St. John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)

A parish priest for fifty-three years in one place: St Andrew’s Cathedral at Kronstadt, the naval base outside Petersburg, where he arrived in 1855 and found a town of dockers, exiles and drunks. He served the Liturgy every day, which was nearly unheard of, and communed his people often, which was rarer. He founded a House of Industry in 1882 with workshops, a school, a shelter and a free dining hall, and gave away nearly everything that was given to him. By the end thousands came to each Liturgy, and he heard their sins in a general confession because no one man could hear them one by one. His diary, My Life in Christ, is still one of the most read books of Russian spirituality. Glorified by the Church Abroad in 1964 and by Moscow in 1990. Feast: December 20.