganda among young people. It would be fine if a Soviet teenager had a Playboy or BBC tapes, that would be understandable. But the Bible? A scandal arose, after which the priest was forced to leave their small town. But the main thing happened. Dima opened the Gospel and met God there.

By the time he graduated from high school, he decided that he would become a doctor. And the military. For this, he twice entered the Military Medical Academy. Each time he lacked one point, and in the end he entered the Sverdlovsk Medical Institute. By that time, Dima was a believer, went to church and confessed to his spiritual father. Christianity and communism in his worldview for the time being coexisted peacefully. After all, who are Christians? The salt of the earth, which means the advanced part of society. Who are the communists? (Read the novel by N. Ostrovsky again.) He sincerely thought that communism and Christianity, if not twin brothers, then certainly relatives. Dima sincerely stayed in this delusion until he got into the army and became a sailor on a nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet.

Here, at a depth of several hundred meters, there was a parting with the childish naive world and the illusions inherent in young ardent natures. Having broken about the realities of party life, they quietly drowned at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. On a submarine, he first encountered the insincerity and hypocrisy of those he trusted. The most offensive thing is that these were good people whom he respected. But they were associated with the ideals of communism only by party membership cards. Because only holders of such tickets could be on a nuclear submarine. And these good, decent, honest people had to be hypocritical. This brought such discord into the soul of the young sailor (an electrician of ship equipment, deputy secretary of the ship's Komsomol organization, awarded a diploma for conscientious study of the classics of Marxism-Leninism) that a year later he applied to quit the Komsomol. Senior comrades tried to reason with him. They sincerely worried about him: “If you want to believe in God, believe, but why leave the Komsomol? Why ruin your career and spoil your biography? " And he could not explain to them that it is simply impossible to live by a lie!

He was expelled from the Komsomol in disgrace. And soon a dispatch came from the political department from the shore that the sailor Dmitry Maksimovich Baibakov, as an unreliable one, should be written off to land in the very near future. But unexpectedly for the authorities, the entire crew stood up for him, from cook to the ship's commander. A report was filed with a request to leave him on the boat. The crew bailed the unreliable sailor Baybakov. And he was left to serve.

It was necessary to choose: either science or the altar. He chose an altar

When he returned to the institute, he began to work under the supervision of Professor Alexander Sergeevich Grigoriev at the Department of Microbiology. Helping his teacher in scientific works, he devoted his student work to the topic he was engaged in. At the department he liked absolutely everything. He so often sat up at work that he was allowed to spend the night in the hall on the sofa. He brought a pillow from home and now could not leave the laboratory for days. And when he left, he immediately went to one of the oldest churches in Yekaterinburg - to the Ascension Church, where by that time he was already an altar boy. After some time, work at the Department of Microbiology and the temple became simply physically impossible to combine. It was necessary to choose: either science or the altar. He chose an altar.

Two years later, he was offered to take priesthood. By this time, he had already firmly decided to devote himself to God. Soon after the reception with Archbishop Melchizedek and a detailed conversation with Vladyka, he was ordained. Dmitry Baibakov became the father of Dimitri.

Outwardly, his life has changed little. He spent the working week at the institute and only on weekends left for the village of Rudyanskoye, Sukholozhsky region, where he served as the rector of the local parish. When, in practice, in the regional psychiatric hospital, the doctors learned that there was a priest among them, they brought him to the head physician so that he could help arrange a church at the hospital. So in 1993, the history of the temple began at the regional psychiatric hospital in the city of Yekaterinburg.

And then he began to build a temple right on the territory of the regional psychiatric hospital.

After graduating from medical school, Father Dimitri began to work right there, in the hospital as a psychiatrist. Here in the department he worked for a year and a half. But the service (it is in such categories that he evaluates the work of people in white coats) of a doctor requires an entire person. All 24 hours a day. No other way. Or you're a bad doctor. This is Father Dimitri's firm conviction. But he was alone. And there are two services. In the hospital and in the temple. Once again, he was faced with a choice. And again he chose the Church. Leaving the hospital was a great drama for him, which the Lord turned into a holiday. Father Dimitri prayed and asked God for help, and a simple, clear idea came to him to build a temple right on the territory of his own hospital. Was it not the same people, relaxed and mentally ill, who came to Christ and He healed them? And then he began to build a temple right on the territory of the regional psychiatric hospital. Construction lasted five years and ended in 2002. During this time, a huge church complex with a snow-white temple and a modern parish building with a winter greenhouse has grown there. Lacking any serious benefactors, Father Dimitri was forced to master many professions - from an economist to a builder. Then, at the consecration of the temple, builders and designers came up to him and said to his eyes: "We never believed that this construction would be carried out." And the grandmothers from Rudyanskoye smiled and said: "From peg to house."

Since 1994, he began to publish a newspaper in his parish, which he called simply and tastefully: "Pravoslavnaya Gazeta". The newspaper was born on the carpet in the house of Father Dimitri's parents. The logo was drawn by his older sister. Typesetting and layout were done on a computer in the editorial office of the Krasnaya Burda magazine, with whose employees the father-rector had friendly relations.

When Vladyka Melchizedek was replaced by a young energetic Vladyka Nikon, he immediately drew attention to this newspaper. He liked her. Not in the habit of putting good ideas on the back burner, he called in an editor and made him head of the diocese's publishing department. So Father Demetrius acquired a new obedience, which became one of the main ones in his life. There was no experience of publishing in the diocese, and in general the situation with the Orthodox media in the country was not the most optimistic. The church rose from ruins after 70 years of persecution, and all its forces were thrown into the restoration of churches and the opening of new parishes. There were not enough people, not enough funds, not enough experience. Everything had to start from scratch. But Father Dimitri, who was accustomed to difficulties, was not at all embarrassed by this. He reasoned in a monastic way simply: since the Lord sent a new obedience, he will send strength and help to fulfill it. You work, and the fruits are from the Lord.

Experience in construction, bookkeeping and knowledge of political economy was very useful to him then. Then he joked about this: “If you look at the building in which we work, then from the point of view of political economy, everything is arranged impeccably. The first floor is the base. Here is the printing house and production premises of the publishing house. The second and third floors are the superstructure. Here are the editorial offices of newspapers, radio and television, offices of employees and management. " The case is put in such a way that one team makes information material in several formats at once: for a newspaper, for radio, television and the Internet. This makes it possible to work interactively. Our own production base allows us to reduce the cost as much as possible and increase the circulation of published books and newspapers. All this ultimately allows some of the literature to be distributed in hospitals, military units, prisons and educational institutions. This is political economy like a monk.

Now let's give the floor to Father Dimitri.

- Father, you often have to start something from scratch.

This is pleasing to God - that's the whole secret of Orthodox success.

- And I'm not particularly worried about this. Why? Because I do everything according to the obedience and blessing of the master. As one theologian noted, the lord is a transcendental figure. And his blessing actually means a lot. And one more thing: we work not for our own good, glory or wealth, but for the good of the Church. Therefore, the Lord helps us to build each new deed. And indeed it is. If you look at what I was like twenty years ago, and at the volume of tasks that I had to solve, then, looking at that young nun, I personally would say: there are three options: either father is an adventurer, or a rogue, or, sorry, unwell on the head. After all, no one believed that St. Panteleimon's temple would be built. And the temple is standing. Because it pleased God. That is the whole secret of Orthodox success.

- And where does the knowledge come from?

