Schemamonk
Saint Luke (Shvets), in the world Leonty, was born in 1838 in a peasant family in the Sumy district of Kharkov province. In 1864, he came to the Glinetskaya desert, where he initially worked in the kitchen for two years, and then for 22 years in the bakery. In 1869, he was tonsured into the riasophor and appointed as the senior in the bakery, caring for the spiritual advancement of the novices.
In 1875, he accepted the mantle with the name Longin, and in 1888, he became the “overseer of the Psalter.” In 1891, he accepted the schema with the name Luke and settled in the Near Skete, then in 1893, he moved to the Far Skete. His elder was the venerable Archippus.
Saint Luke included in his cell rule 500 Jesus prayers, and once the Glinetskaya image of the Uncreated Savior appeared to him, urging him to read the prayers slowly and attentively. He faced demonic temptations but emerged victorious from them.
Possessing the gifts of foresight and healing, he concealed his prayer for the sick with outward actions, offering simple food. In his cell life, he was hospitable and cheerful, always maintaining the fear of God. Once, seeing the image of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on the roof of his cell, he immediately moved it back to its previous place and fervently prayed, hearing a voice: “Servant, always keep the good faith, thus you will be justified.”
He died on May 1, 1898.
