3D"St.
Canberra, Australia

Abbess Angelina

Foundress of Holy Trinity-Tvorozhkov=20 Convent

Blessed is the man that considereth the poor man and the pauper; in = an evil=20 day the Lord shall deliver him. May the Lord keep him, and make him to = live, and=20 make him blessed upon the earth. - Psalm 40:1-2

Abbess Angelina came from a family of wealthy and pious nobility. Her = father,=20 Philip Semyonovich Shlakov, paid frequent visits to nearby holy places = and made=20 several pilgrimages to Kiev. In church, he chose to stand among the = poor,=20 saying, "I, too, am poor, and in need of God's charity." In 1809, an = only=20 daughter, Alexandra, was born. Her parents adored her, but her mother, = Anna=20 Stepanovna, saw to it that she was not spoiled; she was judiciously = strict with=20 the child, accustoming her to prayer and to the conscientious = fulfillment of her=20 responsibilities. In order to develop in her daughter a charitable = nature, Anna=20 Stepanovna herself tried to set an example, frequently undertaking deeds = of=20 Christian love.

When Alexandra was seven, her parents, desiring to give her the best = possible=20 education, enrolled her in the Smolniy Institute in St Petersburg, an = exclusive=20 school founded by Empress Catherine for girls of the nobility. On = finishing the=20 course of study, fifteen-year-old Alexandra was betrothed, with her = consent, to=20 a Baltic nobleman of good character, Karl Andreyevich Von Roze, a = Lutheran.

Theirs was a felicitous marriage, and the couple lived happily in = their own=20 house outside the imperial city. Increasingly, however, the young bride = became=20 weighed down by an inexplicable sense of ennui. She found the worldy = life of=20 their social milieu to be trivial and tiresome. "I'll build a house = chapel," she=20 thought to herself, "then I'll be content."

The couple was grief-stricken when their only child after = twenty-three years=20 of marriage, a daughter, died just days after her first birthday. At = first=20 Alexandra grumbled at God: Why had He granted them such a gift only to = take it=20 away? But it soon became clear to her that God was concerned above all = with her=20 salvation. As she later told a friend:

From that time I awakened as from a dream. All the luxury, vanity, = and=20 glitter of this temporal life became a great burden to me. I began to = understand=20 that the only comfort is in God. To love the poor and to go to church = became an=20 urgent need for me. How happy I felt on that day, when God helped me = share with=20 the poor all the blessings which I had received from Him.*

Another sorrow for Alexandra was her husband's disinclination to = become=20 Orthodox. Her attempts to persuade him only met with irritation. She = increased=20 her prayers, began to fast more strictly, and finally determined to = leave her=20 husband. However, all those to whom she turned for spiritual counsel = unanimously=20 opposed her decision. "Commit yourself and each other and all your life = unto=20 Christ our God, and trust that He will arrange everything for the = benefit of=20 your souls," she was told. Without abandoning her regimen of prayer and = fasting,=20 Alexandra devoted herself to works of charity. Finally, her prayers and=20 exemplary Christian life bore fruit: without any further prompting on = her part,=20 her husband conceived the desire to be received into the Orthodox = Church. He was=20 given the name Nicholas, in honor of the holy wonderworker, whom he had = revered=20 while still a Lutheran. Alexandra was overjoyed. It was evident that her = husband's decision sprang from a genuine conversion. They began to pray=20 together, and together undertook works of charity. Looking toward the = future,=20 Nicholas suggested to his wife, "If you should die before I do, I shall = build a=20 men's monastery; if I die before you, then you build a convent. In that = way, we=20 will always help each other through our prayers, and we will never = suffer=20 separation!"

