Blessed, Fool for Christ John the Hairy, the Merciful, of Rostov

Blessed John the Hairy labored in the city of Rostov during the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. His brief handwritten life does not report where he came from, though Archbishop Filaret (Gumilevsky) supposed that John came from a noble family and was an educated man who knew Latin. Taking up the feat of foolishness for Christ's sake, he had no permanent dwelling and, shunning worldly temptations, only occasionally stayed with a pious widow and his spiritual father, the priest Peter. By his life he imitated Christ's path to the Cross, concealing his spiritual gifts under the guise of madness. He died on September 3, 1580. A pious merchant built a church over his grave. His memory is kept on the day of his repose, September 3/16, and secondarily on November 12/25 — in memory of his name-saint, St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, whose name he bore.