New day care near me: THE Top 10 Daycares in Austell, GA

Q: How do I apply for child care assistance? 

A:  There are 3 ways to apply for our Child Care Assistance Program:  

1. Visit one of our statewide local Child Care offices. Please see list of offices at Child Care Services Bureau (CCSB) Materials Library.

2.  Apply online at https://eligibility.ececd.state.nm.us). This website will allow you to complete an online application and enable you to upload required documents. Applying through this website will also allow you to track the status of your application.

3. Another option is to apply through email by submitting the application and all required documents to ChildCareAssistance@state. nm.us.  The application and list of required documents can be found in the Child Care Services Bureau (CCSB) Materials Library or you can contact us at our local offices to email/mail the documents to you.

Q: What documents do I need to provide with my application? 

A:   See list of required documents at Child Care Services Bureau (CCSB) Materials Library.

Q: Who can be counted in my household? 

A: Biological parents, step-parents, and legal guardians of the children for whom child care assistance is sought and any legal dependents of the applicant who is living in the home of the applicant, including children, will be included in the household. Grandparents residing in the home can also be counted in the household.  

Q: What income is counted for determining eligibility?  

A: Countable income includes gross wages from employment, self-employment income, retirement/pensions, workman’s compensation, alimony, royalties, income from rental property, and some Social Security benefits. Examples of income that is exempt include TANF, food stamps (SNAP), employer reimbursements (mileage, uniforms, etc.), SSI and some Social Security benefits, VA disability, student loans or other payments for educational purposes, and child support. You can find more information and countable and non-countable income by viewing the child care assistance policies at www.srca.nm.gov/nmac-home/nmac-titles/title-8-social-services.

Q: What are the income limits for my family size? 

A: See current income guidelines at Child Care Services Bureau (CCSB) Materials Library.

Q: How long does it take to get approved for child care? 

A: Once all required documentation is received by our office, ECECD will process your application within 10 working days. This process may be delayed if you do not provide all the required documents with your application. If you do not submit all required documents, ECECD will send you a Notice of Action, telling you what documents are missing.   You will have 14 (fourteen) days to turn in these remaining documents. Your application will become denied if all required documentation is not received within that timeframe. 

Q: Will the Child Care assistance program cover the full cost of child care? 

A: The Child Care Assistance Program assists families with a portion of the child care costs. Families may be required share child care costs, which is called a copayment. The copayment is determined based on the family size and the household income. However, currently copayments are waived until June 30, 2023.

Q: How is copayment determined? 

A:  The ECECD Child Care Assistance Copayment schedule is developed from a calculation which considers family monthly income and family size. Copayments are determined for each child and based on the number of hours care is needed. You can view the Copayment Chart at Child Care Services Bureau (CCSB) Materials Library.

Q: Can I still apply for child care assistance if I am not working, going to school, job searching or participating in a job training program? 

A: The department may exempt a parent or guardian from the work/education requirement.   The exemption would be granted based on a submission of a demonstration of incapacitation through documentation such as letter from a medical professional, documents from a federal government agency that issues or provides disability benefits, etc.  

Q: Are my expenses (rent, utility bills, or other expenses) taken into consideration when determining my eligibility and/or my copayment? 

A: Eligibility and copayments are determined by gross monthly income and family size. Household expenses or income deductions are not considered. 

Q: How do I pay the copayment? 

A: You will pay your copayment directly to your child care provider each month.  Please discuss your provider’s policies with them and review their parent/family handbook for more information. 

Q: Are there any other fees I need to pay? 

A: You may be responsible for gross receipts tax and incidental costs (such as a field trip or special lunch). Gross receipts tax is determined based on your city/county tax amounts. Providers cannot charge registration fees, educational/activity or supply fees, transportation fees or any other fees. Providers are paid by the department for these fees and should not be charging families. 

Q: How do I find a child care provider? 

A: Visit ECECD’s New Mexico Child Care Finder to filter results that meet your family’s needs. The Child Care Finder, allows parents and caregivers to search for one of the 1000+ child care programs statewide, filtering by proximity, age of child, quality rating, tuition, language, program type, and more. Need a customized referral with a Family Specialist? Please call NewMexicoKids Resource and Referral at 1 (800) 691-9067. The call will be personalized to your specific needs. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and referrals will be given to you via e-mail or over the phone. Calls are returned Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p. m.

Q: What else should I know about the program? 

A: For more information on Child Care Assistance, please call Early Childhood Services at 1-800-832-1321, contact your regional Child Care Assistance office, or email us at  [email protected]. 

