Memorial Day of St. John of Shanghai (Discovery of Relics)

Saint John of Shanghai was born into a family of hereditary Orthodox nobles, the Maksimovichs Place of birth: Adamovka village, Kharkov province, June 17, 1896 In honor of the Archangel Michael, he was named Michael at baptism From early childhood he loved to collect church books and icons, read about the lives of many saints, and devoted a lot of time to prayer He did not immediately embark on the path of his spiritual service He fulfilled the will of his parents and graduated from the Cadet Corps, after which he studied at the Faculty of Law of the University in Kharkov During the difficult years of change, the Maksimovic family was forced to move to Serbia, where Mikhail successfully graduated from the Faculty of Theology at the University of Belgrade In 1926, he was tonsured a monk with the new name John in honor of his Tobolsk ancestor St John (Maksimovich) Father John was very demanding of himself and was content with little Modest food in small quantities, short sleep on the floor in front of the icons, never used a bed, fasted long and often, served the liturgy daily, cared for and encouraged his parishioners with great love, talking about the high ideals of Christian teaching In 1934, he was elevated to the rank of bishop and received an appointment to Shanghai to serve as bishop of the Chinese diocese He taught church knowledge in various schools, created an orphanage for children, and completed the construction of a cathedral, which was named after the icon “Helper of Sinners” In 1951, he was appointed chief bishop of the Russian Church Abroad He had an excellent knowledge of several European languages, which helped the saint to conduct extensive missionary activities, prayed for everyone who needed help and believed that “everyone is equal before God” Theologian, ascetic and prayer book, saint and missionary, trustee of many poor and needy, a kind, merciful and perspicacious elder, a tireless ascetic who combined all these images in his service His asceticism was a very secret matter and only those closest to him knew what ascetic and strict path of life the bishop chose In 1962, the minister John was sent to San Francisco, where, after overcoming many difficulties and obstacles, a cathedral was erected in honor of the icon of the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” He endured, stood, and endured a lot for his loyalty and reverence for church rules He died on July 2, 1966 while visiting Seattle, where he conducted a service On July 2, 1994, in front of a large crowd of people, Saint John was canonized Saint John of Shanghai did not have a bright appearance, was short in stature and had a speech impediment, had a severe limp, and dressed in simple clothes 28 years after his death, the saint was canonized Such a short period between death and canonization speaks of a worthy life and rich spiritual gifts Every day in the Cathedral of “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” which is located in San Francisco, after the liturgy has passed, access to the ark with holy relics is opened Every Saturday there is a prayer service for health In the village of Adamovka, on the site of the former home of the Maksimovich family, a monastery was built in honor of the great saint In Russia there is so far only one temple in honor of this saint, which was built in 2012 in the village of Litvinki, Tver Region In Moscow, particles of the relics of St John are in 15 churches Saint John of Shanghai is highly revered among believers; he consoles those who mourn, helps in various troubles and various life circumstances In prayers to the saint they ask for healing of soul and body, they especially pray for seriously ill people, for the proper upbringing of children, for emergency help in finding a good job, and much more Saint John of Shanghai is revered in Orthodoxy not only as a great saint, but also as a miracle worker Thousands of people in the world love and honor him as a great righteous man The memorial days of St John of Shanghai take place on July 2, the day of the saint’s death, and October 12, the discovery of his relics