Часть V. Свидетельства о молитвенной помощи святителя Иоанна

As a ten-year-old boy, I became seriously ill with the disease mononucleosis. I felt extremely weak and my temperature rose to 106 degrees Fahrenheit. I was so sick for more than a week. The doctors had already tried every possible means to cure the disease, and finally told my parents to hope that the disease would go away on its own. I learned later that this illness often lasts several weeks and sometimes even, in extreme cases, is fatal. My father decided to call New York, where Bishop John was participating in the next meeting of the Synod of Bishops, and inform him about my situation. Vladyka quite calmly assured my father that I would soon recover and that he should not worry, but hope in God’s mercy. The next morning my temperature dropped to 100 degrees, and I remember that I felt much better and even got out of bed. Having learned about this, the doctors found it hard to believe that I was feeling better so quickly, but they warned my parents that I would have to lie down for a long time and gain strength before I could return to school. By the end of that week I had fully recovered and was back at school. It turns out that after a conversation with my father, Bishop John went to the synodal church and served a prayer service for my health. Knowing that nothing happens by chance in life, I believe that it was through the prayers of our holy ruler that I recovered. Archpriest Alexander Krasovsky Santa Rosa, California, USA 2. No surgery needed I want to share with you and tell you about the miracle that we received from Bishop John. [...] The second miracle 593 happened to another son (shortly after the family arrived in America in 1963). Suddenly I received a call from the school and was told that my son was paralyzed on the right side of his face. Of course, we immediately went to Dr. Mironov. The doctor treated us cordially and immediately referred us to a specialist. The specialist, after checking his son, said that this can only be cured by surgery - his son has a pinched nerve. A conversation began about setting the day for the operation. Immediately after the doctor, we went to the cathedral, where we found Bishop John and told him everything. The guys were still serving then. When the sick son was about to be anointed with sacred oil (it was the eve of the memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker), the bishop anointed him with a large cross in several places on the sore side. My son felt better, and when we went to the doctor, the latter, having examined his son, said that no operation was necessary, and, shaking my hand, said that this was a miracle. Tamara Vasilievna Bogatskaya 3. The power of Vladika John’s prayer My sister and I had an accident. A drunk young man was driving towards me, and he hit the car door with great force from the side where my sister was sitting. An ambulance was called and the sister was taken to the hospital. Her condition was very serious - her lung was punctured, a rib was broken, and she suffered greatly. When Vladyka John visited her for the first time, her face was swollen like a pillow, so her eyes were not visible, but she was conscious, and when I told her that our Vladyka was nearby, she opened her eyelid with her fingers and, seeing his face, took his hand and kissed it. She could not speak because there was a cut in her throat. Tears of joy flowed from her slits (instead of her eyes). Since then, Vladyka visited her many times, and she began to recover. One day, Vladyka arrived at the hospital and, as soon as he entered the general ward, having not seen or spoken to anyone before, he told us: “Musa is very bad now.” Then he went to her, drew the curtain near the bed and prayed there for a long time. By that time, two doctors approached us, and I asked them how serious the situation with my sister was and whether it was worth calling her daughter from Canada. We hid it from our daughter that her mother had an accident so that she wouldn’t worry. The doctors answered me: “Whether or not to call your relatives is your business, but we do not guarantee that your sister will even live until the morning.” Thank God that she not only survived that night, but completely recovered and went back to Canada... My sister and I believe that the prayers of Bishop John saved her... 4. Two miracles of help from Bishop John: to a woman in labor and to a baby 1. In the Novo-Diveevo monastery (Spring Valley, NY) in 1963, the spiritual daughter of the bishop in France was dying of cancer. Vladyka John came to visit her. At the same time, my younger sister Valentina, being married to a military man, was pregnant and was in the Hawaiian Islands. While crossing the street, she was knocked down. It was already dark when Vladyka John arrived at the monastery in the evening. Since the house in which the dying woman was located was approximately 500 feet from the main building of the monastery and the path there was not illuminated, my spiritual mother, nun Nonna, asked me to take the bishop by car. Returning with the bishop to the main building of the monastery, I asked the bishop to pray for my sister, telling about what happened to her. The Bishop, without asking her name, began to pray. Through the prayers of the bishop, the sister gave birth to a daughter safely and without any problems. 2. In 1968, my nephew, who was only six months old, was discovered by a doctor that his head size was larger than it should be. They took an x-ray, which showed that water had formed around the brain. Having learned from my mother about what had happened, I immediately called Bishop Nektary (Kontsevich) in San Francisco, asking him to serve a prayer service at the tomb of Bishop John for the health of the baby Svyatoslav. Meanwhile, my sister turned to another doctor, and lo and behold! – he didn’t find anything like that, saying that the head was completely normal. I will never forget these two miracles in our family. I know that Bishop John always and everywhere hears the prayers of us sinners and helps everyone who turns to him for help. Zinaida Karpovna Starovoitova Jordanville, USA, 1993 5. The Lord heals and strengthens January 1966. I was in excruciating pain and was taken to the hospital, where I learned that I urgently needed surgery. Gangrene had spread and my life was in danger. On the day of the Epiphany, during the operation, doctors discovered a complication: my blood did not clot well and therefore I was losing a lot of blood. After the operation, I lay barely in my body from severe weakness and loss of blood. A Greek woman who was with me when I was still unconscious said: “A bishop of short stature came to you, walked in with quick steps and prayed at your bedside, sprinkled you with holy water, blessed you and left.” Hearing this, I thought: who could it be? Only later did I find out that it was Vladyka John! Through his holy prayers, I began to recover quickly. I also remember the following incident with my mother. She had difficult emotional experiences. One day she was singing and reading in the choir. After the liturgy, she sat down at a table near the choir and began copying out the parimia. Bishop John came out of the altar and, seeing his mother, began to tell her the life of Saint Eustathius Placidas. Then he anointed himself and his mother with blessed oil. Soon my mother passed away from all her previous experiences and gained inner peace and strength. Vladyka helped again! 6. The Bishop turns to the true church I was not yet Orthodox, but thanks to tireless reading about the Orthodox Church, I came to the conviction that it was the true Church. After a number of difficulties I came into contact with a priest and began visiting the Russian Cathedral at Emperor's Gate in London. Once, when meeting me, an elderly priest (of the Greek Church) sternly told me: “It is not enough just to believe that the Orthodox Church is the true Church. You must remember at every liturgy that the liturgy is celebrated on the relics of martyrs, and before you accept Orthodoxy, you must be ready to die for the faith.” This instruction both frightened and confused me, since I did not know how convinced I was of my readiness to die for the faith. Of course, in theory, I am ready to die for my faith - but what will happen if my persecutors begin to interrogate or torture me? A few weeks later, I was at Sunday liturgy in a Russian church and knelt down while singing the “Our Father” - yes, I didn’t know then that this was not allowed, but the Lord touches the souls even of those who do wrong. I can only say that at that moment I was convinced that I needed to accept the Orthodox faith, and this conviction filled me with a feeling of peace and joy. After the liturgy, I really wanted to share with the priest my feeling of calm and joy at the thought of accepting Orthodoxy, but the bishop and the clergy of the cathedral immediately began to serve the requiem. At that time I did not yet understand the Slavic language and was a little annoyed that another service was being performed. I turned to the old woman and asked her for whom the memorial service was being held. She answered: “According to Vladika John.” I clearly remember thinking irritably: “These Russians always find some old bishops for whom they pray!” After the funeral service, there was no longer an opportunity to talk privately with the priest - he lived outside the city and always visited his flock on Sundays. Before he left the city for home, the priest stopped at the house where I was staying to visit the elderly people who lived there. I thought that I would not be able to talk to him, and I was somewhat embarrassed, not knowing how to express my feelings and thoughts to him. Before leaving home, the priest turned to me and asked: “Isn’t it time for you to accept Orthodoxy?” I didn't even have to prepare a speech or figure out what to say to him! On the day of remembrance of St. Marina, in 1967, I converted to Orthodoxy. Only a few months later I read the life of Vladika John and then realized that that Sunday, when I came to the conviction that I had to accept Orthodoxy, was the first anniversary of the death of Vladika John. I came to the conclusion that through his prayers the Lord showed me such mercy. 2. Ten years later, when I was living in a monastery in the USA, I was told that I would soon be elevated to the rank of archimandrite and sent to England. I very much doubted the correctness of this decision, but it remained in force. It was only necessary to set a day for construction. I read somewhere that the elevation to archimandrite is likened to the special ministry that was entrusted by the holy apostles to the Apostle Barnabas, and I decided that to some extent it would be a consolation for me if the prayer of elevation was read on the day of his memory. But it didn't come true. A few days before the appointed time, I was sent to New York so that Metropolitan Philaret would elevate me to the rank of archimandrite. At the last moment it was decided that the construction would take place on the day of the anniversary of Bishop John. I immediately felt comforted that Vladyka John would take loving care of me, especially since I was being assigned to the church that he consecrated and in which he served in Europe. These two incidents may seem insignificant to readers, but my dark soul felt the bright love of Vladika John... 7. Healing after the memorial service for Bishop John My name is Maria M.K. I want to inform you about the miracles that I received from Bishop John of Shanghai in 1976. In 1975, on September 29, my husband and I had an accident in a car, I was injured and sick. We are parishioners of the Melbourne Intercession Cathedral. At that time, the rector was the now ever-memorable Father Vladimir. He gave me a book about the miracles of Vladika John; I read the book with joy and attention. From then on, I started asking him for help in the morning and evening. One morning my husband left for work, and I was left alone. My shoulders hurt, so I could barely make the sign of the cross. I read my morning prayers, knelt down, cried bitterly and said out loud: “Saint John, you helped everyone, help me, a sinner, for God’s sake!” I bowed my head to the ground and heard the chains fall with a noise. I was scared. I was alone in the house, I looked around - there was nothing - and even went out onto the balcony, everything was quiet. I also prayed. In the evening, the husband says: “After all, I forgot to rub your shoulders yesterday.” I answer: “Thank you, but I’m better.” At night I have a dream. There are a lot of people, and in the distance Vladyka John is walking in white with a staff (just like on the clipping from the calendar that I have). I thought: “My God, I’ll never come up because of so many people.” And I see: the crowd of people parts and makes way for him. He, the lord, is coming straight to me. There was no end to my joy. The Bishop comes up and turns to me, a sinner: “Serve a memorial service for me.” The next morning I told my husband everything. It was May 21, 1976. I knew that a service was going on in the church to the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. I quickly went to church and arrived there at 8.45 am. And I say: “Father Vladimir, serve a memorial service for Bishop John of Shanghai.” And I told him everything. Father Vladimir says: “After the service.” I helped sing among the singers and cried all the time. When the service ended, Father Vladimir began the requiem on the left side above the table, where there are candles and a cross with a Crucifix and icons of the Mother of God and St. Apostle John; here our psalmist A.I.P. sang. She helps the priest with everything. And suddenly I see: the cross that stands on the table emits such a radiance in all directions, as if it were burning. I didn’t take my eyes off him, it was for a minute, I wanted to scream, but I was afraid to disrupt such an important memorial service. When the funeral service ended, I told Father Vladimir. He says: “Why didn’t you tell me?”, and I say: “After all, I was afraid to disrupt the service.” They say: “We didn’t see it.” Glory to Thee, Lord! Thanks to the prayers of St. John, my shoulders have not hurt for 18 years now. I have an icon of Bishop John with a glow around his face. I think it was made in France. Glory to Thee, Lord, that we sinners have a holy intercessor, Bishop John. 8. The Lord helps the baby restore his hearing Father Abbot Anastasius from the old cathedral advised me to write to you about the blessing that my son Christopher received. This was in 1983. Christopher, then three years old, went to see a specialist eye doctor who found he had 30% hearing loss due to fluid remaining behind the eardrum due to repeated ear infections. This deafness also contributed to the slowdown of his speech. He was scheduled for surgery to drain the fluid and insert tubes. Even earlier, in early spring, my two eldest sons (12 and 10 years old) went to visit Fr. Anastasia in San Francisco. Brother Jacob, assistant to Fr. Anastasia showed them the tomb of Archbishop John, and from there they brought home oil from the lamp. I anointed Christopher with this oil before a meeting with a speech pathologist, and then anointed it for two days before the operation with the words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of the ever-memorable Archbishop John, heal the ears of my son Christopher.” The next day, Christopher had his last, preliminary check before the operation. Doctors found, however, that his ears had healed. There was no hearing loss and all the fluid disappeared. The operation was cancelled. This was a great relief for us, but what was most striking was that Christopher told our family: “That uncle made my ears better.” He repeated this to me several times, until once, after a prayer, which he ended with the words: “Thank you, you made my ears better,” I asked him: “Who made your ears better?” He pointed to a postcard with a photograph of Bishop John, standing in the corner where we hang icons. He repeated again: “This man makes my ears better.” He said this so persistently that I know: he believes that the blessed Bishop John healed his ears and he felt better. I don't know how he knows this, but he knows it, he insists on it, and we believe him. I can’t explain anything more, except that my son is better now, and we are very grateful for the prayers of the ever-memorable Archbishop John. Portland, USA Oregon, USA 9. The appearance of the ruler after death to a Chinese refugee Mr. I. Ma got up early in the morning on July 2, 1984 to go to the service on the day of the death of Bishop John. He was warned that there would be a lot of people, and so he came there at 5 o’clock in the morning. The clergy were already preparing for the liturgy, when suddenly I. Ma saw Bishop John in white clothes. The Bishop walked among the priests and approached I. Ma. He bent down to the ground to take a blessing from Archbishop John, but when he raised his head, the bishop was no longer there. It must be said that Jonah Ma had just, in December 1983, arrived from China, where, because of the communists, he spent 17 years in prison because, at the request of Bishop John, he helped the Russians. 10. Help from the Bishop to the family of a Serb priest On behalf of my family, I want to convey in detail about the intercession of Blessed Bishop John. It is possible that for some these events are not miraculous, but my husband and I know that before we asked for the prayers of Bishop John, we were helpless. The first episode occurred when the parish council of St. Nicholas Church in Endicott, New York, invited my husband, Fr. Svetislava and I live in the vacated parish house. We hoped to move closer to Jordanville and to a parish of the Russian Church Abroad (Fr. Svetislav has been a cleric of the Serbian Church since his ordination in 1974). Until we began to turn daily to Vladika John in our prayers, we could not find a new place that met our desires. Before moving to Endicott from Philadelphia in 1982, Fr. Svetislav tried to get a job in a hospital in numerous places, but due to the fact that he did not have the required medical experience, he could not find a job. By the time we moved to Endicott, however, work was found through the prayers of Bishop John. Bishop John did not stop helping us even after we moved to Endicott - Fr. Svetislav was accepted into the school of paramedical personnel, despite the fact that he had not been accepted into any such school before. Finally, 21 months after our stay in Endicott, we adopted our first son and named him John - in honor of our patron, Bishop John. After 10 years of marriage, numerous meetings with doctors, various meetings with local and foreign adoption organizations that would only give us the opportunity to get on the next list, by the grace of God we were given the child we had been praying for. John was born in a local hospital the day we first notified St. Nicholas Parish in Endicott of our decision to move. Our decision to name our son John was confirmed when, the day before we saw our child for the first time, the prayers of Bishop John saved our brother Fr. Svetislava, Predrag, from a dangerous situation. Hieromonk Hilarion (now a bishop) baptized John in the Holy Trinity Monastery on June 19/July 2, 1984, on the day of the death of the ever-memorable Archbishop John... Fr. and I Svetislav continues to this day to turn to Bishop John for prayer help... Buffalo, USA New York, USA 11. A scrap from the saint’s cassock healed an Iranian youth I, Raisa Sayad Najad, widow of Fr. Stephen, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Tehran. With the blessing of Bishop Hilarion, I have now, since May 1996, lived in the Novo-Diveevsky Monastery and am sending you my small contribution. I want to tell you the following: the boy Sergei was seriously ill, and no medicine or medical help helped him. But we received from one pious woman a scrap from the cassock of St. John of Shanghai. This flap was sent to Iran and placed on the forehead of the sick youth, and after holy prayers the youth recovered. Now he is healthy and is the father of the family. I ask for your holy prayers. Spring Valley New York, USA I would like to share how Bishop helped me during a difficult period of my life. In 1987, after six years of happy marriage, my wife filed for divorce. Her attitude towards me became so aggressive that she not only managed to convince the judge to evict me from my own home, but she insisted that she be awarded absolutely all the property, and in addition she also demanded a promissory note for a significant amount plus money belonging to my relative. Due to such unfounded demands, the trial lasted for a year and a half. My aforementioned relative and parish priest, St. Sergius of Radonezh at the Tolstoy Foundation in New York State advised me to turn in prayer to Bishop John of Shanghai, pointing out that he himself had suffered from unjust prosecutions. I followed their advice, and on Sunday the priest celebrated a memorial service for Bishop John. Suddenly on Monday I was notified that I had to appear in court for the final hearing of the case. For some reason, the case was heard by a new judge, completely different from the one who had been leaning towards my wife these last year and a half. To my amazement and unspeakable relief, the judge cut through all this red tape and fairly divided everything in half. I have no doubt that this could not have happened without intervention “from above” - an unexpected turn in the matter occurred immediately after the prayerful appeal to Bishop John. It remains to add that my ex-wife tried for six months to change the court decision in her favor, but to no avail. 