“Our Holy Righteous Father, Theodore, pray to God for us! Elder Theodore of Tomsk prayer Theodore of Tomsk what he prays for.

Kontakion 1

Ikos 1

Rejoice, image of deep humility.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 2

Ikos 2

Rejoice, leader of the sources of salvation.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 3

Ikos 3

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 4

Ikos 4

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 5

Ikos 5

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 6

Through fasting and prayer you enslaved your flesh and spirit and lived for the spiritual glory of God: for this reason, now that you stand before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, let us sing the song: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

Rejoice, you who despise the vanity and charm of this world.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 7

You appeared as an intercessor before the Lord for everyone, righteous Theodora. For this reason, we also come running under your roof, seeking salvation, for we are all imams who help you in all your needs and in all times of troubles and temptations. For this reason, we cry out to God with gratitude: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 8

Ikos 8

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 9

Ikos 9

Rejoice, having sought Him all the days of your life and set your intention in Him.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 10

Your saving feat, righteously, has reached the end, you have given up your holy soul to prayer in the hand of God, even as the Holy Angels lifted up the Mountain to the Throne of the Almighty, so that you may stand with all the saints in the eternal glory, singing the song of praise of the saints to the Most Holy Word: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

Rejoice, pillar of patience.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 11

Ikos 11

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 12

Knowing the grace from God given to you, we now diligently pray to you, righteous Theodora: pour out a warm prayer for us to the Lord, that He may preserve His Holy Church unharmed from heresies and schisms, and may all the Orthodox have mercy and save those who cry out to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 13

Chosen miracle worker and wonderful servant of Christ, our quick helper and prayer book, righteous Father Theodore! The Lord who magnified you, let us sing praises to you, flowing to the race of your relics. But you, because you have boldness towards the Lord, free us from all troubles, calling:

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

O righteous Father Theodore! Accept this song of praise, offered to you with love and faith, and mercifully bow down from the heavenly heights, as a loving father, intercede with faith and love for those who honor sins, forgiveness of sins, correction of life, a peaceful Christian death and not reviled by the spirits of evil. And appear then, O Father, driving away the fear of death from your faithful servants and honorers of your most sacred memory, comfortably creating the separation of the soul from the body and the fierce ordeals of the passage of your mighty to the Lord through prayer and intercession, grace, generosity and love for mankind of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ and His Most Holy Mother, and through your merciful intercession for us. We hope to receive all this forgiveness and on the day of the Last Judgment to receive the right hand with all those who have pleased God. Amen.

Kontakion 1

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Ikos 1

Leading angel in the flesh, righteous Theodora, sent from God, may you show in men the image of true piety and good deeds, marveling at His path, revealed in your temporary life, and glorifying the greatness of His compassion, in tenderness? We cry out to you with our hearts:

Rejoice, brave conqueror of invisible enemies.

Rejoice, diligent fulfiller of God's commandments.

Rejoice, purest mirror of virtues.

Rejoice, image of deep humility.?

Rejoice, zealous executor of God's will.

Rejoice, healing of the souls of the weak.

Rejoice, for through you I have learned to walk the charmless path of salvation.

Rejoice, for through your intercession we hope to receive salvation for us.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 2

Seeing the kindness of your soul, the Provider of God, direct your thoughts to the search for the only thing you need. But you, having desired this, have become accustomed to continually cry out to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

Having a divinely enlightened mind, you have understood, O all-valid one, according to the words of the Apostle, that the most necessary thing of all is piety,? You also tried to enrich your soul, diligently remaining in prayer and teaching the word of God. For this sake, I will please people:

Rejoice, treasure of Divine understanding.

Rejoice, having learned to fulfill Divine desires.

Rejoice, river, flooded with the water of God's grace.

Rejoice, thou art worthy to receive the understanding of the Divine Scriptures.

Rejoice, leader of the sources of salvation.?

Rejoice, you who unenviably taught the waters of incorruption to those who desire.

Rejoice, you who teach victory in mental warfare.

Rejoice, having abolished all the machinations of the enemy.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 3

The power of the Most High is infused into your pure, immaculate heart, righteous Theodora, so that you kindle everything with God’s love, as if you were to move away from all earthly and temporary things, but teach you and teach you to seek eternal and endless things. Because of your diligence and zeal for the salvation of the soul, we sing to the Most High God: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Have humility within you that exalts you, ? You have raised virtues to heights, we adorn prudence with wings; You easily flew through all the enemy's snares, so you entered the Heavenly palace with glory, wiser; We, marveling at the height of your virtuous life, touchingly cry out to you:

Rejoice, true imitator of Christ's humility.

Rejoice, having thus achieved eternal rest.

Rejoice, thou raised by humility and prudence.

Rejoice, ascended into Heaven with humility and love.

Rejoice, having placed yourself in the midst of humility and the shield of patience.

Rejoice, thou who served the humble carrier in humility of spirit.

Rejoice, diligently imitating Christ who humbled Himself for our sake.

Rejoice, having crushed the entire network of enemies with meekness and humility.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 4

The storms of the life of this world, always troubled by internal and external suffering, the righteous Father Theodore, having escaped, came to the undisturbed heavenly refuge, to the green and cool places, where the sweats of inscrutable sweetness came, seeking the incorruptible glory of God, the songs and voices of those celebrating. There you rest and rejoice, singing to God with all the angelic powers: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Hearing the Apostle say: “Our life is in heaven,” and although it is not inherited, this short-lived life was not sought by the pleasure of the flesh and the work of the passions, Theodora, but by the cleansing of the soul from sinful defilements, with which no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, having you as an image of a godly life and a helper in this, we cry out to you:

Rejoice, you who dangerously kept God’s commandments.

Rejoice, and you who teach those who follow you how to keep them.

Rejoice, thou who fulfilled the saving traditions of our fathers.

Rejoice, having taught us to follow this correctly.

Rejoice, thou who art numbered with their faces in the heavenly villages.

Rejoice, illuminated by your gift of miracles after your repose.

Rejoice, for through you we accept the healing of bodily diseases.

Rejoice, for through your intercession on our behalf we hope to receive forgiveness of sins.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 5

Seeing your radiant star, shining in the land of Siberia, we rejoice and, attracted by that dawn, having gathered together, we diligently commemorate your memory, righteously, brightly triumphantly and chanting gratefully to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Rejoice, for where Christ is in the body, there you too abide.

Rejoice, there, as in the mirror, in God, you contemplate everything dear to him.

Rejoice, for, contemplating in him those who pray to you for help, your prayer is useful to them through intercession.

Rejoice, quick helper to the Orthodox who call you in battle.

Rejoice, the healer who did not accept physical and mental infirmities.

Rejoice, thou who workest many miracles of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice, thou who has brought forth the true vines of Christ, producing much fruit for the benefit of the Orthodox.

Rejoice, good servant and faithful and cheerful worker of the grapes of Christ.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 6

Through fasting and prayer you enslaved your flesh and spirit and lived spiritually for the glory of God: for this reason do you now stand before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity? Let us sing a song: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

Rejoice, you have pleased God with your life.

Rejoice, for this reason you received glorification from Him.

Rejoice, vanity and beauty? despiser of this world.

Rejoice, thou who has received the reward of Heaven.

Rejoice, for for a little while you appeared faithful.

Rejoice, for you have been granted the abundance of God’s grace and acceptance.

Rejoice, wonderful miracle worker.

Rejoice, give quick help to those who come to you in faith.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 7

You appeared as an intercessor before the Lord for everyone, righteous Theodora. For this reason, we also come running under your roof, seeking salvation, for we are all imams who help you in all your needs and in all times of troubles and temptations. ? For this reason, we cry out to God with gratitude: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

The Lord, Lover of mankind, has shown a new kindness to His servant, when He deigns to glorify you and reveal His miracle-working grace in you. We rejoice in such providence of God and cry out with gratitude:

Rejoice, performer of glorious miracles.

Rejoice, performer of God's favor towards people.

Rejoice, gifted with wisdom from above.

Rejoice, illuminated by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice, for you quickly precede those who call upon you.

Rejoice, for you have saved those who love you from various troubles and misfortunes.

Rejoice, receptacle of God's grace.

Rejoice, chosen vessel of God.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 8

Seeing a strange and glorious miracle performed by You, Our Father Theodore, the rich, we pray to you: pray to the miracle-working God, so that we too may withdraw from the vain and charming world, we will be able to comfortably swim through the abyss of life and reach the quiet haven of salvation through your intercession, chanting in gratitude forever: Alleluia .

Ikos 8

Rejoice, spacious container of Divine love.

Rejoice, home of the Holy Trinity.

Rejoice, strong and courageous conqueror of mental enemies.

Rejoice, those who call for the victory of these conquerors come to your aid.

Rejoice, deserted citizen.

Rejoice, strong and wondrous in patience.

Rejoice, for with all the saints you enjoy eternal joy.

Rejoice, for with them you will joyfully inherit the Heavenly villages.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 9

Every angelic nature was amazed at your great gift from above, for you showed immaterial life on earth, and you appeared in the flesh, as if incorporeal. For the sake of many miracles of creation, I have received from the Lord with your pure and God-loving soul. By His goodness you are counted among the powers of Heaven; in Heaven now you sing to the omnipotent God: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Rejoice, earthly angel and heavenly man.

Rejoice, spiritually alive in the flesh, on earth in heaven.

Rejoice, remain angelic in humanity, supremely peaceful in the world.

Rejoice, for with your soul's eyes I will contemplate the Lord.

Rejoice, before the face of God, as a servant walking before the Lord.

Rejoice, before Him, as a son before the Father, as a disciple walking before the Teacher.

Rejoice, all the days of your life? seeking Him and setting your intention in Him.

Rejoice, you who desire to see nothing in Heaven or on earth except Christ Jesus.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 10

Your saving feat, righteously, has reached the end; you have given up your holy soul to prayer in the hand of God, even so? The Holy Angels lifted up the Mountain to the Throne of the Almighty, and stand with all the saints in eternal glory, singing the saints’ song of praise to the Most Holy Word: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

Rejoice, pillar of patience.

Rejoice, image of courageous struggle.

Rejoice, brave warrior of Christ's army.

Rejoice, new citizen of Heavenly Jerusalem.

Rejoice, you who sow tenderness on earth with tears.

Rejoice, in Heaven feeding on the fruits of eternal consolation.

Rejoice, vigilant in unceasing prayers.

Rejoice, you who have always had a mind lifted up to God.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 11

Even to this day, non-silent singing is performed at your holy shrine, God's servant Theodora: for many, in your present needs, lead you to a prosperous helper and a gracious prayer book. Moreover, now the entire Siberian land cries out with gratitude to God who glorified you: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

Rejoice, raindrop cloud, pouring out streams of tears.

