The Cathedral of the Ascension in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan. The architect, Andrei Pavlovich Zenkov, constructed it without nails, which makes the fact that it survived an earthquake in 1911 either more or less extraordinary depending on your point of view. The Communists turned it into a museum, but since 1997 it has been an Orthodox Church again.
Introduction
St Nicholas Mogilevsky (1877-1955) was Bishop of Alma-Ata (Almaty) in Kazakhstan during the Soviet era. He endured repeated imprisonment and ill-use at the hands of the Nazis, the Communists and state-sponsored Church ‘modernisers’ with remarkable forbearance. This is just one of several tales from his own lifetime.
NICHOLAS Mogilevsky liked to pronounce blessings. He blessed every member of his congregation after holy communion, over a thousand of them. He blessed every passenger who stepped onto his train. And he blessed every passenger sharing his plane to Moscow in 1947, bound for a church synod.
‘No need to be afraid’ someone sniggered, ‘there’s a saint on board!’ For which everyone received a blessing.
Some miles had passed, when one of the engines sputtered and fell silent. Panic set in as the plane banked alarmingly. ‘Pray!’ urged Nicholas. ‘Not a soul will perish!’ Then as an afterthought, ‘Only we’ll get a bit muddy’.
Steeper dived the plane; yet the babel within subsided. Soon Nicholas’s soft voice could be heard in prayer. Then, as if resting on a cushion, the aircraft levelled out, glided serenely onto a shallow lake, skipped, and stopped.
The passengers, shaken, tumbled out to safety. Not a soul had perished!
But they did get a bit muddy.
Based on an account at ‘The Life of St Nicholas (Mogilevsky), Metropolitan of Alma Ata and Kazakhstan (1877-1955)’, at ‘Orthodox Holiness’.
Précis
Bishop Nicholas Mogilevsky liked to bless fellow-passengers on public transport, and on one flight to Moscow he was rather teased for it – until the plane started to get into difficulties. Nicholas promised no one would die – they would just get muddy – and prayed until the plane landed safely in a lake. So no one was hurt, and everyone got muddy. (60 / 60 words)
Bishop Nicholas Mogilevsky liked to bless fellow-passengers on public transport, and on one flight to Moscow he was rather teased for it – until the plane started to get into difficulties. Nicholas promised no one would die – they would just get muddy – and prayed until the plane landed safely in a lake. So no one was hurt, and everyone got muddy.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, because, must, not, or, ought, unless.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Could. If. No.
2 Board. Church. Glide.
3 Pray. Sputter. Well.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
x
0
Add
Your Words ()
Post Box : Ask Nicholas
Grok : Ask Grok
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