{"title":"Optina Elders","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe collection of books on Optina Elders published by St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood available on our store.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"optina-series-vol-1-elder-leonid-of-optina","title":"Optina Series Vol 1 - Elder Leonid of Optina by Fr. Clement Sederholm","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“…The wellspring of prayer is in everyone—it is tapped either by gradually delving deeper into oneself in accordance with the teachings of the Fathers, or instantaneously, thunderstruck by God’s piercing to the core of the soul.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Elder Leonid\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   Possessing penetrating spiritual discernment, Elder Leonid (1768–1841) was at the same time loving and fatherly. He could mystically see into the hearts of his spiritual children, knowing when to rebuke, when to exhort, and when to console. He especially cared for those whom no one else seemed to have time for, and thousands came away from him healed both in soul and body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   “When we find that we are deprived of the virtues and therefore have no high opinion of ourselves, then this by itself can attract God’s favorable gaze, which will strengthen us with hope against the deadly spirit of despair. When we have had no success in the virtues, there is no closer means for salvation than humbleness of mind.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Elder Leonid\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   No one ever saw Elder Leonid disturbed by passionate anger or irritation. During the most difficult times of his life no one ever heard a sound of impatience or grumbling from him—no one saw him downcast. It was hard not to marvel at his joyfulness and inward peace. Preserving a holy simplicity, free of hypocrisy, he spoke with everyone in a direct and straightforward way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   “A person cannot overcome the passions on his own. This is the work of the right hand of the Most High, the action of the power of God. On our part we have only to preserve intact the holy disposition given us by God, and, in keeping with it, offer our efforts to attain the land of passionlessness.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Elder Leonid\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   Elder Leonid was very significant for Optina Monastery and for all of Russia. He introduced and firmly established in Optina the ancient tradition of eldership transmitted through St. Paisius Velichkovsky—a tradition founded on the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Holy Fathers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   Also included in this volume is the Life of Elder Leonid’s preceptor, Elder Theodore of Svir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e272 pages, illustrated, full-color cover, paperback\u003cbr\u003eISBN 0-938635-66-2\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Herman's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47319146660007,"sku":null,"price":26.66,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/0483\/7287\/files\/leo-2.jpg?v=1764166390"},{"product_id":"optina-series-vol-2-elder-anthony-of-optina","title":"Optina Series Vol. 2: Elder Anthony of Optina","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe Elders of Optina Monastery have had a tremendous impact on Russian society, calling forth a nationwide blossoming of sanctity. During the course of a century, their prophecy and God-illumined counsel attracted spiritual seekers from far and wide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the first Optina Elders was Elder Anthony (Putilov) (1795–1865), who, together with his brother Elder Moses, came to Optina after living for years in silence and prayer in a remote forest. Enduring terrible hardships and excruciating physical ailments, Elder Anthony acquired perfect spiritual freedom through the careful guarding of his soul and the acceptance of God's providence. He remained joyful to the end, filled with an unconquerable inner peace and with tender compassion for all who came to him. His life and writings breathe this same peace. The reader is involuntarily drawn into the quiet, restful atmosphere of Elder Anthony's beautiful soul, learning there the meaning of the lofty virtue of humble-mindedness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e272 pages, illustrated, paperback\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Herman's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47319158784167,"sku":null,"price":30.39,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/0483\/7287\/files\/ant-2.jpg?v=1764166450"},{"product_id":"optina-series-vol-6-elder-sebastian-of-optina","title":"Optina Series Vol. 6: Elder Sebastian of Optina","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe spiritual image of Elder Sebastian (1884–1966) is that of a longsuffering, quiet bearer of the vision of the Optina monastic tradition—destined to preserve Optina eldership through decades of communist persecution of the Church. After the closure of Optina Monastery in 1923, Fr. Sebastian—a disciple of both Elder Joseph and Elder Nektary—matured rapidly into a truly compassionate pastor. He suffered arrest and imprisonment by the communists in 1933, and was sentenced to ten years in the Karaganda concentration camps of Kazakhstan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   “I demand one thing—love one another, so that there will always be peace among you. Peace and love! If you will obey me in this—and I implore you to do this—then you will be my children. I am unworthy and sinful, but the Lord has much love and mercy. I place my hope in Him. And if the Lord will vouchsafe me His radiant abode, I’ll pray for you unceasingly. I’ll say, ‘Lord, Lord! I’m not alone; all my children are with me. I can’t enter in without them; I can’t be alone in Thy radiant habitations. They were entrusted to me by Thee.’”