Q: I need to make changes to my child care assistance contract, what do I need to do? (Examples: Change of provider, hours on contract, adding/removing a child or household member, change in activity, change needed for winter/summer break or school time, etc.) 

A: You may report a change to your case worker by phone, email or visiting the local office. Please ensure your email or voice message includes your full name, child’s name and date of birth or other identifying information to confirm your child care case. Please also include details of the changes you are needing to make such as start/end date, reason for the change, and your contact information. Please allow up to 48 hours for your worker to respond to you. Once all required documentation is provided, please allow up to 10 business days to process the change. 

Q: I need to change providers. How soon can I take my child to the new provider?  

A: You can change providers after you have given your current provider a two (2) week notice. Please report to your worker the date you gave notice, the last date of attendance, name of new provider and start date at new provider. Please also ensure any copayments owed are paid in full.  Please remember, if you do not give a two (2) week notice and change providers, you may be responsible for payment to your new provider until the two (2) week notice ends to your previous provider. 

Q: I need a new daycare for the weekend but still need care during the week. 

A: You may report a change to your case worker by phone, email or visiting the local office. Please also submit your change in work/school schedule.  Please be specific with the hours you need during the week and the hours you need on the weekend.   Your case worker will review your request and will process by sending out a contract or a notice of action. Please note, that the child care assistance program cannot provide care for more than a full-time contract for each child in care. Therefore, if you need contracts for two (2) different providers, you will have two (2) part-time contracts. 

Q: I need help finding a new child care provider.  What do I do? 

A: Visit ECECD’s New Mexico Child Care Finder to filter results that meet your family’s needs. The Child Care Finder, allows parents and caregivers to search for one of the 1000+ child care programs statewide, filtering by proximity, age of child, quality rating, tuition, language, program type, and more. Need a customized referral with a Family Specialist? Please call NewMexicoKids Resource and Referral at 1 (800) 691-9067. The call will be personalized to your specific needs. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and referrals will be given to you via e-mail or over the phone. Calls are returned Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Q: I had a baby and need to add him/her to my child care contract.  What do I need to do? 

A: Please contact your case worker and submit verification of birth for the new child. You may submit your request by email, phone or visiting the local office.   

Q: I know I may have to pay a copayment. Are there any other fees I need to pay to the provider? 

A: You may be responsible for gross receipts tax and incidental costs (such as a field trip or special lunch). Gross receipts tax is determined based on your city/county tax amounts. Providers cannot charge registration fees, educational/activity or supply fees, transportation fees or any other fees. Providers are paid by the department for these fees and should not be charging families. However, currently copayments are waived until June 30, 2023.

Q: I do not need help with child care at this time. Can I stop or close my contract? 

A: Yes, you can suspend your contract anytime during your eligibility period.   Please be sure to give your current provider a 2-week notice.  Please know your contract may be ended but your case will remain open and you will remain eligible for the remainder of the 12 month eligibility period.  If you wish to start your contract again, please submit your request to your case worker.  This can be done by email, phone or visiting the local office.  Please include the name of your provider and start date in your request. 

Q: I had a change in my work/school activity (such as I lost my job, started medical/parental leave, stopped school, etc.). Can I still use child care? 

A: Yes, you may continue using child care when you experience a temporary change to your activity, such as loss of a job, medical/parental leave, school breaks/holidays, seasonal employment ending, decrease in hours, etc.  It may benefit a client to notify their caseworker of a temporary change as it may decrease their copayment.  Clients can continue to use child care during the time they are experiencing a  temporary change.   Loss of a work or school activity is limited to 3 months of continued use of child care. 

Q: My child care contract is due to end soon.  What do I need to do to renew my child care contract? 

A: Please contact your caseworker by phone, email, or visiting the local office. You will need to submit the following documentation and inform your caseworker of any changes to your contact information, household size and work/school activity. 

• Completed and Signed Application 
• Current proof of income from employment and self-employment 
• Current proof of educational activity/school schedule for adult household members 
• Any other updated documentation needed 

If you are renewing your child care case, you are eligible up to 400% FPL to continue qualifying for child care assistance.  It is very important for you to renew your contract no later than 30 days of your eligibility expiration in order to qualify at this income limit. 

ECECD now has a Provider Dashboard where you can have easy access to many Child Care Services.  You can approve pending child care assistance contracts quickly, saving time and improving efficiency of child care payments.  You can view all children for whom you received payment, view payment dates, have access to your remittance statements and keep employee records up to date. To gain access, please go to EPICS Child Care Provider Dashboard Information and Support for additional instructions. 

