A Champion of Good

Description

In Father I saw a person who lived for
God…. In all life’s situations, Fr Ilarion maintained a grace-imbued state of
spirit, the fruits of which were love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, and the other virtues that made it impossible to be
near him and not feel glad just to be alive.

Many lovers of literature are familiar, through Dostoyevsky’s works, with the
concept of the Russian “Staretz,” or spiritual elder. This biography
offers a vivid portrayal of an authentic Staretz of our own day, Father
Ilarion—a monk of the renowned Glinsk hermitage in modern-day Ukraine, who spent
much of his life as a parish priest in a village in the Novgorod region of
Russia. His life offers a vision of a simple Christian life in the contemporary
world that will captivate the reader and awaken or rekindle a desire to live a
life centered on the love of God and neighbour rather than on the pursuit of
material wealth.

It also presents unique insights into the Orthodox Church in Russia under
communism and in the immediate post-communist period, demonstrating how the
Faith was kept alive after the closure of so many churches and monasteries and
the exile or execution of clergy and believers. The account of the life of the
Glinsk hermitage is particularly detailed. With many first hand contributions
from Father Ilarion’s spiritual children, this history also provides a glimpse
into contemporary Russian culture and religious perspectives.

The book includes an eight page glossy photo insert.