- I am skeptical about any educational seminars and trainings and consider them unproductive. You need to learn with pens. I myself went to secular TV channels and radio stations, visited editorial offices and printing houses and watched who was doing what and how. If it was not clear, he asked.

- Was the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon the first experience of a successful folk project, which you later embodied in the Soyuz TV channel?

- No businessmen gave money to the Panteleimon temple. Everything was built with money from grandparents. And aunties and uncles. It is in the full sense of the word a folk temple. A temple that the people built for themselves. Therefore, we always have many parishioners there, always many children and grandmothers. People love their temple.

It became one of the main bases of social service for the Yekaterinburg diocese. We have a sisterhood to care for the sick and lonely people. The first Orthodox office in the region for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts was opened here. We regularly conduct classes with teachers of educational institutions on the prevention of abortion. We have a charity canteen open every day. We collect things for the poor. In general, it is a common practice in any Orthodox church.

- I know that in none of the churches where you serve as the rector, money is not collected during the service. Living too well?

- We usually live. This tradition originates from my children's complexes: I did not like it when, during the service, grandmothers walked around the parishioners with trays, right under the cries of the priest, poured money into the sacrificial box, and the crash of coins drowned out the service. When I had the opportunity to cancel it, I canceled it immediately. For me, if a person wants to donate, he will find an opportunity to do it.

- How do you find the strength to bear numerous obediences?

I'm going to fulfill the blessing. Without "want / do not want", "can / can not". I can't do it any other way: I'm a monk

- My whole life is carrying. Usually Vladyka calls me to his place and says: “Father Dimitri, here and there it is necessary to restore (or build, or open) a new church. Won't you take it? " I answer: "How bless." And I go to fulfill the blessing. Without “want / don’t want”, “can / cannot”, “there is a mood / no mood”. I can't do it any other way. I am a monk.

- Have you ever given up a job halfway through or simply failed to cope?

- God's deeds simply cannot be unfulfilled. Even when, it would seem, there are no conditions at all for their implementation. But man proposes and God disposes. It's another matter that the Divine plan is sometimes implemented in a completely different way from what you imagine.

I had one story. Once in a hospital they gathered to open a church. This is what the patients wanted, the doctors wanted. I have prepared, I come to the head physician. He received me well, listened carefully. And at the end of the conversation he said: “Father Dimitri, I am not against the opening of the temple. I'm even for. Let's walk through the hospital now. And now, where you find a place for him, there he will be. " We went to inspect the hospital. I look: but there is no place! The tightness is terrible. The corridors are narrow, there is no hallway, the wards are overcrowded. And then I decided to go the other way. Now one of the best sisterhoods in the city works in this hospital. They took on full service several wards with seriously ill patients. The priest constantly comes there, gathers, communes. So the Lord turned our failure into good more than we wanted.

- What do you think the Church should be doing today first of all?

No political system, no regime, no death itself can tear a person away from God. And this is the most important thing

- Just like yesterday, like a thousand years ago and tomorrow, and for all times, the Church must preach about Christ. To embody the gospel morality that the Son of God brought to earth. This is the main and, by and large, the only task of the Church. As for the attitude to all kinds of political devices, I remember one elderly priest who lived under Stalin, who was asked, knowingly expecting a negative assessment of that time, so he, answering the question, was silent for a minute, and then said: “And I’m Stalin I didn’t interfere with praying ”. No political system, no regime, no death itself can tear a person away from God. And this is the most important thing.

Hegumen Dimitriy (Baybakov), the head of the Information and Publishing Center of the Yekaterinburg Diocese, meets the twentieth anniversary of service in the priesthood. July 7 is the anniversary of the ordination of Father Dmitry to the rank of deacon, and on the 9th - to the rank of priest.

The media projects created by Hegumen Dimitri are known far beyond the Urals today: they are both Pravoslavnaya Gazeta and Radio Resurrection, with the blessing of Archbishop Vikentiy of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye - the main pearl of the Orthodox media holding - the Soyuz TV channel.

Father Dimitri also carries out the obedience of the rector of the Yekaterinburg churches, the Healer Panteleimon, the Holy Healers Cosmas and Damian and the St. Simeon's bishop's courtyard, and is also building the Church of St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) and the restoration of the Church of Michael the Archangel.

This coming Sunday Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Panteleimon, the healer, co-served by the priests who have received a "start in life" in this church.

The parish will celebrate the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, the opening of the Library named after His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, as well as the consecration of the newly painted icon of the Holy Family and a new cross for the main dome of the church.

Reference.

Hegumen Dimitri (Baibakov Dmitry Maksimovich) was born on January 8, 1968 in the town of Talitsa, Sverdlovsk region, in a working class family. He grew up in a non-religious family, but was baptized by his grandmother in infancy in honor of St. Dmitry Prilutsky.

1975-85 - studied at Talitsk secondary school # 55. Following the dream of becoming a military doctor, in 1985 he entered the Leningrad Military Medical Academy, however, he did not pass the competition, not getting one point. After a year of work as a laboratory assistant in the bacteriological laboratory of the SES, in 1986 he entered the 1st year of the medical faculty of the Sverdlovsk State Medical Institute. Upon completion of the first course, he was called up, according to the legislation in force, for military service in the ranks of the Armed Forces. From 1987 to 1989 - served on the nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet. Military rank - senior sailor, military specialty - electrician of nuclear submarine equipment. After completing the service, he continued his studies at the medical institute, from which he graduated in 1994 as a psychiatrist. In 1995-1996 he worked as a psychiatrist at the Regional Psychiatric Hospital.

He began his worldview search at the age of 14, crossing the threshold of the temple for the first time in 1982.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1992 by Archbishop Melchizedek (Lebedev). Deacon's ordination - July 7 at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Yekaterinburg, priestly - July 9, in the church of Alexander Nevsky Novo-Tikhvin monastery. Priestly practice took place in the Ascension Church in Yekaterinburg. Then he was appointed rector of the Intercession Church in the village of Rudyanskoye, Sukholozhsky region. From September 1993 to the present - rector of the Church of the Healer Panteleimon at the Regional Psychiatric Hospital of Yekaterinburg.

Since 1994 - the founder and permanent head of the Information and Publishing Center of the Diocese.

In 1997 he was awarded the right to wear a pectoral cross. In 1998, at the miraculous Chimeevskaya Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Chimeevo, the Kurgan Diocese, he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Dimitri, in honor of Dimitri of Thessaloniki. The tonsure was performed by Bishop Nikon (Mironov).

In 2000, the Holy Trinity Bishop Metochion of Nizhny Tagil and the St. Panteleimon Church under construction in Yekaterinburg, headed by Father Dimitri, were visited by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia during his visit to the Urals.

In 2002, for his work on the construction of the St. Panteleimon church complex and in connection with ten years of service in the priesthood, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy was awarded the rank of abbot. In 2003, he was awarded the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, III degree, for the work carried out in the obedience of the head of the Information and Publishing Center. In 2005, “in consideration of the pastoral work” he was awarded the right to wear the Club.

In 2007 he made a great pilgrimage to the shrines of Egypt, in 2008 - to the shrines of Syria.

In 2008, for his work on the creation of the Orthodox TV channel "Union", as well as in honor of the 40th anniversary of his birth, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy was awarded the Order of St. Innocent of Moscow, III degree and the medal "1020th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus", I degree. In 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was awarded the right to wear the Decorated Cross.

