Who is schema-nun Sepphora Klykovskaya
The holy elder Zipporah lived a long, difficult life and died at the age of 101. She was born into a peasant family at the end of the 19th century in the Tambov province. At baptism she was named Daria. My parents were illiterate, deeply religious people. They considered the main thing in life to be work and faith in God. On the paternal and maternal lines there were monks and nuns in the family. From childhood, the girl loved to go to services. Being illiterate, she learned prayers by heart.
The family had 3 children. The elder brother died in the First World War. Soon the father died. At the request of her mother, Daria married fellow villager Dmitry Shnyakin. In marriage she gave birth to 5 children.
In the difficult, hungry years of 1917, 1922, 1924, Daria made a pilgrimage:
- to Sarov;
- Diveevo;
- Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
Pilgrims brought whatever they could to the monasteries to support the needy monks. In the 30s, dispossession began, under which the husband’s family and Daria herself fell. The husband left the village for Bolokhovo, near Tula. Two years later, Daria, who was in poverty after dispossession, moved there with her children. During these same years, my younger brother died for refusing to go to the collective farm.
Daria lived in Bolokhovo until 1956. After the death of her husband, she moved to live in Kireevsk, a small town 20 kilometers from Tula. 8 kilometers from Kireevsk there was a functioning temple, in the village of Panino. Daria became a regular parishioner of the church. Other parishioners began to call the middle-aged woman (she was over 60 years old), modestly dressed, covered with a dark headscarf, Mother Daria.
In Kireevsk, “Grandma Dasha,” in a tiny room that resembled a cell, fervently prayed to God every day. From that time on, they began to often turn to her for advice. Her insight and wisdom attracted more and more people to her.
After the death of her husband, the eldest daughter settled next to the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Mother Daria often and for a long time lived with her daughter in Sergiev Posad to pray in the Lavra. Here she took monastic vows under the name Dositheus in October 1967.
Dosithea did not become a nun of the nunnery. Her monastic service took place in the world. She spent most of her time immersed in silent prayers with a rosary in her hands. At the end of the 80s, Mother Dosithea visited the Kiev Pechersk Lavra 4 times, where she loved to pray in caves.
In 1989, Metropolitan of Tula and Beletsky tonsured Mother Dosithea into the schema under the name Zipporah. The schema-nice was very worried that she would die in the world, and not in a monastery, as befits her rite. But one day, in a dream, the Mother of God appeared to her with the news that she would give her soul to God in the Klykovsky Monastery. From that time on, Mother Sipporah first of all asked visitors whether they were from Klykov, without explaining to anyone why she needed this.
In January 1996, Elder Zipporah came to her room in Kireevsk. Here she was visited by the hieromonk from the Klykovsky monastery, Father Mikhail. He invited Zipporah to move to the Klykovsky Monastery. The old woman settled in a cell, from where she came out only for divine services. Here she was visited by monks and priests from the Optina monastery. In May 1997, Elder Zipporah died.
Zipporah's Prayer
Before leaving for the world, another woman of prayer was seriously ill. She instructed the sisters at the monastery to be fighters, and she would pray for everyone. The schema-nun left behind her a small but powerful prayer: “Lord, make my heart burn for you!”
On May 12, 1997, my mother was paralyzed: first on one side, later on the other. She was breathing heavily. The clergy read the Canon for the finale of the soul one by one. While reading Psalm 50 with the words “let Thy calves be laid upon the altar,” the old woman sighed three times and gave her soul to the Almighty.
The funeral service for the schema-nun was performed by schema-abbot Ilya together with the monks of Optina Pustyn. The final resting place of the mother was the necropolis next to the St. Nicholas Church. Next to Zipporah's grave there are mass graves.
The spiritual heritage of the old woman
The life of Schema-nun Sipporah is an example of spiritual achievement, the struggle with passions and infirmities. Her advice to this day helps people overcome difficulties and strive for the salvation of their souls.
- Don't scold kids. They are like wax from which you can sculpt whatever you want.
- Don’t complain about your spouse, but humble yourself and don’t blame him for his shortcomings.