They bought an estate in the western province of Gdov. When they = moved there,=20 Alexandra was initially appalled by the condition of their new dwelling: = it was=20 not even a house but a ramshackle cabin, divided into two halves by a=20 passageway. Nicholas consoled her. "What a suitable location for a = monastery:=20 lots of woods, a nearby lake, and, best of all, it's far from any big = towns!" He=20 began to fell trees for a proper house, but he caught cold, and, in = 1858, he=20 died, requesting that his wife free the serfs, build a house church and, = without=20 fail, establish a convent. Alexandra Filipovna remained alone with her = devoted=20 housekeeper and a few of her former serfs. Her acquaintances were all = bewildered=20 as to why she would continue living in such a backwater rather than = moving back=20 to her elegant house nearer the capital. There in Tvorzhkov she was = occasionally=20 visited by a revered fool-for-Christ, Terenty Ivanovich, who, in veiled = remarks,=20 foretold her monastic tonsure and the establishment of the convent. When = Alexandra had chosen a location for a church, he indicated another spot = and=20 there drove a stake into the ground. And indeed, at the very spot where = the=20 architect determined that the digging should begin, the workers = unearthed=20 Terentius' stake.

Alexandra had a number of close spiritual friends and advisors: = Archimandrite=20 Ignaty from St Sergius Hermitage (a disciple of Bishop Ignaty = Brianchaninov);=20 the superior of the nearby Cheremenetsk Hermitage, Fr. Anthony Bochkov, = who from=20 his youth had close ties with the Optina elders; and, in particular, = Hieromonk=20 Avraamy, whose obedience it was to collect funds for the Cheremenetsk = Hermitage.=20 He was especially adamant in advising Alexandra not to abandon her = intention and=20 to submit a request for the opening of a monastic community. Permission, = however, was not forthcoming, and Alexandra became discouraged. She was = ready to=20 give up the undertaking, but Fr. Avraamy was insistent: "How can you = turn your=20 back on a work entrusted to you at the inspiration of God Himself!" he=20 exclaimed. He escorted Alexandra Filipovna to the vicar bishop = Agafangel, who=20 blessed her with an icon of the Mother of God, "Axion Estin" (Meet it = is), and=20 assured her of his assistance.

First to be built was a wooden house with a house chapel dedicated to = the=20 Mother of God, "Joy of All Who Sorrow," an icon especially revered by=20 Alexandra's late mother. Soon there were many candidates desiring to = join the=20 community. Among them, however, there were no singers. But God = provided.

At that time, during the first week of Great Lent, a peasant girl by = the name=20 of Martha felt a compelling desire to go pray at the Cheremenetsk = monastery,=20 located some forty miles from her village. Reaching the monastery, she = found=20 there four other girls, all good singers, who were on their way to the=20 Korotsk-Dormition Convent near Valdai, with the intention of becoming = novices=20 there. It occurred to Martha to persuade them to join instead the new = Tvorzhkov=20 community. She told them that Alexandra Fyodorovna had not only given = her entire=20 estate to this worthy cause, but that she labored unsparingly alongside = the=20 sisters. This sufficiently impressed the three older girls and they = agreed at=20 once to Martha's recommendation. The youngest, however, who had just = turned=20 sixteen, began arguing stubbornly against their decision. That same day = she fell=20 seriously ill. Seeing in this the hand of God, the girl vowed to go to = Tvorzhkov=20 if only she regained her health. And in fact, to everyone's amazement, = she=20 rapidly recovered. They all confessed and communed, and, on the second = week of=20 the fast, they arrived with Martha to Tvorzhkov, where she announced=20 triumphantly, "The singers have come!"

The church was consecrated and Alexandra was tonsured as a rassophore = nun and=20 given the name Angelina. The other sisters were clothed in black as = novices. Fr.=20 Anthony was appointed dean of the new community. All the work, even the = most=20 strenuous, the sisters did themselves, led by the superior herself, who = wore=20 old, patched garments and did her own laundry. It was hard to believe = that from=20 childhood she had lived in luxury.

All too soon, Fr. Anthony retired, leaving the community without a = priest.=20 Fortunately, this trial did not last long. To everyone's joy Fr. Avraamy = was=20 appointed in Fr. Anthony's stead. In spite of the fact that he was also = superior=20 of the Cheremenetsk monastery, he took an earnest and active interest in = the=20 life of the Tvorzhkov community. At first he sent his hieromonks to = serve the=20 sisters. Later, Fr. Peter Nedrensky was assigned on a more permanent = basis, and=20 at his own request. From that time on the community had a regular and = complete=20 cycle of services. On Saturdays, following the typicon, Divine Liturgy = was=20 served with a special commemoration of the dead. Mother Angelina herself = read=20 the lists of commemorations at the Table of Oblation.

