Blessed Martha of Tsaritsyn
The Russian land has revealed many saints, many devotees of piety to the world, and the Russian Orthodox Church has nurtured and educated them. I would like to talk about one such ascetic, very revered in Volgograd, about Blessed Martha of Tsaritsyn. Tsaritsyn is the original name of the city of Volgograd. Now material is being prepared for the glorification of Blessed Martha of Tsaritsyn. And our story is based on the book “Orthodox Women of the Twentieth Century” (author-compiler Svetlana Devyatova). The future ascetic was born in 1880 in Tsaritsyn (Volgograd) into a pious, wealthy family. Unfortunately, we do not know what name she received in holy baptism, and her last name is not known. It is only known that when she graduated from high school, her parents decided to send her to St. Petersburg to Father John of Kronstadt, and the perspicacious shepherd blessed her on the path of foolishness for Christ’s sake, ordering her to be called Martha.
Martha went home, said goodbye to her parents and returned to St. Petersburg, where she lived until the death of Father John of Kronstadt. At the end of 1908, Blessed Martha returned to her homeland, Tsaritsyn. At first, the ascetic lived in a barn that stood in the courtyard of her parents’ house.
Blessed Martha was often invited by the townspeople, many gladly received her, it was noticed that through the prayers of the righteous woman the sick were healed, peace and tranquility reigned in the house, and the well-being of families improved. When visiting wealthy people, she always reminded the owners of the need to donate to churches, said that the Lord loves merciful people, and asked them to help suffering, sick people.
Blessed Martha called on all townspeople to help in the construction of the Holy Spirit Monastery. Believers who deeply revered Blessed Martha made generous donations and themselves participated in the construction of the monastery. Through the prayers of the righteous woman, the monastery was completed by 1911.
According to the stories of cab driver Vladimir Klimovich Inin, who lived not far from the monastery, he often had to carry building materials and other donations to the monastery at the request of Blessed Martha. Vladimir Klimovich, together with other believers, built a small cell in the monastery especially for Mother Martha.
Mother Martha often came to the Inins’ yard, sometimes spending the night in the barn with the goats. She refused to go into the house, saying: “Straw and goats are what I need.” The owners recalled that when mother stayed overnight, there was some kind of unusual silence in the yard.
Mother loved flowers and birds. She said that all this is the wisdom of God. The blessed one loved to feed birds and animals. She taught everyone who listened to her words to take care of every crumb of bread, advised them to give everything to the birds, and said: “The birds will pick up everything and pray for you.”
Believers often listened to the spiritual advice of the old woman, they knew that the blessed one’s predictions always come true, and if the blessed one does not advise doing something, it is better not to do one’s will.
Let us give just a few evidences of the blessed old woman’s foresight. The Inin family had four daughters: Lusha, Grusha, Anna and Evdokia. Mother Martha did not advise Evdokia to get married. One day after a service in the monastery, Mother Martha grabbed a broom and began chasing Evdokia around the monastery, shouting: “Who told you to cut off your braid?” Evdokia, almost crying, justified herself: “Mother Martha, here is my braid. I have it whole.” When Evdokia got married a few years later, and her husband soon abandoned her with small children, Evdokia remembered the seer’s warning.
Evdokia Ivanovna’s eldest daughter, Lusha, was once crossed by Mother Martha three times, kissed and said: “And you will soon go to Moscow.” Lusha answered her that they had no relatives in Moscow. Mother answered: “There will be relatives and quite a few.” (Mother spoke in parables.) Lusha asked: “How can I leave, but what about my husband and son?” Mother reassured her that they would all see each other in Moscow. Three weeks after this conversation, Lusha had a heart attack and died suddenly. A month after that, her husband died, then her son.
Mother Martha blessed Anna to live with God and predicted that her life would be difficult, but she would endure everything. That's how it was. Anna married a wealthy man, Mikhail Vasilyevich Guryev. Mother Martha told Mikhail Vasilyevich to build a new temple with his own money. The time was alarming, so he asked mother: “The time is like this, how long will the temple stand?” The blessed one answered: “How long he stays on earth does not matter, but in heaven he will be forever.” At this time, Mikhail Vasilyevich’s brother was in Moscow. He wrote to his mother about his request, and through his brother he received a blessing from the clergy to build a temple in honor of the Monk Alexy, the man of God. Soon the temple was built.
From the memoirs of contemporaries: “Blessed Martha predicted that Mikhail Vasilyevich would lie on the same field with her, and he would be the first on this field. Mikhail Vasilyevich Guryev died in 1933 and was buried in the new cemetery. The land for the cemetery had just been allocated, and his cross was the first on it. During the funeral, someone, remembering the words of Blessed Martha, said: “That’s right, Mikhail Vasilyevich, Mother Martha said that you will be the first on the field.”
Not only residents of Tsaritsyn turned to Blessed Martha for prayer help; people came from surrounding villages and villages, and came from other cities.
