We are a family from Iasi, Romania, married four years ago. After its separation from the body it continues to live, to exist, to have awareness. KONTAKION IXAll the angelic hosts rejoiced at thy soul's ascent to the mansions of heaven, marveling at the wonders thou didst perform on earth through the action of the Holy Spirit, to Whom we sing: Alleluia! We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Many who died in repentance, but who were unable to manifest this while they were alive, have been freed from tortures and have obtained repose. He is also helping different people that I pray for. Recently I had the privilage of attending services at Holy Virgin and having my first ever encounter with the relics of a saint. 3) Some time later, after Divine Liturgy, a Moleben was served with a Blessing of the Water. Glory to God for His servant, John!Xenia LanerganMystery revealedReceived October 27, 2014For as long as I can remember, God and his son have been a part of my life though I did not pay them their dues. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov cites over 20 examples of references to the Toll-houses in the Divine service books and this is not a complete list! Alter Holy Communion, Alga had been anointed with the oil of St. John. I have since had a dream of her, walking away from me in a white dress with one word written on the top of one arm. Parish icon of St. John with scenes from his life, with a relic, resting on his cassock. Basil. Have faith and the Lord will heal you. June, 1995), 4) Another parishioner of mine, Nadezhda, told me that her son Michael caught a severe cold and had a convulsive cough which only grew worse. He received at baptism the name of Michael, his heavenly protector being So, again with The Saint's Oil,and the prayer, I anointed her for separation of body and soul. Yet offering to God what we have, we cry out to thee thus:Rejoice, thou who didst protect thy children by thine unceasing prayer!Rejoice, thou who didst ever guard thy flock with the sign of the Cross.Rejoice, thou whose love knew no bounds of country or race.Rejoice, bright luminary beloved of all.Rejoice, model of unceasing prayer and loving kindness.Rejoice, bestower of spiritual consolation upon those in need.Rejoice, O holy hierarch, Father John, speedy helper amid misfortunes! Included in this section are the historical accounts of those Saints who labored for the Church here in North America. OIKOS XThou art a wall sheltering us from adversity, O father John, for through thy heavenly intercessions are we delivered from the attacks of demonic passions and from afflictions which beset us on earth. In 1934 he was made Bishop of Shanghai, where he served until the . The content on this page is under copyright and is used by permission. He was a member of the Little Russian noble family of Maximovitch, to which St. John of Tobolsk also had belonged. : ? It was an experience that is very hard to explain.We planned our trip over Easter weekend.Being Orthodox, it is not unusual to spend the entire Easter weekend attending different services.We went to services on Great Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter.The service were in old Slavonic and Russian. As a result, he made the decision to dedicate his life to serving God. He served the Divine Liturgy daily, slept little more than an hour a day, and kept a strict fast until the evening. During his time here, he helped to inspire and build many churches and orphanages in the Orthodox communities of Shanghai. If God the Father chose Her, God the Holy Spirit . I decided that I would start looking for a job after the Holidays, but decided to read the akathist to Saint Nicholas every Thursday or more often if possible. * Wherefore, cease not to entreat Christ, that He show mercy and redeem our souls. Here wast thee called to suffer persecution and by thine patience, righteousness and instruction to guide the flock, and didst erect the church of the Mother of God, the Joy of All Who Sorrow. Kontakion 10 Wishing to save the world, the Savior of all has sent a new saint among us and through him has called us out of the dark recesses of sin. If the soul is found to have lived piously and in a way pleasing to God, it is received by the holy angels and transferred to that ineffable joy of the blessed and eternal life. In a little over a week even that was gone. Thou shouldst truly be praised from the heavens, and not from earth, O father John, for our words are feeble beside thy deeds. Show us who feel frightened and alone the same compassion that thou didst once show to the trembling fatherless ones.Give to us who have fallen into sin, confusion and despair the same stern yet loving instruction that thou didst once give to thy chosen flock.In thee we see the living likeness of our Maker, the living spirit of the Gospel and the foundation of our Faith.In the pure life that thou hast led