Akathist to Saint John of Kronstadt
Kontakion 1
To one chosen among priests, to the wondrous servant of God, John, pastor and teacher, intercessor for tsars, comforter of the afflicted, bright luminary of the Russian land who consecrated his whole life to serving God and his neighbor, turned a multitude of sinners to repentance, and begged from God healing for many sick people, we raise praises as to our mediator and quick helper. Do thou, Father, as one who hath boldness towards the Lord, free us from all misfortune that we may cry to thee with praise:
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Ikos 1
When only six years old, thou, O John, openly didst see in ineffable brilliance thy Guardian Angel, who told thee that by the command of the Lord he would always be present with thee and protect thee from all evil. Wherefore, knowing thee to have been chosen by God from thy youth, we cry:
Rejoice, thou who was chosen from childhood by the foreknowledge of God!
Rejoice, thou who from thy youth wast called by His Grace to serve Him!
Rejoice, thou who from childhood didst please thy Guardian Angel with good morals!
Rejoice, thou who never didst grieve him in anything!
Rejoice, for thine invisible Guardian Angel openly appeared to thee!
Rejoice, beloved son of pious parents!
Rejoice, thou who from childhood wast raised by them in the fear of God!
Rejoice, thou who from thy youth didst accustom thyself to temperance!
Rejoice, thou who didst pass thy youthful days in wretchedness and need!
Rejoice, for because of thy good morals the Grace of God rested in thee!
Rejoice, for it made thy face ever tender!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 2
We see thee, godly-wise John, from thy youth growing in Grace by which thou wast overshadowed, and by it mystically guided and directed in a life of virtue. So having thee as our example and inspiration, with compunction we cry out to Christ our God: Alleluia!
Ikos 2
Immersing thy mind from childhood in the study of the Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, O John, thou hast received plenteously the water of life flowing forth from the fountain of the Holy Spirit. Thus we pray thee: beseech the good Lord to make us worthy partakers of those lifegiving streams as we cry to thee:
Rejoice, thou who from childhood didst keep thyself free from passions!
Rejoice, thou who didst preserve the Grace of Holy Baptism whole and unharmed!
Rejoice, thou who sincerely didst love to read the Divine Scriptures!
Rejoice, thou who well and rightly didst comprehend the meaning concealed in them!
Rejoice, thou who didst show exemplary diligence in the study of books!
Rejoice, thou who gloriously didst succeed in natural and spiritual philosophy!
Rejoice, thou who quickly didst discern the enticements of the world by thy wisdom!
Rejoice, thou who wisely didst flee those snares like a soaring eagle!
Rejoice, miraculous and bright educator of Northern Russia!
Rejoice, dispersion of sinful gloom!
Rejoice, thou who didst grant quick succour to all who fled to thee!
Rejoice, thou who didst reveal most powerful intercession for us before God!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 3
The power of the Grace of God, which fulfills all needs, was plenteously poured out on thee, O John of eternal memory, when thou wast ordained a priest by Bishop Christopher and appointed pastor of Kronstadt, for from that time thou didst begin to teach people faithfully to serve the Holy Trinity and sing: Alleluia!
Ikos 3
Having divine love in thy heart, wise John, and strictly observing the laws of self-denial, thou didst easily conquer the movements of the passions and never wast thou ensnared by them. Thus as a strong man didst thou go forth to work in the Lord’s field, by thy word as by a plow, tilling the hardened and frozen hearts of men, warming them by seeds of true repentance and living faith. Therefore we hymn thee with these praises:
Rejoice, chosen vessel of the Grace of God!
Rejoice, container of heavenly gifts!
Rejoice, thou who didst love God with all thy heart and mind!
Rejoice, thou who therefore didst teach thy spiritual children sincerely to love Him!
Rejoice, thou who carefully didst observe the commandments of God and the canons of the Church concerning fasts!
Rejoice, thou who didst show thy love for God and thy neighbors by thy deeds and teaching!
