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Welcome to the Guild's site !
From St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 5:22-26; 6:1-2
Brethren, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy
of one another. Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.
Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
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| The Chapel of Panagia Soumela, Paracletos Monastery |
Paracletos Greek Orthodox Monastery in Antreville, South Carolina. The Monastery is under the auspices of
the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta
Special thanks to those Orthodox and non-Orthodox who donated
their time and services to the building of the Chapel.
Photos from the Monastery's Lenten Luncheon (click here)
Photos from the First Salutations at the Monastery with His Eminence, Metropolitan Alexios
Anderson Greek Festival volunteers at the Paracletos Greek Orthodox
Monastery, January 13, 2008
Festival volunteers attending a luncheon at the Monastery on January the 13th, 2008
Thiranixia at the Paracletos Greek Orthodox Monastery: September the 7th, 2007
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| Thiranixia |
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| Fr. Nikoly, Fr. Aris, Fr. Marcus & Abbess Pavlina |
Photos of the Chapel process
Feb. 21, 2006: His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta officiated the
Groundbreaking (Laying of the Foundation Stone) of the Chapel of Panagia Soumela, Paracletos Greek Orthodox Monastery
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| The Chapel of Panagia Soumela |
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| Chapel under construction, Summer 2006 |
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| The Chapel of Panagia Soumela, Paracletos Greek Orthodox Monastery |
Photos from the Dormition Feast at the Paracletos Monastery
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
One Jew, a lawyer, desiring to justify himself since the Jews considered
"their neighbours" to be only Jews and all others to be held in contempt asked Jesus Christ, "And who is my neighbour?"
In order to teach people to consider every other person as their neighbour, no matter who he might be of
whatever nationality, or descent, or belief; and also that we must be compassionate and merciful to all people, doing what
we can to help those in need and misfortune, Jesus Christ answered him with a parable.
"A man (a Jew) was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers who stripped him and
beat him, and departed leaving him half-dead. Now by chance, a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed
by on the other side, So likewise a Levite (a Jewish church official), when he came to the place and saw him, he passed by
on the other side."
"But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was (The Jews despised the Samaritans so much that they
would not have sat at the same table with them and even tried to avoid speaking to them). When the Samaritan saw him covered
with wounds, he had compassion on him. He went to him and bound up his wounds pouring on them oil and wine. Then, he set him
on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii (denarius
was a Roman silver coin) and gave them to the innkeeper saying, 'Take care of him; whatever more you spend, I repay you when
I come back."
Then, Jesus Christ asked the lawyer, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man fell
among the robbers?"
The lawyer replied, "the one who showed mercy on him (that is, the Samaritan)."
And Jesus Christ said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Note: See the Gospel of Luke 10:29-37
Source: OrthodoxPhotos.com
Are we neighbours ? or do we pass "on the other side"?
There are many people suffering in various parts of the world in the physical and the spiritual sense.
Maybe they are far away ("on the side"), so we don't see them, but they are suffering. So, what do we say to them?...Have
we become "territorial"...by concentrating on our own needs or wants. Is your parish like the "priest going down the
road?" Do we see and act? or Do we see and pass on the other side?
How much does your parish give to outreach or the OCMC? And what percentage is this of the budget? And as
individuals, each day we come across Christ, how will we act to Christ?
St Tikhon the Bishop
of Amathus in Cyprus
Commemorated on June 16
Saint Tikhon, Bishop
of Amathus, was born in the city Amathus on the island of Cyprus. His parents raised their son in Christian piety, and taught
him the reading of sacred books. It is said that the gift of wonderworking appeared in St Tikhon at quite a young age.
His
father was the owner of a bakery, and whenever he left his son alone in the shop, the holy youth would give free bread to
those in need. Learning of this, his father became angry, but the son said that he had read in the Scriptures, that in giving
to God one receives back a hundredfold. "I," said the youth, "gave to God the bread which was taken," and he persuaded his
father to go to the place where the grain was stored. With astonishment the father saw that the granary, which formerly was
empty, was now filled to overflowing with wheat. From that time the father did not hinder his son from distributing bread
to the poor.
A certain gardener brought the dried prunings of vines from the vineyard. St Tikhon gathered them, planted
them in his garden and besought the Lord that these branches might take root and yield fruit for the health of people. The
Lord did so through the faith of the holy youth. The branches took root, and their fruit had a particular and very pleasant
taste. It was used during the lifetime of the saint and after his death for making wine for the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist.
They accepted the pious youth into the church clergy, made him a reader. Later, Mnemonios, the Bishop of Amathus ordained
him a deacon. After the death of Bishop Mnemonios, St Tikhon by universal agreement was chosen as Bishop of Amathus. St Epiphanius,
Bishop of Cyprus (May 12), presided at the service.
St Tikhon labored zealously to eradicate the remnants of paganism
on Cyprus; he destroyed a pagan temple and spread the Christian Faith. The holy bishop was generous, his doors were open to
all, and he listened to and lovingly fulfilled the request of each person who came to him. Fearing neither threats nor tortures,
he firmly and fearlessly confessed his faith before pagans.
In the service to St Tikhon it is stated that he foresaw
the time of his death, which occurred in the year 425.
The name of St Tikhon of Amathus was greatly honored in Russia.
Temples dedicated to the saint were constructed at Moscow, at Nizhni Novgorod, at Kazan and other cities. But he was particularly
venerated in the Voronezh diocese, where there were three archpastors in succession sharing the name with the holy hierarch
of Amathus: St Tikhon I (Sokolov) (+ 1783, August 13), Tikhon II (Yakubovsky, until 1785) and Tikhon III (Malinin, until 1788).
Source: OCA
The All-Praised Olga, Equal-To-The-Apostles, Princess
of Kiev
Commemorated on July 11
Saint Olga, renowned for her wisdom and sobriety, in her youth became the wife of Igor, Great Prince of Kiev,
who ruled during the tenth century. After her husband's death, she herself ruled capably, and was finally moved to accept
the Faith of Christ. She traveled to Constantinople to receive Holy Baptism. The Emperor, seeing her outward beauty and inward
greatness, asked her to marry him. She said she could not do this before she was baptized; she furthermore asked him to be
her Godfather at the font, which he agreed to do. After she was baptized (receiving the name of Helen), the Emperor repeated
his proposal of marriage. She answered that now he was her father, through holy Baptism, and that not even among the heathen
was it heard of a man marrying his daughter. Gracefully accepting to be outwitted by her, he sent her back to her land with
priests and sacred texts and holy icons. Although her son Svyatoslav remained a pagan, she planted the seed of faith in her
grandson Vladimir (see July 15). She reposed in peace in 969.
St. Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus
Commemorated on January 19
Saint Mark Eugenikos, Archbishop of Ephesus, was a stalwart defender of Orthodoxy at the Council of Florence.
He would not agree to a union with Rome which was based on theological compromise and political expediency (the Byzantine
Emperor was seeking military assistance from the West against the Moslems who were drawing ever closer to Constantinople).
St. Mark countered the agruments of his opponents, drawing from well of pure theology, and the teachings of the Holy Fathers.
When the members of his own delegation tried to pressure him into accepting the Union he replied, "There can be no compromise
in matters of the Orthodox Faith."
Although the members of the Orthodox delegation signed the Tomos of Union. St. Mark was the only one who
refused to do so. When he returned from Florence, St. Mark urged the inhabitants of Constantinople to repudiate the dishonorable
document of union. He died in 1457 at the age of fifty-two, admired and honored by all.
Source: OCA website
Blessed Nicholas of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ
Commemorated on February 28
Blessed Nicholas of Pskov lived the
life of a holy fool for more than three decades. Long before his death he acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit and was granted
the gifts of wonderworking and of prophecy. The Pskov people of his time called him Mikula [Mikola, Nikola] the Fool. Even
during his lifetime they revered him as a saint, even calling him Mikula the saintly.
In February 1570, after a devastating
campaign against Novgorod, Tsar Ivan the Terrible moved against Pskov, suspecting the inhabitants of treason. As the Pskov
Chronicler relates, "the Tsar came ... with great fierceness, like a roaring lion, to tear apart innocent people and to shed
much blood."
On the first Saturday of Great Lent, the whole city prayed to be delivered from the Tsar's wrath. Hearing
the peal of the bell for Matins in Pskov, the Tsar's heart was softened when he read the inscription on the fifteenth century
wonderworking Liubyatov Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God (March 19) in the Monastery of St Nicholas (the Tsar's army was
at Lubyatov). "Be tender of heart," he said to his soldiers. "Blunt your swords upon the stones, and let there be an end to
killing."
All the inhabitants of Pskov came out upon the streets, and each family knelt at the gate of their house,
bearing bread and salt to the meet the Tsar. On one of the streets Blessed Nicholas ran toward the Tsar astride a stick as
though riding a horse, and cried out: "Ivanushko, Ivanushko, eat our bread and salt, and not Christian blood."
The
Tsar gave orders to capture the holy fool, but he disappeared.
Though he had forbidden his men to kill, Ivan still
intended to sack the city. The Tsar attended a Molieben at the Trinity cathedral, and he venerated the relics of holy Prince
Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11), and expressed his wish to receive the blessing of the holy fool Nicholas. The saint instructed
the Tsar "by many terrible sayings," to stop the killing and not to plunder the holy churches of God. But Ivan did not heed
him and gave orders to remove the bell from the Trinity cathedral. Then, as the saint prophesied, the Tsar's finest horse
fell dead.
The blessed one invited the Tsar to visit his cell under the belltower. When the Tsar arrived at the cell
of the saint, he said, "Hush, come in and have a drink of water from us, there is no reason you should shun it." Then the
holy fool offered the Tsar a piece of raw meat.
"I am a Christian and do not eat meat during Lent", said Ivan to him.
"But you drink human blood," the saint replied.
Frightened by the fulfillment of the saint's prophecy and denounced
for his wicked deeds, Ivan the Terrible ordered a stop to the looting and fled from the city. The Oprichniki, witnessing this,
wrote: "The mighty tyrant ... departed beaten and shamed, driven off as though by an enemy. Thus did a worthless beggar terrify
and drive off the Tsar with his multitude of a thousand soldiers."
Blessed Nicholas died on February 28, 1576 and
was buried in the Trinity cathedral of the city he had saved. Such honors were granted only to the Pskov princes, and later
on, to bishops.
The local veneration of the saint began five years after his death. In the year 1581, during a siege
of Pskov by the soldiers of the Polish king Stephen Bathory, the Mother of God appeared to the blacksmith Dorotheus together
with a number of Pskov saints praying for the city. Among these was Blessed Nicholas (the account about the Pskov-Protection
Icon of the Mother of God is found under October 1).
At the Trinity cathedral they still venerate the relics of Blessed
Nicholas of Pskov, who was "a holy fool in the flesh, and by assuming this holy folly he became a citizen of the heavenly
Jerusalem" (Troparion). He also "transformed the Tsar's wild thoughts into mercy" (Kontakion).
Source: OCA
St. Hilarion the Hieromartyr and Archbishop of Vereiya
A 20th-Century Saint
Commemorated on December 15
The holy New Martyr Archbishop Hilarion
(Vladimir Alexeevich Troitsky in the world), an outstanding theologian, an eloquent preacher, and a fearless defender of Christ's
holy Church, was born around 1885.
Vladika Hilarion wrote many books and articles on various topics, including "The
Unity of the Church." His Master's thesis, "An Outline of the History of the Church's Dogma," was over five hundred pages
long, and was a well-documented analysis of the subject.
During the Council of 1917 he delivered a brilliant address calling for the restoration of the Moscow Patriarchate,
which had been dissolved byTsar Peter I in the eighteenth century. When St Tikhon (April 7) was chosen as Patriarch, St Hilarion
became his fervent supporter.
St Hilarion was consecrated as bishop on May 20, 1920, and so the great luminary was
placed upon the lampstand (Luke 11:33). From that time, he was to know less than two years of freedom. He spent only six months
working with Patriarch Tikhon.
