Seraphima: Name Day and Patron Saint

Prokhor Moshnin was born in Kursk in 1754 and was preserved unharmed as a boy when he fell from a bell tower. Entering Sarov Monastery, he became the monk Seraphim and then withdrew to a forest hermitage, where wild beasts came to eat bread from his hand and he prayed for a thousand days and nights upon a rock. Having acquired peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit, he taught, “Acquire the spirit of peace, and a thousand souls around you will be saved.” After years of silence he opened his door to all, greeting every visitor, in any season, with “Christ is Risen, my joy!” He healed many, cared lovingly for the Diveyevo sisters, and reposed on his knees before an icon of the Theotokos on January 2, 1833. Glorified in 1903, he is one of the most beloved saints of Russia. Orthodox Christians pray to Saint Seraphim for healing, peace of heart and help in every distress.

What the faithful pray for

• peace of soul and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit
• healing of illness and injury
• help in despair, anxiety and fear
• protection from temptation
• wisdom in family decisions and the upbringing of children
• the choice of one’s path in life
• true repentance
• joy in Christ

Protection

• the despairing and anxious
• the sick and injured
• souls beset by temptation
• monastics and the Diveyevo sisters

Miracles

• Living as a hermit, he fed bears, wolves and foxes from his hand, and a bear obeyed him and ran errands for him. (source)
• He prayed for 1,000 days and nights on a rock with upraised hands, saying ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ (source)
• People recovered sight, hearing, speech and the use of their legs after praying to him and bathing in his spring at Sarov. (source)

Read the life of St Seraphim of Sarov