In 2009, he was appointed by the Holy Synod as a member of the Commission on Information Activities of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2010, the Soyuz TV channel headed by Hegumen Dimitri visited His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during his visit to the Urals.

The television company was created and headed by Archimandrite Dimitriy (Baybakov), head of the publishing department of the Yekaterinburg diocese. It literally became for him a form of Christian service and missionary work. In an interview, his story about faith and television.

Why did you want to become a military doctor? And what influenced your choice in favor of psychiatry? What important things have you discovered for yourself while studying this area of ​​medicine?

Archimandrite Dimitri: Very nontrivial, I must say, you have the beginning of a conversation. Especially considering the specifics of the publication ... The fact is that I happened to be born and grow up at that wonderful time when the defense of the Motherland was a valor and military service was an honor. When the Losers were frightened that if they continued to study in the same way, they would not be accepted into the army.

And if you did not serve, what kind of girl will be friends with you and, moreover, create a family? You’re probably not well enough since you didn’t serve? And what kind of children will we have? Also sick, to dad? It was incredibly shameful not to serve. The guys tried to hide even real ailments, and not invent non-existent ones for themselves ...

Many things were different ... Schoolchildren wanted to be doctors, teachers, engineers, pilots, scientists .... We went to sections, circles, or even several at once, everyone was fond of something ...

Here I am in the fifth grade, even before the military doctor, I wanted to be a scientist, a research chemist. You can say he lived in a school laboratory assistant. Our wonderful chemistry teacher Tamara Dmitrievna Yakimova could not kick me out of there, so that "the child could breathe fresh air." The nickname "Mendeleev" stuck to me just at this time, when, two years before the start of studying the subject, I won the school chemistry Olympiad.

1980. In the laboratory

Then the school interest in chemistry somehow imperceptibly turned into an interest in microbiology and medicine. In parallel, there were some kind of worldview searches, searches for the meaning and purpose of life, the acquisition of religiosity, faith. Religion in the eighties was a rather mysterious sphere that aroused great interest of an inquisitive person. It is no coincidence that the same Tamara Dmitrievna, upon learning that I had begun to go to church, was sure that “Dima is putting on some kind of scientific experiment” ... But then, at the age of 14-15, it was precisely a worldview search, without any religious experience proper.

An attempt to understand whether there is a God or not, ended with the first communion and the acquisition of personal faith. There was no question of going to seminary, becoming a priest. Here, in fact, healthy Soviet patriotism and Christian humanism, as an ideology, led to this symbiosis - the desire to become a military doctor. To serve the Motherland, to serve the people ... But this dream was not destined to come true. The doors of the Leningrad Military Medical Academy did not open for me. One point was not enough, physics failed.

1987. Fleet

Then there was a year of work as a laboratory assistant in a bacteriological laboratory. Then re-admission to the Military Medical Academy - with exactly the same result as the first time. So I ended up at the Sverdlovsk Medical Institute. After the first year, he served in the Army, or rather, in the Northern Fleet as an electrician for ship equipment of a nuclear submarine, then they were called up from institutes.

Then - a return to the student's bench and to his old hobby. Now I already "lived" at the Department of Microbiology. Almost literally: I even had a pillow and a blanket hidden there. And the topic of the student's scientific work sounded like this: "The frequency and rate of mutations of RNA-containing viruses: applied aspects of population genetics." But I was not destined to become a microbiologist either.

1990. Department of Microbiology

There was a temple next to the medical institute, where I constantly went. At first, more from some curious and cultural considerations, then he began to go to services. And then the priest called me to the altar, offered to become an altar boy - to help during the services. Probably, participation in liturgical life has become some sort of both evolutionary and revolutionary moment: religious life has become an integral part of life in general. A deeper understanding of the concepts of temporary and eternal, life priorities has come.

Therefore, when the problem arose of the physical impossibility of simultaneously combining work in the pulpit and service in the church, I made my choice quite quickly. Unlike science, faith affects not only the mind, but also the heart.

But at the department there was a shock. My teachers were very saddened ... So my "life" smoothly moved from the chemistry laboratory through the microbiology department to the church altar. Nevertheless, I did not give up my studies at the medical institute and did not abandon the intention to be a doctor.

Perhaps the words of our political officer, spoken to me in the naval training in Severodvinsk, remained in the subconscious. The most intelligent Alexei Anatolyevich Monich, at the time of the 6th article of the Constitution about the "leading and guiding role of the Communist Party," somehow told me, not even knowing that I was a believer: "Dima, do you want to become a Human?" There are two ways to do this: VIMO (Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense) or Theological Seminary. "

Vera never died, it was passed on by grandparents. And in our family as well. My grandmother, Adelya Petrovna, being from Ukraine, was a very religious person, although she could not go to church because of her party grandfather. The first words about Christ were from her.

After two years of altar work, the abbot sent me to the bishop for ordination to the priesthood. I became a priest in 1992, 10 years after the first communion, as a 5th year student at the Medical Institute. And again I faced a choice: how to harmoniously combine my favorite microbiology, if I do choose it, with church ministry?

1994. Construction of the temple in the hospital

At this time, a course in psychiatry began at our institute. The understanding that psychiatry is nevertheless closer to the priest, as a science of the mental constitution of a person, than any other areas of medicine, came by itself. Then, together with the doctors, we opened a temple at the Regional Psychiatric Hospital of Yekaterinburg - in the name of the Healer Panteleimon, where I have been serving for the 23rd year. The most interesting is whether I will surpass my mother, Lyudmila Fedorovna, who worked in one place, as an accountant of the Lespromkhoz, for 44 years - from the student's office to retirement.

2002. Construction of a temple at the hospital

In the 90s, psychiatry became an ideological scarecrow for reasons completely different from medicine. We are not ashamed of a sick heart, a sick stomach, a sick liver. We treat them. And if we don't treat, we get a heart attack, perforated ulcer or cirrhosis. But we are terribly indignant when they tell us that we have problems in the emotional sphere, and even more so when they talk about problems with thinking ... Studying psychiatry gave me the opportunity to distinguish between health and illness, to advise someone to "repair" themselves, for their own good.

What led you to such a radical realization of your religious convictions as tonsure and ministry? Are you disillusioned with medicine?

Archimandrite Dimitri: My long story about childhood, adolescence and growing up just testifies to the fact that there has never been any “radicalization” as such. There was a way. Quite long - 10 years from coming to faith and before the beginning of the ministry, then another six years from accepting the priesthood to monastic tonsure, at the age of 30, by the way ... This is such a natural, evolutionary path. "Suddenly" happens just in psychiatry. Our patients often say so: "Suddenly I understood everything!" Two amazing words - "suddenly" and "all" ...

So, in medicine, I have not been disappointed to this day. I’ll say banality, but man is a three-component being: body, soul and spirit. And each area has its own specialists. At some point in time it seemed to me that it could be combined: to be both a doctor and a priest.

And such very positive examples were and are. They are wonderful, outstanding people. But I'm not one of them. Maybe maximalism got in the way, maybe there was not enough talent or breadth of nature ... But bodily healing, spiritual healing and spiritual healing are still different things and, to be honest, they require full commitment.

2012. Hospital-built temple

After medical school, I worked in the Regional Psychiatric Hospital as a doctor and served as a priest. At some point, I realized that I was not giving something to both my patients and my parishioners. It was very painful, but medicine, having weighed "temporary - eternal" on the scales, had to be abandoned. It was very painful, for a living. I had excellent teachers in psychiatry, including Irina Mikhailovna Kavalevskaya ...

