Posted on 08/01/2009 12:38:05 PM PDT by pobeda1945
NIZHNY NOVGOROD, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Orthodox Church is commemorating St. Seraphim of Sarov, one of Russia's most prominent monks and ascetics who lived in the 18th-19th centuries.
Over 15,000 people took part in festive events dedicated to the finding of St. Seraphim's relics, kept in the Holy Trinity St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent. The celebrations were held in the village of Diveyevo in the Nizhny Novgorod Region crossed by the Volga River, where the saint lived in the final period of his life.
"Father Seraphim unites us all. We see him attract thousands of people, heal their wounds, and they find peace in their hearts, and peace in your heart is a great joy," Archbishop George of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas said.
Seraphim was born in 1754, and given the name Prokhor. His father Isidore died soon, and he was raised by his mother Agathia. At the age of seven, the child fell from a bell tower but remained unharmed.
Pious since childhood, he became a monk in 1786. He fasted and prayed a lot, and was given the gift of working miracles and healing diseases. Seraphim, whose own diseases were cured several times by the Mother of God, died in 1833 and was canonized in 1903.
One of the saint's most popular quotes is: "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved."
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