Prayer to the Optina New Martyrs: text and what is asked for, reading rules and akathist

Today there are a large number of different prayers, each of which is very powerful. However, the prayers of those saints who gave their lives to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ and died in the name of faith are considered truly powerful. In this article we will tell you about the great saints and prayers to the new martyrs of Optina Basil, Trophim and Ferapont.

Who are the Optina New Martyrs

In 1993, on the eve of Easter Sunday, the villainous murder of the monks of Optina Pustyn was committed. A mentally ill man, armed with a knife, attacked first two bell ringers, and then the hieromonk. Those killed were between 32 and 39 years old. The new martyrs came to the Orthodox faith and monasticism after a long life in the world.

Igor Roslyakov, Muscovite, born in 1960. He had a higher education (Journal Department of Moscow State University). I did not work in my specialty. International master of sports in water polo, member of the USSR national team. During a trip to the European Championships, I met a Dutch woman and entered into correspondence with her. For this reason, he was not included in the national team for the trip to the World Championships in Canada.

Undeserved resentment caused depression. Igor could not find a place for himself, he lost sleep and appetite. One of my friends advised me to attend a church service to relieve stress. Igor began to regularly visit the temple and observe Orthodox fasts. Having regained his peace of mind, he continued to play sports.

Fate brought Igor together with the most revered elder of the Russian Orthodox Church of the late 20th and early 21st centuries - Archimandrite of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery John (Krestyankin). The archimandrite listened to his confession and saw in him the gift of serving the Lord. On his advice, Igor left sports and became a novice in the Optina Desert.

During the trial period, Igor had to do a variety of jobs:

remove trash;
be a laborer at a construction site;
guard at the monastery gates.

The abbot of the monastery, having learned that the novice had a philological education, instructed him to keep the chronicle of the monastery. After being tonsured as a monk, the man was named Vasily. Monk Vasily discovered a talent for preaching, and therefore he was ordained to the rank of hieromonk (a monk with the status of a priest). Tragic death cut short the service of the Lord in earthly life. The New Martyr was transformed into an angel, becoming a Heavenly protector for believers.

Leonid Tatarnikov was born in 1954 in the Irkutsk region. He graduated from a railway school as a young man and worked for several years as an electric locomotive driver. But other countries attracted him; he wanted change. Leonid radically changed his life by becoming a fisherman on a fishing trawler. Hard work did not stop the young man from admiring the sea views.

He was a passionate person:

mastered photography and became a photojournalist for one of the Sakhalin newspapers;
danced in the folk dance ensemble at the Palace of Culture;
learned to sail a yacht.

Not everyone around him understood his ebullient nature. Leonid sought to use his powers to benefit people, having tried more than one profession. In the late 80s, he went to his uncle in the Altai region, where he was baptized. In 1990, Leonid and pilgrims came to Optina Pustyn, where he became a novice, and then took monastic vows under the name Trofim.

Vladimir Pushkarev was born in 1956, in the Novosibirsk region. Before the army, he worked as a driver and was involved in combat sports. After the army, he trained as a forester and was sent to the Khabarovsk Territory as a huntsman. Having served the required term, Vladimir went to visit a relative in Rostov-on-Don. An unexpected meeting with a woman who experienced clinical death changed his worldview.

The young man began to attend church and was baptized. He made a pilgrimage to Optina Pustyn and decided to become a monk. He turned to Bishop of Rostov for a recommendation. As a test, I cleaned public toilets in Rostov-on-Don. In 1990, he took monastic vows in the Optina Desert under the name Ferapont. Monk Ferapont served in the refectory (prepared food for the monastery brethren). The New Martyr was an excellent bell ringer, he performed any work masterfully.

A knife strike ended the lives of Ferapont and Vasily while they were in the bell tower. Vasily was going to church for the liturgy when the bell on the belfry suddenly fell silent. Sensing something was wrong, the new martyr went to the bell tower, where the killer attacked him from behind.

April 18 became the day of remembrance of the murdered monks in Optina. Every year on this day the names of Vasily, Trofim and Ferapont are remembered at a service. Pilgrims from Russia and other countries come to the relics of the new martyrs. Miracles are known that happened after prayer before the image and relics of the new martyrs.

The authorities of the Russian Orthodox Church have not yet announced the canonization of the new martyrs Basil, Trophimus and Ferapont.