13. The Lord protects from danger in military service In June 1988, my son, Alexander N. Logunov, received notice that he was being sent on a business trip to the Persian Gulf for six months. I was very concerned about this, because in that part of the world it was very turbulent and dangerous. As a mother, I could only pray and leave everything in God's hands. While at the tomb of Bishop John, I prayed to Bishop and lit a candle. The Troyan couple, after talking with me, placed a note with the name of my son under the bishop’s miter. The note remained there until Alexander returned home. On the eve of his departure on the aircraft carrier, I prayed to Bishop John that he would protect my son. At night I dreamed that Vladyka John was standing on the bow of an aircraft carrier and covering it with his mantle... The son returned safely. Everyone on the aircraft carrier was talking about how unusual the voyage was. Despite carrying 6,000 people on the carrier, there were no accidents, no one was injured and no one died at sea. I believe that through the prayers of Bishop John, my son and everyone on the aircraft carrier arrived back home safe. Sacramento, California, USA 14. The Lord takes pity on the young girl This happened from November 1988 to August 1989. One Sunday my daughter went to see Archbishop John at the tomb. She loves to pray to the Bishop. On this day, she prayed strongly to the bishop - she begged him with tears to give her eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair. She cried and couldn't stop. She told the Bishop that she could do without hair on her head, but she asked: please give me eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair. The fact is that doctors found she had a disease - this is when a person loses absolutely all the hair on his head and body. Medicine does not know the cause of this disease, and there is no cure for it. And then a miracle happened. Her eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair began to appear. She is very grateful to Vladyka and regrets that she did not ask for a hair on her head then... 15. Help after the memorial service for Bishop John On January 29, 1989, we flew from Los Angeles to San Francisco. On February 4, Archimandrite Mitrofan invited us to go to a memorial service at the tomb of the ever-memorable Archbishop John. I submitted a note about the health of the sick servant of God Nicholas, whom we left in a hospital in Los Angeles. Returning home to Vermont, I called Los Angeles to inquire about the health of the ailing Nikolai. His wife replied that he was already home and I could talk to him. When I asked him when he felt better, after thinking, he answered: “On Sunday, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.” It was just Sunday, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, February 4, when I offered a memorial of health at the tomb of Bishop John. 16. A Catholic priest witnessed a miracle My mother Olga Tsagareli lost consciousness at home in May 1989, fell, and I took her to the hospital in an ambulance. The doctor who admitted her examined her and said that she had paralysis, a heart attack and a lot of water in her body. They warned me that they would do everything possible, but in this case there is a very small chance of recovery, and besides, she is 81 years old and in very serious condition. They told us all to say goodbye to her, although she was already unconscious. I was allowed to stay with her all night. I immediately began to pray in my heart to Archbishop John of Shanghai and asked to extend her life, so that she could live longer. The hospital Catholic priest came and reassured me morally. When the whole family arrived, we called our confessor, cathedral archpriest Father John Stukach. He saw her condition, I said that it was necessary to serve the funeral service, and asked also to pray to Archbishop John of Shanghai, whom we revered and reverence and for the repose of whose soul we pray. And what a miracle, she lived until the morning, although she felt very bad at night. In the morning, the Catholic priest, when he was visiting his patients, was surprised to see that my mother was alive, and asked if he could offer prayers to God for such a miracle, and he immediately prayed. My mother could neither speak nor swallow, did not recognize us, and her entire right side was paralyzed. At home, in our prayers, we prayed for the repose of Archbishop John of Shanghai and asked that he would send grace to my mother and that she would still live and be of her mind and memory. A month later, my mother returned home. She had a massive stroke and both hemispheres were damaged. All the doctors were amazed at her recovery. It took a lot of time and work until she was taught to talk, walk and take care of herself. This is already the fourth year that my mother has lived through the prayers of Archbishop John of Shanghai. Archpriest John Stukach is a witness and confirms this. 17. The Lord delivers from a shameful sinful habit Since childhood, I have suffered from a habit that is embarrassing to even talk about. She didn’t leave me when I grew up. I tried my best to leave her, but I couldn’t. During Great Lent I abstained, but I was looking forward to the approach of Easter for... (oh horror, why wait for Easter?!) for the renewal of this passion. When the need became overwhelming, I sincerely tried to quit, but it didn’t work. Several times after it happened, I told myself: “Well, that’s enough, this is the last time,” but the next day or even on the same day everything usually repeated itself. On one such day, in despair, I turned to Vladika John with a prayer: “Lord, you see, I can’t do it myself, help me!” Since then, the need for this passion has simply disappeared. That's all a miracle, but what a miracle! Then I immediately felt (or knew?) that Vladyka had healed me, and I always thank him in my prayers. Many years have passed, and Vladyka continues to protect me. 18. “Give freedom to the will of God” After seven years of frustration spent on examinations and treatments for infertility, we finally realized that we were not relying on the will of God in this matter. We delved into our spiritual lives and realized that we must trust the Lord so that He could accomplish His will in our lives. We then learned for the first time about the righteous and miraculous life of Bishop John (Maximovich). He was the archpastor of the Russian Church Abroad in San Francisco, and previously cared for orphans in China. We asked Bishop John to pray for us to the Lord Jesus Christ. We wanted the Lord to guide our lives so that we could have a child that we could care for as our own. We prayed like this for several months, and circumstances began to change. After two years of waiting, my husband received word that a position as a military chaplain in the US Army was opening up. Moreover, the wife of the priest who previously held this position was the president of an organization for placing foster children in that area. She introduced us to the woman who runs it. Five and a half weeks passed after she submitted our papers and we became the parents of twins - a girl and a boy! We are writing to you about this with prayerful gratitude to the Lord God. We thank Vladyka John for his intercession before the Lord and ask Vladyka to continue to bring us closer to God. 19. The Bishop is sick during an operation On May 12, 1992, my mother Chrysoula Maakonis had repeat surgery in Cincinnati, Ohio for colon cancer. While we waited, my husband, the priest John, called the cathedral in San Francisco asking that my mother be remembered at the tomb of St. John. After the operation, we learned that prayer was performed not only at the tomb of Bishop John, but also at a prayer service in front of the Kursk-Root miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which was in the church that day. During the operation, I prayed that Vladyka John would help my mother and free her from cancer. After the operation, the doctor told us that the tumor was cancerous and things were not going well. Upon her return to the ward, the mother was very weak; she screamed, calling our names, but most of all she called John. We were confused because my husband (Father John) was not present during the operation. The next morning, when the pain was no longer so acute, my mother asked me: “Elena, where is the archbishop?” My father, sister and brother could not understand what was being said, since they did not know about Vladika John (my mother did not know about him either). I answered her: “Do you mean Vladyka John?” “Yes,” she said. I asked that a book with a photograph of St. John be sent to me in Cincinnati. When his mother saw his photo, she said, “That’s him. I saw Vladika John.” Then the mother told us what she saw: “I entered the cave where the operation took place. I saw a triangle in which there were chairs. Archbishop John sat at the top of the triangle. Below him sat other priests and their wives. On his right hand sat Father John (my son-in-law) with Elena (my daughter). On the other side sat two priests I don't know, but it's vague. Archbishop John promoted the rank of my son-in-law. Then the bishop turned to me and said: “Which of the children should receive the reward?” Before I could answer, another priest tried to have the bishop give the award to his grandson, but Archbishop John asked me again and I answered: “My granddaughter Chrysoula!” He asked, “Anyone else?” And I said: “My grandson Michael”” (Chrisula and Michael are the children of my sister Mary, both of them at baptism stretched out their hands to the sky and the sign of the cross in the sky). To this day, my mother thanks the Lord Jesus Christ that, through the prayers of Bishop John, she is recovering from cancer. In addition, I want to say that during this vision, my mother felt that Vladika John’s beard was touching her face. Thanks to this miracle, Father John and I decided to make a pilgrimage to San Francisco and visit our saint. Upon our arrival in San Francisco, the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God was again in the church, and we venerated it. After returning from San Francisco, we learned that my sister Maria prayed for us to see Vladika John. That same night, in her dream, she saw the bishop standing on the porch of our parents’ house. I stood facing my sister on the porch, and Vladyka John stood behind me. Maria saw him in a blue robe in a bright light. We feel that the saint cured our mother, and we pray that the bishop will be canonized as soon as possible. Our whole family believes that Vladyka is a saint. Presbytera (mother) Elena Stavropoulos 20. The Bishop protects the Orthodox Church from a hurricane Your Eminence, dear Vladyka Anthony! On Sunday, August 23, I called you from Miami regarding Hurricane Andrew, which then threatened the city and our church of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, located in the city center, and in connection with this I asked you to celebrate a memorial service for Archbishop John of Shanghai. For me, the faith that the ever-memorable Bishop John will hear our prayer is not in doubt. Now, after the storm has long subsided and we here have managed to recover from this tragedy, it’s time to take stock. First of all, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Holy Master, that you so willingly and immediately agreed to fulfill my request, and I apologize for writing to you almost two months after the event. Not even a few hours had passed after the telephone conversation with you when the hurricane reached the coast of South Florida near the city of Miami. During these last hours, weather reports were broadcast on radio and television about the imminent threat approaching the city. It was expected that the epicenter of the hurricane would be in the very center of the city. The Miami Beach area, located on the ocean coast, was completely evacuated, and all bridges to it across the sea channel were guarded by the police, who did not let anyone through. By five o'clock in the morning on Monday, August 24, the hurricane reached the coast of Miami, but, unexpectedly changing its course slightly to the south, it struck with all its force mainly the southern suburbs, located 25 miles from the city center. Therefore, our church was not damaged at all, only several trees in the garden were broken. In addition to the change in course to the south, another dramatic change occurred: while the hurricane was moving across the sea, it covered an area of ​​approximately 100 miles in diameter, and once on land, it suddenly shrank to 50 miles in width, but began to rotate much faster, with winds reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour. The hurricane destroyed everything in its path from one coast of Florida to the other. Thousands of homes were destroyed, leaving up to a quarter of a million residents homeless. A miracle happened! Our church remained unharmed by the grace of God and the prayers of Bishop John... As soon as the hurricane passed south of Miami, it immediately returned to its previous course and entered the Gulf of Mexico. It is appropriate here to recall an incident that was told by a Russian Floridian. In 1979, the city was threatened by Hurricane David. It followed the same path as Hurricane Andrew. And then we ordered a memorial service for Bishop John in three places: at the Jordanville Monastery, in St. Petersburg, and we ourselves served a memorial service in Miami. At 12 o'clock at night the hurricane stopped on the horizon. By morning it was expected that he would resume his forward progress, but, to everyone's surprise, he turned straight north. North Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas were affected. I can’t help but remember a similar incident during the life of Bishop John. This was when Vladyka was in the Philippines, on the island of Tubabao, where Russian refugees from Shanghai were located. The bishop took his flock there from Red China. A typhoon moved towards this island, but, through the prayers of Bishop John, it was turned away from the island; dividing in two, he walked along both sides of the island and, uniting again after the island, moved away from it. Vladyka John later obtained a visa for everyone staying in this camp in the US Senate. Soon after this he was appointed to administer the Western European diocese. I was still very young at that time and, with other young church leaders, I met the bishop at the airfield in Paris. Until my departure for North America, I was his servant and loved him very much. Subsequently, when he became Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, he often came to New York, where I met him at the Synod. In Paris, he, being the diocesan bishop, also took upon himself the responsibility to deal with the cadet corps. Sovereign Nicholas II, who moved to Versailles in the last year and whose student I was before the outbreak of World War II. With this work, the ruler made it possible to financially support the corps even after the liberation of France from German occupation. After his final departure to America, the corps soon ceased to exist. Forgive me, Holy Master, it seems to me that my long letter has tired you, but I also want to say this. On October 19th I will have a serious operation. This will be an operation on the gastric aorta, which is swollen to five centimeters. If you wait any longer, it may burst, and this will threaten immediate death as a result of internal instant hemorrhage. I ask you, Vladyka, to order that a memorial service be celebrated for Bishop John. May he offer his prayer at the Throne of the Most High for his former servant, R. B. Alexia. I am enclosing a check for expenses or for the Bishop John fund at your discretion. And I am enclosing a note with the names, which I ask to be placed under the bishop’s miter. Devoted heartily, I ask for your holy prayers. Alexey Nikolaevich Ustinov 21. Vladyka John helped a Russian screenwriter in America We will never forget the unexpected meeting with you and your heartfelt help. As you remember, you went with us to the tomb of Bishop John and served a requiem mass. Natasha has talked a lot about you before, but we live in Los Angeles, so we didn’t count on meeting you directly. Thank you for your asceticism in relation to the memory of Archbishop John, thank you for your warmth and attention to our request. Now a few words related to the impact of turning to Bishop John of Shanghai and San Francisco for help. This was last year (1992). Our family was going through a severe crisis: Natasha lost her job, we lived in someone else’s house, visiting like poor relatives. My business was also going very badly (I am in the film business, and Hollywood doesn’t let other people go). Everything was leading to the fact that we had one road ahead of us - to move to Russia, which, as we know, is still seething with passions, unregulated and restless. It’s easy to say, but it’s difficult to break away from your familiar place and go into the unknown. I had to tell the president of the 20th Century Fox film studio the idea of ​​my film, and this was the last chance to get out of the economic family crisis. There were refusals at previous similar meetings, but this time there were negligible hopes. Natasha told me about Vladyka John, how he helped the sick, mourning and needy, and gave me a postcard with a picture of Vladyka John. I was struck by his face, it seemed to me that I had known this man for a long time and completely, infinitely trusted him. Frankly, I am quite closed to people, it is difficult for me to come into contact with them. But in this case, I felt that Vladyka John was a person close to me and I could safely entrust my fate to him. On the eve of the meeting with the president of the film company, I put the card to my heart, closed my eyes and imagined the bishop as if he were now nearby. A moment later, I felt warmth under the hand holding the card, it penetrated from hand to heart and filled me with love for him. I prayed with all my soul, asking for support in difficult times. Prayer calmed me. In the morning, when I outlined to the management of the 20th Century Fox film studio how I saw the future film, I felt absolutely confident, and half an hour later the studio made a life-saving decision for me and my family - it signed a contract with me to write a film script. I am convinced that this happened due to the participation of Bishop John in my life, by the grace of God. Since then, we have honored the memory of Bishop John as our closest and dearest person. That is why we were so grateful to you for going with us to the tomb and presenting us with a wonderful book about Vladika John. It is a pity that the need to return to Los Angeles on the same day did not give us the opportunity to remain for the service in the church. We will definitely attend the service on our next visit. Be healthy, dear Vladyka Anthony. Low bow to you from our entire family. Rodion Nakhapetov and Natasha Shlyapnikova 22. Vladyka John helped make the pilgrimage Last summer, our parish planned a pilgrimage to Russia, and I really wanted to go. I hoped that my generous cousins ​​would help me financially, since the cost of the trip, $2,200, was too much for me to afford. In the end, I decided to pray to Bishop John. I prayed, telling the bishop that I do not insist on my own, but I ask only once to help me, if possible. After 48 hours, my boss started asking me about the trip I was talking about at work and asked if my cousins ​​would help me. I replied that I hinted to them about this, but they had to be treated for a number of indications and they simply had no time for it. My boss said he thought I should go, and if I paid $200, he would give me a $2,000 bonus. I immediately signed up for the trip. Soon after, I calculated that I would still need $500 in cash for expenses. I prayed to the bishop, and, as far as I remember, it was the very next day that I received a check for $500 from my cousins! 23. Vladika John visits a blind woman in a dream About ten days ago Maria Mansur called me and said that the relics of Vladika John had been found incorrupt. I perceive this not only as a miracle, but also as a blessing to all of us and a reminder to us of the closeness of the other world. I would like to report the following about the prayerful intercession of St. John. At home we have been caring for my disabled mother for two years (she also converted to Orthodoxy). She is bedridden and dying of terminal diabetes and has had strokes many times. Nobody thinks she will live long. For some reason, we never talked to her about Vladika John, and since she is blind, she has never seen photographs of the saint, of which we have many at home. Now she rarely comes to her senses and cannot speak even when she is conscious. About a week ago, we began to pray to Vladika John to stop her suffering and, if it is God’s will, for the Lord to take her to Himself (to paradise). The very next day after the prayer began, the mother was conscious and began to tell us with difficulty that a small old man with a beard, whom she called a priest, constantly visited her. She spoke about it very calmly, as if it should be so. When we described Vladyka John to her in detail, she confirmed that this was the man who was visiting her. She wasn't at all excited or worried, and it was clear that this vision meant a lot to her. From that day on, she asked several times if the priest would visit her today. 24. The Lord helps twins to be born I want to share the miracle of the birth of my twin daughters – Olga and Ariadne. I started having contractions on May 27, 1994. Everything seemed to be going well, considering I was having twins. Suddenly my blood pressure jumped and I started losing blood. The doctor couldn’t figure out whether it was bleeding or the beginning of labor. She decided to prepare me for a C-section, which would reduce the risk for me and the twins. I didn't want this surgery at all, knowing how difficult the recovery would be, especially with two babies in my arms. Seeing that I had no choice, I signed a consent form for the operation, and a nurse came to my room to give me the necessary medications. In desperation, I called Archpriest Peter Perekrestov, asking for his prayers at the shrine of St. John. He asked if he could pray later because he was very busy right now. I answered: “No.” A prayer service for my health had to be served immediately. Father Peter agreed and immediately did it. After a few minutes my situation no longer seemed so hopeless. My doctor spoke with a specialist over the phone, and they decided that I would give birth naturally as long as my blood pressure did not exceed 100. My contractions continued for several more hours, and eventually two healthy girls were born. It turned out that the bleeding was due to the fact that one child was pressing on the other, causing the placenta to separate from the wall of the uterus. One baby absorbed a lot of blood that had to be sucked out of him, the other was fine. During this disaster, I constantly prayed for a safe release from the burden, and my prayers were answered. Vladyka John really interceded for me with his prayers. I will always be grateful to him for this miracle. 