Русский | English Translation by Katherine Ilachinski (Aug 2009)

Priestly services in Harbin

Archbishop Methodius of Harbin and Manchurian has hospitably accepted priests-refugees and has placed all in his diocese. Special honor has received a young archpriest L. Victorov : in 1923 he has been appointed to the post of preacher of Grado-Harbinsk Cathedral [16]. It was not easy to get this honor, in fact there were then in Harbin already many venerable Russian preachers with the academic education and high church authority. It is enough to name only from among academiatians the former prior of the Ekaterinburg Cathedral archpriest Father John Storozhev, the former prior of the Blagoveshchensk Cathedral archpriest Father Nicolay Voznesensky (subsequently archbishop Dimitry of Hailar), and also archpriests Father Peter Rozhdestvensky and Father Aristarch Ponomarev. To be noticed and to stand out in so impressive background has helped the outstanding gift for speaking multiplied by brilliant education.

In 1925-1927 Father Leonid temporarily has left Harbin. His friend and the former colleague in the Perm Cathedral Father Nikolay Berezin has died, and Father Leonid has responded to the invitation of parishioners to replace him in the rank of the rector of the Aleksandr-Nevsky church in city of Hankou.

Having returned to Harbin in 1927, Father Leonid has served short time in Alexis Church on the Green Market and has been soon moved to the Saint-Nicolas Cathedral, with a postkljuchar (carrying keys). In the middle of the thirtieth years, after death of Father Leontiy Pekarsky, archpriest Leonid Viktorov becomes the rector of the Cathedral and a member of Eparchial Council.

Alongside with execution of labour-consuming duties of the cathedral rector, Father Leonid has excitedly engaged in teaching Gods Law in educational institutions of Harbin,and also in many other forms of church-educational activities. He annually participated in Great Lent religious-moral readings at the Blagoveshchensk church of the Metochion of the Beijing Spiritual Mission, he headed censorship of church editions, he was a member of the eparchial commission of teachers of God's Law.

From the moment of opening in Harbin of the Religious-priestly courses based on the program of 5 and 6 classes of Theological seminaries (of 1927), Father Leonid conducts there active lecturing work.

In 1934 in St.Vladimir's Institute of Harbin has opened the Theological faculty with a four-year cycle of training. Since the first days of existence of faculty and to his closing Father L. Viktorov was associate professor there, conducting the course of sacred history of the Old Testament [17.]

However, Father Leonid considered his main care to teach Divine Law, including in educational institutions of HSML (the Christian Union of Young People). Here his colleagues at various times were Father P.Rozhdestvensky, Father S. Novosiltsev, and others, but Father Leonid always remained the main figure.

The teaching activity of Father Leonid, as well as others religious teachers of Harbin, was not reduced to teaching the Divine Law. Before the beginning of teaching prayers were conducted, during the Great Lent pupils of HSML fasted, went to confessions and communion in the Cathedral, on holidays there were services of thanksgiving, during the solemn graduation the graduates were handed copies of Gospel. In other words - all happened exactly the same as in conditions of pre-revolutionary life in Russia.

[16] Consecration of Nikandr, Bishop of Qiqihar. // Heavenly Bread . Harbin, 1946. - № 9, 10. - page 49.
[17] Kalugin N.P. High theological school. // Politehnik. Sydney. 1977. № 10.