Can we say that your initiative to publish the "Orthodox Newspaper" has become a form of Christian missionary work, evangelism?

Archimandrite Dimitri: Yes, of course, that is exactly what happened. And a form of pastoral work too. I - both in the first and in all subsequent turns - a priest. Evangelist. Preacher of the truth that God is above us! I have never felt like an "editor" or a "media manager" or a "director". Even on the Soyuz TV channel, I am called by an incomprehensible name for outside people, “leader”, “general leadership”. Many people ask: are you no longer a director, is there a new director at Soyuz? I am called “editor” and “director” exclusively in front of the “all-seeing eye” of Roskomnadzor ...

It was not in vain that I said about the "all-seeing eye" ... All our media - both the newspaper, and the magazine, and the radio, and TV channels - are subject to all existing provisions, regulations, instructions and inspections of this supervisory body. It’s just that the myth that the church is uncontrolled and does not pay taxes is walking around the Internet. How controlled it is!

In Yekaterinburg and the Sverdlovsk Region, Soyuz is an on-air TV channel. We currently have 40 terrestrial transmitters. And the power, and the frequency shift, and the height of the suspension, and the coordinates of the installation ... And even the percentage of broadcast content .... Well, then - and administrative, and arbitration ... Of course, Baybakov is to blame that two different specialists of the local HRChTs intend different coordinates. Of course, I moved the tower at night ...

Etheric hardware

All this concerns the church media in full measure. God forbid, I "do not cry and do not weep." I am simply stating the inconsistency of the myth with reality. I can admit one thing, I don’t know about others, but when we contact Roskomnadzor in advance for advice, we always receive comprehensive help and this often allows us to avoid any problems in advance.

As for taxes, one and a half million rubles of various taxes are paid monthly by the Soyuz TV channel, the Resurrection radio and the Orthodox newspaper. We are not exempt from anything. And, of course, all of our broadcasting - satellite, terrestrial - is not free at all, but at fairly open and well-known tariffs of the corresponding satellite operators and the Regional Television and Radio Broadcasting Center.

So, living in the earthly dimension, we still see the meaning and purpose of our being in the heavenly. This is not just "journalism", although where without it, it is not "business", although there is a lot to count, this is - yes, Christian evangelism. Telling people about God.

In one of your interviews, you said that you prefer to "learn with pens" and studied the issues of television production on secular TV channels. Can you name these TV channels? What new things have you discovered for yourself in the media industry?

Archimandrite Dimitri: This, of course, concerned the initial stage, when I was in one person and a journalist, and a photographer, and a cameraman, and an editor and even a webmaster. The period when, being an exclusively humanist, I tried to understand what radio waves are and how television works in general. Then I went to our local TV channels. I tried to "twist on my mustache" something. First of all, it was Channel 10: in 1992 or 1993 I hosted their Orthodox program there, in 2002-2004 we already posted our programs there, until the quantity grew into quality and Soyuz appeared.

Patriarch Kirill in the studios of the TV channel

Galina Grigorievna Lyovochkina gave us a very good starting point for this dialectical transition. On the channel she headed, she allowed to post 6 or 8 Orthodox programs, including daily ones. We spent up to 3-4 hours a day on Channel 10 before the Soyuz opening.

Was, over and "ASV", this television company is no longer there, and the Kingdom of Heaven to Zhanna Matveyevna Teleshevskaya (baptized - John). We also collaborated a lot. Yuri Alekseevich Zhuravel and Viktor Demyanovich Goreglyad conducted incredible educational programs, just on fingers. If it were not for these two people, there might not have been any "Union". With great gratitude I can also call them my teachers in television.

Krylov Alexander Mikhailovich, director of the Skolkovo branch of RSCC ... All our satellite broadcasting has developed thanks to him and his advice. In general, I am very grateful to God for those people with whom He brought me together, whom he sent to the “Union”. Of course, this is such an incredibly collective product. And don't be offended by those whom I did not name by name: who presented the first SVXS camera, who explained how to find a frequency and start broadcasting in Yekaterinburg, who helped open offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg ... I remember everyone and try to pray for everyone, like can.

TV channel staff

There were, of course, different periods of growth. People whom God sent as ... heavenly messengers. Gradually, of course, professionals began to appear. And just people with experience, and young talents, and "legends" ... Of course, it would be frivolous to say that I am now personally engaged in "television production". There is a large team. I am not even trying to understand some things now. There are specialists for this. But it all started - yes, from scratch, with bare enthusiasm, great passion for the job.

In another interview, you talked about how the TV channel turned out not quite the way you envisioned it. Is it possible, in your opinion, to develop it in a new and unexpected direction for you? Can you note any tendencies in the development of the TV channel?

Archimandrite Dimitri: These are also different periods of development, growth, comprehension. When at the age of 14-15 I realized that there is a Higher Intelligence above us, there was almost the only TV channel in the country - the second in our rural area did not work well. When the program “Vremya” started and the whole country sat down at the TV in a single impulse, I waited for the announcer to announce the most important news: “There is a God!”.

Alas, the program ended, but this did not happen. Then I lay on the carpet and dreamed that someday I would make it so that this "news" would surely sound from all screens.

When we started doing the first TV programs, they were exclusively religious. We tried not to shy away from either historical excursions or the history of culture ... In our news, there was neither a weather forecast, nor any forecasts for the harvest, and so on.

When the Voskresenie radio channel and the Soyuz TV channel were launched, under the influence of various factors and opinions, it seemed that there was no need to create a “purely Orthodox” channel. We just need to make a good, kind, clean, bright channel with a variety of programs: about health, education, good feature films, some kind of sports programs, about how to grow a good harvest and cook something tasty. Well, with the Orthodox component too, but without domination, so as not to scare people away with religiosity, etc.

This model was not viable. Actually, there is no special discovery in this, as I understand it now. An increasingly narrow specialization of TV channels is underway. TV channels and other media are becoming more and more "niche". The viewer does not need an abstract "sports" channel. He needs either a channel about boxing or a channel about rhythmic gymnastics. And abstractly "musical" is also not needed: some need the classics, others - something else.

And so it happened here, people who need Orthodoxy - it is Orthodoxy that is needed. Where to watch programs on how to equip a garden plot, they know very well. And who needs a medical program - they will find it without us. This is also an empirical conclusion, "pens". "Channel One" from the times of the USSR simply does not have a place in the modern television perception of the viewer.

So, in this regard, there can be and is only an even narrower specialization: an Orthodox music channel, an Orthodox educational channel, an Orthodox news channel, an Orthodox children's channel ... And of course the variety of television forms. Although, the Orthodox viewer is quite conservative and does not always positively perceive various innovations.

Is the TV channel still diocesan, or can its status and content be interpreted more broadly?

Archimandrite Dimitri: Legally, his status is the same and does not need to be changed. The founder of the channel is the Yekaterinburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. But in terms of content, participation, broadcasting, this has long been an international project. We broadcast to 89 countries of the world. It was 117. But after the last collapse of the ruble, we had to stop broadcasting to both American continents.

Metropolitan Hilarion gets acquainted with the geography of broadcasting

However, only from the satellite. The channel continues to broadcast on the Internet to the whole world. And these are not videos, but actually broadcasting online. In Russia, cable broadcasting covers about 2,000 settlements. We are present in the cable networks of a number of other states, including Poland, Bulgaria, the Baltic countries, Moldova.

