Vol. 54, No. 4 (321) July-August, 2018

Blessed Andrei of Simbirsk
Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker

This issue of The Orthodox Word features the life of a remarkable man of God who lived in the nineteenth century: Blessed Andrei of Simbirsk, Russia. From an early age, by divine inspiration he took upon himself the most difficult and dangerous form of asceticism, foolishness for Christ’s sake. From then on, feigning madness, he selflessly served his neighbors, revealing the will of God, exposing sins, and predicting future events. He eventually became so beloved in his city that, when he reposed, all but the bedridden attended his funeral. Miracles have been performed at his grave since the time of his repose, and continue to occur through his relics, which rest in a beautiful new cathedral in his home city.

Also featured in this issue is the life of Russian New Hiero-confessor John (Kevroletin). Born in western Siberia in 1875, he became a monk there at age nineteen, and lived through the many difficulties of Soviet life—persecution, imprisonment, and exile—yet retained the boldness and faith of a true confessor of Orthodoxy. To the end of his days in 1961, he continued to serve his spiritual children and was a sterling example of a true monk.