Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco (russian: Иоанн Шанхайский и Сан Францисский, Ioann Shankhayskiyi i San Frantsiskyi;
secular name
A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of registration of the birth and which then ap ...
Mikhail Borisovich Maximovitch, russian: Михаил Борисович Максимович; 4 June 1896 – 2 July 1966) was a prominent
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
wonderworker
Thaumaturgy is the purported capability of a magician to work magic or other paranormal events or a saint to perform miracles. It is sometimes translated into English as wonderworking.
A practitioner of thaumaturgy is a "thaumaturge", "thauma ...
to whom were attributed powers of
prophecy
In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a '' prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pr ...
,
clairvoyance
Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...
and healing. He is often referred to as "St. John the Wonderworker".
Life
Early life
Mikhail Maximovitch was born in 1896 in the village of Adamovka of the
Izyumsky Uyezd
Izyumsky Uyezd (; uk, Ізюмський повіт) was one of the subdivisions of the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southeastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Izium (Izyum).
Demograp ...
of the
Kharkov Governorate
The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. Fro ...
of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(in present-day eastern
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
).
Growing up Mikhail was a sickly child who was deeply devout and used to collect icons and church books. He was captivated by the lives of saints; even in play he would pretend toy soldiers were monks and fortresses were monasteries. His piety impressed his French caretaker so much that she converted from Catholicism to Orthodox Christianity.
Maximovitch attended Poltava Military School from 1907 to 1914. Later he attended and received a degree in law from Kharkov Imperial University in 1918. He studied well and attended church in
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.metropolitan Antony Khrapovitsky to go deeper into his spiritual learnings.
He later recalled that the local monastery had become more important in his life than the secular institutions.
Maximovitch was a patriot of his fatherland and was profoundly disappointed by what he saw as human weakness and impermanence during the tragic events of the
1917 revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of governm ...
. As a result, he made the decision to dedicate his life to serving God.
and brought him to Belgrade in 1921. In 1925 he graduated from
Belgrade University
The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a List of universities in Serbia, public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 i ...
with a degree in
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
."Archbishop John, Wonder-worker of shanghai and San Francisco", Holy Virgin Cathedral, San Francisco /ref> To support his impoverished family, he would sell newspapers.
In 1926 he was
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...
d a monk and ordained a
hierodeacon A hierodeacon (Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a monk who has been ordained a deacon (or deacon who has been tonsured monk). T ...
by Russian MetropolitanAnthony (Khrapovitsky), who gave him the name of John after his saintly relative.
Later that same year, he was ordained to the priesthood by Russian Bishop
Gabriel (Chepur)
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel ( ); grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl; la, Gabriel; cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl; am, ገብርኤል, translit=Gabrəʾel; arc, ܓ݁ܰܒ݂ܪܺܝܐ ...
of
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk ( rus, Челя́бинск, p=tɕɪˈlʲæbʲɪnsk, a=Ru-Chelyabinsk.ogg; ba, Силәбе, ''Siläbe'') is the administrative center and largest city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the seventh-largest city in Russia, with a ...
. Once ordained St. John would no longer sleep in a bed. He would nap in a chair or kneeling down in front of the icons, praying. He ate only once a day. For several years he worked as an instructor and tutor in
Velika Kikinda
Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; hu, Nagykikinda) is a city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia . The city urban area has 38,069 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 59,453 inhabitants.
The c ...
between 1925 and 1927.
In 1929, the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church appointed him a teacher of the seminary in Bitola under principal
Nikolaj Velimirović
Nikolaj Velimirović (Serbian Cyrillic: Николај Велимировић; – ) was bishop of the eparchies of Ohrid and Žiča (1920–1956) in the Serbian Orthodox Church. An influential theological writer and a highly gifted orat ...
.
John earned the respect and devotion at the seminary where he taught. His reputation grew as he started visiting hospitals, caring for patients with prayer and communion.
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
of
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
.
In Shanghai, bishop John found an uncompleted cathedral and an Orthodox community deeply divided along ethnic lines. Making contact with all the various groups, he quickly became involved in local charitable institutions and also founded an orphanage and home for the children of the destitute.
