E.N. What kind of positive paths do you see for the Orthodox parish?

V.E. Paths?.. We have now eliminated so much of all kinds of abnormalities. Still, many still have in their memories the orders which the false (now we can say) council of 1961 brought in, which established [by the order of the Soviet power] a special organization of the church parish, but now, in history, this is remembered as strange. Now exists a different danger. It happens that it is easier to fight than to do peaceful, quiet, positive church work. As regards to any dispute, struggle and so on, we have already acquired experience for the last fifteen years. And it so happens, that people know how to fight a battle, but to the early service they do not how to come. But good, let them go to the later one. But it happens that they feel some languor in the legs, and think how can they stand through the service. Therefore, here there is much that is needed to do in the future. I think that now we will have an arising of new forms of organization of parish life. Now forms of church brotherhood is not universal. There will be and even already are, forms of a church-parish school, spiritual school in the parish, and even a gymnasium [high school] in the parish. It will all be advancing forward. Indeed, it is now needed for it all to be supported by a good standard. Therefore, it is needed to have workers here all the time. But it relates more to the churches and the city parishes. Here in the village parish, where especially the elderly people go, it happens that the activism of parishioners leaves them just in time to repair the church or to do something else. For the village parishioners there can be some kinds of regular discussion, if not serious catechism preparation, if only such a thing as reading the lives of the Saints, instruction in church history, and if only to some of the first Orthodox dogma, because I see very often how old people sing in the choir but consider that the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God are different from each other, meaning that they are different Mothers of God. That is ignorantly reaching out to those who are to an extent depressed.