Akathist Hymn to Our Venerable Father Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov
O chosen wonderworker and surpassing servant of Christ, our swift helper and intercessor, venerable father Seraphim, glorifying the Lord who glorified thee, we magnify thee in song; as thou hast boldness before God, set free from all our afflictions us who sing to thee: Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov.
The Creator of the angels chose thee, who didst glorify the all-holy Trinity by thy life; thou hast appeared to us as truly an earthly angel and a heavenly man, O Seraphim; thy life shone forth as the all-radiant light of the unsetting Sun of righteousness, and we, beholding thy glorious struggle, sing to thee with hope and joy:
Rejoice, glorious glory of the righteous; rejoice, rule of faith and piety; rejoice, image of humility and obedience; rejoice, consolation of the sorrowful; rejoice, glory of monks; rejoice, wondrous helper of those who dwell on earth; rejoice, glory and wall of the Russian realm; rejoice, holy adornment of the region of Tambov; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
When thy mother saw thy fervent love for the monastic life, venerable father Seraphim, she understood the holy divine will of the Lord, and, offering thee as a gift, she blessed thee to run the narrow way of monasticism with her holy cross, which thou didst ever keep with thee until thy end as a sign of thy great love for Christ our God crucified, to whom we all sing with hope: Alleluia.
Understanding was given thee from heaven, O saint of God; from thy youth thou didst ceaselessly ponder heavenly things and didst leave thy father’s house for the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness. Therefore receive this praise:
Rejoice, God-chosen child of the city of Kursk; rejoice, honourable fruit of pious parents; rejoice, thou who didst learn mercy from thy mother; rejoice, thou who didst learn prayer and reverence from her; rejoice, thou who wast blessed by thy mother to enter upon ascetic struggle; rejoice, thou who didst keep that blessing as a holy thing until death; rejoice, thou who didst leave thy home for love of God; rejoice, thou who didst count the beauties of this world as nothing; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
The power of grace was thy helper from youth, O venerable one; when thou didst fall from the height of the church, the Lord kept thee unharmed, and when thou wast wearied by sickness the Queen of the world herself appeared to thee and granted thee heavenly healing; therefore from thy youth thou didst serve faithfully the Lord, to whom we cry: Alleluia.
Hastening to labour in angelic monastic toil, thou camest to the holy city of Kiev to venerate the holy things of the Caves, and from the lips of the venerable Dositheus didst receive the command to go to the desert of Sarov. In thy faith thou didst venerate those holy places, and, settling there, thou didst accomplish thy God-pleasing life; amazed at which we cry to thee:
Rejoice, fervent seeker of the heavenly fatherland; rejoice, thou who lovest Christ with thy whole heart; rejoice, thou who bearest on thy neck the sweet yoke of Christ; rejoice, thou who art filled with perfect obedience; rejoice, faithful keeper of the holy commandments of the Saviour; rejoice, thou who by prayer strengthenest thy heart and mind in the Lord; rejoice, unshaken pillar of godliness; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
Thou didst calm the storm of the assaults of the evil ones as thou didst walk the narrow and mournful way; in monastic struggle thou didst take upon thee the yoke of pilgrimage, solitude, silence and vigil, and by the grace of the Lord thou didst ascend from strength to strength, from deeds to the vision of God, and dwellest in the kingdom of heaven, where with the angels thou criest to God: Alleluia.
Seeing and hearing of thy holy life, venerable father Seraphim, all thy brotherhood marvelled at thee, and those who came to thee, taught by thy word and deed, glorify the Lord, wondrous in His saints; and we too with love and faith praise thee, venerable father, and sing to thee:
Rejoice, thou who wast wholly offered to the Lord; rejoice, thou who didst reach the summit of dispassion; rejoice, nobly victorious warrior of Christ; rejoice, faithful and good servant of the King of heaven; rejoice, thou who standest unashamed before the Lord; rejoice, offerer of unsleeping prayers to the Theotokos; rejoice, fragrant vessel of the desert; rejoice, spotless vessel of the grace of God; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
Thy dwelling was lit with divine light, O venerable one, when thou wast lying on the bed of pain and sickness and the all-holy Virgin herself came to thee with the holy apostles and said: This is one of our kin; and, touching thy head, she granted thee healing in an instant; therefore thou didst offer thanksgiving to the Lord: Alleluia.
