MP Rewrites St. John

http://internetsobor.org/index.php/istoriya/rptsz/arkhiv-rptsz/ioann-maksimovich-i-sovetskie-patriarkhi

Metropolitan Agafangel: John Maksimovich and the Soviet Patriarchs

Author: Metropolitan Agafangel. Date of publication: October 12, 2023. Category: ROCOR Archives.

Today, September 29 according to the church calendar (October 12 according to the new one), the discovery of the relics of St. John (Maximovich), Bishop of Shanghai and San Francisco.  The calendar of the Moscow Patriarchate contains his life, which states that “The Blessed Bishop, the saint of the Russian Abroad, and at the same time a Russian saint, commemorated the Moscow Patriarch at divine services along with the First Hierarch of the Synod of the Russian Church Abroad.”

The Moscow Patriarchate is creating its own false history, appropriating for itself the good that was outside its fence during the years of theomachism in the USSR, when it sang praises to the communists and denied the presence of new martyrs in the Soviet Union.

It is fully exposed by documents, such as the following Definition of the Council of Bishops of the ROCOR, which directly states: “Condemning all such acts as blasphemous, hypocritical and aimed at strengthening Soviet power and spreading its influence in the West by misleading it regarding the true face of the godless communism, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia does not want to be involved in them in any way, even the smallest degree. Therefore, it has no communication with the current Moscow Patriarchate, especially since it does not recognize the canonical significance of the very election of Patriarch Alexy and his predecessor, committed at the behest of the godless government, in violation of the sacred canons and rules on the election of the Patriarch." Under this Definition, along with other bishops of the ROCOR, there is also the signature of St. John (Maximovich), who, as a real bishop, would never even dare to think contrary to, let alone violate, the Definition of the Council, especially certified by his signature.

This once again confirms the truth that you cannot trust anything coming from the Moscow Patriarchate, which has long rejected Christ as the Head of the Church, and continues to serve to this day the godless Kremlin globalists “not out of fear, but out of conscience.”

+M.A.

To protocol No. 15, p. 5

DEFINITION

COUNCIL OF BISHOPS OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ABROAD

dated October 6/19, 1956

ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP TO THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHY.

Recognizing itself as an inextricable part of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia looks with sorrow at the continuing plight of the people within our Fatherland, enslaved by the godless Soviet government, and prays for the liberation of those suffering from this grave yoke. The Cathedral lovingly kisses the wounds of those who suffered for their steadfast preservation of Holy Orthodoxy and for their reluctance to bow to the red apocalyptic beast. Their feat will receive its reward in the Heavenly Kingdom and will be glorified by the faithful on earth until the end of time.

With consolation, the Council of Bishops testifies that the systematic and organized struggle of the godless government against religion, waged for many years with unrelenting cruelty, could not eradicate faith in the Russian people, of which there is a lot of impartial evidence. This faith was preserved not only among older generations, but also among a significant part of young people.

The resolution of the CPSU Central Committee “On errors in carrying out scientific-atheistic propaganda among the population”, published in November 1954, indicates the futility of this propaganda. Only the preservation of faith among a significant part of the people could prompt the Central Committee to once again admit its failure in this area, explaining it by errors in the methods of combating religion that had been used so far.

In fact, these failures are explained by the invincible power of Christ, which is accomplished in the very weakness of those who believe that the Church of Christ, no matter how humiliated and weak it may sometimes seem to outsiders, remains, according to the promise of the Savior, invincible to the gates of hell.

Convinced of the impossibility of completely eradicating the faith by means of physical persecution of Christians alone, the Soviet government has long resorted to attempts to disintegrate it from within by using weaker representatives of the Church for its own political purposes, eliminating firm confessors and artificially selecting leaders of church life obedient to the godless authorities. Previous Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia have repeatedly denounced this crafty tactics of the Communist Party, which achieves in this way the subordination of church organizations to the godless communist authorities. It is bitter to read the obsequious statements made, apparently under duress, by the highest representatives of the hierarchy on behalf of the Russian Church; it is difficult to learn about such acts as the performance of blasphemous prayers for the repose with the righteous souls of the greatest persecutor of the Faith in history - Stalin, for the desecration of the Holy Trinity Lavra, the convocation within its walls, for the sake of civil authorities, an interconfessional meeting for the purposes of propaganda and about placing the name of the Russian Church in the service of the so-called. "peace propaganda"