Rejoice, thou who didst rule over passions from thy youth!
Rejoice, thou who didst appear a glorious victor over them!
Rejoice, thou who didst live in the world in an unworldly manner!
Rejoice, thou who on earth wast wise in a heavenly fashion!
Rejoice, unshakable pillar of the Orthodox Russian kingdom!
Rejoice, unwavering guardian of Orthodoxy and of good traditions!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 4
Help us, Father John, who are overcome by the storm of many calamities and the tumults of life, as in thy life thou didst help all who flee to thee with faith, that all who were helped by thee might in gratitude sing to God for thee: Alleluia!
Ikos 4
Having heard the Apostles say, Our life is in Heaven, and from childhood desiring to inherit it, thou didst spend the short time of this life not in pleasing the flesh and passions, John, but in cleansing thy soul from sinful thoughts. Therefore, we who have thee for an example of a life pleasing to God and as an aid in piety cry out to thee:
Rejoice, bright splendor of the light of the Gospel in our days!
Rejoice, all-powerful illumination of darkened souls!
Rejoice, for thou didst immerse thy whole mind in the Divine Scriptures!
Rejoice, for in them didst thou find the right path to the heavenly Kingdom!
Rejoice, for all thy deeds were a light to the world!
Rejoice, for through thee the heavenly Father was wondrously glorified!
Rejoice, for thy word was not like a tinkling cymbal, dead and unfeeling!
Rejoice, for thy word in truth was alive and active!
Rejoice, for through thee those dead in spirit are made alive by faith!
Rejoice, for those who have fallen into the abyss of sin are awakened to repentance by thee!
Rejoice, for in thee the faithful found an undaunted reprover and mighty adversary of the enemies of the Truth!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 5
Thou didst appear, O sacred John, as a most brilliant star of the Russian land enlightening the sinful darkness. Therefore now grant enlightenment to the sons of Russia who are surrounded by the darkness of error and have surrendered themselves to the power of the wicked, that they may recognize their wretchedness and turn to God and in repentance cry to Him: Alleluia!
Ikos 5
When the Russian people saw that thou wast a great preacher of virtue and a very powerful intercessor and mediator before God, a multitude ran to thee from all sides, and others sent thee letters from afar, asking healing in sickness, advice in uncertainty, and comfort in sorrows; and when they received what they desired, they gratefully cried to thee:
Rejoice, John, new luminary of the world!
Rejoice, converser with God unrestrained in prayers!
Rejoice, for thy prayers are strong and powerful to appease the Master!
Rejoice, for thine intercession with Him is most effective in arousing His clemency to the granting of compassion!
Rejoice, for through thee gracious healings are granted according to the measure of one’s faith!
Rejoice, for by thee the ill receive a quick change from sickness to health!
Rejoice, for by thee sinners are turned to repentance!
Rejoice, for by thee numberless rebels are brought to their senses!
Rejoice, for by thee senseless mockers of the mysteries of Faith are covered with shame!
Rejoice, for by thee scoffers at thy miraculous deeds receive appropriate instruction!
Rejoice, Grace-giving comforter of the grieving!
Rejoice, merciful instructor of those in perplexity!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 6
As a preacher of the truth, imitating the God-bearing Fathers, thou didst devote thy whole self to serving God and thy neighbors; and while bearing priestly rank, thou didst know no rest, for constantly didst thou perform divine services in the church and sing molebens in the homes of the faithful; and didst attain the title of benefactor and unmercenary worker. Thus even after thy death the Russian people glorify thy name and, proclaiming eternal memory to thee, sing to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 6
Christ our God, Who shone forth from a virgin and by the light of His Gospel drove away the darkness of demonic idolatry, revealed thee, Father John, as a faithful and zealous preacher of His Truth which was being distorted by the helpers of the evil one. Thus, as one having boldness before the Lord, deliver from this spite and cunning all who sing to thee:
Rejoice, outstanding servant of Christ!
