When Demons Tried to Kill Blessed Theodore

In one of the several periods of his service of Our Lord. Bishop/Monk Theodore spent 20 years as a hermit on Kodiak Island in Alaska.  In that period there is a story that one day he was walking along a body of water with his deacon. Seraphim.  There was ice on the water but it was apparent (at least to Seraphim) that there was dangerously thin ice a little further out in the water.

As they walked along, Theodore was struck by what appeared to be a miraculous vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary hovering over the water.  Seraphim also was struck by a miraculous vision but not anything like what Theodore was talking about.  Seraphim was horrified to see a host of demons hovering over the water!

From his life-long dedication and love for the Mother of God, Theodore was elated with joy at this vision.  While pointing and shouting to Seraphim at what he was seeing, Theodore began to walk out onto the ice towards the vision.

Deacon Seraphim was also pointing at the vision and exclaiming to Theodore that what he was seeing was not the Blessed Virgin, but a host of demons!  But it was too late for Theodore, in his excitement he wasn’t about to listen to anything and he continued to walk across the ice towards the hovering figure, ever closer to the unsafe ice that they had both seen before.

Seraphim had to physically restrain Theodore to keep him from going further towards the thin ice.  What was said between them or how they reacted by prayer or action as a result, is not known.  However, this story came from Theodore himself as he told it to Metropolitan John in the early 90’s while Theodore lived his last days at the Abbey of the Holy Name in West Milford, NJ.