Rejoice, illuminating those who love you with lightnings of grace.

Rejoice, having quietly completed your life in humility and meekness.

Rejoice, you who have been an image of Christ-imitating meekness to all.

Rejoice, from beneath the desert you clearly shine with the dawns of miracles.

Rejoice, for through the depth of humility you have ascended above the heavens.

Rejoice, after your repose you showed miracles.

Rejoice, for having shown the height of humility in living.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 12

Knowing the grace from God given to you, now we diligently pray to you, righteous Theodora: pour out a warm prayer for us to the Lord, may He preserve Your Holy Church unharmed from heresies? and may the schisms and all the Orthodox have mercy and save those who cry out to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Singing your God-pleasing life, Father Theodore, and glorification in Heaven from God, we magnify your countless miracles and healings, and trusting in your unceasing prayers, we cry out to you:

Rejoice, thou who has accomplished good deeds of fasting.

Rejoice, overjoyed, inherited paradise village.

Rejoice, thou who shone brightly upon the earth with the brilliance of virtues.

Rejoice, you have received retribution in Heaven for your many labors.

Rejoice, for through you we avoid various temptations.

Rejoice, for through your intercession to God for us in various troubles first aid we gain.

Rejoice, bodily health to the giver.

Rejoice, I intercessor for spiritual salvation.

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Kontakion 13

O our righteous father Theodore, look upon us, the weak, who fall into many sins all our days, and through your God-pleasing intercession, deliver us from every temptation of the enemy and instill the fear of God in our hearts, so that we may live in virtue and humility and be honored with everyone. Let us sing of endless joy: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)

Troparion to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk, tone 4:

After the life of the secular righteous Theodora, you retired to the Siberian land, deigning to come freely, you surprised the people of Tomsk with miracles and the signs of God, and after your death you strengthened the faith of those who honor you. Remember us, who honor Your memory, Our Father Theodore!

Kontakion to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk, tone 4

Chosen miracle worker and wonderful servant of Christ, our quick helper and prayer book, righteous Father Theodore! Having magnified the Lord who glorified you, let us sing praises to you in the race of relics? yours are flowing. But you, because you have boldness towards the Lord, free us from all troubles, calling:

Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Prayer to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk

O righteous Father Theodore! Accept this song of praise, offered to you with love and faith, and mercifully bow down from the heavenly heights, as a loving father, intercede with faith and love for those who honor sins, forgiveness of sins, correction of life, a peaceful Christian death and not reviled by the spirits of evil. And appear then, O Father, driving away the fear of death from your faithful servants and honorers of your most sacred memory, comfortably creating the separation of the soul from the body and the fierce ordeals of the passage of your mighty to the Lord through prayer and intercession, grace, generosity and love for mankind of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ and His Most Holy Mother, and through your merciful intercession for us. We hope to receive all this forgiveness on the day of the Last Judgment? receive the right standing with all those who please God. Amen.

interpretation

Commemoration: January 20 / February 2 (presentation), June 10 / 23 (Cathedral of Siberian Saints), June 22 / July 5 (discovery of relics) Being of noble origin (there is every reason to believe that this is Emperor Alexander I), Theodore left the world in already in old age, and labored in the feat of pilgrimage. Through his ascetic life of prayer and repentance, he received from God the gift of insight and reasoning. Both the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, came to him for wise advice - he instructed people in the faith, directed them on the path of good life and correction. Through his prayers then and with his current heavenly intercession, people received and are receiving healing for many diseases, help in temptations. Elder Fyodor is revered as the Siberian Panteleimon for his gift of helping people in illness.

Col. 1, 3-6; OK. 16, 10-15: “You cannot serve God and mammon.” A split thought and a split heart make a person useless for anything; for “a double-minded man is not steadfast in all his ways.” He either does nothing, or he does and redoes it, that is, he builds with one hand and destroys with the other. The source of a truly godly life is a firm determination to please God in everything. This determination directs all the thoughts, desires and feelings of a person towards one thing, and thus uniting his inner being, makes him strong in action and brings unity to the entire totality of his activities, giving it one character. Deeds are so successful and fruitful because they are full of true life. Why lethargy, immobility, fruitlessness of affairs? From internal lifelessness, and internal lifelessness from the splitting of the internal. A single goal is not recognized, it is not set by the law of life - things go on as they should. That is why some are directed in one direction, others in another; the building of life is not being built. Choose a goal and devote your life to it. The real, main goal is indicated by the godlike nature of man; she is a living communion with God. K this main goal Pay attention to private, academic, everyday, civil, commercial, official, and government goals. If everyone in society adhered to this, one common system would be introduced into society, and one spirit would fill everyone.

Heb. 10, 35-11, 7; Mr. 9, 10-16: History flows and seems to inexorably determine particular events. How many preparations there were to receive the Savior! . . Finally, His closest pointer, John, came, but what happened? They “did with John as they wanted”; and the Son of Man was humiliated and suffered. The tide of events could not be reversed: it took its toll. So, the current story always carries everything along with itself. The question now is: where is freedom? And what will it be like, given this order of events? Nothing more than a ghost. This is how fatalists usually reason. But this all-determining necessity of the course of events is only apparent; in fact all human events, both general and private, are the fruit of human free endeavors. The general flows exactly this way because everyone or the majority wants it; and the particular enters into an agreement with the general, because both in particular want it. The proof of this is obvious: among the good things in general, there are particular bad ones; and among the bad things in general there are particular good ones. And one more thing: among the firmly established generalities, particularities arise, which, growing and strengthening more and more, overpower the former generality and take its place. But these particulars are always a matter of freedom. What does Christianity have to do with the character of the time in which it was born? It is seeded with several persons who were not the product of the necessary course of history; it attracted those who wanted it, expanded rapidly and became the common cause of the humanity of that time, and yet it was a cause of freedom. The same goes for the bad: how has the West become corrupted? He corrupted himself: instead of the Gospel, they began to learn from the pagans and adopt their customs - and they became corrupted. The same will happen with us: we began to learn from the Lord of the West, who had fallen away from Christ, and transferred his spirit into ourselves; we will end up, like him, recoiling from true Christianity. But in all this there is nothing that necessarily determines the cause of freedom: if we want, we will drive away the Western darkness; We don’t want to, and we’ll plunge into it, of course.

For all that, the victorious Tsar is inevitably coming, and the resurrection of Russia will definitely occur. But whether we will be honored to find ourselves in a resurrected Russia under the sovereign hand of the victorious Tsar - that depends from our free choice!

Col. 4, 10-18; OK. 10, 1-15: Will there be in the next world such condescension towards those who do not accept the Lord as He showed towards those living on earth? No, it won't. Sending the “seventy” to preach, the Lord commanded them, so that when they were not accepted, they should say there at the crossroads: “And we shake off the dust that has stuck to us from your city; however, know that the Kingdom of God has come near to you”; that is, we don’t need anything of yours: we don’t go preaching out of selfishness, but to proclaim to you the peace and the Kingdom of God. If you don’t want to accept this benefit, do as you please; we move on. This is what is commanded for the present, but what about the future? “It will be more bearable for Sodom in that day than for that city.” Therefore, unbelievers have no reason to reassure themselves about the condescension of the Lord. All they can do is indulge in what is on earth; and like death, so the whole thunderstorm of God’s wrath will fall on them. It is a great misfortune to fall into disbelief! And on earth they are unhappy, because without God and the Lord Jesus Christ - the Savior and Redeemer, everything here is gloomy and joyless, and what is there is impossible to describe and imagine in words. It would be more gratifying to be destroyed, but even this will not be given to them.

News messages from dated January 16, 2008. ; dated January 17, 2008. And dated January 18, 2008. This is exactly what preaching is. But we don’t need anything of yours: it’s not out of self-interest that we repeat Old Testament prophet Malachi: to proclaim to you peace and the Kingdom of God, if you are zealous to fulfill the Will of God and correct your life in accordance with the warnings of God, which He gives us through His saints, both the Old Testament and through almost our contemporaries. If you don’t want to accept this benefit, do as you please; we move on. This is what is commanded for the present, but what about the future? “It will be more bearable for Sodom in that day than for that city.” Therefore, the crooked believers and novices of clergy who live and preach not according to the Holy Scriptures, not according to the Holy Fathers, not as the Holy One teaches Orthodox Church, there is no point in reassuring yourself about the Lord’s condescension. All they can do is indulge in what is on earth; and like death, so the whole thunderstorm of God’s wrath will fall on them. It is a great misfortune to fall among the crooked and heretical papists!

Detailed description from several sources: “Elder Theodore Tomsk prayer" - in our non-profit weekly religious magazine.

Memory: January 20 / February 2 (performance), June 10 / 23 (Cathedral of Siberian Saints), June 22 / July 5 (discovery of relics)

Being of noble origin (there is every reason to believe that this is Emperor Alexander I), Theodore left the world in old age and labored in the feat of pilgrimage.

Through his ascetic life of prayer and repentance, he received from God the gift of insight and reasoning. Both the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, came to him for wise advice - he instructed people in the faith, directed them on the path of good life and correction. Through his prayers then and with his current heavenly intercession, people received and are receiving healing for many diseases, help in temptations. Elder Fyodor is revered as the Siberian Panteleimon for his gift of helping people in illness.

Troparion to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk, tone 4:

Kontakion to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk, tone 4

Prayer to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk

Akathist to the righteous Theodore of Tomsk:

Hagiographic and scientific-historical literature about the righteous Theodore of Tomsk:

Righteous Theodore of Tomsk– Tomsk and Asinovsk diocese
Emperor Alexander I - Elder Theodore of Tomsk: direct and indirect evidence (video)– Victor Fedorov
Emperor Alexander the Blessed - holy elder Theodore of Tomsk(book - historical research) – Victor Fedorov
Procession in memory of Elder Theodore of Tomsk– Missionary and apologetic project “Towards the Truth”

Read other prayers in the "Orthodox Prayer Book" section

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Publications

And today, the holy saint of God does not abandon those who prayerfully call for his help.

The personality of the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk is still shrouded in mystery. No wonder he is considered one of the most mysterious Russian saints of recent times. There is still no exact evidence of who the righteous elder was before the Siberian period of his life. But it was precisely this period that showed the holiness of this man to the whole world. After the death of the elder, numerous pilgrims visited his grave and cell. It is known that in 1891, during his stay in Tomsk, the future Emperor-martyr Nikolai Alexandrovich visited the elder’s grave. This is another (albeit indirect) confirmation of what many Orthodox Tomsk residents are sure of - Elder Theodore Kuzmich in his old life was the Russian Tsar Alexander I the Blessed - the winner of Napoleon.

