| Amphilochius of Pochayiv | |
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Portrait of Saint Amphilochius |
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| Saint | |
| Born | 27 November 1894 |
| Died | 1 January 1971 (aged 76) |
| Honored in | Ukrainian Orthodox Church |
| Canonized | 11 May 2002 |
Saint Amphilochius (1894–1971) (Ukrainian: Амфілохій Почаївський) was a 20th-century Ukrainian Orthodox saint, from Ternopil oblast of western Ukraine.
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Amphilochius of Pochayiv was born Yakiv Holovatyuk on 27 November 1894 in the village of Mala Ilovytsya (Mala Ilowica in Polish), in Shumskyi raion of Ternopil oblast in western Ukraine, at that time part of Austria-Hungary. The village of Mala Ilovytsya is located in the Ilovetska valley, which is 7 km (4 mi) wide, and is surrounded by the Kremenets mountains. It is the northernmost village of Ternopil oblast, off the main roads and surrounded by forested areas. A remarkable tree grows in the village, a 350-year-old ash tree. His father, Varnava, had 10 children. As a young soldier he went through the nightmares of the First World War when heavy battles took place in the area between the armies of imperial Austria and tsarist Russia. There he saw death and started to understand the gift of life. Soon he was taken a prisoner of war by the Austrians, though he later managed to flee.
Having returned home, he intended to marry but the priest blessed him and told him to join Pochayiv monastery. Yakiv humbly accepted and went to the Uspens’ka (Dormition) Lavra in Pochayiv in 1925. He performed all his duties with love of labour and humbleness and in 1932 he was tonsured a monk through postryh (clipping of hair ceremony) and took the name Joseph (Yosyp in Ukrainian). Since then Pochayiv Lavra became home to the monk where he spent some 20 years. He spent much time praying in front of the miraculous icons of Pochayiv. He was appointed the caretaker of the God’s Mother’s Foot. God’s Mother’s Foot is a rock footprint left after apparition of Virgin Mary in the pillar of fire on the rocks in Pochayiv around 1240 after prayers of monk-refugees from Kiev destroyed by Mongol-Tatars. The Virgin Mary pointed out then where the monastery will emerge and being wrapped in radiance ascended from earth to heaven leaving after her a clear footprint on the rock. Since then the footprint gets constantly filled with healing water. Monk Joseph carried out his duty with great awe and responsibility. He saw, people healing when using and washing with holy water. In 1936 He received the rank of hieromonk (priest-monk). His healing gifts were attracting attention of many people. The ArchimandriteAbbot of the monastery of the lavra blessed Hieromonk Joseph in this work and allowed him to settle near the cemetery of the monastary. There the venerable Amphilochius spent 20 years pin prayers day and night. Having dedicated his life to the Lord, the starets (elder) gained from God firm faith and gifts of prophesy and healing. God cured through him body sicknesses and hidden spiritual diseases, returning vision to the blind, hearing to the deaf, hope to the wretched. The sick were carried to him from all around the world. The flow of the sick did not cease neither day or night. The street was overfilled with carts. The queue lines were said to be measured in kilometeres. Elder Amphilochius experienced human pain as his own, having compassion to all those suffering and weak. And of himself he used to say: "Do you think I am holy? I am a sinner! And healing you receive according to your prayers and your faith." He had a powerful impact on people. Many of those who did not believe in God after the first conversation with him were returning to church. And in Pochayiv itself, it was hard to find anyone who would not come to him for help at least once. Everyone knew him.
In the summers, the "pilgrimage" to Saint Amphilochius (then called father Joseph) was increasing, reaching 500 people daily. The souls, hearts and intentions of all people were known to the starets. Father Joseph healed the most persistent diseases but used to tell that not all leave him healthy claiming that bodily health can cause only damage to some - the loss of the soul. God’s servant had great love in his heart and never used to refuse anyone, paid attention to every person. When being asked how he managed to reach such love, he answered: "For humility God gives the grace of love". He had a permanent rule: if the sick is brought – he should be called out at any time of the day or night.
In September 1939 the area was occupied by the Soviet Bolsheviks. Prior to that time, Pochayiv, like the rest of western Ukraine, was part of Poland, governed by Piłsudski from 1926 to 1935. During the interwar period, Pochayiv was often referred to by its Polish name, Poczajow (Pochayoov). The nearby town of Kremenets (Krzemieniec in Polish) was home to one of the greatest Polish poets - Juliusz Słowacki. Guests from the NKVD started coming to the little hut of father Joseph. Once they bound him and wanted to throw him down from the precipice. But father calmly said: "You will not manage to carry me far away". On the way to the lavra one became blind, another's hand refused to move and the third's foot became immobile. They started begging him for forgiveness. He blessed them and let them go as healthy as before they met him.