Rejoice, exquisite and pleasing servant of His among priests!
Rejoice, for thou hast been an untiring watchman of the house of God!
Rejoice, for thou hast been a mighty protector of thy flock from spiritual thieves!
Rejoice, thou who didst by thy writings didst move many from love of the world to love of Christ!
Rejoice, thou who by thy speaking didst reveal the love of God for mankind as it appears in His redemption of us and His providence for us!
Rejoice, thou who didst tell of the action of the Spirit of God on human hearts in a way easy to grasp!
Rejoice, thou who openly didst show the mystery of prayerful conversation with God!
Rejoice, thou who didst miraculously didst preserve virginity in thy lawful married life!
Rejoice, thou who didst give birth to many spiritual children through repentance!
Rejoice, thou who didst leave behind thee a good memory in the hearts of the faithful!
Rejoice, for this memory of thee as a righteous man will never be forgotten!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 7
The all-good Lord, wanting to comfort His faithful people and turn the lawless from their evil deeds, raised thee as a prophet for our land as once He did Jonah for Nineveh, the great city, that thou mightest preach the wrath of God soon coming to our land, which was fulfilled according to thine announcement, for we remained unrepentant in our pride and did not want humbly to sing with thee to Christ our God: Alleluia!
Ikos 7
A new sign of the wrath of God befell us because we did not want to attend to thy divinely-inspired words: for the Russian dominion is fallen and is given into the authority of cruel atheists who have destroyed the honorable monasteries, defiled holy churches, and cruelly hurt all thy pious people and given many clergy and of lay rank over to a martyr’s death. Therefore from the depths of our souls we bring repentance to the Lord and run to thy prayer that we may be made worthy of forgiveness of our sins and the mercy of God. And to thee, as to our intercessor, abjectly we say:
Rejoice, eloquent preacher of repentance!
Rejoice, unerring foreteller of the coming wrath of God against sinning people!
Rejoice, full-voiced accuser of people’s wickedness!
Rejoice, zealous advocate of their correction!
Rejoice, thou who wast a firm defense of the Orthodox Russian kingdom in thy lifetime!
Rejoice, thou who didst protect it from rebellions in those days!
Rejoice, constant intercessor and ally of pious rulers!
Rejoice, wise instructor and guardian of them!
Rejoice, thou who didst proclaim many words on the divine establishment of the Tsar’s authority!
Rejoice, thou who industriously didst guide people to obedience and faithfulness to this lawful authority!
Rejoice, thou who dost guard the thrones of pious kings by thy prayers!
Rejoice, thou who dost teach them to give right judgments among their people!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 8
Thou hast completed the course of thine earthly life, strangely planned and angelic, O Father John, for in the world thou didst live in self-denial and chastity and didst follow the great fathers in praising God at all times. Now present with them in gladness before Christ in Heaven and offering prayers for the world, thou chantest continually: Alleluia!
Ikos 8
All Orthodox people, as in thy life, so after thy death, honor thee with great love, Father John, for thou hast great boldness towards God and entreatest His goodness for all who hasten to thee and cry:
Rejoice, fine offshoot of a good root!
Rejoice, honorable birth and good upbringing of pious parents!
Rejoice, for because of thy birth and upbringing of pious parents!
Rejoice, for because of thy birth and upbringing in it the small village of Sura became known to all the land of Russia!
Rejoice, for the city of Kronstadt was glorified by thy service in it!
Rejoice, for all Russia was filled by thy deeds of mercy!
Rejoice, for the news of thy wondrous and holy life has spread beyond its borders!
Rejoice, for by thy writings the Grace-giving mystery of communion with God is explained!
Rejoice, for the light of spiritual illumination is poured out into the hearts of those who read them!
Rejoice, for in thy writings the purity of thy soul is openly revealed!
Rejoice, for in them, as in a mirror, the divine image in the human soul is reflected!