It is very gratifying that, despite all the horror of Russian-Ukrainian relations, we are officially approved by the National Rada for broadcasting on the territory of Ukraine. We have offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The office in Belarus also covers European countries. About 50 diocesan video studios send their finished programs. We broadcast live almost all the divine services of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. Recently there was a live broadcast from Kyrgyzstan - from the consecration of the newly built largest temple in Central Asia, Prince Vladimir Cathedral in Bishkek.

Your audience has expanded significantly. You still do not need to measure the ratings of programs, composition and preferences of your audience?

Archimandrite Dimitri: Well, all these things are needed for advertisers. Which programs arouse the greatest interest of the audience, which ones are less, we already know very well. Both in terms of reviews and Internet viewing traffic. If during the appearance on the air of father Dmitry Smirnov or Alexei Ilyich Osipov, the Internet traffic of our broadcasting jumps, if not 100, then many tens of times, then what other measurements are needed?

We have an incredible connection with the audience. In all possible and impossible ways (up to calls to the ORTPTS towers) they convey their opinion to us about the programs, about the presenters, and about the studios ... And what will the measurements show? I'll tell you so: 2-3%. If there is 5%, I can die with a clear conscience: I did everything I could.

Soyuz will never have such an audience as TNT. Well, this is not a matter of television production, but of biology, instincts ... I somehow asked the newspapermen to make such a product out of Pravoslavnaya Gazeta so that the circulation would be like that of Moskovsky Komsomolets. There was a possibility of funding such a project, I agreed to any bold experiments with forms, layout, headings, complete freedom of creativity.

It turned out that for this, on the first page you need a minimally dressed girl, and on the last - a crossword puzzle and an astrological forecast ... But I do not lose my optimism. Those whom we must help to find their path to God, they will find us. After all, the Gospel also speaks about the "narrow path", and not about the "wide road".

Archimandrite Dimitri: You have misunderstood. I was talking about one of the "crises" and its impact on the channel. “We didn’t lose investors, we didn’t lose advertising” means that we didn’t have any. Therefore, we did not lose them, unlike some other projects. Over 10 years, funding has changed as follows. Initially, the canal was financed by several large churches of the Yekaterinburg diocese, where I was the rector. That is, all free, and sometimes not free funds were spent not on construction and repairs, but on the maintenance of the newly created canal.

Now this is not the case. The reason is that it cannot go on indefinitely. Each temple has its own educational, charitable and other projects and tasks, which should be aimed primarily at the parishioners of these particular temples.

Then the Diocesan Printing House was created - a modern, powerful printing company, which began to accept secular orders, and channel revenues to a developing channel. This source dried up around 2007, when direct elections of governors were canceled. The number of customers and products of our profile (newspapers, magazines, booklets) fell catastrophically and never returned to the previous level. Now the printing house mainly fulfills church orders and its profitability is only enough for equipment repairs and some small missionary printing projects.

Printing house

But it has grown, strengthened and became the only source of funding such as donations from viewers. In general, I believe that this phenomenon deserves a special study. Not a small video studio, but a TV channel broadcasting around the clock from six satellites, broadcasting on-air in 40 cities, with offices in the capitals, with a staff of almost 200 people lives, develops, expands, and improves exclusively on donations from its viewers. No signal coding, no paid subscriptions, etc. I don't know of any more examples like this.

When we are accused of being “uninteresting,” I always say: yes, there is no limit to perfection, of course, we can and should do better. But the viewer votes for us with a ruble. As soon as we become really uninteresting, unnecessary, we will close within a couple of months. Today the channel is 100% funded by viewers.

What, in your opinion, are the prospects for the new music TV channel Muzsoyuz?

Archimandrite Dimitri: There are prospects. Which? Time will show. It is still in the process of creation, formation, despite the fact that it has been broadcasting for a year already. What kind of people will gather around him? What will viewers want? How can we all make this happen? It's that kind of birthing process, if you will. There are prospects, there is potential. We are watched on the Internet, watched through Smart TV, included in cable networks. But I still don’t feel such a frenzied pulse like that of Soyuz. But not much time has passed yet. Moreover, we have not really begun to promote it yet. This channel still has everything ahead.

Today, Russian Orthodox TV channels include Soyuz, Muzsoyuz, Spas, and My Joy. Is it time, in your opinion, to talk about the target audience (and measure)?

Archimandrite Dimitri: Another one, Constantinople, was recently launched. It has such a socio-political nature. This is a channel of "conservative values" that is not afraid to talk about politics, which, for example, is simply taboo on Soyuz. Each of these Orthodox-oriented channels has its own audience, somewhere overlapping, somewhere different. These are channels with quite different concepts from each other. And I believe not competing with each other. We complement each other.

The same person may just have a different mood. And he can switch from "politics" at "Constantinople" to divine services at "Union", or music at "MuzSoyuz", or a conversation at "Spas" or wonderful children's programs at "My Joy". We complement each other, we do one common thing. And I don’t know how you can divide and recount the audience here ... I see it as one big channel with the ability to switch to one or another program according to the mood.

Why, in your opinion, in a country where Muslims make up the second largest religious group, there is still no Islamic TV channel, as well as other official confessions.

Archimandrite Dimitri: Excuse me, I am not strong in the problems of the Islamic diaspora. As well as Jewish or Buddhist. But I am sure that if Russian Muslims, for example, needed such a channel or channels, they would launch them in a matter of months. Satellite, Internet, cable - there are no legislative or technical problems. Run and broadcast. I don’t think that Muslims, like the Jews, by the way, have any serious obstacles in terms of personnel or financial matters.

On the other hand, if before the "Union" there were no Russian-speaking Orthodox channels in the world at all, then there were dozens, if not hundreds, of Islamic channels in Arabic. Perhaps they understand this broadcast and that's enough for them. Just like there are world Jewish and Catholic channels. It's a shame that sometimes this question is asked in the form of a "run over": why do you, the Orthodox, have as many as five channels, while others have none ?! The only thing missing is the call to take away and divide everything ... Why they do not have their own channels, I have no idea - ask them. Nobody bothered me to create an Orthodox one.

What are the trends and prospects of religious broadcasting in Russia, in your opinion?

Archimandrite Dimitri: Like the rest of television, it is even more specialized and niche. There is no need to wait for some mega-projects in our area. For many reasons. On the other hand, over the past 10 years, 5 Orthodox channels have opened and are operating in Russia, and could not resist, only one closed - "Blagovest". It seems to me that there are more closures in the secular theme.

So, to a certain extent, religious broadcasting is, of course, in demand, since it responds to the highest, spiritual needs of a person, which cannot be satisfied by channels of a different orientation. I think that in the foreseeable future, from 1 to 3 more full-fledged Orthodox television projects may appear: purely liturgical, lecture-educational, maybe something else, purely informational, for example. The main thing is that on any of them the most important "news" is heard: "There is God above us"!

Preparing to record a program

Interviewed by Roman Magradze

© ... April 2016

Archimandrite Dimitri (Baybakov) is not the first to raise complex projects. He created the Soyuz TV channel from scratch.

The first Orthodox school appeared in the capital of the Urals, imperceptibly for Yekaterinburg residents.

The seven-story building has grown in the Lechebny microdistrict - near the church of the healer Panteleimon. Despite the fact that the educational institution functions at the temple, it will be a secular general education school, promises the priest who built it. Doctors of the mental hospital next door behind the fence have already diagnosed him.

