There are many paths of holiness. Some acquire the Holy Spirit through intense prayer and asceticism. Others find God in the material relief they bring to the poor and destitute. Others still achieve sanctity in the married life and the raising of children. Life in the priestly service of Christ’s Church has also been among those many paths trodden by the saints.
In Our Righteous Father John of Kronstadt we see the intersection of all these paths of holiness. He was truly a man of apostolic stature.
Priestly Life. Father John is for many priests, along with St. John Chrysostom, the paragon of Orthodox Priesthood. His entire life was filled with his priestly work in the slum that was Kronstadt at the time. He celebrated the Divine Liturgy every single morning, and his work in such a large parish community kept him out until nearly midnight every night.
Philanthropic Life. It is hard to imagine how a poor priest in a poor district could be such a profound example of a philanthropist. It is in many ways easy, however, for a priest to quote the Scripture, “If any one will not work, let him not eat.” (2 Thess. 3.10) Father John would teach this and then provide industry for the impoverished. Through his own labors and powerful provocation, those with means became generous and poorhouses were erected in Kronstadt where the destitute were empowered to work with their hands and put bread on the table. Investment was made into schools through the efforts of Father John and monasteries were also built. Large sums of money would be handed to the saint and would just as quickly be passed on to the nearest poor man, and the same would frequently happen with his own meager wages from the Church. Money had no hold on him.
Ascetic Life. Father John did not live in a monastery but this in no way meant his asceticism paled in comparison. As can be imagined, he had to follow a strict rule in order to celebrate the Divine Liturgy every morning, and thus coming home every night at midnight, he only had around 3 hours of sleep before he was up again to say his prayers and prepare for the divine services. Despite such little sleep, he did not refuel with substantive dinners. Accounts from others, including the American priest, St. Alexander Hotivitzky, describe his hospitality as one who enjoyed watching others relish in good food but scarcely partook himself. He also would ask his wife to eat with him, because otherwise he had no appetite. Like money, food had no hold on him. Saint John was also famously celibate from beginning to end of his marriage. He was so advanced in spiritual discipline that he served as a spiritual father to monastics, and Saint Silouan the Athonite attributed his own early progress in the ascetic life to the prayers of Father John, which he sought just before leaving for the Holy Mountain.
Married Life. Though some might struggle to consider a man who lives in celibacy with his wife as really married, in many ways it is the brotherly and sisterly love that exists between a man and a wife that is most important, as it is this sort of love that continues into the eschaton where the romantic love no longer remains. Father John and Matushka Elizabeth were deeply devoted to one another and no one was more convinced of his sanctity than was she. He nurtured her in poor health even when he was physically suffering and exhausted from priestly service. The two of them also raised their niece in part and he oversaw her education with tender care.
Holiness is rare among men. Rarer still is one who can take so many paths of holiness and negotiate the give-and-take of each path so well as to synthesize a single path leading directly into the heart of Christ. But such was our Righteous Father John of Kronstadt. We are endlessly grateful to have him as our heavenly protector in this parish.
Righteous Father John, pray to God for us!
Saint John’s Actual Signature