But what he did against virtue or against his evil passions, he remembers and none of this is lost. St. ATHANASIUS THE GREAT, in his famous life of St. Antony, describes the following: In their accusation the demons uttered many brazen lies; but since their slanders were wanting in proof, a free path opened for Antony. "This man, who appears weak is, in fact, a miracle of ascetic steadfastness and determination in our time of universal spiritual weakening." This documentary is the first of its kind on St John Maximovitch. I beg you also, when you will serve the Liturgy, to commemorate my parents" -- and he gave their names (Priest Nikita and Maria). There have been many appearances of the dead and other occurrences which confirm how beneficial is the commemoration of the dead. He said he himself did not even notice when that swelling had disappeared. ", St. John Cassian (5th century) likewise teaches: "Souls after the separation from this body are not idle, do not remain without consciousness; this is proved by the Gospel parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22-28). I am so thankful to Saint John for hearing my prayers and knowing my hearts desire of being able to get into this school. But, somehow, it felt like home. St. Dorotheos (6th century) summarizes the teaching of the early Fathers in this way: "For as the Fathers tell us, the souls of the dead remember everything that happened here -- thoughts, words, desires -- and nothing can be forgotten. Yet, unable to be silent at the wonder revealed to our age of feeble faith, we glorify thee:Rejoice, divine palace from whence the counsel of the Good King is given.Rejoice, for in thy humble activity thou hadst angels serving with thee.Rejoice, thou who didst gain a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.Rejoice, infirmary wherein every ailment is divinely healed.Rejoice, depository wherein thy holy labor of prayer was hidden.Rejoice, blessed temple of the Holy Spirit.Rejoice, O holy hierarch, father John, speedy helper amid misfortunes! To thee, the pastor and protector of a countless host * of homeless orphans, widows, paupers, and afflicted souls, * do we offer anthems born of love and thanksgiving. All such ones, we affirm, are helped by the prayers and Liturgies performed for them, with the cooperation of the Divine Goodness and Love for mankind. After a week, she was again at services and stood weeping. Amen.Katerina Bennett, A daughter's headacheReceived on October 20, 2011. I was lying in bed for 8 months taking drugs and wiped over my belly the oil from St. John. Each minute he would be racked by this cough. A month prior to issues with the house we had read the book of Saint John Maximovich. Terrible indeed is the third day for the soul of the departed, and for this reason it especially needs prayers then for itself. . 5 . ( ) , , . We confidently recommend our web service provider, Orthodox Internet Services: excellent personal customer service, a fast and reliable server, excellent spam filtering, and an easy to use comprehensive control panel. My grandmother passed away 2 months later, I was with her and I am so grateful that I could spend these last weeks with her.Elena LewisCranial abnormalities disappear overnight!Received August 14, 2013, TestimonialDouglas WirnowskiResuscitation of our son at birthReceived June 19, 2013, We've chosen to have home births for several reasons, and the first two experiences were wonderful so we found another midwife in 2011 during seminary for our third child. He served the Divine Liturgy daily, slept little more than an hour a day, and kept a strict fast until the evening. . I feel so close to him and I tell him all my problems like he is alive. I love You very much Grandpa John and I Thank You for all your prayers! In 1934 he was made Bishop of Shanghai, where he served until the Communists came to power. It is an attainment of such spiritual height, that the abundance of God's grace which fills the saint overflows on all who associate with him. Glory to God, His Mother, Virgin Mary and His Saint John! Rejoice, thunder to those obstinate in sin.Rejoice, lightning burning up heresies. For with much wisdom didst thou explain the precepts of the true Faith, teaching us to sing with faith, hope and love to the one God in Trinity: Alleluia! . [4] There is absolutely no doubt that the teaching of the toll-houses is the teaching of the Orthodox Church. KONTAKION XIIWith reverence and thanksgiving do we receive the grace that hath been poured out upon thee by God, O most lauded father John. Bishop John (Maximovitch) Episcopal service Born: June 4, 1896 Died: July 2, 1966 Glorification Date: July 2, 1994 Commemoration Dates: July 2 As thou once didst hear the mental petitions of thy far-scattered flock even before they could speak