A hefty seven-story red brick building looks expensive and imposing. The area of ​​7000 square meters will house a kindergarten, school, gym and swimming pool. All this was built by a priest - Archimandrite Dimitri (Baybakov). He is a psychiatrist by training: in his youth he was a practicing doctor - he worked in the nearby regional psychiatric hospital until he found himself in the ministry. The temple of the healer Panteleimon, created by him, for the first time huddled in this hospital, in a small room, which was adapted for a church.

Archimandrite Dimitri conducts a tour of the school for Anton Shipulin and Olesya Krasnomovets

There is now a legend about how the construction of a new, brick church began. “Once Father Dimitri went into the staff room and said: 'We decided to build a church,” Svetlana Ladina, editor of the Orthodox TV channel Soyuz, told URA.Ru. - The doctors asked him: "Have you found a rich sponsor?" After that, fellow psychiatrists quickly diagnosed him. "

However, surprisingly, things went well. “There was a small meadow where the bell tower is now,” says the priest. - We found her with the hospital administration and began to settle down. And in 23 years they settled down so much that they built a church, a baptismal room and a church house, in which there is a library and a Sunday school. "... Together with the buildings, the parish also grew, and not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively - more and more parishioners with children, large families.

“From the city center, my family and I went to the Panteleimon Church, on the eighth kilometer of the Siberian tract, with small children in our arms on public transport. There was an amazing family atmosphere. ", - Svetlana Ladina recalls.

“On Sundays, the temple began to turn into a kindergarten: there were many times more children than adults,” recalls Father Dimitri. - I myself am a monk and I am wary of children, because I do not know how to deal with them. But you have to do something with them! And so we decided to continue our complex of buildings and build an educational center that would include a kindergarten and a school. "

It took seven years to build the center. "Exclusively for donations - we have no sponsors and benefactors"- says the monk. And explains:

“It's one thing when you take money from the budget and use it, it's another thing when you build for yourself: completely different prices are obtained. Therefore, I will not say how much a square meter cost me. If someone finds out, they will simply come and shoot me, because such prices do not exist. "

The building is designed for five groups of kindergarten and 11 classes. Baybakov assures that it will be ordinary, general education - with mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and so on. At the same time, icons and icon lamps are hanging both in the classroom and in the corridor.

Now one group of kindergarten and the first class have been recruited, in which there are only 15 people so far (the room is designed for 25 students). “The education of children has not yet been documented in any way,” the priest admits, “therefore, we do not advertise the educational institution. But we will receive all the documents "... Father is confident that he will be able to license the school, referring to the experience of obtaining licenses for television broadcasting (it was he who launched the Soyuz TV channel in Yekaterinburg).

During a tour of the school, Father Dimitri admits that he personally planned the building. It consists of three blocks, standing in a "cascade" so that the school does not "crush" the temple. “I myself am an architect, a designer and a designer,” says the priest. “I even designed the cabinets in the classroom myself so that everything was in color.”... In the first block, a gym is now being completed (it should be launched in November), in the third, a pool will eventually appear.

Good teachers were hired to teach the children - with 30 years of experience. "You can't call them grandmothers, but they are very experienced teachers."- says Father Dimitri. And the school, and the children's, and development groups - all services are paid. Baybakov's assistants refused to name the exact cost of training, noting only that it is not high - within a few thousand rubles, in order to "beat off" the cost of training.

According to people from the priest's entourage, neither the church nor the school really had some kind of rich sponsor - they collected "for a pretty penny" for everything. Colleagues see the secret of the success of his projects in something else. “This is a man who is surrounded by miracles, - says Svetlana Ladina ... - But I want to be understood correctly: he never pretended to be a miracle worker, it's just that the Lord, seeing that he is doing the right things, sends him his help. First he created an Orthodox newspaper, then the Resurrection radio channel, then the Soyuz TV channel. It is known that in the midst of construction, Father Dimitri, in order to pay off the builders, sold his apartment. "

There is no doubt that the private school of Archimandrite Dimitry Baybakov will be in demand - his temple has long become a kind of cultural center of the microdistrict. “There are a lot of people here who come from the villages of Tubsanatorium, Psychological Hospital, Healing, from cottages in the vicinity, - tells the teacher of physical education Olga Reshetkina ... - All these children study with us, plus children from the city come. There is a forest all around here, fresh air, its own well, a separate territory. We think there will be more and more children. "

In contact with

Father Dmitry was the best leader I have ever worked with, and this leader fired me. And don't ask why. It happens. Especially in creative teams, where discipline issues are openly abused by some negligent workers. Once I managed to go to the All-Russian competition of Orthodox media, where our newspaper "Pokrov" won first place in the youth media nomination, and ... did not get there. Father Dmitry just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

Everyone who knows him: both friends and enemies (and Orthodox monks have a lot of enemies) - agree on one thing: he is a professional, and a professional with a capital letter. When I came to him with the pilot number "Pokrov", he simply said: When can you start work? When is it possible? Better from tomorrow! By evening, the editorial office had a new desk and a new computer. But this is not the main thing. The main thing is that Father Dmitry gave us complete freedom in working on the newspaper. For many journalists, especially Orthodox Christians, this sounds like a revelation. What other freedom? Do you want to say that you did not discuss the development strategy with the head of the issue, did not approve the plans and the set course? No! No! And again no! Like an old captain who manages a huge ship, who does not climb on the shrouds to check how the knots are tied, and does not run to the galley to try what kind of dinner is today at the cook, Father Dmitry entrusted us to do our work ourselves, almost without interfering with the creative process. The captain's business is to lead the ship. The business of the sailors is to knot and set the sails. Each in his place and each doing his own thing. The clever captain knows it, the stupid one drowns.

We offered. He agreed. Or not. He could smile or just say: "Ponty." But he did not point out and did not lecture. We could print on the cover a photo of President Putin ringing in the bell tower with the caption "Valaam bell ringer" or a photo of an old man walking on his knees in a procession with icons and captioning "The Russians are coming!" and it was appropriate and normal. As well as a photo of a yawning girl, next to a disabled person and the caption "If someone feels bad next to them, don't yawn!" For us, there was nothing more terrible than Orthodoxy leaf in museum slippers with roosters, and Father Dmitry understood this perfectly. Young people are not interested in beautiful reasoning, young people need either all or nothing. Faith is a fire, it is an unburned bush, it is the freedom to speak with God, looking into the eyes, and not to burn out. And if you don’t understand this, you don’t need to make Orthodox youth newspapers. Waste paper. Nobody will read them.

When His Holiness came to Yekaterinburg for the first time in history, it was only thanks to Father Dmitry that we held the Ask Your Question to the Patriarch action in ten leading universities in the city, where any student, without exception, regardless of their religious beliefs and views, could ask the Patriarch their question. These were not specially selected Orthodox Timurovites and excellent students in ironed shirts, it was a pure informal. Many then told us that this was not the level of the Patriarch, to participate in such interviews, but we said that you were confusing His Holiness with the Chairman of the Central Committee of the CPSU, who was reading from a piece of paper. Father Dmitry supported us, and this non-format turned out to be that sincere live conversation of students with their Patriarch, which everyone understood and appreciated.