Rejoice, for by thy writings, filled with divine wisdom, not only Russians, but foreigners too are encouraged in their piety!
Rejoice, for by these writings the true faith shines forth and the gloom of heresies is driven out!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 9
No word is adequate to praise thee, Father John, for moved by the Holy Spirit thou hast served God sincerely from thy youth; by spending many years in sincere labor in studying the Holy Scriptures and acquiring deep knowledge, and also by concerning thyself diligently with the education of young people and of thy flock, thou hast taught all sensibly to sing to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 9
Dishonorable orators, men of vain wisdom, and blasphemers of the Faith were disgraced openly by thee in their impiety, but the Orthodox were strengthened and established in their faith by divinely inspired words. Thus praising thee, we cry:
Rejoice, divinely inspired flute!
Rejoice, sweet-sounding psaltry of the Spirit!
Rejoice, thou who by thy words and writings didst illuminate the dogmas of the Faith!
Rejoice, thou who by thy speeches didst confirm the thoughts of the faithful in Orthodoxy!
Rejoice, thou who didst confirm many doubters in the true Faith!
Rejoice, thou who fearlessly didst condemn blasphemers of the mysteries of the Church of Christ, men who were proud in their vain wisdom!
Rejoice, for by thee regiments of atheists were defeated!
Rejoice, for by thy pastoral efforts the companies of thy flock acquired the heavenly Kingdom!
Rejoice, wise expounder of the divine intelligence!
Rejoice, reverent performer of the sacraments of the Church!
Rejoice, our trustworthy guide into the heavenly Kingdom!
Rejoice, our true preacher of the way of salvation!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 10
Desiring to save thy soul, thou hast concentrated in thyself the fullness of the evangelical virtues, Father John: the confession of faith of the Apostles and Holy Fathers, constancy, martyr-like in its piety, constant watching in prayer, self-denial and humility, together with the ascetic acts of the holy monks. Thus as thou now dwellest with the saints in Heaven and ceaselessly dost praise God, remember us who honor thy glorious memory and sing to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 10
Because thou wast a totally sincere priest of the King of Heaven, thou wast zealous for the prosperity of thine earthly fatherland, teaching with true wisdom to render what is God’s to God and what is Ceasar’s to Ceasar. For this reason we magnify thee thus:
Rejoice, slave of God, good and faithful!
Rejoice, sincere servant of God!
Rejoice, thou who zealously didst fulfill everything the Lord commanded of thee!
Rejoice, thou who wast a skilled performer of His commandments!
Rejoice, thou who always didst think of the omnipresence of God!
Rejoice, thou who in thy mind’s eye always didst stand before Him!
Rejoice, thou who didst honor the pious tsars of thy fatherland as the servants of God!
Rejoice, thou who by thy word and prayers didst aid them in the hard task of government!
Rejoice, thou who didst arouse in them concern for the good things of Church and nation!
Rejoice, thou who didst protect them from rebellion and riots!
Rejoice, thou who even now prayest to God for Russia and for all Orthodox kings!
Rejoice, for thou art a mediator for all who hope in thee!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 11
In songs of praise it is impossible to express the multitude of the godly corrections, O most marvelous Father John, which thou didst perform in thy life: by thy prayers healing the sick, driving demons out of men, curing sufferers from drunkenness and other passions, showing abundant mercy on those in poverty and want; blessing and helping all with any need whatsoever, for which we thankfully sing of thee to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 11
The Lord revealed thee in our days as a bright luminary and a wondrous seer who foretold His approaching wrath against the Russian Kingdom because we did not repent at thy preaching. Thus as a prophet of God and a foreteller of His judgments, we bless thee and cry in repentance:
Rejoice, wondrous seer!
Rejoice, unerring foreteller of future events!
Rejoice, equal to the ancient preachers of repentance!
Rejoice, announcer of the coming wrath of God against unrepentant sinners!
Rejoice, sweet-voiced proclaimer of repentance!
Rejoice, calmer of agitated hearts!
