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The Child SchemaMonk Bogolep

Commemorated on July 24

The Child SchemaMonk Bogolep was the son of a Moscow nobleman Yakov Lukich Umakov and his wife Ekatarina. He was born in 1660 at Moscow. During Baptism they gave the new-born the name Boris, in honour of the holy nobleborn Prince PassionBearer ("Strastoterpets") Boris (Comm. 24 July).
Umakov was appointed voevoda (military-commander) in the city of Chernyi Yar, situated 250 versts from Astrakhan. He was known for his integrity. Boris from infancy displayed unusual traits. On Wednesdays and Fridays he would not suckle the milk from his mother's breasts; when the bells pealed at the church, he began to cry and at once became quiet, when they brought him into the church. When they did not take the infant to church, he cried all day and ate nothing.
In 1662 a deadly pestilence spread about in Russia. The child fell ill – the pestilence afflicted him in the legs. He became lame, but continued to walk to church. The parents prayed about the health of their son and they tried everything in their power, that he would be healed. But no sooner had the one illness gone, than upon his face there appeared another, called scales.
One time during his illness the child saw a wandering monk, who visited at their home. The angelic garb so impressed the child, that he began to implore his parents to dew him suchlike garb and permit him to take monastic tonsure. Amidst this the holy lad proclaimed: "Lo, ye wilt see for yourselves, when ye tonsure and grant me the angelic garb, I shall be well". The parents consented. The child was invested in the schema with the name Bogolep (the Russian version of the Greek name Theoprepios, meaning – "in the semblance of God"). On the next day the holy schema-monk was completely healthy, his face was clear and there remained not a trace of the illness. But on the third day there was a new illness, he was feverish, and it mortally struck down the lad. He died on 1 August 1667 and was buried at the left wall of the wooden Chernoyarsk church in honour of the Resurrection of Christ. (This church was erected, following a great conflagration in Chernyi Yar, in the year 1652 on 24 July, the day of memory of Saint Boris). Over the grave of the lad was built a chapel.
Numerous miracles of healing through the prayers of the holy SchemaMonk Bogolep appear to be the basis of establishing the feastday to him on his name-day in common ("tezoimenitstvo") with the holy nobleborn Prince Boris – 24 July.
The life of the holy SchemaMonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Chernoyarsk merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732.
Icons of the saint, with the tropar and kondak to him, were widely dispersed throughout the Astrakhan region.
In 1750 on the place of the wooden church was built a stone church with a side‑altar in honour of the holy Martyr John the Warrior. The grave of the holy schema‑monk was enclosed in this side-altar. The bank of the river, at which the church of the Resurrection of Christ was situated, was constantly eroding. By the mid XIX Century the structure of the church was threatened, and they removed all the holy things from it. But for a long time the Chernoyarsk people did not remove the chief holy thing – the grave of the holy schema-monk. Finally, in 1851 when the water had already approached 2 arshin [4 ft. 8 in.], the people recoursed to the MostHoly Synod with a request to transfer the holy remains of the Schema-Monk Bogolep, and they received permission for this. The small child's coffin was laid bare, but just when the city head took it into his hands, it slid out from his hands and together with the crumbled earth it disappeared into the waters of the Volga.
This disappearance just at the opening of the grave was accepted as happening at the Will of God, since the holy lad had repeatedly appeared to many either in sleep, or awake while walking along the river bank or coming down the hill. Amidst this he gave the consolation, that spiritually he would be present with believers.
The simple life, but full of the mysteries of God, of the holy Schema-Monk Bogolep manifests the power of the words of the Saviour concerning children: "Let the children come unto Me and hinder them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I tell ye: whoso cometh not to the Kingdom of God as a little child, shalt not enter therein. And, having hugged them, He raised His hands over them and He blessed them" (Mk. 10: 14‑16).

Saint Tryphon, Archimandrite of Vyatka

Commemorated on October 8

Saint Tryphon, Archimandrite of Vyatka, came of pious parents, living in the Archangelsk diocese. His parents intended to marry Tryphon off, but from his youth, he desired the monastic life, and he secretly left his home for the city of Ustiug, where he took up residence with a parish priest who dwelt in strict fasting and prayer. He then lived in the town of Orletsa near the church, enduring hunger and cold, and from there he moved on to the Pyshkorsk monastery at the River Kama. Here St Tryphon was received into the monastic life and was tonsured under Igumen Barlaam. The 22-year-old monk did not miss a single church service, and he performed his obedience in the bakery. When he fell grievously ill, St Nicholas appeared to him and healed him, encouraging him in ascetic effort.

