A sojourner upon the earth, thou didst reach the heavenly homeland, O Paisius. Ascetic of goodly love, thou didst teach teach the faithful to lift up their minds on high, and to cry out unto the Lord God with all their heart, ‘O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’.

Troparion, Tone 2

St. Paisius Velichkovsky, the patron Saint of our monastery, was a great pillar of Orthodox spirituality and benefited countless numbers of people through his translation work and his way of life. Upon his death, he was the spiritual father of over 1,000 monks. Because of his humility, his life and works are relatively unknown compared to those of other Saints, and we wish to share some articles about him for the edification and benefit of the faithful.

Some of St. Paisius’ disciples brought his teachings to Russia, which can be seen most clearly in the revival of the renowned Optina Monastery. Multitudes of people flocked to Optina Monastery to receive spiritual instruction and consolation from the saintly Elders, who were spiritual disciples of St. Paisius Velichkovsky. Below are some articles containing a brief overview of their lives.

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  The Elders of Optina: Elder Leonid
  Those who encountered him received an impression of undaunted strength and majestic calm that gave them a sense of peace and confidence, so that in his presence hearts opened to God, and disappointments and evil thoughts vanished…