He set about restoring church unity, establishing ties with local Orthodox Serbs and Greeks. Here he first became known for miracles attributed to his prayer.
As a public figure, it was impossible for him to completely conceal his ascetic way of life. During the Japanese occupation, even when he routinely ignored the curfew in pursuit of his pastoral activities, the Japanese authorities never harassed him.
As the only Russian hierarch in China who refused to submit to the authority of the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
-dominated
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
under
Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow
Patriarch Alexy I (Alexius I, russian: Патриарх Алексий I, secular name Sergey Vladimirovich Simansky, russian: Серге́й Влади́мирович Сима́нский; – 17 April 1970) was the 13th Patriarch of Moscow ...
Tubabao
Tubabao is an island off the southeastern point of Samar Island. It is one of the islands comprising the town of Guiuan in the province of Eastern Samar, in east central Philippines. The island is located close to the town centre.
During World W ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and then mainly to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and Australia. Archbishop St. John personally traveled to
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, to ensure that his people would be allowed to enter the US.
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, then in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
Thanks to his work in compiling the lives of saints, numerous pre- Schism Western saints became known in Orthodoxy and continue to be venerated to this day. His charitable and pastoral work continued as it had in Shanghai, even among a much more widely scattered flock.
San Francisco
In 1962 St. John was reassigned by the Holy Synod to the see of
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. Here too, he found a divided community and a cathedral in an unfinished state. Although he completed the building of the
Holy Virgin Cathedral
The Holy Virgin Cathedral, also known as Joy of All Who Sorrow (russian: Радосте-Скорбященский собор), is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in the Richmond District of San Francisco. It is the largest of the six cathedrals ...
and brought some measure of peace to the community, he became the target of slander from political enemies. They filed a lawsuit against him for alleged mishandling of finances related to the construction of the cathedral. He was exonerated, but this was a great cause of sorrow to him in his later life.
Deeply reverent of St. John of Kronstadt, John played an active role in the preparation of his canonization in 1964.''Blessed John the Wonderworker: A Preliminary Account of the Life and Miracles of Archbishop John Maximovitch''. Platina: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1987.()
Death and veneration
On July 2, 1966 (June 19 on the
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
), St. John died while visiting
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, at a time and place he was said to have foretold. He was entombed in a sepulcher beneath the altar of the
Holy Virgin Cathedral
The Holy Virgin Cathedral, also known as Joy of All Who Sorrow (russian: Радосте-Скорбященский собор), is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in the Richmond District of San Francisco. It is the largest of the six cathedrals ...
he had built in San Francisco. It is dedicated to the ''Theotokos'', Joy of All Who Sorrow, and located on
Geary Boulevard
Geary Boulevard (designated as Geary Street east of Van Ness Avenue) is a major east–west thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, United States, beginning downtown at Market Street near Market Street's intersection with Kearny Street, an ...
in the Richmond district.
In 1994, he was solemnly glorified on the 28th anniversary of his death. His unembalmed,
incorrupt
Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that divine intervention allows some human bodies (specifically saints and beati) to completely or partially avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their ...
relics occupy a shrine in the cathedral's
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
. His feast day is celebrated on the Saturday nearest to July 2.
He is beloved and celebrated worldwide, with portions of his relics located in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
(Church of Saint Anna in Katerini),
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
, United States (St. John Maximovitch Church, Eugene, Oregon and St. Innocent Orthodox Church, Redford, Michigan), Canada (Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, Kitchener), England (Dormition Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, London) and other countries of the world.
References
Further reading
* Dunlop, John B. (2017). ''Exodus: St. John Maximovitch Leads His Flock out of Shanghai.'' Yonkers: St Vladimir's Seminary Press.
*Perekrestov, Archpriest Peter. (1994). ''Man of God: Saint John of Shanghai & San Francisco.'' Redding: Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society.
* Rose, Fr. Seraphim & Abbot Herman. (1987). ''Blessed John the wonderworker: A preliminary account of the life and miracles of Archbishop John Maximovitch'' (Third, revised ed.). Platina: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood. .
*''Father Seraphim: His Life and Work'' .