during our sinful times, we see a model of virtue, a source of instruction and inspiration. The first treatment was in Mid-May, and the prognosis for her life expectancy remained the same. Archbishop John then moved to Paris and was assigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe in 1951. Dear In Christ Brothers and Sisters of Saint John Cathedral. She also was shining and said with wonder "God spoke to me, and said" things which could only have been The Lord, giving her His peace and showing her Himself, and That Place where all His Saints repose.She fell asleep after receiving peace from the torment and anguish she had suffered for 16 months. There have been many appearances of the dead and other occurrences which confirm how beneficial is the commemoration of the dead. A grim angel (i.e., a demon) will come to take and drag violently the soul that has been tied to sins; and your soul will turn toward here and will suffer silently, having already been excluded from the organ of mourning (the body). In another place, St. Theophan (continuing his letter to the brother of the woman who was about to die) writes: Having begun thus, remain in unceasing crying out to God to help her, for the course of six weeks, and indeed for longer than that. A translation from Romanian to English to the testimonial by Victoria Flueraru, a Romanian teacher.Pain went away.Received September 30, 2012, I want to share a miracle that happened with my mom. Wherefore all thy children look to thee with love in gratitude cry out to God: Alleluia! Alas! A few years ago we lived in San Francisco and that's where I first heard about St. John. Our earthly life is a preparation for the future life, and this preparation ends with our death. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. ( ). The greatest earthly joy is undoubtedly the realization that we die honored and appreciated by all who knew us. Child was healthy. May I now, O Lord, be able to do Your will for the . Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But the virtuous soul goes about those places in which it was wont to do good deeds. The Garland of the Annual Church Calendar Yesterday I received the oil. I was shouting to her and she kept on walking, then suddenly paused, just long enough to look over her shoulder, and pointing to the word, simply but directly told me "HOPE" - then walked on, disappearing! And they come again to another rung and there find another toll-house, fiercer and more horrible. , . Archbishop John's abundant miracles both before and after his death testify to his love for the people. Probably the clearest and most comprehensive account of the toll-houses is that given by an angel of the Lord to St. Macarius Of Egypt: The angels then show whatever good the soul has done, charity or prayer or liturgies or fasting or anything else. I have connected with my birth family on my mother's side. Throughout his life he was revered as a strict ascetic, a devoted man of prayer, and a truly wondrous unmercenary healer of all manner of afflictions and woes. Saint John Maximovitch's ascetical struggles and constant prayer throughout his life as a bishop had a mixture of reactions from those who were under his leadership. And who shall tell, holy Father, the straits in which the condemned souls will find themselves in that place! For the dark custom officials saw our spotless body and were put to shame; they saw the soul good and pure and were embarrassed; they say the tongue immaculate and pure and blameless and they were silenced; we passed by and humiliated them. He reads the letters and is said to respond to every one in one way or another. She had no intention of remaining clean upon entry but through God's mercy a series of errors kept her long enough to truly feel and appreciate sobriety. The soul is our very existence, the center of all our energies and our thoughts. I know, one should not make promises, but I made a promise to improve my Christian life in a certain way. Yugoslavia [ edit] His family sought refuge in Yugoslavia and brought him to Belgrade in 1921. But being in the middle of the night, she was hesitant. ", St. John Of Damascus vividly describes the state of the soul, parted from the body but still on earth, helpless to contact the loved ones whom it can see, in the Orthodox Funeral Service: "Woe is me! So when the labor stopped progressing, our midwife told my wife to get out of the pool and lay down so she could try pulling our son out. ,. , , . She tried all the usual medical procedures and pumped him with oxygen, but nothing was working even after several minutes. What shall we render unto thee for that joy which we have felt, beholding thy sacred relics in the holy church and glorifying thy memory? A miracle happened, my husband's cancer is in remission (complete remission). My daughter Vanessa had high temperature.I had holy oil for 10 years and anointed the