In 1910, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna came to the perspicacious Tsaritsyn Blessed. In the book “Letters of the Royal Family from Imprisonment,” church historian Evgeniy Evlampievich Alferyev (1908–1986) described the empress’s meeting with blessed Martha as follows: “When the holy fool found herself in the presence of the queen, she unwrapped eight dolls wrapped in newspaper. Throwing them forcefully to the floor, she screamed: “It’s you, it’s you, all of you!” Then she poured red liquid over the dolls from a teapot and set them on fire with a match. When all the dolls flashed, she exclaimed: “This is your future!” You will all burn! I see blood! A lot of blood …"
Antonina Antonovna Melnikova (1895-1975) said that in adolescence she suffered from dropsy. Knowing the power of the ascetic’s prayers, she began to beg her father to take her to Mother Martha. The father did not agree to take her for a long time (Probably, as a pharmacist, he believed that blessed Martha would not be able to help her daughter, since the swelling was severe). Then Antonina wrapped her swollen legs in rags and said that she would walk herself, her father reconciled, and in the morning the two of them went to the blessed one. They found Mother Martha only at noon (believers told where she was that day). When Antonina saw her mother, she burst into tears and said: “I feel so bad, I’ll probably die soon.” “If you die, you will die,” agreed Mother Martha. Then she sat Antonina down, put her head on her lap and began to quietly pray over her. A few hours later, Antonina, through the prayers of Mother Martha, was completely healed: the liquid that had caused the young woman so much suffering came out naturally. The grateful young woman became attached with all her soul to blessed Martha, visited her often, and then began to walk with her as a novice.
Antonina Antonovna recalled that they always went with full bags: “Mother collected everything for the monastery.” Antonina soon learned to understand the language of Blessed Martha. If mother said: “Headless people live here,” it means that the owners were not very kind people. When she said: “The Austrians live here,” it means that the owners are non-believers. “There are a lot of houses, a lot of houses, but nowhere to spend the night,” this meant that the owners would not accept a place to spend the night. If mother, coming to the house, said: “Soon we will bake pancakes.” This means she warned that soon someone would die in this house. Many believers revered Blessed Martha as a saint and placed her portrait in the red corner next to the icons. The blessed one did not like this, she asked that they not do it.
Blessed Martha slept very little, poured some crackers behind her back, took a little nap and got up (you can’t sleep on crackers for long). When the blessed one walked around the city, she often threw pebbles at passers-by (she always had small pebbles in her pockets). People were angry, some even cursed. Later, people began to notice that if a pebble hit a sore spot, the pain subsided and the disease receded.
The death of the ascetic was unexpected for everyone. Blessed Martha departed to the Lord in 1925. Shortly before her death, Blessed Martha said that everyone should come to her grave, she would listen to everyone and help.
The blessed one predicted that she would be buried three times. And so it happened. For the first time, Blessed Martha was buried in the Holy Spiritual Monastery behind the altar of the summer church. After the monastery was closed, they began to rebuild the church. The nuns reburied Mother Martha in the cemetery. Her grave was near the entrance to the Alekseevskaya Church (Golubinskaya St.). At the end of the 40s, the Alekseevskaya Church was also closed. Then they moved Mother Martha to the Central Cemetery and held a burial. Thus, the words of blessed Martha were fulfilled that she would be buried three times, and with Mikhail Vasilyevich Guryev they would lie on the same field.
An endless stream of people walked to the blessed one’s grave. In 1942, they said that it was necessary to take the coffin of Saint Martha of Tsaritsyn from the grave, carry it around the city, and the city would be saved.
More than eight decades have passed since the death of Blessed Martha Tsaritsyn, but the memory of her lives in the hearts of people, stories about the ascetic are passed on from generation to generation. Nowadays, not only older people, but also young people come to the blessed one’s grave to share their troubles. Believers ask for her prayerful intercession before the Lord. According to the testimony of the workers of the temple in the name of the Hieromartyr Joseph, Metropolitan of Astrakhan, located on the territory of the cemetery, priests, monastics and laity come to Blessed Martha’s grave every day. Every Saturday and Sunday after the liturgy, memorial services are held at the grave of the ascetic. Temple workers often have to add new sand to the grave, since believers, having visited the grave of the righteous woman, try to take a pinch of sand with them as a shrine. Many people faithfully apply sand to sore spots at home and receive long-awaited healing. There is plenty of evidence of the grace-filled help received after a prayerful appeal to Blessed Martha.
From the story of the servant of God Elena M.: “My arm hurt a lot, neither massages nor injections helped. This year it started getting worse again. I went to the grave of Blessed Martha and in the evening I began to apply sand from her grave to my sore hand. At the same time, she asked for recovery. This morning I woke up without pain in my arm. My gratitude knows no bounds."
