SAINT SERAPHIM OF VIRITSA

Saint Seraphim of Viritsa was a wealthy man in early 20th-century Russia who lived out Christ’s words to the rich man to give up his wealth and follow Him. One of the richest men in Russia, having traveled half the world, he gave away his fortune and embraced a life of asceticism for Christ. He emulated the feats of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, spending a thousand days in prayer for Russia during its darkest times. He predicted the service of two Russian Patriarchs and passed away in 1949 in the village of Viritsa near St. Petersburg, where his relics remain in a chapel near the church.