25. Healing from depression Ten years ago (1994) I wrote you a letter with a request to serve a requiem mass at the incorruptible relics of St. John. At this time I was deeply depressed and really needed help. You sent me holy oil, and I anointed my entire family with it, as you recommended. At that very moment, my depression, which had lasted for two and a half months, evaporated. I got great relief, but I thought it was temporary. However, the depression disappeared forever. My doctor was very surprised, because depression does not disappear so easily. Although I am unworthy, this happened through the prayers of Bishop John. A month after my miraculous recovery, I was lucky enough to attend the glorification of St. John the Wonderworker in San Francisco. I am very fortunate and grateful to the Lord for His rich mercies. We humbly pray to Bishop John and ask for his intercession. Natalya, Kirill and Zakhary Semenov 26. The car crashed, but the priest remained intact ...Now I’ll tell you about what happened to me on the eve of this holiday (the glorification of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco on July 2, 1994). For Christmas, my friends gave me a Niva all-terrain vehicle. It's something like a jeep. It’s a good car, I used it in the winter (and the winter was very snowy) to get to all the villages where a priest was needed. And so, on the eve of the glorification of Bishop John, I went to a gas station 12 km from our village. I filled up the car and two cans. We have a problem with fuel, but they give it to the priests. And now I’m heading back home. Suddenly a large German shepherd runs out towards me, very similar to my Thunder. I turn sharply to the left and fly down the cliff into the swamp. After the first blow I lost consciousness. By the way, the car was consecrated, and above me in the cabin hung the icons of Bishop John and St. Nicholas. The force of inertia, after the first blow, threw me through the windshield onto the slope of the ravine. And the car (full of gasoline) did a somersault and rolled down into the swamp. If I had been wearing a seat belt, my mother would have remained a widow and my children would have been orphans. But for some reason I didn’t fasten my seat belt on this particular trip. A day later I woke up in the hospital. Absolutely unharmed, not even a single severe bruise. I just scratched my nose. Miracle of God! For the prayers of St. Nicholas and St. John. Vladimir region, Russia 27. Miraculous help of St. John to a boy from Russia Serezha Glushkov was born in Irkutsk in 1978. Due to the difficult environmental situation in the city, he suffered from a complex disease of bones and joints from infancy. Seryozha’s legs began to dry out, his left leg was constantly bent at his chest, and the boy was forced to crawl on the floor. Experts said that the boy was doomed to be crippled. Lyudmila, Seryozha’s mother, managed to get Seryozha’s treatment abroad paid for. In May 1993, Lyudmila and Seryozha Glushkov came to the USA. The boy was sent to Washington, to the Children's Hospital. There he underwent two operations, the last of which lasted 12 hours. The left leg was straightened, but the doctor said that the boy would never walk. In the meantime, the people who took care of Seryozha and his mother deceived them and convinced them that the company that paid for the treatment no longer had any money; they took away Lyudmila’s passport and forced her and Seryozha, who was in a cast and could not even move, to urgently return to Irkutsk. Mother and son were in a desperate situation. Lyudmila and Seryozha were unbaptized, non-church people, but at that time Lyudmila accidentally found out the phone number of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Washington, she came to the church in the hope of getting at least some help. The Cathedral in Washington was founded by St. John in 1949, his wall icon is located on the right column of the church, greeting and blessing those entering. When Lyudmila turned to Mother Maria Potapova with her troubles, Fr. Victor was just remembering Bishop John at a memorial service. Mother realized that the situation was desperate, and, not knowing what could be done, she answered Lyudmila that only the Lord God and Vladika John could help her, and in a nutshell explained that Vladika John had helped the sick and disadvantaged all his life. After this, all events began to develop as if by themselves, and cases of miraculous help did not stop. The departure was delayed. Then Fr. Victor and mother took Seryozha and Lyudmila to their church house. On September 11, 1993, on the patronal feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist, Bishop Hilarion came to the cathedral with the miraculous Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. During the prayer service in front of the icon, when Seryozha fervently prayed to the Mother of God and Vladika John, the usual feeling of melancholy and despair suddenly left him and ardent faith and love for God were kindled. After that, his whole life changed. Seryozha never tired of attending (albeit sitting) at all services, and became interested in icons, icon painting, the lives of saints, and divine services. In October 1993, mother and son were baptized. After baptism, Seryozha did not miss a single liturgy; he went to confession and received communion every Sunday. One orthopedic clinic began treating Seryozha: his entire right knee was deformed, and his right hip was in terrible pain. Doctors scheduled surgery for the right hip and knee at the beginning of July, but Seryozha really wanted to go to the glorification of the bishop and asked to reschedule the operation. While the relics were still below, in the tomb, Seryozha was always at the bishop’s shrine, and during glorification he was in front, at all services. The next day after the glorification, I went to the old cathedral, where Abbot Anastasius (Newcombe) served, who received all the pilgrims and told about a miracle that happened to a sick girl who had a bone disease. They have the mantle of Bishop John hanging in their altar; this mantle was used to cover the girl, after which she was healed. Father Victor asked to bring a mantle to serve a prayer service. They covered Seryozha with a mantle, oh. Victor served a prayer service, everyone prayed, especially Seryozha, who immediately told Mother Maria that he had a feeling of warmth and lightness and the constant pain in his right thigh, from which he was ready to scream, stopped - the pain went away completely from then on and never recurred. Upon returning to Washington, the mother noticed that Seryozha was standing upright. We went to the hospital for a check-up before the operation, and suddenly the surgeon said in surprise: “You are improving, this is incredible, this cannot happen in your case.” Seryozha told him everything, after which the surgeon did not dare to operate on the hip, but performed only one of the planned operations - on the knee. Before the operation, Seryozha took his first few steps in the church. Now, although he has a limp, he can walk without crutches. He is very strong, stands up for duty, serves as a servant, and walks to school, albeit with the help of crutches. 28. Demons were against the glorification of the ruler I lived in Poland and was 15–16 years old when two seminarians from Warsaw visited my family, who lived near the German border, far from the larger centers of Orthodoxy. Their arrival was memorable. It was after Easter, and all conversations turned to theological topics. We talked about faith in the future spiritual revival of Russia, about the hopes placed on Russian emigration abroad, in France. The conversation touched on the issue of preserving holiness, and for the rest of my life I remembered the phrase of one of the seminarians, the son of the late rector of the Warsaw Theological Academy, Fr. George (Klinger): “Many say that the greatest saint of our time is St. John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco.” These words deeply sank into my soul. I also thought: “My God, Shanghai... San Francisco... What distant, semi-mythical worlds for us, cut off from these sides of the world by the Iron Curtain. How unusual and attractive their very names sound, and how unrealistic are the hopes that one will ever be able to visit there, what a pity!..” I didn’t know then that a few years would pass and I would live overseas, in one of the big American cities, in Chicago. Years passed, and one day I visited a newly opened store with Orthodox books and icons. A sales couple who had lived in San Francisco in the past offered me a discounted book containing a collection of the miracles of Blessed John (Maksimovich). In the evening I decided to read it, starting with a chapter related to my life or the life of my family. There was recent talk that my 17-year-old nephew would soon join the army (in Germany) by conscription. I opened the pages describing the miraculous help of Blessed John to a young soldier who fought in Vietnam, and read the first sentences describing the saint’s chapel at the cathedral. Suddenly I felt the living presence of a saint in my room. I felt the joy with which the saint greeted me and seemed to say: “I am here, nearby. Make no mistake, I am here, I know what will happen. This is the joy in which I am... I am with you, with you.” A few months later, news came about the upcoming glorification of St. John, and I decided to definitely go to San Francisco for this great holiday. I shared this joy with a friend over the phone. In the morning I woke up feeling that my entire room, including the bed on which I was lying, was shaking, driven by the force of inhuman, demonic malice. I felt how this demonic force wanted to destroy me, tear me into the smallest pieces. Her presence was so unbearable that I was almost surprised that I was still alive and not incinerated by her. I began to pray: “Our Father” - and everything cleared up and disappeared... I spent three days almost continuously in the cathedral in honor of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Joy of All Who Sorrow” during glorification, and these were unforgettable days. When I first approached the shrine with the relics of the saint and venerated it, I again felt the presence of the saint as his special blessing. It was as if I was flooded with the power of spiritual, inner light and, above all, with a wave of indescribable goodness. I will never forget that. Here, at the church, I also met two wonderful people who became my friends. A young Serbian woman from New York - a great admirer of St. John (Maksimovic) - and an Orthodox man from Poland, a former parishioner of our church in my hometown and a friend of my brother and sister. On the third day I returned to San Jose to visit my relatives. My aunt suffered terribly from a cold that lasted for weeks, bronchitis and severe coughing attacks. That same evening I anointed her with a cross, which I dipped in oil from the lamps at the shrine to the saint, with a prayer for the healing of the sick servant of God Anna. In the morning she said that she slept until the morning without waking up from coughing. The severe pain in her side, which had tormented her for several days, also went away. Being about 85 years old, she recovered astonishingly quickly, and it was her miraculous healing that others observed. I described my pilgrimage to St. John and his glorification in two issues of the magazine “Orthodoxy. Orthodox Review", published in Bialystok, Poland. 29. The believer regrets that she was against the transfer of the relics of the saint (letter to Archbishop Anthony of Western America and San Francisco) Your Eminence, dear Master, bless! Please forgive me for taking up time, knowing that you are so busy. I need to open up to you about something that has been bothering me for some time. Dear Vladyka, I think that you know the names of all the parishioners who last year signed a letter (petition) to leave the relics of St. John in the tomb, and that I was one of these parishioners. But the reason for my letter is not whether you knew about it or not. I am not writing to justify myself, no, because when I signed the sheet, it was solely out of complete confidence that when the holy relics were at the top, it would be very difficult to pray near the shrine in front of a crowd of people. It was a selfish desire on my part. My decision was made after many prayers and with full faith that it would be as it should be, i.e. according to the will of God, not mine. Well, what happened? Having visited the cathedral several times after the glorification, standing close to the relics of St. John, I felt such a quiet spiritual joy from the fact that he was at the top. I realized that I was wrong. On the contrary, contrary to all my expectations, I do not hesitate to bow, to lower my head to the relics just as I did below. When I realized all this, the first thing that came to me was the conviction that I was very guilty before the Holy Synod and especially before you. On my knees I ask you to forgive me for doubting your decision. I apologize and thank you. Believe me, dear Master, that my decision last year was not to go against you (as many have said about this), but out of honest conviction. I was wrong. I realized this and I ask you to forgive me. Unfortunately, I offended Saint John in the same way several times and then tearfully asked him to forgive me. I pray to the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos to enlighten me in my old age. Forgive me and accept my gratitude for everything. I ask for your prayers and blessings. Valentina A., a parishioner of our church in honor of the “Sovereign” Icon of the Mother of God, having read a book about healing through the prayers of St. John the Blessed, came up to me after the service and asked for oil from the [relics] of Bishop John for her daughter, who was then seriously ill. Valentina said that her daughter, an architect by profession, developed a tumor on her chest. The tumor grew larger, and the daughter went to the doctors. The conclusion was terrible: breast cancer. The doctors insisted on surgery. I administered unction to the sick woman, and later, having soaked the cotton wool with oil from the [relics] of Vladika John, I gave it to the sick woman. She smeared the cross on the sore spot several times. The patient came to the doctors to be examined again before the operation. The doctors and the patient herself were surprised: the tumor had disappeared. 31. Oil from the lord healed his hand From a letter from Fr. Peter Perekrestov ...This summer, while working at the dacha, my mother contracted some kind of infection in a small wound on her arm. The hand began to swell from suppuration in the wound. She did not take any action, thinking that everything would heal on its own. However, the tumor expanded, the arm began to “cramp”, and inflammation of the lymphatic vessels began (however, I don’t understand this well and am reporting from her words). When she went to the clinic, they could not find a syringe to give an injection (it will probably be difficult for you to imagine). The only thing I could offer her was the oil you sent, which I still had a little bit of. She anointed her hand with this oil for three days. On the first morning the swelling began to subside. Now everything has healed. However, it happened according to her faith (and through the prayers of Bishop John). One day on weekdays parishioners of a rural parish come to see me. I knew about the illness of one of them. They immediately demanded prayer for healing. They say they are tired of going to hospitals. A sick woman in her fifties complained of strange pains all over her body. She had a serious, painful condition, which was especially aggravated when she tried to read prayers. For a spiritual person, the diagnosis is clear. But those accompanying her simply demanded that I, as a priest, pray for the sick woman. They laid the sick woman on the sofa, and I began to read the Psalter. But as soon as I began to read the prayers, the patient began to scream loudly and swear rudely. At this time, the attending physician came to my mother; they were in the next room. Hearing the screams, they were surprised and frightened. I continued to read the Psalter, but the sick woman began to scream louder. I was confused, took holy water and began to sprinkle it on the sick woman. To my surprise, she started spitting at me. The thought struck me that I should resort to the oil of St. John. As soon as I anointed the patient, she sighed with relief and truly fell asleep. All this surprised me and everyone present. The patient slept for four hours. When she woke up, we ate, and I began reading the Psalter again. It was already easier for her. Afterwards the patient asked me what I anointed her with. And she said that she remembered everything, that she was aware of everything, but she could not do anything with herself. I told her that I had anointed her with oil from the [relics] of Vladika John. She cried and said that she had been praying to him for a long time. As soon as I anointed her with oil, she felt warmth all over her body and felt good. 33. Two cases of miraculous healing of Moscow parishioners Parishioners of the Moscow Church of All Saints on Krasnoselskaya are writing to you. Here we very much love and honor St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. We often order prayers for him and receive healings. I would like to write about two cases of miraculous healing. One of our parishioners fell ill with pneumonia overnight. They called a doctor and wanted to hospitalize her, but the patient did not want to go [to the hospital], she begged him to leave her at home and prayed to St. John of Shanghai all night. And a miracle happened. The next day there were no signs of pneumonia. There was no temperature. This healing cannot be explained by anything other than the surviving prayers of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. And another of our parishioners was healed of a terrible disease - cancer. After doctors diagnosed her with cancer, she did not despair, but prayed to St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco and ordered prayer services. And her prayers were heard. After the second analysis there were no traces of the disease. The doctors couldn’t believe it, but the miracle happened. And now the servant of God Inna thanks St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco for the extraordinary healing. On behalf of the parishioners of the Moscow Church of All Saints servant of God Natalya Sokolova 34. Vladyka John reconciles friends In memory of the deceased servant of God Evgenia Bolshakova Prayers to Bishop John of Shanghai are always comforting and bring a lot of joy and help. I would especially like to talk about three cases of Bishop John’s prayerful help. I came to San Francisco five years ago from St. Petersburg. I was a person of little faith, I was baptized only before leaving Russia. In San Francisco, by God’s providence, I ended up in the Bishop’s Choir at the Cathedral of “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” Our wonderful regent Vladimir Krasovsky instructed me in the Law of God, explained the divine service and was always patient and kind to me. Without judging or mocking my ignorance and lack of faith, he always answered all my questions and gave me a lot of religious literature to read. One day I complained to him that my mother, who remained in Russia, was overly interested in horoscopes and wrote letters to me about it all the time. The fact is that she and I were passionate about this together and even took astrologer courses in Russia. But being in the choir at the church, I understood our misconceptions and tried to explain this to my mother in my letters. But this irritated her very much, and she intensively continued to write to me about astrology. I was simply in despair and told Volodya about everything, asking for his advice. He told me that in this case all reasoning is useless and I need to go and pray to Vladika John. At this time, the bishop was in the tomb and had not yet been glorified. Vladimir then first told me about Vladyka John. I didn’t see any other way out, so I began to write notes and often pray in the tomb of Vladika John. Through his holy prayers, my mother gradually became disillusioned with astrology, little, but still began to go to church, and became interested in Orthodoxy. Over time, her interest increased, faith appeared, she began to constantly go to church and take communion. Now, five years later, she is a deeply religious person, and her life and mine have changed a lot. My parents got married, and the Lord vouchsafed my husband and I to get married on the same day. By the great mercy of the Lord and through the intercession of Bishop John, my parents themselves were able to venerate his relics in San Francisco. Another case of Bishop John’s prayerful help that I would like to tell. This happened during Lent in 1995. I started fasting with the intention of spending it in prayer, silence, and abstinence. But temptations began almost immediately, and by the end of Lent, just before