When a priest living in Russia's remote Krasnoyarsk region sought help to fix his car, he inadvertently caused a firestorm on the Internet that highlighted the plight of priests in poor and remote areas.
At the end of August 2022, Mikhail Goncharev, a priest and rector of St. Nicholas Church in the village of Antsiferovo in the Siberian Krasnoyarsk region, wrote a letter from his hospital bed. He said that he had to wait five months to get to the hospital in Yeniseysk because he lives in a remote area from which it is difficult to travel from. He was concerned about people who couldn't travel to the city to obtain medical care and other necessities.
The priest asked for help purchasing spare parts for an all-terrain vehicle, which he planned to assemble on his own. He also attached photographs of St. Nicholas Church, a dilapidated and seemingly inactive house of worship that he had spent 12 years trying to put in order with his own hands.
The letter was published on social media and within three days it had raised 1.5 million rubles (nearly $19,500). The money was enough to buy a used Lesnik-M all-terrain vehicle. A few days later, the priest was called a swindler and publicly scolded for "taking dirty linen out of the hut," resulting in some of the villagers in Antsiferovo refusing to acknowledge him.
Father Mikhail
Traveling To Antsiferovo
Meeting with Father Mikhail requires spending the entire day traveling from Moscow to Antsiferovo. First, a long flight to Krasnoyarsk, then, seven hours by bus to the small town of Yeniseysk. After 30 kilometers heading north, the road ends on the bank of the Yenisei River. From there, you need a special all-terrain vehicle or a boat (if the river is not frozen) to travel further.
Traveling to Antsiferovo along the bank of the Yenisei River.
We agreed to have Father Mikhail pick us up in his all-terrain vehicle, called the "beast-machine," outside of Yeniseysk. The vehicle has already helped many residents since its purchase a month ago.
We learn of his arrival from the harsh sounds it makes as it approaches. The 49-year-old priest jumps out of the cab wearing thick boots and a torn sweater and says a quick hello before diving under the frame. Having exhausted himself in his repairs, Father Mikhail crawls out from under the vehicle, brushing off his dirty hands, and said skeptically, "Perhaps it won’t creak now, let's go."
The vehicle is not designed to carry passengers. You can only sit upright in the driver's seat. On the back step, there is barely enough room to sit. We hold on with all of our might to the railings as the vehicle travels along the loose shore, now and then diving into the water as the priest tries to reassure us that while the road seems scary, there is nothing to be afraid of.
The priest begins to open up about his life, especially how he gets around. "Five years ago, when a milk truck came to us in the village, it also picked up the children to take them to school," he shouted over the noise of the vehicle. "I myself have often traveled to Yeniseysk on horseback with a can of milk when my car was not running."
"At first I had a Volga," he said. "The car is reliable, strong, but it had to be rebuilt because of these roads. The villagers would say, 'We can't drive in an all-terrain vehicle but he drives around in the Volga!'"
Father Mikhail tries to catch a signal with his mobile phone as he stands on the roof of his "beast-machine."
We arrive in Antsiferovo 2 1/2 hours later in complete darkness. The only light on the streets is from the interiors of people's homes. The village is small -- about 200 residents. There are two shops, a small school for 12 students, a kindergarten for three children, and a collective farm from the Soviet era. There is no hospital. For critical situations, an ambulance helicopter is brought in. For other medical needs, people go to the paramedic station.
Father Mikhail lives next to the church -- a small garden separates it from the house. The white walls glow in the moonlight as a large wooden cross leans against the wall.
The wooden house has two rooms, a small kitchen, and an entrance hall with a stove. Father Mikhail apologizes for the mess. Kapitolina, his wife, fell ill and left for the city with their daughter for more than a month. She is in no hurry to return, the harsh village life is not to her liking.
Father Mikhail has been trying to restore the church in Antsiferovo for 12 years.
Father Mikhail eats food from the garden and what "God sends." His parishioners bring him sour cream, eggs, fish, and meat. Recently, a bream, a salt-water fish, was donated, which he bakes according to his favorite recipe with lots of salt. His cat Muska will also have fish for dinner.
The Meaning Of Life
Mikhail Goncharov hails from Krasnodar. Before becoming a priest, he studied at a technical school to become a mechanic. He then worked at a factory and went into construction. He did not earn much, but it was enough to live on.
