June 28/15—memory of St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, wonderworkertranslated

Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, was born in the last quarter of the 14th century. From an early age the boy strove for a monastic life. At the age of 12, he became a monk in one of the Galich monasteries, and then moved to the Moscow Simonov Monastery.

The young monk humbly and diligently fulfilled various obediences, strictly observing the behests of the first abbots of the monastery - St. Theodore, the founder of the monastery, later Archbishop of Rostov (+1394; commemorated November 28/December 11), and St. Kirill, later abbot of Belozersky (+1427; commemorated June 9/22). He labored in fasting, prayer, and reading the Word of God. Once Saint Photius (+1431; commemorated July 2/15) visited the Simonov Monastery. When he arrived at the bakery, he saw the monk Jonah, who had fallen asleep from much labor; at the same time, the right hand of the tired monk was bent in a blessing gesture. Saint Photius asked not to wake him and, having blessed the sleeping monk, prophetically predicted to those present that he would be a great saint of the Russian Church and would turn many to the path of salvation.

The service of Metropolitan Jonah for the benefit of the Russian Church was of a pan-Orthodox, pan-Russian national character. Metropolitan Jonah provided...