Easter, it became very difficult. And if it were not for the prayerful help of Bishop John of Shanghai, then the great holiday of Easter - the Resurrection of Christ would have been darkened for me. The fact is that unexpectedly in the middle of Lent, my old friend from Russia came to see me. We both tried to spend the fast in piety, prayed together and awaited the Resurrection of Christ with joy in our hearts. We spent the entire Holy Week in church, constantly reading the Gospel and the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian. Holy Saturday has arrived. In the morning we went to Liturgy, and then with great enthusiasm we began to prepare for Matins. The whole day passed in anticipation, and now there were about two hours left before matins. We dressed in all light colors and were ready to leave the house, when suddenly we started arguing word for word and quarreled. My friend was in San Francisco for the first time and didn’t know how to get to the church herself. Despite this, I left home out of pride and anger, leaving her alone. I heard that she asked me for forgiveness and asked me to take her with me to church. But I, without paying attention to her requests, left the house. However, when I reached the bus stop, I realized my mistake and the inconsistency of my behavior with the great holiday. In my heart, I immediately repented and ran home, wanting to ask my friend for forgiveness and go to church together. To my horror, she was not at home. It was evening, she didn’t know the city well. My husband and I drove around the entire area looking for my friend, but to no avail. With a heavy heart, I arrived at the church, hoping in my heart that maybe she was there, but she was not in the church. I felt very sad and heavy at heart, I burst into tears and didn’t know what to do next. Our parishioners reassured me, and Mother Margarita told me to pray to Bishop John and, as a consolation, suggested that I carry his icon during the religious procession. I stood with the icon of the holy Bishop John, prayed to him and cried. And so the religious procession began. Everyone began to leave the church, I was one of the last to go. And I saw almost nothing because of the tears that blurred my eyes. And suddenly I saw my friend in the crowd. It was a complete miracle, since she could not know the way. I immediately approached her, we hugged, burst into tears and asked each other for forgiveness. And then together, carrying the icon of Bishop John, they went to the religious procession. We were both very happy that we were able to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ on this Holy Day and be together on this Bright Feast through the prayers of our Bishop John. Afterwards, my friend said that it was simply a miracle that she made it to the church. Glory to God and the prayers of Bishop John, his intercession and help! Another case of Bishop John’s prayerful help occurred in Italy. In 1994, my husband and I traveled around Europe. I always carry the icon of Bishop John with me, especially when traveling. In Rome we were walking down the street and some people came up to us asking for money. They grabbed our hands and quickly said something. Everything happened very quickly, and before we had time to come to our senses, they disappeared. My husband checked his pockets and found that all the money was gone. He ran after these people, and I prayed to Vladika John. Suddenly the boy who was grabbing our hands stopped, turned to my husband and gave him all the money, which stunned even my husband - he simply did not expect this. At this time, a woman passed by and said in surprise that we were lucky, since no one ever gives money back. My husband believes that it was his threats that forced the boy to return the money, and I know that it was prayer to Vladika John that helped us. Pray for us, holy master, our Lord Jesus Christ! 35. God is marvelous in His saints My mother grew up in Shanghai and told me a lot about Vladyka John (now the glorified Saint John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco). My personal memories of him date back to my grandfather's funeral in 1965. I was 13 years old. I can still see the bishop standing in the middle of the cathedral in San Francisco. When he blessed with dikiriy and trikyriy, his hair caught fire. Many people were in a panic, but the ruler calmly finished the blessing and, after giving the dikiri and trikiri to the servants, ran his hands through his hair, extinguishing the fire as calmly as if he were driving away a fly. I have always had a special veneration for St. John, and I have prayed for him for many years - and now to him. In February 1995, I had complex heart surgery. A few weeks after the operation, I was hospitalized again with a bleeding stomach ulcer. It was a difficult time, but I felt the presence of Bishop John all the time, and after eight weeks I was able to go to work (like many priests, I need to have a secular job to support my family). I have to travel a lot for work. On Sunday, July 23, like many other Sundays, I was preparing for my flight the next morning. Around 11 pm, my wife Pavla and I were talking when I felt a strange sensation in my chest. It became difficult for me to breathe, it felt as if I was swallowing water, it seemed that my lungs were filled with liquid. There was a noise in them with every breath, I didn’t have enough air. I got up and began to walk, hoping that it would feel better, but I constantly lacked air, I could not take a deep breath. Feeling like I might lose consciousness, I asked Pavla to call 911 for an ambulance. I sat down on the bed and it occurred to me that I might die. Having crossed myself, I extended my hand to the icon of Bishop John, which was on the night table, kissed it and said: “Holy Bishop John, pray to God for me.” After a few seconds I felt calm and told my wife that everything would be okay and that I was feeling better. The ambulance arrived very quickly. One of the orderlies listened to my lungs and said that both were two-thirds filled with water. I said I was feeling better and that everything would be fine soon. The orderlies noticed that my situation was serious and that I needed to be hospitalized, as they needed to pump out the water from my lungs and give me medicine. As we talked, I began to breathe easier, and I repeated to the paramedics that I would be fine. I felt much better, I was just tired. The orderlies tried to persuade me to go to the hospital, and I promised them that I would go if it got worse. Before they left, and they were with me for about 15 minutes, they decided to check my lungs again. They were amazed because they could not detect the presence of liquid at all. They all agreed that this was very unusual. They've never seen anything like this. I stayed home to rest and flew out for work on Tuesday morning. Through the prayers of our Saint John, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us! 36. Vladyka John helps during childbirth I would like to tell you about the consequences of the prayer service that we ordered in the summer of 1995. We sent a small donation in honor of the infant niece of one of our parishioners. This niece had liver problems. Nobody thought she would survive. The liver transplant failed and they were waiting for a second liver. The eleventh hour has struck. I also wrote to you in a letter that I was expecting a baby in December and asked that the birth go well. After the prayer service to St. John, a new opportunity suddenly opened up for the little girl. For some reason, it was previously thought that this would be dangerous for her. They cut her father's liver in half and transplanted it. Everything went well, and both the girl and the father are healthy. Also, my delivery was two weeks late and I was terrified. There were snow storms outside. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to leave the house during labor. We were also worried that my husband's family would move in with us when the baby was born. I was afraid that there would be pain during childbirth. Everything about the upcoming birth scared me. But, of course, everything went great. Doctors decided to speed up the process to avoid unexpected births. They used a new drug that was known to only work half the time. But everything went fine. All medications worked perfectly. The doctors repeated again and again: “We have never seen things go so well, without side effects, and so quickly.” I had no pain. The doctor said labor would continue at least through the night and probably into the day. But the baby was born after three or four efforts. The doctors couldn't understand it. They made bets in the department on how many hours I would be in labor, and they were all off by a few hours. They said they had never seen such an easy birth of a first child. The icon of St. John was next to me all the time. And the snow storms helped me because our house was quiet for a whole month. Because of the snow, my husband (then a very unhappy teacher) was at home for a whole month, and was paid a salary for these days. There is no need to write that our daughter Christina is lovely, healthy and happy. She calls St. John “Our John.” Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA 37. Heart surgery turned out to be unnecessary I am writing from Yugoslavia, Serbia, Mladenovac, my name is Dragica Jovanovic. I learned about Saint John from the magazine “Svetigora” [“Holy Mountain”], published in Yugoslavia by Metropolitan Amphilochius. I cut out a photograph of Bishop John from a magazine and consecrated it in the church, and then hung it in the house as an icon. At that time (it was in 1995) I was very sick and prayed to St. John to help me. When I went for catheterization of blood vessels, having previously signed consent for heart surgery, I took with me an icon of Bishop John from the magazine and put it under my wedding ring. During the procedure, I prayed to the Lord and St. John. After cleaning the blood vessels and a biopsy, it turned out that I was healthy and no surgery was needed. I continue to pray to the Lord and St. John for my health and the health of my children, Joanna and Alexander, and send my humble gift. Peace be with you, brothers and sisters from the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Church! God's servant Irina writes to you. Two years ago, Bishop Vasily (Rodzianko) from America came to visit us at the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Puchkovo. I asked him with tears to pray at the relics of St. John for my husband Peter, who was obsessed with the passion of drunkenness. I believed that only a miracle could help him. Bishop Vasily promised to order a prayer service. Then I received an icon of St. John and oil from the lamp from his relics. A miracle has happened! My husband saw with his inner eye the abyss on the edge of which he was. It's been two years now that my husband hasn't been drinking. God gave his daughter Vera the opportunity to go to San Francisco this year. She carries notes and requests from brothers and sisters from our church. My husband and I want to order a thanksgiving service... Irina Nikolaevna Dolzhnikova Troitsk, Moscow region, Russia 39. Newly baptized woman healed of cancer During Holy Week, an acquaintance of mine came to me with a military pilot who asked me to baptize his wife Tatyana and children and consecrate the apartment. I suggested that he do it after Easter, but he explained to me that his wife was going to have surgery after Easter Sunday. She has severe (third) stage breast cancer and wants to be baptized. He says that if he suddenly dies, then at least she will be baptized. We agreed on the next convenient day, and at the appointed time I came to them. Having met the family and told them about God, about the Orthodox faith, about the need for baptism and consecration of the home, I invited them to immediately begin this. They happily agreed. After the sacrament of baptism and the consecration of the apartment, I was invited to a tea party. I spoke again about the need for spiritual life and how they should live after baptism. Before we parted late at night, I anointed them with holy oil from Vladika John. And on Easter week, a man came to me from them and told me that when Tatyana came to the hospital to be examined again before the operation, the doctors were very surprised and said that she did not need any operation and that she was healthy. Since Tatyana had been under their supervision for a long time and no one doubted that she had cancer, they wanted to know about her secret, what medications she was treated with. When Tatyana realized what had happened to her, she told the doctors that she did not know any cure for cancer, but God healed her! When I announced and baptized Tatyana, I was struck by the childlike sincerity with which she and her children learned the truths about God. 40. Vladika John helps a new convert Forgive me for my boldness in writing to you, but I have a story that I would like to share. I am a convert to Holy Orthodoxy. I joined the Orthodox Church in October 1995. In December I got a job in Kansas City and got to work with an old colleague of mine. In March of this year, the company decided to lay him off, and I stayed with the new boss. My future was in serious doubt, and although the Church supported me and gave me hope, I felt that I was losing heart. At Easter this year, I returned to my parish in Memphis, Tennessee for Holy Week. On Good Friday evening, my wife reported that I had received a call asking me to come back on Monday. Over the weekend, many people came up to me and said that now is not the time to leave Memphis. Our parish is to some extent a transit parish, and everyone is used to people staying here for a short time, but in my case, the parishioners felt that I should not leave the parish. My godfather gave me an icon of St. John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco. My saint is St. Righteous John of Kronstadt, whose name I received upon joining (the Church). But my godfather told me that there was no mistake in the fact that he gave me the icon of Bishop John. He wanted to give me exactly the icon of St. John. For some reason he needed to do this. After the liturgy we talked about St. John. Our youth are raising money to purchase his icon for the vestibule of our church. I also learned that one of the members of our parish was healed of cancer while praying at the relics of the bishop at his glorification in San Francisco. This man and his wife adopted a boy from Russia and named him Misha in honor of St. John (St. John bore the name Michael in the world). On Monday I called back those I mentioned at the beginning. It was a firm in Memphis that called to confirm that they had received my resume. I didn’t know how they got it or what position they were offering me. It turned out that the job met all my requirements! For a whole week I could not understand what had happened, but now it became clear to me that Bishop John helped me with the situation with my work, as well as with the fact that I remained in Memphis in my parish and with my family. 41. Leg ulcers disappear Olga, a dentist by profession, came to our service. After the liturgy, a prayer service was served with the blessing of water. At the end of the prayer service, I anointed all the participants with oil from the [relics] of Bishop John. He also anointed Olga. A week later, at the service, Olga stood and cried. I asked her why she was crying. Olga told me that everything was fine. And later her husband, a military man, came and told us that his wife had abscesses on her legs, which later turned into ulcers. They multiplied. The sight was terrible. She contacted medical specialists, but they did not help her. And having completed the service, received communion, received anointing with oil from St. John and sprinkled her feet with holy water at home, she went to bed. In the morning there were no ulcers on her legs. Therefore, at the next service, Olga cried with gratitude, and was embarrassed to tell us about the healing. Thank you for the butter and for the prayers for those for whom I asked. I received a note from Elina, who had breast surgery. The note said that no cancer was found in the lymph nodes. She believes that this happened thanks to the prayers of St. John, whom she had just learned about. I am grateful to the saint for witnessing healing through his prayers. 43. Healing from tetanus Bless, dear Father Superior! I am appealing to you because in the church entrusted to you are the holy relics of St. John, the wonderworker and healer of San Francisco and Shanghai. Through his holy prayers, by the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity, I was healed of a fatal illness - tetanus. I moved [here] in the summer of 1996, somehow tripped and fell on the side of the road and broke my right hand quite deeply. I treated my hand and took a fairly strong antibiotic, but my hand was not healing well and hurt. Finally, I did not sleep for several nights from pain in my entire right arm - up to the shoulder, and cramps appeared in the muscles of my legs. Just then I was reading a book - the life of St. John (Maximovich). I prayed to the Holy Trinity, the Mother of God, and turned to St. John: “Father, you have healed so many people, heal me, by the mercy of the Lord. Everything here is paid, and I don’t have any insurance. I am so afraid of complicating the financial situation of my children, which is already difficult. I pray to you, father, you are our only Russian saint here, heal me. And if you hear me and help me, I will definitely write about your miraculous intercession, so that the name of the Holy Trinity, our Lord, Whom with your holy life you have so wonderfully glorified and glorify to this day, will be glorified.” The next day, Sunday, during the liturgy my arm hurt, and immediately after the liturgy my son-in-law took me to the hospital, where I was vaccinated against tetanus. It had to be repeated a month later, but the pain disappeared, and I forgot about everything, I was overdue. One evening I was typing and didn’t think about my illness. But leg cramps began, then I remembered about the vaccine. My son-in-law again took me to the hospital, the doctor said that it was still tetanus, diagnosed subclinical tetanus, and gave me another vaccination. Thank God, no more cramps appeared. I am a doctor by profession and I understand that getting tetanus means dying, and it’s too late to get vaccinated during the illness. Therefore, I attribute my healing entirely to the prayerful intercession of St. John. I am immensely grateful to the holy wonderworker and healer John of Shanghai and San Francisco and the Lord, who gave us such an intercessor on this earth according to His mercy and love for mankind. Forgive me and pray for me. 44. Vladika John saved me from death I live in St. Petersburg. I am 71 years old. In 1995, my friends gave me a book about Blessed John (Maksimovich). I read it and gained confidence in this saint. I often prayed to him. In February 1996, my kidneys hurt badly. Neither doctors, nor medications - nothing helped me. I couldn't sleep from the pain. I began to pray to Blessed John so that he would save me from the tormenting pain. I was in a state of oblivion and suddenly I very clearly saw Blessed John in all black. After this vision I felt better and I stood up. The pain began to subside, and then completely disappeared. I am very grateful to Saint John for his help. The second time, Blessed John (Maksimovich) simply saved me from death. In mid-July 1996, I was in a village in the Pskov region. I live in the house alone. My kidneys became inflamed again and I had severe pain. I lay there for several days without getting up and couldn’t eat anything. The medicine didn't help me. A neighbor saw that I was not leaving the house and came and started knocking, but I said that I couldn’t get up. I felt very bad, especially at night, I thought I was going to die. I prayed to Saint John and cried so that he would save me from death. And on the third day he appeared to me. I lay half asleep, unable to sleep due to pain. I saw half of his face, and his mouth was covered with white. I opened my eyes, the vision disappeared. After that I felt better. The pain went away completely. I became completely healthy. I work in a vegetable garden (15 acres). I process everything alone. So far I’m doing well, my kidneys don’t hurt. I am grateful and bow deeply to Saint John for his help and prayer. Smirnova Tatyana Alekseevna 45. Contrary to the doctors’ forecast, the boy was born healthy During the Christmas holidays, we learned about the miracle through the prayers of our holy Bishop John. First, we learned about him from the main sister of the sisterhood of Blessed Xenia at St. Vladimir’s Church in Ann Arbor, Olga Fedorovna Razumovich. Then Natalya Vasilievna Dale, a parishioner of this church, spoke about the miracle, having personally learned about the miracle from the child’s mother, Elena Mayorova. Elena and Vladimir Mayorov and son Alexei came to Ann Arbor from Russia. Here Elena received holy baptism. Later we attended their wedding in the Church of St. Vladimir. After getting a job in New York, the family moved there. Elena became pregnant. But she learned from the doctor that her fetus was “severely malformed” [has serious deformities]. The parents turned to several specialists, but after much research the answer was that “everything is wrong with the child.” The medical conclusion was: an operation was necessary - an abortion. The parents turned to Bishop Hilarion of Manhattan, now of Australia. The Bishop could not give a blessing for an abortion even with such a conclusion from the doctors and told Elena and Vladimir to pray to Bishop John and ask for his intercession. Having decided to rely on the will of the Lord, Elena endured the entire pregnancy, and five months ago, in 1996, a boy was born to the Mayorovs in perfect health. They named him John, in honor of the bishop. This, dear ones, is what we learned at Christmas. Sorry for writing unwisely. If necessary, I will ask Natalia Dale or Elena Mayorova to describe everything in detail. 