Hello all!
We are having a fabulous time today getting to know more about the amazing St. Xenia and sharing her story with our kiddos and friends. We compiled a few resources and thought we would share them with you all today! Below is a summarized version of her story with questions to ponder as a group. Plus, scroll all the way down for a FREE PRINTABLE of St. Xenia drawn by the lovely ladies here at Draw Near Designs!
St. Xenia's Story:
Xenia was once a young and beautiful woman. She was married to a man name Andrew who was a colonel in the army. Together they attended balls and parties and didn't have a care in the world. Then, one night Andrew suddenly died. He was young, and his wife Xenia was overcome with grief.
Why was Xenia so sad? Why had she spent her time going to parties instead of getting to know God?
Xenia disappeared for several years from the city. No one knew where she went, but when she returned she was wearing her husbands army jacket and told people to call her Andrew. She said to herself "before I found comfort in worldly things, but now I see all of that doesn't matter when you die. Now all I want is to find comfort in Christ."
She owned a house, but gave it away to a friend with the instructions that it be used to house people who were homeless. She gave away all of her money, and her family members began to think she had gone mad! "Let us help you Xenia!" They'd say to her "I don't need anything." She replied with a peaceful smile. She didn't sleep indoors herself, she wandered to a nearby field where she would spend her time in prayer.
A church was being built in a cemetery nearby. At night Xenia would go there in secret and help to carry bricks so that the workers wouldn't have to. "I want to help build Christ's church." She said to herself. One night the workers stayed and hid behind a building. They wanted to see who the mysterious person was that was helping them with their work. Very late in the night, they saw a tiny woman dressed in rags carrying an armful of bricks. It was Xenia, the homeless woman they knew. Some people said she was crazy, others said she was a "holy fool", but by this sign the masons truly knew she was doing God's work.
St. Xenia eventually died herself. Soon after her passing people started visiting her grave and miracles started to happen. Once, when a lady was visiting St.Petersburg, some friends told her about St. Xenia. That night, the lady asked St. Xenia to pray for her. She had a dream where St. Xenia was walking around the her house pouring water on everything. How strange! In the morning, the lady's nearby barn caught on fire, but the fire did not spread to the home and she was safe! Glory to God!
For the full version, check out this link:
We hope you all enjoy sharing this story with your loved ones!
