A Miracle of St John of Shanghai and San Francisco

Here’s my translation of an excerpt from a sermon given by Bishop Basil (Rodzianko) of San Francisco (+1999) concerning St John of Shanghai and San Francisco:

My matushka, my late wife, fell ill. What happened was unclear, but she had a terrible pain in her hip, and could not take a step, could not move, and we only barely got her to the school where we were living in Versailles, and we immediately called for a French doctor. The French doctor examined her for a long time, shook his head, and called me aside to say: “You need to get used to the thought that she will never be able to walk again. You will need to buy her a special chair with wheels. This will be for the rest of her life. Nonetheless, we will send her to the hospital for a final and full examination.” You can just imagine: after all the afflictions we had already been through… Vladyka John was away at the time. He arrived, heard about this, and immediately called me to him, and said: “Do not worry. I will come tomorrow and give her Communion”… After the Liturgy (this was in the school’s house-church) he came, fully vested, with the Chalice… He stopped at the door and said: “Maria, get up! Come receive Communion!” She immediately got up and came. He asked: “Does it hurt?” “No.” “Well, now receive Communion. You’ve Communed? Now go lay down again.” This was like in a dream. She told me: “The pain is gone, I don’t feel anything.” Nonetheless, the ambulance came in the afternoon and took her to the hospital. She was there for a few days, and a few days later came home with a note from the doctor: “Why did you send her here? She’s in perfectly good health, there’s nothing wrong with her!”

Photograph: St John in Belgrade, 1934, flanked by the brothers Bartoshevich (the future Bishop Leonid and Archbishop Anthony).