St. Philaret

St. Philaret of Moscow was born Vasily Drozdov on 26 December 1782 at Kolomna near Moscow, the son of a deacon. A brilliant scholar and preacher, he rose swiftly in the Russian Orthodox Church and served as Metropolitan of Moscow for nearly half a century, from 1821 until his death, becoming the most influential churchman of nineteenth-century Russia and a trusted counselor even in affairs of state.

He is remembered above all as a theologian and teacher of the faith. He composed the Longer Catechism of the Orthodox Church, which for generations formed the religious instruction of the Russian people, and he was the guiding force behind the monumental translation of the whole Bible into modern Russian, making the Scriptures accessible to ordinary believers. He also helped draft the decree that emancipated the serfs in 1861. Renowned for his wisdom, eloquence, and personal asceticism, he died on 2 December 1867 and was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1994.