Commemorated on January 10
George Govorov, the future St Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815
in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a
priest.
At first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then
a military school. From 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological
Academy, and probably visited the Monastery of the Caves several times.
In these surroundings, it was not surprising that he received the
monastic tonsure while he was still a student. After graduation
Hieromonk Theophan was appointed rector of Kiev’s church schools, and
later became rector of the seminary in Novgorod. Before he retired from
teaching, Fr Theophan served as a professor and Assistant Inspector at
the Petersburg Academy.
St Theophan was not complely happy with
academic work, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. He was assigned
to be a member of the Russian Mission in Jerusalem. After being raised
to the rank of Archimandrite, he became Rector of Olnets Seminary. Soon
he was assigned as the chief priest of the embassy church in
Constantinople. St Theophan was eventually recalled to Russia to become
rector of the Petersburg Academy, and supervisor of religious education
in the capital’s secular schools.
On May 9, 1859 St Theophan was
consecrated as Bishop of Tambov, where he established a diocesan school
for girls. During his time in Tambov he came to love the secluded Vysha
Monastery in his diocese. In 1863 he was transferred to Vladimir and
remained there for three years. He also established a diocesan school
for girls at Vladimir.
The holy bishop visited parishes throughout
his diocese serving, preaching, restoring churches, and sharing the
joys and sorrows of his flock. It was very difficult for Bishop Theophan
to live in the world and become involved with vain worldly disputes.
Many abused his trust, but he could not bring himself to chastise
anyone. Instead, he left left such unpleasant tasks to the Archpriest of
his cathedral.
He was present at the uncovering of the relics of
St Tikhon of Zadonsk in 1861, and this made a tremendous impression on
him, for he had much in common with that saint. He had loved St Tikhon
from early childhood, and always spoke about him with great enthusiasm.
When St Tikhon was glorified as a saint on August 13, Bishop Theophan’s
joy knew no bounds.
In 1866 his request to be relieved of his
duties as Bishop of Vladimir was granted. He was appointed as Superior
of the Vysha Monastery, but soon resigned from that position. He was
permitted to live there and to celebrate services whenever he wished. He
also received a pension of 1000 rubles.
As he prepared to leave
his diocese, he wished to focus on his own salvation, and to concentrate
on undisturbed communion with God. On July 24, 1866 he bade his diocese
farewell, leaving the world for a life of reclusion, and to devote
himself to writing spiritual books. Through these books, St Theophan has
become the spiritual benefector of all Orthodox Christians. Although he
sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), a
reputation as a writer of great significance for the whole world was
also added to him.
Bishop Theophan wrote many books, but received
no profits from their sale. He tried to keep them as inexpensive as
possible, and they quickly sold out. He wrote about topics which others
before him had not fully treated, such as how to live a Christian life,
how to overcome sinful habits, and how to avoid despair. He tried to
explain the steps of spiritual perfection systematically, as one who had
himself gone through these various steps. Some of his books include THE
SPIRITUAL LIFE AND HOW TO BE ATTUNED TO IT, THE PATH TO SALVATION, and
LETTERS ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. He also translated the PHILOKALIA in five
volumes, and THE SERMONS OF ST SIMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN.
For the
first six years in the monastery, Bishop Theophan attended all the
services, including the early Liturgy. He stood still in church with his
eyes closed so that he would not be distracted. He often celebrated
Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days.
Beginning in 1872, he
cut off all relationships with people (except for his confessor) and no
longer left his cell to attend church. He built a small chapel in his
quarters and dedicated it to the Lord’s Baptism. For ten years he served
there on Sundays and Feast Days. For the last eleven years of his life
he served every day by himself. Sometimes he would sing, and sometimes
he kept completely silent.
Whenever anyone visited him on
business, Bishop Theophan would reply with as few words as possible,
then immerse himself in prayer. If anyone sent him money, he would
distribute it to the poor, keeping only a small portion to purchase
books.
Whenever he was not occupied with writing or praying, the
reclusive bishop worked at carpentry or painting icons. He received from
twenty to forty letters each day, and he answered all of them. He was
able to discern each writer’s spiritual condition, then give detailed
answers to the questions of those who were struggling for the salvation
of their souls.
His eyesight deteriorated in his latter years, but
he did not curtail his work because of it. In the evening, his cell
attendant would prepare everything for the bishop to serve Liturgy the
next morning. After finishing the Liturgy, Bishop Theophan would knock
on the wall to signal the cell attendant to serve him tea. On days when
there was no fasting, he would eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. This consisted of
one egg and a glass of milk. At four o’clock he would have some tea, and
then no more food that day.
Bishop Theophan began to get weaker
at the beginning of 1894. He was still writing on the afternoon of
January 6, but when the cell attendant came to check on him at 4:30 he
found that the bishop had departed to the Lord.
St Theophan’s
body lay in the small church in his cell for three days, then three more
days in the cathedral. There was no trace of corruption, however. He
was laid to rest in the Kazan church of the Vysha Monastery.
Several
of St Theophan’s books have been translated into English, and are
reliable spiritual guides for Orthodox Christians of today. St
Theophan’s gift was the ability to present the wisdom of the Fathers in
terms which modern people can understand. Since he lived close to our
own time, many readers find his books “more approachable” than the
earlier patristic literature. He treats the life of the soul and the
life of the body as a unified whole, not as two separate elements, and
reveals to people the path of salvation.
SOURCE:
SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2013(with 2012's link here also and further, 2011, 2010, 2009 and even 2008!)
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