Gerasim Dobroserdov

Saint Gerasim (in the world Georgy Ivanovich Dobroserdov, born Popov, 1809-1880) the hierarch was bishop of Astrakhan and Enotaevsk in the Russian Orthodox Church, born in Siberia, a learned man, missionary among the Buryats, seminary rector and merciful hierarch. He died on 24 June 1880 (6 July in the new style) at Astrakhan. The Russian Church glorified him in 1984 in the synaxis of the saints of Siberia. He is commemorated on 10 June, the day of the synaxis of the saints of Siberia and of the saints of Simbirsk.

Childhood and studies

He was born on 26 October (7 November) 1809 in the village of Belsk, Balagansk district, Irkutsk governorate, in the family of the church servant Ivan Prokopievich Popov. From childhood he showed great gifts for learning: at seven he read fluently, sang a fine alto in the choir and knew half the Psalter by heart. He graduated from the theological school of Irkutsk, where he received the surname Dobroserdov ("good-⁠hearted") because he did not betray to the head of the school, Archimandrite Nicholas, the classmates who mocked him. One of his teachers at the school was the seminarian John Popov, the future Saint Innocent (Veniaminov). Then he entered the Irkutsk theological seminary. During his studies he dreamed of the life of a hermit, began to behave as a fool for Christ and was for a time put in an almshouse for the poor, but was then returned to the seminary. In 1831 he was appointed missionary and sent to preach Christianity among the Buryats. On 25 July 1832, after graduating from the seminary, he was appointed teacher at the theological school of Irkutsk. On 29 January 1836 he married Natalia Mikhailova, and on 12 April of the same year was ordained priest at a parish in Irkutsk. In 1841 he was widowed and decided to enter the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. On the way, in Moscow, he met Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov).

Monk and rector

He was admitted to the Academy and on 1 March 1845, in the last year, was tonsured a monk with the name Gerasim, in honour of the venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan. On 23 September 1845 he was appointed teacher at the Tver seminary. In 1846 he was moved to Stavropol as inspector of the Caucasus seminary, and on 1 October of the same year was raised to hegumen. From 16 April 1849 he was rector of the Caucasus seminary, and on 12 May was raised to archimandrite. From 25 October 1850 he was rector of the Simbirsk seminary. From 8 September 1855 he was rector of the Kharkov seminary and abbot of the Transfiguration monastery at Kuryazh. From 12 March 1860 he was rector of the Kaluga seminary and abbot of the Intercession monastery at Likhvin.

Bishop

On 10 March 1863 Archimandrite Gerasim was consecrated bishop of Staraya Russa, vicar of the diocese of Novgorod. In 1864 he was moved to be vicar of the diocese of Saint Petersburg, with the title bishop of Revel. From 24 June 1865 he was bishop of Ladoga, vicar of the same diocese; the title was changed with the annexation of the Estonia governorate to that of Riga, without changing his duties at all. On 26 January 1866 he was appointed bishop of Samara and Stavropol, and on 8 December 1877 was moved to the see of Astrakhan. At Astrakhan he founded a diocesan almshouse for the poor of the clerical estate, and later an orphanage beside it.

He died on 24 June 1880 and was buried in the crypt of the Dormition cathedral in the Astrakhan kremlin. In 1984 he was glorified for veneration in the whole Church in the synaxis of the saints of Siberia. On 17 April 2005 his relics were opened, raised from the crypt and placed in the Dormition cathedral for veneration. He received the Order of Saint Anne first and second classes, the Order of Saint Vladimir second and third classes, and the Order of Prince Danilo I first class of Montenegro, for material aid given to the Montenegrins in the war with Turkey. Among his writings are "Words and Speeches of Archimandrite Gerasim on Various Occasions" (Kaluga, 1860), "The Blessed Andrew Ilyich" and "The Blessed Anthony Alexeich" (1865), "On the Causes of the Late Coming into the World of Christ the Saviour", "Diaries" (published at Irkutsk in 2011) and "Letters of Bishop Gerasim to His Spiritual Daughter Alexandra Efimovna von Rummel" (1883).