In search of solitude, the monk went to the Mulyanka River and settled at the place where the city Perm is now. Here he converted to Christianity the pagan Ostyaks and Voguli. Then St Tryphon withdrew to the River Chusova and founded a monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In 1580 he arrived in the city of Khynov in Vyatsk diocese, and he also founded a monastery there in honor of the Dormition and was made Archimandrite. Being a strict ascetic, he wore an hairshirt on his body and also heavy chains. The soul of the Elder longed to enlighten the lost with the light of faith in Christ. He devoted all his energy to this holy effort.

Before his death, St Tryphon wrote a last testament to the brethren, in which he says, "Fathers and brethren, the flock gathered about Christ! Heed me, a sinner. Though I am coarse and worse than any, God and His All-Pure Mother have permitted me, a sinner, to manage His household. I beseech you, for the sake of the Lord and His Mother, to have spiritual love among yourselves. Without this no virtue is complete before God. The lips of Christ spoke to the disciples, "Love one another" (John. 13:34). And in the words of the Apostle Paul, "Bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6: 2). Do not condemn one another before God, whether in the temple or in the cell, either alone or in common with the brethren. Pray with the fear of God. And by no means neglect church singing; although there are other matters, hasten to church to God for spiritual song. First give to God what is God's, and then fulfill the other matters." St Tryphon fell asleep in the Lord in old age in 1612. He was buried in the Vyatka monastery he founded.

Sounds like a Russian Orthodox version of Little Nellie of Holy God - only infinitely less mawkish.

Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia

Commemorated on April 27

St Stephen, Igumen of the Caves, Bishop of Vladimir in Volhynia, pursued asceticism at the Kiev Caves monastery under the guidance of St Theodosius (May 3). St Theodosius sometimes entrusted him to exhort the brethren with edifying words.

Before the death of St Theodosius the monks asked him to appoint St Stephen as Igumen, who was the domesticus (chief arranger for the choir). "He grew up under your instruction," they said, "and he served you. Give him to us." So St Theodosius transferred the guidance of the monastery to St Stephen.

During his tenure as Superior, he laid the foundations of a spacious church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, begun under St Theodosius. The cells of the brethren were moved near the new church. At the front of the place there were several cells for monks who were entrusted with burying the dead. They served the Divine Liturgy each day, and also commemorated the dead.

In 1078 St Stephen was removed from office and driven from the monastery through the malice of an evil monk. He endured his meekly and without bitterness, and continued to pray for those who had turned against him.

St Stephen learned that master builders had come from Greece with an icon of the Theotokos, and they told him of the appearance of the Heavenly Queen at Blachernae. Because of this, St Stephen also built a church at Klovo in honor of the Theotokos (in memory of the Placing of Her Robe at Blachernae). The monastery was founded in thanksgiving for solicitude of the Most Holy Theotokos for the Caves monastery.

In 1091 St Stephen was made Bishop of Vladimir in Volhynia, and he participated in the transfer of the relics of St Theodosius from the cave to the monastery (August 14). He also labored to convert the inhabitants of Volhynia to Christianity.

St Stephen died on April 27, 1094 during the sixth hour of the night.


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St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker

Commemorated on May 22

The Holy Martyr John-Vladimir, a Serbian prince, was born in the tenth century. From his childhood he was raised in piety, and at maturity he wisely governed his holdings Illyria and Dalmatia, preserving the holy Faith in purity.

The noble prince was married to Kosara, a daughter of the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel. Summoned for talks with the Bulgarian Tsar John-Vladislav, he was treacherously murdered by the Tsar on May 22, 1015, at the entrance to a church. Kosara, the pious spouse of the holy prince, entered a women's monastery that she built, and where also she died, not leaving the church until the very end of her life. The relics of the holy prince are located near Elbosan.

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Venerable Dorothy of Kashin

Commemorated on September 24

Saint Dorothy of Kashin was born in 1549 of a noble family. No information has come down to us about her name before she became a nun, or the place of her birth. From the age of twelve, she lived in a climate of civil unrest, and the area was subject to rebellion, invasion, and plague.