Vladika was arrested and exiled in Archangelsk for a year, then he spent six years
(1923-1929) in a labor camp seven versts from Solovki. There at the Filomonov Wharf he and at least two other bishops were
employed in catching fish and mending nets. Paraphrasing the hymns of Pentecost, Archbishop Hilarion remarked, "Formerly,
the fishermen became theologians. Now the theologians have become fishermen."
Archbishop Hilarion was one of the most
popular inmates of the labor camp. He is remembered as tall, robust, and with brownish hair. Personal possessions meant nothing
to him, so he always gave his things away to anyone who asked for them. He never showed annoyance when people disturbed him
or insulted him, but remained cheerful.
In the summer of 1925, Vladika was taken from the camp and placed in the Yaroslav
prison. There he was treated more leniently, and received certain privileges. For example, he was allowed to receive religious
books, and he had pleasant conversations with the warden in his office. St Hilarion regarded his time at the Yaroslav Isolated
Detention Center as the best part of his imprisonment. The following spring he was back at Solovki.
In 1929 the Communists
decided to exile Archbishop Hilarion to Alma-Atu in central Asia. During his trip southward from the far north, St Hilarion
was robbed and endured many privations. When he arrived in Petrograd, he was ill with typhus, infested with parasites and
dressed in rags. When informed that he would have to be shaved, he replied, "You may now do with me whatever you wish." He
wrote from the prison hospital, "My fate will be decided on Saturday, December 15. I doubt I will survive."
St Hilarion
died at the age of forty-four in the hospital of a Petrograd prison on December 15, 1929. His body was placed in a coffin
hastily made from some boards, and then was released to his family. The once tall and robust Archbishop Hilarion had been
transformed by his sufferings into a pitiful white-haired old man. One female relative fainted when she saw the body.
Metropolitan
Seraphim (Chichagov) provided a set of white vestments for the late Archbishop. He was also placed in a better coffin.
Metropolitan
Seraphim presided at the funeral of St Hilarion, assisted by six bishops and several priests. The saint was buried at Novo-Divichy
Monastery.
Source: OCA
St. Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov
Commemorated on October 28
Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan
of Rostov (in the world Daniel Savvich Tuptalo), was born in December 1651 in the locale of Makarovo, not far from Kiev. He
was born into a pious family and grew up a deeply believing Christian. In 1662, soon after his parents resettled to Kiev,
Daniel was sent to the Kiev-Mogilyansk college, where the gifts and remarkable abilities of the youth were first discovered.
He successfully learned the Greek and Latin languages and the entire series of classical sciences. On July 9,1668 Daniel accepted
monastic tonsure with the name Demetrius, in honor of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. Prior to the spring of 1675
he progressed through the monastic obediences at Kiev's Kirillov monastery, where he began his literary and preaching activity.
The Archbishop of Chernigov Lazar (Baranovich) ordained Demetrius as hieromonk on May 23, 1675. For several years
Hieromonk Demetrius lived as an ascetic and preached the Word of God at various monasteries and churches in the Ukraine, Lithuania
and Belarus. It was while he was Igumen of the Maximov monastery,and later the Baturinsk Nikol'sk monastery, in 1684 he was
summoned to the Kiev Caves Lavra. The Superior of the Lavra, Archimandrite Barlaam (Yasinsky), knowing the high spiritual
disposition of his former disciple, his education, his proclivity for scientific work, and also his undoubted literary talent,
entrusted the hieromonk Demetrius with organizing the MENAION, the Lives of the Saints for the whole year.
From this
time, all the rest of St Demetrius's life was devoted to the fulfilling of this ascetic work, grandiose in its scope. The
work demanded an enormous exertion of strength, since it necessitated the gathering and analizing of a multitude of various
sources and to expound them in a fluent language, worthy of the lofty subject of exposition and at the same time accessible
to all believers. Divine assistance did not abandon the saint for his twenty year labor.
According to the testimony
of St Demetrius himself, his soul was filled with impressions of the saints, which strengthened him both in spirit and body,
and they encouraged faith in the felicitous completion of his noble task. At this time, the venerable Demetrius was head of
several monasteries (in succession).
The works of the ascetic brought him to the attention of Patriarch Adrian. In
1701, by decree of Tsar Peter I, Archimandrite Demetrius was summoned to Moscow, where on March 23 at the Dormition cathedral
of the Kremlin he was consecrated as Metropolitan of the Siberian city of Tobolsk. But after a certain while, because of the
importance of his scientific work and the frailty of his health, the saint received a new appointment to Rostov-Yaroslavl,
and on March 1, 1702 assumed his duties as Metropolitan of Rostov.
Just as before, he continued to be concerned about
the strengthening of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, weakened by the "Old Believers" schism.
From his inspired
works and preachings many generations of Russian theologians drew spiritual strength for creativity and prayer. He remains
an example of a saintly, ascetic, non-covetous life for all Orthodox Christians. Upon his death on October 28, 1709, it was
discovered that he had few possessions, except for books and manuscripts.
The glorification of St Demetrius, Metropolitan
of Rostov, took place on April 22, 1757. He is also remembered on September 21, the day of the uncovering of his holy relics.
Source: OCA
Great Prince Alexander Nevsky
Commemorated on May 23 (also, August 30 & November 23)
Alexander Yaroslavich (Александр Ярославич
in Russian), the fourth son of Grand Prince Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich of Vladimir, was born in Pereslavl-Zalessky on May 30, 1219. He was the grandson of Vsevolod III (Big Nest, for his numerous family). Being fourth in line, he was
considered to have no chance of succeeding his father to the throne of Vladimir. In 1239, he married Alexandra, the daughter
of the Prince of Polotsk. After his father was poisoned during a visit to see Uzhedei, the Mongol/Tatar Grand Khan in 1246,
Alexander succeeded as the Grand Prince of Vladimir.
In 1236, he was called by the leaders of Novgorod (formally, Lord Novgorod the Great) as their military
leader in defense against Swedish and German invaders. He was named the Prince of Novgorod. At the time Novgorod was a major trading center and was associated with the Hanseatic League. On July 15, 1240, Alexander and his army surprised the Swedish army in a battle at the confluence of the river Izhora with
the Neva. With his victory over the Swedes, Alexander put an end to a further invasion from the north and increased his political
influence in Russia. However, the victory did not help his relations with the boyars and he soon had to leave Novgorod. In
recognition of his victory the nineteen year old Alexander was given the name "Nevsky" (of the Neva).
