Easter in the middle of summer

Solemn glorification of St. John the Wonderworker of Shanghai in San Francisco June 19 / July 2, 1994 Believers from all over the world began to flock to the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco, a few days before the glorification of the saint. Daily funeral liturgies were performed, memorial services were served hourly, confession was continuous. Two days before the celebration, on Thursday during the Liturgy, communion was taught from 5 bowls, the cathedral with a capacity of 1,000 people could not accommodate all the believers, about 3,000 people stood outside, where all services were broadcast on a large screen. Three miraculous icons of the Mother of God were present at the celebrations: the Kursk-Root, the Iverskaya-Myrrhstreaming, and the local shrine - the renewed Vladimir Icon. The glorification was led by the oldest hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, His Eminence Metropolitan Vitaly, co-served by 10 bishops and 160 clergy. On Friday, July 1, at 1.30 pm, in the lower church, the holy relics were transferred by the Metropolitan from the tomb to a shrine built of expensive wood. The saint was dressed in snow-white vestments, trimmed with silver braid and crosses; his slippers were sewn in Siberia, and his undercoat also comes from Russia. The reliquary was transferred in a solemn procession to the upper church. At 4.30 the last funeral service was held. During the All-Night Vigil, before the polyeleos, the Metropolitan opened the reliquary - except for the covered face, the holy relics were open, the hands were visible - and the icon of the saint was raised high by two tall priests, and the glorification of the saint was sung publicly. The application ended at 11 am. On Saturday, services alternated in the chapels of the church. The first Liturgy was celebrated by His Grace Bishop Ambrose of Vevey at 2 am, with more than 20 priests. The reliquary was brought by the clergy into the altar and placed on a high place. The second Liturgy began at 5 a.m., with about 300 people taking communion. And at 7 a.m., at the Divine Liturgy, 11 bishops and about 160 clergy united around Metropolitan Vitaly. Three choirs sang and there were about 700 communicants. They walked in processions around the entire block, and at stops they were blessed with miraculous icons. After which the holy relics were placed in a specially constructed vestibule in the church. The service ended at 1.30 pm. The meal brought together about 2,000 people. A word of praise was read to Saint John; His Eminence Mark, Archbishop of Berlin and Germany delivered a speech. The celebrations continued with the same vigor on the second day, the Sunday of All Saints in the Russian Land Who shone forth. The flow of pilgrims to the saint’s shrine does not stop. Saint John of Shanghai Before us stands a great spiritual triumph: the canonization of St. John the Wonderworker of Shanghai, in the city of San Francisco on July 2, 1994. This event not only fills with joy the hearts of Russian people living abroad, but gladdens the hearts of many people, having become acquainted with the extraordinary life of Vladika John in Russia. It embraces with spiritual joy also new converts to Orthodoxy, scattered throughout the world, Orthodox French, Dutch, and Americans. Who is this person who perspicaciously goes to the sick, brings the dying back to life, casts out demons from the possessed? Aware of the difficulty of writing the life of a saint, we will try, with the help of several events from his life, to present, if not an image, then a sketch of this incredibly rich spiritual personality of the 20th century. Vladyka John was born in the village of Adamovka, Kharkov province in Southern Russia on June 4, 1896. In holy baptism he was named Michael, in honor of the holy archangel of God. His family, the Maksimovichs, had long been distinguished by great piety. In the 18th century, from this family St. became famous. John Metropolitan of Tobolsk, educator of Siberia, who sent the first Orthodox Mission to China; After his death, many miracles happened at his grave. He was glorified in 1916 and his incorruptible relics rest in Tobolsk to this day. Misha Maksimovich was a sickly child. He had good relationships with everyone, but did not have particularly close friends. He loved animals, especially dogs. He did not like noisy children's games and was often immersed in his thoughts. Since childhood, Misha was deeply religious. At his consecration in 1934, he revealed the mood of his childhood years: “From the very first days that I began to become aware of myself, I wanted to serve righteousness and truth. My parents kindled in me the zeal to stand unwaveringly for the truth, and my soul was captivated by the example of those who gave their lives for it.” He loved to play monastery, dressing up toy soldiers as monks and making monasteries out of toy forts. He collected icons and religious and historical books, and this is how he formed a large library. But most of all he loved to read the lives of saints. In this way he had a