The entire history of Christianity is permeated with amazing feats of faith of true servants of God. At various times, ordinary people, monks, and hierarchs of the Orthodox Church were canonized as saints. All these people in their earthly life were united by one thing - a sincere desire to serve the Lord and fulfill His Will. Everyone had their own path, and it was always difficult. But now we can turn to these saints with our requests, troubles and sorrows, and if we do this with sincere faith, help will definitely come. One of the ascetics of the twentieth century, to whom many Orthodox Christians pray, is St. Tikhon. Prayer to Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, helps in a variety of cases.
Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow
Troparion, tone 1:
The apostolic traditions of the zealot / and the good shepherd of the Christ Church, / who laid down his soul for the sheep, / chosen by God’s lot, / All-Russian Patriarch Tikhon, / and to him with faith and let us cry out in hope:/ by the intercession of the saints to the Lord/ keep the Russian Church in silence,/ Gather her scattered children into one flock, / convert those who have departed from the right faith to repentance, / save our country from internecine warfare, / and ask for the peace of God for people.
Troparion, tone 3:
In a difficult time, you were chosen by God / in perfect holiness and love of God you glorified, / in humility you showed greatness, in simplicity and meekness you revealed the power of God, / you laid down your soul for God for your people,/ Patriarchal Confessor Saint Tikhon,/ pray to Christ God,/ You were crucified with Him, // and now to save the Russian land and Your flock.
Kontakion, voice 2:
Decorated with calmness of disposition,/ showing meekness and mercy to those who repent,/ in confession of the Orthodox faith and love for the Lord/ you remained firm and unyielding,/ to Saint Tikhon of Christ,/ praying for May we not be separated from the love of God, // including Christ Jesus, Our Lord.
Greatness
We magnify you,/ to the holy hierarch Father Tikhon,/ and we honor your holy memory,/ for you pray for us// Christ our God.
Prayer
Oh, our good shepherd, holy great Patriarch Tikhon! As you have appeared as a city on high, your good deeds still shine before men. We, like you, stand before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, with great boldness in prayers before the Lord. Look now at us, sinners and unworthy of your children, for you, because you have great boldness before the Creator of all things, now we fall down and earnestly pray: pray to the Lord, may He give us the determination to acquire the piety of our fathers, which you have acquired from your youth. In your life you were a zealous protector and guardian of the true faith, and help us to unshakably observe the Orthodox faith. For your quiet soul has greatly succeeded in Divine humility: teach us also to nourish our minds not with the turbulent human wisdom, but with the humble knowledge of the will of God. In the face of the fierce enemies of Christ, you boldly confessed the true God: with your prayer strengthen us, the faint-hearted, so that we too will always and everywhere resist the spirit of godlessness and flattery. To her, saint of God, do not despise us who pray to you, for we ask not only for deliverance from troubles and sorrows, but for strength and firmness, generosity and love, so that we can endure these misfortunes that come upon us . Ask us for unflagging patience even until the end of our lives, peace with the Lord and remission of sins. Holy Father! Tame the winds of unbelief and unrest in our country, may the Lord bring silence and piety and unhypocritical love to the Russian lands: with your prayers may you save us from internecine warfare, may you strengthen This is our holy Orthodox Church: may it not lack true shepherds, good workers, rightly ruling the word of the gospel truth; God forbid also the lost sheep of the flock of Christ. Most of all, pray to the Lord for strength, so that the Russian land will be reborn with holy repentance and with one heart and one mouth glorify the wondrous God in His saints in the Trinity, glorifying the Father, and the Son, and the Holy ago of the Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Who is Patriarch Tikhon and when can you pray to him?
Patriarch Tikhon became the first primate of the Russian Orthodox Church after the restoration of the institution of patriarchy in Russia in 1918. It is difficult to imagine a more difficult period for the Russian church than the first years of Soviet power. Constant persecution, repression, executions and arrests of church leaders and ordinary believers - this was only the beginning of many decades of oppression of the church.