Condemning all such acts as blasphemous, hypocritical and aimed at strengthening Soviet power and spreading its influence in the West by misleading it about the true face of godless communism, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia does not want to be involved in them in any way, even small degree. Therefore, it has no communication with the current Moscow Patriarchate, especially since it does not recognize the canonical significance of the very election of Patriarch Alexy and his predecessor, carried out at the behest of the godless authorities, in violation of the sacred canons and rules on the election of the Patriarch. The trial of the leaders of the Patriarchate belongs to the Lord God and the future free and canonical All-Russian Council.

The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad raises a fervent prayer that the Lord will soon look upon the suffering of the Russian Church, grant it freedom, pour out His righteous wrath on the enslavers of our Fatherland and send it peace and prosperity.

Maintaining unshakable and unshakable fidelity to its long-suffering Mother, the Local Russian Church, adorned with the crown of martyrdom and confession, which has an unshakable and indestructible foundation in the hearts of the believing Russian people, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia tirelessly prays to its Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, for the liberation of the Russian Orthodox Church from the shackles of communism and the granting her complete freedom from the power of the atheists who oppress her.

The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad raises a fervent prayer that the Lord will soon look upon the suffering of the Russian Church, grant it freedom, pour out His righteous wrath on the enslavers of our Fatherland and send it peace and prosperity.

Maintaining unshakable and unshakable fidelity to its long-suffering Mother, the Local Russian Church, adorned with the crown of martyrdom and confession, which has an unshakable and indestructible foundation in the hearts of the believing Russian people, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia tirelessly prays to its Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, for the liberation of the Russian Orthodox Church from the shackles of communism and the granting she has complete freedom

Chairman of the Council of Bishops: Metropolitan Anastassy.

Members of the Council: Archbishop Vitaly of Eastern America and Jersey; 

Archbishop Tikhon of San Francisco and Seattle; 

Archbishop John of Brussels and Western Europe; 

Archbishop of Montreal and Eastern Canada Panteleimon; 

Archbishop Gregory of Chicago and Cleveland; 

Archbishop Alexander of Berlin and Germany; 

Bishop of Santiago and Chilean-Peruvian Leontius; 

Bishop Athanasius of Buenos Aires and Argentina; 

Rector of the New Root Desert, Bishop Seraphim; 

Bishop Nikon of Florida; 

Bishop Vitaly of Edmonton and Western Canada; 

Bishop Anthony of Los Angeles; 