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Elder Sebastian\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   Elder Sebastian had a constant concern for instilling deep peace in people’s souls, and a constant sense of service—through his labor and love—to those surrounding him. He was exacting in everything, but first of all toward himself. He had the gift of great and profound discernment, and exercised moderation in everything.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   “Our family’s elder, Sebastian, was clairvoyant, as I personally witnessed several times. Through his unforgettably deep and penetrating look into one’s soul he was able to see things hidden within the person with whom he spoke. Several times he demanded from me things I was reluctant to do, yet, having shown obedience to him, I avoided calamaties and death. In him was a great Elder hidden from the eyes of the world.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—excerpt from ELDER SEBASTIAN OF OPTINA\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   ELDER SEBASTIAN OF OPTINA has been translated from the recently published Russian biography, as well as from original manuscripts and various materials from Elder Sebastian’s spiritual children. Also included is an Akathist to the Saint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e496 pages, illustrated, full-color cover, paperback\u003cbr\u003eISBN 0-938635-62-X.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Herman's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47319175528615,"sku":null,"price":39.7,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/0483\/7287\/files\/seb-2.jpg?v=1764166820"},{"product_id":"optina-series-vol-7-elder-barsanuphius-of-optina","title":"Optina Series Vol. 7: Elder Barsanuphius of Optina","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003eElder Barsanuphius (1845–1913), a disciple of Elder Anatole (Zertsalov) and Elder Nektary, was a highly cultured man and a successful colonel before entering the monastic life at a relatively late age. Due to his purity of heart and spiritual sobriety, he was transformed by God into a grace-filled Elder virtually overnight. The period before the first World War and the Russian Revolution was a complex one. The world was seething in unprecedented passions, and one could clearly sense the approach of darkness. With a sympathetic soul Elder Barsanuphius attended to the world, and the Lord parted a curtain before him, showing him the horrors of the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   “We live in a difficult time; we are weak and infirm but we have to encourage others. And here I am in the same condition, weak and infirm. I myself need help and consolation, but according to the obligation of my rank I have to comfort those who turn to me. They come to Optina from a world that no longer moans, as before, but howls; they come seeking consolation and soothing…. According to their faith they receive what they are seeking and leave in a state of peace.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Elder Barsanuphius\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   People from the world, thirsting for consolation in their sorrows, streamed to Optina. Elder Barsanuphius, in frail health but strengthened by the power of the Lord, received them, conversed with them, confessed them, and directed them to the only true path. He was a man of extraordinary spiritual vision, and could see clearly into the hearts of those who came to him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   “Elders are called clairvoyant, indicating that they’re able to see the future. Yes, great grace is given to eldership—this is the gift of discernment. This is the greatest gift given by God to man. They have, in addition to physical eyes, spiritual eyes, before which the human soul is revealed. Before a man thinks of something, before a thought arises in him, they see it with their spiritual eyes, and they even see the reason for such a thought arising. And nothing is hidden from them….”