- Turn to the saints more often. If an icon hangs in the house, then you need to know the life of the saint and the troparion. Otherwise, the image will become a painting.
- Talk a lot less.
- When reading the Holy Scriptures, pay attention to who wrote the text, read every word.
- Cross yourself reverently. Demons laugh when people carelessly apply the sign of the cross. Waving your hand is not a defense.
Source: tayniymir.com
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Texts of Orthodox prayers to the saint
Kontakion 1
Let us exalt the blessed Saint Zipporah, chosen from childhood by the holy God, the wonderful servant of Christ, with songs of praise. For you are a good consolation for everyone and in the sorrows of those who exist, pray to the Lord for us, let us call you; Rejoice, reverend mother Zipporah, songbird of the spiritual meadow.
Prayer
Oh, our reverend and godly mother Zipporah!
God's messenger is swift-winged, descending to the ground. A quick and wondrous helper in sorrows and illnesses, in needs and sorrows to all who flow to you with faith and love. Pray to the all-merciful God and the zealous Intercessor of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, that the fire of Divine love, inexhaustible and unquenchable, may kindle in our hearts. Let us with humble hearts glorify and thank the Lord, who teaches us to surrender to His holy will. Teach us to love everyone and forgive everyone, so that we may also receive forgiveness of our sins and transgressions at the terrible Judgment of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom honor and worship are due with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion 13
Oh, humble dove of Christ, our venerable mother Zipporah! Like a golden creature, you ascended to the heights of Heaven. Accept now this small prayer of ours and protect us with shelter under the wing of Divine grace. Protected by your prayers, may we pass through the ordeals of the air without hindrance, and may we dwell in the Halls of eternal joy, singing to God: Alleluia. (read kontakion 3 times)
Blessed Elder Schema-Nun Zipporah! You are a helper to all people, help me in my situation (trouble) (…..). Do not leave me with your help and intercession, pray to the Lord for the servant of God (name). Thank you for your holy help. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Magnification:
We magnify you, holy righteous mother Sepphoro, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us to Christ our God.
Teenage years and early life
Years have passed. Daria has grown up, and it would seem that her secret dream of becoming a nun is about to come true. But suddenly the father of a large family dies. The mother is in despair, left with three children in her arms, and not knowing how to feed them, decides to marry Daria off.
Personal life
To help her family, the girl agrees with her mother’s decision and, against her wishes, embarks on the path of family life. Daria's husband was her fellow villager, a believer, Dmitry Shnyakin. He was from a large, wealthy family, which, in addition to his parents and daughter, included four more sons with wives and children.
The father, the head of the family and the elder of the temple, did not want to let anyone go. Everyone lived in the same house, very friendly, and Daria, as the eldest daughter-in-law, became the housekeeper. She managed the household, kept order, and distributed responsibilities around the house. So that other daughters-in-law would not harbor resentment against her, Daria worked equally with everyone else.
The young couple had four daughters. Daria often went on pilgrimage to Diveevo. The husband's parents, seeing her obedience and Christian disposition of her soul, let the young woman go on pilgrimage.
The path to Diveevo was not close at that time. It took a week to get to the monastery, and the same amount of time was spent on the way back. Several days had to be devoted to preparing for communion and confession in the monastery itself.
The Lord rewarded the family with material well-being for such a pious life. They all worked hard, lived together, and helped each other. In the village, the family belonged to the middle peasants and was prosperous. However, the calm, measured life of the peasants in the Tambov region did not last long. The Soviet government began to introduce collective farms, suppressed riots, and carried out dispossession.
Family difficulties
Just on the eve of this difficult time, in 1933, Daria’s father-in-law built the couple a new hut, provided livestock and equipment. Dmitry, in order to protect his family from reprisals, went to work at a mine in the village of Bolokhovo, near Tula. He wanted to eventually move his family there, but he didn’t have time.
As soon as he left, his father’s family and Daria and their children were subjected to dispossession. They were simply kicked out into the street from the new hut, having dismantled the new log house into logs. A terrible and difficult fate befell the relatives. The father-in-law was beaten and sent to Solovki. His wife, Dmitry's mother, followed him, but died on the way. Daria's brother Pavel was beaten to death by the Bolsheviks for refusing to join the collective farm. They simply stoned him, as the Jews did to the first martyr Stephen.
