Konstantin Parkhomenko is a cleric of the Cathedral in the Name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity and a teacher at the Theological Seminary and the Public Orthodox University (St. Petersburg). His personality is quite popular and well-known: he works as an editor of the Internet resource "ABC of Faith", at the diocesan radio stations "Blessed Mary" and "Grad Petrov".
Biography
Konstantin Parkhomenko was born on June 29, 1974 in the city of Novorossiysk, but for a long time he lived with his parents in Perm. His father was engaged in journalistic activities, his mother worked at the College of Music as a piano teacher. As a boy, the future priest was engaged in martial arts and music.
In 1987, Parkhomenko Konstantin began to believe in God and began to help restore the Assumption Church, transferred to the Perm diocese. And soon he fulfilled the obedience of the sexton and the psalmist.
He was just drawn to church. He came to the temple, stood and wondered, and then began to pray, he was attractedchurch singing and fragrant smell.
In general, Konstantin dreamed of becoming a historian and was preparing to enter Perm State University. But after he met Archpriest Viktor Norin, who later became his confessor, he went to study at the Theological Seminary (1991-1995), and then graduated from the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg (1995-1999).
Konstantin Parkhomenko, "The ABC of Faith"
During his studies, he also takes on missionary obedience: giving talks on various religious topics in social societies for the disabled, police units, libraries, etc.
Since 1995, Father Konstantin Parkhomenko has become the author and host of a number of Orthodox programs on the TEOS radio station. He was also the founder and later head of the OKO Orthodox Youth Center.
If you start to figure out who Konstantin 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 literally acquaint readers with the ABC of the Orthodox faith right from the basics.
A number of video lectures were filmed by Konstantin Parkhomenko. "The Old Testament" is one of his popular lectures and is often viewed by those interested in the subject. You really need to get acquainted with this material, because it is presented so vividly and very professionally.
Today Konstantin Parkhomenko is a priest who, among other things,heads the parish Sunday school for adults and children and the sector for working with the family of the St. Petersburg diocese.
Destinations
Since 1997, he was first a reader, and in 1999 he was ordained a deacon of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
In 2000, he was ordained a presbyter and appointed rector of St. Konstantin's Church (Leninskoye village, 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.
Interview excerpts
Father Konstantin recalls that in childhood his and his younger sister's parents read books and generally paid much attention to their education and upbringing. For this he is very grateful to his parents, because these works have borne their worthy fruits. As a result, Konstantin became a priest, and his sister became a musician-teacher of the highest category in Perm. But the most interesting thing in his childhood was that he loved books about Lenin, and which of the Soviet children did not love the kind and caring leader then?
Now Archpriest Konstantin Parkhomenko is married, there are five children in his family, and they are also accustomed to read and be enlightened. True, the priest himself admits that he protects them from low-quality literature.
It is also surprising that Constantine's path to Orthodoxy passed through atheistic literature. Once he found a shelf with atheistic literature in the school library, which he began to greedilyto read, and another world opened before him, because before that he had not read anything religious. Quotations from patristic books were stupidly and somehow ridiculously commented, so he got 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 collect magnificent spiritual sayings.
Holy Gospel
However, the Gospel was the first Christian book. In 1988, his father brought the New Testament, presented to him by the Perm Bishop Afanasy (Kudyuk), whom his father interviewed just before the 1000th anniversary of Russia.
Konstantin was so delighted, he saw in her such wisdom that every person needs to know. He gave this pocket book, being a seminarian, to his aunt, but she did not use it, then Konstantin asked for it back and gave her another Gospel. And he bound this one in velvet, stuck an icon on it and now he always carries it with him on occasion.
Teachers
When Konstantin entered the seminary in 1991, he began to get acquainted with new authors of religious literature, who made a strong impression on him. And these were Archpriest Alexander Men, Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh, Russian Orthodox writer Ivan Shmelev. Then he began to discover more and more new names for himself: the French theologian Vladimir Lossky, Archpriest Georgy Florovsky. Of the holy fathers - St. Gregory the Theologian and St. Justin Philosopher. From Russian fathersThe writings of St. Theophan the Recluse and St. John of Kronstadt.
Modern Orthodox writers and theologians
Of the modern church leaders, Konstantin Parkhomenko singled out, of course, Patriarch Kirill, Archbishop Hilarion (Alfeev), Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev and teachers of his theological academy - Archimandrite Iannuarius, Archimandrite Augustine, Archpriest Georgy Mitrofanov and Archpriest Alexander Sorokin.
However, if you do not take theologians from fiction writers, then the most memorable authors for Parkhomenko were Fr. Nikolai Agafonov, Yu. Voznesenskaya, O. Nikolaeva, prot. Yaroslav Shipov. And the book by N. Urusova "The Mother's Cry of Holy Russia" simply stunned Father Konstantin with its magnificent content.
Writing work
The first book, or rather a collection of articles by Konstantin Parkhomenko, which grew into a book series called "The Sacrament of Entering the Church" was published in 2002.
The book "Invasion and Expulsion of the Devil" Constantine wrote together with his wife, who for him is not just an assistant, but an equal participant in his missionary work. He speaks very warmly and kindly about his wife Elizabeth. According to him, it is a great joy for him to see his like-minded person in her. She is an orientalist by education and is now getting her second education - a psychologist. She really needs this, since many parishioners of their church often need professional psychological help. All Sunday Schoolconversations are held, and various projects are also supported by Lisa.
Working Together
The first joint book of the Parkhomenko spouses is "On Prayer", and now they are finishing work on a book that will discuss how to raise children in the Orthodox faith.
Konstantin Parkhomenko also published the book "A Life Written by Hand", based on his personal diary. He considered that some impressions would be replaced by others and everything would be forgotten, so he began to write down everything that worried him, remembered, his thoughts and comments. So his diary was born - a piggy bank of wise and clever thoughts.
Now Archpriest Konstantin Parkhomenko perceives his writing as if through the lens of a camera: give it to one, he will not take anything interesting, and the other will notice so many interesting things around that you will only be surprised.
Conclusion
In 1998, for his active work in the educational activities of Parkhomenko Konstantin was awarded the honorary badge of the Holy Great Martyr Tatiana, as well as the Order of the Heart of Danko (2006), the Order of St. Peter the Apostle (2008) and others