But in memory of the new martyrs in the Optina Desert, akathists have been compiled that can be read privately.

How a church was built in one night and other miracles

Nineteen years have already passed since the day when on Easter 1993, April 18, three Optina brothers were killed - Hieromonk Vasily, Monk Trofim, and Monk Ferapont. In 2005, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy!! a chapel was erected over their graves, and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have already visited here. On April 18, you can’t even get close to the chapel - a lot of people with lit candles stand in the courtyard of the monastery, because forty or fifty buses arrive in Optina Pustyn on this day. But even on ordinary days, people from different dioceses come here by bus to serve a memorial service at the graves of their murdered brothers, and, after praying, ask them for help. Many people actually receive help. Information about miracles through the prayers of the Optina martyrs is now being collected in the monastery, preparing materials for canonization. But some of the especially persistent pilgrims come to visit me, fortunately, that my house is located near the walls of the monastery, and ask: “Please write it down.” Here are some stories from my guests.

A pilgrim from Sochi, Lyudmila Luchko, asked to write down the following:

“My sister was dying of kidney failure. That is, we went through all conceivable and unimaginable courses of treatment, my sister spent a long time in the hospital on an artificial kidney machine, until the doctors pronounced the verdict: “If you don’t urgently undergo a kidney transplant, your sister will die.” We sold our late parents’ apartment and discovered that we clearly didn’t have enough money for an operation in America or Europe. And then the doctors told us the cheapest option - we had to fly to China, especially since according to Chinese laws, organs of executed criminals are used for transplantation, and therefore the operation would be done quickly.

We flew to Beijing, paid for the operation, and told the clinic: “Wait.” And it wasn’t even days, but months of waiting. Unfortunately, we flew to China in such a hurry that I did not take a single icon from home. I only had with me the book “Red Easter,” which I had read and re-read so much that Hieromonk Vasily, Monk Ferapont, and Monk Trofim became dear people to me, and I constantly asked them for help. In order not to pray in front of an empty wall, I placed “Red Easter” in the icon corner - not an icon, of course, but still on the cover there are Angels and the bright faces of the martyrs who suffered for our Lord Jesus Christ. And if someone condemns me for such an “icon”, then I can say one thing - God forbid someone to experience such spiritual hunger as we experienced during six months of living in the land of dragons. At first I didn’t even believe that there was not a single Orthodox church in vast Beijing and all of China. They say they showed up later. And then, as they told me, the last Chinese Orthodox priest, Father Gregory Zhu, was buried in the cemetery with a lay rite, because the authorities forbade inviting an Orthodox priest from Russia to the funeral service.

Before, I couldn’t even imagine how hard it can be on your soul when you don’t go to church and don’t go to confession or receive communion for months. My father was nearby at home. And, although my sister, unfortunately, was an unbeliever, the priest knew how to persuade her to confess and take communion. And after communion, the sister felt better, and she, at least occasionally, voluntarily read prayers. In China, even these weak shoots of faith disappeared, and during Great Lent the sister went into disarray. For some reason, she was especially irritated that I was turning to the three-numbered Optina martyrs for help: “Who are they? Found the saints?!” Well, and so on.

I endured, realizing that my sister was in despair: death was at the door, and for six months at the clinic they only promised: “Wait.” Meanwhile, we live in a miserable rented room, there is almost no money left - everything is spent on medical services, and we could only afford to eat the cheapest vegetables.

On Good Friday, my sister gave me a scandal because I burst into tears during prayer at the thought that for the first time in my adult life I would not be in church at the Easter service and would not hear the procession with candles singing in many voices in the night: “Thy Resurrection, Christ.” Savior, the Angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth to glorify You with a pure heart.” I shouldn’t praise Christ in church on Easter! And I already cried out loudly to Father Vasily, monk Trofim and monk Ferapont: “You have always loved Easter so much! Do something. I can’t live without church on Easter night!” And the sister mockingly commented: “Now they will build a church for you in one night. But what about it?!” And she said such offensive words that made my heart sank even more painfully.

I cried and took my sister to a Chinese canteen for lunch. I always kept my fasts strictly, but my sister also fasted due to lack of money, fortunately, there are a lot of cheap and very tasty vegetables in China. Suddenly a woman sitting at the next table comes up to us:

-Are you Russian?

