August 1 (July 19 according to the Julian Calendar) marks the 120th anniversary of the canonisation of our father among the saints St Seraphim of Sarov the Miracle-Worker (1903)
The Holy Venerable Seraphim of Sarov (before taking Holy Orders, Prokhor Sidorovich Moshnin) (1754-1833) was born into the family of a merchant from Kursk. He entered the Sarov Monastery as a novice and in 1786 was tonsured a monk. He was ordained a hierodeacon, and afterward a hieromonk (priest-monk). In 1793 he became a hermit. He spent 1000 days and nights in prayer on a rock. He was attacked by thieves who beat him to an inch of his life and left him permanently disfigured. In 1810 he returned to the monastery, but continued his life of seclusion until 1827. He was blessed with 12 appearances of the Mother of God. He was a shining exemplar of Orthodox piety and loyalty.
St. Seraphim was glorified a saint in 1903 at the insistence of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearer Emperor Nicholas II, despite the original opposition of the Holy Synod. The Emperor personally participated in the canonisation ceremonies.
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After the Revolution, the holy relics of St. Seraphim were desecrated and lost. In 1991, they were discovered and solemnly transferred to the Diveevo Convent. In 2003, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, attended the celebrations in Sarov of the 100th anniversary of the canonisation of the Holy Venerable Seraphim.
St. Seraphim is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on January 2/15 and July 19/August 1.
Troparion, Tone 4:
You loved Christ from your youth, O blessed one, / and longing to work for Him alone you struggled in the wilderness in constant prayer and labor. / With penitent heart and great love for Christ you were favored by the Mother of God. / Therefore we cry to you: / “Save us by your prayers, venerable Seraphim, our father.”
Prayer to St. Seraphim of Sarov (Prayer 1 after the repeating of Ekos 1 and Kontakion 1 at the conclusion of the Akathist to the Holy Venerable Seraphim of Sarov):
O most wondrous Father Seraphim, thou great wonder-worker of Sarov, ready helper of all that have recourse to thee! During thine earthly life none went away from thee empty and without consolation, but the sight of thy face and the kindly sound of thy words was sweetness to all, for to them the gift of healing, the gift of clairvoyance, the gift of treating afflicted souls, appeared abundant in thee. And when God summoned thee from thine earthly labours to heavenly rest, in no wise did thy love abandon us, and it is not possible to count they miracles, which are as numerous as the stars in heaven. For lo, thou dost appear unto the people of God throughout all the ends of our world, and dost grant them healing. Wherefore, we cry out to thee: O most gentle and meek saint of God, bold intercessor before Him that dost in no wise turn away them that call upon thee: offer up thy mighty prayer for us unto the Lord of hosts. That He strengthen the realm of our GRAND DUCHESS and grant us all that is needful in this life and all that is profitable for the salvation of our souls, that He keep us from falling into sin and teach us true repentance, wherein without incurring offence we may enter into the heavenly Kingdom, where thou dost now shine in unfading glory, and there with all the saints hymn the life-originating Trinity, unto the end of the ages. Amen.
The sermon by His Holiness Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia after the Divine Liturgy on the anniversary of the glorification of the Holy Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, 1 August 2003.
Your Holiness! Your Beatitude! Venerable representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches, fellow archpastors, all-honorable mother-abbess, dear fathers, brothers, and sisters!
I extend my heartfelt greetings to all of you who have gathered together in Sarov to celebrate the Holy Venerable Seraphim of Sarov on the day that we commemorate his memory, and on the day of the 100th anniversary of his glorification as a saint.
The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov combined in himself the spiritual feats of both renouncing the world and serving the world. He set an example of a truly Christian life, leading thousands of people to the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Visible proof of his labours is the Holy Trinity-St. Seraphim-Diveevo Convent. Like many holy places of our country, this convent was reduced to ruins during the years of persecution of the Christian faith. But today, we are experiencing the joy of the revival of this convent—a revival that was predicted by St. Seraphim of Sarov himself. The impressive restoration work we see has been carried out in a short time. Through the combined efforts of nuns, workers, pilgrims, and benefactors, the convent itself and everything that surrounds it have been completely transformed. The grand church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the point of origin of the Diveevo convent, is being repaired, and the Holy Kanavka pathway of the Mother of God, consecrated through the prayerful struggles of the venerable elder himself, is being restored.
