Sampson Sievers - Priestly Service in Ruzayevka, Makarovka and Spasskoye (Republic of Mordovia)

Priestly Service in Ruzayevka, Makarovka and Spasskoye (Republic of Mordovia)

In 1948 heavily sick elder moved to Borisoglebsk in Voronezh region (south Russia). Penza archbishop Cyril appointed him the parish priest in the temporary temple in the town of Ruzayevka in Mordovia. The next parish was Makarovka lying next to Mordovian capital Saransk. There in Makarovka hieromonk Symeon through a miracle got passport. All these 5 years after the camps he was under the threat of new arrest since because of the flight from prison camp he did not have documents.

His spiritual daughter recounts about her first meeting with elder Sampson: "I delivered an altar-note for health and stepped back to the back doors of the church. Suddenly, batiushka (Russian for "father") came out of the altar, looked over the people and stopped at me. He called me and asked if note is mine. Having got the confirmation he told not to write this name but to give offerings to the destitute for him since he (this individual) swears much and abuses alcohol a lot. The spiritual sight of the father made me tremble. From this moment on all our family stayed inseparably next to him."

The last place of service of the elder in the Republic of Mordovia was the village of Spasskoye (meaning literally "Saviour's"). The news about the wonder working elder spread at lightning speed around the neighbouring villages. The sick from all over Mordovia were coming to him. Even the physicians of psychiatric hospitals sent their patients to Spasskoye. There were also false accusations, persecutions.

He was sent to serve in parishes in Poltava Women's Monastery in Poltava, Ukraine and during 1956-1958 as second priest at the Kazan Cathedral of Volgograd (ex Stalingrad). His sermons and special care of the parishioners caused envy of the cathedral clerics and on the request of the chief of the cathedral vladyka Sergius sent hieromonk Symeon to Pskov Pechersk Monastery on the Estonian border, where he was in 1958-1963, as usual attracting the youth and causing dissatisfaction of party and Soviet organs. In order to preserve the monastery, the monastery chiefs decide "to sacrifice" father Symeon and sent him out of the monastery. Then hieromonk appealed to the patriarch Alexy I (Simanskiy) who offered him to leave the staff of the monastery. In 1963 - 1979 father Symeon lived in Moscow.

September 16, 1966 elder Symeon received holy Great Schema with the name Sampson after the most blessed Saint Sampson the Hospitable. After his tonsure it was reported that such a grace was issuing from the elder that many people who did not have a clean conscience could not look at him.

August 24, 1979 elder's health rapidly worsened due to a heavy disease. Luckily, on that day there was a priest among the visitors, he started reading akafist to God's Mother and after the akafist gave communion to the dying. After that, the priest began reading the canon for departure of the soul and at the 8th song of the canon the elder sighed out three times and empeaced...So ended much suffering earthly life of elder Sampson. He was not a severe monk hermit, neither a tough exposer of human vices, he was a loving healer of grieving souls.

The memorial service was served at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Kuznetsy and he was buried at Nikolo-Archangelski cemetery in Moscow.

Empeace Lord, the soul of elder Sampson, in peace with the saints and save our souls with his prayers!