St. Xenia of Petersburg

St. Xenia of Petersburg was born about 1719 or 1730 and lived as the wife of an army colonel and court singer in St. Petersburg. When her husband died suddenly, unprepared and without the sacraments, his young widow was so stricken with concern for his soul that she gave herself wholly to God on his behalf, embracing the demanding path of the "holy fool" for Christ's sake.

Giving away her house and possessions to the poor, she took her dead husband's name and clothing, wandered the streets in poverty, endured mockery and cold, prayed through the nights in the fields, and was seen secretly carrying bricks to help build a church. Her apparent madness veiled a life of hidden prayer and self-denial, and she was granted gifts of foresight and healing, so that the people came to revere her even in her lifetime. She died about 1803, and her chapel in St. Petersburg became a place of pilgrimage. Glorified as a saint in 1988, she is a beloved intercessor, especially for families, marriage, and employment.