Q: Who should I contact if I did not receive a payment for a child? 

A: Please contact the caseworker directly by phone or email.  You may also contact the local child care office.  If you are not already enrolled, it would benefit you to sign up on the Provider Dashboard.  Please see information at EPICS Child Care Provider Dashboard Information and Support.  This will allow you to verify active contracts, approve pending contracts, review history of payment remittances and other helpful information. 

Q: I have a client that applied for child care but I have not received a contract.  When will I receive it? 

A:  If you have not received a contract, we may be missing some required documentation in order to determine eligibility for child care assistance. You can ask the client if they received a Notice of Action and remind them to return the required documentation, or a contract may not be issued. You may also contact the caseworker or the local child care office to inquire on the status of an application.  

Please also check your Provider Dashboard. To gain access, please go to EPICS Child Care Provider Dashboard Information and Support for additional instructions. 

Q: What fees can I charge a client who receives child care assistance? 

A: Providers may charge copayments, gross receipts tax and incidental costs (such as a field trip or special lunch). Providers cannot charge registration fees, educational/activity or supply fees, transportation fees or any other fees. Providers are paid by the department for these fees in their monthly reimbursement rates and should not be charging families. 

PLEASE NOTE: On May 1, 2022, the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) expanded and extended its commitment to pay all eligible families’ copayments until June 30, 2023. As a practical matter, ECECD will pay all copayments for families receiving subsidized child care assistance in New Mexico until at least June 30, 2023.

Q: Currently the department is waiving copayments for some families. How can I know if a child’s copayment has been waived? 

A: Effective May 1, 2022, the department is waiving copayments for all families until June 30, 2023. All families will not be required to pay a copayment through June 30, 2023. Child care providers will receive payment for the copayments directly from ECECD via the existing child care reimbursement process. Please note May 1, 2022, the department expanded eligibility to more NM families up to 400% FPL.  Families in these higher income limits are categorized as Priority 4+.The contract will indicate the client’s determined priority. 

If copayment is waived, it will be noted on the client’s contract. The department is waiving copayments for most families until June 30, 2022. Families in all priorities, except Priority P4+, will not be required to pay a copayment through June 30, 2022.  The copayment will be included in the regular payment issued by the department for each child that falls in this category. Please note August 1, 2021, the department expanded eligibility to more NM families up to 400% FPL.  Families in these higher income limits are categorized as Priority 4+ and will have a copayment. The contract will indicate the client’s determined priority. 

Q: A child has stopped attending my child care facility/home?  What do I need to do? 

A: Providers must report to the Department within 14 calendar days of a child no longer attending your child care facility/home. Providers can email, fax or mail the notice of non-attendance to the caseworker or local child care office. Failure to report non-attendance timely may result in sanctions including recoupment.

Q: I have been trying to contact a caseworker and have been unsuccessful.  Who else can I contact to discuss questions or concerns? 

A: You may contact a Supervisor or Regional Manager at your regional Child Care Assistance office, or call Early Childhood Services at 1-800-832-1321 or email us at  [email protected]. 

Question: How long will the copayments be waived?
Answer: The Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) is paying the child care assistance copayments to child care providers through June 30, 2023. During this time period, child care providers may not charge copayments to families, parents and guardians that receive child care assistance, as providers will receive these copayments directly from ECECD.

Question: Is the state waiving gross receipts taxes that clients pay to the child care facility?
Answer: The cost estimation model referenced in 8.15.2.6(B) NMAC, and that ECECD used to increase child care assistance rates in July 2021, includes gross receipts taxes in all the child care assistance rates that ECECD pays providers. While the state is not “waiving” gross receipts taxes, ECECD strongly encourages child care providers to pay the gross receipts taxes themselves through the child care assistance rates paid by ECECD.

Question: Do clients need to take any action on their current Child Care Placement Agreement?
Answer: No, clients do not need to take any action on their Child Care Placement Agreement. Providers will receive the entire approved child care subsidy rate, including the client’s copayment, directly from ECECD via the existing child care reimbursement process.

Question: Do clients with an active Child Care Placement Agreement need to reapply in order for this copayment waiver to take effect?
Answer: No. Clients with active Child Care Placement Agreements remain eligible for services through the end of their eligibility period as outlined on their current Child Care Placement Agreement. Clients active Child Care Placement Agreements do not need to take any action until they receive written notice from ECECD. Providers will receive child care subsidy payments, including any calculated copayments, directly from ECECD via the existing child care reimbursement process.