"Most of the customers were wealthy people," he said. "But I saw that it was hard for them to live. There is money, but they are unhappy. They have to take care of this money, they have become enslaved to it. This does not bring joy and consolation. I didn't want to live like them.
"I liked that I could go to the mountains where we have beautiful nature, hiking, rock climbing -- I love it very much."
At that time, he contemplated the meaning of life, but was unable to find inner peace. One day after being brought to a service and introduced to a priest who told him about faith, he realized his true calling was in serving others. "Thanks to this priest, I found meaning -- in serving God."
Father Mikhail removes the baked fish, sour cream, and bread from the oven. He puts incense on the stove, and a sweet smell permeates the kitchen.
He recalls the chance encounter he had when a church was being built and he noticed that the walls were puttied incorrectly. He knew he could do better.
He went home, packed up his things, and returned with his tools. He originally thought to stay for two weeks but ended up staying for nine years. At first he was a postulant, then he became a novitiate. Later, after becoming disillusioned with the monastic life, he decided to leave.
"The life of a monk is not mine. I wanted to have a family, so that the kids would run around."
A view of the Yenisei River from Father Mikhail's home
While visiting a monk for advice, he met a young woman who was similar to his first love. "I realized that if I didn't marry her, I would regret it. And then Father Irenaeus told me that in the village of Antsiferovo the Church of St. Nicholas needed to be restored, nourished, and brought back to life."
No Income -- No Money
Goncharov was given the derelict house next-door to the church in Antsiferovo. The church, built 240 years ago, was in a terrible state. After it was abandoned, locals dug up the foundation looking for gold. Nothing was found, but the damage was enormous. There was no floor, no windows, and the roof was full of holes. "There were boards instead of the ceiling. I took them off and laid them on the floor. The roof has been patched. Then the workers left and I was left alone."
A local resident helps Father Mikhail prepare firewood for the winter near the church.
Father Irenaeus then told him to "Get married." Goncharov recalls calling Kapitolina and saying, "I don’t know what will happen but I want you to become my wife." He remembers how she fell silent and then said, "Well, I like you too." She moved in with him and he was later ordained, becoming a deacon, and then a priest.
It was assumed that Father Mikhail would have a parish, with the money from which it would be possible to slowly bring the church back into form. But people did not go to the dilapidated church. "People have lived for many years without services, why not keep living without it?" he explained. "Besides, the church is in such a neglected state. For the first steps into God's home, splendor is necessary. Aesthetics are important to people. Not devastation and cold."
Turning to the local administration, he was told that there was no money and that he should ask the regional administrators. Realizing that it may take years to restore the church, he began the reconstruction on his own.
Father Mikhail in the courtyard
After completing the refurbishment of the altar with his own hands, making his own window frames, and buying icons and lamps, the church gained new life. Two or three people would show up for the weekend service. He had hoped that there would be more people, but realized that his church still needed a lot more help.
For 12 years, the priest worked, but never managed to finish restoring his church. As he needed an income to feed his family, Goncharov was busy trying to make a living. "The village priest does not receive a salary from the diocese," he explained. "He receives money from the parish. No income, no money. Therefore, I was forced to look for all kinds of side jobs."
Father Mikhail enjoys the warmth of the sunlight near his church.
The Cab-Driving Priest
Goncharov moonlighted mainly by working with his hands. He cut out window sills and frames, chopped wood, and plowed the local grandmother's garden when called upon. Sometimes he was on duty in the barn. But his favorite work was driving.
The locals regularly asked him to take them to Yeniseysk: someone needed to go to the hospital or visit relatives, or they needed medicine. They would also ask him to bring food, building materials, and equipment.
"If it weren't for the car, I don't know how I would have lived," he said. "I remember when I went to the bank, all my pockets were filled with notes and money."
Though people helped him with the gas costs, he often declined payment, especially if a sick child needed to be taken to the hospital. "People live in poverty, some barely make ends meet. Not everyone has the opportunity to purchase transportation," he added.
When he became incapacitated with a sore shoulder that kept him from driving, he was left stranded like many of the villagers. After enduring five months of pain and then a toothache, he relented and was finally able to take a boat and later a car to travel to see a doctor, where he wrote of his plight.
Father Mikhail travels by boat to the neighboring village of Nazimovo, where he will serve the faithful.