child, and fervently prayed to blessed John. In 1921, during the Russian Civil War, his family fled to Belgrade, joining the ranks of Russian exiles in Serbia, where he later became a monk and was ordained priest. My son Daniel is now 10 months, he is a healthy and happy baby, and we constantly thank St. John for helping to bring him in this world.VeraGratitude to St. JohnReceived June 24, 2014 , . After its separation from the body it continues to live, to exist, to have awareness. St. Theophan the Recluse, in a message to a dying woman, writes: "You will not die. 543 . The next morning she still felt tenderness in the jaw but she anointed the place again and the pain went away completely. ", This truth is confirmed by various liturgical services. St. John was born in Russia in 1896 in southern Russia and was given the baptismal name of Michael. God Bless you! It grew and the daughter turned to a doctor for help. He was given the baptismal name of Michael, after the Holy Archangel Michael. When I asked her about the address it turned out to be in the very same building where my father and grandmother lived and where I lived as a child only on a different floor. The Veneration of the Mother of God During Her Earthly Life. Our external, biological and earthly life ends with death, but the soul continues to live on. I was lying in bed for 8 months taking drugs and wiped over my belly the oil from St. John. But especially beneficial for them is commemoration at the Divine Liturgy. I love You very much Grandpa John and I Thank You for all your prayers! I have connected with my birth family on my mother's side. This day is continued, in as much as the death of man is also continued at the same time, Sunday, however, is the "day of the Resurrection, the eighth day, which symbolizes the anticipated age of eternity, the resurrection of the dead and the endless kingdom of God.". We anointed affected skin, lesions began to disappear and in two weeks Maria got well, no scars at all!Alexander and Irina YakovlevsMoscow, Russia, Help received with a baby delivery billReceived on June 29, 2011. My sister felt good after labor and delivery, as well. She no longer gave him any medication, only some holy water. 1) Valentina A. is a member of our parish which is dedicated to the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God. ", But man was created for immortality, and by His resurrection Christ opened the gates of the Heavenly Kingdom, of eternal blessedness for those who have believed in Him and have lived righteously. OIKOS IXOrators find it impossible to describe thy life of sanctity with their many and eloquent words, O righteous father John, for thou didst become a living dwelling-place for the grace of the ineffable God. This teaching is also given by St. Isidoros Of Pelusium, St. Symeon The New Theolgian and St. Gregory The Theologian. In December 2012 both my mother and my mother-in-law came visiting from Russia.The most important thing for them was to take a pilgrimage to St John The Wonderworker. In thee we see the living likeness of our Maker, the living spirit of the Gospel, and the foundation of our Faith. She anointed the ailing spot several times by making the Sign of the Cross. OIKOS IIIThou shouldst truly be praised from the heavens, and not from earth, O father John, for our words are feeble beside thy deeds. (Saint John revered the memory of Saint Theodosius, believing in the power of his prayerful intercession before the Lord. But if the soul is found clean and sinless, it goes up the Heaven with such joy.". You can send your prayers to: St. John Maximovitch c/o Holy Virgin Cathedral "Joy of All Who Sorrow" 6210 Geary Boulevard San Francisco, CA 94121 - An episode of the Tending the Garden of our Hearts podcast on Ancient Faith Radio I decided to apply to the school anyway. the priest-monk asked. Hasten thou to make supplication, we cry to thee with tears, O fervent advocate; visit us, who are orphaned, scattered over the face of all the world and in our homeland, astray in the darkness of the passions, yet who by our feeble love are drawn to the light of Christ and await thy fatherly instruction; that, having acquired piety, we may be shown to be heirs of the kingdom of heaven, where thou abidest with all the saints, glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be honor and dominion, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Your body will die, but you will over to a different world, being alive, remembering yourself and recognizing the whole world that surrounds you.". According to St. John, even the souls of innocent infants must pass through these toll-houses, for the all-evil devil seeks to snatch their souls, too. Usually it inclines toward those which are more akin to it in spirit, and if while in the body it was under the influence of certain ones, it will remain in dependence upon them when it leaves the body, however