Scenes from the Feast of St. John Maximovitch

Here are some pictures taken during the various services commemorating the glorification of St. John in San Francisco. I actually got caught in the background of one of the photos. Click on the pics to see them full size.

(I can sort of be seen between the bishop's right shoulder and the protodeacon.)

Source

The service on the 15th anniversary of the glorification of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco

Video of parts of the liturgy on Saturday July 4th. There is also a close up of St. John's relics.

Hat tip to ROCOR UNITED.

The Incorrupt Relics of St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco

I was asked in a previous post about the relics of St. John (+1966) with specific reference to their being "incorrupt." Unfortunatly I did not take any pictures during my recent pilgrimage. This was more of a personal spiritual trip than sightseeing. The next time I go I will try and take some photos. However I did a quick google search and found several photos of St. John's relics.

The top one was taken some years ago during the transfer of his relics into a new coffin after his old one had rotted away. The middle photo is of his relics in their usual shrine in the right side of the Cathedral. And the last Picture is of him lying in repose looking towards his face (which in keeping with Orthodox custom is veiled). I can confirm that these photos were substantially what I saw in San Francisco last Friday.

I'm back

I have just returned from a one day pilgrimage to the relics of my namesake, St. John Maximovitch, in San Francisco. While there I had the opportunity to venerate his holy and incorrupt relics, take confession (along with hundreds of other pilgrims) and attend the all night vigil in the Cathedral of The Virgin Mary Joy of All Who Sorrow. The experience was profoundly edifying and frankly one of the most emotional since my reception into the Orthodox Church.

I added my own contribution to the sea of candles burning before the relics of St. John for innumerable family (both blood and spiritual), friends and those who have touched my life in so many positive ways. Thank you to everyone for being there in the good times and not so good.

The Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia - 90 Years Later

The Sin Of Regicide

After the death of Saul, who had fallen on his sword during a battle with the Philistines, an Amalekite ran to inform David, who at that time was being persecuted by Saul.

Supposing that David would be very glad at the news he brought, the messenger decided to pose as Saul’s killer, in order to increase the anticipated reward.

However, when David had heard the story made up by the Amalekite about how he, at the request of the wounded Saul, had slain him, he took hold of his garments and rent them, as did also all the people who were with him. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening. And David said to the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed (II Kings [II Samuel in the Authorized Version] 1:1-16).

Thus the foreigner who posed as Saul’s killer was executed. He was subjected to a cruel punishment, even though Saul was the persecutor of the innocent David and had done much evil, for which the Lord had departed from him.

From David’s words it is evident that he doubted the veracity of the Amalekite’s story and was not convinced that the man was indeed Saul’s murderer; nevertheless, he gave him over to death, considering that even calling oneself a regicide and boasting of such a deed was worthy of death.

How many times more grave and sinful was the murder of the Orthodox monarch anointed by God; how many times greater must the punishment be for the murderers of Tsar Nicholas II and his family?!

In contrast to Saul, who had turned away from God and because of this had been abandoned by Him, Tsar Nicholas II was an exemplar of piety and complete devotion to God’s will.

Having received not the Old Testament pouring of oil on the head, but the grace-filled “Seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” in the Mystery of Chrismation, Emperor Nicholas II was faithful to his high calling till the end of his life and was conscious of his responsibility before God.

In his every action, Emperor Nicholas II took his conscience into account; he always “walked before the Lord God.” He was “Most Pious” during the days of his earthly well-being, not only in name, but in actual fact. In his time of trial, he displayed patience like that of righteous Job.

Against such a Tsar did criminals raise their hands, and at a time when he had already been purified, like gold in the furnace, by the trials he had endured, so that he was an innocent sufferer in the full sense of the word.

The crime against Tsar Nicholas II is all the more terrible and sinful in that his whole family was killed together with him, including the children, who were not guilty of anything!

Such crimes do not remain unpunished. They cry out to Heaven and bring God’s wrath down upon the earth.
If the foreigner — the supposed murderer of Saul — underwent death, now the whole Russian nation is suffering for the murder of the defenseless Tsar-Sufferer and his family, because it allowed such a terrible misdeed to take place and remained silent when the Tsar was subjected to humiliation and deprived of his freedom.

God’s justice requires of us a profound realization of the sinfulness of what was done, together with repentance before the Tsar-Martyr and his memory.