And today, the holy saint of God does not abandon those who prayerfully call for his help. This help is especially clearly manifested from the holy relics of the righteous elder, openly resting in the Mother of God-Alekseevsky Monastery of Tomsk. The monastery keeps a special notebook for recording miraculous healings from the holy relics of the righteous Theodore of Tomsk. With the blessing of Father Silouan, abbot of the monastery, I present some of these records. How much faith and hope they have for the help of the holy elder! And the Lord, through the prayers of Saint Theodore, sends people healing from suffering and illness, revealing in our difficult and time of troubles a miracle of mercy for us sinners.

“I had a case of healing from the consecrated oil on the cancer of the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk,” writes priest of the Kemerovo diocese Evgeny Shumov. - This year (December 10, 1998) I suffered from severe lower back pain. Not knowing how to relieve the pain, he decided to prayerfully turn to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk and anointed himself with blessed oil. Feeling terrible pain, I went to bed, the next morning I got up and no longer feel pain to this day. I thank the Lord for everything and the saints who have been given the grace to heal people. Our Righteous Father, Theodore of Tomsk, pray to God for us.”

“At the end of December 2001, doctors discovered I had a disease and sent me for an ultrasound,” says another entry from Tomsk resident Maria Gavrilovna Maslennikova. - The diagnosis was confirmed, and the doctor prescribed surgery (removal of polyps). Throughout the preoperative period, I prayed intensely at the relics of the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk. I asked the holy elder for help, cried out to the Lord for mercy, ordered prayer services and attended akathists that were read at the shrine of the holy righteous Theodore, and venerated his relics. Realizing that my prayer was weak, I also turned to the priests of our church for help. On the morning of January 22, 2002, I went to the doctor for surgery, and, to my great joy, the doctors did not find any disease in me. Thank God for everything!”

“I, God’s servant Nadezhda, long time suffered from severe pain in her left arm, which began in the summer of 2001, another recording shows. - In the fall of 2001, I visited the Transfiguration Monastery in the village of Mogochino, where I received advice to turn to the prayerful intercession of the holy righteous Theodore. Until that time, I had no special affection for Elder Theodore. However, on February 1, 2002, she came to the Mother of God-Alekseevsky Monastery for an all-night vigil - the celebration of the day of memory of the holy righteous Theodore. Having venerated his relics and anointed himself with oil, I returned home. The pain in my hand became so severe that it was impossible to touch it. In this state I fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I did not feel any signs of the illness that had tormented me for so long. I am sure that this happened through the prayers of Elder Theodore.”

It makes your soul especially happy when you read cases of children being healed from serious, sometimes incurable, illnesses. “My child was born healthy, but after about two weeks a tumor appeared on the parietal area of the head,” writes Tomsk resident Liliya Anatolyevna Korobeinikova. - At the age of ten months, we went to the hospital, where a puncture was taken from the child from this tumor and a diagnosis was made: a cerebral hernia. The operation was not performed because the child had a fever, and we were discharged from the hospital. One day I came across the book “The Life of the Holy Righteous Elder Theodore of Tomsk”; it described cases of healing from various ailments. And so in 2004, during Peter’s Fast, a child venerated the relics of the holy saint of God Theodore of Tomsk. After that, we underwent a brain examination. The pictures showed that there was no pathology. Through the prayers of the righteous saint, the child received healing and did without surgery. God bless!"

Troparion to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk

After the life of the secular righteous Theodore, you retired to the land of Siberia, deigning to come freely, you surprised the people of Tomsk with miracles and the signs of God, and after your death you strengthened the faith of those who honor you. Remember us, who honor your memory, Our Father Theodore.

Anna Nekratova Tomsk. 11/11/2005

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Miracles of the Holy Righteous Theodore of Tomsk

Today the memory of the great Siberian ascetic is celebrated - the holy righteous elder Theodore of Tomsk. The reliquary with his relics is in our monastery church. His feast day is a significant event not only for the monastery, but for the entire diocese. Saint Theodore is revered not only in Siberia, but also far beyond its borders. There is a legend that in fact it is Emperor Alexander I, who left the throne and began to wander and strive for Christ’s sake as a commoner. Whether this is true or not, in any case, the holiness of the elder is undoubted, as well as the fact that he came from the highest aristocratic circles.

The report about the holiday can be read on the monastery website. There you can also find the life of the elder. We will now turn to a topic that has so far received very little coverage - to the miracles that the righteous Theodore performs in our days. Just as during his lifetime he helped many people, so after death many come to him with different needs, pray to him and receive help. In our monastery there is a special notebook where testimonies about such cases are recorded. Below are three testimonies from this notebook (preserving the features of the original, almost without processing). Previously from this notebook nowhere and nothing not published.

While still at school, by the great mercy of God, a severe eye disease befell me. The strange thing was that my vision was “one”, I saw everything around me perfectly, but the feeling of unbearable pain did not leave me day or night. She was treated by different ophthalmologists in different cities, including a professor in Moscow. Over the course of twenty-three years, I was given various diagnoses, prescribed glasses, and medications. But nothing could help. My suffering was immeasurable.

I was healed of an eye disease in Tomsk at the site of the exploits of St. Theodore of Tomsk. In the forest where his cell used to stand, there was a source of holy water, that same “eye” water that immediately brought me relief after so many years of torment.

Now I am already of retirement age, but the All-Merciful Lord has preserved my sight.

I wrote about this - maybe someone will be interested in learning about the miracles of St. Theodore, which occur in our time. And the doctors told me on the eve of the healing: “Live like this, medicine is powerless in this case.” How bitterly I cried after such words!

My child was born healthy, but after about two weeks a tumor appeared on the parietal area of the head. At the age of ten months, a puncture was taken from this tumor from the child, a diagnosis of “cerebral hernia” was made, brain fluid flowed from the head into this lump (i.e. tumor), and the fontanelle was open. They wanted to do brain surgery, and a plate had to be inserted in the place of the open fontanel. The operation was not performed because the temperature rose. We were discharged from the hospital. So we didn’t do the operation, it didn’t work.

Somehow I came across the book “The Life of the Holy Righteous Elder Theodore of Tomsk”; it described cases of healing from various ailments. And so, in 2004, the child was already thirteen years old; on Peter’s Fast, the child venerated the relics of St. Theodore of Tomsk and was anointed with consecrated oil from a lamp burning in front of the relics of the holy saint; this was the fifth of July - the day of the discovery of the holy relics of the saint of God.

On December 1, we underwent a computed tomography scan of the brain, and the images showed that there were no pathologies in brain density, and the fontanel was closed. Through the prayers of the holy righteous Theodore, the child received healing and did not undergo surgery. God bless!

Discuss on the topic - is my story a miracle that happened thanks to the saint? to the righteous old man Theodore of Tomsk, or this is a simple coincidence of circumstances, I don’t take it. But I know one thing for sure - our All-Merciful Savior Jesus Christ showed His indescribable love for mankind even on me, a sinner. And this is what happened: my wife Svetlana was carrying a baby under her heart. The term was about five months, then we already knew that we were going to have a boy. And so, on the day of remembrance of the holy elder Theodore, on the fifth of July or on the eve of this day (unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly now), the wife began bleeding. We were very scared that we might lose the baby. We ran away from work, caught a taxi and went to the maternity hospital. All the way I called on the help of the holy Tomsk elder and said to myself that if the baby was born, I would name him Fedor, in honor of the saint. Almost seven years have passed since that day and I don’t remember the details of what caused the bleeding, and all this is not important - the main thing is that on November 9, 2005, my son was born, he was born healthy. They called him, of course, Fedor. When my wife found out about my vow, she did not argue - on the contrary, she immediately agreed. I was personally present at the birth.

Glory to the Lord, for all His mercies with which He generously bestows upon us sinners, glory to the holy righteous elder Theodore of Tomsk, who, I am sure, did not abandon us in that difficult hour with his prayerful help. Thank God for everything!

Holy and righteous Father Theodore, pray to God for us!

Elder Theodore of Tomsk prayer

Righteous Elder Theodore of Tomsk

“Whoever leaves houses or brothers

or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,

or children, or land for my name's sake,

He will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”

The life of saints is mysterious by nature, but not because something in it is deliberately hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated, but because their life is in a special way involved in that great Mystery, which is called God, and by virtue of this participation, is akin to it. “All who love the Lord are like the Lord,” testifies the ascetic of our time Reverend Silouan Athos. This similarity lies in the inexhaustibility of grace-filled life, pouring out onto the world with the versatility of spiritual gifts. The mystery of the inner spiritual life often also manifests itself in external mystery, incomprehensible to the superficial glance, but revealed to the heartfelt eyes of faith.

The personality of the great Siberian ascetic, the holy elder Theodore of Tomsk, is shrouded in similar mystery. It is impossible today to say with complete confidence who the righteous elder was before his appearance in Siberia. One thing is true - it was the Siberian period of his life that showed us the holiness of this man and bestowed a strong representative for us before God, whose name - Theodore - means “gift of God.”

The feat that the righteous elder carried out has been known since ancient Christian times under the name of pilgrimage. “Pilgrimage,” teaches the great mentor of spiritual life, St. John Climacus, “is the irrevocable abandonment of everything that in the fatherland resists us in the pursuit of piety.” According to the same saint, the feat of pilgrimage is perceived with the intention of making one’s thoughts inseparable from God. Removing himself in every possible way from the world and from “what is in the world,” Elder Theodore led a harsh life, full of spontaneous deprivations. Each time he lived in a small house, consisting of a cramped cell with a small window and a small entryway. The old man slept on a bare board, which over time, at his request, was covered with rough canvas. At the same time, the righteous Theodore, who was already in his eighth decade, remarked: “The body is becoming heavy.” The pillow was replaced by a hewn block of wood. The cell also contained a simple table and several benches for visitors. Icons hung in the front corner, and paintings with views of holy places lined the walls—gifts from numerous admirers. The elder’s clothes, like his cell, were extremely simple. In the summer he wore one long white shirt made of rustic canvas - of which he only had two - belted with a thin strap or rope, and wearing the same trousers. In winter, he put on a long dark blue robe over his shirt or, when he went out into the cold, an old faded Siberian dokha (a fur coat with the fur on the outside). On his feet he wore ordinary (thick in winter) stockings and simple leather shoes.

