January 2 marks the memorial day of Saint John of Kronstadt.

John Ilyich Sergiev, born on October 31, 1829, in the village of Sura in the Pinezhsky district of the Arkhangelsk province, passed away on January 2, 1909, in Kronstadt, St. Petersburg province. He was a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, a mitred archpriest, and the rector of the Andrew Cathedral in Kronstadt. Since 1906, he was a member of the Holy Governing Synod, although he did not participate in its sessions. John was the inspirer of the creation and an honorary member of the Union of the Russian People, as well as a preacher and spiritual writer with right-conservative and monarchist views. He was part of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. During the Soviet era, his activities were viewed extremely negatively by official propaganda.

John of Kronstadt was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia on November 1, 1964, and later by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990, as a righteous saint. Even during his lifetime, he was considered a saint. He actively engaged in charity, often visiting the poorest areas. Sometimes, when he ran out of money, he would give away his cassock and boots, returning home barefoot. John's sermons were characterized by emotionality, which was his innovative approach. He also introduced the practice of general confession, where people openly confessed aloud. John of Kronstadt administered the sacrament and communed the dying Emperor Alexander III and participated in the coronation of Nicholas II.