They say that happy hours are not observed. He arrived at the editorial office early in the morning and was one of the last to leave. Father Dmitry's working day lasted exactly as long as needed to be in time for everything. And this could not be prevented by hunger, disease, or natural disasters. There is always a Hot Mug on sale in nightstands, there is instant aspirin for colds, and Pravoslavnaya Gazeta will be published even if the sky falls to the ground.

Pravoslavnaya Gazeta, published for a quarter of a century, was the first stone he laid in the foundation of one of the best Orthodox media holdings in Russia. Today newspapers, magazines, books with a circulation of over thirty million, and the Orthodox TV channel Soyuz, broadcasting all over the world, are published under the brand of the publishing department of the Yekaterinburg Metropolitanate.

The Soyuz TV channel became the first Russian truly national television. Unlike the same Public Television of Russia, which is financed by the state, the Soyuz TV channel exists only thanks to donations from viewers. And this is the fundamental difference. There will always be budget money, and your wallet is often empty. And if people have been voting for Soyuz with their own money for ten years now, then they need the TV channel. This is trust of the highest standard, which cannot be won with beautiful words or loud slogans.

The fact that Orthodox people in our country wanted to have their own TV channel also says a lot. Society is tired of endless empty TV series, reality shows and the vulgarity of modern television. And “Union” appeared, where, as in a mirror, another, also real, but good life, life with God was reflected. You may like the TV channel or not, but this is a real testimony of our Church in the modern spiritless world. Testimony of Christ and the truth of our faith. I realized this when my friends from Israel and France told me that they were watching Soyuz at home. They learn about Orthodoxy, about saints and monasteries, listen to Father Dmitry Smirnov and Professor Osipov thousands of kilometers from Russia. And for them this is a real spiritual event, no less than the Voice of America was for the Soviet people.

Father Dimitri was born in the small town of Talitsa, in the Sverdlovsk region, home of the legendary Soviet intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov. When the time comes to enter medical school, he will be awarded one point in the competition for being from the countryside. His parents are ordinary people. Mom is an accountant, dad is a joiner. From childhood, they brought up in their son the habit of work, patience and perseverance. From the second grade, little Dima began to show a serious (as much as possible for a seven-year-old boy) interest in chemistry. He made friends with the teacher Tamara Dmitrievna, and soon became a regular in the school laboratory: here he was allowed to look at books with different formulas and was allowed to be present during the experiments. But they were not allowed to work with reagents. Therefore, he spent the practical part of the classes in a secluded place with medicines bought in a pharmacy. He mixed the medicines, mixed them, dissolved them in water, carefully observing the changes. The results of the experiments were neatly entered into a notebook. Already in the fifth grade, Dima became the winner of the Chemistry Olympiad among high school students and received the well-deserved nickname Mendeleev. Due to his interest in the unknown and secret, Dima developed a new hobby: microbiology. Now he could be found in the bacteriological laboratory of the local sanitary and epidemiological station or the infectious diseases department of the district hospital.

And there was also a great love for Alla Borisovna Pugacheva and her songs. Because of which he once left home. And of course, the thundering non-Soviet Yevtushenko. At that time it was simply impossible to get his poetry collections in Talitsa. And Dima went to the reading room of the library, where he took photocopies of the books of his beloved poet and diligently copied poetry into a large notebook. He generously shared his hobbies with classmates. Dima studied well, and as in those days it was customary, he was an Octobrist, a pioneer and a Komsomol member. He joined the Komsomol not because it was necessary, but out of convictions, sincerely considering (read Ostrovsky's novel "How the Steel Was Tempered") this organization is a union of advanced youth. Becoming the deputy secretary of the Komsomol organization of the school for ideological work, the Komsomol member Dima began to conscientiously study atheistic literature and the works of V.I. Lenin. The sincere conviction of the righteousness of the teachers of communism and a strong desire through their labors to understand the surrounding reality played a cruel joke with him. Criticism of Holy Scripture turned out to be completely unscientific, biased, and most importantly, impenetrably stupid. And then he decided to turn to primary sources. Why went to the oldest church in Talitsa of Peter and Paul, to take the Gospel from the priest. The temple, despite the surrounding Soviet reality, was never closed, and in certain unconscious circles of society it was popular. After the conversation, the abbot handed him the Bible. As you know, the enemy of all good things does not sleep, my mother found the Bible, and then took it to the regional party committee. They listened to her attentively and immediately opened a case on church propaganda among young people. All right, a Soviet teenager would have found a Playboy or BBC tapes, but the Bible? A scandal arose, after which the priest was forced to leave their small town. But the main thing happened. Dima opened the Gospel and met God there.

By the time he graduated from school, he decided that he would become a military doctor. For this, he twice entered the military medical academy. Each time he lacked one point, and, in the end, he entered the Sverdlovsk Medical Institute. By that time, Dima was a believer, went to church and confessed to his spiritual father. Christianity and communism in his worldview for the time being coexisted peacefully. After all, who are Christians? The salt of the earth, which means the advanced part of society. Who are the communists? (Read Ostrovsky's novel again.) He sincerely thought that communism and Christianity, if not twin brothers, then certainly relatives. Dima sincerely stayed in this delusion until he got into the army and became a sailor on a nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet.

Here, at a depth of several hundred meters, there was a parting with the childish naive world and the illusions inherent in young ardent natures. Having broken about the realities of party life, they quietly drowned at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. On a submarine, he first encountered the insincerity and hypocrisy of those he trusted. The most offensive thing is that these were good people whom he respected. But they were associated with the ideals of communism only by party membership cards. Because only holders of such tickets could be on a nuclear submarine. And these good, decent, honest people had to be hypocritical. This brought such discord into the soul of the young sailor (an electrician of ship equipment, deputy secretary of the ship's Komsomol organization, awarded a diploma for conscientious study of the classics of Marxism-Leninism) that a year later he applied to quit the Komsomol. Senior comrades tried to reason with him. They sincerely worried about him: “If you want to believe in God, believe, but why leave the Komsomol? Why ruin your career and spoil your biography? And he could not explain to them that it is simply impossible to live by a lie!

He was expelled from the Komsomol in disgrace. And soon a dispatch came from the political department from the shore that the sailor Dmitry Maksimovich Baibakov, as an unreliable one, should be written off to land in the very near future. But unexpectedly for the authorities, the entire crew stood up for him, from cook to the ship's commander. A report was filed with a request to leave him on the boat. The crew bailed the unreliable sailor Baybakov. And he was left to serve.

When he returned to the institute, he began to work under the supervision of Professor Alexander Sergeevich Grigoriev at the Department of Microbiology. Helping his teacher in scientific works, he devoted his student work to the topic he was engaged in. At the department he liked absolutely everything. He so often sat up at work that he was allowed to spend the night in the hall on the sofa. He brought a pillow from home and now could not leave the laboratory for days. And when he left, he immediately went to one of the oldest churches in Yekaterinburg - the Ascension Church, where by that time he was already an altar boy. After some time, work at the Department of Microbiology and the temple became simply physically impossible to combine. It was necessary to choose either science or the altar. He chose an altar.

Two years later, he was offered to take priesthood. By this time, he had already firmly decided to devote himself to God. Soon after receiving Archbishop Melchizedek from the Ruling Bishop and having a detailed conversation with Vladyka, he was ordained. Dmitry Baibakov became the father of Dmitry.