What distinguished Elder Theodore was that his clothes were always clean. In general, the elder was extremely careful; He kept himself and his cell in inimitable cleanliness and did not tolerate any disorder. Despite the poor clothes of the old man, his regal bearing and amazing appearance did not disappear behind the rubbish of a poor commoner. According to the descriptions of the archimandrites of the Tomsk Mother of God - Alexievsky Monastery, Fathers Victor and Lazar, the merchant S. F. Khromov and other contemporaries of St. Theodore, he was stately, tall, shoulders high; He had a majestic appearance, a remarkably beautiful face, bright, always clean, although no one had ever seen the old man wash himself: blue eyes, curly hair on his head, a long, curly beard, completely gray.

The elder spoke quietly, but impressively, figuratively. Sometimes he seemed stern and commanding, but this happened very rarely. In general, his character was kind and gentle, only a little hot-tempered. The elder was distinguished by great physical strength.

The old man's gait, his gait and all his manners were like that of a well-bred and educated person. All this made it possible to see in Feodor Kozmich a person of complex origin, although he tried to maintain simplicity in his speeches and in general in his entire lifestyle.

The old man got up very early and that’s all free time dedicated to prayer. No one, however, saw him when he prayed, because the door of his cell was constantly locked. Following the Gospel commandment about the need to perform prayer in secret from the world (Matthew 6:6), the elder was honored by God with His true promise of obvious gifts of grace. Only after death it was discovered that the elder’s knees were covered with thick calluses, indicating frequent and prolonged kneeling during fervent prayers.

After the elder, the repentant prayer he composed was preserved: “O Master, most loving Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity! I thank You, Lord, for your great mercy and much patience. If it weren’t for You, Lord, and Your grace to cover me, a sinner, all the days and nights and hours, then I, the accursed one, would have perished like dust in the face of the wind for my wretchedness and love, and weakness, and for all your supernatural sins. For I do not stop and will not stop for an hour so as not to commit sin, and when I wanted to come to my spiritual father for repentance, I was ashamed of my face, I hid my sins, I forgot them and could not confess everything for the shame and multitude of my sins: therefore repentance my uncleanness is also a false recommendation, but You, Lord, who know the secret of my heart, allow me to remain silent and forgive my sinful soul for my sin, as you are blessed forever and ever. Amen".

Elder Theodore carefully hid his origins, not naming his parents even to high-ranking clergy. He only said that the Holy Church was praying for them. Elder Theodore revealed about himself to Bishop Athanasius of Irkutsk, who often visited him, only that he had the blessing of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, for his feat.

In his cell, Elder Theodore received everyone who came to him for advice, and rarely refused to receive anyone. But only a few simple and pure in heart people with whom the elder settled, moving from place to place. He gave all kinds of advice free of charge, never took money from anyone and did not even have it himself. He always talked to strangers while standing or walking back and forth around the room, with his hands usually on his hips or with one of them tucked into his belt and the other on his chest. With his visitors, Feodor Kozmich behaved very reservedly, soberly, without familiarity.

In his stories, the elder revealed an extraordinary knowledge of St. Petersburg court life and etiquette, as well as the events of the late 18th and early XIX centuries. Knew everyone statesmen and expressed extremely correct characteristics of them. He spoke with great reverence about Metropolitan Philaret, Archimandrite Photius and others. He talked about Arakcheev, his military settlements, his activities, and recalled Suvorov. All such memories and judgments about people had a special impartial and at the same time soft character.

Elder Theodore especially loved to talk about military campaigns and battles, and sometimes, unbeknownst to himself, he would go into such small details, for example, in episodes of the War of 1812, that this caused bewilderment even among educated people: the clergy, intelligent exiles.

He said about Kutuzov that he was great commander and Alexander I envied him. “When the French approached Moscow,” Feodor Kozmich once said, “Emperor Alexander I fell to the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh and prayed to this saint for a long time with tears. At this time, he heard, as it were, an inner voice that said to him: “Go, Alexander, give full freedom to Kutuzov, may God help drive the French out of Moscow. Like Pharaoh in the Red Sea, so the French on the Birch River will be mired. »»

The following statement by Saint Theodore about Orthodoxy has been preserved: “The Orthodox faith is a great ship that sails on the sea; after all, sects are small boats that are tied to the ship, as if on a rope. That’s why they just hold on and don’t drown.”

Even on his deathbed, the elder refused to give his real name. The news of the saint's death quickly spread throughout Tomsk and its environs. A multitude of people surrounded the house where the righteous man, beloved and well known to Tomsk residents, died. Everyone, from the local aristocracy to the beggars, whom Feodor Kozmich generously provided during his lifetime, hurried to bow to the coffin of the wonderful old man.

The funeral service was performed by the rector of the Mother of God - Alexievsky Monastery, Archimandrite Victor, in the co-service of the clergy. Representatives of local authorities and a lot of people attended the funeral. The elder was buried, according to the wishes he expressed during his lifetime, in the fence of the monastery, northeast of the main altar of the monastery church. Subsequently, a chapel was erected over the grave of the righteous man, destroyed after the revolution, but restored today.

After the death of the elder, his grave and the cell in which he lived became a place of pilgrimage for many people from various walks of life.

At the beginning of the 20th century, through the diligence of numerous citizens of Tomsk, a chapel was erected over his grave. A circle of admirers of the elder was created at the monastery, which collected all the materials known about him and published them in print. At the Diocesan Council, the question was raised about the need for careful care for the preservation and acquisition into church property of all those things that were preserved from the elder and were silent witnesses to his holy life. The holiness of the righteous Theodore and the inevitability of his church glorification as a saint were obvious to everyone.

However, for well-known reasons, this glorification took place only in 1984, when, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, the name of Righteous Theodore of Tomsk was included in the Council of Siberian Saints. On July 5, 1995, another remarkable event occurred - the holy relics of the saint of God were found and placed in a special wooden tomb in the Church of the Tomsk Mother of God - Alexievsky Monastery.

Every year the memory of the holy righteous Theodore is celebrated in the monastery on the day of his repose on February 2 (January 20, old style) and on July 5 - the day of the discovery of his venerable relics, as well as in the Cathedral of Siberian Saints, on June 23.

Publishing Council of the Moscow Patriarchate

Akathist to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk

Leading the angel in the flesh, righteous Theodora, sent from God, may you show in men the image of true piety and good deeds, marveling at His path, revealed in your temporary life, and glorifying the greatness of His compassion, in our heartfelt tenderness we cry to you: Rejoice, invisible enemies to the courageous winner. Rejoice, diligent fulfiller of God's commandments. Rejoice, purest mirror of virtues. Rejoice, image of deep humility. Rejoice, zealous executor of God's will. Rejoice, healing of the souls of the weak. Rejoice, for through you I have learned to walk the charmless path of salvation. Rejoice, for through your intercession we hope to receive salvation for us. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Having a God-enlightened mind, you understood, O all-valid one, according to the words of the Apostle, that the most necessary thing of all is piety, and you tried to enrich your soul with it, diligently remaining in prayer and teaching the word of God. For this sake, people will please you: Rejoice, treasure of Divine understanding. Rejoice, having learned to fulfill Divine desires. Rejoice, river, flooded with the water of God's grace. Rejoice, thou art worthy to receive the understanding of the Divine Scriptures. Rejoice, leader of the sources of salvation. Rejoice, you who unenviably taught the waters of incorruption to those who desire. Rejoice, you who teach victory in mental warfare. Rejoice, having abolished all the machinations of the enemy. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Have humility in you that exalts you, you raise your virtues to the heights, we decorate prudence with wings; You easily flew through all the enemy's snares, so you entered the Heavenly palace with glory, wiser; We, marveling at the height of your virtuous life, touchingly cry out to you: Rejoice, true imitator of Christ’s humility. Rejoice, having thus achieved eternal rest. Rejoice, thou raised by humility and prudence. Rejoice, ascended into Heaven with humility and love. Rejoice, having placed yourself in the midst of humility and the shield of patience. Rejoice, thou who served the humble carrier in humility of spirit. Rejoice, diligently imitating Christ who humbled Himself for our sake. Rejoice, having crushed the entire network of enemies with meekness and humility. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Hearing the apostle say: “our life is in heaven,” and although it is not inherited, you did not seek this life for a short time in pleasing the flesh and the work of the passions, Theodora, but in cleansing the soul from sinful defilements, with which no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Having thee as an image of a godly life and a helper in this, we cry out to you: Rejoice, thou who have dangerously kept God’s commandments. Rejoice, and you who teach those who follow you how to keep them. Rejoice, thou who fulfilled the saving traditions of our fathers. Rejoice, having taught us to follow this correctly. Rejoice, thou who art numbered with their faces in the heavenly villages. Rejoice, illuminated by your gift of miracles after your repose. Rejoice, for through you we accept the healing of bodily diseases. Rejoice, for through your intercession on our behalf we hope to receive forgiveness of sins. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Seeing the righteous Theodore, as in this world all kinds of vanity and corruption are involved, striving with all his soul to please the Eternal God, and truly did not labor in vain: change the corruptible for the incorruptible, and above all, you were worthy to stand at the terrible Throne of the Master in eternal glory, with the same cry to you: Rejoice, for where Christ is in the body, there you too abide. Rejoice, there, as in the mirror, in God, you contemplate everything dear to him. Rejoice, for, contemplating in him those who pray to you for help, your prayer is useful to them through intercession. Rejoice, quick helper to those who call you in battle to the Orthodox. Rejoice, the healer who did not accept physical and mental infirmities. Rejoice, thou who workest many miracles of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, thou who has brought forth the true vines of Christ, producing much fruit for the benefit of the Orthodox. Rejoice, good servant and faithful and cheerful worker of the grapes of Christ. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

You have shone forth, righteous Father Theodore, as a new seer of the mysticism, from which you again acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit through humility and prayer with tears, and from it your heart was filled with unspeakable love. We, having you as a vigilant prayer-book before God, call with tenderness: Rejoice, thou who has pleased God with thy life. Rejoice, for this reason you received glorification from Him. Rejoice, you who despise the vanity and charm of this world. Rejoice, thou who has received the reward of Heaven. Rejoice, for for a little while you appeared faithful. Rejoice, for you have been granted the abundance of God’s grace and acceptance. Rejoice, wonderful miracle worker. Rejoice, give quick help to those who come to you in faith. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

The Lord, Lover of mankind, has shown a new kindness to His servant, when He deigns to glorify you and reveal His miracle-working grace in you. We, rejoicing in such providence of God, cry out with gratitude: Rejoice, performer of glorious miracles. Rejoice, performer of God's favor towards people. Rejoice, gifted with wisdom from above. Rejoice, illuminated by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, for you quickly precede those who call upon you. Rejoice, for you have saved those who love you from various troubles and misfortunes. Rejoice, receptacle of God's grace. Rejoice, chosen vessel of God. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

