THE RELATIONSHIP OF ARCHBISHOP MIKHAIL (MUDYUGIN) WITH THE CLERGY (ASTRAKHAN AND ENOTAEVSKAYA DIOCESE, 1968–1979)

Bishop Joasaph

Andrey Pavlovich Vishnyakov

Slavgorod Diocese, St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Slavgorod, Russia

Email: asaf_2010@mail.ru

ORCID: 0009-0007-4543-758X

Issue: № 1 (33), 2026

Pages: 104

Annotation

The article examines such an aspect of the archpastoral ministry of Vladyka Mikhail (Mudyugin) as his relationship with the clergy. The authors limited themselves to the chronological framework of 1968–1979. During this period, Bishop Mikhail (Mudyugin) headed an independent diocese, Astrakhan and Enotaevskaya, having previously had only the experience of a vicar bishop. The empirical basis for the article was the materials of the document management archive of the Astrakhan Diocesan Administration. The results of the analysis of the content of these materials made it possible to identify the following characteristics in the relationship between Vladyka Mikhail (Mudyugin) and the clergy. He always showed tact and gentleness towards subordinate clerics, however, he rather strictly demanded that they comply with disciplinary, canonical and statutory norms. A separate responsibility of the Astrakhan Archpastor was to raise the theological and educational level of the clergy. For this purpose, a nomination committee was established in the diocese. In addition, Vladyka Mikhail (Mudyugin) compiled and circularly sent texts to the parishes with theological explanations of difficult liturgical moments.

Keywords

Archbishop, Mikhail (Mudyugin), Astrakhan Diocese, relations with the clergy, history of the Russian Orthodox Church, the late Soviet period

For citation

Iosaph (Vishnyakov), Bishop; Balabeikina O. A., Slobodchikova P. S. The relationship of Archbishop Mikhail (Mudyugin) with the clergy (Astrakhan and Enotaevskaya Diocese, 1968–1979) // Ipatievsky vestnik. 2026. № . 4. Р. 104–116 (In Russian). https://doi. org/10.24412/2309–5164–2026–1–104–116