great influence on his brothers and sister, who thanks to him knew the lives of saints and the facts of Russian history. The child's holy and righteous life made a strong impression on his French Catholic governess, and she accepted Orthodox baptism (Misha was then 15 years old). He helped her prepare for baptism and taught her prayers. The Maksimovich country estate, where the whole family spent the summer, was located 12 km away. from the famous Svyatogorsk Monastery. Parents often visited the monastery and lived there for a long time. Crossing the gates of the monastery, Misha enthusiastically entered the monastic element: Here was the Athos typikon, majestic churches, the high “Mount Tabor”, many caves, schemamonks, hermitages and a large brotherhood of 600 monks. All this attracted Misha, whose life from childhood was built on the lives of saints, and encouraged him to often come to the monastery. When he was 11 years old, he entered the Poltava Cadet Corps. Here he continued to be quiet and religious and looked little like a soldier. At this school, when he was 13 years old, he distinguished himself by one act that brought upon him charges of “disturbing order.” The cadets often marched ceremoniously to the city of Poltava. In 1909, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the Battle of Poltava, this march was especially solemn. When they passed in front of the Poltava Cathedral, Mikhail turned to him and crossed himself. For this, the boys ridiculed him for a long time, and his superiors punished him. But through the intercession of Vel. Book For Konstantin Konstantinovich, this punishment was replaced with a commendable review indicating the boy’s sound religious feelings. Thus, the ridicule of his comrades gave way to respect. After graduating from the cadet corps, Misha wanted to enter the Kyiv Theological Academy. But his parents insisted that he enter the Kharkov Law School, and for the sake of obedience, he began to prepare for a legal career. Archbishop Meletius († 1841) rested in Kharkov: He was an ascetic, he did not sleep, he predicted his death, and memorial services were constantly served on his coffin, under the church. The same thing happened again in the fate of Vl. John. During the years of his studies in Kharkov, in the years when a person matures, he understood the whole meaning of his spiritual education. While other boys said about religion that it was “an old wives' tale,” he began to realize how much wisdom there was in truly knowing the lives of the saints compared to a university course. And he indulged in reading them, although he excelled in legal sciences. Assimilating the worldview and comprehending the variety of activities of the saints - ascetic labors and prayer, he loved them with all his heart, was completely saturated with their spirit and began to live according to their example. The entire Maksimovich family was devoted to the Orthodox Tsar, and young Mikhail naturally did not accept the February Revolution. At one of the parish meetings it was proposed to melt down the bell, but he alone prevented this. With the arrival of the Bolsheviks, he was imprisoned. Released and jailed again. He was released when they were convinced that it did not matter where he was - in prison or in another place. He literally lived in another world and simply refused to adapt to the reality that governs the lives of most people - he decided to unwaveringly follow the path of Divine law. During the civil war, along with his parents, brothers and sister, Mikhail was evacuated to Yugoslavia, where he entered the University of Belgrade and graduated from the Faculty of Theology in 1925, earning a living by selling newspapers. In 1926, at the Milkovsky Monastery, he was tonsured a monk by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), with a name in honor of his distant relative St. John of Tobolsk. At the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, the young monk became a hieromonk. In 1928 Fr. John was appointed teacher of the law at the Bitola Seminary. There were 400–500 students studying there. With his love, prayer and work, he began to create new people. He knew each student, his needs, and he could help each student resolve any confusion and give good advice. This is how one student spoke about him: “Father John loved us all, and we loved him. In our eyes, he was the embodiment of all Christian virtues: peaceful, calm, meek. He became so close to us that we treated him like an older brother, loved and respected. There was no conflict, personal or social, that he could not resolve. There was no question to which he did not have an answer. It was enough for someone on the street to ask him something, and he would immediately give an answer.” “If the question was more important, he usually answered it after the service in the church, in class or in the cafeteria. His answer was always informatively rich, clear, complete and competent, because it came from a highly educated person who had two university diplomas - in theology and in law. He prayed for us daily and nightly. Every night he, like