46. Vladyka John helps move to Alaska Thank you for your prayers at the relics of St. John. Thanks to the miracle of St. John, we moved from the Bay Area (in California) to Alaska. By the grace of God, we are living in our new home in Alaska. Since 1994, we've wanted to escape our busy lives in the Bay Area. It seemed to us that in Alaska life was simpler, closer to nature, and there we could better escape. However, it is very difficult for a family of four to move 5,000 kilometers away. On Sunday, February 23, my husband, children, and my mother and I went to the San Francisco Cathedral to pray to St. John to show us the way and help us move to Alaska. In February 1997, such a move seemed like a vague dream. Immediately after the prayer at the relics of Bishop John, the dream became a reality. On Saturday, March 1, our landlord demanded to vacate the apartment. We were shocked to receive a notice that we had to move out of our apartment within 45 days. If we didn't do this, the owner threatened to force us to evict. On Sunday, March 2, we were thinking about relocating to Alaska, and my husband contacted the company where he worked to ask if he could be allowed to work in telecommunications. It was unlikely that the company would allow him to work from Alaska via computer. However, we decided to ask anyway. We found out everything and wrote a proposal for telecommunications, and on Monday, March 10, my husband submitted a petition to his boss. The boss said that he had nothing against this, but it was necessary to obtain the consent of the vice president and director, who were not in the city at that time. We spent several weeks looking for housing in the Bay Area to no avail. Our things were packed, but we were not sure where we would live, in Alaska or the Bay Area. On Saturday, March 15, at about 4:30 pm, we went to the relics of St. John, where you, Father Peter, served a prayer service. We were in serious condition because we didn’t know where to go from our old apartment. We prayed for guidance on whether to stay in the Bay Area or go to Alaska. During the prayer service, my husband heard the words: “Do not be afraid, my son, I will not allow harm.” We left reassured. On Tuesday, March 18, during a morning meeting at work, my husband's telecommunications proposal was relayed to the Vice President and Director. By the end of the day, the boss, with a surprised look, told his husband that they agreed to his proposal. On Wednesday, March 19th, my husband met with the Vice President, Director, and Supervisor regarding telecommunications. The vice president said that this is the first time this is happening in the company, but they think that telecommunication is the future of the company. When my husband said that he would work from Alaska, they were surprised and said that they needed to think about it. On Friday, March 31st, my husband met again with the vice president, director, and boss. The Vice President said they agreed to telecommunications from Alaska. They themselves were surprised by their decision. Having moved 5,000 kilometers north, we ended up in Alaska in April 1997. This is a real miracle! Larisa, Pavel, Evdokia and William Hale 47. Oil from the relics of the ruler conquers any pain In the evening, Lyubov Grigorievna came to me (this is the woman whom I blessed to anoint the sick in hospitals) and said that now a seriously ill patient has been brought to the hospital from the region. She is unbaptized and asks to be baptized and given communion. Early in the morning I came to the hospital and told the patient about God and the Orthodox faith. Since she was not feeling well, I baptized her in the hospital, then gave her communion and anointed her with oil taken from the shrine of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. Later, Lyubov Grigorievna told me that the patient, to the surprise of doctors and patients, quickly recovered and was discharged home. At my request, Lyubov Grigorievna found the patient, who then described in her letter what happened to her. I quote him briefly: “In May I was taken to the hospital in very serious condition. I couldn't move, talk, drink. I couldn’t eat for almost a month. Later, my roommates told me that when they brought me to the hospital, they thought that I would not live until the morning. I thought so too. I only asked: “God, if You exist, save me for the sake of my children and grandchildren, and I will turn to You in faith.” These thoughts were in my mind constantly, day and night. Due to severe pain, I could not sleep. My illness was severe, and I felt hopeless. Diagnosis: rheumatoid polyarthritis of all joints of the second degree (complete immobility), heart disease, lung cancer, anemia. In this regard, the kidneys, liver, spleen, etc. are damaged. I turned to Lyubov Grigorievna with a request that she bring the priest so that I could be baptized, confess and receive communion. As soon as Father Kirill baptized me, gave me communion and anointed me with oil from Bishop John, I immediately stood up. To the general surprise of doctors and patients, I began to recover quickly. All my terrible diagnoses began to be removed by the attending physician, like in a fairy tale. It made my heart happy, the defect was removed, and then the diagnosis of lung cancer was removed. I am especially grateful for the oil from the shrine of Bishop John of Shanghai and San Francisco. These are miracles! Wherever it hurts (wound, toothache, bruise, dog bite), I just anoint it with holy prayers, and everything goes away. A miracle happens: the pain goes away, the wound heals. Even my burn, which bothered me for a long time, after I anointed it three times, healed without consequences. Now I pray to God and see that He hears me and helps me.” This is the content I received from her in a letter. For those who are interested in this story, I provide the patient’s address: 416008, Russia, Astrakhan region, pos. N. Baskunchak, st. Kim, 1, apt. 1a. Simakova Galina Viktorovna. 48. Healing a Muslim woman This story that I witnessed happened to a Muslim friend of mine. It started in a bookstore. Once, in a bookstore, I extended my hand for a book about the last Russian Tsar, and someone nearby also extended my hand for the same book. His name was Raul (a Muslim who lived in Eureka). We started talking about the royal martyrs and Russia. He asked me if I was Russian. I replied that no, but I am a member of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. This has raised many questions about the difference between Orthodoxy and Islam. I am by no means a theologian, I have a library at home that I use every day. After that, we began to meet and bring each other books, each about our faith, and discuss them. A few months later we met again and Raoul looked sad. I asked what happened. He said his father called him and told him that his mother had breast cancer and there was no hope of recovery. I immediately remembered the holy oil from the relics of Vladika John. I grabbed a piece of cotton wool soaked in butter, wrapped it in foil, and took a paper icon of St. John and told him to immediately send all this to his mother. He noticed that she would throw it all away. I insisted that he send everything he had prepared to his mother and tell her to oil her chest in the shape of a cross. In the end he agreed. Several weeks passed, and the next time I saw Raoul, he looked puzzled. I asked what happened, and he told me that he had just talked with his father, and the first thing his father said to him: “Great is the Christian God of your friend Seraphim!” He asked his father why he said this. The father replied that when his mother visited the doctor, they took pictures of her cancer. The doctor was surprised because he found nothing. Another specialist was called and asked to take more pictures, but nothing was visible on them either. The doctor was afraid that the equipment had deteriorated, and sent the mother to take pictures on another device. But they didn’t show anything either. The doctor could not believe that the cancer had disappeared, since he believed that the mother had no more than a year to live. The doctors didn't want to admit that a miracle had happened, so the hospital agreed to pay another hospital for new scans. Another two weeks passed, new pictures were taken, but no traces of cancer were found. Now Raul and his family are in Baltimore. His father was raised a strict Muslim (Shiite). But now his father says they should study Orthodoxy more carefully; they began to study it through the Antiochian Church. I also forgot to mention that when the mother’s photographs were taken, she was holding an icon of St. John. They want to come to San Francisco in 1998 to personally thank Bishop John. I must admit that I was shaking like a leaf when he told me this, since I had never witnessed a miracle before. 49. The Lord helps arrange family life In 1997, I had a strong desire to visit the Holy Land. It seemed impossible to implement it. However, knowing from experience that the best remedy in such cases is prayer, I began to pray to Vladika John with zeal. The answer came immediately, and I went to the Holy Land for Lent. On the very first day of my stay at the Ascension Monastery on Olivet, I met the servant of God Z. We spent the entire fast inseparably. When the time came to part, Z. gave me a note and asked me to put it under the shrine of St. John. About six months later, Z. (with whom we, of course, exchanged phone numbers) called and asked if I knew what exactly was written in that note. I answered no. Then she told me her story. Later she described it in a letter and asked me to write about it. For a long time Z. was despondent, because she had abandoned her past life, but did not know how to build a new one. During Lent, Z. went to a convent in the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, Z. fervently prayed to God. She wanted to get married, have children and live in Christ. She wrote about this in a note to Bishop John. This desire, quite common and natural for an Orthodox layman, seemed almost an impossible dream in the circumstances in which Z. was at that time. Z., who grew up in Russia, moved to Europe as an adult and was already baptized and became a church member there. Of course, she wanted to marry an Orthodox man, but in the city where Z. now lived, there were few Orthodox Christians. She already knew almost everyone well from parish life, and by this time all of them had already chosen their path in the monastery or in the world, having created families. After all, Z. and her peers were already 30 years old. Sometimes Z. even thought about returning to Russia, realizing that it was almost impossible to meet a new person and start a family in the city where she lived. Returning to her city spiritually renewed from the Holy Land, she immediately felt as if a stone had been lifted from her soul. Then events began that completely changed her life. The circle of immigrants from Russia in the city where Z. lived was so small that most Russians, if they did not communicate closely, then knew each other one way or another. Z. began to communicate more closely with one of these distant acquaintances, a certain A., even before the trip to the Holy Land. Despite the sympathy that A. showed towards her, she, absorbed in her despondency, did not take the young man’s feelings seriously and did not experience reciprocal feelings. Upon returning from Jerusalem, everything changed. Z. saw A. with different eyes. The young people fell in love with each other. Since both of them were Orthodox, they decided to get married. A., like Z., was baptized as an adult. It so happened that he did not have the opportunity to go to church and he did not go to church often. The meeting with Z. changed his life - he began to regularly attend services, became interested in the history of Orthodoxy and the church calendar. However, on the day when A. came to talk with the priest about the upcoming wedding, he still knew a little about church holidays and was surprised to see in the middle of the church the icon of St. John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco. It turns out that this day was the anniversary of the glorification of the bishop. So the Bishop blessed this union. Just two months after the wedding, A. and Z. were expecting their first child. Doctors assumed that the birth would take place on June 30. The parents chose a name in advance, deciding to name the boy Stepan and the girl Seraphima. Somewhere in the depths of her soul, Z. hoped that the child would be born closer to the feast day of St. John. June 30 passed, July 2 arrived, but labor still had not begun. Z. thought: “Well, I became proud, I wanted to give birth on the day of memory of Bishop John... Apparently, I am unworthy.” On July 3, Friday, contractions began. It happened at night. The husband woke up and suddenly said: “No, if it’s a boy, then let’s not call him Stepan.” Z. responded: “Are you mocking a woman in my position? All nine months - Stepan, and on the day of contractions - not Stepan. I don’t even want to hear.” However, the husband did not agree to the name Stepan. I started looking at the calendar again. “Nikita,” he says, “that’s a wonderful name.” And then Z. began to object again. In general, when a boy was born on Saturday, July 4, he remained without a name. The good news was told to all relatives and friends, they also called the priest who married A. and Z. And the priest responded: “How wonderful that your boy was born on the day of the feast of St. John!” They were surprised: “How is this, father? After all, the feast of Bishop John was on Thursday, July 2?” The priest replies: “What are you talking about, I performed a service for him today. The day of his holiday is mobile and is celebrated annually on the Saturday closest to July 2. This year the holiday fell on Saturday, July 4th.” So all doubts were destroyed - the boy was named John in honor of St. John. Thus, through the prayers of Bishop John, the lives of the servant of God Z. and the servant of God A were arranged. Now their family already has two children, whom their parents are trying to raise in faith and piety. And in 2004, Z. and Vanechka made a pilgrimage to the relics of St. John, on the 10th anniversary of his glorification. Vanechka turned 6 years old on July 4, 2004. 50. Miracle from the oil of St. John On a wonderful Sunday afternoon (August 16, 1998), a tragic, terrible incident occurred that changed our lives forever. Returning home from a tennis tournament, our daughter Alexandra and her childhood friend got into a car accident, they were hit in the side by a car at high speed. My daughter's friend was killed on the spot, and my daughter fell into unconsciousness. She was rushed to the emergency department in Honolulu. Doctors told us that she had a serious head injury due to bleeding near her brain stem. They were very careful in estimating what percentage of recovery was possible, since the functions of the heart and lungs were controlled from there. At the right moment, the doctor said, “All we can do now is watch for swelling and worsening of the condition. Now everything is in God's hands. If you are believers, then I advise you to pray. Believe it or not, we have witnessed miracles happening here.” That's exactly what we did. Our dear friend and colleague John Kombos immediately informed us of the healing power of St. John's oil. He briefly explained to us about the origin of the oil and the miracles associated with it. With God's help, he got plane tickets from California and was soon with us at the sick bedside. He slowly prayed and anointed our daughter with oil. He continued to anoint it with oil all the days while he was with us, and explained to us how to do it. He left us a small bottle and we continued the anointing. He left as unexpectedly as he arrived. But we were left with a feeling of peace, because we felt that God was with us and had sent us a Guardian Angel for our dear daughter. After some time, Alex's recovery slowly but surely moved in a positive direction. She had not yet woken up, but there were no signs of brain swelling or worsening of her condition. We continued to pray and anoint her with oil three to four times a day. Time passed, and we were very tired of her long stay in a comatose state, about which we heard: “It’s a matter of time. It can last several days, weeks, months, years.” Miraculously, our daughter came to her senses 14 days after the disaster. She immediately began to communicate with us through signs and words, then began to walk and was discharged from the hospital in the sixth week. She is still recovering, going to treatments every week, and we continue to oil her, and also gave some of the oil to a friend she met in the hospital. His spine is damaged. We continue to pray for her and thank God and St. John for their love and healing. We believe with all our hearts in the power of prayer and the healing power of the oil of St. John. We thank John Kombos for his care, love and prayers to the Lord. Thank God for everything! 51. Vladyka promised to find a job and kept his promise Dear Father Peter! Two years ago I lost my job and status in this country. And at the same time she almost lost her head. Then I sent you a letter with a request to serve a prayer service to Vladyka John. Soon I had a dream that I was walking through some unfamiliar church with my letter in my hands. I go to Vladyka John to pray. And on the left side, out of the corner of my eye, I see a huge monastic figure, from the waist up. Huge, in the entire church, as if from another dimension (English dimension). I remember the beard, but I didn’t see the face. And he says: “There will be work for you!” I stopped and thought whether I should continue walking or not, and then I woke up. The heart immediately made it known that it was Vladyka John himself. That same week they offered me two part-time jobs, and for two years now I have been living with this. Glory to the Lord God for everything! 52. Gift from St. John I would like to use this letter to express my gratitude for the healing in February of this year. For the past 10 years, a precancerous skin lesion has appeared on my nose every year. Every time it appeared, I went to the dermatologist, he did a biopsy to check whether the cells had turned cancerous. If the cells remained normal, the doctor froze the lesion, and it soon disappeared. This went on for about 10 years. Three years ago, a doctor told me that if the tumor was not cut out, it would lead to skin cancer. I agreed, and he cut out the skin around the damage. He hoped he had removed all the diseased cells. After the operation, a small mark remained on my nose, but the pathology did not appear again. In December 1998, I felt roughening of the skin in this place, and when I looked in the mirror, I discovered that the previous lesion, 2 mm in diameter, had reappeared along the edges of the scar. My husband said we should cut it out. We had a trip planned to the East Coast, and I didn't get to the doctor in time. Upon arrival, I put off visiting the doctor, and the lesion remained in the same condition. One day I was at the holy corner and saw a small icon of St. John (Maximovich) and oil from the lamp near his shrine. The oil was given to me in 1988, and I have never smeared myself with it. I grabbed this oil and drew a cross on my forehead with the words: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, through the prayers of Bishop John, Lord, heal me.” And then I anointed the affected area with oil. I still had oil on my finger, and I anointed my husband with it. I didn't think much more about it, but when I looked in the mirror a few days later, I discovered that the lesion had disappeared. At first I was surprised, but, remembering prayer and oil, I cried, because I realized that this was the mercy of God, an undeserved gift that I did not expect. I cried for joy about the Lord and the kindness of St. John. Even though I am not worthy to even touch his oil, I will always call him my friend. Larkspur, California, USA 53. Saint John heard my request Dear Father Peter! Christ is Risen! I am very grateful to you for your attention and for sending the postcard of the shrine and the icon of St. John. In this icon he has a very attentive look, in which there is both kindness and concern. When I look at her, I feel protected. I would not dare to tear you away from your many affairs and concerns with my letters, but your father advised me to write to you about the changes in my health after you served a prayer service to St. John. Let me explain briefly that since December 1998 I was worried about a gastrointestinal disease, which gradually got worse. By the time I called you (March 22, 1999), my condition was simply critical. No matter what I did, nothing helped. On the contrary, it became worse and worse. Then I decided to disturb you. And you promised to serve a prayer service to St. John. I don’t know the date when you managed to do this, and I don’t need to know. I can only name the specific day when I began to recover. This is March 26th. That day I suddenly felt better and had strange sensations: I had the impression that a transparent cap seemed to be opening above me, covering me (before that I had not felt any cap). And I felt energy and strength flowing into the muscles of my arms. After this day, I was practically healthy. Dear Father Peter! You've never seen me. But believe me, I’m not some kind of suspicious person who sees miracles at every step. And I didn’t expect any special sensations at all, but they were there. This is reality, and maybe you will be interested to know. By the way, I admit that by March 26, perhaps you did not have time to serve a prayer service. But Saint John had already heard my request to you and already knew about your intention to serve a prayer service. As for my granddaughter Olga, the matter is more complicated. Unfortunately, she has a long-standing chronic illness. But it seems to me that after your prayer to St. John she showed signs of improvement. She did not tell me about any special sensations, but on the same day, March 26, she slept throughout the afternoon, which never happens to her. 54. Miraculous recovery It has been a long time since I ordered a prayer service at the relics of St. John. I would like to pray for my friend Mark (Geno), who left the faith after being baptized. I pray for his strengthening in faith and return to Christ, as well as for showing him the way. I want to write about a miracle for my next book. My brother was dying of cerebral hemorrhage at 38 years old. He lay under an oxygen mask and waited for death. We placed the icon of Bishop John on his bed, and the priests anointed him with oil every day. Not only did he wake up from his coma, but he made a full recovery. This is a real blessing. 