You were completely filled with Divine love, O all-blessed one, without any retreat to the love of the flesh and the world, but, as if you were incorporeal, you fulfilled your life chastely and reverently, performing glorious miracles from God. Accept therefore from our zeal this praise brought to you: Rejoice, vast receptacle of Divine love. Rejoice, home of the Holy Trinity. Rejoice, strong and courageous conqueror of mental enemies. Rejoice, those who call for the victory of these conquerors come to your aid. Rejoice, deserted citizen. Rejoice, strong and wondrous in patience. Rejoice, for with all the saints you enjoy eternal joy. Rejoice, for with them you will joyfully inherit the Heavenly villages. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

The prophets of many things are perplexed to praise you worthy of all glory, more glorious than Father Theodora, for you have shown many glorious miracles that are more than natural. We, compelled by love, dare to sing to you: Rejoice, earthly angel and heavenly man. Rejoice, spiritually alive in the flesh, on earth in heaven. Rejoice, remain angelic in humanity, supremely peaceful in the world. Rejoice, for with your soul's eyes I will contemplate the Lord. Rejoice, before the face of God, as a servant walking before the Lord. Rejoice, before Him, as a son before the Father, as a disciple walking before the Teacher. Rejoice, having sought Him all the days of your life and set your intention in Him. Rejoice, you who desire to see nothing in Heaven or earth but Christ Jesus. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

You are the wall of man who resorts to your intercession, righteous Father Theodore. Likewise, for us who come to you and ask for your merciful intercession in all the needs of the Heavenly King, be a strong wall and an insurmountable fence, shielding and protecting us from all troubles and misfortunes, for which we cry out to you like this: Rejoice, pillar of patience. Rejoice, image of courageous struggle. Rejoice, brave warrior of Christ's army. Rejoice, new citizen of Heavenly Jerusalem. Rejoice, you who sow tenderness on earth with tears. Rejoice, in Heaven feeding on the fruits of eternal consolation. Rejoice, vigilant in unceasing prayers. Rejoice, you who have always had a mind lifted up to God. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

You were a shining lamp in your earthly life, Our Father Theodore, illuminating the souls of the faithful with grace. Enlighten the eyes of our souls with your prayers for us, who are perishing in the abyss of sin, so that we cry out to you with gratitude: Rejoice, rain-bearing cloud, pouring out streams of tears. Rejoice, illuminating those who love you with lightnings of grace. Rejoice, having quietly completed your life in humility and meekness. Rejoice, you who have been an image of Christ-imitating meekness to all. Rejoice, from underneath the desert you clearly shine with the dawns of miracles. Rejoice, for through the depth of humility you have ascended above the heavens. Rejoice, after your repose you showed miracles. Rejoice, for having shown the height of humility in living. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

Singing your God-pleasing life, Father Theodore, and glorifying yours in Heaven from God, we magnify your countless miracles and healings, and trusting in your unceasing prayers, we cry out to you: Rejoice, thou who has accomplished the good deeds of fasting. Rejoice, overjoyed, inherited paradise village. Rejoice, thou who shone brightly upon the earth with the brilliance of virtues. Rejoice, you have received retribution in Heaven for your many labors. Rejoice, for through you we avoid various temptations. Rejoice, for through your intercession to God in various troubles we receive speedy help. Rejoice, bodily health to the giver. Rejoice, I intercessor for spiritual salvation. Rejoice, our righteous Father Theodore, warm prayer book for us to God.

(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)

Prayer to the holy righteous Theodore of Tomsk

“Whoever has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29)

The life of saints is mysterious by nature, but not because something in it is deliberately hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated, but because their life is in a special way involved in that Great Mystery, which is called God, and by virtue of this participation is akin to it. “All who love the Lord are like the Lord,” testifies the ascetic of our time, the Monk Silouan of Athos. This similarity lies in the inexhaustibility of grace-filled life, pouring out onto the world with the versatility of spiritual gifts. The mystery of the inner spiritual life often also manifests itself in external mystery, incomprehensible to the superficial glance, but revealed to the heartfelt eyes of faith.

The first reliable news about the life of Elder Theodore relates to the history of his settlement in Siberia. In the early autumn of 1836, near the city of Krasnoufimsk, Perm province, an unknown person was detained while riding a horse harnessed to a cart. The wanderer attracted attention with his unusual appearance and inexplicable behavior. What was striking was the discrepancy between the rough peasant clothes he was wearing and his majestic, handsome appearance, as well as the sophistication of his manners, which betrayed this man’s noble origin. He answered all questions reluctantly and evasively, which aroused even greater suspicion among the peasants who stopped him. They brought him to the city without any resistance on his part.

During interrogation in the zemstvo court, the stranger revealed that he was Feodor Kozmin, 70 years old, illiterate, Greek-Russian Orthodox, single, not remembering his origins from infancy, was impregnated with different people, finally decided to go to Siberia. He did not have any identification documents with him.

Despite the extremely sympathetic disposition of the judges towards him and the strong exhortation to reveal his real name and title, and thereby save himself from punishment, the elder stubbornly continued to call himself a vagabond. Based on the laws that existed at that time, the court sentenced Feodor Kozmich for vagrancy to punishment with 20 lashes and - as incapable of military service and hard work in a military fortress - to exile to Siberia for a settlement. Elder Theodore was pleased with the verdict.

In September 1836 in a prison party under escort, he was sent along a convoy to the Tomsk province, where he was assigned to the village of Zertsaly, Bogotol volost, Achinsk district, where he arrived on March 26, 1837.

During the long march along the Siberian roads, Feodor Kozmich, with his behavior, active care for the weak and sick prisoners, warm, comforting conversations, won over not only the entire party of exiles, but also the transport officers and escort soldiers, who also showed him their respect, They protected them from troubles and bad people, and they were given a special room for overnight stays. A special exception was even made for him from general rules transfer of exiles: Feodor Kozmich was not shackled like other prisoners.

Arriving at the place of settlement, Elder Theodore was placed at the state-owned Krasnorechensky distillery, where he lived for the first few years, but did not participate in any forced labor. Subsequently, having an irresistible desire for silence and avoiding human glory, he often changed his place of residence, living either in Zertsali or in neighboring villages: the village of Beloyarskaya, the village of Krasnorechensky, in the village of Korobeynikovo, always choosing a quiet and secluded place if possible. The elder spent the last six years of his life in Tomsk, where he moved, following the strong requests of the Tomsk merchant Semyon Feofanovich Khromov, who ardently revered him, with whom he settled, first on a farmstead in the vicinity of Tomsk, and then in the city itself.

The feat that the righteous elder undertook has been known since ancient Christian times under the name of pilgrimage. “Pilgrimage,” teaches the great mentor of spiritual life, St. John Climacus, “is the irrevocable abandonment of everything that in the fatherland resists us in the pursuit of piety.” According to the same saint, the feat of pilgrimage is perceived with the intention of making one’s thoughts inseparable from God. Removing himself in every possible way from the world and “what is in the world,” Elder Theodore led a harsh life, full of spontaneous deprivations. Each time he lived in a small house, consisting of a cramped cell with a small window and a small entryway. The old man slept on a bare board, which over time, at his request, was covered with rough canvas. At the same time, the righteous Theodore, who was already in his eighth decade, remarked: “The body is becoming heavy.” The pillow was replaced by a hewn block of wood. The cell also contained a simple table and several benches for visitors. There were icons hanging in the front corner, paintings with views of holy places on the walls, gifts from numerous admirers. The elder’s clothes, like his cell, were extremely simple. In the summer he wore a long white shirt made of rustic canvas - of which he only had two - belted with a thin strap or rope, and the same trousers. In winter, he put on a long dark blue robe over his shirt, or, when he went out into the cold, an old faded Siberian coat. On his feet he wore ordinary (thick in winter) stockings and simple leather shoes.

Despite the poor clothes of the old man, his regal bearing and amazing appearance did not disappear behind the rubbish of a poor commoner. According to the descriptions of the archimandrites of the Tomsk Mother of God-Alexievsky Monastery, Fathers Victor (Lebedev) and Lazar (Generozov), the merchant S.F. Khromov and other contemporaries of St. Theodora, he was stately, tall, with high shoulders. He had a majestic appearance, a remarkably beautiful face, bright and always clean (although no one ever saw the old man wash himself), blue eyes, curly hair on his head, a long, curly beard, completely gray.

The elder spoke quietly, but impressively and figuratively. Sometimes he seemed stern and commanding, but this happened very rarely. In general, his character was kind and gentle, only a little hot-tempered.

The old man was distinguished by great physical strength, so he alone could lift a whole heap of hay. Together with the hermit Elder Daniil (Achinsky), who lived in Zertsali, they lifted large 12-inch logs during carpentry work, which Daniil loved to do.

The elder got up very early and devoted all his free time to prayer. No one, however, saw him when he prayed, because the door of his cell was constantly locked. Only after death it was discovered that the elder’s knees were covered with thick calluses, indicating frequent and prolonged kneeling during fervent prayers.

During his stay in the villages of Beloyarsky and Krasnorechensky, Feodor Kozmich regularly visited church service, and always stood on the right side, closer to the door. In Tomsk, he often went to his house church on holidays bishop's house, located in the fence of the Mother of God-Alexievsky Monastery. The Bishop of Tomsk, His Eminence Parthenius, invited the elder to stand in the bishop’s prayer room next to the altar, but Elder Theodore refused this honor, and always stood by the stove, in one place, and when he began to notice that they were paying a lot of attention to him, he completely stopped going to this church. In Tomsk, Elder Theodore also often visited the Church of the Kazan Icon Holy Mother of God in the monastery and the Iverskaya Chapel. Throughout his life in Siberia, he had several confessors, with whom he went to confession.

The elder was extremely abstinent in food. His lunch usually consisted of black bread or crackers soaked in plain water, for which purpose there was always a small vessel made of birch bark and wooden spoon. Admirers of Theodore Kozmich brought him food almost every day, and on holidays they literally filled him with pies, flatbreads, shangs, etc. The elder willingly accepted all this, but after tasting a little, he left it, as he put it, “for the guests,” and then distributed it to the wanderers who came to him.

While fasting strictly, the elder did not do it for show. One day one of his visitors brought him a hot nelma pie and expressed doubt whether he would eat it? “Why won’t I,” the elder objected to her, “I’m not at all the kind of faster you take me for.”

In general, he did not disdain any food and usually cited an expression from the Holy Scriptures that any food offered should be accepted with gratitude, although he constantly asked that no food be brought to him, since he had long been unaccustomed to fatty and tasty food. When visiting his favorites, the elder did not refuse any treat; he willingly drank tea, but he always drank only two glasses. At the same time, he never even touched wine and strictly condemned drunkenness.