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Elder Barsanuphius\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e   Presented here, for the first time in English, is a complete biography of this great Elder, including his talks on a variety of subjects, excerpts from the journal of his cell-attendant (the future Elder Nikon, himself a great Optina Elder and a subsequent victim of the communist terror), and selections from his spiritual poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e840 pages, illustrated, full-color cover, paperback\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Herman's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47319179722919,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/0483\/7287\/files\/bars-2.jpg?v=1764166932"},{"product_id":"optina-series-vol-8-elder-anatole-the-younger-of-optina","title":"Optina Series Vol. 8: Elder Anatole the Younger of Optina","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe Elders of Optina Monastery have had a tremendous impact on Russian society, calling forth a nationwide blossoming of sanctity. During the course of a century, their prophecy and God-illumined counsel attracted spiritual seekers from far and wide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the last Optina Elders was Elder Anatole (Potapov) (1855–1922), a disciple of the great Elder Ambrose and a contemporary of Elder Nektary. After his period of discipleship in the Optina Skete, he spent his years of eldership at the Church of the Vladimir Icon in Optina Monastery. There he confessed and gave counsel mostly to the crowds of lay pilgrims who flocked to Optina in order to unburden their souls and find resolutions to their problems. He was known as “the Consoler.” In the words of Archpriest Sergius Chetverikov, “His brisk, joyfully loving, and humble way of addressing the people reminded one of St. Seraphim of Sarov. One could clearly sense in him the spirit and power of the first great Optina Elders.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElder Anatole lived to see the advance of godlessness that overtook Russia during the revolutionary period; and, through his clairvoyant insight, he was able to help believers survive spiritually during those calamitous times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElder Anatole the Younger of Optina is the eighth volume in the series of Lives of the Optina Elders published by the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e208 pages, illustrated, paperback\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-0-938635-63-5\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Herman's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47319183982759,"sku":null,"price":30.39,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/0483\/7287\/files\/ana-2.jpg?v=1764167033"},{"product_id":"optina-series-vol-9-elder-nikon-of-optina","title":"Optina Series Vol. 9: Elder Nikon of Optina","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Elders of Optina Monastery have had a tremendous impact on Russian society, calling forth a nationwide blossoming of sanctity. During the course of a century, their prophecy and God-illumined counsel attracted spiritual seekers from far and wide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElder Nikon (Belyaev) (1888–1931) was the beloved disciple of Elder Barsanuphius of Optina for over five years, during which time he assimilated his spiritual father’s sanctity and teachings to such a degree that was later able to take on the labor of eldership himself. Fr. Nikon kept a spiritual journal detailing his relationship with Elder Barsanuphius, giving us a valuable view into how eldership is passed on. His humble acceptance of God’s providence at all times enabled Fr. Nikon to maintain his spiritual equilibrium no matter what the circumstances—and his lot was to be a difficult one. After the closure of Optina Hermitage as a monastery by the Soviets in 1918, he was the last hieromonk to continue serving there in the one open church until its final closure in 1923. Elder Nikon then began his ministry of eldership in the town of Kozelsk, where he settled with other Optina monks, and continued selflessly serving those around him until his arrest in 1927 and his exile to Russia’s far north, where, in poverty and sickness, with uncomplaining trust in God, he reposed in 1931.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Life of Elder Nikon is particularly appropriate for our times, as the decline of the collective West into a Soviet-style dystopia mirrors the tragedy that overtook Orthodox Russia a century ago. Elder Nikon’s words of counsel on how to maintain faith, as well as his own example of confessing Christ in the face of persecution, are as needful for us today as they were during his own lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to Nun Maria’s beautifully written biography of her spiritual father, this volume also contains Elder Nikon’s edifying letters and teachings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eElder Nikon of Optina\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis the ninth volume in the series of Lives of the Optina Elders published by the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e544 pages, illustrated, paperback\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-0-938635-64-2\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St Herman's Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47319186833575,"sku":null,"price":41.56,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/0483\/7287\/files\/nik-2.jpg?v=1764167092"},{"product_id":"optina-series-vol-4-elder-ambrose-of-optina-1","title":"Optina Series Vol. 4: Elder Ambrose of Optina","description":"\u003cp\u003e    \u003cbr\u003eElder Ambrose (1812–1891) is considered the pinnacle of Eldership in Optina. 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