a guardian angel, protected us: he adjusted the pillow for one, the blanket for another. Always, entering or leaving a room, he blessed us with the sign of the cross.” When he prayed, the students felt that he was talking with the inhabitants of the heavenly world. Ep. Nikolai Ohridski (Velimirović), the great Serbian theologian and preacher, once addressed a group of students: “Children, listen to Fr. John, he is an angel of God in human form." A completely fabulous episode happened to him when he was called to be consecrated in Belgrade in 1934. Arriving in Belgrade, he meets a lady he knows on the street and explains to her that there was a misunderstanding; some Fr. should be consecrated. John, but they called him by mistake. Soon he meets her again and, puzzled, explains to her that it turns out that the consecration concerns him. Sending him as a bishop to China, Metropolitan Anthony wrote: “Instead of me, as my own soul, as my heart, I send you Bishop John. This small, frail man, almost a child in appearance, was in fact a mirror of ascetic firmness in our time of general spiritual relaxation.” In the Far East. Shanghai Upon arrival in Shanghai, Bishop John encountered conflicts that had flared up in church life. His first activities were aimed at pacifying the warring parties. The Bishop paid special attention to religious education and made it a rule to attend oral exams on the law of God in all Orthodox schools in Shanghai. He simultaneously became a trustee of various charitable societies, actively participating in their work. He built a home for orphans and children of needy parents, entrusting them to the heavenly protection of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, who especially loved children. Vladyka himself picked up sick and starving children on the streets and in the dark alleys of the Shanghai slums. Vladyka tried to replace their father, especially paying attention to them during the great holidays of Christmas and Easter, when parents try so hard to please their children. In those days, he loved to organize evenings for children with a Christmas tree, performances, and provided them with spiritual instruments. His joy was to see young people gathering in the brotherhood of St. Joasaph of Belgorod, where conversations were held on religious and philosophical topics and Bible study. The Bishop was extremely strict with himself. His feat was based on prayer and fasting. He took food once a day - at 11 pm. During the first and last weeks of Great Lent I did not eat at all, and on the remaining days of Great Lent and Christmas - only altar bread. He usually spent his nights in prayer and, when his strength was exhausted, he laid his head on the floor, or found brief peace sitting in a chair. Miracles through the prayers of Vladika John There are numerous miracles through the prayers of Vl. John. The description of some of them will allow one to imagine the comprehensive spiritual power of St. John. A 7-year-old girl fell ill at the shelter. By nightfall, her temperature rose and she began to scream in pain. At midnight they sent her to the hospital, where they diagnosed a volvulus. A council of doctors was called, who told the mother that the girl’s condition was hopeless and that she would not survive the operation. The mother asked to save her daughter and perform an operation, and she herself went to Vladika John at night. The Bishop called the mother to the cathedral, opened the Royal Doors and began to pray in front of the Throne, and the mother, kneeling in front of the iconostasis, also fervently prayed for her daughter. This lasted a long time, and morning had already come when Vl. John approached his mother, blessed her and said that she could go home - her daughter would be alive and well. She hurried to the hospital. The surgeon told her that the operation was successful and that he had never seen such a case in his practice. Only God could save her through her prayers. A seriously ill woman in the hospital called to Vladyka. The doctor said that she was dying, and there was no need to bother the Vladyka. The next day, Vladyka arrived at the hospital and said to the woman: “Why are you stopping me from praying, because now I have to perform the Liturgy.” He gave communion to the dying woman, blessed her and left. The patient fell asleep and began to recover quickly after that. A former teacher at a commercial school fell ill. At the hospital, doctors diagnosed severely inflamed appendicitis and said he could die on the operating table. The wife went to Vl. John, told him everything and asked him to pray. Vladyka went to the hospital, laid his hands on the patient’s head, prayed for a long time, blessed him and left. The next day, the nurse told his wife that when she approached the patient, she saw him sitting on the bed, the sheet on which he slept was covered in pus and blood: appendicitis had burst at night. After being evacuated from China, Vladyka and his flock found themselves in the Philippines. Once Vladyka visited the hospital. Terrible screams were heard from somewhere far away. In