In the spring of 1241, the Novgorod leaders again called upon Alexander to defend them from the invading and
crusading Teutonic Knights. Again he and his army stopped the invasion, this time in the famous battle on the ice during the
"Battle on Lake Peipus" near Pskov on April 15, 1242. By defeating, first, the Swedes and then the German Teutonic Knights, Alexander stopped their eastward
expansion for several centuries. However, he fought many more battles against the Swedes, including one defeat in 1256 when
they tried to block Novgorod’s access to the Baltic Sea. With the defeat of the Teutonic Knights, Alexander took to
strengthening the defenses of the Russian lands in the northwest by completing a peace treaty with Norway in 1251.
In the meantime, Mongol/Tatar forces had invaded the Russian lands, sweeping through both the northern and
southern regions, destroying principal cities such as Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Chernigov, Pereaslavl, and reducing Kiev to a small
village. Alexander choose a course of submission and co-operation with the Tatars as he considered that resistance was hopeless.
When in 1247, the Tatars came for tribute, he used his reputation as a hero of Novgorod to convince the citizens of Novgorod
that submission was best under such hopeless conditions. When in 1263 a few towns refused to pay tribute to Tatar tax-collectors,
Alexander made his fourth trip to the Tatar headquarters to beg the khan to stop the Tatar army that was enroute to Novgorod.
While he succeeded, this was his last and most difficult of his service for his people; he died on November 14, 1263 during his journey home. Upon receiving the news of his death, Metropolitan Cyril of Vladimir announced in the cathedral: My dear children, know that the sun of Russia has set. (Source: Orthodox Wiki)
Icon of the Mother of God "the
Joy of All who sorrow" (with coins) in St. Petersburg
Commemorated on July 23
The Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of
All Who Sorrow" (With Coins) was glorified in the year 1888 in Petersburg, when during the time of a terrible thunderstorm
lightning struck in a chapel. All was burned or singed, except for this icon of the Queen of Heaven. It was knocked to the
floor, and the poor box broke open at the same time. Somehow, twelve small coins (half-kopeck pieces), became attached to
the icon. A church was built in 1898 on the site of the chapel.
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| St. Matthew (www.comeandseeicons.com) |
St. Matthew the Apostle & Evangelist
Commemorated on November 16
He was a Galilean, the son of Alphaeus, and was originallynamed Levi. He was a tax-collector
(an occupation despised by the Jews of Palestine) until he met the Lord, who said to him, "Follow me." From that day he was
one of the disciples.
After the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostle was appointed to bring
the Gospel to his fellow Jews, for whom, according to the Church's tradition, he wrote down the Gospel for the first time,
in the Aramaic language, eight years after the Ascension. Some years later,this book was translated into Greek by St. James,
the first Bishop of Jerusalem. No copy in the original language has survived.
Later, St. Matthew traveled to Parthia and the city of Hierapolis (on the Euphrates river)
to proclaim the Gospel to the pagans there. When he is depicted in icons, there is portrayed next him the likeness of a man,
one of the symbolic living creatures mentioned by Ezekiel (1.10), which, as Saint Irenaeus writes, is a symbol of our Saviour's
Incarnation.
 St. Gregory Palamas
Commemorated on November 14
The teaching of St. Gregory is so fundamental to Orthodoxy that he is especially commemorated
each year in Great Lent on the Sunday following the Sunday of Orthodoxy (as well as on Nov. 14); Bishop Kallistos observes
in the English edition of the Philokalia, "his successful defence of the divine and uncreated character of the light
of Tabor...(is) seen as a direct continuation of the preceding celebration, as nothing, less than a renewed Triumph of Orthodoxy."
The son of a prominent family, St. Gregory was born (1296) and raised in Constantinople.
At about age twenty, he abandoned a promising secular career to become a monk on Mt. Athos.(His family joined him en masse:
two of his brothers went with him to the Holy Mountain; at the same time his widowed mother, two of his sisters, and many
of the household servants also entered monastic life.) He spent next twenty years living as a hermit, spending five days a
week in complete solitude, then joining the brethren on weekends for the Divine Liturgy and its accompanying services.
Around 1335 he was called to live a much more public life in defense of the
faith and spirituality of the Church. A Greek living in Italy, Barlaam the Calabrian, had launched an attack on the hesychastic
spirituality of the Church. Fundamentally, Barlaan]m denied that man can attain to a true vision of God Himself, or true union
with Him, in this life. Gregory, recognizing in this an attack on the Christian faith itself, responded. He even left the
Holy Mountain and re-settled in Constantinople so as better to wage the struggle, which had become so public that a Church
Council was called to settle the issue. St. Gregory views were affirmed, and Barlaam's condemned, at the Council of Constantinople
of 1341.
Though Barlaam himself returned to Italy, a series of his followers continued the attack,
eventually resulting in two more Council in 1347 and 1351, both of which affirmed the hesychasts' position. Metropolitan Hierotheos
(The Mind of the Orthodox Church) writes that these councils have "all the marks of an Ecumenical Council;" This,
along with the fact that St. Gregory's view are affirmed in the Synodikon of second Sunday of Great Lent, makes clear that
his teaching is a basic and indispensable part of the Orthodox Faith.
In 1347, St. Gregory was consecrated Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, where he served until
his repose. (He spent a year of this period as the prisoner of Turkish pirates). Despite (or due to?) his austere monastic
background, he was revered by his flock: immediately after his respose in 1359, popular veneration of him sprang up in Thessaloniki,
Constantinople and Mt. Athos and, in 1368, only nine yearsafter his death, the Church officially glorified him as a saint.
St. Gregory was always clear that unceasing mental prayer is not a special calling of
monastics, but is possible and desirable for every Christian in every walk of life. See his "On the Necessity of Constant
Prayer for all Christians."
Source: www.abbamoses.com
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| photo: Reuters/Eliana Aponte |
St. Sava I, Archbishop of Serbia
Commemorated on January 12
The son of Stefan Nemanja, the great Serbian national leader, he was born
in 1169. As a young man he yearned for the spiritual life, which led him to flee to the Holy Mountain, where he became a monk
and with rare zeal followed all the ascetic practices. Nemanja followed his son's example and himself went to the Holy Mountain,
where he lived and ended his days as the monk Simeon.