As the community grew, a work house was built adjacent to the = convent, and an=20 orphanage. The complex was enclosed with a stone wall. The community's = most=20 revered sacred object was a Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God. In the = evenings,=20 the sisters would gather in the refectory and occupy themselves with = handiwork,=20 while Mother Angelina read aloud from patristic texts. She would then = question=20 the sisters on what she had been reading. If a sister had been = day-dreaming or=20 otherwise distracted, she would say to her, "It grieves me that you were = not=20 paying attention. I read to you with my last ounce of strength, desiring = with my=20 whole heart that these grace-filled words would touch your heart and = adhere to=20 it. I am straining myself to the utmost that you might understand what = is the=20 true path, how to seek the Kingdom of Heaven and save your souls." = Mother=20 Angelina was always kind and forbearing towards the sisters. "They are, = after=20 all, still children," she would say, "and they need to be fed with milk = if they=20 do something wrong. If you punish them, in their ignorance they might=20 misunderstand, and it would only harm them. Tenderness and kindness will = more=20 readily bring them to amendment." In those days, there were as yet no = doctors in=20 such rural areas as Tvorzhkov. Mother Angelina herself treated the sick = peasants=20 and poor folk who came to the convent; she herself dressed and bandaged = their=20 wounds. She gave to the indigent her entire pension, which she received = after=20 her husband's death, and still she yearned to do more. She knit socks, = in order=20 to sell them and give the proceeds to the needy. To the poorest peasants = she=20 sent monthly a supply of grain and flour, and on Pascha she distributed = to=20 everyone paschal breads and red eggs.

Her charity extended even to the animals. Hungry dogs who wandered in = to the=20 convent were sure of finding food, and in wintertime Mother Angelina = ensured=20 that seed was put out for the birds. She was particularly attentive to = the=20 community's livestock, making sure they were properly fed and anointing = with oil=20 from the icon of the Mother of God any that were sick. At night she = would send=20 her cell-attendant to check on the horses, and when, after the evening = prayers,=20 she had made the sign of the Cross over each sister (those whose = obediences=20 prevented them from being present she crossed "in absentia"), she = proceeded to=20 do the same for all the animals: in the winter this meant going to the = stable=20 and the cow barn, while in summer, she would make the sign of the Cross = in the=20 direction of the field where the horses were pastured.

A new year came, 1880. For some reason, Mother Angelina awaited with = some=20 impatience the feast of Saint Alexis the Man of God, March 17, while, = regarding=20 the Feast of Annunciation, she aid, "That will be a great and joyous day = for me,=20 a sinner." On Forgiveness Sunday, she was overcome by fatigue; a few = days later=20 she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Twice she partook of the Holy = Mysteries and=20 was given Holy Unction. She blessed each sister in turn, thanking some = for their=20 labors and urging others to amendment. He last words to the sisters = were,=20 "Forgive me, the hour of my departure has come." Then she began in a = whisper to=20 recite the Trisagion Prayer: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have = mercy=20 on us," repeatedly making the sign of the Cross until she no longer had = strength=20 to raise her hand.

And so, on 17 March 1880, the feast of Saint Alexis the Man of God, = Abbess=20 Angelina quietly and peacefully gave her soul into the hands of the = Lord. At her=20 funeral, the entire courtyard of the convent was filled with people. = Everyone=20 wept: children, nuns, peasants, paupers. The crippled crawled to her = coffin on=20 their knees. The crowd did not disperse until each person had thrown a = handful=20 of earth into her grave. The ninth day of Abbess Angelina's repose - = when,=20 according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, the soul stands before = God -=20 fell on the Feast of Annunciation.

Translated from Russkoye Pravoslavnoye Zhenskoye Monashestvo 18-20 = v.,=20 compiled by Nun Taisia, Jordanville, 1985.

Translated from Russkoye Pravoslavnoye Zhenskoye = Monashestvo=20 18-20 v., compiled by Nun Taisia, Jordanville, 1985.

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