Question: Does a new Child Care Placement Agreement need to contain new language about the copayment waiver language?
Answer: No, a new Child Care Placement Agreement does not need to be contain the new copayment waiver language. The expanded copayment waiver went into effect on May 1, 2022. Providers will receive child care subsidy payments, including any calculated copayments, directly from ECECD via the existing child care reimbursement process.

Question: Is the copayment waived for all families?
Answer: Under the current copayment waiver, ECECD will pay copayments for all families enrolled in the Child Care Assistance Program until June 30, 2023.

Question: How does a family qualify for child care assistance?
Answer: Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements of the Child Care Assistance program, including income and qualifying activity requirements, unless otherwise exempt. ECECD expanded the income guidelines for the child care assistance program on May 1, 2022, and families, parents and guardians earning up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) now qualify. As a practical matter, a family of four earning $111,000 a year or less now meets the Child Care Assistance Program’s income requirement. Parents/guardians must be working, going to school, searching for employment, in a job training program or other qualifying activity to be eligible.

Question: Will the child care provider receive more money on top of the current rates?
Answer: No, the child care subsidy rates effective as of July 1, 2021, remain in place. The only change is that providers will receive the entire rate, including ay calculated copayment, directly from ECECD via the existing child care reimbursement process.

Question: Will ECECD be implementing provider incentive payments again since this incentive was re-instated?
Answer: No. At this time, ECECD does not plan to re-implement provider incentive payments. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, however, recently announced that ECECD will dedicate $10 million of its federal relief dollars to child care supply building grants to increase the availability of child care in communities where it is most needed. This Child Care Supply Building grant will be a competitive rolling grant that ECECD will announce no later than May 17, 2022. The grant will be open to licensed and registered providers in the state of New Mexico, including eligible head start and tribal early child care providers, and to employers that intend to create or expand child care for their employees.

Question: If a child care provider charges more than the department rate, will the provider be paid their rate or the difference between the department rate and their own?
Answer: Child care providers that accept ECECD’s child care assistance payments are not allowed to charge additional rates and doing so may subject them to sanctions. See 8.15.2.15(E) NMAC (“Child care providers accept the rate the department pays for child care and are not allowed to charge families receiving child care assistance above the department rate for the hours listed on the child care placement agreement. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in sanctions.”)

Is it necessary to “love suffering” – Mercy.ru

Righteous Job asked God why he was suffering, because he tried so hard to live in God’s way, – so for the first time in the Holy Scriptures began a dialogue between God and man about the meaning of suffering: is it inevitable suffering for those who love God? Without suffering God will not send His mercy, help, grace?

Is it possible to love a scalpel that has performed a useful operation on you?

“I have come to love the suffering that so beautifully purifies the soul,” Vladyka Luka wrote to his eldest son Mikhail in the 1940s during a period of extremely difficult experience of his uselessness, forgetfulness, separation from hierarchal service and scientific work. Behind 11 years of prisons, camps and exiles and 20 years, from the moment of accepting the priesthood at 1921st, persecution, non-recognition, ridicule, slander, and also misunderstanding and reproaches from his family.

What is there to love? After all, it’s scary to remember. Is it possible to fall in love with instruments of torture? A scalpel that even performed a useful operation on you?

“When we take these amazing words “I loved suffering” out of context, we really cannot understand anything,” argues the biographer of the saint, the author of a book about him, Protodeacon Vasily Marushchak . – And by context, I mean not quotes, but the very life of the martyr and his personal relationship with the Lord.

I once studied the investigative cases of St. Luke – how he was arrested, tortured when he endured many days of interrogation without sleep, and then went on a hunger strike when he was sent to the Arctic Circle without warm clothes . .. It would seem that suffering is always a kind of negative , a painful experience that man, by his very nature, seeks to avoid. And St. Luke tried: he went on a hunger strike, protesting against the conveyor of interrogations without sleep, in a semi-conscious state he signed accusatory testimonies about his own espionage, then he renounced them.

But at some point everything changes. When he was sent to this Plakhino lathe to the ends of the earth, in a fierce winter without warm clothes, in fact – to death, because in a natural state a person cannot endure such conditions – they will bring his stiff corpse, somewhere they will throw it to the polar foxes to be eaten and that’s it, – it was then that Vladyka Luke said: “And at that time I felt that my Lord Jesus Christ was next to me, who supports and strengthens me.”

What happened? The saint himself only states the fact, without commenting on it. But we know from the experience of the saints who experience the closeness of God – nothing compares to this! Everything suddenly subsides, all anxieties and fears, everything in general, and only the loving Lord remains, sharing your fate. You feel His love so strongly and realistically that you are already ready to suffer voluntarily – since it is at these moments that you meet with the Lord. And if only this presence of God would not leave you.