On major holidays, after mass, Theodore Kozmich usually went to two old women, Maria and Martha, and drank tea with them. The old women were exiled to Siberia by their masters for some offense and came in the same party of exiles as Elder Theodore. On the day of Alexander Nevsky, pies and other village dishes were prepared in the house. The elder spent the entire afternoon with them and, in general, was especially cheerful all that day, allowed himself to eat a little more than usual, remembered St. Petersburg, and in these memories something dear and sincere was visible to him.

Elder Theodore carefully hid his origins, not naming his parents even to high-ranking clergy. He only said that the Holy Church was praying for them. Elder Theodore revealed about himself to the bishop who often visited him, Athanasius of Irkutsk, only that he had the blessing of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, for his feat.

Some, guessing that Feodor Kozmich had previously lived in a completely different environment, asked him why he chose his current life, full of hardships? The elder answered like this: “Why do you usually think that my situation is now worse than ever before? Currently I am free, independent, and, most importantly, calm. Previously, my peace of mind and happiness depended on many conditions: I had to take care that my loved ones enjoyed the same happiness as me, that my friends did not deceive me... Now there is none of this, except for what will always remain with me - except words of my God, except love for the Savior and neighbors. Now I have no grief or disappointment, because I do not depend on anything earthly, or on anything that is not in my power. You don’t understand what happiness there is in this freedom of spirit, in this unearthly joy. If you again returned me to my previous position and made me again the keeper of earthly wealth, perishable and now completely unnecessary to me, then I would be an unhappy person. The more our body is pampered and groomed, the weaker our spirit becomes. Every luxury weakens our body and weakens our soul.”

The love for God that righteous Theodore acquired in his heart could not help but manifest itself in his attitude towards people. In his cell, Elder Theodore received everyone who came to him for advice, and rarely refused to receive anyone. But only a few simple and pure-hearted people enjoyed his special favor, people with whom the elder settled, moving from place to place. He gave all kinds of advice free of charge, never took money from anyone and did not even have it himself. He always talked to strangers while standing or walking back and forth around the room, with his hands usually on his hips, or with one of them tucked into his belt and the other on his chest.

With his visitors, Feodor Kozmich behaved very reservedly, soberly, without familiarity. He did not accept signs of respect related to the priesthood; he did not like to have his hands kissed and did not bless anyone in the priestly manner. If he wanted to express his favor to someone, then he either gently patted his cheek lovingly, as he usually did with children and women, or kissed him crosswise three times, but only with old, respectable people, and with the rest he just bowed.

The elder never assessed a person by his rank or title, but only by his personal qualities and actions. At the same time, he taught to respect authority: “And the king, and the generals, and the bishops are the same people as we are,” he said, “only God was pleased to endow some with great power, and destined others to live under their constant protection.” .

Having a compassionate, loving heart, when the elder lived in the village of Zertsaly, located on the main Siberian highway, every Saturday he went outside the outskirts, met there a party of transit prisoners and generously gave them alms, using for this everything that his admirers brought him.

It is known that through various wanderers, Theodore Kozmich conducted quite an extensive correspondence and was aware of all the main events in public life. It happened that he helped this or that person who turned to him in solving his everyday problems, handing him a letter in a sealed envelope to some important person, under the indispensable condition not to show the letter to anyone other than the addressee: “Or else you will be lost.” And the intervention of Theodore Kozmich, as they said, had the desired effect.

Saint Theodore taught peasant children to read and write, introduced them to the Holy Scriptures, geography and history. He captivated adults with spiritual conversations and entertaining stories from events national history. All the information and teachings conveyed to him were distinguished by their depth and truthfulness, were remembered for a long time and led listeners to an understanding of the action of God's Providence in the destinies of great and small phenomena human life and the surrounding world.

In his stories, the elder revealed an extraordinary knowledge of St. Petersburg court life and etiquette, as well as the events of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He knew all the statesmen and gave them extremely accurate characteristics. He spoke with great reverence about Metropolitan Philaret and Archimandrite Photius, and also talked about Arakcheev and his activities, about military settlements, and recalled Suvorov. All such memories and judgments about people had some special - impartial and, at the same time, soft - character.

Most often, Elder Theodore loved to talk about military campaigns and battles, and sometimes, unbeknownst to himself, he would go into such small details, for example, in episodes of the War of 1812, that this caused bewilderment even among educated people: the clergy, intelligent exiles.

He said about Kutuzov that he was a great commander, and Alexander I envied him.. “When the French approached Moscow,” Feodor Kozmich once said, “Emperor Alexander I fell to the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh and prayed to this saint for a long time with tears. At this time, he heard, as it were, an inner voice that said to him: “Go, Alexander, give full freedom to Kutuzov, may God help drive the French out of Moscow. Like Pharaoh in the Red Sea, so the French on the Birch River will be mired..."

It is important to note that Theodore Kozmich did not mention Emperor Paul I and did not touch upon the characteristics of his son and heir, Alexander I. However, one day, when it came to the tragic death of Emperor Paul I, the elder said to his listener, the merchant S.F. Khromov: “Alexander did not know that they would come to strangulation.” Khromov heard another story from the elder. “When the passion for Masonic lodges spread in Russia, especially in the highest circles, Emperor Alexander I convened a meeting of high-ranking persons in the palace, and almost everyone wanted to participate in the Masonic lodge. At this time, Archimandrite Photius enters and says: “Let the lips of the wicked be stopped.” Because of these words, the entire meeting could not utter a word, so they dispersed, and the sect collapsed... Yes, Photius was a man of grace.”

After receiving news of the villainous attempt on the life of Emperor Alexander II in Tomsk, Elder Theodore remarked to Khromov: “Yes, my dear, the royal service is not without need.” He also said: “The Romanov house is firmly rooted and its root is deep... By the grace of God, its root sits deep...” When the news of the death of Emperor Nicholas I arrived, the elder served a memorial service for him and prayed fervently and with tears for a long time.

The holy elder Theodore was given from God the gift of clairvoyance for the benefit of his neighbors.

One day the merchant Natsvalov came to the righteous man. When he entered the elder’s cell, he suddenly turned to him with a question: “Why did you take the copper money? They are not meant for you.” Shortly before this, Natsvalov actually picked up several copper coins that had been dropped by someone unknown.

Sometimes, when meeting visitors who came to him, the elder immediately called them by name: “Hello, Father Israel!”, or: “Hello, Father John!” - although I had never met them before and could not have been notified of their arrival.

When the elder lived on Krasnaya Rechka, one day the merchant Khromov and his wife visited him. Before leaving, Khromov ordered his wife to take a good thin canvas for the old man’s shirt. But she thought: “Why does the old man need a good canvas?” And she took it worse. When they arrived to the elder, and she began to give him the canvas, he turned to her with the words: “After all, you were ordered to bring a thin canvas, you had to fulfill it. But,” Elder Theodore then added, “for me, a tramp, this one is very subtle.”

Another incident occurred when the elder lived in the village of Beloyarskoye. Feodor Kozmich was very fond of fresh honey. And so, one day, the Cossack Semyon Nikolaevich Sidorov, with whom the elder was then living, wanting to please the elder, ordered his brother Matvey Nikolaevich to buy the best honey for the elder in Achinsk. Matvey Nikolaevich very reluctantly fulfilled this order from his brother and in his heart he regretted the money for honey. When the honey was brought to Feodor Kozmich, the latter expressed everything that Matvey Nikolaevich Sidorov thought and refused the honey.

The true gift of clairvoyance (or prophetic ministry) always has as its meaning the moral correction of others, pointing out to them those sinful ulcers that they either do not see in themselves or are ashamed to reveal in confession.

During the elder’s stay in Zertsaly, some tramp, exiled to live, settled here. He came one day to Saint Theodore, wanting to get to know him. But the elder, who at that time had several Zertsalov peasants talking with him on spiritual topics, as soon as this exile entered, stood up and said: “Go, get out of here!” The exile was amazed, and the peasants who were in Theodore Kozmich’s cell were amazed, not understanding why he was driving this man away, when he had never refused to accept anyone at all. But the elder immediately said: “Go away, go away... You have blood on your hands. He gave his sin to another...” The exile turned white as a sheet and hurriedly left the hut, and a few days later he went to Tomsk, where he confessed to the authorities that he was not the one for whom he claimed to be, that he was engaged in robbery and had on his conscience ten murders. For his crimes, he had to go to hard labor, but he changed his name with one of those exiled to the settlement for vagrancy.

During his holy life, Elder Theodore was honored to receive another gift from God - the gift of healing. Moreover, when healing bodily infirmities, the saint, as a rule, pointed the person to their true, moral root - sin.

When the elder still lived in the village of Beloyarskoye, the local priest, not seeing him in confession, at first treated him very unfriendly, warning the peasants and advising them to stay away from Theodore Kozmich, who, according to the priest, was a schismatic. Once, driven out of patience by the elder’s incomprehensible behavior, the priest called him an atheist in front of all the people. That same day, this priest felt very ill and in the evening he went to bed. A doctor invited from Achinsk recognized his situation as hopeless. Then, on the advice of fellow villagers, the priest’s relatives turned to Feodor Kozmich and earnestly, with tears, began to ask him to forgive the dying man and pray for him. The elder, having visited the sick man, gave him a strict instruction on how to treat people who do no harm to anyone, and how carefully one should draw conclusions and express judgments about others. He then promised that the patient would get better soon. After some time, the priest really felt better and he became a sincere admirer of Saint Theodore.

The merchant Semyon Feofanovich Khromov, who deeply revered the elder, and with whom the righteous elder lived for the last six years in Tomsk, was healed through the prayers of the saint from an eye disease and could read without glasses until his old age.

Blessed Elder Domna Karpovna, after the death of Theodore Kozmich, spoke about Elder Khromov: “I know that he is a saint! When he lived in the cell in your garden, I was very sick. Having come to your garden, she stayed overnight in the garden in order to go to the elder and receive healing from him. She started knocking on the door. The elder opened the door, and as soon as I stepped on the threshold, he completely healed me of my illness. The old man was a saint!”

The unusual nature of the life of the Siberian ascetic and the mystery of his origins in the eyes of some spiritually inexperienced people who were personally unfamiliar with the elder sometimes gave rise to a false opinion of him as a sectarian or schismatic. But people who knew Theodore Kozmich more closely, and among them well-known ascetics of piety, spoke of the elder as a great saint of God.