Later, she was married to Theodore Ladygin, and they lived north of Moscow in the region where the city of Kashin is located. They had a son named Michael. Dorothy's husband was killed at the beginning of the seventeenth century defending the city in a battle against Polish and Lithuanian invaders. She was close to sixty years old at that time.

After suffering this terrible loss, St Dorothy decided to leave the world and enter the women's monastery of the Meeting of the Lord in Kashin. In this same monastery were the relics of St Anna of Kashin (October 2). The monastery had been sacked along with the city, so conditions there were anything but easy.

St Dorothy built a small cell in the ruins, and there she engaged in ascetical struggles. She found the Korsun icon of the Mother of God (October 9) in the debris and kept it in her cell. This icon later became known for its miracles.

She did not move to another monastery when she grew older, but preferred to remain in the semi-wilderness around Kashin. She tried to help those who were suffering during this time, encouraging and consoling them. Whatever money she had left after her husband's death was used to restore the monastery, or to benefit the poor.

St Dorothy had once lived in luxury, but now she was reduced to poverty, enduring every affliction and sorrow with great patience. She prayed continually for her husband, her monastery, and the city of Kashin.

Once the danger had passed, the other nuns started coming back to the monastery. St Dorothy's holy and virtuous life also inspired other women to become nuns. They all wanted her as their abbess, but St Dorothy refused this office, preferring to live as a humble nun. For the rest of her life, however, she was an example to the sisters.

In 1615, St Dorothy received the Great Schema and increased her spiritual efforts. She fell asleep in the Lord when she was about eighty on September 24, 1629 after living in the monastery for more than twenty years.

She was buried on the north side of the monastery church. A white memorial stone was placed over her grave, and the inscription was clearly legible until the twentieth century. Many miracles have taken place at her grave for those who entreat her with faith.

Alexandr:

Christ is in our midst!! He is and always will be!!

These lives of little known saints reminds me of something I once read that said that God has many flowers in His garden that He takes delight in and many kinds are little known to others.

BOB

Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia

Commemorated on March 23

Righteous Basil of Mangazea: St Basil was born in the town of Yaroslavl around 1587. His father was a merchant, but the family was very poor. As a child, Basil spent much of his time in church, praying fervently and participating in the divine services.

When he was twelve, the boy set out to earn his living. After a difficult journey through wild forests, he came to the Russian village of Mangazea in Siberia on the River Taz. This was an area inhabited by Mongols and indigenous peoples of Siberia.

After stopping to pray in the village church, St Basil found a job with a local merchant. The merchant was a person of low moral character and did not believe in God, so while he appreciated Basil's work, he did not care for the boy's religious inclinations. Soon the cruel merchant came to hate his clerk and began to mistreat him.

During the Matins of Pascha, thieves robbed the merchant's shop. The merchant discovered the theft and went to the governor, accusing Basil of being one of the thieves. So great was the merchant's hatred of Basil that he falsely accused the young man. The governor did not even bother to investigate the charges, but had Basil arrested and tortured to make him admit his guilt. In spite of unbearable tortures, the saint kept saying, "I am innocent."

Enraged by Basil's endurance and meekness, the merchant struck him in the head with a ring of keys. St Basil fell to the floor and surrendered his soul to God. The governor ordered that the saint's body be placed in a coffin and buried in a swamp.

After several years, the servants who disposed of the body began to speak about the child's murder. Soon all the residents of Mangazea knew that the saint's relics were in the swamp. Because of many signs that took place, people began to address prayers to St Basil. Forty-two years after the unjust murder of the saint, his coffin was removed from the swamp and his holy relics were found to be incorrupt. A chapel was built over his grave, and in 1670 the relics were placed in the church of Holy Trinity Monastery near Turakhanov.

In 1719 the holy Metropolitan Philotheus of Siberia (May 31) sent a carved reliquary to the monastery. Many miracles took place there, and St Basil helped Metropolitan Philotheus on many occasions

A new stone church was built at Holy Trinity Monastery in 1787, and the relics were transferred there.

In iconography, St Basil is portrayed as a young man with light brown hair, bare-footed and wearing only a shirt. He is also depicted on the Abaletsk Icon "Of the Sign" (July 20, November 27).

Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake

Commemorated on March 20

Saint Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, in the world Ephraim, was born in Karelia near Lake Ladoga in the second half of the sixteenth century. In his youth he lived near the Valaamo monastery, and later he moved to Novgorod the Great. After he spent some time there, the saint then withdrew to one of the Novgorod outskirts, the Bezhetsk "pentary" [one fifth of the "Pyatiny Novgorodskiya," comprising five outlying districts of Novgorod the Great].

He became helper at church services in the village of Doloska, twenty versts from the city of Ustiuzhna of Zhelezopolska. He was tonsured at the Tikhvin Dormition monastery. In 1600 he began his wilderness life in the wild marshlands on the shore of Blue Lake. Here the saint set up a cross and dug a cave. The saint lived here for two years, eating only wild vegetation.

Unexpectedly, people from neighboring villages found him, and they began coming to him for guidance, and several remained to live with him. In 1612, when Polish military detachments were laying waste to Russia, many people were saved by hiding at his wilderness monastery.

St Euphrosynus predicted that the Poles would come into this wilderness, and he advised everyone to flee. Many did not believe him. "Why then don't you leave this place yourself?" they asked. The Elder replied, "I have come here to die for Christ." Those who obeyed the saint and left the monastery were spared, but all those who stayed died a horrible death.

St Jonah had also been one of the inhabitants of the monastery. Terrified by the prediction of St Euphrosynus, he wanted to flee with the others. But St Euphrosynus held him back, inspiring the monk with zeal for the house of God and a readiness to remain in the monastery until his death.

"Brother Jonah," said St Euphrosynus, "why this cowardly fear in your soul? When the battle begins, then courage must be shown. We vowed to live and die in the wilderness. We must be faithful to our word, given before the Lord. In such a case, death results in peace. It is another matter for the laity. They are not bound by their word, and they must spare themselves for the sake of their children."

After this St Euphrosynus dressed himself in the schema, and spent the whole night in prayer. On the following day, March 20, Polish forces fell upon the monastery. Attired as a schemamonk, the saint emerged from his cell and stood with upraised cross. The enemy said to him, "Old man, give us the monastery's valuables."

"All my possessions, and those of this monastery, are in the church of the All-Pure Mother of God," he replied. He was referring to spiritual treasures which cannot be stolen. Not understanding this, the thugs rushed to the church, and one of them drew a sword and struck St Euphrosynus on the neck. His neck was cut half way through, and the holy Elder fell to the ground dead. When the Poles returned, angered that they had found nothing in the church, one of them struck the saint's head with an axe. St Jonah also perished in the attack.

A certain pious Christian, Ioann Suma, had also stayed at the monastery with the monks. When the Poles burst onto the scene, he was in the saint's cell. Despite the grievous wounds he received from these ruffians, Ioann remained alive, but unconscious. After the departure of the Poles, he regained his senses and told his son Emilian what had transpired.

The nearby inhabitants learned from them about the destruction of the monastery and the martyric death of St Euphrosynus. The saint's body was reverently buried on March 28. On this same day they also buried St Jonah and all the others who had perished under the sword.

Thirty-four years after the death of the saint, a new church was built by a certain Moses, and dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. With the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius of Novgorod, the incorrupt relics of St Euphrosynus were transferred to a new reliquary beneath the belfry on March 25, 1655.

St Euphrosynus was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 29, 1912.


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St Simeon of Verkhoturye
Commemorated Sept 12 and Dec. 18

Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye was a nobleman, but he concealed his origin and led the life of a beggar. He walked through the villages and for free sewed half-coats and other clothes, primarily for the poor. While doing this he deliberately failed to sew something, either a glove, or a scarf, for which he endured abuse from his customers.

The ascetic wandered much, but most often he lived at a churchyard of the village of Merkushinsk not far from the city of Verkhoturye (on the outskirts of Perm). St Simeon loved nature in the Urals, and while joyfully contemplated its majestic beauty, he would raise up a thoughtful glance towards the Creator of the world. In his free time, the saint loved to go fishing in the tranquility of solitude. This reminded him of the disciples of Christ, whose work he continued, guiding the local people in the true Faith. His conversations were a seed of grace, from which gradually grew the abundant fruits of the Spirit in the Urals and in Siberia, where the saint is especially revered.

St Simeon of Verkhoturye died in 1642, when he was 35 years of age. He was buried in the Merkushinsk graveyard by the church of the Archangel Michael.

On September 12, 1704, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philotheus of Tobolsk, the holy relics of St Simeon were transferred from the church of the Archangel Michael to the Verkhoturye monastery in the name of St Nicholas.