to thee, so now hear our prayers and bring them before the Lord. I know for sure that every woman who has not yet had children and who truly believes in intercession of St. John to God can live the happiness that I and my husband live now.Georgiana Zaharia. Yet offering to God what we have, we cry out to thee thus: Rejoice, thou who didst protect thy children by thine unceasing prayer! But just as at the hour of death the dead body is surrounded by relatives and friends, so also is the soul, which abandons the body and is directed towards its heavenly homeland, accompanied by the spiritual beings related to it. Vladyka, please, pray for is sinners. Aren't you the one who polluted the angelic habit? She began to treat him with various medications. And now, with the publication of Blessed John the Wonderworker and other books and articles about him in the Russian language, the people of Russia are beginning to know, too, and have already experienced healings through his prayers, as the following accounts testify. OIKOS VIShining forth in thy righteousness, thou didst do the impossible and persuade the authorities of this world to have pity on thy flock, O good shepherd. ", In a prayer of the Midnight Service of Saturday (addressed to THE SAVIOUR) we pray: "Master, be merciful to me and let not my soul see the dark and gloomy sight of the evil spirits, but let bright and joyous angels receive it.". I've included it especially to show the unity of Holy Orthodoxy, despite our jurisdictional divisions. Our earthly life is a preparation for the future life, and this preparation ends with our death. We can do nothing better or greater for the dead than to pray for them, offering commemoration for them at the Liturgy. Services are conducted DAILY at the Cathedral: Liturgy, Vespers & Matins. After this he began his teaching career in a Serbian high school. How can each of our college degrees help our mission as Orthodox Christians? 1) Valentina A. is a member of our parish which is dedicated to the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God. OIKOS IVThose near and far have heard of the greatness of thy miracles, which are made manifest by the mercy of God even to our days. And who shall tell, holy Father, the straits in which the condemned souls will find themselves in that place! PRAYER to our Holy and God-bearing Father Hierarch John Maximovitch the New, Wonderworker of Shanghai and Western America. He still has some medical issues but we pray that he will soon recover completely.Savina, Help in finding a jobReceived November 1, 2011Towards the end of 2008 my company was downsizing and I was laid off. But the soul senses the prayers offered for it and is grateful to those who make them and is spiritually close to them. She lives in Canada and received a sacrament service by his relics while I was in San Francisco. Truly, we have nothing to offer thee, except if we begin to correct our lives, becoming new men instead of old. In late 2005, she developed small cell lung cancer which subsequently spread in her body. I am writing this miracle that happened through the intercession of Saint John Maximovich to glorify God that works through His saint and also to give thanks to Saint John for not forgetting us the sinners and helping us. . The information contained on the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is for informational purposes only. This is love!". For several days, her son would occasionally cough, but the convulsive fits did not return, and he became quite well. My son Daniel is now 10 months, he is a healthy and happy baby, and we constantly thank St. John for helping to bring him in this world.VeraGratitude to St. JohnReceived June 24, 2014 , . KONTAKION IXAll the angelic hosts rejoiced at thy soul's ascent to the mansions of heaven, marveling at the wonders thou didst perform on earth through the action of the Holy Spirit, to Whom we sing: Alleluia! , , , . The Garland of the Annual Church Calendar They might present something deceptive and seductive, according to the kinds of passions, to the soul as it passes through one after the other. map link here:https://goo.gl/maps/pFkcTumTgqfFKc9g6. [7] The Apostolic Constitutions (1st/2nd century) teach that Memorials for the dead be served with "psalms and readings and prayers" on the third day after the death of our beloved one, on account of the Lord Jesus "who rose after three days. Our Mother Church has also ordained common Memorials twice a year: on the Saturday before Meatfare Sunday and on the Saturday before the great feast of Holy Pentecost. It was in July 2012. And they come again to another rung and there find another toll-house, fiercer and more horrible. I am writing about this because just before this trip, I read a story on the internet about Dr. Ducic and peripheral