From the story of God’s servant Nina: “...For five years I went to apply for a pension based on active service (45 years). There are all sorts of obstacles: either they don’t give you a certificate, or they don’t answer at your former place of work (from Kazakhstan). After the prayers at the grave of Blessed Martha, they called from Kazakhstan and said that everything was ready, everything was done. God help you all, and the kingdom of heaven to Martha!”
The servant of God Elvira Sh. says: “At my mother’s grave, she complained about fatigue and a desire to rest. But due to financial problems, the vacation did not work out. A week after the request, I was offered a free trip to the Mother and Child sanatorium on the Black Sea coast.”
From the story of the servant of God Nina Z.: “In October 2003, I was laid off. From friends I learned that there is a grave of Blessed Martha in the central cemetery. I went to the grave and asked her to help me find a job. Only two weeks passed - they called me and offered me a very good job, which I had never dreamed of. I am very grateful to Blessed Martha for her help. I always go to her grave.”
The servant of God Galina says: “Blessed Martha of Tsaritsyn helped my grandchildren. When the eldest, Andrey, was 9 years old, he was “obsessed” with theft. It was impossible to leave anything at home, in his pockets, he carried everything. Both his parents and his father talked to him, but nothing helped. The poor child said, “I can’t help myself.” We celebrated a memorial service with him three times at the blessed one’s grave. After a while he says: “I don’t want to steal anymore.” Three years later, the same misfortune befell the youngest grandson. And again they turned to blessed Martha for help. She didn't leave us in trouble. I strongly advise anyone who has problems with children to come to Mother Martha (at the grave). Serve a memorial service at her grave, she will help you. May God save you through her holy prayers!”
Material is being prepared for the glorification of Blessed Martha of Tsaritsyn. We ask all Orthodox people who, having learned about blessed Martha, mentally turned to her for prayerful help, and soon received what they asked for, to provide recorded evidence to the rector of the cemetery church, Hieromonk Leonid (Isaev). God save you through the prayers of Blessed Martha!
The grave of Blessed Martha is located in the Central Cemetery of Volgograd. At the train station you need to take trolleybus 7 or 10, stop “Tekhnikum”. Workers of the Shchmch Temple. Joseph Metropolitan of Astrakhan. will always tell you how to find the grave of blessed Martha. Address of the cemetery and Temple: Volgograd, st. Karl Liebknecht 2a, cemetery, church of Sschmch. Joseph Metropolitan of Astrakhan.
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Prayer to Saint Martha for the fulfillment of a wish
Prayer is very powerful. Fulfills all desires (if it pleases Heaven - this means that you will not harm anyone with your desires, voluntarily or unwittingly); wishes are often fulfilled even before the end of the reading cycle. 1. Prayer to Saint Martha - Read 1 time.
“Oh Saint Martha, You are Miraculous! I turn to you for help!
And completely in my needs, and you will be my helper in my trials! I promise you with gratitude that I will spread this prayer everywhere!
I humbly and tearfully ask you to console me in my worries and hardships! Humbly, for the sake of the great joy that filled your heart, I tearfully ask you - take care of me and my family, so that we preserve our God in our hearts and thereby deserve the Saved Supreme Mediation, first of all, with the concern that now burdens me...
(further desire, for example, help me find a well-paid job; help me meet my loved one and create a happy family; etc.)…
I tearfully ask you, Helper in every need, conquer the burdens just as You conquered the snake until it lay at Your feet!”
2. Prayer “Our Father” - read 1 time
Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen!
3. Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary - Read 1 time
“O Mother of God, Virgin, rejoice! Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you! Blessed are You among Women and Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls!”
4. “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! And now, and forever, and forever and ever! Amen! » — Read 1 time
5. “Saint Martha, ask Jesus for us! "- Read 9 times * Must be read in a cycle - 9 Tuesdays in a row. If one of the Tuesdays is missed, start all over again.
If your wish came true earlier, still read to the end of the cycle (all 9 Tuesdays).
There should be a candle burning nearby (to the right) on the table. You can use any candle, but preferably a church candle, a small one.
The time of day - morning or evening - does not matter. If the candle is a church candle, let it burn out to the end; if it’s different, let it burn for 15-20 minutes, and then you can put it out (don’t blow it out!). It is better if you lubricate the candle with bergamot oil (with your palm, from bottom to top, from the base of the candle to the wick). It’s also better if there are fresh flowers nearby! But bergamot and flowers are not necessary, but very desirable!
It is also highly recommended to bathe and wear light clothes before reading prayers (any); be in the room alone!
The desire is better written down on paper so that it always sounds the same when reading the entire text of the prayer. One cycle - one desire.
The prayer cannot be printed out and read; You need to rewrite all the texts by hand and use them already! The text you have rewritten cannot be passed on to others - each person must rewrite the text of the prayers in his own hand (you can dictate to him or simply give him yours or this printed text for rewriting).
Source: https://www.babyblog.ru/user/OWKl2010/1634739