Sava obtained the independence of the Serbian Church from the Emperor and
the Patriarch, and became its first archbishop. He, together with his father, built the monastery of Hilandar and after that
many other monasteries, churches and schools throughout the land of Serbia. He traveled to the Holy Land on two occasions,
on pilgrimage to the holy places there. He made peace among his brothers, who were in conflict over their rights, and also
between the Serbs and their neighbors.
In creating the Serbian Church, he created the Serbian state and Serbian culture
along with it. He brought peace to all the Balkan peoples, working for the good of all, for which he was venerated and loved
by all on the Balkan peninsula. He gave a Christian soul to the people of Serbia, which survived the fall of the Serbian state.
He died in Trnovo in the reign of King Asen, being taken ill after the Divine
Liturgy on the Feast of the Theophany in 1236. King Vladislav took his body to Mileseva, whence Sinan Pasha removed it, burning
it at Vracar in Belgrade on April 27th, 1594.
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara was from Heliopolis of Phoenicia and lived during the reign of Maximian.
She was the daughter of a certain idolater named Dioscorus. When Barbara came of age,
she was enlightened in her pure heart and secretly believed in the Holy Trinity. About this time Dioscorus began building
a bath-house; before it was finished he was required to go away to attend to certain matters, and in his absence Barbara directed
the workmen to build a third window in addition to the two her Father had commanded. She also inscribed the sign of the Cross
with her finger upon the marble of the bath-house, leaving the saving sign cut as deeply into the marble as if it had been
done with an iron too. (When the Synaxarion of Saint Barbara was written, the marble of the bath-house and the cross inscribed
by Saint Barbara were still preserved, and many healings were worked there.) When Dioscorus returned, he asked why the third
window had been added; Barbara began to declare to him the mystery of the Trinity. Because she refused to renounce her faith,
Dioscorus tortured Barbara inhumanely, and after subjecting her to many sufferings he beheaded her with his own hands, in
the year 290.
Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople
Commemorated on May 29
The Virgin Martyr Theodosia of Constantinople
lived during the eighth century. She was born in answer to the fervent prayers of her parents. After their death, she was
raised at the women's monastery of the holy Martyr Anastasia in Constantinople. St Theodosia became a nun after she distributed
to the poor of what remained of her parental inheritance. She used part of the money to commission gold and silver icons of
the Savior, the Theotokos, and St Anastasia.
When Leo the Isaurian (717-741) ascended the imperial throne, he issued
an edict to destroy holy icons everywhere. Above the Bronze Gates at Constantinople was a bronze icon of the Savior, which
had been there for more than 400 years. In 730, the iconoclast Patriarch Anastasius ordered the icon removed.
The
Virgin Martyr Theodosia and other women rushed to protect the icon and toppled the ladder with the soldier who was carrying
out the command. Then they stoned the impious Patriarch Anastasius, and Emperor Leo ordered soldiers to behead the women.
St Theodosia, an ardent defender of icons, was locked up in prison. For a week they gave her a hundred lashes each day. On
the eighth day, they led her about the city, fiercely beating her along the way. One of the soldiers stabbed the nun in the
throat with a ram's horn, and she received the crown of martyrdom.
The body of the holy virgin martyr was reverently
buried by Christians in the monastery of St Euphemia in Constantinople, near a place called Dexiokratis. The tomb of St Theodosia
was glorified by numerous healings of the sick.
Source: OCA
St. John of the Ladder (Climacus)
March 30
He was born about 579 and came to the monastery at Mount Sinai when he was sixteen, learning
from his spiritual father Martyrius who tonsured him a monk at about age twenty. Martyrius died soon after and John retired
to Tholas, five miles from the monastery, to live as a hermit. He lived in prudent moderation, eating everything allowed in
small amounts. He slept very little and received the grace of continual prayer and the gift of tears. He became famous as
a spiritual guide and received many visitors---so many that some criticized him as a chatterbox! After this criticism he kept
silent for a year, finally speaking only when entreated by those who once criticized him. He visited a large monastery in
Egypt, but continued to live at his hermitage. After forty years at the hermitage, he was elected abbot of the monastery at
Mount Sinai. John was a great spiritual director and he placed great emphasis on mourning for one's sins, attaining inner
stillness, and being constantly in prayer, invoking the name of Jesus. It was for his monks that he wrote his famous book
of monastic direction, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, which is read by monks during Great Lent. In it, he said, "When
we die, we will not be criticized fof having failed to work miracles. We will not be accused of having failed to be theologians
or contemplatives. But we will certainly have to offer some explanation to God for not having mourned unceasingly." Before
his death he resigned as abbot and returned to the quiet of a hermitage. He died in peace in about 649.
Source: "A Daily Calendar of Saints" by Rev. Lawrence R. Farley
St. Athanasios, Patriarch of Alexandria
January 18
Athanasios was a young deacon to the archbishop of Alexandria in Egypt.
When Arias, an elderly priest also from Alexandria, was spreading his heresy that the Holy Trinity was separate and not one
Godhead, Athanasios wrote brilliant sermons entitled "Against the Arians" and spoke well against them at the Council of Nicaea
in 325. When the patriarch died, Athanasios assumed the post at the age of only thirty. Arias had been excommunicated for
his heresy, but when he convinced the emperor that he had accepted the Nicene Creed, Athanasios correctly understood that
he was not to be believed and would not reinstate him. In fact, the Arians would not be defeated for another two hundred years.
Because of his enemies, a years later Athanasios was banished by a synod in Antioch. Instead of imprisonment, he escaped and
did not return this time until the year 345. This is the return commemorated today. In all, he was persecuted by three emperors,
a Bishop Eusebius, by Arians, and others. He hid in a well, a grave, the desert, and private homes, seeking solace and spiritual
counsel from his elder Anthony the Great.
