Elder Sergei of Vanves: Life and Teachings

by Jean-Claude Larchet, Brotherhood of the Monastery of St. John (Translator)

Elder Sergei of Vanves was one of the most charismatic figures in 20th-century Western Europe, yet until now, little if anything has been written about him in English. He was a man in whom the holy traditions of Old Valaam meet the contemporary, post-Christian West. He was a spiritual father to several great luminaries of 20th-century Orthodoxy, including Vladimir Lossky, Nicholas Berdyaev, and iconographer Monk Gregory (Krug). Born in 1903 in the Netherlands, Elder Sergei spent the majority of his life in France, yet he was very much immersed in the radiant spirituality of the Orthodox East. He had been the spiritual child of Igumen Chariton, who was the last abbot of Valaam (before it was closed by the Communists) and the compiler of the classic work, "The Art of Prayer." Elder Sergei was also in direct correspondence with Saint Silouan the Athonite and took to heart the Saint's last words to "Go and tell the people as much as you Repent!" Elder Sergei spent his life in a post-Christian country where strugglers for Orthodoxy were few, and indifference to religion was great. His counsels to his spiritual children who lived in our secular Western society are of great benefit to us today, as he bears living witness to the traditions of the Fathers in our own context. He reminds us that God is not an optional part of our lives; if we want to live, we can no more stop praying than we can stop breathing. He teaches us that though our modern world offers us many conveniences and comforts, though modern psychology can do much to alleviate our psychoses, there is no reason for our existence apart from God, there is no reason to heal our psychological wounds if there is no God, there is no reason to live life if there is no eternity.

Genres: Nonfiction

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Jean-Claude Larchet, né le 9 août 1949 à Badonviller (Meurthe-et-Moselle), est un patrologue et théologien orthodoxe français.

Auteur de nombreux ouvrages publiés aux éditions du Cerf et traduits dans dix-neuf langues, il est notamment spécialiste de Maxime le Confesseur.

Reviews

[Veronica Hodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transformative

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure, at once deep and practical.

Elder Sergei (Shevich) was a Russian-emigre priest-monk who spend most of his life in France. Though in the spiritual lineage of the Optina Elders, he never lived in a monastery, but devoted himself to serving a parish. Jean-Claude Larchet has blessed us with this beautiful book about his life and counsels.

The book breaks down into three parts. Part One gives us the Elder's life, which is interesting partly because it reads like a Who's Who of the Russian Orthodox emigration in France during its 'golden age'. I learned that the great iconographer Fr. Gregory Kroug was a spiritual child of Elder Sergei, who helped him through more than one bout of severe mental illness. The Elder's concern and healing intercession for those with psychiatric problems seems to have been a keynote of his pastoral ministry.

Part Two, the real core of the book, organizes and summarizes the Elder's teaching. I found this section tremendously helpful and challenging. Elder Sergei rigorously avoided theological speculation and encouraged his followers to do the same, feeling that it often serves in our time as a substitute for prayer and authentic spirituality. Perhaps because he lived in the 'world' and dealt with Orthodox Christians living in the world, his teaching, while very demanding, is always concrete, specific and simply presented.

Part Three, entitled 'Words of Salvation', is a collection of quotes from the Elder, collected over many years by those who went to him for counsel or confession. I'm afraid this section was a problem for me: it's very repetitive, and most of its content, along with many direct quotes, is already contained in Part Two. I felt that could have benefited from much more editing and organization.

This is a spiritual gem, one that I'll be reading again and , I hope, applying.