- Yes.

– I see you are fasting during Lent. Are you Orthodox?

- Certainly.

– Do you want to go to church on Easter?

- How??

And the woman immediately handed my sister and me two invitation cards, saying that a priest had arrived at our Russian embassy with an antimension, and now the embassy garage had already begun to be converted into a camp church.

“We’ll work all night and celebrate Easter in church,” said our new friend.

Lord have mercy! What a miracle this Easter service was in the embassy garage! I have been to famous cathedrals, celebrated Easter in monasteries, but I have never encountered such a spiritual upsurge as then in China. People cried with joy, hugging each other, and after the service they could not leave. We sang again and again: “Christ is risen from the dead” in many languages of the world - Russian, Chinese, English, Korean, Greek, and some other languages unfamiliar to me. Christ in that garage seemed to be glorified by the whole world. And there was an exact feeling - Christ is among us. Was, is and will be! I remember I looked at my sister’s happy face and saw that she was also crying with joy.

Immediately after Easter, my sister was operated on, and she recovered easily and quickly. And that Easter night changed her soul so much that her sister has since clung to the Church, and loves to tell her friends about how, through the prayers of the three-numbered Optina martyrs, a temple was built in China in one night.

Pilgrim from Moscow, bus driver Igor Shabunya says:

“My little son’s ears hurt so badly that the child screamed in pain, and his temperature rose to about forty. We called an ambulance. And the doctor, consoling the boy, told him on the way that now they would take him to the best hospital, and there was such a wonderful professor there who would definitely cure him.

I left my wife and child in the hospital and went to work. I had just arrived when my wife called and literally sobbed into the phone. It turns out that they are being kicked out of the hospital - they say there is no room, the hospital is not rubber, and why is everyone being brought here? Moreover, a child in need of urgent medical care is not only not treated, but they are also solemnly explained that we brought our son here “illegally,” because first the patient must be examined by a local doctor, issued a referral, and so on. In short, the wife cries and asks: “Igor, come and take us away from here. The hospital gave us an ultimatum that our spirit would not be here until six in the evening.”

I went to ask for time off from work and suddenly remembered: today our local pediatrician has already finished his appointment, tomorrow he sees me only in the afternoon. And how much longer will the child suffer? And the doctor from the ambulance warned us that such extensive suppuration is a serious danger, and measures must be taken immediately.

And then I desperately prayed, calling for help from the murdered Optina hieromonk Vasily. Before the monastery, he was also Igor, and I especially trusted him. In a word, for about five minutes I didn’t even pray, but “cryed out,” calling on Father Vasily and explaining to him that my child needed urgent medical help. I remember I just repeated: “Urgent! Urgently! Urgently!"

Twenty minutes passed while I made arrangements at work to be replaced on the flight. Suddenly the wife calls again, and her voice even rings with joy: “Can you imagine, Igor, we were placed in a separate ward. The professor came and prescribed such good treatment that my son no longer groans, but sleeps sweetly. I don’t understand what happened - they drove us out of here, and suddenly they accept us as family?” And I think a miracle happened.

Igor's son was right there and played with my dog. And, hearing talk about a miracle, with the innocence of a child he said:

- But nothing special happened. Dad just prayed, someone else prayed, and everything immediately became fine.

And what? Fine.

The guide of the Optina Pustyn and my neighbor Tatyana Kozlova tells:

“Faith is the lot of grateful people,” wrote St. John Chrysostom. And on excursions you often meet people who came to Optina Pustyn to venerate the graves of Hieromonk Vasily, Monk Trofim, and Monk Ferapont and thank them for their prayerful help. There are many such cases, but only the most vivid ones are remembered. For example, one grandmother in the chapel at the graves of the new martyrs and in the presence of the whole group said this. Her daughter and her husband went on vacation and left her grandson with her grandmother during the vacation. And the curious grandson found a bottle with a poisonous chemical mixture somewhere in his grandmother’s house, drank it and burned all his insides. When her grandson was taken to intensive care by ambulance, the doctors told her that, unfortunately, it would not be possible to save the child, although they were doing everything possible. “I sat under the doors of the intensive care unit,” this woman said, “I prayed for help from Father Vasily, Monk Ferapont, Monk Trofim, and for some reason I knew: everything would be fine.”

