Sergius of Malaya Pinega

Venerable Sergius of Malaya Pinega (Sergius Malopinezhsky, in the world Simeon Markianovich Neklyud) was a hieroschemamonk, born in 1493 into the family of a priest in the Pinega region and died on 16 November 1585. He is commemorated on the day of his death and in the Synaxis of the Saints of Vologda. Our sources do not give the date of canonization.

Simeon Neklyud was born in 1493 into the family of the Orthodox priest Markian Stefanovich Neklyud, of the village of Sura in the Malaya Pinega district, Arkhangelsk governorate, who came from the Novgorod boyars but had gone north after Ivan III had completely subdued the free city of Novgorod. His mother, Apollinaria, was also of noble origin. Simeon received a good home education, was raised in strict piety and was very well versed in book learning. He was married and in 1523 was ordained priest for the churches of the Transfiguration and Saint George, newly built in the Malaya Pinega volost, where he bore the pastoral ministry and edified the parishioners by word and deed for 62 years. A ministry so rare in length was marked, besides the zealous fulfilment of the usual duties of a parish priest, by the apostolic labour of bringing to Orthodoxy the unbaptized Chud, pagans. According to the chronicle's account, Simeon Neklyud had a merciful soul, a pure thought, a vigilant heart, humility and silent strength, truly unfeigned love, and was merciful to the poor to the point of self-⁠denial.

By his long and holy life Simeon Neklyud won great fame, love and respect: there was great fame of him for his virtuous life. In the last year of his life he was tonsured a monk and received the schema with the name Sergius. Sergius of Malaya Pinega died on 16 November 1585; his relics were laid under a slab in a wooden chapel of the Transfiguration church.