Bishop of Syracuse-Trinity Averkiy

Life of St. John from the Moscow Patriarchate calendar: October 12, 2023 / September 29, 2023. On July 2, 1994, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad canonized the wondrous saint of God of the 20th century, St. John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco, the wonderworker. Archbishop John was born on June 4, 1896 in the south of Russia in the village of Adamovka, Kharkov province. At holy baptism he was named Michael in honor of the Archangel of the Heavenly Forces, Michael the Archangel. Since childhood, he was distinguished by his deep religiosity, standing for long periods of time at night in prayer, diligently collecting icons, as well as church books. Most of all he loved to read the lives of saints. Michael loved the saints with all his heart, became completely saturated with their spirit and began to live like them. The child's holy and righteous life made a deep impression on his French Catholic governess, and as a result she converted to Orthodoxy. During the time of persecution, by the Providence of God, Mikhail ended up in Belgrade, where he entered the university at the Faculty of Theology. In 1926, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) tonsured him a monk, taking the name John in honor of his ancestor St. John (Maksimovich) of Tobolsk. Already at that time, Bishop Nikolai (Velimirović), the Serbian Chrysostom, gave the following characterization to the young hieromonk: “If you want to see a living saint, go to Bitol to Father John.” Father John constantly prayed, fasted strictly, served the Divine Liturgy and received communion every day, and from the day of his monastic tonsure he never went to bed, sometimes he was found in the morning dozing off on the floor in front of the icons. With truly fatherly love, he inspired his flock with the high ideals of Christianity and Holy Rus'. His meekness and humility were reminiscent of those immortalized in the lives of the greatest ascetics and hermits. Father John was a rare man of prayer. He was so immersed in the texts of prayers as if he were simply talking with the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos, the angels and saints who stood before his spiritual eyes. The gospel events were known to him as if they were happening before his eyes. In 1934, Hieromonk John was elevated to the rank of bishop, after which he left for Shanghai. According to Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), Bishop John was “the mirror of ascetic firmness and severity in our time of general spiritual relaxation.” The young bishop loved to visit the sick and did this daily, accepting confession and communicating the Holy Mysteries to them. If the patient’s condition became critical, Vladyka came to him at any hour of the day or night and prayed for a long time at his bedside. There are numerous cases of healing of hopelessly sick people through the prayers of St. John. With the communists coming to power, Russians in China were again forced to flee, most through the Philippines. In 1949, approximately 5 thousand Russians from China lived on the island of Tubabao in the camp of the International Refugee Organization. The island was in the path of seasonal typhoons that sweep across this sector of the Pacific Ocean. However, during the entire 27 months of the camp's existence, it was only once threatened by a typhoon, and even then it changed course and bypassed the island. When a Russian mentioned his fear of typhoons to the Filipinos, they said that there was no reason to worry, since “your holy man blesses your camp every night from all four sides.” When the camp was evacuated, a terrible typhoon hit the island and completely destroyed all the buildings. The Russian people, living in dispersion, had in the person of the Lord a strong intercessor before the Lord. While caring for his flock, Saint John did the impossible. He himself traveled to Washington to negotiate the resettlement of dispossessed Russian people to America. Through his prayers a miracle happened! American laws were amended and most of the camp, about 3 thousand people, moved to the USA, the rest to Australia. In 1951, Archbishop John was appointed ruling bishop of the Western European Exarchate of the Russian Church Abroad. In Europe, and then in San Francisco from 1962, his missionary work, firmly based on a life of constant prayer and the purity of Orthodox teaching, bore abundant fruit. The glory of the Bishop spread both among the Orthodox and among the non-Orthodox population. So, in one of the Catholic churches in Paris, a local priest tried to inspire young people with the following words: “You demand proof, you say that now there are no miracles or saints. Why should I give you theoretical proof when today St. John the Barefoot walks the streets of Paris ". The Bishop was known and highly revered throughout the world. In Paris, the railway station dispatcher delayed the departure of the train until the arrival of the "Russian Archbishop". All European hospitals knew about this Bishop, who could pray for a dying person all night. He was called to the bedside of a seriously ill person - be he Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox or anyone else - because when he prayed God was merciful. The sick servant of God Alexandra was lying in a Paris hospital and the Bishop was told about her. He passed a note that he would come and give her Holy Communion. Lying in the common ward, where there were about 40-50 people, she felt awkward in front of the French ladies that she would be visited by an Orthodox bishop, dressed in incredibly shabby clothes and, moreover, barefoot. When he gave her the Holy Sacrament, the French woman on the nearest bed said to her: “How lucky you are to have such a confessor. My sister lives in Versailles, and when her children get sick, she drives them out into the street where Bishop John usually walks, and asks him to bless them. After receiving the blessing, the children immediately get better. We call him a saint." The children, despite the Lord’s usual severity, were absolutely devoted to him. There are many touching stories about how the blessed one incomprehensibly knew where a sick child might be and at any time of the day or night came to console him and heal him. Receiving revelations from God, he saved many from impending disaster, and sometimes appeared to those who were especially needed, although such a movement seemed physically impossible. The Blessed Bishop, a saint of the Russian Abroad, and at the same time a Russian saint, commemorated the Moscow Patriarch at services along with the First Hierarch of the Synod of the Russian Church Abroad (lie!!! - ed.). Turning to history and seeing the future, St. John said that in times of troubles Russia fell so much that all her enemies were sure that she was mortally struck. In Russia there was no tsar, power and troops. In Moscow, foreigners had power. People became “faint-hearted,” weakened, and expected salvation only from foreigners, whom they fawned over. Death was inevitable. In history it is impossible to find such a depth of the fall of the state and such a quick, miraculous uprising, when people rebelled spiritually and morally. This is the history of Russia, this is its path. The subsequent grave suffering of the Russian people is a consequence of Russia's betrayal of itself, its path, its calling. Russia will rise just as it rebelled before. Will rise when faith flares up. When people rise spiritually, when they again have a clear, firm faith in the truth of the Savior’s words: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Truth, and all these things will be added to you.” Russia will rise when it loves the Faith and confession of Orthodoxy, when it sees and loves the Orthodox righteous and confessors. Vladyka John foresaw his death. On June 19 (July 2), 1966, on the day of remembrance of the Apostle Jude, during an archpastoral visit to the city of Seattle with the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Kursk-Root, at the age of 71, before this Hodegetria of the Russian Abroad, the great righteous man reposed in the Lord. Sorrow has filled the hearts of many people around the world. After the death of Vladyka, a Dutch Orthodox priest wrote with a contrite heart: “I do not and will no longer have a spiritual father who would call me at midnight from another continent and say: “Go to sleep now. You will receive what you pray for." The four-day vigil was capped by a funeral service. The bishops conducting the service could not hold back their sobs; tears streamed down their cheeks and glistened in the light of countless candles near the coffin. It is surprising that at the same time, the temple was filled with quiet joy. Eyewitnesses noted that it seemed that we were present not at a funeral, but at the opening of the relics of a newly discovered Saint.