My dear and beloved brother archpastors, all-honorable fathers, and dear brothers and sisters! Today is the final day of Church celebrations dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the canonisation of St. Seraphim of Sarov. I would like to thank sincerely everyone who has come to this holy land in Sarov: His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman, the delegation from the many other Local Orthodox Churches, the most reverend archpastors of our Holy Church, rectors, abbots of dozens of monasteries and convents, monks and nuns, pastors and clergy, and many thousands of pious laypeople who have gathered here from every corner of Russia, and from the near abroad and from more distant lands, in the Diveevo Convent. May the Lord bless your spiritual labours, may He visit pilgrims with His grace, many of whom have come to here in lengthy and arduous processions. I am especially glad that among the pilgrims there are many young people who fervently revere the holy ascetic of Sarov.
I also welcome Her Imperial Highness The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, and other representatives of the Romanoff family; His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams; representatives of different branches and levels of the Russian government; leaders of various public groups and associations; and the journalists who are covering our celebrations for the news media.
I would like to express my gratitude to the highest levels of government of the Russian Federation for the support they have shown for these celebrations and for the restoration of the Holy Trinity-St. Seraphim-Diveevo Convent.
Yesterday, when he was in Sarov, President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin asked me to present on his behalf an icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov to the Diveevo Convent and to all those who live here, as a commemorative gift from the Head of the Russian State, who is with us today in spirit.
I also want to present to the convent a copy of the icon of the Pochaev Mother of God. It is a gift from those who had vowed that this holy icon would one day return to the Holy Trinity-St. Seraphim-Diveevo Convent.
I would also like to convey my special thanks to the representative of the President of the Volga Federal District, Sergei Vladilenovich Kirienko, and his staff. But I want to say more than just some cursory words of gratitude to Sergei Vladilenovich. He took an active and decisive part in the work of the organizing committee for these anniversary celebrations, serving together with Metropolitan Filaret as co-chairman. And so I want here, before the gathered people of God, to present Sergei Vladilenovich with the Russian Orthodox Church’s Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, First Class.
I also want to present the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, First Class, to the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gennadii Maksimovich Khodyrev, in recognition of his key contributions to today’s celebrations. From the moment of his appointment to this high post, he has always helped the Church, especially during the preparations for these celebrations in Sarov.
I believe it is meet and right also to acknowledge the labours of Bishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas in the preparations for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the glorification of St. Seraphim, and to award him the Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Second Class. During the first 6 months of his service in the Nizhny Novgorod eparchy, Bishop Georgy has done so much for these celebrations that we have participated in over these past several days.
What can we wish for each of you, dear brothers and sisters, when you return from Sarov to your loved ones and to your relatives at home? I sincerely hope that you all will take back with you to your separate homes the grace of the Lord in your heart. I wish that the special love that was part of the very nature of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov will also touch our hearts.
We remember that the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov greeted those who came to him with the words: “My joy, Christ is Risen!” The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov was the bearer of Paschal joy—the joy of the Risen Lord our Savior. And I want to remind you once again, as I did last night, that one of the Saint’s predictions was that “in the middle of the summer they will sing Pascha.” Is it not Easter today for us, when together we glorify the memory and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the canonisation of St. Seraphim of Sarov? And I greet all of you who have gathered for the celebrations at the Holy Trinity-St. Seraphim-Diveevo Convent with the words of the eternal, living Paschal greeting, which so pleases the heart of every Orthodox Christian:
Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!
Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!
Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!
May you all take home with you the joy of Pascha from being here in the company of St. Seraphim of Sarov! May each of you, through us lowly ones, hear his joyful Paschal greeting and the words: “Rejoice, Christ is Risen, my joy!”
May the prayers of St. Seraphim of Sarov give strength to all of you, give you fortitude and courage, and offer to each of us inner spiritual peace on our path of life!
I wish you a blessed feast day, my dear ones!
For the text of the sermon in the original Russian, see: https://sedmitza.ru/text/417947.html.