nerve decompression surgery. FROM APOSTOLIC TIMES and to our days all who truly love Christ give veneration to Her Who gave birth to Him, raised Him and protected Him in the days of His youth. , , . KONTAKION IChosen wonderworker and pleaser of Christ, who pourest forth inexhaustible streams of inspiration and a multitude, of miracles upon the whole world, we praise thee with love and call out to thee:Rejoice, O holy hierarch, Father John, speedy helper amid misfortunes! Finally, I annointed the area directly above, below, and to the sides of his eye and our family prayed to St. John and to the Theotokos for our son to be healed. Katherin McFadden fell asleep in the Lord on July 12, 2006, five and half years after the pneumonia revealed the large cell carincoma going through her chest wall. Then they would be correct who say: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die! I saw what I can only describe as a miracle and it has changed my life. St. John Maximovitch Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, the Wonderworker Feast Day: July 2 "Sanctity is not just a virtue. Found Birth FamilyReceived November 11, 2014I am almost 48 yrs old. Giving thanks to God for thine apostolic labors we cry out to Him: Alleluia! [5] According to the revelation of the angel to St. Macarius, the Church's special commemoration of the departed on the 9th day after death (apart from the general significance of the ranks of angels) occurs because up to then the soul is shown the beauties of Paradise, and only after this, for the remainder of the forty days, is sown the torments and horrors of hell, before being assigned on the fortieth day to the place where it will await the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment. Preserve us, that we too may abide in this Faith, who cry out to thee:Rejoice, thou who wast a new Martin by thy miracles and ascetic feats.Rejoice, thou who wast a new Germanus by thy confession of the Orthodox faith.Rejoice, thou who wast a new Hilary by thy divine theology.Rejoice, thou who wast a new Gregory by thy love and glorification of God's saints.Rejoice, thou who wast a new Faustus by thy monastic fervor.Rejoice, thou who wast a new Caesarius by thy steadfast love for the canons of the Church of God.Rejoice, O holy hierarch, Father John, speedy helper amid misfortunes! KONTAKION XDesiring to save the world, the Savior of all hath sent unto us a new saint and through him hath called us forth from the dark abyss of sin. [6] The Church's teaching on the state of souls in heaven and hell before the Last Judgment is set forth in its clearest fashion by St. Mark Of Ephesus in his dialogue with the Roman Catholics over the Roman doctrine of Purgatory (which the Orthodox reject as false). St. John Maximovitch was called to fearlessly travel across the world in order to build churches and orphanages. To this someone who has a little education expressed the following thought: The toll-houses are something frightful. Wherefore, we trust in thine intercession before God, and cry out to thee:Rejoice, thou who dost avert the dangers of the elements.Rejoice, thou who by thy prayer deliverest from need.Rejoice, inexhaustible giver of bread to the hungry.Rejoice, abundant wealth for those who live in poverty.Rejoice, consolation for those in sorrow.Rejoice, quick uplifting for those who have fallen.Rejoice, O holy hierarch, Father John, speedy helper amid misfortunes! She was able to get scissors in to cut the cord, and though he came right out, he was purple and limp. Hearing this call to repentance, we, the unworthy ones, in turn cry out to God: Alleluia! Rejoice O holy Hierarch John, wonderworker of the latter times. 501 West 27th Street,Cheyenne, WY 82001Phone: 307.635.5929 | Email the Parish Office. This site has been made possible by a grant from Leadership 100. We went to every possible doctor to determine the cause of not having a child. The Orthodox Observer places the Church in the context of the current world we live in through a diverse and informative experience offering participants meaningful exchange with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, her ministries, and affiliates. In 1921, during the Russian Civil War, his family fled to Belgrade, joining the ranks of Russian exiles in Serbia, where he later became a monk and was ordained priest. In 1934 he was made Bishop of Shanghai, where he served until the . He received at baptism the name of Michael, his heavenly protector being It was a clearly a miracle after so many years of trying! St. John is the greatest saint and he has become like a grandfather to me. But the virtuous soul goes about those places in which it was wont to do good deeds. Even those thoroughly familiar with the life of St John will find this documentary contains much that they .