St. Seraphim of Sarov

St. Seraphim of Sarov was born Prokhor Moshnin in 1754 (some accounts say 1759) at Kursk in Russia, and entered the monastery of Sarov as a young man. After years in the community he withdrew to a hermitage in the forest, where he embraced extraordinary austerities, including, by tradition, praying for a thousand nights upon a rock, and endured a brutal beating by robbers that left him permanently stooped. He is one of the most beloved saints of the Russian Orthodox Church.

After long years of solitude and silence, he opened his door to the countless pilgrims who sought him, greeting each with the radiant salutation "My joy, Christ is risen!" and revealing a heart overflowing with the joy of the Holy Spirit. His teaching that the true aim of the Christian life is "the acquisition of the Holy Spirit," recorded in his famous conversation with Nicholas Motovilov, became a cornerstone of Orthodox spirituality. He died in prayer before an icon of the Mother of God on 2 January 1833 and was glorified as a saint in 1903.