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| St. Varus, bishop of Lipetsk (left) and Sergius Stepanovich Denisov (right) |
Sergius Stepanovich Denisov was a follower of the holy Catacomb bishop St. Varus of Lipetsk - who
was martyred for his Orthodox confession in 1938. He attended services at the monastery where Vladyka Varus served before his arrest and execution.
Sergius was in hiding from the authorities from 1936 until his arrest in 1944.
Sometime after 1944, and while he was in a Soviet death camp, the following miraculous event occurred:
"The incident took place in the prison. He (Sergius) was sitting in a cell. The day before he had received a parcel from believers. The parcels were distributed by an escort who had the fear of God and therefore sympathized with those in prison for their faith and helped them.
He quietly whispered to (Sergius) Denisov that a parcel had arrived. For if he had declared it
at the morning roll-call, the young children or the slightly older criminals would have caught the
lucky man [to steal the parcel]. In short, there was little chance that even half of the parcel would
arrive at its destination.
Seryozha (Sergius) climbed up to his place and began to look carefully through the contents. Finally he found it: in the middle of a little bag with some buckwheat he carefully pulled out a silk sachet.
[It was] the Reserved Gifts! In the last letter he had been told that they would be in the parcel.
His confession was on its way to batyushka, also by letter.
Having received the Gifts, Sergius Stepanovich stood in the corner with his face to the wall, prayed
for a while and consumed them!
Suddenly an orderly who used to clean the barracks came up to him and asked:
'Sergius Stepanovich, is this a dream or did I see it with my own eyes? When you were praying, some kind of fire suddenly rained down on you, just like tongues. I was really astonished - some kind of fire...'
Sergius Stepanovich then guessed that it was the Gifts that he had received. I was told this incident by
Sergius Stepanovich himself."
-This is the testimony of Alevtina Vladimirovna Belgorodskaya.
was martyred for his Orthodox confession in 1938. He attended services at the monastery where Vladyka Varus served before his arrest and execution.
Sergius was in hiding from the authorities from 1936 until his arrest in 1944.
Sometime after 1944, and while he was in a Soviet death camp, the following miraculous event occurred:
"The incident took place in the prison. He (Sergius) was sitting in a cell. The day before he had received a parcel from believers. The parcels were distributed by an escort who had the fear of God and therefore sympathized with those in prison for their faith and helped them.
He quietly whispered to (Sergius) Denisov that a parcel had arrived. For if he had declared it
at the morning roll-call, the young children or the slightly older criminals would have caught the
lucky man [to steal the parcel]. In short, there was little chance that even half of the parcel would
arrive at its destination.
Seryozha (Sergius) climbed up to his place and began to look carefully through the contents. Finally he found it: in the middle of a little bag with some buckwheat he carefully pulled out a silk sachet.
[It was] the Reserved Gifts! In the last letter he had been told that they would be in the parcel.
His confession was on its way to batyushka, also by letter.
Having received the Gifts, Sergius Stepanovich stood in the corner with his face to the wall, prayed
for a while and consumed them!
Suddenly an orderly who used to clean the barracks came up to him and asked:
'Sergius Stepanovich, is this a dream or did I see it with my own eyes? When you were praying, some kind of fire suddenly rained down on you, just like tongues. I was really astonished - some kind of fire...'
Sergius Stepanovich then guessed that it was the Gifts that he had received. I was told this incident by
Sergius Stepanovich himself."
-This is the testimony of Alevtina Vladimirovna Belgorodskaya.