Read about modern church ministers:
- Archpriest Andrey Tkachev
- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill
Bishop Tikhon had to repeatedly publicly declare the irreconcilable position of the Church in relation to the ongoing lawlessness. Despite the fact that he never called for resistance to Soviet power, but only for resolving conflicts peacefully, the primate was convicted of anti-Soviet agitation.
Important. It was through the labors and prayers of its primate that the Russian Orthodox Church managed to survive the first difficult years of Soviet power.
Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow
Having a deep spiritual education, even before his ordination to the patriarchal ministry, Saint Tikhon was also engaged in teaching practice. He taught at a theological seminary and even served as rector. That is why now everyone who receives spiritual education prays to him and strives to bring the Word of God to people.
Despite the highest position of the church hierarch, Patriarch Tikhon was a simple and modest person in his communication. He always prayed a lot and fervently, which earned him respect among the clergy even during his earthly life.
The testimony of one of the guards who guarded the Bishop during his house arrest is interesting. The soldier didn’t say anything bad about the bishop, he just noticed that he prayed a lot at night, so you wouldn’t fall asleep with him on duty.
This love for prayer helped the saint survive during all the persecutions. Looking at the example of the archpastor of the Russian Church, it is useful for every person to follow his example and never give up prayer work anywhere. And the spirit-bearing patriarch will help everyone in such an endeavor.
It is generally accepted that they pray to Patriarch Tikhon:
- students of spiritual specialties;
- missionaries;
- future preachers;
- everyone who needs admonition or strengthening of faith.
If the person praying has a desire to ask the saint for something else, then he can do it. The most important rule is that prayer should come from the heart, and what is asked should not harm anyone.
Patriarch Tikhon serves a prayer service, 1918, Moscow
Miracles of the saint's healings
During the veneration of the relics of Patriarch Tikhon, miracles of healing from:
- long-term chronic diseases;
- mutilation;
- mental illnesses.
It is significant that healing is preceded by a special sign - the appearance of the ruler in a dream.
Relics of the saint in the Donskoy Monastery
Iconographic image
Prayer helps to heal from various diseases
Life of Patriarch Tikhon
The saint lived during a difficult time. He had to endure a lot of grief and terrible events. When considering the short life of Patriarch Tikhon, we need to start with his birth.
- He was born in 1865 in the family of a rural priest of the Pskov diocese. In the world he bore the name Vasily. The boy spent his childhood and adolescence in rural labor. Already from a young age, Tikhon was distinguished by a special religious attitude and love for the Church.
- Vasily studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary. His fellow students loved him and had respect for him. The boy was very fast in his studies.
- At the age of 23, he graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and was appointed to be a teacher at the Pskov Theological Seminary. He was also a favorite in his native land.
- At the age of 26, striving for God with all his pure soul, he became a monk. Almost the entire city gathered to receive Vasily’s tonsure. After which he was given the name Tikhon.
- At the age of 34, Patriarch Tikhon was enthroned and he was appointed vicar of the Kholm diocese. And on September 14, 1898, Bishop Tikhon was sent to serve in the American diocese in the rank of Aleutian.
- Leading the Orthodox Church in America, Tikhon did a lot of different things to spread the Orthodox faith. He also took part in the construction of churches for Orthodox Russian people. It is worth noting that the Americans elected him an honorary US citizen.
- In 1907 the saint returned to Russia. Immediately after his arrival, he was appointed to the Yaroslavl department.
Years of the Patriarchate of St. Tikhon
Not long after his return, the war began. In 1914, after he was transferred to Vilna, Tikhon made many different donations to various charities. He did everything he could to help the unfortunate inhabitants of the Vilnius region, who, thanks to the war with the Germans, lost their home and means of subsistence.