Bishop Afanasy of Irkutsk often visited the elder in the Achinsk district and sometimes lived with him for several days, edifying himself with his deeply instructive conversations. Saint Innocent of Moscow, the enlightener of America and the Far East, also met with the elder and showed him signs of respect. The archpriest of the Krasnoyarsk Cemetery Church, Father Peter Popov, (later Bishop of Yenisei Pavel), who was the constant confessor of Elder Theodore and visited him two or three times a year, talking with the peasants, instructed them to treat the ascetic with special respect, since he was , in his words, “a great saint of God.”

A remarkable statement about the righteous Theodore by the famous Kiev-Pechersk ascetic, Venerable Parthenius. When Feodor Kozmich’s pupil, a simple peasant girl, Alexandra Nikiforovna, came to him for a blessing, Elder Parthenius, having learned who sent her, remarked: “Why do you need my blessing when you have a great ascetic and saint of God on the Krasnaya River? He will be a pillar from earth to heaven.”

In Tomsk, Elder Theodore was also visited by various civil officials, and they behaved with him with the utmost respect. Each newly appointed governor considered it his duty to visit the elder’s cell and talked for a long time alone with him. These conversations concerned both issues of spiritual life and social structure. The elder understood the problems of state and public life as well as he understood spiritual life.

Truly, Divine grace did not dwell in Saint Theodore in vain, but brought forth varied and abundant fruits. “He became everything to everyone” (1 Cor. 9:22) in order to serve the salvation of his neighbors, no matter what rank, condition, social position and degree of spiritual age they were in.

Having lived more than eighty years, the righteous elder Theodore approached the limit of earthly life. To better prepare for the transition to eternity, the Lord sent the elder an illness that grew worse every day. Summer of 1863 completely ill, to the great regret of the entire Khromov family, he left their hospitable shelter and went to the Beloyarsk village, where he lived for some time in his old cell with Semyon Nikolaevich Sidorov.

During the elder’s illness, God consoled His saint with gracious visits.

In December, Khromov arrived in Bely Yar and the elder announced to him that he intended to return to Tomsk. Feodor Kozmich at that time was so ill that he could not move without someone else's help. Having said goodbye to his hosts, the righteous elder set off on his journey.

Before dawn on the second day, those carrying the elder arrived in the village of Turuntaevo, sixty kilometers from Tomsk. We left from here at sunrise. Suddenly, not far from Turuntaevo, on both sides of the road two dazzlingly light pillars appeared, rising from the ground to the sky. These pillars seemed to move in front of the cart with Elder Theodore all the way to Tomsk and became invisible only on Resurrection Mountain. Moreover, everyone who rode with the righteous man saw this sign. Khromov’s daughter turned to the elder: “Father, there are some pillars in front of us.” To this the saint quietly said: “Oh, Most Pure God, thank you...” - and whispered something to himself for a long time.

After arriving in Tomsk, the hieromonk of the Tomsk Mother of God-Alexievsky Monastery, Father Raphael, was called to Elder Theodore, who confessed the sick man and administered the Holy Mysteries.

From the beginning of January 1864 the old man grew weaker and weaker. The Khromov family was very sad watching the elder’s suffering and took all measures to alleviate it. Seeing their sincere tears, Saint Theodore told them: “Don’t cry and don’t feel sorry for me. Suffering and illness are characteristic of man and should not be burdensome to a Christian, because he is obliged not only not to please his body in any way, but also to always remember that it is doomed to die and indulge in corruption. Therefore, he needs to calmly endure the pain and wait for the inevitable end - death.”

On January 19 it was already clear that the end was approaching. Father Raphael arrived again and administered the Holy Mysteries to the elder.

Even on his deathbed, the elder refused to give his real name. However, S.F. Khromov’s story about one of his last conversations with the righteous Theodore has been preserved.

On the eve of the saint's death, Khromov came to his cell. Having prayed to God, he knelt before the elder and said: “Bless me, father, to ask you about one important matter.” “Speak. God will bless you,” answered the elder. “There is a rumor,” continued Semyon Feofanovich, “that you, father, are none other than Alexander the Blessed... Is this true?...” The elder, hearing these words, began to be baptized and said: “Wonderful are Your works, Lord... There is no secret, which would not open.”

The next day, the elder continued the conversation with the following words: “Pank, although you know who I am, when I die, don’t dignify me, just bury me.”

On the morning of January 20, the elder’s suffering intensified. It became increasingly clear that the elder was struggling with death: he would either lie down on one side, then stand up, then again turn to the other side, constantly making the sign of the cross. Shortly before his death, the elder felt better, and at 8:45 a.m., quietly, peacefully, without torment or groans, he surrendered his righteous soul to God. The right hand lay on the chest with folded sign of the cross fingers.

At the moment of the death of the elder, Khromov’s neighbors, who were at that time on Upper Elani, saw that huge flames were thrown out of the Khromovs’ house three times. They thought that Khromov had a fire, but when they returned home and found out that there was no fire, it immediately occurred to them that something had happened to the old man. At the same time, the glow over Khromov’s house was visible from the fire tower. Firefighters drove around for a long time, looking for the place of the fire, but found nothing.

The news of the death of the righteous man quickly spread throughout Tomsk and its environs. Many people surrounded Khromov’s house, where the elder, beloved and well-known to Tomsk residents, died. Everyone, from the local aristocracy to the beggars, whom Feodor Kozmich generously provided during his lifetime, hurried to bow to the body of the wonderful old man.

The funeral service was performed by the rector of the Mother of God Alexievsky Monastery, Archimandrite Victor, in the co-service of the clergy. Representatives of the Tomsk administration and a lot of people attended the funeral. The elder was buried, according to the wishes he expressed during his lifetime, in the fence of the monastery, to the northeast of the main altar of the monastery church. Subsequently, a chapel was erected over the grave of the righteous man, destroyed after the revolution, but restored today.

After the death of Theodore Kozmich, his grave and cell became a place of pilgrimage for many people from various walks of life.

It is known that in 1891, during his stay in Tomsk, he unofficially visited the grave of the elder future emperor, and then the Tsarevich, the holy passion-bearer Nikolai Alexandrovich. Earlier, in 1873, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich visited the grave and cell of Elder Theodore. Among other visitors are Minister of War A.N. Kuropatkin, Minister of Railways Prince M.I. Khilkov, State Secretary Kulomzin, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in the Far East, General Linevich.

Member of the State Council M.N. Galkin-Vrassky, who deeply revered him, visited the grave of the righteous man more than once. He personally made efforts to decorate the burial place of Theodore Kozmich. The name of Galkin-Vrassky is also associated with the case of deliverance from imminent death through the intercession of Saint Theodore.

One day Galkin-Vrassky, returning from Eastern Siberia, where he traveled on official business, came to Tomsk and told the following here: “Through the prayers of Elder Theodore Kozmich, I stayed alive. I intended to leave Eastern Siberia by sea and had already sent all my belongings by ship, but an irresistible desire to bow to Elder Theodore at his grave prompted me to return to St. Petersburg by land in order to stop at Tomsk along the way. So what happened? The ship I was supposed to be on sank. All my things that were on it also drowned. This means that I would have suffered the same fate if I had not wished to visit Tomsk and bow to Elder Theodore Kozmich at the grave.”

Another case of the gracious help of the holy righteous Theodore occurred with the largest researcher of the history of the reign of Alexander I, N.K. Schilder. “I suffered for a long time from terrible headaches,” Shchilder often told his listeners, “no remedies helped. One evening I was working on the story of Alexander. Finally, due to fatigue and headaches, I could not continue and decided to take a walk. The weather was desperate: rain, slush, but something compelled me to go. I went to a second-hand book dealer I knew. I looked through various differences. Suddenly he says to me: “Would you like to buy this manuscript?” I look and can hardly believe my eyes. It was a handwritten “Biography of the Great Elder Theodore Kozmich,” compiled by the merchant Khromov, with whom the elder lived. I have been looking for this manuscript for a long time, but could not find it. I bought it immediately, and, returning home, read the manuscript until late at night, despite a terrible headache. “Is this really true,” I kept thinking. With thoughts of Feodor Kozmich, I went to bed, and my last fleeting thought was: “If this is true, then cure me of my headaches.” I fell asleep and saw in a dream, but as clearly as in reality, that Feodor Kozmich was entering the room with a large white beard, just like the one in the photograph, but in a fur coat and a fur hat. He walked over to the bed where I was lying and extended his hand over my head. At that moment I woke up in terrible fright, looking for Feodor Kozmich with my eyes, I saw him so clearly in front of me. Despite the terrible shock, I fell asleep again and when I woke up in the morning, to my great surprise I noticed that the headache had completely disappeared. That day I felt such a blissful state that I had never experienced in my entire life. This blissful state, of course, passed the next day, but the headaches never returned. It is also interesting that when they sent me from Tomsk, at my request, photographs of all the objects left after Feodor Kozmich, I saw among them a fur hat, which immediately reminded me of the hat in which I saw Feodor Kozmich in a dream.”

In Tomsk, numerous healings took place among the sick, who visited the elder’s grave and turned to Saint Theodore with warm prayer.

One of these cases became known to the rector of the Tomsk Mother of God-Alexievsky Monastery in the pre-revolutionary years, Bishop Meletius, from a certain Ivan Kirillovich Karlov, who in his letter to the bishop reported: “In 1910, on July 25, I came from Moscow to Tomsk to serve at the Golovanov Trading House. On September 1 of the same year I fell ill with inflammation of the cecum. I was treated by Dr. Liberov, but the treatment progressed slowly, sometimes getting better, sometimes getting worse. Finally, the doctor suggested that I have surgery and remove the appendix of the cecum. I agreed, and he gave me a note to Dr. Zimin, who, having examined me and finding me weak, ordered me to come to him in a week, promising to place me in a clinic. Arriving home from the doctor, I began to prepare for the operation: I began going to the monastery and fasting. On October 1st he confessed, and on the 2nd he received the Holy Mysteries. On the night of the third I saw the following dream: as if I came to a monastery and saw: many people standing in front of the Miraculous Image of the Savior; Elder Fyodor Kuzmich stood in front of everyone. I came closer, the old man was no longer there. Then I asked where this elder was, and they answered me: “He went from house to house to give what someone asked him for.” I said: “And I came to him to ask him to pray for me, since they want to have an operation on me.” As soon as I said this, the elder himself entered the temple and said to me: “Go with God, I have already given you health, go and pray,” and pointed his hand at the image not made by hands. When I woke up in the morning, I felt very good and light, I felt better and better every hour. On the appointed day for the operation, I went to Dr. Zimin, who, after listening to me and examining me, asked me: “When I press my sides, does it hurt?” - I answer him that I don’t feel any pain; the doctor asks: “When you go up the stairs, does it hurt?” I tell him that I can climb any stairs, because I don’t feel any pain. Doctor Zimin shrugged his shoulders and said: “In this case, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to have an operation, you are completely healthy,” and he sent me home. I came home, and joyfully my wife and I thanked the Lord God for His mercy. The next night I have a dream. They take me to the icons and say: “This is the elder’s cell, and this,” pointing to the icon of Alexander Nevsky, “is the icon of his angel, and this is the icon of his brother,” and they pointed to the icon of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, since it was given to him, the elder, from God heal the sick." Now, thanks to God, I am completely healthy.”