unpleasant they may turn out to be upon encountering them. The mother was very thankful to Archbishop John for the healing of her son and continues to pray to him with gratitude. Certain individuals and institutions are presented for reference purposes only and may not be under the supervision or jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. I had questioned my faith for so long and recieved much needed confirmation from blessed St John that day. ,., ! ., Son's ankle healed immediately Received June 8, 2014, My son had pain in his ankle for a couple of weeks and I was unable to help him We rubbed the oil from St John on his ankle and asked for St John's help and the pain went away immediately. He usually appears in my dreams and heals me, it has happened several times. Only she will not say anything, and you won't be able to see her; but she will be right here. Therefore, at the next church service, Olga wept from gratitude and was too emotional to tell us by herself. And Basil The Great, in the prayers read at Pentecost, writes literally the following: But if souls have departed this life in faith and love, while nevertheless carrying with themselves certain faults, whether small ones over which they have not repented at all, or great ones for which -- even though have repented over them -- they did not undertake to show fruits of repentance: such souls, we believe, must be cleansed from this kind of sins, but not by means of some purgatorial fire or a definitive punishment in some place (for this, as we have said, has not at all been handed down to us). You can also read about many of his miracles and responses to his letters here. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, meditating on the brevity of our life, let us beseech of Christ rest for him who hath departed hence, and for our souls great mercy. We spent the weekend praying for our daughter. Therefore, it is very doubtful that a soul, as long as there remain in it sympathies for the objects of any passion, will not be put to shame at the toll-houses. . The next day I got a call from our real estate agent and she said that there is a great newly renovated apartment in our price range. Therefore, in the person whose heart is pure and a stranger to passion, they cannot find anything to wrangle over; on the contrary, the opposing quality will strike them like arrows of lightning. The pain started to subside immediately and she finally fell sleep. It was in July 2012. Researching her prognosis from a lung oncology text, I found out that 98% of patients with this symptom die within six months of the pneumonia, and the other 2% within 12 months.Her doctor at UCDMC prescribed pallative chemotherapy and radiation to be admnistered at David Grant Hospital. It is a miracle! Get down. As thou wast a merciful nurturer of orphans and a skilled instructor on earth, be thou now a guide and Christian understanding for us amid the turmoil of the Church; hearken to the groaning of the troubled youth of our corrupt times, who are tempest-tossed by most wicked demonic possession, and mercifully regard the despondency of our weak pastors, caused by the inroads of the corrupting spirit of this world, and who languish in idle indifference. I don't remember how I formulated the internet search, but one of the first links that came up was about St. John, The Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco. O wondrous hierarch John, thou didst stretch thy heart to encompass within it a multitude of people from among diverse nations and peoples who honor thee. St. Hesychius, Presbyter of Jerusalem (5th century) teaches: St. EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN (4th century) thus describes the hour of death and the hour of judgment at the toll-houses: St Cyril of Alexandria explains this further: But, by the same token, the good angels do not abandon the soul to these evil stations. Eph 6:12), the writings of all the Church Fathers (both ancient and modern) and throughout the prayers of the Church. Yet, unable to be silent at the wonder revealed to our age of feeble faith, we glorify thee:Rejoice, divine palace from whence the counsel of the Good King is given.Rejoice, for in thy humble activity thou hadst angels serving with thee.Rejoice, thou who didst gain a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.Rejoice, infirmary wherein every ailment is divinely healed.Rejoice, depository wherein thy holy labor of prayer was hidden.Rejoice, blessed temple of the Holy Spirit.Rejoice, O holy hierarch, father John, speedy helper amid misfortunes! Such a person discerns in his beloved friends' tears of pain their love and sincere dedication. If the deceased has departed unrepentant, a host of demons and rejected angels and dark powers receive that soul and keep it with them. In the Church prayers are ever offered for the repose of the dead, and on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, in