After the revolution and the formation of the new Synod, Bishop Tikhon became its member. During the congress of laity and clergy, which took place in 1917, he was elected ruling bishop. A little later that year, the Local Council opened in Moscow, and Tikhon, becoming a participant, was elected chairman of the Council.
The purpose of the Council was to restore the life of the Russian Orthodox Church on canonical principles. Also, the Local Council set itself a very important goal, which was to restore the patriarchate; the Patriarch was elected by lot. There were three candidates in total for this position.
After the solemn Liturgy and prayer service on November 5, the schema-monastery of Zosimova Hermitage took out one of the three lots with the name of the candidate from the reliquary. He turned out to be Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow. Despite the fact that he was entrusted with the leadership of the Church, the Patriarch did not change and was an approachable and kind person. But the gentleness in the saint’s character did not prevent him from being firm in church affairs. Because it was necessary to protect the Church from enemies.
It is worth noting that the years of the patriarchate were quite difficult, because they fell during a period of general church ruin. In addition, the whole situation was complicated by many external circumstances. At that time, there was just a change in the political mood, there was a civil war, there was famine, etc. This was a time when the clergy was persecuted and persecuted. The Church was persecuted by massive repressions.
Saint Tikhon called on the people to serve God. He was able to gather together the drained forces of the Church and inaugurate the great beginning of revival through repentance. His life was an example for everyone.
Arrest of Patriarch Tikhon
In 1922, the authorities began to take away their values from the churches. At the same time, the authorities sought to strengthen the renovationist “church,” which was created by a group of adventurers. It was created to create the appearance of spiritual freedom. The legitimate Patriarch Tikhon was accused of carrying out counter-revolutionary activities.
Such an accusation was brought against the patriarch, obviously, because in mid-1921 he joined the created famine relief committee. He called on all church and parish councils to donate church values to the benefit of the needy population.
In May 1922, it was announced to the saint that he would be kept under arrest. The head of the Church was imprisoned as a “witness.” He was accused of supporting high treason. At the end of 1923, Patriarch Tikhon was released.
The Patriarch endured all the hardships and struggles of the church very painfully. All the church upheavals, constant work to eliminate and pacify church life, sleepless nights, imprisonment, persecution from enemies undermined his good health.
Beginning in 1924, the Patriarch began to get very sick. In mid-spring 1925, he served his last Liturgy and two days later he died. It is said that in the last moments of his life he turned to God.
Almost a million people came to say goodbye to Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow. The large cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow could not accommodate those who said goodbye for a hundred hours.
Throughout his life, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow did a lot of good deeds for the church. He did a lot of work to strengthen the Orthodox faith during difficult years of trials.
Workers' boots
Perhaps the most piercing memories of Patriarch Tikhon were compiled by those of his contemporaries who were not privy to the intricacies of church-state relations of those years and simply saw in His Holiness the persecuted shepherd of the Church of Christ.
Anastasia Tsvetaeva, in her memoirs (“On Miracles and the Wonderful”), already in 1990, recalled how she and her son went to the Donskoy Monastery to support the imprisoned Patriarch Tikhon.
“Then Patriarch Tikhon was in the Donskoy Monastery (Moscow),” writes Anastasia Tsvetaeva, “in a position that was not entirely clear to his flock, but at certain hours of the day he went out for a walk along the long elevation above the courtyard,” and the believers who came to see him, he walked around from above and blessed. So I and my then ten or eleven year old son went to the Donskoy Monastery.
We (Muscovites) did not know how the Patriarch was fed, and whoever could tried to bring him something: the years in the country were not easy, after the civil war, revolution and devastation, the NEP must have begun (the new economic policy introduced after the famine Lenin). Therefore, I (after years when my son and I ate dried potatoes for a long time - live vegetables were an unattainable delicacy) got hold of about 400 grams of granulated sugar.
