St. Innocent of Irkutsk

St. Innocent of Irkutsk was born Ivan Kulchitsky about 1680, of a noble family in the Ukrainian lands of the Russian Empire. A learned monk and teacher, he was consecrated a bishop and originally destined to lead a mission to China, but when political obstacles closed that door, he was left for a time without a see, bearing the uncertainty with patience and humility.

In 1727 he was appointed the first bishop of Irkutsk in the vast wilderness of eastern Siberia, and there he labored zealously among a scattered and rough population, evangelizing the native peoples, founding schools, and caring for his poor and far-flung flock in a harsh land. He governed the diocese only a few years before his death on 27 November 1731. His body was later found incorrupt, and many miracles were reported at his tomb, so that he came to be venerated as a wonderworker and heavenly protector of Siberia. He was glorified as a saint in 1804, and his memory is kept on 26 November.