response to Vladyka’s question, the nurse said that she was a hopeless patient who was removed because she was disturbing everyone with her screaming. Vladyka wanted to go there immediately, but the nurse did not advise him, since the stench emanated from the patient. “It doesn’t matter,” said the Lord and headed to another building. The Bishop put a cross on the woman’s head and began to pray, then confessed her and gave her communion. When he left, she no longer screamed, but moaned quietly. Some time later, Vladika visited the hospital again, and this woman herself ran out to meet him. Here is a case of exorcism. A father talks about the healing of his son. “My son was obsessed, he hated everything holy, all holy icons and crosses, he split them into the thinnest sticks and was very happy about it. I took him to Vladyka John, and he put him on his knees, placing either a cross or the Gospel on his head. My son was very sad after this, and sometimes ran away from the cathedral. But the Lord told me not to despair. He will continue to pray for him, and over time he will get better, but for now let him continue to be treated by doctors: “Don’t worry, the Lord is not without mercy.” This went on for several years. One day he was reading the Gospel at home. His face was bright and joyful. And he told his father that he needed to go to Minhon (30-40 km from Shanghai), in a mental hospital, where he sometimes went: “I need to go there, there the Spirit of God will cleanse me from the spirit of evil and darkness, and then I will go to the Lord,” he said. They brought him to Minhon. Two days later, his father came to visit him and saw that his son was restless, constantly moving on the bed, and suddenly began shouting: “Don’t, don’t come near me, I don’t want you!” The father went out into the corridor to find out who was coming. The corridor was long and opened onto an alley. There he saw a car, and Vladyka John got out of it and headed towards the hospital. The father entered the room and saw that his son was thrashing about on the bed and shouting: “Don’t come, I don’t want you, go away, go away!” Then he calmed down and began to quietly pray. At this time, footsteps were heard along the corridor. The patient jumps out of bed and runs down the corridor in only his pajamas. Having met the Lord, he falls on his knees in front of him and cries, asking to drive away the spirit of evil from him. The Bishop puts his hands on his head and reads prayers, then takes him by the shoulders and leads him into the room, where he puts him on the bed and prays over him. Then he gives communion. When the Vladyka left, the patient said: “Well, the healing has finally taken place, and now the Lord will accept me to Himself. Dad, take me quickly, I have to die at home.” When his father brought him home, he was happy to see everything in his room, especially the icons; began to pray and took the Gospel. The next day he began to hurry his father to quickly call the priest so that he could receive communion again. The father says that he only received communion yesterday, but the son objects and says. “Dad, hurry up, hurry up, otherwise you won’t have time.” Father called. The priest arrived and my son received Holy Communion once again. When the father accompanied the priest to the stairs and returned, his son’s face had already changed, he smiled at him again and quietly went to the Lord. This is how God was glorified in the actions of St. John. But, despite all this, there were people who hated him, slandered him, tried to push him aside, and there were even those who tried to poison him, and almost succeeded in this, for he was dying. During the evacuation from Red China, Vladyka John showed himself to be a good shepherd, leading his flock to a quiet refuge, ready to lay down his soul for his sheep. Everyone knows the case when he sat for days on the steps of the White House in Washington and thus obtained permission to enter the United States for more than 5,000 refugees. In the early fifties, Vladika John was appointed to the see of the Western European Diocese, with the title of Archbishop of Brussels and Western Europe. Vladyka settled in the cadet corps in Versailles. Again in front of his beloved children. Vladyka turned out to be an indispensable guardian and father for the sisters of the Lesna monastery, who had just evacuated from Yugoslavia. He served with particular zeal in the Church-Monument in Brussels, erected in memory of the Royal Family and all the victims of the revolution. He found a nice mansion in Paris and created his own cathedral in it dedicated to All Russian Saints. The Bishop tirelessly toured the churches of his widely spread diocese. He constantly visited hospitals and prisons. In Western Europe, his work acquired apostolic significance. He introduced the veneration of Western saints of the first centuries, submitting to the Synod for approval a list with detailed information about the life path of each individual saint. He contributed to the development of the French and Dutch Churches. Although the results in this area are questioned