Outwardly, his life has changed little. He spent the working week at the institute and only on weekends left for the village of Rudyanskoye, Sukholozhsky region, where he served as the rector of the local parish. When, in practice, in the regional psychiatric hospital, the doctors learned that there was a priest among them, they brought him to the head physician so that he could help arrange a church at the hospital. So in 1993, the history of the church of the holy great martyr Panteleimon at the regional psychiatric hospital in the city of Yekaterinburg began.

After the end of the honey. Institute, Father Dimitri began to work right there in the hospital as a psychiatrist. He worked in the department for a year and a half. But the service (it is in such categories that he evaluates the work of people in white coats) of a doctor requires an entire person. All 24 hours a day. No other way. Or you're a bad doctor. This is Father Dimitri's firm conviction. But he was alone. And there are two services. In the hospital and in the temple. Once again, he was faced with a choice. And again he chose the Church. Leaving the hospital was a great drama for him, which the Lord turned into a holiday. Father Dmitry prayed and asked God for help, and a simple, clear idea came to him to build a church right on the territory of his own hospital. Weren't the same people, relaxed and mentally ill, came to Christ and He healed them? And then he began to build a temple right on the territory of the Regional Psychiatric Hospital. Construction lasted five years and ended in 2002. During this time, a huge church complex has grown there, with a snow-white temple and a modern parish building with a winter greenhouse. Without any serious benefactors, Father Dimitri had to master many professions from economist to construction worker. Then, at the consecration of the temple, builders and designers came up to him and said to his eyes: "We never believed that this construction would be carried out." And the grandmothers from Rudyanskoye smiled and said: "From peg to house."

From 1994 he began to publish a newspaper in his parish, which he called simply and tastefully: "Pravoslavnaya Gazeta". The newspaper was born on the carpet in the house of Father Dimitri's parents. The logo was drawn by his older sister. Typesetting and layout was done on a computer in the editorial office of the Krasnaya Burda magazine, with whom the Father Superior had friendly relations.

When Vladyka Melchizeden was replaced by a young energetic Vladyka Nikon, he immediately drew attention to this newspaper. He liked her. Not in the habit of putting good ideas on the back burner, he called in an editor and appointed him head of the Diocese's Publishing Department. So Father Demetrius acquired a new obedience, which became one of the main ones in his life. There was no experience of publishing in the diocese, and in general the situation with the Orthodox media in the country was not the most optimistic. The church was rebuilding from the ruins after 70 years of persecution, and all her efforts were thrown into the restoration of churches and the opening of new parishes. There were not enough people, not enough funds, not enough experience. Everything had to start from scratch. But father Dmitry, who was accustomed to difficulties, was not at all embarrassed by this. He reasoned in a monastic way simply: since the Lord sent a new obedience, he will send strength and help to fulfill it. You work, and the fruits are from the Lord.

Experience in construction, bookkeeping and knowledge of political economy was very useful to him then. Then he joked about this: “If you look at the building of the publishing house in which we work, then from the point of view of political economy, everything is arranged impeccably. The first floor is the base. Here is the printing house and production premises of the publishing house. The second and third floors are the superstructure. Here are the editorial offices of newspapers, radio and television, offices of employees and management. " The work is arranged in such a way that one team makes information material in several formats at once: for a newspaper, for radio, television and the Internet. This makes it possible to work interactively. Our own production base allows us to reduce the cost as much as possible and increase the circulation of published books and newspapers. All this ultimately allows some of the literature to be distributed in hospitals, military units, prisons and educational institutions. This is political economy like a monk.

Correspondent:- You often have to start something from scratch.

O. Dimitri:- And I'm not particularly worried about this. Why? Because I do everything in obedience and with the blessing of the Master. And as one theologian noted, the Lord is a transcendental figure. And his blessing actually means a lot. And further. We work not for our own good, glory or wealth, but for the good of the Church. Therefore, the Lord helps us to build each new deed. And indeed it is. If you look at what I was like twenty years ago, and at the volume of tasks that I had to solve, then, looking at that young nun, I personally would say that there are three options: either father is an adventurer, or a rogue, or, forgive me, not healthy on the head. After all, no one believed that St. Panteleimon's temple would be built. And the temple is standing. Because it pleased God. That is the whole secret of Orthodox success.

Corr .:- And where does the knowledge come from?

O. Dimitri:- I am skeptical about any educational seminars and trainings and consider them unproductive. You need to learn with pens. I myself went to secular TV channels and radio stations, visited editorial offices and printing houses and watched who was doing what and how. If it was not clear, he asked.

Corr .:- The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon was the first experience of a successful folk project, which you later embodied in the Soyuz TV channel

O. Dimitri:- No businessmen gave money to the Panteleimon temple. Everything was built with money from grandparents. And aunties and uncles. It is in the full sense of the word a folk temple. A temple that the people built for themselves. Therefore, we always have many parishioners there, always many children and grandmothers. People love their temple.

It became one of the main bases of social service for the Yekaterinburg diocese. We have a sisterhood to care for the sick and lonely people. The first Orthodox office in the region for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts was opened here. We regularly conduct classes with teachers of educational institutions on the prevention of abortion. We have a charity canteen open every day. We collect things for the poor. In general, it is a common practice in any Orthodox church.

Corr .:- I know that in none of the churches where you serve as the rector, money is not collected during the service. Living too well?

O. Dimitri:- We usually live. This tradition originates from my children's complexes: I did not like it when, during the service, grandmothers walked around the parishioners with trays, right under the cries of the priest, poured money into the sacrificial box, and the crash of coins drowned out the service. When I had the opportunity to cancel it, I canceled it immediately. For me, if a person wants to donate, he will find an opportunity to do it.

Corr .:- How do you find the strength to bear numerous obediences?

O. Dimitri:- My whole life is obedience. Usually the Lord calls me to him and says: “O. Dmitry, over there, over there, a new church needs to be restored (or built, or opened). Won't you take it? " I answer: "How bless." And I go to fulfill the blessing. Without want - I don’t want, I can - I can’t, there is a mood - there is no mood. I can't do it any other way. I am a monk.

Corr .:- Have you ever given up a job halfway through or simply failed to cope?

O. Dimitri:- God's deeds simply cannot be unfulfilled. Even when, it would seem, there are no conditions at all for their implementation. But man believes, and God disposes. It's another matter that the Divine plan is sometimes implemented in a completely different way from what you imagine. I had one story. Once in a hospital they gathered to open a church. The patients wanted it, the doctors wanted it. I have prepared, I come to the head physician. He received me well, listened carefully. And at the end of the conversation he said: “O. Dimitri, I am not against the opening of the temple. I'm even for. Let's walk through the hospital now. And that's where you find a place for a temple, there it will be. " We went to the hospital. I look - but there is no place. The tightness is terrible. The corridors are narrow, there is no hallway, the wards are overcrowded. And then I decided to go the other way. Now one of the best sisterhoods in the city works in this hospital. They took care of wards with seriously ill patients. The priest constantly comes there, gathers, communes. So the Lord turned our failure into good more than we wanted.

Corr .:- What do you think the Church should be doing today in the first place?

O. Dimitri:- Just like yesterday, like a thousand years ago and tomorrow, and for all times, the Church must preach about Christ. To embody the gospel morality that the Son of God brought to earth. This is the main and, by and large, the only task of the Church. As for the attitude to all kinds of political arrangements, I remember one elderly priest who lived under Stalin, who, answering a question about that time, simply said: "But Stalin did not interfere with my prayer." No political system, no regime, no death itself can tear a person away from God. And this is the most important thing.