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"Sanctions? We've had this experience before! It is because of these sanctions that we've got more wheat now than they have in America!" says priest Joseph Gleason. "The imposed sanctions will only make us stronger. Russia has huge land, a lot of people, and resources. West cannot stop it."
Father Joseph is opening the door of the stable. Elie the cow is mooing with displeasure, the chickens are behind the partition, and two goats are running out of their pen into the yard followed by Kimberly and Julia, the priest's elder daughters. Kenneth, aged five, is just observing for now.
"I used to have a lot of goats and chickens, a big garden, two acres of land in America," says Father. "The house was 650 square feet, that is, 200 square meters. Here it is somewhat smaller. I like living the so-called slow life on an acre of land, driving a tractor, and working in the garden.”
The priest's house is in the village of Ivashevo near Borisoglebsk (a 10-minute drive from Rostov Veliky). It is a large peasant log hut with carved architraves and a garage with two cars and a Belarus tractor. A tractor operator from the nearby Borisoglebsk Monastery is teaching the priest to use it (unfortunately, he did not manage to get the tractor started while we were there). There is one acre of land. However, another plot of 2.5 acres near the house will soon be developed. There will be peas, cabbage, turnips, beets, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower planted.
Father Joseph Gleason, an Orthodox priest from the United States, was about 40 when he, his wife, and eight children left their homeland. Having grown up in a dedicated Protestant family, he converted from Anglicanism to Orthodoxy. He did it together with the entire congregation where he had served as a pastor. It was getting harder and unsafe for him to stay in America. One of the reasons to move out of the US was related to foreign policy, said the priest. "The U.S. has put hundreds of military bases around the world, and have supported numerous unjust wars. And whenever they bring war to Orthodox lands, it seems that they are always attacking Christians, rather than protecting them." Then, the homosexuality was made equal to traditional marriage. A gender can be reassigned, and job application forms request candidates to indicate what gender they feel to be. It was becoming harder to live and raise a large Christian family. It was the last straw for Father Gleason, when all 50 states recognized same-sex marriages as legal in 2015.
The Gleassons left behind everything they were used to, including their home, land, mother tongue, and well-arranged living, and made their way to a country that is hardly regarded with a good word in their homeland. They decided to live in a village near Rostov Veliky. This small town with one-story buildings is included in the Golden Ring of Russia. Back in Illinois, the American also used to live in his own house with the plot of land. However, the local environment is different from America where it is hard to find buildings that are even a century and a half old.
“We saw a quiet town with many ancient churches and monasteries. This is where the faith dwells, the faith that is not different from the one that was here a thousand years ago," recalls Father Joseph while sitting on the couch under an old painting inspired by the Gospels. "Here you can touch this beauty, this holiness with your hands, experience its... power... No, I'm sorry, I can't find the English words to say it all!"
So far the priest has had difficulties with Russian, and this monologue, as well as a few others, are translated for me by the young Kimberly who speaks Russian with little or no accent.
The Gleasons' children are all home-schooled. This is one of the key reasons why the family moved to Russia. All of the family members have a talent for music. They inherited it from Father Joseph's dad who had toured across America as a member of the Blackwood Brothers, a popular gospel band that sang Christian songs in Protestant churches. The priest himself plays the piano and guitar with Russian prowess.
Photo: Father Joseph Gleason
Toward the Russian Faith
Liturgy is celebrated in the Epiphany Church in the village of Krasnovo, a few kilometers from the Gleasons' home. Father Joseph is at the sacrarium. The girls who have mastered the Znamenny chant are at the choir gallery. Mother Amy and the younger Kenneth are in the back, next to the wall. Father's voice is deep. He holds the communion cup firmly and confidently, just as he blesses the temple. He is a living image of an authentic classic Russian priest.
He serves in two languages. He has notebooks with side-by-side translations and preaches with an interpreter, Kimberly. This makes the service last longer than it normally does. Then, there comes the time for a confession. Father Joseph hears locals' confessions of minor sins. Parishioners who do not speak Russian well, such as Brazilians, Americans, and Greeks, come with serious confessions.
While he was still in America, Father started a social networking group known as "Moving to Russia". He shared information about Russia and published photos from his trips around the country. Having moved here, the priest started posting videos and translations describing his family's journey to our country. It has become apparent that there are many people interested in this topic. The group has expanded to 2,000 subscribers and continues to grow.
There is now a website, Russian Faith. Its content has been translated into French, Portuguese, German, Italian, and even Bahasa. Father Joseph has been receiving emails and messages on Telegram from all over the world. The geography of people looking for a country with traditional Christian values ranges from England to Indonesia. There are many quite specific questions, for instance, what documents are required to relocate to Russia. Father Joseph answers each of them thoroughly.
The events in Ukraine have not diminished the number of Orthodox Christians from around the globe who want to relocate to Russia.
One of Father Joseph's interpreters and regular "confessors" is a Brazilian parishioner, Geraldo, aka Ambrose. He and his wife wanted to have children and teach them at home following the Christian tradition. However, the Brazilian authorities have outlawed homeschooling. Furthermore, gay propaganda is promoted in public schools. They wrote to Father Joseph. After a while, he performed the marriage ceremony for them in one of the churches in Rostov.
Jason Campbell is an American who intends to open his own business in Pereslavl-Zalessky. He often takes communion in the Epiphany Church. Justin and Yvonne are Orthodox Americans who can hardly be distinguished from our compatriots, especially it is true for the black-bearded father of three children.
Within a few years, Father Joseph has helped several dozen people from various countries relocate to Russia. Currently, he is in touch with just as many contacts, including people with Japanese passports who want to set up a farm here.
According to him, the developments in Ukraine have not diminished the number of Orthodox Christians from around the globe who want to relocate to Russia. However, now it is more expensive. For example, if you want to fly from the U.S. to Russia, it is possible only via Turkey, the UAE, or Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, transferring money here has become more challenging, yet it is possible. That's what Daniel and his family from Denmark did three months ago. They moved into a guesthouse adjoining the Gleasons' house. Mira, a slender beautiful woman, is holding a nine-month-old son in her arms who might not have been born. According to the child services, the parents-to-be were too young. Furthermore, they were believers and had icons in the household... They tried to persuade Mira to have an abortion, and then even threatened that her child would be taken away. So the Master's Degree Student studying economics decided to move with his family to Russia. Now the young people are learning Russian. They have applied for citizenship and are going to build a house near Borisoglebsk with the money they earned in Denmark. They also plan to set up a farm. Daniel and Mira want to have more children and raise children as Russian citizens.