St Simeon worked many miracles after his death. He frequently appeared to the sick in dreams and healed them, and he brought to their senses those fallen into the disease of drunkenness. A peculiarity of the saint's appearances was that with the healing of bodily infirmities, he also gave instruction and guidance for the soul.

The memory of St Simeon of Verkhoturye is celebrated also on December 18, on the day of his glorification (1694).

The following letter came to the monastery
from Elena Aleksandrovna D-va from Saint Petersburg:
Hello! I would like to tell you about the healing of our young parishioner, the 10-year old Pavel Petrov.
In August his family was vacationing at their summer home outside the city (in the village of Sosnovo, over 100 km from Saint Petersburg). The parents were out of the house � they weren�t gone for long � and the children, ages 10 to 12, were playing. The children had gotten hold of some gun powder. Their playing ended with an explosion. Pavel suffered serious burns on his face and arms. His face was completely burned. His eyebrows and eyelashes burned off, there was a serious burn on his forehead, the hair above the forehead was burned off. This happened on Friday, August 3 in the evening. His mother, the handmaid of God Natalia, a very deeply believing person, washed his face and eyes with holy water blessed at Theophany, and with water from the spring of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. His face was entirely black from the powder and the wound. In the regional trauma clinic he was anesthetized and would have been sent to the hospital, but the mother refused, and they returned to Sosnovo. During the night the boy shouted and cried from the severe pain, and so they had to go into the city. The boy was examined at the Main Ophthalmological Hospital on Liteiny prospect, where they have the most modern medical equipment. The diagnosis: second-degree burns of the retinas of both eyes. That in addition to second-degree burns of the upper part of the face, edema and festering.


The grave of holy righteous Simeon
On August 4, the day of the holy Equal to the Apostles Mary Magdalene, I was in church. Sergei, Pavel�s father came up to me in a downcast state. He told me what had happened and asked me to pray for his son. That evening I gave the suffering father the holy things I had brought from Merkushino: a small bottle of holy water from the grave of Saint Simeon, a vial of holy oil, an akathist, life and icon of the Saint and an audio cassette with a recording of the akathist. I told him that in the life of the righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye it says that many healings of the eyes occur through his prayers.
Saturday and Sunday were very difficult days for Pasha � neither gels nor ointments brought him any help. His whole face was a single, festering edema. It was only on the third day that his mother washed Pasha�s face and eyes with the holy water from Simeon of Verkhoturye. He didn�t give in easily; it was very painful, but his mother very carefully, and with prayer, washed his entire face. She anointed the places where his skin had been with oil from Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye. It was especially difficult to wash his eyes, as they were closed tight from swelling and pus.
All this took place at the dacha, that is, while his mother was busy with housework, the garden and the kitchen. Besides that, there was always someone visiting them. She washed Pasha�s eyes and face and left him in the bedroom, while she went to take care of other matters. Ten minutes later, Pasha came out onto the porch with his eyes open and shouted, �I CAN SEE!� His father came straightaway from work, and much joy ensued.
About five days later they returned to the city and took Pasha to be examined by an experienced ophthalmologist: the first eye � completely whole! 100%. The second eye � completely whole! 100%. That is, his vision was restored and no burns were found on the retinas.
And the parents glorified God and the holy righteous Simeon, the wonderworker of Verkhoturye. And instead of going to Finland, where their priest had blessed them to go for a week�s vacation, the whole family went to Solovki. And on August 19, the monastery�s feast day, they were at the patriarchal service on the archipelago of Solovki.
With deepest respect.
Holy righteous Simeon, pray to God for us!
Of course, the healing action of God�s grace strengthens many, many people in their faith. Thus Saint Simeon, while healing the body, grants healing also to our souls, in the words of the akathist: Rejoice, for thou healest the passions of the soul! Rejoice, for thou healest the ailments of the body! Rejoice healer of infirmities of all who call upon thee in faith!

Saint Simeon, while healing the body, grants healing also to our souls, in the words of the akathist: Rejoice, for thou healest the passions of the soul! Rejoice, for thou healest the ailments of the body! Rejoice healer of infirmities of all who call upon thee in faith!

AMEN!

Thank you for this wonderful testimony of God's love for his people.

Thank you St. Simeon for your intercession in the healing of this child. You are merciful our God.