Despite All The Hardships
"We lived happily," Father Mikhail said. "Nastya (his daughter) is small, so it was interesting and useful for her to grow up next to living creatures. I showed her how chickens hatch and she played with rabbits." He taught himself how to milk the cow.
Father Mikhail stands in his village church in Antsiferovo.
Do They Need A Church?
Father Mikhail's church is usually cold, dark, and empty. To get to the middle part, you need to walk over boards laid in the dips, like on a bridge. The priest lights the lamps. Appearing out of the darkness are the Royal Doors, which he carved himself, two large stoves, and icons that hang on the walls. Steam comes out of our mouths as we shift from foot to foot. It is difficult to imagine how one can endure the service in such cold.
"I rarely deliver services here now, only on big holidays," Father Mikhail said. "In winter, before the service, I warm the stoves for several hours. Such a large room is hard to heat. While I heat and clean, maybe no one comes, and all the work is in vain. The rest of the time I serve at home, near the stove. My door is open for everyone."
When asked if it bothers him that so few are attending church, he replies that he is not offended. "The purpose of the church is for people to think about God, to work within their internal state, and to be away from any manifestation of Satanism," he said. "For example, from drunkenness. This is a big problem here -- almost the main cause of death. I'm racking my brains on how to help people stop drinking."
He recalls the time a villager walked in and sat down quietly. After some time, the priest asked if he needed anything. The man responded, "No, I want to sit and think." He left and came back, where he would again sit in silence. Afterward, he went on a drinking binge. The priest remembers the terse phone call, "Sanya hanged himself," and the feeling of hopelessness afterward. "He needed help, and apparently, I did not find words for him."
Another time, the priest recalls stopping by the side of the road to help a drunk walking haphazardly along the shore. He picked him up, took him home, and sobered him up as they talked through the night. It turned out the man had received a conscription summons. "They are taking us to Ukraine, but I am not baptized," the man said before asking if the priest could baptize him.
"I baptized him and told him: 'If you feel that you need to do something bad, don't do it. If you feel good, do it.' I didn't see him again."
Father Mikhail reads the last rites in the village of Nazimovo.
The Place Where They Wait
There are villages around Antsiferovo in which there is no priest. Despite the long distances, Father Mikhail takes care of them, as there are always requests for baptisms and funeral services.
On Saturday, Father Mikhail gets up before dawn to do the household chores before preparing for the Sunday service in Nazimovo. He brews coffee and takes out warm work jackets and gloves while he gently folds the cassock and stole before placing everything in a large duffel bag.
Nazimovo is 110 kilometers away, and with no road, he must depend on an all-terrain vehicle or a boat. The village has a small church that was recently built with the help of local residents. There is a small parish, so the priest is paid for his services.
"I go there once a month, sometimes once every two weeks. I agreed to be taken by boat. It will be very cold. But God willing, we won't freeze."
After the three-hour boat ride amid the strong, cold winds, the priest is met by Natalia Kolmykova, a pleasant, talkative woman who works at the local weather station. She rejoices at the arrival of Father Mikhail and proudly exclaims how little Nazimovo won back the church.
According to Natalia, it was fate that the head of the administration, who has "rich friends from Moscow," came to Nazimovo to rest and, having learned of the villagers desire to have a church, helped to build it. "We walked around the village, collecting money to give to the builders. And then the whole village was cleaned, painted, and whitewashed. We really wanted a church, and by the grace of God, everything happened."
When the church was built, the question arose: where to get a priest? With the village having very little resources to pay a salary or even host him, they agreed that they would cover his expenses and "pay a little more" when Father Mikhail would visit.
Sunday liturgy in the village of Nazimovo
Today there are five parishioners: two young girls and the rest are older. Father Mikhail, transformed by his church attire, seems to be a different person. During the sermon, it is obvious that he is fatigued by the endless travel and almost sleepless nights.
Immediately after the service, a man enters the church. His relative has just died. People in the church whisper that the grandmother seemed to have deliberately waited for the arrival of the priest before she passed.
After the funeral, it is time to return to Antsiferovo. This time Father Mikhail sits behind the wheel of the boat, where he prays. He pauses and recalls where his motorboat died in the middle of the cursed Yenisei River and how one summer his neighbors Vika and Vasily drowned in nearly the same spot. Their three children were saved by a passing boat.