55. Vladyka helped me find a job ...After 25 years of searching for a job in my specialty, I am finally, by the grace of God and the prayers of the righteous Saint John, working. On October 16, 1999, our good friend Olga Nikolaevna gave my daughter Elena a book for her birthday, “The Lamp of Grace,” written by Protopresbyter Valery Lukyanov. My wife Maria read this book and, impressed by the life of St. John, began asking Olga Nikolaevna about how she could apply for a prayer service to St. John. Olga Nikolaevna called you. On October 27, I received an invitation for an interview, on November 1, I was offered the job, and on November 4, I began my duties. All this happened while you were serving a prayer service to St. John. Through the prayers of St. John, God's mercy is with us. Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ! 56. The Lord is my life and my joy I learned about Vladyka John quite by accident. We lived on the East Coast, near New York. And it so happened that, while in New York for one day, I was looking for a Russian Orthodox Church and came across the Synod of the Orthodox Church. There, in a bookstore, I bought a book by Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) “The Great Wonderworker” about Vladyka John. The book shocked me. And soon after that we moved to San Jose. Upon arrival, I began to often travel to San Francisco, to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, where the holy relics of the bishop rest, and prayed to him all the time. Time passed, and one day I fell ill with the flu in a very severe form. And one day I saw in a dream a bishop in a bishop’s robe, he was telling me something, but I didn’t understand him, and his voice was trumpet-like. The next day I felt better and began to recover. This is how Vladyka helped me for the first time. A year later I fell ill with pneumonia. I can't take medicine. And I began to be treated with holy oil from the unquenchable lamp at the shrine with the relics of St. John. Twice a day, morning and evening, I rubbed holy oil into my back and chest and read a prayer to St. John for healing. In addition, morning and evening I prayed to Vladyka. Ten days after a secondary examination and x-ray, no pneumonia was found in me. So the lord saved me a second time. My son had a skin condition on his arm and leg. I anointed him with holy oil only twice, and it all went away. My friend suffered from a stomach ulcer. Holy oil was applied three times with prayer, and the attacks stopped. Holy oil with prayer relieves headaches and any pain in general. You just need to believe. We must honor this great saint and pray to him with faith, love and hope. The Lord helps not only with healing. I remember two years ago I couldn’t find a job. I went to Vladyka’s cathedral, prayed to him, and asked him to help me. It was Sunday, and on Tuesday my friend called and offered me a job. The Lord is my life and my joy. He is my Guardian Angel. I constantly invisibly feel his presence, that he is somewhere nearby, protecting me. Wherever I go and go, I pray to the Bishop and know that he will not leave me. Vladyka helped me strengthen my faith even more and draw closer to God. I cannot describe the gratitude and love that I feel for Vladyka. Hallowed be your name, Saint John! Cupertino, California, USA 57. Difficult exam passed with the help of the lord This incident occurred on April 24, 2000. I work at Bank of America. From the bank I had to go to an exam on a new computer system. Preparing for the exam was difficult for me. I did not and do not have a computer, and I did not have any practice. The supervisor was worried about me, not expecting a good outcome. He started hinting that I should quit my job. With hope in God, I went to the exam, taking with me the icon of Bishop John, and placed it between the papers with the questions. The exam lasted 4 hours. For completing the exam quickly, they gave me 10%, which I, of course, did not receive. I made a lot of mistakes. At the end of the exam, I went to the table where the papers were being checked. The pass rate was 75%. I got 86%. As a result, I only made one mistake. I couldn't believe my eyes. I thanked Vladyka in my mind, saying: you closed their eyes, and they don’t see my mistakes. Without his help, I would have failed miserably. Therefore, I think I have the right to say that this was help from the Bishop; with his blessing, I passed the exam, which was difficult for me. This is a miracle from Vladika John. 58. German doctors were surprised On behalf of our Berlin parish, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for little Nikita! Not least thanks to them, a miracle happened. The Lord not only saved Nikita’s life, but also granted him complete healing! As you know, eight-year-old Nikita Fedorov was hit by a bus on December 26, 1999/January 8, 2000, on the second day of Christmas. He received a severe brain injury, and the doctors gave only a 10% chance that he would survive (and that’s how Father Abraham says to console his parents)! And now - such a miracle! Even German atheist doctors (and Berlin is one of the most godless cities on earth) were surprised and spoke of a miracle! The Lord heard our sinful prayers! In our parish, every evening we read an akathist to the Mother of God and served prayer services. Father Abraham also came to the hospital every day to pray at Nikita’s bedside. But I believe that the miracle happened primarily thanks to the intercession of St. John! We constantly prayed in front of his icon with a piece of his holy relics, located in our church, and Nikita’s parents, Gennady and Elena, anointed the boy’s head with holy oil from the saint’s tomb, sent by you (for which we once again thank you sincerely). When Nikita arrived for rehabilitation in Hamburg, he was the only child who could walk from the very beginning, while other children, with more minor injuries, lay in bed for weeks or even months! Please, if possible, serve a prayer of thanks for Nikita! And write down, if possible, another miracle of St. John. The second miracle, although not the same, happened to Mother Leah, the wife of our former priest, Father Alexander (he now serves in Dusseldorf). She suffered from severe pain in her spine. After I gave her the oil you sent from the tomb of St. John and she began to smear herself with it, the pain decreased sharply. She feels much better now, and she is very grateful to you. 59. Saint John saved the life of a former prisoner of war In the spring of 2000, while having dinner with my family, I thought I saw a fly flying around the kitchen table. The more I tried to get rid of it, the closer it got to my right eye. Subsequently it turned out that there was no fly at all - everything was touching my eye. Something in my eye broke and was preventing me from seeing. The next day I went to the military hospital here in Cincinnati and the doctors completely examined my eye. I was informed that there was an infection in my eye and was told to come to the hospital daily so they could monitor my eye. On Sunday our priest, Father Paul Bassett, anointed my eye with oil from the relics of St. John. After lunch I went to the military hospital, but since it was Sunday there was no eye doctor there, so I was referred to an eye specialist at the university hospital. During my interview with the specialist, I asked him why I could not have waited a day and come to the hospital on Monday. The specialist doctor explained to me that I had a rare type of infection in the canal that leads to the brain, and therefore surgery would be required to save my life. On Monday I was back in the military hospital and the doctor called a specialist from the university hospital to check my eye. The specialist arrived immediately. They looked at my eye together and finally said, “We don’t know what happened to your eye, but the infection is completely gone.” I told them that on Sunday the priest anointed my eye with holy oil from the relics of the holy bishop. The specialist answered me: “Continue to be on good terms with the priest who anointed you, because he has a good connection with the Man from Above, i.e. with God." I do not have the slightest doubt that Saint John, through the oil, saved my life. I have all the documents from the hospital, and priest Pavel Bassett can personally witness this wonderful incident. I always tried to pray, fast and lead an Orthodox lifestyle, but such a miracle had never happened to me before. I know how powerful prayer is. Many years ago, during the Vietnam War, I was a prisoner of war in Cambodia, and then I prayed without ceasing. Subsequently, I and the surviving members of my military team were able to escape. This was the will of God. 60. Two miracles performed through the intercession of St. John 1. Several years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. She was admitted to St. Thomas's Hospital in London. We prayed for her and for the child. At night I had a dream. I was in a large church, and a minister in bishop's vestments appeared from the far end. He shone with a golden light, and a halo was visible above his head. His hair was a mess and he was short. At first I thought it was Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky), but it was Bishop John. He looked at me and walked through the royal doors. I realized that everything would be fine and continued to sleep. That same evening my daughter was discharged, everything was fine. Her child is already 4.5 years old, he is healthy and baptized in Orthodoxy. 2. In July I was told by Guildford Hospital that my small tumor in my armpit was stage 3 cancer. Over the course of several days, we spent five hours in the oncology department of the hospital. The news was bad. The lump turned out to be a secondary tumor, and therefore it was necessary to identify primary tumors using different methods. In addition, the mammogram showed ominous formations. The doctor took samples ten times and did a biopsy. He said the breast would probably have to be removed. The prognosis was bad. We prayed specifically to St. John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco, whose relics (a particle of relics) were given to us for a while by a nun from the Lesna Convent. We were supposed to be at the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. On Thursday, the nurse called and told us that everything was not as serious as it was established the first time. Changes have occurred. It turned out that the tumor was primary, and the breast was free of cancer. Nineteen lymph nodes were removed during breast surgery. During the operation, the relics of Bishop John were tied under my right armpit. The lymph nodes were free of cancer, the cancerous foci were removed, and after a biopsy it was concluded that everything was clear. There was no more cancer. Glory to God and gratitude to Bishop John for his intercession. 61. The Lord constantly takes care of me Holy Bishop John helped me - I received what I asked for - I passed the exam. From the outside, this event may seem stupid and frivolous, but it is not so. I couldn’t pass the exam for several years, this inability of mine had primarily spiritual reasons, I had to correct my life, but I only got confused. I clearly saw that if everything continued as before, I would go to hell, this gave rise to panic horror, but not the fear of God. I wrote a short note to Bishop John, and then everything changed - to me, forgetful and cold, he constantly reminded me of himself, that he cared about me. I had many temptations when I was preparing for the exam, I was ready to run away, give up everything, and St. John brought me back, restored and calmed me down. I have no doubt at all that it was he who gathered all the people, even those who knew me a little, who prayed for me. I myself was afraid to talk about my difficulties, I considered myself unworthy. An even greater miracle happened. Brother Joseph (Muñoz Cortes) came into my life. I had heard very little about him before, I imagined his appearance differently. His photograph was published in our “Bulletin” (May 1997), but then I was incredulous about it, I thought it was a mistake - the chosen one of the Most Pure Virgin could not look like a simple passer-by. Well, I thought, and time passed. Before the exam, Sister Vassa (Larina), who labors in our church, gave me a small icon of the Iveron Mother of God, which Brother Joseph had given her at one time. She asked to remember him and pray to the Mother of God. It seemed to me that I couldn’t, but gradually the prayer strengthened, so that during the exam I prayed without ceasing, that is, of course, not me, but the Mother of God. I felt Her cover. What about remembering Brother Joseph? I understood my duty, but again I doubted my abilities. A week of agonizingly waiting for the results - and right on the eve of their announcement, completely unexpectedly, we received a cassette from the Holy Land from Mother Moses with a film about. Victor (Potapov) “The Chosen One of the Mother of God.” It's a long film, but I didn't want it to end. I watched it with tenderness and awe. And everything changed. After all, you know how it happens, you read the Holy Scriptures, the lives, the teachings of the holy fathers, and you seem to dream of living and dying like this, but you practically project this agreement not onto yourself, but onto others, and you are tormented as to why others don’t live like that. Unfortunately, I am a very cold-blooded person, I always want it change, but mental tension alone is not enough, so if a miracle has entered the heart, then it is what it is. Brother Joseph does not leave my heart, he has become close to me. I prayed to him, although it was probably wrong, but when I turned to him: “Brother Joseph, help!” - he helped me! It's a miracle. Of course, from my weakness, but also from my strength, because I have become different. 62. Improvement occurred after prayer at the holy relics I am writing you this letter to express my deep gratitude for your prayers over the holy relics of St. John of Shanghai, and also to tell you the good news that the Lord has removed the threat of cancer from me. My husband, Vladimir Mezentsev, wrote and called you in November from Toronto (his first letter did not arrive) with a request to pray over the holy relics of St. John of Shanghai for my health (I have a large tumor on the thyroid gland, they did a biopsy), as well as for the health of my mother, the servant of God Sophia, and that my husband would finally be able to find a job with enough income for our family. The first improvement occurred the day after your prayer. I woke up in the morning and felt stronger and more energetic. And to this day, I have never returned to the feeling of complete physical powerlessness that I had before (I came home from work and literally fell off my feet, it seemed that I had no strength even to breathe). The second miracle - a biopsy showed the other day that my tumor is benign. I sincerely prayed and asked for the intercession of St. John of Shanghai, as did my husband and my loved ones. And I sincerely believe that your prayers and the intercession of St. John of Shanghai saved me. Once again, Father Peter, accept the most sincere gratitude from me and my husband. Please also convey our gratitude to my mother for her responsiveness, attention and great warmth that she showed in her conversation with my husband on the phone. Today we ordered a prayer service of thanksgiving to St. John of Shanghai at our Holy Trinity Church in Toronto, which we attend. We will continue to pray to St. John of Shanghai for the health and well-being of our family. Now I have to undergo a test - surgery and complete removal of the thyroid gland. We really hope that the Lord and St. John of Shanghai will help us further. We received the icon of St. John of Shanghai and the oil from the lamp over his tombstone that you sent and we reverently preserve these holy relics. May the Lord and Saint John of Shanghai give you and your family all the best for your prayerful help to us in difficult times. With most heartfelt gratitude Natalya, Vladimir Mezentsev 63. The difficult operation ended successfully My brother's daughter was born with a severe heart defect - an almost complete absence of the interventricular septum. This was our pain, our family tragedy. Such heart defects cannot be treated. The usual defect of the septum can be “patched” without any problems, but in the case of Lyudochka there was nowhere to attach this “patch”. The partition simply did not exist. I, as a doctor, understood that from a medical point of view the case was hopeless, but as a Christian, I believed that what is impossible for humans is possible with God (Luke 18:27), and I constantly prayed to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Bishop John of Shanghai, whom I felt very close and about whom I believed that he was given to us, modern Christians, so that we would not think that all miracles remained in antiquity. Almost ten years passed like this. It seemed that the Lord did not hear either my prayers or those to whom I prayed. And in September 2000, my brother called me and said that Lyuda would be operated on. A fundamentally new operation has been developed that gives hope to patients like her. Unfortunately, the experience of such operations is very small and the chances, according to doctors, are fifty-fifty. But otherwise, the chances [of survival] are even less, she will face heart failure and inevitable death. We agreed to the operation. On Sunday, I asked the priest of our Church of the Intercession in Chicago, Father Pavel (Ivashevich), to serve a prayer service. To my surprise, without asking me, he said: “Let’s pray to Vladyka John” - and went up to the icon that was next to the large icon of St. Nicholas. I was delighted. This means that the Lord has heard the prayers of His chosen ones and is making it known. I returned home with a calm soul. The next morning the operation began in Moscow. I wanted to call to talk to Luda before the operation, but I was told that she was taken to the operating room at 6 in the morning. Only at 6 pm the doctors came out of the operating room and said that the operation was extremely difficult, the blood loss was much more than normal, the condition was very serious. At night I tried to call the intensive care unit, the doctors answered sparingly, almost rudely: “The condition is extremely serious, do not stop us from fighting for her life.” From the tone of the answer, I very keenly felt that they had no hope, they were simply fulfilling their duty to the end. I rushed to the church for help from the One for whom all things are possible (Mark 10:27). Father Pavel served a prayer service to Bishop John. It was very hard on my soul. Understanding that I cannot tempt the Lord and ask for what I want, I nevertheless could not simply resign myself and give up, since this would mean betraying both Lyudochka and the doctors who continued to fight for her life. I remember my way home from the church. My heart was breaking from invisible tears. I looked at the trees decorated with autumn gold, at the aching heights of the blue sky and thought that she would not see this again, would not be able to come to visit us, see America, see the world. It is impossible to express this pain. With cold fingers I dialed the number in Moscow, ready to hear the worst. Doctors said that the condition is extremely serious and unstable. I haven't heard this before. The most important thing is that she is alive! This went on for a whole week. I prayed to Bishop John and the Mother of God and called Moscow twice a day. The condition did not improve, but did not worsen either. So slowly and imperceptibly the miracle happened. Ten days later, Lyudochka was discharged from intensive care to the intensive care ward, and a month later she was discharged home. For the first time in her life, her parents noticed a blush on her cheeks and her lips turned pink. Of course, not everyone can see the miracle in this story. Conventional surgery, heavy resuscitation. Yes, doctors face this every day. This is true. But I am even more pleased that the Lord, hiding from us sinners and trying not to tempt us, nevertheless gives everyone who has spiritual eyes and ears the opportunity to understand and hear. The doctors, when everything was already over, said that on the first night after the operation they almost lost Lyudmila, and the fact that she remained alive was SIMPLY A MIRACLE. 