And, indeed, to the surprise of the doctors, the boy not only recovered, but there were not even traces of such terrible burns to the larynx and esophagus.

Here's another case. Pilgrims from Moscow are often brought to the monastery by a guide

Daria Spivyakina. Of course, sometimes you get tired at work, but Daria returned from one excursion literally exhausted. It turns out that this time an elderly pilgrim with a crutch came from Moscow with their group - she could barely walk. Well, the fact that a sick person walks with difficulty was precisely what evoked compassion. But the pilgrim literally got stuck at all the shrines, prayed here for a long time, and, having finally caught up with the group, asked the guide to repeat what she had talked about in her absence. Moreover, as Daria annoyed, it is high time to send the bus to Moscow - the driver is already swearing, and the lame pilgrim with a crutch went to pray at the graves of the new martyrs, and it is not known when he will return.

Some time has passed. I'm sitting in our tour desk alone. Suddenly an elderly woman comes in and begins to walk past me in a demonstrative and joyful manner - back and forth, back and forth. To be honest, I was taken aback and even thought: is everything okay with her? And a little later, and with the help of Daria, it turned out that it was the same lame pilgrim who came to Optina with a crutch. And the woman said that after the prayer at the graves of the Optina brothers, such an unbearable pain came into their legs, as if they were cutting to the living. She barely made it home and lost herself in pain only in her sleep. And the next morning she woke up healthy - she now walks easily and does not need a crutch. Meanwhile, she had been ill since she was eighteen.

Here is another, probably insignificant incident, but for some reason Archpriest Alexander Shargunov was very happy when I told him about it. Here is how it was. Before Lent, I made a vow to myself that I would not eat anything tasty, and I didn’t even allow myself to eat fruit. And in the third week of Great Lent, I came early in the morning to pray at the graves of the new martyrs; there was no one in the chapel. And suddenly I see that on Father Vasily’s grave there lies a large red apple so juicy that I really wanted to eat it. No, I think I made a vow. And while I was praying at the graves of Monk Ferapont and Monk Trofim, the apple disappeared.

I’m going to work at our tour desk, and I really want an apple. And there was no people around - the paths had been cleared of snow in the evening, and during the night they were only lightly dusted with snow. There is not a trace in the snow, and among this snow-white cover, not yet touched by man, lies a large yellow-green apple. Very delicious! When I told my confessor, Father Nikita, that I couldn’t resist eating an apple, he even laughed: “How can you not eat an apple if Father Vasily himself sent it to you?” And the story about the apple made Archpriest Alexander Shargunov very happy, and he said, “That’s it—that’s it!” And “the same thing,” as I understood it, means this: yes, memorial services are served at the graves of the murdered brothers, as it should be, but news is growing that they have already been glorified by the Lord.

Tour guide from Kaluga Vera Dyachenko says:

On May 18, my beloved nephew Alyosha turned eighteen, and soon after his birthday he disappeared, leaving a note: “Don’t look for me. Then I’ll call myself.” Alyosha was then a first-year student at the Agricultural Institute and lived with my sister and his aunt in Chelyabinsk. First, my sister called Alyosha’s friends and acquaintances in Chelyabinsk, then she called his mother in the Altai Territory and me in Kaluga, but Alexey did not appear anywhere. Three days later we put the police on the wanted list, realizing that something bad had happened. And, although the police assured us that this is now a common thing for young people - they say, they go for a walk and come back, we knew for sure - Alyosha would never allow himself to get on the nerves of his family. He didn’t even dare to offend anyone with a word - he was such a bright and pure young man, and we doted on Alyosha.

Days and weeks of waiting dragged on. We were terrified. My mother, Alyosha’s grandmother, imposed a severe fast on herself and said: “I will neither eat nor drink until Alyosha is found.” And at that time I often visited the Optina Hermitage and literally watered the graves of Father Vasily, the monk Ferapont, and the monk Trofim with tears, begging them for help.

Alyosha was like a son to me, and I felt in my heart that Alyosha was in danger.

He really did die in those June days. Much later, when Alyosha left the hospital and could already talk, he told us why he left home. It turns out that he was expelled from the institute because after the winter session he was ill for a long time and missed too many lectures. Alyosha was then studying at a paid department of the institute, and he was tormented by his conscience - his parents were stretching out their last strength and denying themselves much so that their son could receive a higher education, but he had let them down like that. And then he came across an advertisement in the newspaper that in Yekaterinburg they were inviting young people to work and promising high earnings. So he decided to go to work and call his family from Yekaterinburg.