the kneeling prayers at vespers, there is even a special petition "for those in hell. If you have an account of assistance received from St. John and would like to share it with others, please submit the details here: http://www.sfsobor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=152. It is not she whom they will put in the grave. ", They prescribe Memorials on the ninth day "as a reminder of the living and the dead," as well as "on the fortieth day after death according to ancient practice.". While tossing and turning she spotted a bottle of holy oil from the relics of St. John of San Francisco on her night stand. When driving home I was 100% confident that I will have a job soon. But what he did against virtue or against his evil passions, he remembers and none of this is lost. Vladyka, please, pray for is sinners. Let us therefore be ourselves merciful to the dead. In August 2008 I went on business to San Francisco and took holy oil from the lampada in the sepulchre of Archbishop John. Let's just say I feel happier when I give it my best effort.Glory to God for all things!Holy Father John, pray to God for us.EvgeniaCalifornia, Help during deliveryReceived September 23, 2011, My sister was induced to start labor on July 2nd, 2011. His remains lie in state at the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Cathedral in San Francisco.This is another place where miracles are said to happen. I know for sure that every woman who has not yet had children and who truly believes in intercession of St. John to God can live the happiness that I and my husband live now.Georgiana Zaharia. The souls of the dead do not lose their consciousness, they do not even lose their dispositions -- that is, hope and fear, joy and grief, and something of that which they expect for themselves at the Universal Judgment they begin already to foretaste.". Since his repose in 1966, he has been especially glorified by God through signs and miracles, and his body has remained incorrupt. Therefore, the soul loving the body, sometimes wanders about the house in which its body has been laid out, and thus spends two days like a bird seeking its nest. Another day later I got a call from the hiring manager and eventually got the job. [6] The Church's teaching on the state of souls in heaven and hell before the Last Judgment is set forth in its clearest fashion by St. Mark Of Ephesus in his dialogue with the Roman Catholics over the Roman doctrine of Purgatory (which the Orthodox reject as false). We find this teaching in Holy Scripture (cf. St. I wiped his eye clean several times only to have more yellow discharge reappear in a matter of minutes. He said he himself did not even notice when that swelling had disappeared. KONTAKION IIBeholding the abundance and variety of thy virtues, O holy Hierarch, we see in thee a living source of God's wonders in our time. KONTAKION VIIDesiring to glorify as is meet the ancient saints of the West, of lands which had fallen away from the truth, thou didst revive their veneration in the Orthodox Church, O lover of the saints of the East and the West. Be an intercessor for us of this grace of renewal, O holy John; help us in our weaknesses; heal our sicknesses; cure our passions by thy prayers. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. In the first hours and days she will be around you. Not for an instant does it cease to exist. This site has been made possible by a grant from Leadership 100. Michael Maximovitch, the future Archbishop John, was born on June 4, 1896, in the village of Adamovka in the province of Kharkov in southern Russia. Terrible indeed is the third day for the soul of the departed, and for this reason it especially needs prayers then for itself. Margaret McFadden Mueller. He completely surrendered himself to God, presenting himself as a 'living sacrifice' and he became a true vessel of the Holy Spirit. They also send and leave him mail, sharing their prayer requests and concerns in letters. Wherefore, we trust in thine intercession before God, and cry out to thee:Rejoice, thou who dost avert the dangers of the elements.Rejoice, thou who by thy prayer deliverest from need.Rejoice, inexhaustible giver of bread to the hungry.Rejoice, abundant wealth for those who live in poverty.Rejoice, consolation for those in sorrow.Rejoice, quick uplifting for those who have fallen.Rejoice, O holy hierarch, Father John, speedy helper amid misfortunes! Then they would be correct who say: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die! St. John healed a woman by the name of Milinka from Pelvic cancer and she is in remission now. Orthodox Spiritual Music, Relaxing Sleep Music,Meditation Music, Relaxing Music, Stress Relief - Watch video Watch video in high quality His mother, a professional medical worker, was very frightened because at one time he had been rushed to the hospital by ambulance with these