64. Saint John helped his grandson to be born I learned about the existence of the great Russian Saint John (Maksimovich) in 1999 from a parishioner of our church in the village of Saltykovo. She gave me a book about St. John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco. Having learned that my daughter would have her first birth far from Russia, in America, and sharing my excitement, this parishioner advised me the following: “Pray to the great Russian Saint John, whose incorruptible relics are in the Cathedral of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco - he will arrange everything!” From the book I learned that Bishop John (Maksimovich) is my fellow countryman and even neighbor. My grandfather’s house was in Lipovaya Roshcha, in the suburbs of Kharkov, where Saint John’s parents lived nearby. The estates were nearby, and the ancestors probably knew each other. Mikhail Maksimovich was a practicing lawyer in Kharkov before emigrating to Yugoslavia. This is the city where me and my children were born. All this puzzled me and inspired me to fly to my daughter through San Francisco. This was in 2000. When I was planning to fly to America for the birth of my daughter, I could not find my foreign passport. Having repeatedly looked at all possible places and already despairing of finding him, I turned to Vladyka John with a request: “Please indicate, Vladyka, whether the passport is lost or is in the house.” And in a dream I heard a voice: “Take your passport in the old bag in the closet.” When I woke up, I rushed to the closet and found my bag - my passport was there. There were two passports lying next to each other (the old one, which I left as a keepsake, and the new one). The day of departure arrived. My eldest son and husband accompanied me. After going through customs inspection, I submitted my documents to passport control. Quite calmly, I waited for the end of the procedure, when suddenly it turned out that I had taken my old passport. They sympathized with me, but they couldn’t help me. I had to return to Saltykovo. That same day I had an attack of illness that had not bothered me for a long time. Only the quick and timely actions of doctors from the good Kremlevka clinic put me back on my feet. I imagined what would happen to me if this attack happened on the plane. Vladyka actually took me off the flight and thus saved me against my will. After completing a course of treatment, I flew to America and safely reached the place where my daughter is, in the state of New Mexico. I flew through San Francisco and venerated the relics of St. John. The cathedral cleric, Archpriest Peter Perekrestov, kindly met me, presented me with several bottles of blessed oil and, after blessing me, sent me away. Finally the day of birth arrived, and the daughter was taken to the hospital. The pregnancy was difficult. It was the same with childbirth. For nine hours already the daughter could not resolve herself. Stimulants did not help, and the doctor went to prepare for surgery (cesarean section). I was there all this time. Falling to my knees, I turned to Bishop John: “Help! I know you helped many people in childbirth.” And suddenly I raise my eyes and see: in the corner of the room stands St. John in a white vestment with a miter on his head - his eyes, his hair... And behind me there was a nurse’s exclamation: “The child is coming, he’s coming.” And my grandson Fedor appeared. 65. Oil relieved post-operative pain ...Thank you again for the holy oil! I probably told you that the day after the most difficult operation on the spine, I anointed my mother’s back and prayed to St. John. Literally a few hours later, all postoperative pain disappeared without a trace and has not reappeared since then. More than a year has passed. If possible, write this down somewhere as another miracle of St. John! This Sunday (December 18th) I learned that my 60-year-old parishioner, Leontius Loyd, was in intensive care at St. Joseph in Denver because he had lost a lot of blood due to an internal hemorrhage in his lungs. On Sunday afternoon I communed him with the Holy Gifts and unctioned him. On Monday, St. Nicholas Day, the doctor informed Leonty's family that he had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor on one of his lungs and that he had a month left to live - he could die at any time. On Monday morning, our parish reader and parishioner accompanied me to the hospital, where we sang a prayer service to St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco and anointed Leontius with the oil (from the lamp over the relics of St. John) that the priest from the San Francisco Cathedral gave me just recently. On Tuesday evening (December 20, the feast day of St. Ambrose of Milan), Sister Leontia called me and reported that my brother’s tumor had completely disappeared. The doctors were simply puzzled: the man who was waiting to die in the hospital was completely healthy. On Wednesday afternoon, Leonty was discharged from the hospital. Glory to God, marvelous in His saints! 67. Miraculous healing through the prayers of St. John I had a problem with my left leg. She was very sick, especially her thumb, which became more and more immobile. My thumb was already deformed due to the lump. Constant pain accompanied me, and, as a result of this, I was always irritable and in a bad mood. I almost couldn’t walk normally anymore. When the pain became unbearable, the doctor injected me with cortisol. However, the relief did not last long, only a few months. Then the pain returned even worse than before. Due to severe pain, I could not sleep. One evening I remembered the oil of St. John that my friends brought from San Francisco. I found the oil, read the akathist to Bishop John and prayed to him with tears, asking for help. Then I applied the oil to my thumb and before my eyes it straightened up! I was so excited and touched that I couldn't sleep. I felt an inexplicable energy piercing my foot, like thousands of tiny needles. It was an amazing feeling. My thumb was no longer stiff, although it was not 100% straight. I think this will remind me of the miracle of St. John. I told my son about what happened. He thought I was exaggerating because he knew about the condition of my thumb. He wasn't convinced. Soon after, he broke a finger on his right hand. After the cast was removed, the son complained of pain and stiffness in the joint. I told him that Vladyka John could help him, but for this he must have strong faith. The son replied that he must first see and then believe. On the contrary, I said that first there must be faith and then healing will come. He said he would try. He knelt down and prayed. I read the akathist to the saint, anointed my son’s finger with oil and kissed him, wishing him good night. In the morning he got up and said, “The holy oil really helped, I can move my finger!” Glory to God, marvelous in His saints! Thank you, Vladyka, for answering my prayers! Saint John, guide us sinners, pray to God for us. 68. Vladyka’s oil saved me from chickenpox ...With gratitude I inform you of the miracle that occurred through the intercession of the holy Archbishop John. Our youngest daughter (2 years old) got chickenpox. The doctor made a diagnosis and immediately said that chickenpox is unusually contagious and my eldest daughter (5 years old) should soon get sick. And soon the eldest daughter was supposed to have a birthday; In addition, I was sorry that she would miss classes in kindergarten and music. We didn’t even try to isolate her - the four of us live in the same room, so the children played together and breathed on each other. But immediately, as soon as the eldest came home from kindergarten, I anointed her with oil from the lamp over the tomb with the relics of St. John, which you sent. And she didn't get infected! For example, a 16-year-old boy with whom the children could meet in the kitchen (my husband’s brother, we live together) became infected. And my five-year-old daughter, spending so much time in the same room with her sister, did not get infected! We were warned that neither attempts to isolate them within the apartment from each other, nor any kind of bandages on the face would help. But the child was simply anointed with oil from St. John the Wonderworker - and the child was protected from infection! I also anointed the little one with oil on her forehead. And despite the fact that the entire body was covered almost entirely with bubbles, not a single bubble appeared on the head - neither on the face, nor in the hairs, nor on the neck. And she endured the disease very easily, without any fever, and behaved as if she was not sick! Thus, through the prayers of St. John, a miracle was revealed to us. God bless! Leonid, Svetlana, Ksenia and Elizaveta I would like to share the joy that, by the grace of God, I received from Bishop John of Shanghai. I suffered from repeated nerve pinching for many years; I got into this trouble due to my carelessness; The last time my nerve tormented me longer than usual, it turned out that due to various circumstances I put off going to the doctor. This lasted for several weeks, the pain waxed and waned, but the dull ache never went away. I had already gotten used to her, but that day on which Saint John helped was very difficult, I walked as if shackled. Before going to bed, I somehow turned around incorrectly and could not move for a long time because of the pain that pierced me. When I let go a little, I went up to the table on which there was an icon of St. John and oil from his lamp, and, of course, with tears I asked: “St. John, help!” She took the oil and anointed the sore spot, which was already swollen, in a cross shape, and slept all night, there was no pain, in the morning she anointed it again, repeated this several times until the swelling went away, and it was as if the pain had never been there. After the obvious miracle of God, my husband and I decided to do something for St. John; we were even ashamed to remain indifferent. Help us, Lord, both in sorrow and in joy, to sincerely and as to the living, turn to Your ascetics and have mercy on us sinners. (Testimony of a parishioner, conveyed by priest Boris Ignatievsky) My brother, with whom to this day I cannot talk about Christianity or Orthodoxy, began to at least acknowledge the existence of God. Two years ago he was diagnosed with cancer. First he was given two weeks to live, then five months, and then five years if he was lucky. Personally, I converted to Orthodoxy. At home, my husband and I served a prayer service to St. John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco. Then I sent the holy oil of Bishop John to my brother’s second wife, who is a Catholic. In a letter, I explained to her that she should apply oil in the form of a cross on her brother’s spine, where the tumor was, and asked Bishop John to pray to the Lord for him. Now my brother is recognized as recovered and is the first person in the world to be cured of this type of cancer. Naturally, this is actively discussed in the world of medicine. We thank Bishop John for hearing our prayers. 71. After the prayer service, Vladyka John found work All summer, from early June to mid-September 2004, I was looking for work. There was work, but not the same - temporary, short (for example, the grandmother whom I looked after died two weeks after I started this job). After this, on the advice of our parishioners, I wrote a letter and sent a donation for a prayer service to St. John at his holy relics. I sent the letter on September 13th. That same day, I called the priest of the Cathedral in San Francisco asking for prayers to Vladika John about work. The very next day I received two offers and interviews were scheduled, but I wanted to work in New York because I was tired of traveling to remote areas and because the church I attend is located in the very center of the city. On September 16, I was offered a job that I could only dream of, and, moreover, not far from New York, in a city that I know and in which I dreamed of working. Thank you, Queen of Heaven! Thank you, Saint John! 72. Gratitude to the lord for help Dear in the Lord Fr. Peter! Two months ago I wrote to you asking you to pray at the tomb of Blessed Saint John, whom I deeply revered, so that the Lord God, through his intercession, would send us a child, since we have been married for seven years and we have no children. At first I turned to doctors, even took pills that were supposed to help me, but deep down I still believed that the Lord created everything and controls everything, that He is my most important Doctor. And then a month ago, when I refused all medications and doctors, a miracle happened - I found out that I was expecting a child. The Lord God has sent us great mercy, and our joy has no end. Although I asked many saints for help, I believe that St. John of Shanghai helped me a lot. I want to ask you to serve a prayer of thanks at his relics and ask for his intercession so that the pregnancy proceeds safely. Carrel, pc. New York, USA 73. Anya prayed, and Vladyka John heard her and called us to him In May 1995, my granddaughter Anya (she was 1 year and 8 months old) and her brother Vladimir (2 years and 8 months old) were burned in a car. After almost two weeks of shock, Anya woke up and asked: “Where is God?” She led us to God. And only by God’s grace, Anya, my beautiful granddaughter, who became a disfigured invalid after the fire, ends up in the best hospital in the world - Boston, where operations are free, and the Epiphany Church in Roslindale (Boston area) led by our unforgettable Father Roman took over the nutrition of Anya and my soul and body, and accommodation. There we first learned about St. John and Xenia of Petersburg. When we first came to the Boston Burn Center in 1997 (in August), we stayed here for eight months, until March 1998, because we had 4 major operations, and there was a break of 2 months between operations, although this is very short. And after the third operation, Anya felt very bad - she became nervous, somehow different, nothing was pleasant to her, her arms and legs were cramping, and I wrote a letter to Father Peter in San Francisco. In addition, Bishop Mitrofan in New York was urgently informed about the serious condition of a burnt girl from Russia, whose care was taken over by the church in Roslindale. A response came very quickly from Father Peter; books about Vladika John, holy oil and money were attached to his warm, intelligent letter. Father Peter served a prayer service at the relics of St. John, Bishop Mitrofan served a prayer service at the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God in New York, Father Roman served a prayer service for Anya’s health here in the Boston church. Anya is getting better and better, she demanded from me (she was 4 years old) that I read her not fairy tales, but a book about St. John. And Anya’s condition improved so much that she underwent a fourth operation, which she simply needed, although the doctors were afraid to do it. We read all the books about St. John that Fr. Peter, plus everything that our mother Irina gave us to read. Anya kept saying: “When I get to him, I’ll ask for my hair.” In the summer of 1999, our dear parishioners took Anechka and me to the Jordanville Monastery, where one of the women standing at the icon of St. John, advised him to pray: after all, he would do everything so that Anya would even be able to venerate his relics. Anya prayed, and I, of course, would really like to take Anya to San Francisco, but I saw that only a few from the Boston church were at the relics of St. John. Before each operation, Anya asked our good Father Roman to bless her with the icon of St. John of Shanghai. And suddenly, after a week or two (I didn’t write it down, and now I’ve forgotten the exact date, but I know it was very quickly), our dear father Roman calls the hospital and says: “There’s a conversation.” When we were brought from the hospital to the service (parishioners again!), Fr. Roman explained that a man he didn’t know came to one of the last services, asked about Anya and said that he would give money for this girl, but not for medicine, not for a hotel, not for a ticket to Russia, but so that she and her grandmother would accompany her everywhere, i.e. with me, we went to the relics of St. John. When the priest said this, my whole body was frozen with excitement, because I knew that no one had heard about Anya’s request. Even now, when almost six years have passed, I cannot remember without emotion this incident when Vladyka John heard Anya and called to him. And we were there for an unforgettable three days in September 1999 (we lived with his pupil Larisochka Krasovskaya), and we still have his help and presence. 1999, September. Boston. We just returned from a trip to San Francisco, where we visited the relics of St. John. And a woman came up to us (we later found out that her name was Rimma Vilker) and asked what was wrong with the girl, where we were living between operations. And suddenly the next day she finds us, gives us the keys to a free apartment and literally forces us to live there until we leave home (and we were supposed to fly out in a month and a half). This means that the ruler took care of Anya again. And between operations we lived in the nice and friendly Klimov family, they then had six children. Of course, Mary and Andrei Klimov accomplished a feat, they took a girl mutilated by fire, which not everyone could even look at. And then suddenly Rimma suggested some kind of fairy tale. I still resisted, because Mary had done so much for us, how could I leave Mary at a difficult moment. But Rimma didn’t want to listen to any “buts”. She said that after talking with her, her ex-husband suspended the sale of his apartment so that Anya and her grandmother could live there before going home to Russia. We lived there like in a fairy tale. Quiet, calm, the refrigerator is full of different products. Anya and I started studying and going for walks, but Anya was bored without Mary’s children. I felt very good there. After all, the Klimov family is also tired of us - the clinic, dressings, hospital, etc. And after all, his six children. And we came from Russia twice and during these periods we lived with the Klimov family. And then, after our trip to San Francisco to visit St. John, the bishop took pity on both Mary and us. This incident would not have happened without the bishop. How many times have we been in Moscow, coming for surgery or treatment at a burn hospital from Kalmykia, where we lived until 2000, and found ourselves in such a situation that we could even spend the night on the street; They take me to an apartment, but they take one look at Anya and immediately refuse. And here, in the center of Boston, we lived in an empty three-room apartment for a whole month! Master, dear Master, glory to you! And his concern for Anya continues to this day. This is how we moved to the Moscow region. People give Anya an apartment in our village. Suddenly, all the doctors in the Moscow hospital insist that the heat of Kalmykia is very harmful to Anya, and priests in different places give blessings in the Moscow region. But try to sell a house in Kalmykia, there is an almost mass exodus of not only Russians, but also many Kalmyk families. People have been selling houses for years. We sold the house in a week. The mayor of Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, gave a KamAZ truck to transport our things (this is 1500 km). We instantly bought an apartment in the Moscow region, but only a two-room one, where our three families lived. After living at home, living in such a cramped apartment (what to do if you only had enough money for it) is terrible. Plus, everything there is foreign. Everything native: nature, people, and relatives remained in Kalmykia. And suddenly we are called to the post office, where they give us piles of letters, parcels, transfers. It turns out that someone wrote to the “Russian House”, indicating our Kalmyk address! Kalmykia Post was able to find our address in the Moscow region through our relatives and sent us correspondence for a long time, probably for six months. We still don’t know who wrote it. I went to Moscow, to the editorial office of this magazine, to thank them. There, the editor-in-chief was indignant, how could the article have been published without her knowledge?! We answered every letter, then people from Moscow began to come to us, and then they gave us money so that we could buy Anya’s apartment, so that it would be registered in her name and so that only Anya would be registered there. The family has the right to live there, but only until Anya grows up, and then only she will have control over the apartment. Dear Bishop John of Shanghai, we are already in Russia, and he knew all our needs and helped us in Russia. And even our abbot Georgy said: “Valentina, this once again proves that Anya is under God’s wing.” So, thanks to Bishop John, Anya’s family purchased a separate apartment, and we, the rest of the family, live in our own two-room apartment, where Anya’s family, except Anya, is registered. Dear Bishop, glory to you! God is marvelous in His saints! We had only just managed to arrange a gift of an apartment in Anechka’s name when the time came for the operation at the Boston Burn Hospital in the fall of 2000. How useful all the translations were to us! We arrive, and I myself think where they will accommodate us, which family Father Roman will persuade to accept us. And suddenly something fabulous again. We are placed in Boston in a church house. The second priest left, and the room became vacant. Yes, I couldn’t even dream about this. We lived like at home, even better! They clothed us, fed us, gave us water, took us not only to the hospital, but also on excursions, helped raise my granddaughter - after all, they met her when she was not even four years old! Father got Anya into a private school, where she graduated from the second grade as the best student and began to speak excellent English. To live next to the church, surrounded by the love and warmth of Father Roman and Mother Irina and all their parishioners - only Bishop John of Shanghai could do this. When we visited the relics of St. John in September 1999, we were in the cathedral every day, and before leaving, Larisochka Krasovskaya brought us again (late in the evening, we were leaving in a couple of hours) to venerate St. John. I understand that there will never be a second visit to him, such gifts are given only once, I cry with happiness, say goodbye to him, and before slamming the door, Anya and I shouted: “Vladyka, goodbye!” Larisa rushed to hug us, saying: “You understand what you said: see you next date!” Vladyka, it turns out, made it clear to us that he is waiting a second time. And indeed, when we arrived in October 2001 for the operation and were placed in a church house (what happiness!), Marina and Slava told us that they would help us buy tickets to San Francisco so that Anya and I could go again to the relics of St. John. Dear lord, he not only supports Anya morally (she believes in God, studies well; although she is disfigured by fire, she walks upright, has no complexes, and behaves like an ordinary person), but also supports her financially. He helps us withstand this test. We were there for four days - this is already 2002, and every day they held funeral services for the dead in the church; even when we came again to say goodbye to the bishop two or three hours before departure, there was a dead man in the church again. I began to be afraid to fly: what if there was a terrorist attack? And suddenly, before we turned to leave, another of his pupils came up, attached an icon of St. John to me and Anya and said: “Fly calmly, Vladyka is with you.” The fear went away immediately. Dear lord, he sees everything. March 16, 2005. Now we have come to Boston for the fourth time. The problem was with our accommodation between operations. There was no room in the church house, and suddenly Mother Irina informed us in Russia, before we left, that we would again live in a room in the church house. This is Bishop John of Shanghai again. I love the Bishop very much. When we were at the relics of St. John in September 1999, we received the following help from him (which I remember with gratitude all the time): 1. My godson Evgeniy was in Chechen captivity. I asked the bishop to help his godson. We arrived in Kalmykia at the end of September 1999, and suddenly a month and a half later there was a message that Evgeniy was being taken home, that he was alive. I know that only dear Bishop John of Shanghai freed his godson. Although many of his relatives consider this a coincidence, I bow to Vladyka with love and gratitude. 