In its essence, this is a deeply mystical experience, in the sense that you suddenly touch the true life of the Spirit from your ordinary, carnal-spiritual life.

The Saints experienced this in different ways and to different degrees. Seraphim of Sarov, having lost tangible grace, accepted the toughest fast, refused even the slightest rest, and for three years he relentlessly prayed to God to forgive him – if only to be with the Lord again – it becomes so difficult for a person who has tasted true life in the life of the flesh, of the soul.

And already from this state of fortification, suffering purifies, and does not embitter the soul, because the soul has its own helper, God, who guides it.

Therefore, it is not surprising that it is difficult for the unexperienced to understand this. But you can trust the experience of the saints.

Question to question

– Of course, one can ask – is it only through suffering that a person receives grace, the mercy of God? Father Vasily continues. – Even Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov once said that it is impossible to measure the grace of God with a compass. That is, it seems to me that some formulas, schemes cannot be applied to our relationship with God. Yes, there are guidelines, but here is a person-personality and God-personality. So, their relationship is mysterious and unique.

And when we read the book of Job, which St. Luke repeatedly read, we see that God answers Job with a question when Job asks: why do I suffer so if I know no sin behind me?

According to human understanding, looking at the suffering of the righteous, the human mind refuses to understand what is happening. Indeed, in the same Holy Scripture, the idea is repeatedly heard that the righteous man has the right to count on God’s favor, on God’s mercy.

But the fact of the matter is that the very word “in the right”, “right” in the relationship of man with God is not entirely appropriate. Because we enter into communion with God, we enter the Kingdom of God not by any right, but by the love of God. And the understanding of God’s love since the time of Job has been significantly supplemented.

The Lord, answering, offers Job a new level of dialogue, deducing in a conversation with Himself for the usual causal course of reasoning. And in a sense, perhaps, God puts a person in his place – even though Job is not a sinner, but a descendant of the fallen Adam, and tries to speak with God on an equal footing. But was it Job who created the world and everything in it?

“Who is this who darkens Providence with words without meaning? the Lord turns to Job. Gird up your loins now like a man: I will ask you, and you explain to Me: where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you know. ”

No, Job does not know. He still does not know the most important thing – God will send His Son, the sinless Christ, to take upon Himself the sins of people and be crucified on the cross for their salvation.

One must learn to suffer like a Christian

“My last suffering in prison changed me profoundly. I became surprisingly tolerant, meek, quiet, my former harshness was completely smoothed out … ”, – wrote St. Luke in the same 40s.

Here the saint speaks more about the ascetic meaning of suffering sent to a sinner for the purification and forgiveness of known and unknown sins. He himself was convinced that one must learn to suffer like a Christian, so that instead of quietness and meekness, one does not end up with grumbling and bitterness.

Life teaches this when a person firmly decides to unite his will with the will of Christ, his life with the life of Christ.

This is how St. Luke learned this:

“In the middle of summer, I don’t remember exactly in what form, I had, as it seemed to me, a prediction from God about a speedy return from Turukhansk exile. I looked forward to the fulfillment of this promise, but weeks after weeks passed, and everything remained the same.

I fell into despondency, and once in the altar of the winter church, which was connected by a door with the summer church, I prayed with tears before the altarpiece of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this prayer, obviously, there was also a murmur against the Lord Jesus for the long failure to fulfill the promise of deliverance.

And suddenly I saw that Jesus Christ depicted on the icon abruptly turned away His pure face from me. I was horrified and despaired and did not dare to look at the icon anymore. Like a beaten dog I went from the altar to the summer church, where I saw the book of the Apostle on the kliros. I mechanically opened it and began to read the first thing that caught my eye.

To my great sorrow, I did not remember the text that I read, but this text had a truly miraculous effect on me. It denounced my foolishness and impudence of grumbling against God, and at the same time confirmed the promise of liberation, which I eagerly awaited.

I returned to the altar of the winter church and saw with joy, looking at the altarpiece, that the Lord Jesus was again looking at me with grace and bright eyes.

But before the end of the term, the saint became nervous again. The Lord, as an understanding and forgiving teacher, repeated the lesson:

“The end of my Turukhansk exile was approaching. <...> And I was not called to the GPU to receive documents.

One evening, at the end of August, the last steamer arrived and was supposed to leave in the morning. I was not called and I was worried, not knowing that there was an order to detain me for another year.