same symptoms. Joel. I also told St. John that I would tell everyone of how God has glorified him.In the next five years, I accompanied my mother to many doctor visits during her treatment and subsequent follow up at David Grant Hospital. Then if it be that that soul is condemned, the demons bear it off to below the earth, to a dark and distressing spot. She is in another place. Our 4 week old son Savas John who has had many health problems since he was born, just developed an eye infection. I know that if it was not for St. John's help, the outcome could have been different. Basil The Great (4th century) explains it this way: "Let no one deceive you with empty words; for destruction will come suddenly upon you; it will come like a storm. Glory to God, His Mother, Virgin Mary and His Saint John! I was sure I will see my baby for this time because of St. John. I started praying to St. John for help. I anointed him with the oil of Archbishop John in a cross-like form in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the acolyte left for home. I am writing this miracle that happened through the intercession of Saint John Maximovich to glorify God that works through His saint and also to give thanks to Saint John for not forgetting us the sinners and helping us. When we moved back to Moscow, Russia we rented a small apartment near our kids' school. I had Unction served over the daughter and later gave her cotton saturated with oil from Archbishop Johns lampada. Look down at the humility of our words, which we offer out of love" for thee, and help us, O saint of God, to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, so that we may labor for the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling. The doctors insisted on surgery, but when she came to the hospital for observation, the doctors and the sick woman herself were amazed: the swelling had disappeared and there remained only a scar. KONTAKION IVOverwhelmed by the tempest of perils, we know not how to praise thee worthily, O Hierarch John. Her case was somewhat complicated since her OB/GYN did not notice how fluids left her body and she had no fluid around the baby for, at least, a day or so. St. John Of Damascus adds: "the Apostles who speak for God and the spirit-bearing Fathers have decreed this with inspiration and in a manner pleasing to God.". Similar prayers, addressed to the Lord and to the Holy Angels, are found throughout the service for the Repose of the Dying. How can each of our college degrees help our mission as Orthodox Christians? OIKOS VIShining forth in thy righteousness, thou didst do the impossible and persuade the authorities of this world to have pity on thy flock, O good shepherd. Our Mother Church has also ordained common Memorials twice a year: on the Saturday before Meatfare Sunday and on the Saturday before the great feast of Holy Pentecost. Then the evil spirits will seek out in the departing soul its deeds; then they will present before its view the sins towards which they had disposed it, so as to draw their accomplice to torment. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates and and happenings at St John. In the pure life that thou hast led during our sinful times, we see a model of virtue, a source of instruction and inspiration. It is doubtful that any one man gave so much protection and comfort as he to the Russian Orthodox people in exile after the Revolution of 1917; he was an unwearying and watchful shepherd of his sheep in China, the Philippines, Europe, and America. At the end of services on Saturday, we introduced ourselves to one of the priests. The testimonials below are accounts from people who have chosen to write to us about the miraculous help they received through the prayers of St. John. In addition to this, when Savas John was born he was in the NICU at the hospital, for several days due to a blood condition. In the evening he would begin to fall asleep but the cough continued to torment him. As college students, how can we emulate his passion and surrender to Gods will? I was hoping that it would be something that I could do, because I didn't want to disappoint co-workers. The next morning we got up to to church and Glory to God my eye felt great and to my surprise there were only a few tiny purple dots on the skin around my eye. For the Sabbath, as the seventh day from the beginning of creation, is the day which saw bodily death, imposed upon man by the righteous God. And the angels and the demons reckon up, and if they find the good greater than the evil, the angels seize the soul and take it up the next rung, while the demons gnash their teeth like wild dogs and make haste the snatch that pitiable soul from the hands of the Angels. Give to us who have fallen into sin, confusion and despair the same stern yet loving instruction that thou didst once give to thy chosen flock.

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