2. Our parishioner, Fedya, could not find a job for a long time due to a spinal injury, and the family has two teenage children. He asked to buy a candle with his money (he gave one dollar) and ask St. John for help in finding a job. Fedya didn’t tell us anything at first, but told us later when he and Father Roman chose a job from the many suddenly offered to him. They even invited him from places where he had never applied. How surprised I was, how glad I was! Glory to you, beloved Bishop John! 74. Gift from St. John My family - myself, my wife Christina and my son Brian - have been trying to become citizens of the United States, this blessed country, for more than six years. My son Brian is a US citizen since he was born here. Even if we are expelled from this country, my son will still be able to stay here. I have been working for the Orthodox publishing house Conciliar Press here in California for about four years. When I first applied for a work visa to be able to work in a publishing house, I only got a visa for three years, and I had to wait a whole year for a visa, so in reality I could only work for two years. After my visa expired, I received an extension for another two years. According to immigration laws, a visa cannot be extended for more than five years. By law, I had to return to Romania, reapply for the visa and wait a whole year to receive a five-year visa. In September 2004, our five years expired, we applied to the immigration office for a one-year visa extension, explaining that we had not actually received five years because we had been waiting a whole year for a visa. About a month and a half ago, we received a refusal to extend our visa, since we had already served five years and it was time to return to Romania. We spoke with our lawyer and he said that we could file a final motion to “reopen the case and reconsider it,” which we did. There was very little chance of this request being granted, but we tried anyway. It was very important for us to stay in America this year, since we still had immigration matters. About a year before, I applied for permanent residence (this is the first step in obtaining a so-called “green card”), and my wife won a “green card” in the lottery (the American government organizes drawings every year). As I said, it was very important for us to stay here because if we returned to Romania, we would have little chance of returning back to America, and things would be very difficult if we had to apply at the American Consulate in Romania. My friend, Deacon John Christianson, called his friend, Father David Barr from Austin, Texas, and told him about our problems with immigration. He immediately said that we should pray to St. John (Maksimovich) in the cathedral in honor of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco. He heard that many miracles were happening through his prayers. Deacon John came to me and said: “I must take you, your wife and son to San Francisco to pray to Vladika John.” We tried several times to go to San Francisco and finally, a week before our legal exit from America expired, we went there. We came to the cathedral on March 19, but the service there had already ended, and Deacon Dimitri from the bookstore kindly opened the church for us and allowed us to venerate the relics of Bishop John. Then he said that he would offer a prayer service to the Bishop at five o’clock in the evening, but we could not stay, since we promised to be at the birthday party of a little girl. We said that we would order a prayer service another day. On the same day, an unusual event occurred in the bookstore: our friend who brought us to San Francisco, Deacon John, met an acquaintance from Alaska who also came to visit the cathedral. We got to talking, and Deacon John found out that this woman was from the same city as him and knew people who worked for Deacon John in Alaska. Deacon John owed them money and passed the check through this lady. Meanwhile, they were surprised and really imagined these people when they received a check from Deacon John, who met their friend in San Francisco. On the way home, Deacon John said that he had good feelings about this incident and we should definitely return to the cathedral and order a prayer service, which we did. We returned to the cathedral on Tuesday morning, March 22, and served a prayer service at the relics of Bishop John. When the prayer service ended, I thought that I had not prayed to the Bishop attentively, since my ten-month-old son was constantly fidgeting in my arms and making noise, so that I could only concentrate on a few prayers during the prayer service. Then we returned home to Boulder Creek and as we drove up to the house we saw a FedEx express mail car. We booked flights to Romania and knew FedEx had to deliver. The wife said she had been praying all the time for the Lord to give us some kind of sign, and when she saw the FedEx car, she was discouraged. We approached the courier and asked if there was anything for us. He said that there was and that FedEx had already tried to deliver mail once, but they didn't find anyone at home, and they needed a receipt. And he was not waiting for us at the house, but for a car for towing, because the FedEx car had broken down. That same day I went to work to pick up my things in case I left for Romania. I checked my email and saw a miracle. In the mailbox there were four letters from the immigration service saying that my case had been accepted and I could stay in America. I printed out one of the letters and gave it to my colleagues to read, since it was an out-of-the-ordinary event and I wanted someone else to confirm it. It was the truth, not a dream. I immediately called my wife and told her the good news. My colleagues were also extremely amazed at the Lord’s mercy and miracle! Ben Lomond, California, USA 75. A Catholic woman has developed an interest in Orthodoxy I would like to share the last miracle known to me, performed through the prayers of St. John. I am writing this at the request of my boss at work, Julia Abumarch. At the end of February 2005, Julia's daughter, Gianni, became seriously ill with pneumonia and was hospitalized. It turned out that a lot of water had collected in her lungs, and the doctor said that if the water did not come out through a special tube by the end of the day, the girl would have to undergo surgery. Julia, her mother and the whole family were very worried about the girl. At this time, I visited the child and gave them oil from the lamp of Bishop John, telling them what to do. Their family is Catholic and they are familiar with holy oil. In addition, I asked my spiritual father to remember the ill Janine and her mother Julia in personal prayer. The whole day passed in excitement, Julia remembered the holy oil every two hours and anointed Janine’s forehead with it in the shape of a cross. Soon after this, unexpectedly for everyone, all the water drained from the lungs, the child felt much better, and after a few days she was discharged from the hospital. Julia was very excited and grateful to the Russian saint for his help. I gave her a book about Vladika John in English and told her a little about him. She asked me to write about this incident and give the testimony to the priest. Moreover, she has developed an interest in Orthodoxy, and from time to time she asks questions about our faith. The Lord is Merciful and Long-suffering and desires salvation for everyone, so it is very important to ask for the prayers of Vladika John for our salvation, for the strengthening of faith and for the salvation of our loved ones, and the rest will follow. 76. The saint warms me with hope Dear Archpriest Peter! My name is Olga, I'm 17 years old. I would like to tell you not about a big miracle, not about obvious external help, but simply about the internal support that St. John of Shanghai provides to my family. I have a difficult situation at home: my parents often fight, they have been planning to divorce for several years now, they have already separated once. But I have a four-year-old brother, Andryusha, he needs love, a stable family. I don’t know how it will continue to grow... I must say that my grandmother greatly honors Bishop John Maksimovich and regularly orders prayer services from his saint. relics. He also helped her more than once. This is what happened to me. My parents were going through a difficult period, they argued a lot every day for several weeks, and I no longer knew what to do. At the same time or a little earlier, a parishioner whose son is a priest in San Francisco gave me an icon of St. John, consecrated on his tomb, and I hung it above my bed. And after one difficult evening, full of quarrels and swearing, I went to my room, and my gaze fell on this icon. I read the troparion written on the back, and it warmed my soul, especially because it expresses the “love” and “care” of Bishop John for us. It clearly says that he is here, close, that he is alive, and because of this, prayer warms and makes the saint closer to us. I read the troparion, and I immediately felt better, I had hope. I knew him before, but it was precisely at this difficult moment for me that all the love and care of St. John for us was revealed to me, through the troparion. It is also surprising that the next day, when I returned from school, it turned out that both mom and dad were both sick with the flu, they both lay sick in the same bed and over the past day they made peace. I don’t know how long this peace will last or whether it will last, but since then I have tried to read the troparion to St. John of Shanghai every day, and the saint continues to warm me with hope. 77. The Lord helps the doomed I arrived in the USA on August 2, 1996. In America I suffered a severe ordeal: I lost my job and was severely depressed for three and a half years. Due to depression, not only was I unable to work for more than three years, but, naturally, my wife also left me. I was in a desperate state and tried to commit suicide. I was in a psychiatric hospital and ended up in prison due to a slanderous denunciation. In 1997 I won the so-called. “green card”, i.e. the right to permanent residence in the United States, but there was no hope of citizenship. On August 4, 2005, I was scheduled for an interview to decide on the issue of obtaining citizenship. Before this, I sent a letter to St. John in San Francisco, asking for prayers and making a contribution. During the interview, I felt help and support from above! For an hour, I actually withstood the interrogation, the cunning test, and emerged victorious in the most difficult struggle for me. A few days after I received American citizenship, I received a letter from San Francisco confirming that my letter to St. John had been received at the church and that a prayer service had been served with prayer for the success of my cause. The Lord, through the prayers of St. John, endowed me with His mercy and help. 78. The insight of St. John I am writing this story according to the now deceased Nikolai Nikolaevich Voeikov, with whom my husband and I were friends and communicated for many years in Buenos Aires. When Nikolai Nikolaevich visited us in San Francisco in the 90s, he told me a story about St. John, which I wrote down. Anna Aleksandrovna Voeykova, the mother of Nikolai Nikolaevich, was the daughter of General von Drenteln, who served at the court of Tsar Nicholas II; being the wife of Adjutant General Nikolai Voeikov, she was honored to be the maid of honor of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna until her last days. After the revolution, Anna Alexandrovna lived with her children in Brussels. In the 50s, she visited her son Nicholas in Buenos Aires. That's where I met her. Living in Brussels, Anna Alexandrovna knew and greatly revered Archbishop John (Maximovich), being a parishioner of his church. In 1957, her son Nikolai Nikolaevich decided with his family, wife Edith Fedorovna and children Nikolai and Natalya, to move to Canada, to Montreal. He informed his mother which airline he would be flying on and the flight number. On the way from Brussels to Montreal there was a stop in New York. Suddenly newspapers in Brussels report that the plane on which the Voeikov family was flying fell between New York and Montreal and crashed. The entire crew and all passengers were killed. Anna Alexandrovna, having read this message, nevertheless decided to immediately contact the airline to make sure of what had happened and the fate of her son and his family. The airline confirmed that Nikolai Nikolaevich and his family were on this flight and died. Then Anna Alexandrovna immediately went to Archbishop John (Maksimovich), told about what had happened and asked him to serve a memorial service. Vladyka listened to her and calmly said: “We should not serve a memorial service, but a prayer service.” Anna Alexandrovna looked at him in bewilderment and with tears in her eyes begged him to serve a memorial service, claiming that her son and his family had died and that she had confirmation of this from the airline. The Bishop looked into her eyes again and repeated: “Not a memorial service, but a prayer service,” and left. Anna Alexandrovna had nothing left to do - she returned home and, having prayed deeply, fell asleep. Early in the morning the phone rang. Anna Alexandrovna answered and heard the voice of her son Nikolai. He told her that the family had arrived safely by train from New York to Montreal. It is impossible to describe in words what Anna Alexandrovna experienced in those minutes. After the shock of loss, she began to shed unspeakable tears of joy. It turned out that when Nikolai Nikolaevich and his family flew to New York, they decided to travel by train from New York to Montreal to show the children the nature of upstate New York and the province of Quebec, and they did not tell anyone at the airline that they were leaving the plane. Nikolai further told his mother that during the flight from Brussels to New York, some inner voice told him that in New York he should get off the plane and continue the journey by train. Thus, Nikolai Nikolaevich and his family were saved from certain death. After everything she had experienced, Anna Alexandrovna went to Vladyka John a second time to tell the good news about the family, and also to ask him for forgiveness for not trusting him. Saint John, as he suggested at the first meeting with Anna Alexandrovna, served a thanksgiving prayer service for the salvation of her family. Bishop John’s foresight was unique. Thanks to his holiness, we still receive help and spiritual support through his prayers. Tamara Aleksandrovna Granitova 79. Miraculous help to the family of the future bishop Saint John showed his gracious intercession in our family too. Soon after the birth of my elder brother in August 1950 (now subdeacon Mikhail, after the death of our father in 1981 - headman of St. Nicholas parish in Frankfurt am Main), my mother Nina Viktorovna, nee Elmisova, became seriously ill with tuberculosis. My brother was separated from his mother. The mother, while in the hospital, was on the verge of death. Mom’s parents, Victor and Lydia Elmisov, then living in Brooklyn (New York), wrote a letter to Bishop John, without knowing him personally, asking for prayerful intercession for their daughter Nina. Meanwhile, my other grandmother, Tatyana Petrovna Goracek (née Matfeeva), was with my mother in the pulmonary hospital in Königstein near Frankfurt am Main. One night, Tatyana Petrovna fell asleep at her mother’s bed just at the moment when her mother’s death throes began. Grandma suddenly woke up, feeling a strong blow to her shoulder. Seeing my mother in agony, she managed to call the doctors who were able to resuscitate my mother. Soon, thanks to the operation, my mother recovered. Grandfather and grandmother Elmisov later figured out that the letter they sent to Bishop John could have reached him on the very day when my mother had a fatal attack and when my grandmother Tatyana Petrovna received a well-timed “blow in the shoulder” that saved my mother’s life. Indirect confirmation of this guess followed several years later in the Holy Trinity Monastery, when the Elmisovs first saw Saint John and approached him to thank him for his prayers. They didn’t even have time to introduce themselves when Bishop John beat them to the punch with the question: “How is my Nina?” The saving participation of Bishop John in our family destiny also touched me, a sinner (and not only because I saw the light of God after my mother’s recovery). In the late 80s and early 90s, I suffered greatly in the spring from asthma and allergies, often just lying flat. My mother was worried about me and advised me to see a doctor, Dr. Mallukha, who treated her at the pulmonary hospital. This doctor, who was already well over eighty, had a practice near the station in Frankfurt, and asthmatics from all over Germany came to see him. It was not easy to get to him, and only thanks to my mother’s friend Maria Petrovna Gumenyuk I was able to make an appointment. At that time I had just been ordained as a hieromonk and was spending my first 40 days of service in the monastery of St. Job Pochaevsky in Munich. I must say that these days I strongly felt the presence of Vladika John in my life. I took the train and my mother met me at the station in Frankfurt. At the appointment, I explained to Dr. Mallukha that I was the son of his former patient. He became interested, and I told him that my mother was in the waiting room. Calling his mother, Dr. Mallukhe went to the closet and took out the old files of the Koenigstein Hospital. He quickly found my mother’s medical history (German order!) and remembered the whole matter. His colleague then refused to perform the operation, asking Dr. Mallukhe to replace him. The operation lasted seven hours! Dr. Mallukhe said that today he would treat this disease on an outpatient basis, but then there were no such means and opportunities. (Dr. Mallukhe’s medications helped me a lot, and I used his services for another four years, until his death. In 1995, I learned about the Buteyko breathing method, having visited Moscow for this, after which I abandoned all anti-asthma medications). In 1992, in our monastery, St. Job of Pochaevsky was held by the expanded Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad. After one meeting, in the corridor of the monastery, I met the bright and joyful Bishop Anthony, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, who revealed to me that at this meeting they decided to glorify Bishop John. In 1994, I went to San Francisco to glorify Bishop John. When I stopped at the Holy Trinity Monastery on the way, Father Peter (now Bishop of Cleveland) asked me to replace the priest on duty and serve the liturgy. It was the day of remembrance of St. John of Tobolsk (Maksimovich) - the ancestor of Bishop John. On the day of glorification, already in San Francisco, I had the honor, together with Father Gregory Naumenko, of holding the icon of St. John during the polyeleos and the first magnification. I still feel the healing influence of Bishop John to this day. On the day after the signing of the Act on Canonical Communion between the Church Abroad and the Moscow Patriarchate, a wonderful meeting took place in the refectory of the Danilovsky Monastery hotel in Moscow. Archpriest Peter Perekrestov, priest of the Cathedral of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco, where the relics of St. John rest, then entered with a man who seemed to me an emigrant from the Russian diaspora. It turned out that he is the chief physician of the cardiovascular clinic, a direct descendant of Saints John of Tobolsk and John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, from the Maksimovich family! Father Pyotr Perekrestov and I have been successfully using his healing skills for the last year. In this I also see help from Bishop John. Bishop of Stuttgart Agapit (Horacek) For the story of the first miracle, see this publication. P. 240. – Note. ed.