On the morning of August 20, as usual, I read Matins, and the steamboat made couples. The first lingering whistle of the steamer… I read the fourth kathisma of the Psalter… The last words of the thirty-first psalm hit me like thunder… I perceive them with all my being as the voice of God addressed to me. He says: “I will instruct you, I will guide you on the path that you should follow; I will guide you, My eye is on you. Do not be like a horse, like a foolish hinny, whose jaws must be brimmed with a bridle and a bit, so that they obey you “(Ps. 31 8-9).

And suddenly there is a deep peace in my troubled soul… The steamer gives the third whistle and slowly sets off. I watch him with a quiet and joyful smile until he is out of my sight. “Go, go, I don’t need you… The Lord has prepared a different path for me, not the path in the dirty barge that you are leading, but the bright hierarchal path!” a small varicose ulcer of the lower leg with a bright inflammation of the skin around it. They had to let me go to Krasnoyarsk.”

And they let me go.

But, Vladyka emphasizes, “Christianity has never praised suffering and never considered it as an end in itself. The meaning of suffering is in overcoming the fear of suffering, the readiness to suffer, so that good will win.

<...> The world is full of suffering, and Christianity, being always realistic, claims that evil, including in the very soul of a person, will not depart voluntarily and that those who go out to fight against it will never escape suffering.

The Mystery of the Cross: joy-suffering is one

But there is one more aspect to the theme of suffering: suffering as a voluntary sharing of life with Christ. Not for heaven and not for salvation – the apostle Paul was ready to go to hell, if only his Jewish brothers would be saved. Only out of love to be in joy and sorrow, wealth and poverty – both with a loved one and with God.

Christ is given to us in communion crucified and risen. We partake of both His glory and His suffering. You cannot accept a part of Christ, you can only accept the whole. We partake of all His life, and persecution – I was persecuted, you will be persecuted – and His resurrection, His immortality.

“The Lord was the first to take the cross, the most terrible cross, and after him they took on their crosses smaller, but often also terrible crosses, the countless martyrs of Christ. Following them, huge crowds of people took their crosses, who, quietly lowering their heads, went with them on a long journey, – says the saint in the Crimea, in 1946, on the verge of blindness, the inevitability of which, as a doctor, he well understands.

– On the long and thorny path indicated by Christ, the path to the Throne of God, the path to the Kingdom of Heaven, they have been going, and going, and going, for almost 2000 years, crowds and crowds of people have been following Christ … Well, are we really let’s not join this endlessly marching crowd, this holy procession along the path of sorrows, along the path of suffering?

Shall we not take up our crosses and follow Christ? Yes, it will not! … May Christ, who suffered so hard for us, fill our hearts with His immeasurable grace. May He give us at the end of our long and difficult journey the knowledge of what He said: “Be of good cheer! I conquered the world!“ <…>

Hurry, hurry – hurry to follow Christ. Life is short, and therefore hasten to follow Christ,” urged Vladyka Luka.

Clothes wear out on the relics of St. Luke of Crimea

On May 30, 2023, Tashkent hosted an international conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the episcopal consecration of St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky). Father Vasily Marushchak, although he came to Tashkent for the celebrations from the warm Crimea, was impressed:

– I spent 10 days in Uzbekistan, it was 30-degree heat, and when we left there, I heard from the locals – “soon we are waiting for 38 С°, 40-45 С° degrees. I thought how good it is that we are leaving, we will not find such a nightmare. But St. Luke lived in this climate for several years! And we flew comfortably from Tashkent to Samarkand, on a comfortable bus, with air conditioning, we reached Penjikent, a city where at 19On the year 23, Saint Luke was ordained Bishop of Tashkent. And he overcame all distances on spans!

And I went to Penjikent along the road where the Basmachi and various dashing people walked. And consecration in 1923 as a bishop is not the prospect of a quiet, peaceful life, when your hands are kissed. You know, I have been serving for 37 years now in the Holy Trinity Church of Simferopol, on the territory of the Holy Trinity Monastery, where the relics of St. Luke are located, and I testify that St. Luke is very responsive, a very quick assistant.

The abbess of Holy Trinity Monastery told me about the last miracle. Before Easter, the relics of St. Luke are usually dressed up in Easter vestments, while they are not touched during Great Lent itself.

And so the priest, who was instructed to redress the relics for Pascha, in the presence of the Mother Superior, discovered an amazing fact: the relics of St. Luke were displaced, and the slippers on his feet were half put on the tips of his toes.

