ST JOHN OF SHANGHAI: “I AM ALIVE”

Today, 2 July (19 June Old Style), the Church remembers St John of Shanghai and San Francisco — a saint of our own time, known to us through living memory and prayer.

Born Mikhail Maximovitch in the Kharkov province, he left Russia after the Revolution and later became a monk and bishop. His ministry led him through Serbia, China, the Philippines, Western Europe and the United States. Wherever exile, illness, or poverty wounded people’s lives, he drew near — visiting the sick, caring for orphans, and gathering the faithful around Christ.

For our community, St John is especially dear. His hospital ministry continues to inspire the sisters’ service among the sick and suffering. At the Convent we have a wooden church dedicated to him, where Liturgies are served for patients of the nearby psychiatric hospital.

Twice a month, the sisters serve an Akathist to St John for the sick and afflicted. You are welcome to send names for commemoration — for yourself, your loved ones, or anyone in need of his prayers.

📝 https://obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request

St John’s holy relics rest in the Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco. Yet a saint’s love is not confined to the place of his relics. Soon after his repose, he appeared to one of his spiritual daughters and said: “Though I have reposed, I am alive.”

The article below helps us hear these words as lived truth. Through the memories of Vera Sokolik, a descendant of Russian émigrés, it shows how St John became a spiritual anchor for those who had lost home and security, yet preserved the faith — and how his care continues to bear fruit today.

Read the article:
👉 https://obitel-minsk.org/en/how-saint-john-of-shanghai-inspired-generations-of-faith