In the bibliographical dictionary AA Khisamutdinova Rossiyskaya emigration in the Asia-Pacific region and South America "(Vladivostok: Izd Dal'nevost. Un-ta, 2000. - S. 84.) Presented a biographical note about the priest Rostislav Adol'fovich Ghana. From this information it follows that RA Hahn was born in 1911 in China, at the station Chzhalantun (CER). In 1928 he graduated from high school in Harbin, in 1933 - the Harbin Polytechnic Institute, and in 1936 was appointed rector of Holy Virgin communities in Australia. This is the author of the dictionary allowed a very significant inaccuracy, and that made me write this note.
I knew Fr. Rostislav - he was my spiritual father. It was a remarkable man, had a beneficial effect on many. I will bring some of the facts of his biography in part by his memories, and partly derived from the article about him in the anniversary issue of "Russian Harbin in Australia", published in Sydney in 1998 to 100 anniversary of Harbin.
Father RA Ghana, Adolf A., served as a captain in the 4th Battalion of the Amur Railway, and his mother, Serafim N. Kurochkin, was a teacher.
Primary and secondary education Rostislav Adolfovich received in Railway Commercial School in Harbin. In 1925, he continued his studies at the gymnasium HSML, and upon its completion in 1928 joined the Harbin Polytechnic Institute. Getting the title of engineer in 1933 coincided with the completion of education at Harbin theological courses.
February 9, 1936 Rostislav Adol'fovich married Sophia Konstantinovna Yumin. Five days after the wedding, he ordained a priest the deacon, and the next day he was ordained a priest, and immediately was assigned to the rector of Shanghai house church in the name of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica at the Commercial College. In this school he taught the Law of God and mathematics, while Russian students, who studied in foreign schools - the law of God.
However, the Shanghai climate was unfavorable to the health of. Rostislav, and he was transferred to the village Kakagashi (about Dalian) as rector of the temple in the name of Tabynskoy icon of Our Lady's Convent. In 1938, Fr. Rostislav appointed rector of the temple in honor of St. Seraphim of Sarov in the city of Tianjin. Here he continued his pastoral work - the law of God taught in Russian schools, he worked in Beijing, the Russian Orthodox mission Orthodox spiritual father of Chinese.
In Tianjin Fr. Rostislav no luck. He fell ill with asthma, which continued to suffer until the end of life. On the advice of doctors in 1943 he was transferred to the city of Hailar rector of Kazan Mother of God came to the place of the former rector, tortured to death by the Japanese Gendarmerie for pro-Soviet mood. Fr. Rostislav quickly gained a high reputation Hailar parish. He was perfectly honest man, very fair, leading an ascetic life. It featured his great erudition in many fields of knowledge and high culture. A very strict and demanding to parishioners, he at the same time managed to gain the respect and love, even among us - children.
While in Hailar were two of the temple. Rector of the temple was another priest, Fr. Paul (his name I do not know). Deacon in the church, where he served Fr. Rostislav was Fr. Alexy Oshevensky. By the way, available to me an extract from a book my metric birth and baptism, made in 1945, signed by the Rector Archpriest Rostislav Gan and Deacon Alexei Oshevenskim.
In the village Hake, where I lived (this is the first station to the east at 30 miles from Hailar), the church was not. From time to us from Hailar to come Fr. Rostislav or. Paul, sometimes both, sometimes come with them and Fr. Alex. In the summer there were occasions when Fr. Rostislav and Fr. Alex took their families with them - Matushek and children. The priests came to the administration of services, which occurred in the township school. However, I served as acolyte. The visitors stayed at home, probably because my father was a chieftain township (village residents were Trans-Baikal Cossacks). This fact helped me get closer to Fr. Rostislav. And when I'm 11 years left to study in Hailar, Grade 5, as Hake was only primary school, it is already served by Fr. Rostislav in Hailar temple. Thus, the spiritual leadership of Fr. Rostislav stuck.
At the end of 1946. Rostislav returned to Harbin and was appointed rector of the Savior Transfiguration church in the town of Hull, as well as decent women's monastery. He took an active part in the work of the Diocesan printing.