The memory of the innocent holy princes Boris and Gleb aroused the conscience of the Russian people during the disturbances which upset the appanage principalities, and it shamed the princes who had initiated the strife. The blood of the holy Great Prince Igor brought about a spiritual change in the souls of the Kievans and united Kiev and Chernigov in venerating the slain holy prince. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky sanctified with his blood the monarchy of Rus’, which was confirmed only considerably later, after his death as a martyr. The veneration of Saint Michael of Tver throughout Russia healed the wounds caused by the struggle between Moscow and Tver. The glorification of the holy Tsarevich Dimitri cleared the consciousness of the Russian people, inspired moral strength and led, after severe shocks, to the rebirth of Russia.

The Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II and his much-suffering family have now entered into the choir of these Passion-bearers.

This greatest of crimes, committed with respect to him, must be expiated by fervent veneration of him and by the glorification of his struggle.

Rus’ must bow down before its humiliated, slandered and martyred Tsar, just as the Kievans once bowed down before the venerable Prince Igor whom they martyred, and just as the people
of Vladimir and Suzdal bowed down before the slain Great Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky!

Then the Tsar-Passion-bearer will acquire boldness before God, and his prayer will deliver the Russian land from the calamities it is enduring.

Then the Tsar-Martyr and his fellow sufferers will become new heavenly defenders of Holy Rus’.

The innocent blood that was shed will regenerate Russia and make it radiant with new glory!

-From a sermon of St. John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco.

In related news Bp Hilarion conducted a concert in Christ the Saviour Cathedral (Moscow) which he had composed commemorating the Royal Martyrs. (Hat tip to Fr. Joseph.)

A web page dedicated to the Royal Martyrs / Passion Bearers may be found here.

An Akathist To The Czar and Great-Martyr Nicholas Emperor of All Russia can be found here.

Click here for The Epistle of His All Holiness Alexy II Patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias on the 90th Anniversary of the Murder of the Royal Passion Bearers.

A Decree of the Russian Orthodox Church

MOSCOW: July 2, 2008
Decision of the Holy Sobor of the Russian Orthodox Church On the Report of the Chairman of the Synodal Commission on Canonization, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsa and Kolomensk

[Decreed:] To approve the work of the Synodal Commission on the Canonization of Saints during the inter-Sobor period.

To glorify as Church-wide saints and include into the Church Calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church the following names:

Hierarch Anthony (Smirnitsky, 1773-1846) of Voronezh, establishing December 20 (January 2) as his feast day;

Hierarch John (Maximovich, 1896-1966) of Shanghai and San Francisco, establishing June 19 (July 2) as his feast day;*

Abbess Juliania (1300-1393) and Nun Eupraxia (1302-1394) of Moscow, establishing May 3 (16) as their feast day;

To inform the Primates of the brethren Local Orthodox Churches of these names for inclusion in the lists of their saints.

To authorize the Holy Synod to examine and make decisions on the matter of the glorification of saints by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia during the period of division.

The Scholarly Committee is to include into the curricula of theological schools the lives and theological legacies of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia of the 20th Century.

ALEXY, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA

Members of the Presidium of the Council of Bishops:

Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine

Daniel, Metropolitan of Tokyo and All Japan

Vladimir, Metropolitan of St Petersburg and Ladoga

Philaret, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk

Yuvenaly, Metropolitan of Krutitsa and Kolomensk

Kirill, President of the Department of External Church Relations, Metropolitan of

Smolensk and Kaliningrad

Kliment, Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk

Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kishinev and All Moldova

Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia,

Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York

Vladimir, Metropolitan of Tashkent and Mid-Asia

Alexander, Metropolitan of Riga and All Latvia

Kornily, Metropolitan of Tallin and All Estonia

Ioann, Archbishop of Belgorod and Starooskolsk

Kirill, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov

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* My namesake has been approved by the Russian Church.

Feast of St. John of Shanghai & San Francisco

Today is the Feast of St. John Maximovitch and also my name day.

TROPARION, TONE 6
"Glorious apostle to an age of coldness and unbelief, invested with the grace-filled power of the saints of old, divinely-illumined seer of heavenly mysteries, , feeder of orphans, hope of the hopeless, thou didst enkindle on earth the fire of love for Christ upon the dark eve of the day of judgment; pray now that this sacred flame may also rise from our hearts."