Source: "The Daily Lives, Miracles, and Wisdom of the Saints and Fasting Calendar, 2006" by the Orthodox
Calendar Company
St. John the Soldier
Commemorated on July 30
The Holy Martyr John the Warrior served
in the imperial army of the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). He was sent with other soldiers to seek out and kill Christians.While
appearing to be a persecutor, St John rendered great help to the Christians. He freed those who had been arrested, warned
others of dangers threatening them, and assisted in their flight. St John showed charity not only to Christians, but to all
the destitute and those needing help. He visited with the sick, and he consoled the grieving. When Julian the Apostate learned
about the actions of the saint, he ordered him locked up in prison.
In the year 363 Julian the Apostate was killed
in his war with the Persians. St John was set free and devoted his life to service of neighbor, and he lived in holiness and
purity. He died in his old age.
The precise year of his death is unknown, and the place of burial of St John the Warrior
was gradually forgotten. Then he appeared to a certain devout woman and indicated the location of his tomb. This became known
throughout the region. His uncovered relics were placed in a church of the Apostle John the Theologian in Constantinople.
The Lord granted the relics of St John the Warrior the power of healing. Through the prayers of St John, the aggrieved and
sorrowing received comfort.
In the Russian Church, St John the Warrior is revered as a great intercessor in sorrows
and difficult circumstances. We also pray to him for the recovery of stolen articles.
Source: OCA
St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow is seen illuminated New Year and Christian
decoration. 14 Dec 2005 (photo: Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin)
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| www.comeandseeicons.com |
Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Equals-to-the-Apostles and Teachers
of the Slavs
Commemorated on May 11
Constantine and Methodius were wealthy brothers. They were natives of Thessalonica, a
border city where Greeks and Slavs mixed together. Constantine had a career in the imperial court, but forsook it to live
as a monk. His older brother Methodius had a career in the army which he also forsook for monastic discipline. The two
retired to a monastery in Mount Olympus in 850. In 858, the Khazars of southern Russia asked the emperor to send some missionaries
to them and he sent Constantine and Methodius. They worked among the Khazars for about ten years and then went to Constantinople.
In 862, the Slavs of Moravia asked the emperor for missionaries and the brothers were again sent. The people of Moravia had
already been sent western missionaries, but these missionaries insisted on using Latin and the Moravians wanted to worship
in the their own language. Constantine and Methodius therefore translated the Scriptures and the liturgy for the people into
their own language. They had to invent an alphabet to do this (the so-called "Cyrillic" alphabet). The western missionaries
there were quite hostile to Constantine and Methodius' efforts and accused them interfering with their work. They were
sent to Rome in 868 to explain why they interfered and why they the vernacular in their work instead of Latin. The pope of
Rome agreed with Constantine and Methodius and blessed them to continue using the Slavic vernacular in their mission in Moravia.
While in Rome, Constantine died. He was formally tonsured a monk before his death and given the name Cyril. Methodius returned
to his mission field, having been ordained by the pope as archbishop of Pannonia and Moravia. This added authority did
not help him with his Latin opposition there---the western bishops had him arrested and imprisoned. He was tried and banished
to a prison in faraway Swabia. There he remained until a later pope learned of it in 873 and had him released. He was continually
harassed and accused by the western bishops even though he had the support of Rome. In 881, he was invited to the capital
in Constantinople and was received with honor there. The combined support of Constantinople and Rome at last overcame the
opposition of the western bishops, and he was left by them in peace to do his missionary work. He died in peace in 885. The
work of Cyril and Methodius stands as a testimony to the desire of the Church to have all the nations to the earth hear
the Gospel and worship God in their own vernacular language.
Source: "A Daily Calendar of Saints" by Rev. Lawrence R. Farley
St. Theodosius, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery
and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia
Commemorated on May 3
He was born about 1008 in Vasilev, near Kiev. He spent his boyhood in Kursk
and lived in great piety, often giving away his new clothes to the poor---much to his parents' vexation! After his father
died, his mother was alarmed at his monastic temperament and tried to discourage him from this way. He left her at age twenty-four
to search for a holy guide for his life, He found an ascetic, Anthony, who lived in a cave, and attached himself to him with
devotion, sharing his hard life. He refused to leave the caves in which he lived with the ascetic Anthony, even though his
mother, who came looking for him, burst into tears and begged him to return to her. Theodosius was eventually ordained to
the priesthood and at length he became the abbot there. The community expanded under his leadership and Theodosius moved his
monks to a lager physical facility in 1062. The monastery adopted the rule of the Studium monastery of Constantinople and
also served the poor. Theodosius himself was an example to his monks---he was always the first to enter the church and the
last to leave. He performed the most menial tasks even though he was abbot, such as cleaning out the stables and carrying
water. When his monks went astray, he wept over them as a loving father. Some thought him too lax in discipline but he continued
walking in the way of love. One day Theodosius was away from his monastery, visiting the prince. The prince arranged a coach
to return him to his monastery. The coachman, not knowing who he was and thinking him but a poor beggar monk, roughly told
him to drive while he rested. This Theodosius did without a work of rebuke. They changed places before arriving at the monastery.
There the coachman was aghast to learn that his "beggar" was the great Theodosius, abbot of the monastery favored by the prince.
Theodosius never told anyone of his rough treatment but instead gave orders that the coachman be given a good meal. Such was
his humility. The saint died in peace in 1074, a great light for the Russian people.
Source: "A Daily Calendar of Saints" by Rev. Lawrence R. Farley
St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener
of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas
Commemorated on March 31
Innocent believed in the words of the psalm that said, "The steps of a man are rightly
ordered by the Lord." And this was the theme of the sermon that he asked to be taught at his funeral. He was a nineteenth-century
priest from the Russian village of Anginsk. Innocent believed that the heart cannot resist words of one who abounds in faith
and love, and to this end he took the word of God to as many as he could, from the most remote areas to vast continents.
He even translated the word of God into the six dialects of the local tribes on the island of Sitka, and the Yakut first heard
the word of God because of Innocent. He also translated the Gospel for the Aleuts and wrote one of the finest studies for
Orthodox missionary work, Indication of the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Innocent also helped Saint Nicholas the Apostle
to Japan with his mission work by sharing his own experiences.
