Name John Kronstadt | Role Presbyter | |
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Died December 20, 1908, Kronstadt, Russia Books My Life in Christ: Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God: Extracts from the Diary of St. John of Kronstadt (Archpriest John Iliytch Sergieff) Parents Ilia Mikhailovich Sergiev, Feodora Vlasievna Sergieva | ||
The life os saint john of kronstadt part 1 out of 4
Saint John of Kronstadt (Russian: Иоанн Кронштадтский) (19 October 1829, Sura, Arkhangelsk–20 December 1908, Kronstadt) was a Russian Orthodox Christian presbyter and a member of the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Contents
- The life os saint john of kronstadt part 1 out of 4
- The life os Saint JOHN OF KRONSTADT part 4 out of 4
- Biography
- Translations of his works
- References
The life os Saint JOHN OF KRONSTADT part 4 out of 4
Biography
The Wonder-Working Father John Sergiev was one of the great elders and saints who participated the spiritual revival started by St. Paisius Velichkovsky (1722-1794). 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 his spiritual gifts of powerful prayer, healing, spiritual insight and great love for all people. He also reawakened the Russian Orthodox Church to the Apostolic tradition of receiving Holy Communion at every Divine Liturgy. For this reason he is most commonly portrayed holding a Communion chalice.
He was born as Ivan Ilyich Sergiyev (Russian: Иван Ильич Сергиев) on 19 October 1829 at Sura, near the White Sea, in Russia.
From 1855 he worked as a priest in Saint Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt, the naval base near St Petersburg. Here he committed himself to charity, especially to those who were remote from the Church, and travelled extensively throughout the Russian empire. He was a member of the conservative Union of the Russian People, but did not commit himself politically.
In the early 1890s St. Father John became well known, and people from all over Russia came to him every day in thousands. Even the dying Tsar Alexander III of Russia, in 1894, summoned Father John to Livadia Palace (in the Crimea) so he receive communion from the holy man.
In 1909 Nicholas II wrote an order to establish the commemoration of St. John in the Church. Subsequently the Holy Synod issued an edict to commemorate St. Father John annually on the day of his death.
Father John was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in 1964, and by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990. Archbishop John Maximovitch of Shanghai and San Francisco (later also glorified as a Saint) played an active role in preparation of St. John's canonization. His life and work are commemorated on the feast days of 20 December and October 19.
Many churches around the world and the Ioannovsky Convent (the second largest monastic community in St Petersburg) are dedicated to St. John of Kronstadt.