 

Life of St. John from the Moscow Patriarchate calendar:

October 12, 2023 / September 29, 2023.

On July 2, 1994, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad canonized the wondrous saint of God of the 20th century, St. John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco, the wonderworker.

Archbishop John was born on June 4, 1896 in the south of Russia in the village of Adamovka, Kharkov province. At holy baptism he was named Michael in honor of the Archangel of the Heavenly Forces, Michael the Archangel.

Since childhood, he was distinguished by his deep religiosity, standing for long periods of time at night in prayer, diligently collecting icons, as well as church books. Most of all he loved to read the lives of saints. Michael loved the saints with all his heart, became completely saturated with their spirit and began to live like them. The child's holy and righteous life made a deep impression on his French Catholic governess, and as a result she converted to Orthodoxy.

During the time of persecution, by the Providence of God, Mikhail ended up in Belgrade, where he entered the university at the Faculty of Theology. In 1926, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) tonsured him a monk, taking the name John in honor of his ancestor St. John (Maksimovich) of Tobolsk. Already at that time, Bishop Nikolai (Velimirović), the Serbian Chrysostom, gave the following characterization to the young hieromonk: “If you want to see a living saint, go to Bitol to Father John.” Father John constantly prayed, fasted strictly, served the Divine Liturgy and received communion every day, and from the day of his monastic tonsure he never went to bed, sometimes he was found in the morning dozing off on the floor in front of the icons. With truly fatherly love, he inspired his flock with the high ideals of Christianity and Holy Rus'. His meekness and humility were reminiscent of those immortalized in the lives of the greatest ascetics and hermits. Father John was a rare man of prayer. He was so immersed in the texts of prayers as if he were simply talking with the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos, the angels and saints who stood before his spiritual eyes. The gospel events were known to him as if they were happening before his eyes.

In 1934, Hieromonk John was elevated to the rank of bishop, after which he left for Shanghai. According to Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), Bishop John was “the mirror of ascetic firmness and severity in our time of general spiritual relaxation.”

The young bishop loved to visit the sick and did this daily, accepting confession and communicating the Holy Mysteries to them. If the patient’s condition became critical, Vladyka came to him at any hour of the day or night and prayed for a long time at his bedside. There are numerous cases of healing of hopelessly sick people through the prayers of St. John.

With the communists coming to power, Russians in China were again forced to flee, most through the Philippines. In 1949, approximately 5 thousand Russians from China lived on the island of Tubabao in the camp of the International Refugee Organization. The island was in the path of seasonal typhoons that sweep across this sector of the Pacific Ocean. However, during the entire 27 months of the camp's existence, it was only once threatened by a typhoon, and even then it changed course and bypassed the island. When a Russian mentioned his fear of typhoons to the Filipinos, they said that there was no reason to worry, since “your holy man blesses your camp every night from all four sides.” When the camp was evacuated, a terrible typhoon hit the island and completely destroyed all the buildings.

The Russian people, living in dispersion, had in the person of the Lord a strong intercessor before the Lord. While caring for his flock, Saint John did the impossible. He himself traveled to Washington to negotiate the resettlement of dispossessed Russian people to America. Through his prayers a miracle happened! American laws were amended and most of the camp, about 3 thousand people, moved to the USA, the rest to Australia.

