In February 2022, the head of the UOC-KP “Patriarch” Filaret Denisenko celebrated the 60th anniversary of his episcopal consecration in the Russian Orthodox Church. During the celebration at the Volodymyr Cathedral in Kyiv, he spoke about how he began his ministry in the Russian Church.

“When I became a novice of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, I was placed to live in the attic, where it was full of fleas, and these fleas gnawed at me. I endured, and the governor watched. And when I meekly endured these fleas, after a short time he placed me in the patriarch’s quarters. I saw that the Lord, for obedience, for resignation, also rewards me with a great reward: first I lived among fleas, and then in the patriarch’s chambers. See what a difference. So in my life I never asked for anything. And you see, for more than 50 years, almost 60 years I have been serving in the most famous city – Kyiv. Where did Christianity come from, not only in Rus, but also in other countries and the Aleutian Islands, it also reached the Solovets Islands. This is how Christianity spread, and this is how I served.

Therefore, in life you need to rely on the will of God. Each person must rely on the will of God, because what we endure in life is not without the will of God. Be patient and the Lord will reward you. And reward in a way you don’t expect. And I can be an example for you – I started with fleas, and became the primate of the Kyiv Metropolis, ”said the ex-metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church.