Hierarch Sophronius of Irkutsk

St. Sophrony, Bishop of Irkutsk (born Stefan Nazarovich Kristalevsky), was born December 25, 1703 (January 7, 1704, N.S.) in the village of Berezan in the Poltava region. He took monastic vows in 1730 at the Krasnogorsk Protection Monastery and was ordained hierodeacon, then hieromonk, in 1732 at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. He served at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, becoming treasurer and later abbot for seven years. On April 18, 1753, he was consecrated Bishop of Irkutsk and Nerchinsk, arriving in his vast Siberian diocese in March 1754. Bishop Sophrony tirelessly worked for the enlightenment of his flock: he founded schools for clergy, multiplied the number of churches, secured the abolition of corporal punishment for priests, and led missionary work among the Buryat and other indigenous Siberian peoples, teaching that Christian preaching "must be accompanied by love, humility, meekness, and gentleness." He himself lived an austere ascetic life, spending long hours in prayer. He reposed on March 30, 1771, during Bright Week. His relics remained incorrupt for over a century and were associated with numerous miracles. He was glorified by the Local Council of the Russian Church in 1918. Feast: March 30/April 12 and June 30/July 13.