Thou Hast Proved Me,
O God, and Knowest...
The Life of Hieromonk Vasily
Translated from the Russian
Russian Orthodox believers were shocked when, on Pascha morning in 1993, three young monks were brutally murdered at Optina Monastery. The story of the martyric deaths of Fr. Vasily, Fr. Ferapont, and Fr. Trofim spread throughout the country, which was then (and still is) undergoing a powerful resurgence of Orthodox life after years of repression. A number of books and articles have since been published in Russia about the event. This volume, a translation of a Russian publication, represents the first substantial account in English.
In Thou Hast Proved Me, O God, and Knowest... the reader comes to know Fr. Vasily through the remembrances of friends and family and through his own writing. His life provides insight into the struggles of a convert, because although baptized in infancy, Fr. Vasily returned to the church as an adult. It also sheds light on contemporary Russian society and monasticism. Finally, Thou Hast Proved Me, O God, and Knowest... gives strength and inspiration to all of those who, like Fr. Vasily, desire to offer themselves, that they may, as he says, “partake of that victory, that joy and gladness, which is given to us through Christ’s Resurrection.”
Softcover, 192 pages, 4 5/8 x 6 5/8 in., illustrated, with 20 full color photographs $10.95