Abesess Evpraksia (Pustovalova) passed away on this day in 2006. The text below has been reproduced with minor revisions from Russian Inok, which is a translation of the Russian article “Igumenia Evpraksia (Pustovalova)” by Nun Maria (Miros) and Tatiana Veselkina Blagovest. Earlier this month I wrote about Optina connections in America (the Kotsevichs and Archbishop Andrei of Novo-Diveevo). Here is the another one from Novo-Shamordino Convent in Australia. With the death, on Wednesday, July 19th, 2006, of the Most Rev. Abbess Evpraksia (Pustovalova), another page was turned in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Matushka Evpraksia was one of the few remaining links to Imperial Russia, the Russian Emigration in Manchuria, and Metropolitan Philaret (whose relics are incorrupt). Lydia Pustovalova, as Matushka was christened, was born at 1 a.m. on April 8, 1919, in the township of Vyatka in Russia to a truly righteous couple, Valentina and Nikola (Nicholas), a couple that not only never had an argument but also had never raised their voice in dissent! Upset by her belated arrival, Matushka Evpraksia always considered her birthday to be on the Feast of the Annunciation – her favorite Prazdnik. However, everything in our lives has deep meaning. Matushka's date of birth has deep meaning too: the Afterfeast of the Annunciation and the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel. So Matushka, from early childhood, desired to lead the angelic life of a nun. When Matushka was only a few months old, she moved with her parents to the town of Ekaterinburg in the Urals, where the family lived for the next four years. She remembered well the boarded-up, ill-fated building in which the Royal Family were brutally murdered, which was not far from their own home. Matushka Evpraksia’s first conscious memory related to this period, when at the tiny age of two or three years old, she would be placed in a barrel while her parents worked in the fields during the day. She humbly bore this “imprisonment” and would spend hours watching in fascination the ever-changing sky, acquiring from such an early age the desire to ignore the earthly and raise her heart and mind solely to the spiritual realm. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. While in Ekaterinburg, Matushka became seriously ill with scarlet fever and diphtheria. Antibiotics did not exist. Her father was away in the war. Her mother, Valentina, who had already lost 2 children, Ludmila, aged three years, and Alexander, at twelve months, now faced another trial. Lydia, in her delirium, would repeatedly cry out, “For whom is this coffin – I don’t want to die?” As the crisis waned, this cry would change to an equally painful one: “I’m scared that I’ve been deprived of my grave!” By God’s mercy, Lydia survived. She grew up on black bread and water sweetened with sugarine as there was nothing else to eat at home. Matushka’s mother later repented that she was very close to despair then. When the family was reunited, they were able to migrate to Manchuria. Valentina’s cousins already resided there. The Pustovalovs lived at various railway settlements, where Nikola worked as a civil engineer. Later, they moved to Harbin. After completing high school, Lydia entered the university, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in commerce and economics. During her studies, she suffered another illness – tuberculosis. At this stage of her life, Lydia first met Archimandrite (later Metropolitan) Philaret (Voznesensky), a figure that left the deepest and greatest impact on Matushka’s life. She would even ask of him that he completely and wholly accept her under his strictest spiritual guidance. But she received a wise answer that this was not only impossible (as they did not live under the same roof), but also unhelpful. However, the spiritual connection that developed between them remained until the end of Vladyka's life. Despite the pressures of his position, Metropolian Philaret always corresponded with Lydia. Not long before the death of Matushka's father (Nikola lay on his deathbed suffering from cancer of the liver), Archimandrite Philaret, while visiting this humble family, draped his black winter coat over Lydia’s shoulders and led her to her dying father with the words: “Nikolai Nikolaevich, accept the Abbess!” This was prophesied some 20 years ahead of time. There were many times when Divine intervention preserved Matushka’s life and health. As a small child, she suffered no ill-effects when a heavy rail carriage window slammed down on her delicate fingers. Later, working as a secretary in an office, she was approached by the cleaner for the keys to the boss’s room. As she stood up and moved to the side, a bullet sped past, hitting outright another secretary typing directly behind Lydia! In 1962, Matushka and her mother left Manchuria for Australia. They settled in Sydney, and here she would have to work, painting designs on porcelain crockery and vases or folding towels to repay the cost of her ticket to Australia fare. This did not deter her from her desire to lead a monastic way of life. Metropolitan Philaret considered transferring her to Lesna; later, he thought of setting up a new monastic community in America but finally gave his blessing for Lydia to enter the All-Saints Convent at Kentlyn, NSW, Australia. Her elderly mother blessed her wholeheartedly, saying that even the best, happiest marriage could never raise a person to the spiritual heights that monastic life and pure virginity would. On December 22, 1969, on the feast of the icon of the Holy Theotokos of “Unexpected Joy”, Matushka, accompanied by her mother, who said that “wherever the needle goeth, so does the thread!” permanently settled in the Convent. Here, Matushka carried out many obediences: she sang in choir, cleaned and decorated the Church, collected the mail, did errands in town, renovated icons in disrepair, and looked after her mother, who shared the same cell. After three years and a brief 10-day illness, Lydia’s mother and Staritsa (as Fr. Michael Klebansky so called her) quietly passed away at the age of 81 years. Matushka was distraught and was even briefly hospitalized to recover from the shock of bereavement. In 1979, Sister Lydia, after being a novice for ten years, developed cancer. After an operation and brief period of convalescence she was tonsured on the 24th of December 1979 into the Small Schema by Metropolitan Philaret, who was in Australia for a youth conference. This coincided with the Namesday of Matushka’s grandfather, Daniel. Metropolitan Philaret chose the new name for Matushka, Evpraksia, because he so loved the life of St. Evpraksia. Matushka remained a nun for five years. A sister at the convent, in broad daylight, once saw a shining gold cross over Matushka. At the same time, Archimandrite Arseny (Kondratenko; a spiritual father of Lesna Convent), when he visited, always considered her to be the Abbess of the Convent. Abbess Elena (Ustinova), not long before her death on Good Friday 1984, also told Mother Evpraksia that she wanted her to be the next Abbess. On the feast of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women, May 12th, 1984, Matushka Evpraksia was chosen and elevated to the rank of Abbess. During her 22 years as Abbess of the Convent, Matushka completed building the new Nun’s quarters and church in honor of the Kazan Icon. The new iconostasis was completed, and Metropolitan Vitaly fully consecrated the church. The entrance to the convent was decorated by a beautiful archway. A new belfry was added. Only she did not see the hall come to fruition. During this time, Matushka faced many trials and tribulations. She was the youngest by the age of the sisterhood, and not all were prepared to submit to her leadership, often judging her actions, and once even submitting her to a “court inquiry.” However, Matushka embodied patience, humility, and love; with these virtues, she conquered all the trials. With her God-fearing and forever God-seeking heart, she would start every day at 4 a.m. with fervent, tearful prayer and supplication for all the world, the Church, the Sisterhood, her benefactors, many people asking her to intercede in their illness (and all received cure), and those in dissent with her or those that she felt that she had in some way offended. In her meekness Matushka could not offend or discipline others and would always hasten first to ask forgiveness. Her favorite phrase was from the 50th psalm: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” Another was from the fourth antiphon on a Sunday matins: “By the Holy Spirit is every soul given life, and in purity it is exalted, the Triune Unity in mystic holiness illuminates it.” But the phrase that Matushka repeated the most, almost daily, was: “What will be will be; What God has determined will be” and with a beautiful, serene smile she would add the words of Metropolitan Philaret: “What God has predetermined is ALL good.” The rest of the day Matushka preferred to devote to spiritual reading, mainly of the Holy Fathers and St. John of Kronstadt, who brought peace to her wearied heart, in the isolation of her cell. Having attained the gift of plentiful tears, Matushka also was given the rare gift of unceasing prayer – Mother Maria, her cell attendant many a time witnessed that Matushka, in her sleep, continued to pray, supplicate, and recite psalms. Matushka Evpraksia’s health was never very good all her life. Towards the end she became more and more feeble, spending most of the time in her cell in prayer and rest. A week before her death Matushka developed a cardiac arrhythmia, which necessitated a three-day sojourn to the hospital. On discharge, she seemed to pick up, but while in the car, returning from a cardiology review on July 18th, she suffered a massive stroke that paralyzed the left side of her body and face. Close friends came in multitudes to visit the ailing Abbess, to ask her forgiveness and receive her final blessing. She individually blessed all the sisters from her hospital bed. Fr. Boris Ignatievsky was able to give her Holy Communion almost immediately in the hospial ward and also the next day, the day of her death. Late in the evening, Fr. Vladimir performed the service of Holy Unction, in which Matushka participated fully and asked for his blessing at the end, although very exhausted. On Wednesday, July 19th, Matushka suffered two more strokes, and it became clear that the end was approaching. She remained conscious, tightly grasping the hand of Mother Maria, her cell-attendant, until just one hour before her repose. Her breathing then became labored for that hour, after which time she started to fatigue. Mother Maria noticed this. She blessed Matushka with the wooden Cross that hung around her neck, brought it to her lips, then folded her right hand, made the sign of the Cross on her forehead, chest, and shoulders, and Matushka quietly reposed. Matushka’s body was brought to the Convent, draped in monastic attire, for the vigil to the Kazan icon of the Holy Theotokos, the Convent’s second feastday. All night, the Sisters read the Psalter in two-hour shifts, continuing during the break between Divine Liturgy and the commencement of the burial service at 1 p.m. Archbishop Hilarion presided with nine other priests and one deacon taking part in the very moving service. It conveyed the triumph over the death of this tiny, seemingly insignificant person who was now entering her eternal Pascha. The Cross carried at the head of the procession to the Convent’s gates seemed weightless and triumphant in its victory and many people expressed that they did not feel sorrowful but rather paschal joy! Abbess Evpraksia knew that she would die soon. She had mentioned to a parishioner that she would not live to the next feast day (the Kazan Icon was approaching next) and had placed a new, beautiful white with gold trim ribbon in the New Testament to mark the chapter that would be her legacy and will to the Sisterhood and Church as a whole: “I Therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:1-6). |
