Elder Barsanuphius of Optina akathist in Honor of Her Miraculous

in Honor of Her Miraculous Icon

Known for her compassion

few have made use of what Fr

she gave generously to those in need

and of God’s presence in the intense suffering he experienced

Elder Barsanuphius of Optina akathist in Honor of Her MiraculousElder Barsanuphius (18451913), a disciple of Elder Anatole (Zertsalov) and Elder Nektary, was a highly cultured man and a successful colonel before entering the monastic life at a relatively late age. Due to his purity of heart and spiritual sobriety, he was transformed by God into a grace filled Elder virtually overnight. The period before the first World War and the Russian Revolution was a complex one. The world was seething in unprecedented