But the relics of the saint are always very carefully re-clothed without any shifts. As if the saint “left” from the resting place. I think that Saint Luke by this miracle shows that even now he hears us and is ready to help everyone who, according to his faith, with the hope of God’s mercy, turns to him for help.

The entire Christian world knows that the same miracle has been happening to the relics of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky in Corfu for many years. And now – in Russia. More than once I myself have heard the stories of doctors and surgeons about how St. Luke appears to them, helping them – how to perform this or that operation in the most optimal way.

I was also struck at the conference that people said: “You know, what impresses and delights me most of all is not even the courage with which the saint met trials, but precisely those periods of his weakness, instability, about which he speaks so honestly. This is what strengthens the most: the saint is not some impeccable Prometheus, somewhere out there, in the sky beyond the clouds, and where are you before him … He is the same person as me, in whose life there were difficult periods. But he was able to overcome it, even use it for good.

– Did you learn anything sensationally new from the events of the conference? – I turn to the tired father Vasily: the father was just returning from Moscow to the Crimea, talking with me on the way.

– If we are talking about me, then it will be sensationally new if I start serving God and people, as St. Luke served, – sums up the priest.

* * *

Until June 11, 1961, Vladyka Luka was the ruling bishop of the Crimean-Simferopol diocese. He did not retire, although by the beginning of 1956 years old completely blind. A priest from the patriarchate regularly came to Simferopol to make sure that Vladyka was properly fulfilling his hierarchal duties, and each time the inspector was amazed: the blind bishop, while serving, did not stumble anywhere, recited prayers by heart, blessed the Holy Gifts, even during the anointing he clearly anointed forehead.

In the mid-1950s, Khrushchev’s persecution of the Church began. In 1956, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was closed, and in just the Khrushchev decade, about ten thousand churches were destroyed and closed.

In March 1960, the Council for the Affairs of the Orthodox Church submitted to the Holy Synod a draft parochial reform: henceforth, the priest ceased to be the head of the parish and became a “hired worker. ” The temple, its property and all rights were transferred to the jurisdiction of the “twenty”, whose members were appointed by the Soviet authorities. Never before in the history of Christianity has there been such a place where a church was not headed by a priest.

Two bishops openly protest against the reform in writing, sending their protest to the patriarchate: Hermogenes of Kaluga and Luke of Crimea.

He served his last liturgy on Christmas Day 1961, and delivered his last sermon on Forgiveness Sunday. His secretary Evgenia Pavlovna Leikfeld writes about the last days of the saint: “I didn’t grumble, I didn’t complain. Didn’t give orders. He left us in the morning, at a quarter to seven. I breathed a little tensely, then sighed twice and still barely noticeable – and that’s it … “.

Saint Luke reposed on June 11, 1961. On this day, the Church celebrated the memory of All the Saints who shone in the Russian land.

In one of his words, Vladyka spoke of the example of martyrs, who by their courage converted even pagans to Christ, increasing the Church. He himself became such an example: in the midst of Khrushchev’s persecution, in spite of all the prohibitions and measures taken by the authorities, a huge number of people came out to his funeral. Patriarch Alexy I (Simansky), who was often slandered on Luke, which was reflected in the attitude towards him, was told about how the funeral of the lord went. He said thoughtfully:

“So, that means they really loved him there?…”

Literature used:

1. Russian Orthodox hierarchs: period from 1893–1965 : [Catalog] / Metr. Manuel (Lemeshevsky). – Kuibyshev. : 1966. / Part 4
2. “I loved suffering. Autobiography. Saint Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky). From “Belarusian Orthodox Church”, 2019
3. Life and Life of Voyno-Yasenetsky, Archbishop and Surgeon. Mark Popovsky
4. Hierarch-surgeon. Life of Archbishop Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky). Author – Protodeacon Vasily Marushchak
5. Cross of Christ. Collection of sermons of St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky), Archbishop of Simferopol. IPTK LOGOSVOZ LLC, Moscow, 2021

Illustrations by Dmitry Petrov using RIA Novosti newsreels

Vasily Kurchin: I have a family in Miratorg. Literally

Six years ago, after successful work at the two largest Belgorod factories, Vasily, on the recommendation of his older brother, moved to an agricultural holding. And then he himself recommended the company. And not just relatives.

I just love people

Vasily Kurchin is an open, charming and gentle person. It is a little surprising that he devoted his professional life to deboning and trimming. These are operations on a conveyor, which allow, with the precise movement of a sharp knife, to obtain an ideal fillet from a whole carcass – without a single bone, cartilage or tendon.