In 1926, before the execution of the last monks of the Mother of God Alexievsky Monastery, prisoners here, Saint Theodore began to appear for some time in a floating translucent image. Clearly visible by numerous witnesses, at midnight he emerged through the wall of the chapel and slowly walked south along the eastern wall of the monastery to the monastic cemetery, where he disappeared. The saint seemed to warn the imprisoned monks about the need to prepare for death.

And today, grace-filled help does not stop being given through the prayers of the holy saint of God, the righteous Theodore. It is especially clearly manifested from the holy relics of St. Theodore, which openly rest in the now revived Mother of God-Alexievsky Monastery in Tomsk. The monastery keeps a special notebook for recording cases of grace-filled help through the intercession of the Tomsk wonderworker. Here are just two of them:

“Our child was born seriously ill,” reports the family of parishioners of the Trinity Church in Tomsk, “with many diseases. The main diagnosis is damage to the central nervous system, intracranial hemorrhage, convulsive syndrome. The baby was treated for 7 months, but injections (about a hundred in total), medications and special anticonvulsant powders did not produce obvious results. A specially prescribed massage also did not improve the condition. All this time the child was under the supervision of a doctor. Finally, we decided to place our child at the relics of St. Theodore and anoint him with consecrated oil from the lamp burning in front of the relics. Having done this on August 28, 1995, the next day they saw an improvement. On the third day our son was healed. Later, the pediatrician, massage therapist and several different doctors noticed healing in the patient.”

“This happened in the summer of 1997,” another entry says. - My son Igor, a military doctor, came on vacation with a burn wound on his neck, which could not be cured by any means. On the first day of his arrival, I suggested that he anoint the wound with consecrated oil, which I had kept from the time of the discovery of the relics of the holy elder. He readily agreed. The next morning he came up to me and asked me to anoint the wound again. I was surprised to find that the ulcer was covered with pink skin. After re-anointing, no trace remained within a very short time.”

The veneration of the holy elder Theodore of Tomsk did not stop after his blessed death, but every year it expanded and grew stronger. Initially, regular and, over time, daily memorial services were held at the elder’s grave and in his cell. On the day of his repose, every year a particularly solemn funeral service was held in the monastery with a large crowd of people.

At the beginning of the 20th century, through the diligence of numerous citizens of Tomsk, a chapel was erected over his grave. A circle of admirers of the elder was created at the monastery, which collected all the materials known about him and published them in print. At the diocesan council, the question was raised about the need for careful care for the preservation and acquisition into church property of things that were preserved from the elder and were silent witnesses to his holy life. The holiness of the righteous Theodore and the inevitability of his church glorification as a saint were obvious to everyone.

However, for well-known reasons, this glorification took place only in 1984, when, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, the name of the righteous Theodore of Tomsk was included in the Council of Siberian Saints. On July 5, 1995, another remarkable event occurred - the holy relics of the saint of God were found and placed in a special wooden tomb in the temple of the Tomsk Mother of God-Alexievsky Monastery.

During the year, every Sunday at the end of Vespers, an akathist to the righteous Theodore of Tomsk is served in the monastery church, at the end of which the priest anoints the pilgrims with blessed oil from the lamp burning in front of the tomb of the Saint.

God once revealed to the forefather Abraham that the world stands for the holiness of God’s saints, their prayerful intercession for people, villages, cities and entire nations. We are happy that in our harsh land, far from holy places, we have, as it were, a certain source of Divine mercies pouring out on us - the holy relics of the righteous Theodore. They - like a sign of his special care for us - are a solid fence from the spilled and seething evil in the world. And his example righteous life let it serve, if not to excite the determination to follow him through complete self-sacrifice, then at least to create in us a spirit of humility and contrition for our weaknesses and sins.

I am posting in the “Charter Notes” the text of the incomplete service to the holy righteous Theodore Kuzmich of Tomsk. The existing fragments are reproduced from the typescript received from the Tomsk diocese. As far as I know, there is no official sanction from church authorities for this text.

Service to the Holy Righteous Elder Theodore of Tomsk
On G The Lord cried: stichera, tone 8:

And for the love of Christ, / the Divine Theodore, / you left your rank, property and honors, / you deigned to have poverty rather than riches, / and like Moses to work with the people of God / rather than have the pleasure of a corruptible life, / from poverty and heavenly bliss you were granted with the saints, / Blessed Theodora, / pray for our souls to be saved.
You were unknown in the land of Tomsk, wise, / fatherland, wealth and glory / and you left everything together, / and extended to it incorruptible, / for this sake, Christ your Lover of Mankind / enrich you with great gifts and miracles, / whom you pray to grant to souls to ours / peace and great mercy.
Having placed your trust in your Creator, / righteous Father Theodora, / you loved self-willed poverty more than perishable wealth, / and being likened to the Master’s journey, / you reached the land of Tomsk, / where you were revealed with the gift of miracles and insight, / you did not hide yourself, like the city above mountains standing, / your virtues, / but gloriously risen by the power of God, / pray to Him for the salvation of our souls.

Glory, voice 2:

Yours, father, and silent, / gentle and meek life / having loved Christ God, / righteous Theodora, / showed you to be the lamp of the Siberian land, / shining more than the sun, / for earthly dignity and temporary wealth / like dust, you counted them, / desiring one thing, the Christ you love, / but remember your servants / at the throne of the All-Tsar, Christ our God, / righteous father, / do not stop praying for your servants.

At the litia stichera, tone 1:

Rejoice, people of Siberia, / rejoice, all who love the righteous man of Tomsk, / for he left his secular life in Russia, / in the form of a former prisoner, / came to cold Siberia, / brought here the great wisdom of old age / and accepted a blessed death, / and glorified The Lord has enriched him with the gift of miracles / and his holy relics have been freely given to us for worship.

Glory, voice 6:

O reverend, you left the worldly race, / and deigned to wander in Christ, / as you shone forth in the desert with virtues throughout Siberia, / flowing out currents of Divine gifts to all. / Now from the throne of the Holy Trinity / intercede for all those who resort to your prayerful intercession / forgiveness of sins and eternal life, / and pray for us to receive eternal blessings, / who honor your holy memory.

On the poem there are stichera, tone 5:

Rejoice, blessed Father Theodore, / guardian of the city of Tomsk, / strong hope for those who pray, / merciless healer of the sick, / wise teacher of the poor and wise mentor to all Christians, / be an invincible intercessor for all of us, / and a prayer book for the whole world.
Verse: The righteous will rejoice in the Lord / and trust in him.
Rejoice, city of Tomsk, / who was honored to have within you a saint of God, / as a gift from above from God was given to you, / and as endless wealth was sent to you, / and as a dearest treasure, trust in you, / the healing power of the righteous Theodore, / in a word, by life, love, spirit, faith, purity in the land of Siberia, who labored, / your protector and intercessor, / who firmly protects you with a wall of prayers, / who intercedes for you, / and prays for you, / that you may always accept great mercy.
Verse: The righteous man will flourish like the phoenix, / like the cedar tree in Lebanon will multiply.

Glory, voice 8:

Blessed Theodora, / cool Siberian prayer book, / the invincible wall of the city of Tomsk, / gracious guardian of the Russian country, / praise of the venerables and the righteous, / do not forget us poor, / at the shrine of your relics offering your verbal service / and crying out diligently: / pray The Lord grant great mercy to our souls.

Troparion, tone 4:

Through the life of the world, righteous Theodora, having retired, / deigned to come freely to the land of Siberia, / you surprised the people of Tomsk with miracles and signs of God, / and after your death you strengthened the faith of those who honor you. / Remember us, who honor your memory, / Our Father Theodore.

Magnification:

We glorify you, / holy righteous Theodore, / and honor your holy memory, / because you pray for us / Christ our God.

According to Psalm 50, stichera, tone 6:

Come this day, all you fasting class / and gathered the idle assemblies, / take up the flowers of virtues, / with sacred songs let us sing to the divine Theodore, / on earth as an angel who lived in flesh, / and all the beauty of this world, as if he had left behind / and who followed Christ with many abstinences, / having exhausted your body through suffering and fasting, / until you are filled with grace-filled gifts, the Lord will reveal you to everyone / and attract crowds of those who are thirsty to be satisfied with this grace to you / and surprise with glorious miracles, / in the same way, as if you have boldness towards the Lord, / pray for him to send down the cleansing of sins to those who celebrate by faith / your most honorable and joyful memory.

The canon is read according to the General Menaion for the service of the monk, instead of “ Reverend "reads everywhere" righteous ».
Kontakion, tone 8:

Desiring the heights of beauty, / the lower pleasures of the body / you left melancholy, / through the non-acquisitiveness of the vanity world, / passing through the life of angels, / having passed away, Theodora, the righteous: / with them, pray to Christ God / unceasingly for all of us.

On the praises of the stichera, tone 1:

With your journey, as colorful as Abraham of old, / you reached the highest bright life, / in it, blessedly, standing before Christ the light, / you shine like the sun, / with the same enlighten us, / who now honor your most radiant triumph.
You left your earthly fatherland, / strangely settled in the lands of Siberia, / you acquired a heavenly fatherland for yourself, / you accepted free poverty, nakedness, thirst and reproach / for Christ’s sake, crying out to Him: / accept now, O Master, / in the Divine hand the soul of Thy servant / according to Thy great mercy.

Voice 8.
Similar to: O glorious miracle:

O glorious miracle, / the most venerable temple of the Mother of God / of the city of Tomsk / like a bride with precious utensils, / adorned with the relics of the righteous Theodore. / Oh, what a gift, / Christ God, / this you have given to us, / for we alone are merciful.

Glory, voice 8:

Rejoice and be glad, city of Tomsk, / rejoice and be glad, Church of God, / for in you the treasure of divine gifts / has appeared in abundance, / the relics of the righteous Theodore, / from them healing flows / and grace is given / to all who come with faith / and those who honor his holy memory with love.

And now, the same voice:

In the Lady, accept the prayers of Your servant and deliver us / from all need and sorrow.

From the service common to the one holy fool.