St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco

e commemorate today a Russian Saint but also of America and Asia and Europe, one who is of our modern times, one that we can relate to but not in the sense that we have something in common. No, St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco was not like us, he was a holy man but a holy man in a modern era when such things seemed to be outdated, when the asceticism of which we read about in the lives of the Saints we consider to be of another time, we are given the life of St. John.

He graduated from the Belgrade University with a degree in theology and in 1929 he taught the seminarians at the St. John the Theologian Seminary in Bitola, in the Ohrid Archbishopric which at the time was administered bySt.  Bishop Nikolai (Velimirovic). Leaving the Seminary once Bishop Nikolai  told the seminarians, “Children, listen to Fr. John, he is an angel of God in human form.” Bishop Nikolai is also quoted as saying, If you want to see a living Saint go to Fr. John in Bitola.

The Synod of the Russian Church Abroad elected him in 1934 as bishop, with the intention of sending him as auxiliary to the Diocese of China, in Shanghai. There is a story told by one of his acquaintances from Yugoslavia who says that there couldn’t have been anything further from his thoughts. She met him on a tramcar and asked him what he is doing in Belgrade. He replied that he is there because he mistakenly received a summons which should have gone to another monastic named John, who is to be consecrated as bishop. When the same person met Fr. John the next day, he told her that the mistake is much worse than he thought as they intended to consecrate him as bishop! In 1934 Metropolitan Antony (Khrapovitsky) consecrated a bishop for the last time, a young and remarkable man he had first met in Kharkov in 1914 and whom he had made a monk in 1926. Metropolitan Antony recognized holiness in the new bishop when he said, “This man, who appears weak is, in fact, a miracle of ascetic steadfastness and determination in our time of universal spiritual weakening.”

Thus begins the amazing story which is the life of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. Moreover, today is a feast day we, both Old and New Calendarists,  celebrate together on the day of his repose July 2, 1966. This I find interesting for a number of reasons but recently I commented on a blog where blogger Trevor-Peter (here) remarks on the parting of ways between New and Old Calendarists after the feast of Pentecost. “But for those blessed 18 weeks–more than a third of the year–we all share in common the movable feasts and fasts,” he says.

Today we also share in common this Saint of our times. (Granted, I think he is always celebrated on the closest Saturday to July 2). A blessed feast to all!

By the way — a DVD was recently made (perhaps you’ve heard about it) chronicling the life of St. John which you can purchase here.