Marks 75 years since the repose of the holy confessor John Olenevskytranslated

August 5, 2026 · 1 min read

Hierarch John Olenevsky (Ivan Vasilyevich Kalinin, circa 1862, Olenevka - July 24 (August 6), 1951, ibid.) was born to a peasant woman, Ksenia Ivanovna Kalinina. The father is unknown, he received his middle name on behalf of his godfather, probably his uncle Vasily Ivanovich. He studied at the zemstvo school in the village of Olenevka. He was engaged in shoemaking, knitting gloves and scarves. From childhood I was a strict faster and [...]

Source: Site: Пензенская епархия · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (5) 🌐 Show original

Цветанка Колева

It’s interesting that he made shoes and knitted gloves and scarves—exactly those things that are very necessary in Olenevka in winter. And since childhood I have been a strict faster, this surprised me, in such a simple peasant family. I remember my grandmother telling me that in our area such quiet workers often turned out to be the strongest in faith.

Alexandru Barbu

Interesting what Tsvetanka also says, that he was also a shoemaker and knitted gloves and scarves - exactly what they needed in the winter in Oleniovka. It stuck in my head that as a child he was a strict faster, in a simple peasant family. I suspect that this is how he got used to the order from a young age, before he became a priest.

Теодора Петрова

Yes, exactly, in Olenevka without warm gloves and scarves, the winter is cruel, I remember how my grandfather kept telling that such hand-knitted things last for years. Interestingly, my grandmother from the neighboring village used to say almost the same thing - the quietest villagers who work with their hands often keep their faith the strongest. Where are you from, Tsvetanka, is your grandmother from there?

Florin Matei

Yeah, I'm stuck with this job thing from childhood too. In a family of simple peasants, without a known father, Ksenia's mother probably taught him the order since he was 5-6 years old, so that he would not eat sweets when he was not around. I wonder if anyone in Oleniovka still remembers an object he made, a pair of gloves or a pair of boots, that has survived to this day.

Petru Ciobanu

Yes, I was also caught by the story of the post from childhood. In that simple family of peasants, with no known father, Ksenia's mother probably made him fast as a child, as my grandmother did in the village near Constanța. I wonder if there is anything left of his handiwork in Oleniovka, a pair of gloves or some boots.