Our Alyosha arrived in Yekaterinburg at night and spent the night at the bus station. It was hot in the waiting room, and he took off his jacket and sweater, leaving him in just a T-shirt. And the next morning I discovered that everything had been stolen: a jacket, a sweater, a bag with documents, money and all my belongings. My nephew contacted the police, and they explained that without documents they would not hire him anywhere, but they could detain him as a tramp. So there is only one way out - to return home. And our Alyosha went home - wearing nothing but a T-shirt, without a penny of money and moving like a hare from train to train.

In May it is still cold here in the Urals, and there is even snow in places. And without warm clothes, Alexei caught a cold and fell ill. Unfortunately, he is so sick at home that when he has a high temperature he falls into unconsciousness and cannot speak. And he, a stowaway passenger, was mistaken by the police and inspectors for a drug addict - his eyes were cloudy, sick, he could not speak and was trembling, like a drug addict in withdrawal. Alyosha later couldn’t even remember how many times he was taken to the police station or thrown out of the train into the snow. He vaguely remembers that they beat him and he began to be afraid of people. He hid in empty carriages at night and walked home along the sleepers in the morning. He didn’t eat anything for two weeks - he was embarrassed to ask, but he couldn’t steal it. He got to Chelyabinsk already “on autopilot” and, losing consciousness, tried to remember in which direction to go to the house.

During these terrible days, our whole family prayed for Alyosha. Alyosha’s mother flew to Chelyabinsk, unfortunately, she did not baptize her son as a child, and there was no church in their area at that time. And when I conveyed to her the words of our elder Schema-Archimandrite Elijah: let her immediately baptize Alyosha when he returns home, then my mother not only promised to fulfill everything, but now she herself did not leave the church.

My sister told me about what happened next. They returned home from church one day and saw Alyosha’s sneakers in the hallway. He was a neat guy, and when returning home, he always took off his shoes. They searched the entire apartment - Alyosha was nowhere to be found. And he was already so afraid of people that he hid in the closet and lay there unconscious in the fetal position. When the ambulance arrived, the doctor, having examined Alyosha, who was already growing cold, said: “Another three or four hours, and no one would have brought him back from the other world.”

Alyosha, indeed, returned to life almost from the other world. And when he was discharged from the hospital, we didn’t go home from the clinic, but straight to the church, where God’s servant Alexei was baptized.

Alyosha returned home on June 9 - this is the day of remembrance of Righteous John the Russian and the day of the Angel of Optina monk-martyr Ferapont. I felt the participation of the murdered Optina brothers in the fate of Alyosha, and I wanted to somehow capture this day. Unfortunately, in Kaluga at that time we did not have a single icon of the righteous John the Russian, and many knew little about him. And then, with the blessing of Archpriest Andrei Bogomolov, I began to collect money for the icon. I’m taking an excursion somewhere and on the way on the bus I tell you about this amazing saint. And people donated money so willingly and lovingly that soon an icon of the Righteous John the Russian was already hanging in the Intercession Cathedral of Kaluga. For me, this icon is not only a tribute to love for the great saint, but also a reminder of how, through the prayers of the Optina new martyrs, my nephew Alyosha was saved.

The wife of a businessman from the Bryansk region, who asked not to use her name in print, says:

Nina Pavlova. Easter red

– I married for love, and soon discovered that my husband was not just an atheist, but a merciless and furious atheist.
And as soon as he discovered that one of his subordinates went to church and prayed to God, he immediately fired such a person from work. Our town is small, work is difficult, and it is almost impossible to find a job with a decent salary anywhere except at my husband’s enterprises. So we lived like Christians once did in the catacombs, praying in secret and hiding our faith from the eye of the “master.” I hid my icons and prayer book in the closet under my underwear, but I didn’t dare keep spiritual literature at home and kept it with an Orthodox friend who worked at her husband’s factory.

One day my husband was getting ready to go to the region on business, warning me that he would return only tomorrow. And just then my friend calls and says that she was given the book “Red Easter” to read about the three Optina brothers who were killed on Easter. And he talks about the book so interestingly that I wanted to read it.

