Celebration in honor of the discovery of the relics of St. Job of Pochaev (10/09)

The Monk Job of Pochaev was born in the mid-16th century in Galicia from pious parents nicknamed Iron and was baptized John. He lived in difficult years for Russia, when on its western outskirts the Orthodox people of Volyn and Galicia were subjected to church and political oppression by Polish-Lithuanian magnates.

At the age of ten, the boy left his parents' house and asked the abbot of the nearest Ugornitsky monastery to allow him to serve in the monastery. With his diligence he won the love of the monastery brotherhood, but the perspicacious abbot saw great spiritual gifts in him. In the twelfth year of his life, John took monastic vows with the name Job, and in the thirteenth —, after many monastic exploits, — was ordained to the priesthood (he later accepted the schema).

News of Job's spiritual exploits spread widely throughout the region. The nobles began to come to the monk, asking for spiritual care. He began to enjoy the special trust and patronage of the famous defender of Orthodoxy in Volyn, Prince Konstantin Ostrogsky. The prince turned to the abbot with a request to release St. Job to his princely Dubensky Monastery of the Cross. The abbot agreed, and after some time the Monk Job was placed at the head of the Dubno brethren.

Particularly important for strengthening Orthodoxy in Volyn was the book publishing and literary activities of St. Job. For many years (until 1932), the Pochaev Monastery housed the work of the Most Rev. — « Book of Blessed Job Pochaevsky, written by his powerful hand », containing up to 80 conversations, teachings, sermons, as well as extracts from patristic ascetic and polemical works.

The Monk Job abbot until 1649. He appointed a successor to himself at almost the age of one hundred — at the time of his transfer of rank to the monk was 98 years old. But even after this, Job participated in the most important affairs of the monastery. On November 2, 1651, the saint received a revelation about his near death and soon peacefully withdrew to another world.

The Monk Job was buried near the cave where he labored. A wonderful glow was often seen above his grave. Seven years after his death, Saint Job appeared three times in a dream to Metropolitan Dionysius (Balaban) of Kyiv with the news that the time had come to discover his holy relics. The incorruptible relics of St. Job were transferred to the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, where many miracles happened next to them.

Miraculous healings from the relics of St. Job prompted the Holy Synod to reopen them, which was done on September 10, 1833. This date is now considered an Orthodox holiday.

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