In 1951, Archbishop John was appointed ruling bishop of the Western European Exarchate of the Russian Church Abroad. In Europe, and then in San Francisco from 1962, his missionary work, firmly based on a life of constant prayer and the purity of Orthodox teaching, bore abundant fruit.

The glory of the Bishop spread both among the Orthodox and among the non-Orthodox population. So, in one of the Catholic churches in Paris, a local priest tried to inspire young people with the following words: “You demand proof, you say that now there are no miracles or saints. Why should I give you theoretical proof when today St. John the Barefoot walks the streets of Paris ".

The Bishop was known and highly revered throughout the world. In Paris, the railway station dispatcher delayed the departure of the train until the arrival of the "Russian Archbishop". All European hospitals knew about this Bishop, who could pray for a dying person all night. He was called to the bedside of a seriously ill person - be he Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox or anyone else - because when he prayed God was merciful.

The sick servant of God Alexandra was lying in a Paris hospital and the Bishop was told about her. He passed a note that he would come and give her Holy Communion. Lying in the common ward, where there were about 40-50 people, she felt awkward in front of the French ladies that she would be visited by an Orthodox bishop, dressed in incredibly shabby clothes and, moreover, barefoot. When he gave her the Holy Sacrament, the French woman on the nearest bed said to her: “How lucky you are to have such a confessor. My sister lives in Versailles, and when her children get sick, she drives them out into the street where Bishop John usually walks, and asks him to bless them. After receiving the blessing, the children immediately get better. We call him a saint."

The children, despite the Lord’s usual severity, were absolutely devoted to him. There are many touching stories about how the blessed one incomprehensibly knew where a sick child might be and at any time of the day or night came to console him and heal him. Receiving revelations from God, he saved many from impending disaster, and sometimes appeared to those who were especially needed, although such a movement seemed physically impossible.

The Blessed Bishop, a saint of the Russian Abroad, and at the same time a Russian saint, commemorated the Moscow Patriarch at services along with the First Hierarch of the Synod of the Russian Church Abroad (lie!!! - ed.).

Turning to history and seeing the future, St. John said that in times of troubles Russia fell so much that all her enemies were sure that she was mortally struck. In Russia there was no tsar, power and troops. In Moscow, foreigners had power. People became “faint-hearted,” weakened, and expected salvation only from foreigners, whom they fawned over. Death was inevitable. In history it is impossible to find such a depth of the fall of the state and such a quick, miraculous uprising, when people rebelled spiritually and morally. This is the history of Russia, this is its path. The subsequent grave suffering of the Russian people is a consequence of Russia's betrayal of itself, its path, its calling. Russia will rise just as it rebelled before. Will rise when faith flares up. When people rise spiritually, when they again have a clear, firm faith in the truth of the Savior’s words: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Truth, and all these things will be added to you.” Russia will rise when it loves the Faith and confession of Orthodoxy, when it sees and loves the Orthodox righteous and confessors.

Vladyka John foresaw his death. On June 19 (July 2), 1966, on the day of remembrance of the Apostle Jude, during an archpastoral visit to the city of Seattle with the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Kursk-Root, at the age of 71, before this Hodegetria of the Russian Abroad, the great righteous man reposed in the Lord. Sorrow has filled the hearts of many people around the world. After the death of Vladyka, a Dutch Orthodox priest wrote with a contrite heart: “I do not and will no longer have a spiritual father who would call me at midnight from another continent and say: “Go to sleep now. You will receive what you pray for."

The four-day vigil was capped by a funeral service. The bishops conducting the service could not hold back their sobs; tears streamed down their cheeks and glistened in the light of countless candles near the coffin. It is surprising that at the same time, the temple was filled with quiet joy. Eyewitnesses noted that it seemed that we were present not at a funeral, but at the opening of the relics of a newly discovered Saint.

Soon, miracles of healing and help in everyday affairs began to occur in the tomb of the Lord.

Time has shown that Saint John the Wonderworker is a quick helper to all those in troubles, illnesses and sorrowful circumstances.

https://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/htc/ocalendar/ru/los/September/29-06.htm