by many, he could not refuse his support to those seeking the Orthodox faith and life, obviously placing his hope in the spiritual disposition of individuals. This activity of his found its justification in many cases. Let us only point out the fact that the Spaniard priest he ordained served for about 20 years as rector in the Parisian church he created. Through the prayers of Vl. John, many miracles occurred in Western Europe. A special collection will be required to testify about them. In addition to those diverse miraculous phenomena given above, such as clairvoyance, healing of the mentally and physically ill, there are two testimonies that the Lord was at some point in the radiance and standing in the air. One nun of the Lesna monastery, and also reader Gregory in the Church of All Russian Saints in Paris testified to this. The latter, having once finished reading the hours, went up to the altar for additional instructions and saw through the half-opened side door Vladika John in radiant light and standing not on the ground, but at a distance of about 30 cm from it. In the United States. San Francisco The Bishop arrived on the coast of the Far West of America to his last see in the fall of 1962. Archbishop Tikhon retired due to illness, and in his absence the construction of the new cathedral stopped, as sharp disagreements paralyzed the Russian community. Under his leadership, peace was to some extent restored and the magnificent cathedral was completed. But it was not easy for the Lord. He had to endure a lot meekly and silently. He was even forced to appear in a public court, which was a flagrant violation of church canons, demanding an answer to the absurd accusation that he had covered up dishonest financial transactions of the parish council. True, all those involved were eventually acquitted, but the last years of the Vladyka’s life were overshadowed by bitterness from reproach and persecution, to which he always responded without complaint or condemnation of anyone. Accompanying the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Kursk-Root to Seattel, Vladyka John, on June 19 / July 2, 1966, stopped at the local St. Nicholas Cathedral - the Church-Monument to the New Martyrs. After serving the Divine Liturgy, he remained alone in the altar for another three hours. Then, having visited the spiritual children near the cathedral with the Miraculous Icon, he followed into the room of the church house, where he was staying, when suddenly a roar was heard and his former servants, who came running, saw that the Bishop was already leaving. They sat him on a chair and, before the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God, he gave up his soul to God and fell asleep for this world, which he so clearly predicted to many. For six days Vladika John lay in an open coffin and, despite the hot summer weather, not the slightest smell of decay was felt from him, and his hand was soft, not numb. On May 2/15, 1993, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia decided to canonize Archbishop John of Shanghai and San Francisco. A preliminary examination of his honest remains took place on September 28. / Oct 11 1993 Secondary examination and re-veiling of the remains of the saint took place on December 1/14. 1993, on Memorial Day. Philaret the Merciful. While singing the Irmos of the great canon “Helper and Patron,” the lid was removed from the coffin, and the incorruptible remains of the Lord appeared before the clergy, overcome with awe and reverence: the eyebrows, eyelashes, hair, mustache, and beard were preserved; the mouth is slightly open, the hands are slightly raised, the fingers are partially bent, creating the impression that the Bishop is preaching with the movement of his hand; all muscles, tendons, nails are preserved; the body is light, dried, frozen. While singing the canon, St. Andrew of Crete began to anoint his entire body with oil. Then the holy relics were anointed with myrrh from the Iveron-Myrrh-Streaming icon of the Mother of God while singing the troparion: “From Thy holy icon, O Lady Theotokos.” After this, they began to put on new clothes, up to the bishop’s vestments of snow-white color with silver braid and crosses. The final funeral litany was served. “Eternal memory” spreads throughout the universe. Then the ministers sing the troparion with enthusiasm: Teacher of Orthodoxy, teacher of piety and purity, lamp of the universe, God-inspired fertilizer for the bishops, John the Wise, with your teachings you have enlightened everything, spiritual pipe (pipe), pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.” Troparion to Saint John (chapter 5): Your care for your flock on their journey, / this is the prototype of your prayers, / for the whole world, ever offered up: / so we believe, having known your love, to the saint and wonderworker John! / All of God is sanctified by the sacred rites of the most pure Mysteries, / with them we ourselves are constantly strengthened, / you hastened to the suffering, the most joyful healer. / Hasten now to help us, with all your heart those who honor you.