Source: "2006 Daily Lives, Miracles and Wisdom of the Saints and Fasting Calendar" by The Orthodox Calendar
Company
St. Alexios the Man of God
Commemorated on March 17
Alexios (Alexis) was the only son of godly, noble and wealthy parents: Euphemianus & his wife, Agalais.
When he was of age, he was compelled to be married. But on his wedding night, he ran away and sailed to Edessa in Mesopotamia,
where the Holy Napkin, bearing the Face of Jesus, was kept. He venerated this Face, donned simple clothes and lived in poverty
for 17 years there, constantly praying on the porch of the Church of the Mother of God. His peputation grew as a holy man.
He fled from the praise of men by taking a ship bound for Laodicea. Thip ship was blown off course, and he was taken right
to Rome. Receiving this as a call from God, he returned to his parent's home and lived as a hermit in a shack in the courtyard.
He did this for 17 years without his parents or his bride (who lived there as well) knowing who he was. He graciously suffered
abuse by the servants. Just before he died, he wrote down who he was on a sheet of paper and clutched it in his hand. He breathed
his last on March 17, 411. Immmediately there was a voice heard in the Church of the Holy Apostles, where the Patriarch and
the Emperor were, saying, "Look for the Man of God." The Emperor and Pope along with their whole entourage were led by the
Spirit to the courtyard of Euphemianus' house. They found Alexis dead in the shack, his face shining like the sun. His parents
and his bride were comforted by the discovery when they realized how he had been glorified. Sweet myrrh flowed from his body
and many who touched him were healed. He was buried in coffen of marble and emerald.
Source: "Come and See" Icons, Books & Art
A 20th-Century Saint
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| A monastery in Greece |
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| Greece |
Jan 22, 2005: Benefit Luncheon for the Monastery's Chapel
Luncheon sponsored by the Velouchi Society (Chapter 9). Hosted by the Building Fund of the Paracletos
Monastery at the Hellenic Center, St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Greenville, SC).
Photos by Charlie Joiner
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| The Velouchi Volunteers |
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| Left to right, Fr. John, the Sisters, Fr. Tom, George (Parish Pres.) and Presbytera |
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| Lauren, Sam, Kathy and Maria |
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| Steve and Jimmy |
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| Sister Miriam & George |
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| A nice gathering, over 250 people came over to support the Monastery |
St. Seraphim of Sarov
January 2
Born in Kurst, Russia in 1759, with the name of Prokhor, the future saint was a son of
devout Christian parents of the merchant class. At the age of eighteen, he entered the monastery in Sarov. He dovoted himself
to saying the Jesus Prayer and continued in humble service in the monastery, baking bread and working in the woodwork shop.
After four years he fell quite ill and was near death. While the brothers prayed for him in church, he had a vision of the
Mother of God in which he was told he would he would recover, which he eventually did. He was finally tonsured a monk in 1786
with the name Seraphim and was ordained priest in 1793. He served liturgy daily and exhorted the people to receive Holy Communion
frequently. Soon he asked for a blessing to live a life od solitude in the nearby forest. Upon obtaining the blessing, he
moved to the forest, during which time he devoted himself to prayer. He prayed for one thousand days upon a hard rock. He
subsisted each week on a loaf of bread and a few vegetables, out of which he fed the animals that came to his cell. Every
Saturday and Sunday he returned to the monastery and served liturgy. Later, he moved into further isolation in the forest,
not returning to the monastery for three years and living in total silence. Ill health brought an order from the monastery
for him to return. After spending another fiver years in solitude within the monastery walls, he then began to receive visitors,
guiding many as a true elder and confessor. He also guided the Diveyevo convent of nuns, whose care he inherited after the
former abbot of Sarov had reposed. One of St. Seraphim's many visitors was Nicholas Motivilov. In a visit with the saint,
Nicholas was him shine with the uncreated light of God. St. Seraphim was a man filled with God. Year round, he would greet
each visitor with the salutation, "Christ is risen, my joy!" He said that the goal of the Christian life was the acquisition
of the Holy Spirit. He died at the age of eighty in 1833 while kneeling in prayer.
Source: "A Daily Calendar of Saints" by Rev. Lawrence R. Farley
St. Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh
Feastday: September 25
Even as a child in the womb, Sergius had the grace of the Holy Spirit. Three times during a service, those
around his mother heard him cry out from within her. From his birth he would not drink milk on Wednesdays, Fridays or other
fast days. As a child, he could not read well until an angel of God blessed him. When his parents died, he realized his own
mortality so acutely that he gave away his belongings and built a hut in the wilderness. At twenty-three years of age, he
was tonsured a monk by a passing priest. In vain, demons would transform themselves into snakes and wild animals to drive
him away. He built a small church and then a monastery that stands today. He prayed, and suddenly a spring appeared, which
also still exists. He raised a child from the dead, cleaned lepers, and caused the blind to see. Monks left their monasteries
to live close to him. An angel of the Lord celebrated the Divine Liturgy with him. He had the gift of clairvoyance and reported
the results of a far-off battle as it was happening. The Theotokos came with Saints Peter and John to bless his monastery.
He foresaw his repose six months in advance. After he died, his countenance was bright, and thirty years, his relics were
incorrupt, fragrant, and healed the sick.
Source: "2006 Daily Lives, Miracles and Wisdom of the Saints"
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| Icon by comeandseeicons.com |
St. Andrew the Apostle, the First-Called
November 30
St. Andrew, the first who was called to be an apostle of Christ. A native
of Bethsaida, he was the elder brother of St. Peter and a fisherman with him on the sea of Galilee. He was a disciple of St.
John the Baptizer (John 1:36ff.) and through John's witness of Jesus, Andrew became Jesus' first follower, believing Him to
be the Messiah.
When Christ called Andrew and Peter from their life as fishermen to
be His disciples, they immediately left all and followed Him (Matt. 4:18ff.). He was one of the Twelve and seems to have had
a special knack for engaging individuals and introducing them to Christ. Thus he brought his brother Simon to Christ (John
1:41), introduced a little lad with five loaves and two fishes to Christ (John 6:8ff.), and even, with Philip, introduced
some Greeks to Him (John 12:20-22). In his later apostolic travels, he went as far as Scythia near the Black Sea (and is therefore
hailed by Russians as their national patron) and established a church in Byzantium on his return. He then went to preach in
Greece.