Daria and her children were left homeless; their fellow villagers were afraid to shelter them. The family was considered an enemy of the people. And anyone who dared to openly lend a helping hand could be subjected to the same fate. The wanderers were given shelter by the lonely, unsociable widow Agafya, who lived on the edge of the village. Once upon a time, in better times, Daria secretly brought bread, milk and other food to the poor woman. Now the time had come when she could thank her benefactor.
There was nothing to eat; the Bolsheviks did not provide firewood. Daria worked part-time by sewing, and sometimes they asked for alms. They often collected and boiled the grass that grew near the house, and heated the stove with sunflowers and manure. Despite all the difficulties, the daughters studied well and helped their mother in all household chores. And a few years later they moved to the Tula region to live with Dimitri.
Completion of mother's earthly journey
Mother Zipporah foresaw her death. The day before, she gave gifts to everyone, distributing her property. Before her death, she felt bad, but she had no intention of leaving. It all happened on May thirteenth, 1997. And so Mother Zipporah rested in her house. Her grave is located near the altar of the St. Nicholas chapel. There is a mass grave nearby. Everything was done as she wished.
If you want to visit the grave where Mother Zipporah is buried, how to get to her is described above. And today miracles are happening there that cannot be explained from a scientific point of view, but are quite possible from a Divine point of view.
It should be noted that some time after the death of the old woman, they discovered myrrh in her photograph, which stood in mother’s cell. At first they thought it was fogging, but soon there was so much mirrh that the photograph stuck to the glass. Witnesses of this miracle are the Optina monks.
Elder's prophecies
The prophecies of Mother Zipporah were numerous. She clearly saw every person, his life and everything that would happen to him. The predictions were also more global. For example, many prophecies have been made for Russia. Mother saw that if a king came to this country for a ruling position, then nothing would threaten her, she would not accept the seal of the Antichrist, unlike other states. It is very important that this happens after the second or third president. And, as can be seen from the current political situation, this is possible.
Mother also spoke about the coming Apocalypse. According to her, everything will be as described in it. Only unshakable faith can save humanity.
Another prediction from Mother was the renaming of Klykovo to the city of Spassk. At the same time, the monastery will become much larger, a large number of buildings will appear in it, and many people will come to live here.
Miracles from Mother Zipporah
Soon after the death of the old woman, a photograph of her, located in the former cell, cast myrrh. The event that took place once again testified to the holiness of the deceased schema-nun Sepphora. Subsequently there were a lot of such miracles.
Gift of Healing
If you visit Klykovo, you can hear many incredible stories about miraculous healings that occurred through the prayers of Zipporah. People came to her sad, sick, unhappy, and returned home inspired, cured of diseases of soul and body, joyful. But the most important thing is that communication with the old woman instilled in people ardent faith in God, directed them to the true path of salvation, and forced them to pray more.
The Power of Prayer
Although schema-nun Zipporah has not yet been glorified as a saint, people turn to her and receive what they ask for. Help comes in a variety of ways - from solving everyday problems to healing from various serious diseases, even such as oncology.
Thanks to the intercession of my mother:
- the long-awaited pregnancy begins;
- the blind see;
- bedridden patients begin to walk.
Monks know well that prayer to Schema-nun Sepphora works miracles. The brothers of the Spasskaya Hermitage rightfully consider the old woman to be the guardian angel of their monastery. They know for sure that their mother will not leave them in difficult times and will always come to the rescue in any need. They compiled an akathist to Schema nun Sepphora and other prayers.
Elder's prophecies
Schema-nun Sipporah had the gift of prophecy. There is numerous eyewitness evidence of this. Her predictions concerned both individual people and the destinies of entire peoples, countries, and cities. For example, mother said that humanity can be saved from the apocalypse, but only by unshakable faith in God. The village of Klykovo, according to the prophecy of the old woman, will grow into a large city - Spassk. Many predictions concerned the future of Russia.