“Come,” I ask, “with a book to me.” We read together, but my husband will not return home today.

In general, as my husband said later: the cat is out of the house and the mice are dancing. I took all my icons out of the closet, my friend and I prayed and had just begun to read “Red Easter” when my husband suddenly returned. I don’t know for what reason, but the trip fell through, and my husband, as they say, caught us red-handed. As a trained person, I immediately hid the icons. And my friend was running around with the book and doesn’t know where to put it. Finally, I put the book on the refrigerator and ran out the door. And the husband grabbed “Red Easter” and shouted after her:

– So who is confusing my wife?! You'll be fired from work tomorrow for this!

He even disdained to look at me. He slammed the door and went into the kitchen.

The light was on in the kitchen all night, but I couldn’t sleep. I remembered how a believing woman, fired by her husband, shouted at me that I was living with the “Antichrist.” And why don't I file for divorce? True, the priest did not bless divorce and said that an unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife. And what is there to hide? I loved my husband, and he loved me and the children very much. Many finally respected her husband, saying that there was devastation all around, but his production was strong. And yet, that night I firmly decided that I would leave my husband if he kicked my friend out of the factory. But she can’t live without work - she’s raising two children without a husband, and also supporting her elderly parents.

All night I composed an “ultimatum” in my mind and only at dawn I decided to enter the kitchen. I look, and my husband is already finishing reading “Red Easter” and bursting into tears.

“Bow down,” he says, “at the feet of your friend for bringing this book to our house.” Get ready, please, let's go to the monastery to see your father. I want to be baptized today.

This is how my husband converted. And immediately after baptism, my husband gave me and my friend his car with a driver and sent her to Optina Hermitage to take donations to the monastery and bow with gratitude to the graves of the Optina New Martyrs.

Prayer text

O venerable and ever-memorable martyrs for Christ our Savior, venerable fathers of Optinstia: Basil, Trophime and Feraponte! Hear this prayer of ours, O wonderful sufferers who are now beholding the Most Holy Trinity! Ask us from the Lord Almighty for patience and gracious reinforcement in various sorrows and illnesses, quenching of passions, peace and silence for our hearts. For the Lord will soon bow to your intercession, before Whom your martyr’s blood shines like a scattering of diamonds and smells more fragrant than incense. She, saints of God, favorites of Christ, do not abandon us, but always guide us on the true path. And may the spirit of Antichrist not enter into us through your prayers during the days of fierce trials. And may your prayers be worthy of ushering us into the Imperishable Halls of the Kingdom of Heaven, where together with you we will glorify and sing the honorable and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion, voice 6*

Orthodox faith, luminaries, monasticism, steadfast pillars, Russian lands, consolation, reverend elders of Optinstia, who acquired the love of Christ, and laid down their souls for their children. ,/ pray to the Lord,/ may your earthly Fatherland be established in Orthodoxy and piety// and save our souls.

Translation: Lamps of the Orthodox faith, unshakable pillars of monasticism, intercessors of the Russian land, the venerable elders of Optina, who acquired the love of Christ and gave their lives for their children, pray to the Lord that your earthly Fatherland may establish your earthly Fatherland in Orthodoxy and piety and save our souls.

Akathist

Kontakion 1

To those chosen by God and who have received the crown of martyrdom, who have sealed with their blood fidelity to Christ our Master, to you, O venerable sufferers of Optinstia, as our daring representatives before the Throne of God, now offering fervent prayer, we cry out with inexpressible joy:

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Ikos 1

The ranks of angels have glorified the One in the Holy Trinity, the Life-Giver of our God, seeing the unearthly service prepared for you, but we, rejoicing at God’s wondrous vision of you, will exclaim to the Lord:

Rejoice, you who have thought nothing of the treasures of the world.

Rejoice, you who have loved the Lord Christ with all your soul.

Rejoice, you who left your relatives for His sake and came to the Optina monastery,

Rejoice, having undertaken the feat of humility.

Rejoice, you who have acquired silence and meekness in your hearts.