He was finally martyred by being tied to an X-shaped cross, lingering for some
time and preaching to all who saw him. The martyrdom took place in Patras in Achaia. His relics were kept in Constantinople
until 1210. In the church of St. Andrew on Cephalonia a relic can be found.
St. Andrew is the patron of Scotland, Russia, Greece and fishermen. He is usually
depicted with a cross or fish.
A Gathering with the Sisters
of the Paracletos Greek Orthodox Monastery, Antreville, South Carolina
Saturday, June, 4
St. Photios the Great, Patriarch
of Constantinople
Commemorated on February 6
St. Photios was born around 820 AD to holy parents, who were confessors of the Faith. His parents were persecuted
for defending icons against the iconoclasts and were exiled from Constantinople. His greatness was not only due to his defence
of Orthodoxy against heretical papal practices, but also connected to his love and meekness. He vigorously opposed the addition
of the filioque clause to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, and wrote On the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit to preserve "the
purity of our religion" and to hinder "those who chose to promote any other definition of dogma than the unanimous and common
faith of the pious." This treatise became the pattern for all subsequent Byzantine anti-Latin polemics.
The filioque doctrine, espoused by Western Christian, has its source from Augustine of Hippo (359 - 432
AD). Augustine had a fertile imagination, who could not shake off the Platonic influence of his youth. The doctrine of a 'double
procession of the Holy Spirit' was first adopted in the West at the Synod of Toledo (447 AD), which appears to have
followed Augustine's teachings. This addition was forbidden by the Fourth Ecumenical Council (451 AD). Here is the origin
of the problem that was to agitate the Church for a thousand years. Contentions that the filioque has Biblical foundations
have yet to be demonstrated.
St. Photios was forced to become Patriarch of Constatinople, however he took his calling seriously and at
once set to work as a man of God. One of his activities was to correct the error of pope Nicholas of Rome who enslaved the
people of the West with threats of condemnation to hell for disobedience to the pope. Holy Photios wrote Nicholas "Nothing
is dearer that the Truth." In the same letter he noted "It is truly necessary that we observe all things, but above all, that
which pertains to matters of Faith, in which but a small deviation represents a deadly sin."
As a Father of the Church, St. Photios was also known for his brillance and for his missionary zeal. He
blessed St. Cyril in his work of developing an alphabet for the Slavonic people, and for the later work of St. Cyril and his
brother St. Methodios as missionaries to the Slavonic people.
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
St. John of Kronstadt
A 20th-Century Saint, 1829 - 1908
Commemorated on October 19
The Wonder-Working Father John Sergiev is another of the great elders and
saints who were a part of the spiritual revival started by St. Paisius Velichkovsky. Widely venerated as a saint even during
his lifetime, and the only married parish priest in the Russian calendar of saints, Father John is known for spiritual gifts
of powerful prayer, healing, spiritual insight and great love for all people. He reawakened the Russian Orthodox Church to
the Apostolic tradition of receiving Holy Communion at every Divine Liturgy. This is why he ismost commonly portrayed holding
a Communion chalice, as he is in the Russian icon above.
Born to poor, devout parents in a small in the far north of Russia,
Father John experienced the power of prayer even as a child. While at the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg, he wanted
to be a missionary where he was. Thus he married ans was ordained priest in 1855. He was assigned to the St. Andrew Cathedral
on the Island of Kronstadt, in the bay near St. Petersburg. Kronstadt was filled with unspeakable squalor and misery, disease
and starvation, crime and alcoholism. However, Father John remained there for 53 years as an urban missionary, putting into
action Christ's command to love our neighbor, healing people's bodies and souls, and teaching children whom he especially
loved. As his reputation as a healer and miracle-worker spread the many requests for his help that flowed in were accompanied
by much money, which he used for extensive charitable works, including building a "House of Industry" that provided jobs,
job-training, food, shelter and medical care for the poor.
Father John managed to perfect his holiness, not in a peacful, remote monastery,
but in a large, noisy, dirty, stressful, crime-ridden city, always surrounded by crowds of people everywhere, with time to
himself. He received his strength from the overwhelming awareness of the Presence of God from reading the Bible, and from
daily serving the Divine Litugy and receiving Holy Communion. Every day his cathedral was packed with 5,000 people for Matins
and Litugy: it lasted from 4 am until noon, because there were so many requests for his prayers. After, he healed and prayed
for those who asked his help, treating rich and poor equally, and rarely returned home before midnight. Despite his demanding
schedule, he managed to maintain a spiritual diary of simple and practical Bible-based meditations, published as My Life
in Christ. He teaches that the weapons in spiritual warfare are the traditional Orthodox armor: prayer, repentance, fasting,
reading the Bible, and at least weekly Confession and Holy Communion. Father John was a simple parish priest who was endowed
with an absolute faith in the power of prayer, a power that he used daily, and continues to use, to help people who request
his aid.
Although venerated as saint since before his repose, he was officially glorified/canonized
1988. St. John's relics are located in the crypt of the St. John of Rila Women's Monastery, which he founded in northeastern
St. Petersburg. Today as even throughout the Communist era, flowers were regularly placed outside by the street, on the window
ledge closest to his burial site in the crypt on the other side of the wall.
Source: Jane M. deVyver, M.Th., PH.D.
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| Monastery of Gregoriou, Mount Athos |
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| Church of The Saviour on the Spilt Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia ( Reuters/ Alexander Demianchuk) |
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| Danilov Monastery, Moscow, Russia |
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| Hermitage of St. Andrew (Russian), Karyes, Mount Athos |
St. Seraphim of Virits
Commemorated on March 21
Basil
Muraviev (the future St Seraphim) was born in 1865 in the town of Cheremovsky in the Yaroslavl province. His parents, Nicholas
and Chione, were peasants. When Basil was ten years old, his father died, and he was left to care for his ailing mother and
his sister Olga.
A kind neighbor took Basil with him to St Petersburg, and found him a job as a store clerk. The boy
had a secret desire to become a monk, so one day he went to the St Alexander Nevsky Lavra to speak to one of the Elders about
this. The Elder advised him to remai |
