People of Rus always loved and respected the sanctity of God’s saints. The memory of the holy fathers who labored in the Kyiv-Pechersk monastery was honored especially. On 23 June Church remembers the memory of St. Silouan the Skhimnik of Kyiv Caves, who labored in XIII-XIV centuries.

“The holy monk Silouan” – this laconic description is the first written mention about St. Silouan the Skhimnik, who was the monk of Kyiv Cave Monastery. This inscription is preserved on the map of the Far Caves of 1638.

St. Silouan diligently cared for the inner improvement and spiritual purity. For that he lived fasting life, uniting it with the daily night prayers.

Having overcome carnal passions, monk Silouan received the special prayerful daring and spiritual joy from God. The God’s grace abundantly filled this holy man and through him it has spread on others. Many people returned to the way of repentance and piety by his wise sermons.

A very special God’s patronage upon His saint was shown in gifts of sagacity and wonderworking. One manuscript of Lavra tells how St. Silouan detained the thieves in the monastic garden. It happened so: St. Silouan had an obedience of preserver of monastic garden. One night thieves came to garden and started to steal vegetables. Being on that time in prayer, St. Silouan foreseen their coming. So that the holy man has bound them by prayer for three days and they could not move. Afterward the monk brought them to repentance and let them go, convinced to proceed their life in diligence.

After long life in prayer, fasting and labor, the old man reposed in God. The St. Silouan’s corpse was buried in Far (St. Theodosius) Caves of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. And today everyone who comes with faith to the relics of St. Silouan, receives a graceful help from him.

It is also possible to venerate the holy relics of St. Silouan in the Cathedral of St. John Forerunner of Brooklyn, where always is the particle of his undecayable relics.