A paralyzed boy healed by St. John the Russian

St. John the Russian, depicted with St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. John of Kronstadt

In one of the two children's hospitals of Athens, a mother lay at the head of her child day and night. She brought the child from Patras, because the child's chronic affliction, paralysis of the lower extremities, had worsened in the last few days...

One evening, while the sun was setting, and the last few sunbeams lit up the hospital room, the mother remembered how she would go to a chapel of the Panagia high above Patras, and prayed, lighting the vigil lamps, sometimes with her husband, other times with her children. Her nous was fixed on that chapel. She prayed noetically: “My Panagia, my sweetest Mother who feels our pain, help my child. My Panagia, send me a Saint, look at my poor child, how in his life, he is struggling to stand on his feet. Help, my poor little boy.”

“Mother,” the child said, “who are you talking to?”

“My Georgie, remember when you read in your church book how our Lord lived in Palestine, and healed demoniacs, opened the eyes of the blind, lifted up Paralytics and made them walk, and raised the dead? Tell him, my Georgie, and He will hear you, my good boy, tell Christouli to make you well.”

The helpless child, with his innocent gaze, looked at his mother, and at the sun which was setting. He looked high towards the heavens.

That midnight, George saw a dream of a beautiful horseman, on a glorious horse. He stopped before him and said:

“Get up, Georgie, jump up on my horse!”

“But I am a paralytic, my feet don't move and hold me up.” he replied.

“Give me your hand, Georgie, get up on my horse. I am St. John from Russia, and our Lord sent me to bring you His grace and His healing power!"

The child, half awake, then awoke his mother, who picked him up so that he wouldn't fall out of bed.

“Mother, hold me, St. John from Russia told me to get up.”

In the morning when the night resident told the professor that the paralyzed child from Patras began walking that night, went with a hammer in hand, checked the child's reflexes, and plucked his feet with a sharp instrument, and he saw that his body was functioning normally.

“Go,” said the professor, “God had something to do with you."

Now I’m totally fine. I have no pain anymore ( Father Stefanos Anagnostopoulos )

Gregory Moisejevic Kalimanovic, a Jew and a barber in the profession, suffered many years of cancer in the esophagus. He had tried many different treatments, but nothing has worked. The cancer was growing and his health was deteriorating. In 1927 he went with his wife to Moscow to see a renowned professor. He carefully examined him and then told his wife:

– At most your husband will live for two weeks. There are no benefits from drugs at this point. Go home and submit to your fate.

They left the clinic and walked to the station of Yaroslavl to take a train to Vladimir. On Nicholas Street (Nikolski Prospekt) the sick man saw the chapel of St. Panteleimon and he started yelling:

– I want to go there!

His wife said to him:

– This is a Christian church; it is not of our religion. Let’s go!

However, the sick man insisted:

– You go! I’ll go there!

He entered the chapel and stood before the icon of the saint. He fell on his knees and began to pray with tears in his eyes asking the Saint for healing. Then he stood up, kissed the icon of the Saint faithfully and seeing his wife beside him, he said:

– You know something; now I’m totally fine. I have no pain anymore. Let’s go back to the clinic so they can re-examine me.

His wife followed him with much hesitation. The professor, however, when told that Kalimanovic came back and asked for a re-examination, was very angry.

– Leave me alone! Are we going to play games now?

The sick man then asked a professor’s assistant to examine him. The assistant accepted to do so out of politeness and finally examined him. The assistant found him totally healthy and of course he told the professor.

– Either the sick man is crazy or you! Or maybe both of you! The professor said sarcastically.

The assistant insisted. So the professor, obviously annoyed, decided to examine him again. After the examination, the professor full of surprise declared:

– Yes indeed! The sick man suddenly became well. Now he is totally fine! …

How and why Gregory Moisejevic was healed is something only he knew. He also knew very well that his healing was due exclusively to the Holy Martyr Panteleimon.

For this reason, as soon as he reached his village, he immediately went to Father Peter and asked him to be baptized Orthodox Christian. The baptism occurred without any delay. It was the year 1927. After his baptism, Gregory was full of joy and openly proclaimed that he was even willing to give his life for Christ!

From the book “Eyo Fteo… Esi” of Father Stefanos Anagnostopoulos