Fool for Christ
Venerable Paisius, a fool for Christ's sake, was born on July 8, 1821, in Lubny, Poltava province, into a large and wealthy family. His mother was a deeply devout and pious woman who raised her children in godliness.
At the age of 10, he was sent to the Kyiv-Podolsk Spiritual School, but he often ran away to the Lavra. At 16, he was accepted into the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra for a temporary obedience. After a miraculous vision of the Mother of God, he remained in the Lavra and was enrolled as a full-fledged novice.
He chose the Venerable Parthenius as his spiritual father. Manifesting foolishness for Christ, he began to behave strangely in the church, for which he was released from his choir duties and transferred to the Holosiivsk Desert. In 1854, he was tonsured into the rassophore with the name Paisius.
After his tonsure, he returned to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, where he began the feat of foolishness, wandering around Kyiv and sleeping on the streets. Dressed in rags, he endured mockery and humiliation, but forgave his offenders and prayed for them. For his humility and voluntary martyrdom, the Lord glorified him with the gift of miraculous prayer and healings.
In 1879, he was placed in the Kytayiv Brotherhood's almshouse, where he cared for the more infirm brethren. Sensing the approach of death, he went to the Lavra, where he reposed on April 17, 1893, after receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
He was buried in the brotherly cemetery at the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. The blessed Paisius's death was mourned by all of Kyiv. In 1999, he was glorified by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and on November 30, 2017, the Archpastoral Council of the Russian Orthodox Church made a decision on his glorification throughout Russia.