Rejoice, most powerful mediator for us before God!
Rejoice, good shepherd of spiritual sheep, who didst recover a multitude of lost souls!
Rejoice, thou who didst free many from prison bonds and from death!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 12
The divine Grace which thou hast received doubly in Holy Baptism and in Ordination to the priesthood was not vain in thee, Father John: for by thy diligence thou hast used it for the benefit of many and to the glory of Him Who granted it: for by the radiance of thy life and by thy deeds of mercy thou hast been revealed as a great saint pleasing to God, and from the multitude of lips those who were spiritually and physically granted mercy by thee this great song is raised to God: Alleluia!
Ikos 12
Singing of thy life which was pleasing to God from thy youth and of thy spiritual progress from strength to strength, we glorify thy righteous death and the glorious burial of thy Grace-giving remains, which found eternal rest in the Devichy Monastery founded by thee. And we believe that thy holy soul is at rest in the all-radiant habitation of Paradise, which do thou help us to inherit as we sing such praises to thee:
Rejoice, thou who didst finish the course of temporal life peacefully and in a way pleasing to God!
Rejoice, thou who faultlessly didst preserve the right Faith!
Rejoice, thou who didst reveal by thy righteousness by a peaceful Christian death!
Rejoice, thou who hast received eternal rest in Heaven with the saints!
Rejoice, thou who hast partaken of the joy of the righteous in the mansions of Paradise!
Rejoice, thou who wast vouchsafed eternal blessedness together with the multitude of souls which received salvation through thee!
Rejoice, thou who hast inherited the heavenly Kingdom with the Royal New Martyrs!
Rejoice, thou who with them dost stand before the King of Glory and offer up prayers for the release of our fatherland from its atheist regime!
Rejoice, great warrior of Orthodoxy!
Rejoice, invincible defender of piety!
Rejoice, thou who dost glorious wonders by appearances in dreams!
Rejoice, thou who leadest the non-Orthodox to Orthodoxy!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 13
O all-honorable Father John, luminary and great saint pleasing to Christ, and wonderworker, not only of Kronstadt, but also of all Russia, and even more of the whole world, receive from us unworthy ones this song of praise, and through thy prayers, which are most acceptable to God, deliver us from temporal misfortune and eternal sufferings, that we may be deemed worthy eternally to sing with thee in the heavenly Kingdom: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
(Repeat the above Kontakion 13, 3 times)
(Then continue below)
Ikos 1
When only six years old, thou, O John, openly didst see in ineffable brilliance thy Guardian Angel, who told thee that by the command of the Lord he would always be present with thee and protect thee from all evil. Wherefore, knowing thee to have been chosen by God from thy youth, we cry:
Rejoice, thou who was chosen from childhood by the foreknowledge of God!
Rejoice, thou who from thy youth wast called by His Grace to serve Him!
Rejoice, thou who from childhood didst please thy Guardian Angel with good morals!
Rejoice, thou who never didst grieve him in anything!
Rejoice, for thine invisible Guardian Angel openly appeared to thee!
Rejoice, beloved son of pious parents!
Rejoice, thou who from childhood wast raised by them in the fear of God!
Rejoice, thou who from thy youth didst accustom thyself to temperance!
Rejoice, thou who didst pass thy youthful days in wretchedness and need!
Rejoice, for because of thy good morals the Grace of God rested in thee!
Rejoice, for it made thy face ever tender!
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!
Kontakion 1
To one chosen among priests, to the wondrous servant of God, John, pastor and teacher, intercessor for tsars, comforter of the afflicted, bright luminary of the Russian land who consecrated his whole life to serving God and his neighbor, turned a multitude of sinners to repentance, and begged from God healing for many sick people, we raise praises as to our mediator and quick helper. Do thou, Father, as one who hath boldness towards the Lord, free us from all misfortune that we may cry to thee with praise:
Rejoice, John, new Russian luminary and fervent intercessor to God for us!