Father Mikhail pulls the boat ashore.
Progress
We get to Antsiferovo without incident. Approaching the church, we see two men who are wandering around. They are restorers who have come for the first time to evaluate the building. The money that the administration allocated for the church will be spent on its conservation. Father Mikhail is happy that there is some progress. "Now they will patch the roof, the foundation, so that time does not destroy the church further. How long have I been waiting for this!"
Though the priest can go elsewhere with the promises of a bigger church, a steady income, and a better life, he feels that his life, despite its hardships, is in this village.
In the evening, having fed himself and Muska, the priest sits down by the stove and talks of his dream of having a warm and cozy church like the villagers in Nazimovo.
"I want there to be a small but strong and stable parish, to have a community so that after the service people can drink tea, have a meal, and discuss problems, such as how grandma needs help with her garden, how her roof needs to be fixed, where issues can be discussed and addressed. It's about helping each other, how such a wonderful ideal could exist in the village!" he exclaimed.
Father Mikhail helps launch a boat.
Who Needs It
Antsiferovo sits along the Yenisei, a wide river impressive in scope. The streets are clean. Houses are mostly small and simple. The letter "Z" is pasted on the windows, which are framed by white ruffled curtains. The symbol is used by Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine. The letter is also seen on tractor windows.
Here and there on the shore and on the streets there is broken-down equipment: rusty motorcycles, boats, trailers, cars. Near a large boat on the shore, two men are chatting. When asked if they go to church, one man answers, "We don't need it, as we are not believers!"
Another man, who works as a farmer, disagrees. "Father Mikhail is in his place here, he does a lot for the spiritual life of the village. Conducts services, brainwashes people. Pulls them out of the dark realm."
When asked about the low number of parishioners, the farmer replies that if this was a large city it would still be the same percentage of parishioners. "On Easter he always has four or five people from our village. For example, I go on holidays."
Another parishioner who moved from the city for the quiet village life is Svetlana, who said: "I myself rarely go to church. I can say that when it's cold, it's hard. You have to think about God, but then you are thinking about your frozen feet.... It seems that he [Father Mikhail] started working there first, and people helped him. And then some kind of negativity began. He asks for money for the church, then begins to work as a cab driver. And this is strange for a priest."
She added: "Not everyone speaks badly of him. People only began to pour mud on him on the Internet." When prodded as to why, she added, "Maybe jealousy. After all, none of us succeeded, but he succeeded. And no matter how they scolded him, he himself would not say a bad word about anyone."
Father Mikhail raises the cross thrown by the builders.
On our way back to Father Mikhail's, there is a problem: the restorers involved in surveying the church dropped a huge cross on the ground and left the gates to the garden open. Cows came in, broke the fence, and ate nearly all of the cabbage. Having driven away the cows, Father Mikhail goes to the administration to ask them to tell the builders about the problem. As he is discussing the problem, a paramedic who happened to be listening nearby pounces on him.
"You dishonor the whole village with your fence!" she screamed. "Whoever comes to visit us, they laugh at your house! How can a priest live in such a mess?" The priest silently turns around and goes to raise the cross and repair the damage.
Father Mikhail near the church in the village of Antsiferovo.
Where There Is A Temple, There Will Be Life
We are met by Father Aleksei, who agreed to take us toward Yeniseysk on our long journey home. We share our impressions of the trip with him and ask how it happened that a priest was invited to serve in a collapsed church.
"The service of a priest is like this," he explained. "The fact that people want a beautiful and warm church is an excuse. The church is poor, there is no income, no salary. The diocese must pay taxes to the state. Father Mikhail has no funds. People settle accounts with him with milk, with fish, how will he write this down in the financial report?"
The rest of the way, Father Aleksei is silent.
On the long road back, I am brought back to a conversation I had with Father Mikhail about the comments on the Internet calling him a swindler after he returned home to minister with his new, albeit, used vehicle.
"Christ could not please everyone, and they said nasty things about him. I have to live the way I live. I don't think these people are bad. This is their weakness. I myself have a lot of weaknesses."
He added: "I still see the meaning of life in serving God. If you serve him, he does not leave. And he works miracles, such as, for example, an all-terrain vehicle."
When asked if he is concerned about more people throwing aspersions against him once this article is published, he replied, "If something good follows this, if something stirs, I am ready for this."