A visit to ailing Swedish Vladyka Bishop John, in Stockholm, Sweden

*Humanly smoothed out, machine English translation.

  article found on: http://internetsobor.org

GOC Greek Synod:  Visit to Ailing Bishop John in Stockholm

Author: Vera nun incl. September 11, 2014. Posted in CPI Greece (Views: 13)

Tags: CPI Greece , Sweden , Stockholm , Uppsala

September 6 (n. Article.) 2014  A Swedish family, the husband and wife Martina - the builders  of the chapel of St. Joseph the Betrothed , located not far from Uppsala - visited the sisters of St. Filofeevskogo monastery in Old Uppsala (in the Greek GOC Synod). This morning there was celebrated the Divine Liturgy by Fr. Anders. After the service, they all partook of a small monastic lunch. Martin then went to Stockholm to visit the Swedish Bishop John, who inspired this godly couple in the construction of the chapel of St. Joseph. 

Martina and her spouse had  last seen their  beloved Bishop in October, 2010, just a few days before Bishop John fell and broke his spine. Vladyka John at all times with humility,  endured all the hardships of his illness and never complained.

 

Bishop John has been  a very talented artist and a good teacher for many painters. And the latest icon in his life, he wrote with the image of St. Joseph the Betrothed. This icon along with many others, he hung on the walls of his room. It is an icon of St. Joseph that the bishop put in a  special visible place, so that you can easily see it from the bed.

The visitors  showed Vladyka John pictures of the  consecration of the St. Joseph chapel, and he was glad that now there is for St. Joseph,  his own small chapel, and for  for the worship of the saints of God, and that he, Vladyka John,  has a special relationship to it. Maria Martin relates  how this morning she prayed in the chapel on their farm in the forest, and then took a walk behind the temple, and all the sheep came running to see why she is there. They were  not used to seeing the mistress  of the farm, walking  behind the chapel ...