Rejoice, fragrant flowers of the garden of Christ.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 2

The Lord saw the disposition of your hearts to bear with joy the good yoke of Christ, and from your youth he kept you in piety and purity. Teach us also to guard our hearts and sing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

You were richly gifted with reason from above, Our Father Vasily, Optina praise, even before the time of entering the monastery, you rejected the works of sophisticated writers, and you strove for the Divine Scripture, so also enlighten us, who cry out to you like this:

Rejoice, you who were named Igor at birth, to the holy Prince Igor

Imitating Chernigovsky in faith and piety.

Rejoice, like that one, he was a diligent reader of spiritual books and learned in singing.

Rejoice, you were named in monastic tonsure in honor of St. Basil the Great.

Rejoice, through his prayers you received the gift of writing Divine hymns.

Rejoice, thou who hast perceived the angelic image with the name of St. Basil.

Rejoice, like him, all the red of the world taught to reject their souls.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 3

The Heavenly Powers marveled at how God gathered you, holy fathers, from different cities to Great Optina, in order to glorify you in the ranks of the three-numbered martyrs, united forever; We cannot comprehend the depth of His Providence; let us sing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos Z

Your parents, Father Trophime, have thoughts of bewilderment and despair, hearing your two-year-old, incessant cry at birth. When you were baptized in the temple of God, a miracle happened: your cry ceased at that very hour, and your infant heart was filled with joy. Deliver us also from despondency, who say to you: Rejoice, while you were in the world, you endured tossing and mental torment until you

found God.

Rejoice, on the day of Alexy, the Man of God born, the true servant of God appeared.

Rejoice, having defeated the enemy’s temptations upon your coming to Optina Pustyn,

firmly determined not to retreat from the shrine.

Rejoice, in monasticism you were called Trophim, the pet of the Optina family

The zealous Elders appeared.

Rejoice, you drove away sadness from people’s hearts.

Rejoice, having been a great faster, having managed to hide this from everyone.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 4

A storm of bewilderment struck your relatives when they learned about your unshakable desire to serve the Lord in the monastic rank. You, remembering the words of the Hero of Christ: “Everyone who puts his hand on his forehead and looks back is unworthy for the Kingdom of God,” - in response to all their admonitions, with an enlightened heart you sang to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Hearing the call of the Lord, the holy Father Feraponte resolutely said to those he knew: “You will not see me on this earth again until I am forgiven by God.” We, honoring the power of your faith, please you:

Rejoice, you were skilled in many crafts, but out of humility you hid this.

Rejoice, you were revered as a skilled warrior in the army of the earth, you became a courageous warrior of the Heavenly King.

Rejoice, great one of prayer, you incessantly called upon the Sweetest Jesus.

Rejoice, you have actually fulfilled the instructions of the holy fathers about repentance.

Rejoice, in the feat of night prayers you mortified the flesh.

Rejoice, you always kept your eyes down.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 5

The new martyrs Optinstia, Vasily, Trophima and Feraponte became like the godly star of nature, when they understood the decay and vanity of this world, and placed their entire trust in the Lord of their Lord Jesus Christ, and we will praise Him with a divine song; Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Having seen a saving refuge and a convenient place for non-entertaining prayer - the holy Optina monastery - you naturally took refuge under the shadow of the God-bearing Elders; We, having loved your exploits, call:

Rejoice, for two of you, like skilled bell ringers, tirelessly glorified the Creator of the Universe.

Rejoice, for the third time you offered the Bloodless Sacrifice with the greatest reverence in the holy altar.

Rejoice, you who have aroused the envy of the enemy for your unceasing heartfelt prayer.

Rejoice, you who have exhausted your body with fasting and vigil,

Rejoice, you who have kept the vows of chastity and obedience.

Rejoice, you who have shown love and mercy to your neighbors.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 6

The preachers of the Gospel commandments were natural, actually fulfilling them. They saw the image of Christ in their neighbors and sought to ease people’s sorrows by righteously singing to the Most Holy Trinity: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

The Reverends Vasily, Trophime and Feraponte shone like bright stars among the holy saints of God, always having Christ’s Pascha in their souls, and illuminating everyone around with its blessed rays. Ask us for this Paschal joy, who proclaim it to you;

Rejoice, you who graciously accepted various reproaches.

Rejoice, you who never held a grudge against anyone.

Rejoice, you who have been awarded the gift of clairvoyance for your purity,

Rejoice, you who did not condemn anyone by the grace of God.

Rejoice, you who have gained peace and silence in your souls.

