“Not what you want, but whatever God wants. Pray that He may show you His Will.”

Saint Seraphim was born in 1866, Baptised at two weeks old and named Basil after Saint Basil the New Confessor. He was educated and worked as a successful businessman, he married a woman named Olga, and they had a son named Nikolai.

“You never need to ask the Lord for anything Earthly. He knows better than us what is good for us. Always Pray: ‘I give, O Lord, myself, my children, and my friends and family over to Thy Holy Will.'”

When Nikolai grew up, both Olga and Vasily agreed to enter Monasteries. In 1920 they were both Tonsured to Monastacism, Vasily received the name Barnabas, and Olga received the name Christina. They were both later Tonsured to Great Schema, Monk Barnabas received the name Seraphim, and Nun Christina received the name Seraphima, both named after Saint Seraphim of Sarov.

“I was walking to the services at St. Nicholas’ Monastery through the forest trying to find the path. Suddenly I saw an Elder with a sack behind his shoulder and small axe. I asked him if he knew how to get to St. Nicholas’ Monastery and the Elder answered: ‘Let’s go, I will show you. I am going there myself.’ I looked at this Elder more closely and recognized St. Seraphim of Sarov in him and asked: ‘Batyushka, are you Father Seraphim?’ The Elder answered: ‘Yes, I am Seraphim’, and they continued to walk. Fr. Seraphim stopped near a small stump, sat on it, and put his sack and axe on the ground. I sat near him. Suddenly, from another side very unexpectedly appeared Father Barnabas and he sat near me so I was between both Elders, who were very joyful, and gave hugs and kisses to each other and started to talk, but I couldn’t understand what they talked about and awoke….”