When the enemy of the race of Adam saw thy holy and spotless life, venerable Seraphim, he purposed to destroy thee; he raised up against thee wicked men who beat thee bitterly and left thee half-dead; but thou, holy father, like an obedient lamb, didst endure all and pray before the Lord for those who afflicted thee; marvelling at thy freedom from anger, we sing to thee:
Rejoice, imitator of Christ God in humility and meekness; rejoice, thou who by thy freedom from anger didst cut off evil; rejoice, zealous guardian of the purity of soul and body; rejoice, desert-dweller filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, ascetic glorified by God and foreseeing; rejoice, wondrous and divinely wise instructor of monks; rejoice, praise and boast of the holy Church; rejoice, glory and richness of the monastery of Sarov; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
The desert of Sarov crieth out with thy struggle and labour, O God-clothed ascetic of Christ, who by thy prayer madest its groves and hollows fragrant; thou didst imitate Elijah the prophet and John the Baptist of the Lord, and didst appear in the desert as one bringing forth the fruits of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, by whose working thou didst many wonders and stirredst the faithful towards the Lord, the Giver of good things: Alleluia.
Through thee there shone upon us a new beholder of God, like Moses, blessed Seraphim; thou didst serve at the altar blamelessly and wast made worthy to see in the church Christ walking with the bodiless powers; therefore, amazed at the revelation of such divine mercy upon thee, we sing to thee:
Rejoice, wondrous beholder of God; rejoice, thou who wast illumined by the light of the three Suns; rejoice, faithful servant of the all-holy Trinity; rejoice, adorned dwelling of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, thou who with the angels didst behold Christ with bodily eyes; rejoice, thou who while in the flesh didst taste the wondrous sweetness of paradise; rejoice, thou who wast nourished with the bread of life; rejoice, thou who didst drink of the fountain of immortality; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
The King who loveth mankind willed to show through thee, O venerable one, His ineffable mercy towards men, and made thee truly a divinely radiant lamp; by thy word and deed thou didst lead all to the love and service of God; therefore, illumined by thy struggle and tasting the bread of thy teaching, we zealously magnify thee and sing to Christ who glorified thee: Alleluia.
Seeing a new chosen one of God, the afflicted and the sick hastened to thee from afar, and thou didst not send away those grieved by trials, but didst pour forth healing, give consolation and intercede by prayer; therefore thy wonders were spread abroad through all the land of Russia, and we thy spiritual children cry to thee:
Rejoice, good shepherd; rejoice, merciful and meek father; rejoice, grace-filled physician and swift helper; rejoice, sweet calmer of troubled hearts; rejoice, thou who seest the future as the present; rejoice, far-seeing reprover of hidden sins; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
We see a strange wonder in thee, O venerable one, when, aged, infirm and wearied, thou didst waste thyself in prayer upon a stone for a thousand days and nights; who can tell the afflictions and struggles thou didst take upon thee? Thou didst stretch out thy hands to the Lord, and, conquering Amalek in thy mind, didst sing to the Lord: Alleluia.
“Thou art all desire, all sweetness, O sweet Jesus!” — so didst thou cry to the Lord, O father, in thy desert silence; and we, clouded by vanity and wasting our life in sins, magnify thy love for the Lord and sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, intercessor for the life of those who love and honour thee; rejoice, corrector of sinners; rejoice, wondrous man of silence and seclusion; rejoice, zealous intercessor for us; rejoice, thou who showest forth burning love for the Lord; rejoice, thou who by fervent prayer quenchest the arrows of the enemy; rejoice, unquenchable candle shining with prayer in the desert; rejoice, kindled and radiant lamp of spiritual gifts; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
All the angelic beings marvelled when they saw thee, a monk in seclusion, to whom the Queen of heaven and earth appeared and bade thee open thy cell, not to forbid Orthodox people to come to thee, but to teach all to sing to the glory of Christ God: Alleluia.
Eloquent orators cannot tell the power of thy love, O blessed one; thou didst give thyself to the service of those who came to thee, fulfilling the command of the Theotokos; thou wast a good counsellor to the ignorant, a comforter to those in distress, a teacher of the erring, a physician and corrector of the sick; therefore we sing to thee:
Rejoice, thou who didst withdraw from this world to dwell in the desert and gain the virtues; rejoice, thou who didst return from the desert to the monastery and sow in it the seed of the virtues; rejoice, thou who wast illumined by the grace of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, thou who wast filled with meekness and obedience; rejoice, loving father of those who flee to thee; rejoice, thou who by words of love gavest them courage and peace; rejoice, thou who didst call those who visited thee thy joy and thy treasure; rejoice, thou who for thy holy love wast made worthy of the kingdom of heaven; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
Thou who didst save thyself by thy struggle, venerable father Seraphim, when thou didst depart praying on thy knees, didst commend thy holy soul to the Lord; the holy angels bore it up before the throne of the Almighty King, and standing with all the saints in unwaning glory thou didst send up a hymn of praise to the Word, Holiest among the holy: Alleluia.
