My Life in Christ

Ivan Ilyich Sergiev (1829-1908), known as Fr John of Kronstadt, was the most revered figure of the Orthodox Church in Russia in the half-century leading up to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. His veneration grew even greater after his death, and in 1964 the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia formally recognized him as a Saint. His Feast is kept on October 19.

Deacon Nicholas Kotar is a recent graduate of Holy Trinity Seminary and an assistant editor at Holy Trinity Publications in Jordanville, NY. He also has a degree in Russian Literature from UC Berkeley. Having begun conducting with the youth choir in the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco, Nicholas helped establish the St John of San Francisco Men’s Chorale, which has released two disks to date: Rejoice in Song and Chrysostom. Currently he conducts the monastery and seminary choir at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville. He is also a founding member of Conquering Time, an ensemble of performance, visual, and literary artists inspired by the Inklings that stages original works of storytelling and traditional music and publishes new poetry and prose.