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The gift of clairvoyance of Fr. Barsanuphius was particularly evident during the Sacrament of Confession. He saw the whole life of the confessing person in detail. Many times he helped people who were concealing sins for many years to confess outspokenly.
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On [[September 1]], 1903, Fr. Barsanuphius was appointed to assist Elder [[Joseph (Litovkin) of Optina|Joseph]], the skete Superior, in the spiritual direction of the skete brethren as well as the sisters of the Shamordino convent.
The gift of clairvoyance of Fr. Barsanuphius was particularly evident during the Sacrament of Confession. He saw the whole life of the confessing person in detail. Many times he helped people who were concealing sins for many years to confess outspokenly.
When the Russo-Japanese war began in 1904, Fr. Barsanuphius was sent to the Far East as a military [[chaplain]] to minister to wounded soldiers at the St. Seraphim of Sarov Military Hospital. When the war ended in August 1905, Fr. Barsanuphius returned to Optina on [[November 1]], 1905.
By 1908, Fr. Barsanuphius felt ill more often and began to speak of his approaching death. In April 1908, he received from someone a package containing the Great Schema. Fr. Barsanuphius had long desired to be tonsured into the Great Schema before his death, but he had told no one other than the [[archimandrite]]. Therefore, he regarded this as a sign that he would soon die.
==Appointment to Old-Golutvin Monastery and repose==
As Fr. Barsanuphius recovered from the illness, problems arose from the new monks who had come from the spiritually lax environments. Not understanding the [[asceticism|ascetical]] nature of [[monasticism]] or the whole idea of eldership, they began to demand reform and change. They also wanted to assume positions of authority and to close the skete. In 1912, in the face of these issues and by complaints and denunciations, Fr. Barsanuphius was removed from Optina and was assigned as [[igumen]] of the Old-Golutvin Monastery near the town of Kolomna. The monastery was founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh whom Fr. Barsanuphius always considered his patron saint being born at his commemoration day. The monastery was in a state of physical and spiritual decline. Nevertheless, he did not lose heart. Two months later the monastery began to revive and more people began to visit it once they heard that an Optina Elder had come to Goluvin. The financial position of the monastery also improved. However, again rebellious brethren caused him great sorrow, and he had to expel some of them.
Early in 1913, Fr. Barsanuphius became ill again and asked Metr. Macarius of Moscow for permission to retire to Optina. But, that was not to be. He fell asleep in the Lord on April 1. His body remained in the church of Golotvin until [[April 6]] (which was also Lazarus Saturday). After the funeral, his body was placed on a train and sent to Optina for burial. The train arrived at Kozelsk Station on [[April 8]], and the coffin was carried to Optina by [[clergy]] for burial.
*[http://www.stjohndc.org/Russian/saints/e_0406_Barsanuphius.htm St. Barsanuphius of Optina]
*[http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/04/saint-barsanuphius-of-optina-1913.html Saint Barsanuphius of Optina (+ 1913)]
*{{Ru icon}} [http://www.optina.ru/starets/varsonofiy_life_short/ Short version of living of St. Barsanuphius of Optina]]
[[Category: Saints]]