And also, not knowing how the Patriarch lives there, whether he has icons, I took with me a colored, on cardboard - 30x20 centimeters, icon of the Mother of God with the Child, behind Her shoulder was the distance and, finely - Golgotha, 3 crosses, illuminated light. The yard was full of people. I handed the icon along with the bag of sugar, rejoicing at his joy in this icon. But... disappointment, disappointment! The icon was returned to me. But in an instant, grief became happiness! On the back, on the cardboard was written: “BLESSINGS.” Patriarch Tikhon."
Son Andrei pulled the icon towards him. I kissed, and my son kissed after me. He held the icon, people came to us and, one after another, in line, people kissed themselves - under the signature, and looked at the icon of the Mother of God, which was held by a boy with a childish bang of light brown hair, gray big eyes, regular features and joy on his face. He looked like the youth Bartholomew (from Nesterov’s painting), who had a vision of an angel in the form of an old man. I had this icon intact until the hour of my arrest in 1937.”
Holy Patriarch Tikhon in captivity in the Donskoy Monastery. Source: days.ru
Bakunin’s doctor says that when the Patriarch was in the hospital on Ostozhenka, believers from all over Moscow expressed their support for him:
“There was always a crowd in the waiting room who had to be convinced to give the patient peace. Twice deputations came to him from factory workers, the former Prokhorov and some other. They brought him gifts. The workers brought him a pair of good morocco boots with white rabbit fur, in which he later always went to church services and of which he was very proud. In the frosty winter, these boots were truly a salvation for him. He received church vestments from another working delegation.”
According to the doctor, after Tikhon’s death, GPU officers confiscated numerous gifts from believers from his room:
“When the Patriarch’s body was taken away, his room was sealed. A few days later, Tuchkov arrived and, in the presence of the administration of the hospital and Metropolitan Peter, made an inventory of things.
Among the things, 4,000 rubles were found, which Tuchkov took with the words: “They will be useful to us.” This was money collected by parishioners and given to the Patriarch. They lay in a basket near the bed, and the Patriarch told me about them: “The parishioners want to build me a house, they collected money. Otherwise, the room in the monastery is low, cramped and very uncomfortable. When a lot of people gather, you can’t breathe.” The Patriarch’s favorite boots, a gift from the workers, were taken by Metropolitan Peter.”
As Bakunina recalls, on the day of the funeral of Patriarch Tikhon, despite the danger of persecution, people came in an endless stream to say goodbye to His Holiness, and among them were representatives of all classes:
“In the Donskoy Monastery, where the body of the Patriarch was displayed for four days, people crowded day and night. A live queue clogged the entire Donskaya Street. On the day of the funeral, a stream of people poured into the monastery of admirers of the deceased, and there were people of all classes and ages in the crowd. The monastery itself was black with people: the entire courtyard, stairs, steps, niches in the walls were occupied.”
At the same time, according to Bakunina, a completely opposite picture was presented in the Soviet press: “In the newspapers about the death of the Patriarch, a small note was printed among the rest of the chronicle. It was said that the funeral of the Patriarch attracted little public, and what was striking was “the complete absence of workers and peasants among this audience.”
Death and veneration
One day Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk dreamed that he was climbing a staircase to heaven. Many hands supported him on this difficult journey. These were prayers that were read for him on earth. Due to health reasons, in 1769 the bishop asked to retire; he chose the Zadonsky Monastery (Voronezh region) as a place to live. In 1783, he died quietly, leaving a great spiritual legacy and good memory among his contemporaries.
The people began to turn to the saint and after his death, many testimonies of miraculous help were collected. Therefore, the bishop was recognized as a saint, his relics were discovered in the 2nd half of the 19th century. During the time of the Bolsheviks, like many, they were transferred to the museum of atheism, and only after the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus' they were returned to the Church.
Prayers to Tikhon of Zadonsk are read about healing from various types of addictions, from attacks of despondency, for enlightenment of the soul and success in studying the Holy Scriptures. The saint compiled many works - on spiritual treasures, sermons, instructions to those who decided to become monks, teachings about the Christian faith.