Why is it amazing? Because the bonker looks something like this: a knight in a chain mail apron and chain mail gloves. And in the hand is not a saber, of course, but almost – knives at meat processing enterprises are very different from kitchen ones. And with one movement of the hand, such a person makes two quarters from a half carcass, and so on.

Vasily, why did you choose this specialty in the first place?

To be honest, when I first entered the plant and saw how many people there, it bribed me. I love and appreciate communication. That’s probably why. After the army, I worked as a driver for a bit, but then I preferred the factory.

Didn’t make a mistake?

I definitely didn’t regret it, I was interested, I studied various operations, gradually became a generalist. He worked with both beef and pork carcasses. I went to study in the Moscow region, it was also exciting. Now I can get up, practically, at any stage of the conveyor. And such a strategy – to understand everything as much as possible and learn everything, turned out to be correct, and bore fruit.

Are you talking about career development?

Yes. In Miratorg, I was noticed quite quickly and offered to become an expert – I had to train new employees. It really resonated with me: to convey everything you know to other people, to help them, to give them a profession – this is valuable for me. Moreover, young guys come, like I used to, after the army, students, graduates. They are just starting their adult life, it is probably difficult and scary for them. Especially in the provinces, where the choice is still not so great.

I am pleased to understand that with my experience, my respect for this profession and the enterprise, I help them to stand firmly on their feet. The work of deboners and tenants is not easy, I will not dissemble. It requires attention, patience, concentration. But the pay is decent. Such a salary, so that without work experience, try to find more.

So you can come with no experience at all?

Of course, the desire to work is much more important, and we will teach you everything. First, an internship, in the agricultural holding it is also paid, then we put it on the conveyor, we help. The foreman of the site looks after, prompts. And then free swimming. Increase grade and salary.

We already feed the whole world




You have previously worked at other large enterprises, why did you choose Miratorg?

Many factors influenced. Of course, the agricultural holding is on everyone’s lips, a gigantic enterprise, only our plant produces a couple of tens of tons of meat per shift. And how many more regions. Products are delivered to all corners of the country, to many countries of the world. I really like it, it’s nice to be involved in such a scale.

For example, not so long ago a new plant was launched in Kursk, and we went to help. This is an experience and memories for a lifetime! Our tiny but contribution to history.

Did the brother come first?

Yes, my elder brother Alexander worked here for about a year before me, he has a slightly different profile – an operator on the product packaging line. He advised me: why travel far to work, if there is such an enterprise near the house, the salary is high, stable, payments are strictly twice a month. It is important for a man to understand that you are able to provide for a family.

Deboners and veneers only men?

Not necessarily, we have several such experienced ladies in the team that they will give any man a head start, everyone knows how to do it well.

Back to training, how does it work?

Do you know what else is valuable in Miratorg? Attitude towards people who want to work and develop. When I agreed to become an expert, they equipped a separate room for me, equipped it the way I asked, made a simulator – an imitation of a conveyor. And now all the trainees – deboners and veneers, come exactly there. We study with them for about ten shifts, we start with briefings, safety precautions, and gradually move on.

You can immediately see a person, who and why came and who will be useful. The majority understands, there are guys who ask for the conveyor after 3-4 shifts, and we allow them, they quickly join the process. But sometimes a person realizes that it is definitely not his. And, probably, this also has a special meaning of training – it protects from disappointment, burnout. And why take the place of someone who wants and will work with pleasure?

Did you say the internship is also paid?

Of course, they are full-fledged employees. They, like all of us, are brought to work and taken home on corporate buses. They give out overalls – from shoes to hats. This, from my own experience, is also important. You are not just equipped and protected, you are dressed in beautiful, high-quality clothes. Therefore, you feel worthy.

All of us are here

How did it happen that you have a real family contract?

The reasons are the same – a stable high income, close to home, a prestigious job. Therefore, the third brother, Sergey, joined us next. He is also an operator, like Alexander. And then his wife, Oksana, began working in the Miratorg kindergarten, preparing breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the kids.

Does the agricultural holding have a kindergarten? For employees’ children?

Of course, this, by the way, is a big plus.

Did your daughter Victoria also come on your advice?

Since childhood, she has seen how I feel about my work, she knows how the well-being of our family has improved with this work. But in fact, for the first time, she came to the plant for practice – she receives the specialty of a meat processing technologist. Liked. And with the money I earned, I went to rest by the sea, for a 20-year-old girl, this, I can tell you, is a worthy result. Therefore, she switched to free attendance at the university and is now working full-time.

Your entire family contract began with the simplest positions, is this also a vital position?

My daughter, of course, wants to be a master.