I arrived in Harbin in 1947 and, despite the fact that he lived near the Kazan Mother of God Monastery, the Rector of which was Bishop Juvenal, continued to attend tFr. Rostislav church corps town - went to his devotions. And not only that attracted me to communicate with him. It was a time of active and intense ideological break-up of society, when, together with the Soviet army and the government in 1945 to us in China came and Marxist-Leninist philosophy of materialism and atheism. I was at the age of moral formation - high school and elementary courses Polytechnic Institute. Communicate with Fr. Rostislav largely determined that I remained a believer, though a lot of my contemporaries under the influence of official ideology away from faith in God.
My last meeting with Fr. Rostislav occurred just before his departure to Australia. Check out for me was unexpected, and that's why.
Being in Hailar Fr. Rostislav quickly mastered the new parish, gaining credibility, and led the same pro-Soviet line, like its predecessor. And his loyalty to the Soviet Union was so obvious that the torture chambers of the Japanese gendarmerie was saved in time the war came to the rescue and the arrival of the Soviet army. Much later I began to understand the causes of the metamorphosis, which occurred at Fr. Rostislav in his views on the Soviet regime with direct close contact with her. But then, in the euphoria of success and greatness of the motherland, we - young people - many could not evaluate adequately. Seeing this, and not to tempt my mind Fr. Rostislav told me about his departure at the last minute. And on my exclamation: "And what about the Motherland, of the ministry of which you are Fr. Rostislav, cared so much and tried to instill in us a sense of loyalty to her! "He said to me:" Serve the Motherland, bring her favor can be and living far away from her. I think that with time you will understand me. "
Fr. Rostislav with my mother and three sons received January 25, 1953 permission to enter Australia and return on April 12 in Sydney. Fr. Rostislav was immediately appointed rector of Holy Virgin Protection community, and then came in Cabramatta, one of southern Sydney, where he served until his death.
If it belongs to a community site established an army barracks, presented a godly woman, which was arranged a temporary temple of God, and started raising funds to build a large stone church. Architect Maklashevsky drafted, and the construction of a new church began in 1957 In 1973 the church was fully ready. Great dedication of the temple occurred in 1992, 17 years after the death of Fr. Rostislav.
As rector of Protection community than simply making regular worship and performance requires Fr. Rostislav had to visit the Russian patients in urban hospitals, Orthodox prisoners in prison, to teach the Law of God, the Orthodox students in Australian schools, to serve house for Russian elderly and sick in a Russian hospital, making it a brief worship on Saturdays.
On his initiative was organized by children's choir, on Sundays arranged interviews with young people on spiritual and philosophical themes. He was also one of the prime movers in organizing the Committee on the Russian statement from China, giving his personal guarantee. In the parochial school he founded, he was the first director. In the journal "Orthodox Russia" published its article on the liturgy entitled "Liturgical help.
The last letter from Fr. Rostislav I received in the spring of 1954, and in summer I went to Russia, and since then I have nothing for a long time Fr. Rostislav not know. Perfect! In our family there were two things, the memory of him: a rosary, a gift my mother that I put her in a coffin, and the book, which still have me as a memory of a remarkable people and meet in my life. This 550-page volume in an old leather-bound: "Full Christian mesyatseslov", published by the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in 1875, with an inscription Fr. Rostislav.
Rostislav O. for his church work has received awards: club, archpriest and a cross with decorations. He enjoyed great respect and love not only among the Russian colony, but also in other Slavic colonies, as well as among the Australians. To him came the people from their misery and grief, and never left him without good advice or assistance. It could lead to a sick or dying at any time of day or night.
Fr. Rostislav was a model of an ideal pastor - a modest, ascetic, always strict with himself, but always attentive and caring to the needs of his flock.
Caring about others, he paid little attention to their health. Every year his asthma attacks are growing more frequent and more acute. What was needed was a complicated cardiac surgery, which Fr. Rostislav, in the end, agreed. But long-term asthma weakened body could not stand it, and the heart of Christ on the worker. Rostislav 8 December 1975 has stopped forever.
After about themselves. Rostislav left in the hearts of people who knew and loved him, a good memory.