Approaching the cell of Father Seraphim, I suddenly saw that he was sitting on a trough, with a terribly huge bear standing next to him. I was paralyzed with fear and shouted at the top of my lungs, ‘Father, is this my death? ’ And I fell. Father Seraphim, hearing my voice, waved his hand at the bear. Then the bear, looking as if it understood everything, immediately went in the direction the elder pointed out — into the depths of the forest. I had just calmed down a little when suddenly the same bear came out of the dense forest, approached Father Seraphim, and lay down at his feet. At the sight of such a terrible beast, I was at first struck with awe and horror. However, seeing that Father Seraphim treated the bear without any fear, like a meek lamb, and even fed him bread from his hands, I was no longer afraid. The elder’s face was joyful and bright, like an angel’s. Father Seraphim said to me, ‘Do you remember, Mother, the lion that served Gerasimus of the Jordan? This bear serves the poor Seraphim. Seeing how the animals listen to us, could there be any reason to be sad? ’.

The nun thought to herself, ‘This is how I will tell my sisters about this wonderful miracle.’ However, the elder instructed her, ‘No, mother, please do not tell this to anyone, not until eleven years had passed after my death. And then the will of God will reveal to you who you can tell it to.’

It would be nice to depict St. Seraphim with a bear.