Feast of St. Sergius of Radonezh

Feast of St. Sergius of Radonezh

September 25 is the feast day of the patron saint of Russia, St. Sergius of Radonezh. In his lifetime he was renowned as a great conciliator, and he is considered the father of Russian monastic life.

Christened Bartholomew upon his birth in Rostov at around 1314, he would take the name Sergius at his ordination to the priesthood. His parents Cyril and Mary were of noble descent but were forced to flee to the village of Radonezh and assume the lives of peasants due to the military campaigns of the Russian princes. Bartholomew was thus raised in poverty. Since his childhood, he had wanted to be a pustiniky—a hermit or “wilderness man”—and became one on his parents' death in 1335. He built a hut and a chapel out of wood in the forest of Makovka, and a priest was sent from Kiev to sanctify the chapel in the name of the Holy Trinity. It was at this time that Bartholomew took the name of Sergius. He spent several years in complete, prayerful solitude before followers gathered at Holy Trinity seeking the same life of austerity and simplicity. Eventually, Sergius was asked to be abbot of this community, a title he reluctantly accepted, although he refused an offer to become Metropolitan of Moscow.

It is said that, during his years in the forest, Sergius demonstrated the gift of healing and performed many miracles, even raising a man from the dead. The visions of the Blessed Mother he is alleged to have had are frequently depicted in icons and paintings. There were numerous reports of him giving his food to the needy, including a bear cub who visited him daily, as well as making toys for the local children. Many people, from peasants to bishops and heads of state, sought his counsel, and he became renowned for his wisdom and skills at settling disputes.

In 1380 Prince Dimitri Donskoi of Moscow sought Sergius for a blessing as he embarked on a military campaign against the invading Mongol Tartars who had been terrorizing the Russians for years. While bestowing his blessing upon Prince Dimitri, Sergius told him, “God will be with you.” The Russians proceeded to defeat the Tartars soundly, enabling Moscow to grow in importance to the Russian people and empire. After this victory at Kulikovo, in which the formerly fragmented Russian principalities united to defeat a common foe behind a single prince, Sergius and the Holy Trinity Monastery were seen as instruments of unity for the country. Sergius went on to found 40 additional monasteries throughout Russia, essentially replacing those which the Tartars had destroyed during their years of invasion.

After Sergius died in 1392, miracles continued to be associated with him, and he is said to have appeared in visions to many people. The original Holy Trinity Church was destroyed in a fire but was rebuilt of white stone in 1422, at which time the builders discovered Sergius's relics incorrupt (meaning that his body had not decayed), even though he had been buried for 30 years. Pilgrims who viewed the relics continued to report miracles associated with Sergius, who was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1449 and accepted as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Pius XII in the 20th century. In addition to his feast day on September 25, another day is observed on July 5, commemorating the opening of his relics.