Miracles Of Saint Athanasios The Sitter Patriarch Of Constantinople

By His Eminence Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya

From various Russian sources there are mentioned many miracles of St. Athanasios. Once, around 1813, one of the famous Russian princess' was suffering from an incurable disease for many years. So she saw in her sleep the Saint, who showed her how to reach the place where the Saint's relics were. She arrived on May 25th at the church where the relics of the Saint were placed. She attended the Divine Liturgy with great reverence. The same day she came again to the temple during vespers. Because of her advanced age, as well as her paralysis, with difficulty they carried her to church every time. But to the wonder of all, this time that noble lady came to church after she got up and walked alone without any help. She then confessed to the abbot of the monastery where the relic was that she arrived there after an order of the Saint, who appeared three times in her sleep. He even showed the monastery was built on a hill with the Saint seated inside. After requesting information from relatives, who knew the place, she was brought there and was healed completely.

The following year was another miracle of the Saint. This time it was not a treatment for the body but for the mind. One man sinned continually with carnal sins, and then finally lost his mind. He came to repentance. His brother took him to visit Kiev, then when there were many holy elders. On the way they stopped at the place where the relics of the Saint were. When they came to the church where the relics of the Saint were found, it was during the Divine Liturgy. The sick man immediately ran towards the area of the Saint and began with tears to kiss the Saint. He saw the face of the Saint as an angel feeling that the Saint was alive and spoke to him and blessed his sincere repentance. Since that time the sick man came to himself and glorified God for the miracle.

Another case is also very touching. A lady was in the last days of her life. Everyone had written her off and waited for her death. Indeed, the description says they almost had put her into the coffin. A relative of hers brought home the icon of St. Athanasios. Once she saw the icon she fell into a deep sleep. After those in attendance prayed to the Saint, when she woke up she was well, as if nothing happened to her, and she got up praising God.

St. Athanasios, according to the writings of various people, often appeared to simplistic people suffering from various diseases by inviting them to him and promising to cure them. So in all parts of Russia he was known for his holiness and his miracles. Many couples especially from Siberia had child-bearing problems. The Saint appeared to them and called for repentance and prayer. They would reach the monastery, where the relics of the Saint were, and after a short time they bore children.

There is mentioned the event of a Maria from Kharkov who suffered from incurable blindness for three years. So her relatives brought her before the Saint during the Divine Liturgy. Suddenly during the time of the Cherubic Hymn she saw with her own eyes the Saint and immediately ran and lit a candle in front of him bowing in reverence for the gift he gave her, that of her vision.

One young girl from the Poltava region with the name Euphrosyne was deaf. This was around the year 1829. On the day which was celebrated the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Kazan, she saw in her sleep St. Athanasios seated on his throne. The next day she glorified God who allowed her to see the Saint. While she made her prayer, she felt a hand to support her and suddenly, in the presence of her mother, she was found to be hearing. A year later she suffered from high fever. She was transferred to the monastery of the Saint in front of the holy relic. She felt an inexpressible bliss. After Matins and specifically during the time of the Doxology some power touched her and she was healed in that hour. Seven years later, now married, she suffered from a terrible incurable disease, and she saw in her sleep St. Athanasios. She prayed continuously. The Saint took his miter and with it touched her and ordered her to get up and glorify God, who had healed her completely.

The Saint continues to work miracles in many ways to those who run with faith to him seeking protection and mercy. Many miracles occur on the day his memory is celebrated in Russia on May 2. On Mount Athos and in Crete he is celebrated on August 21. From all parts of Russia they rush to pray in front of the full-length and incorrupt relic, an example of holiness. Even during the time of the great persecution, ie the communist regime, the atheistic authorities, to prevent people from coming near, decided to put him in a museum as a museum exhibit. They even thought that by putting a fairly high ticket, the world would not come. But again the faithful went and with much reverence sought assistance from the Saint. Eventually the authorities removed the holy relic to an unknown place - perhaps a basement - from which, after efforts of the current Metropolitan Nikodemos, was transferred to the Cathedral of Kharkov, where the faithful people of God come and celebrate receiving the Saint's blessing.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Uncovering Of The Relics Of The Venerable Athanasius The Abbot Of Brest Litovsk

COMMEMORATED ON JULY 20The Monastic Victim Athanasius of Bretsk (Uncovering and Pass of Remnants 1649): The martyric death of the holy Passion-bearer Athanasius, igumen of Bretsk, occured on September 5, 1648. For eight months the form of the fatality for Conventionality lay in the base lacking a church burial. On May 1, 1649 a boy sour out to the brethren of the Simeonov monastery the place of the igumen's means. The base in which the fatality was immersed belonged at the time to the Jesuits, and therefore they had to go to work secretly. At night the monks dug up the incorrupt form of the igumen and at this point took it off to atypical place. In the start, they brought it to their monastery, somewhere whilst several days, on May 8, they immersed him with peculiarity at the right kleiros (singing group) in the key church of the monastery highly sensitive to St Simeon the Stylite. The of time life of the monastic fatality Athanasius had come to an end, but the bear in mind of him remained continuously exciting and sacred together with the Shipshape country of the west Russian descent. The technical devotion of believers covering for his holy name. His incorrupt relics, located in a copper reliquary, were glorified by grace-filled gifts of wonderworking, and engrossed a excessive distribution of believers. On November 8, 1815 at the time of a fire at the Bretsk Simeonov monastery, the stiff monastery church burned, and the copper reliquary, in which the relics of the fatality were standoffish, melted in the bonfire. The day investigation the fire, an undamaged allot of the relics were found by the priest Samuel of Lisovsk and located by the dedicated country of the local of Bretsk base the altar of the monastery trapeza church. In the blind date 1823, with the blessing of Archbishop Anatolius of Minsk, the holy relics were located in a stiff frame by the head start of the monastery and put in church for devotion. So, it comforted God to look after a allot of the relics of the holy Victim Athanasius. Growing up before us is this extensive supporter of Conventionality, with his extensive have faith in and love of fellow citizen. Gutturally devout, remorselessly discontinue to the have faith in of the holy Fathers, he became substantial and articulated by word and by fighting his church transgression against the intimidation of Shipshape Christians by the patronizing Uniates. As well as keen have faith in in his career by God, he entered in the field of the endeavor for his browbeaten brethren. "I am not a judge, but isolated a servant of God my Creator, sent having the status of of the become old, in order to speak the truth to one and all. He has sent me, so that I might vote in advance the injury of the accursed Unia." Such were the words of the keen, tap down and encouraged struggler for Conventionality, who primarily made-up in the profitable power of the true Conviction. St Athanasius saw the draw to a close assertion of Conventionality and the convincing and finished ruin of the Unia as his testimony line of reasoning. He highly sensitive his whole life to this end. Having submitted to the specter of God, he had no sign of weigh down, nor did he include the obstacles, in sustaining his holy tax. St Athanasius hand-me-down His hefty, spiritually-inspired speeches and writings, his published grievances, and voluntary folly in Christ for the consent of his sacred goal: the assertion of Conventionality in the ancient Russian land. Having repudiated the Unia, he was encouraged with a wealthy intention of let-down and love towards inhabitants who had become the wounded of Uniate proselitism. The acceptability and truthfulness of St Athanasius in link up to inhabitants close down defined the course of all his activities. By his kick in the solitary life, circumscribed by open and buried enemies, the holy outsider remained a valiant mask and string of Conventionality. He unendingly automated his prediction: "The Unia specter die out, but Conventionality specter develop."SOURCE:"SAINT OR Feast POSTED THIS Meeting 2009(with 2008's link covering also):"