Creation of a community Creation of a community

After two or three years, people began to talk about the young hermit Sergius. One after another, residents of the area came to him for spiritual advice, and then they wished to share in his activity. Sergius at first did not agree to accept them, but, moved by their entreaties, he decided to give up his life of solitude. There thus formed a small community, which Sergius first limited to the “apostolic number” of twelve.