The all-holy Virgin, the rampart of all saints and monks, appeared to thee before thine end and made known to thee the approaching departure of thy soul to the Lord. And we, amazed at the appearance of the Theotokos to thee, sing to thee:
Rejoice, beholder of the face of the Queen of heaven and earth; rejoice, thou who wast gladdened by the appearance of the Theotokos; rejoice, thou who didst learn from her of thy passing to the heavenly abode; rejoice, thou who by thy blessed end didst show forth the holiness of thy life; rejoice, thou who at the time of prayer before the icon of the Theotokos didst commend thy soul to the Lord; rejoice, thou who by the painless departure of thy soul didst fulfil the prophecy; rejoice, thou who didst receive the crown of immortality from the hands of the Almighty; rejoice, thou who hast inherited the blessedness of paradise with all the saints; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
Thou didst unceasingly send up the hymn of the all-holy Trinity, O venerable one; by thy life thou didst appear as a champion of godliness, a corrector of all the erring, a physician of those sick in soul and body; and we, filled with gratitude to the Lord for the great mercy shown in thee, sing to Him: Alleluia.
We know thee as a light-giving lamp, O divinely blessed father, and after thy departure thou didst shine as a luminary of the Russian land; from thy holy relics thou pourest forth a fountain of wonders on all who flee to thee with faith and love; therefore we sing to thee as to one who prayeth for us with love and a wonderworker:
Rejoice, thou who art glorified by the Lord with many wonders; rejoice, thou who by thy love didst shine forth for the whole world; rejoice, faithful follower of the love of Christ; rejoice, hope of all who ask thy help; rejoice, unfailing fountain of wonders; rejoice, physician of the sick; rejoice, inexhaustible well of water of many healings; rejoice, thou who givest thy love to all the ends of the earth; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
Thou hast grace and great boldness before God, venerable father; therefore we entreat thee: pray before the Lord that He keep His holy Church from unbelief and apostasy and from the assaults of afflictions, for which we sing with thee to our beneficent King: Alleluia.
Singing of thy glory, we praise thee, venerable father Seraphim, for thy prayer availeth much before God, our comforter and protector; therefore we cry to thee with love:
Rejoice, boast of the Orthodox Church; rejoice, shield and wall of our fatherland; rejoice, guide of all who are directed towards heaven; rejoice, our helper and protector; rejoice, thou who by the power of God didst work many wonders; rejoice, thou who by thy garment didst shatter the devices of Satan; rejoice, thou who by thy meekness didst wondrously tame wild beasts; Rejoice, venerable Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov!
O all-marvellous, swift helper and great wonderworker, venerable father Seraphim, accept this small hymn of praise offered to thee by us, and, standing before the throne of the King of kings, our Lord Jesus Christ, pray for us all, that He may be merciful to us before His dread judgment-seat, who cry to Him with joy: Alleluia.
This kontakion thrice.
O great one well-pleasing to the Lord, venerable and God-bearing father Seraphim! Look down from the throne of glory on us, weak and unworthy, heavy-laden with many sins, who ask thy prayer and consolation; be gracious to us in thy compassion and help us to keep the commandments of Christ blamelessly, to hold firmly the Orthodox faith, to offer the Lord sincere repentance for our sins and to advance in godliness, that we may be made worthy of the prayers thou offerest for us before God.
O holy one of God, hear us who offer prayers to thee with love and faith, and despise us not who ask thy help; now and at the hour of our end help us and wall us about by thy prayer from the assaults of the crafty demons, that the opposing evil spirits may not have dominion over us, but that by thine intercession we may be made worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven. On thee we set our hope, O merciful father: be our guide on the way of salvation, that under thy guidance we may attain to the unwaning light of the throne of the all-holy Trinity, whom with all the saints we hymn and glorify, the all-worshipful name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O most wondrous father Seraphim, great wonderworker of Sarov, swift hearer of those who flee to thee! In the time of thy labours in this world none went away from thee uncomforted or sorrowful, but to all the sight of thy face was sweet and the voice of thy lips welcome; the gift of healing, of insight and of the healing of infirm souls was abundant in thee, O all-blessed one; when the Lord called thee, venerable father Seraphim, to heavenly rest, thou didst not withdraw thy love from us, but thy wonders are countless and innumerable as the stars of heaven. Venerable father, wonderworker Seraphim, we cry to thee with hope: most gentle and meek saint of God, bold intercessor before the Lord, falling down before thee we ask thy help; offer thy grace-filled prayer for us sinners to the Lord Almighty, that He may save our souls, strengthen our homeland, grant us every good thing in this life and what is better for our souls, keep us from falling into sin and grant us the gift of true repentance, that without hindrance we may attain to the eternal kingdom of heaven, where the unfading light of His glory is without end, and that we too with all the saints may offer song, honour and worship to the all-holy, consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Translated by Archpriest Mikheil Chabashvili.
