St. Petersburg, June 17, 2025
Photo: spbda.ru
June 14 marked the 35th anniversary of the Patriarchate of Moscow’s 1990 canonization of St. John of Kronstadt, one of the greatest saints of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church as a whole.
The 19th–20th-century wonderworker was previously canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in 1964.
The All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy at the St. John of Rila Convent in St. Petersburg, home to the relics of St. John of Kronstadt, were led by His Grace Bishop Siluan of Peterhof, rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. He was joined by clergy from the monastery, the Academy, the St. Petersburg Metropolia, and other dioceses, the monastery reports.
Upon arriving at the monastery, the bishop descended to the burial church where he venerated St. John’s relics and offered prayers to the saint. The services were conducted in the monastery’s upper church dedicated to the Assembly of the Twelve Apostles. The Liturgy concluded with a procession around the monastery, after which Bp. Siluan delivered a homily.
Photo: spbda.ru
In his sermon, His Grace described St. John as “one of our most beloved saints” who “walked on this earth as we do” and was “truly an earthly angel, and at the same time can be called a heavenly man.”
The bishop emphasized St. John’s accessibility to believers, noting that “he lived not so long ago, he left behind diaries and works, much can be read and heard about him.” He praised the saint’s honesty about his spiritual struggles: “He was not ashamed to describe his falls, he was not ashamed to open his inner mysterious world on the pages of his diaries.”
Bp. Siluan encouraged the faithful to follow St. John’s example of “zealous, pure and honest walking before the eyes of our Creator,” emphasizing that “it depends on us to truly consciously live this life.” He noted that St. John’s teachings remain eternally relevant: “All his instructions and advice will never lose their relevance. Even 350 years will pass from the day the Holy Church glorified him among the saints, but his words and diary entries, his prayers and instructions will always be fresh and important.”
The bishop concluded by expressing gratitude for having “such a great intercessor for our Fatherland, for our Church, for our families, for each of us, as is St. John of Kronstadt.”
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