The Stories of the Saints of North America
By clicking on each of the individual saints above, you will be able to read his story.
St. Patriarch Tikhon
Saint Patriarch Tikhon was the great and holy Patriarch of the Russian Church during the last days of Holy Russia, and the terrible and fateful days of the Revolution. Father Alexey Young (now Monk Ambrose) quoted one of his biographers, and a contemporary of his:
The Saint's English language biographer Jane Swan,has written: "It is difficult to assess the greatness ofTikhon....His spiritual growth was far beyond that of the ordinarymortal." This finds agreement with the opinion of the Saint'scontemporary, Prof. Pavel Zaichenko: "in speaking about BishopTikhon, I am seized with reverent trepidation This was a giantamong Russian Orthodox hierarchs; he was truly worthy of the honorand respect of the entire Christian world.”
He was born in 1865 to a rural priest, Ioann Belavin, and he spent his early years close to peasants and their labor. His father had a vision of his (deceased) mother, who prophesied that one of his sons would die young, another would be unfortunate throughout his life, and another would be a great man; all proved to be true.
He graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, and later took monastic vows, taking the name of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. He was consecrated Bishop in 1897 in the Kholm diocese, and a year later, he was appointed Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska in 1898, and his cathedral was in San Francisco. He blessed the construction and consecrated the cathedral of St. Nicholas in New York City. But he did not spend all of his time in cathedrals of large cities. He also traveled by kayak and dogsled across wilderness lands, encouraging missionary development not only by clergy and missionaries, but lay people as well. His parishes grew from 15 to 70, and there grew two seminaries, a third was founded in Alaska, as well as a school for women with an affiliated orphanage.
Throughout his ministry, he remained the same simple, kind, gentle, open man he always had been, and was loved by people everywhere he went, and mourned when he left.
In February of 1907, he was called back to Russia, where, as Father Alexei said, “… his Golgotha and his glory awaited him.” In accepting the will of the Church when elected Patriarch in 1917, he referred to the scroll that Ezekiel had to eat, on which was written, “Lamentations, mourning, and woe.” Please read Father Alexey’s moving account in the first reference below.
Holy St. Tikhon, pray to God for us.
Patriarch St. Tikhon is commemorated on October 5 according to the calendar of the ancient Church (October 18 according to the New Style calendar) with the other Holy Hierarchs Of Moscow.
Troparion in Tone IV:
O primates of Russia, true preservers of the Traditions of the apostles, unshakable pillars, instructors in Orthodoxy, Peter, Alexis, Jonah, Philip, Hermogenes & Tikhon: entreat the Master of all that He grant peace to the whole world and great mercy to our souls.
Kontakion in Tone III:
Piously did ye live among holy hierarchs; and ye guided the people toward divine knowledge, and were well pleasing unto God. Wherefore, ye have been glorified by Him with incorruption and miracles, as disciples of the grace of God.
For more reading about the life of St. Tikhon:
St. Tikhon of Moscow Patriarch of Moscow and Apostle to America
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