Rejoice, you who kindled the hearts of people for salvation with your zeal for God.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 7

Our blessed fathers naturally had one desire, to please the Lord; thereby they were obedient in everything to the monastery authorities, understanding that through them the will of God was being done, and they also prepared their souls for the Kingdom of Heaven, where now with the Angels and all the saints you cry out to God: Alleluia .

Ikos 7

A new and glorious miracle took place according to your faith, Father Trophima, when every Easter you broke your fast with last year’s egg, which was the freshest. You, marvelous Vasily and Feraponte, had the same unshakable faith, so strengthen us in it, who exclaim like this:

Rejoice, great patience.

Rejoice, you who have directed all your thoughts to the Mountainous Fatherland.

Rejoice, you who have achieved eternal bliss,

Rejoice, you who have cut off all sorts of attachments.

Rejoice, you who have loved the splendor of the house of God.

Rejoice, you have made your garments white with your blood.

Rejoice, reverend martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 8

It was strange to see and hear various signs foretelling a terrible test for Optina Pustyn, whose foreigners sing to God day and night: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

You completely lost yourself, Father Vasily, saying the Jesus Prayer, and everyone who met you thought that they were seeing an angel, you were so quiet. Your faces, Trophime and Feraponte’s wonderful ones, were already illuminated with an unearthly light. We, understanding this, cry out with trembling:

Rejoice, you who have smelled the fragrance of alien villages,

Rejoice, you who have felt the breath of eternity.

Rejoice, you who have lived your lives righteously.

Rejoice, you who showed us the image of selflessness.

Rejoice, as wise virgins who have met the Bridegroom Christ.

Rejoice, you who have entered the Kingdom of Heaven without restraint.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Vasily, Trophime Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 9

All the monks and reverent pilgrims naturally wept when they learned about your murder, but you, staying under the cover of your obediences, sang to God until your last breath: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Human flamboyance falls silent from the horror of what has been done, when the bloody murderer insolently, despising the Feast of Holy Easter, raised his hand against you, holy fathers, staining the dagger with your righteous blood; We will joyfully cry out through our tears:

Rejoice, you who gave up your souls to God on Easter to the sound of bells.

Rejoice, you who have accomplished a good deed.

Rejoice, the monks are praised

Rejoice, you who have kept prayer on your lips and in your heart to the end.

Rejoice, you who have abundantly watered the land of Optina with your blood.

Rejoice, those who dissolved the cry for you with the joy of Easter.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 10

Having purified your souls through the saving feats of vigil, fasting and prayer, you were mysteriously notified from the Lord about your imminent departure from the mortal world. Thinking about this, you cried out to the Heavenly Father: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

A fiery dawn rose over Optina, when your holy blood reached Heaven like precious beads. Remembering this unprecedented phenomenon, people exclaim to you with reverence:

Rejoice, three-numbered sacrifice pleasing to God.

Rejoice, you who through your wondrous death moved many young men and women to monasticism.

Rejoice, you who have made the Angels glad. Rejoice, you who have put to shame the hordes of demons.

Rejoice, you who have drunk the cup of suffering to the dregs.

Rejoice, for the ordeal has passed by lightning.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 11

The Easter chant sounded at the burial of you, Saints Basil, Trophim and Ferapont, and the words of Saint John Chrysostom filled the souls with triumph: “death, where is your sting; hell, where is your victory? And the Christians sang to God in delight: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

There was light in the hearts of the faithful, although your loss is irreplaceable. Remembering that it is a great honor for those who love God to go to Him on Easter, and a double honor to suffer for Him on this day, we will all glorify you by saying this: Rejoice, faithful servants of Christ.

Rejoice, your memory endures forever.

Rejoice, you who give gracious help and speedy healing.

Rejoice, you who have converted your relatives to the faith.

Rejoice, you who teach us fervent prayer.

Rejoice, you who quietly console in sorrows and misfortunes.

Rejoice, venerable martyrs Optinstia, Basil, Trophima and Feraponte, quick intercessors for all who flow to you with faith.

Kontakion 12

Ask us for the gift of grace and strong and undoubted faith from the Almighty Christ, blessed Vasily, Trophime and Feraponte, for He conveniently bows to your prayer; and may we be honored through your intercession to enter the Imperishable Palace, where now you and all the saints glorify God with a victorious song: Alleluia.