Soon after, the guests from the NKVD came again in the night and ordered him prepare dinner and then asked him to come with them. In the cemetery he was informed about his imminent execution. The venerable father stood calmly while Father Irynarkh, who used to live with him, started reading a prayer. Father Irynarkh then ran out of the house with the words: "Do you know whom you are killing?! He is saving the entire world! Better kill me." The execution was postponed.
Despite the prohibitions, father continued to heal the sick. Even those who were considered incurable by medical science became cured. The Soviet authorities prohibited people visiting the starets. Even buses were canceled. But this did not stop the people.
In 1962 the authorities attempted to take away the Trinity Church from the lavra. With his courage father Joseph defended the shrine. When he saw the band of militia men near the church, father snatched a key from one of them and gave it to the archimandrite: "The archipriest is the head of the lavra! And you get away from here! People, chase them out!" The locals, being inspired by the words of father, attacked the occupants and chased them away from the gates. This way father saved the monastery.
This almost cost him his life. Soon after, they came after him in a car known as a "black raven". They bound him, shut his mouth with a towel and took him to the psychiatric hospital. There he was beaten, had his hair cut off and was put into a room with violent patients. Later father Joseph recalled: "There was a dim light in the room and about 40 sick persons. I was constantly injected with medicine from which my whole body became swollen and my skin cracked… Once I was called to the main physician and asked if I can cure all the sick. I said: "I can" and asked them to bring me the Gospel and religious items in order to carry out the water-baptismal prayer. I said that after the prayer, the demons will leave by themselves through windows and doors. The main physician got furious: “You should cure them without prayers!" And I say to him: "It is impossible to cure so. When a soldier goes to battle, he takes a rifle, bullets, and hand-grenades. Our weapons are the Holy Cross, the Holy Gospel, and Holy Water!"
After such a conversation father Joseph was forced to remain a long time in the hospital. Help came from the daughter of Joseph Stalin, Svetlana Alliluyeva. As it turned out, the starets had once cured her of emotional sickness. The thankful patient did not forget the merciful father and freed him from the hospital. His relatives took him to his village, Ilovytsya. But even there he was betrayed by one of his twelve nephews. One of them happened to be an evil and jealous person. He took father to the forest, beat him and threw into a swamp. Eight hours he lay unconscious in the water. His relatives found him and took him to Pochayiv Lavra. The state of the hieromonk was precarious. The brothers did not dare hope that he would survive till morning. That same night he was tonsured in schema with name Amphilochios (Amfilokhiy in Church Slavonic). Soon thereafter he recovered.
He settled in the village of Ilovytsya at the house of his niece Anna, where he continued to receive the sick. All the nearby villages knew about the water-blessing prayers conducted by the starets. A great number of people attended the services. Father used to say that in his court the ground was soaked with the tears of gravely sick people that with all their hearts begged for healing. People from the most faraway republics of the Soviet Union were bringing to him those demonically possessed for healing.
Amphilochius felt coming of death. Once in the summer 1970 father together with his friend walked the forest path. Having heard a cuckoo he said: "This is the last time I listen to a cuckoo with you…" The same year the saint died. Shortly before passing, during an evening meal, father invited all to the table and as if joking said: "The poison is already presented!". The other day father said: "All of you are dear to me but there is Judas among you". The real cause of death of Saint Amphilochius remains unknown until today. It is suspected that he was poisoned by one of his servants. Just before the death he once said: "How terrible it will be when they will start casting the frozen soil on the coffin." He died on 1 January 1971, the snow was blowing and covering everything. Soon after, the sick people who were visiting his grave, noticed that they were returning healthy. And so it was over 30 years! People were going to his grave to tell of their problems and to get healthy.
Saint Amphilochius started appearing in dreams to many servants of the Pochayiv Lavra requesting to move his relics there. On 11 May 2002, he was canonized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church after Church commission researched his life. Just before the Easter his relics were uncovered fully uncorrupt. Over 20.000 Orthodox pilgrims arrived to take part in the veneration of Saint Amphilochius. Many healings took place those days when people were coming to touch his relics.
Today his relics are kept in the depth of the church along with those of St. Job in Pochayiv Lavra of Ternopil' region in western area of Ukraine.
Rejoice, O life-filled branch of the vineyard of Christ, who by your holy life filled the Pochaev Lavra with from God!
O all-glorious ascetic of Volyn, worthy inhabitant of the Pochaev Lavra and great healer of the Orthodox people, thus has Christ our God shone you to His Church, O righteous Father Amfilokhy, zealously pray to Him, that He will free us from the attacks of our enemies and save our souls.
As a zealous follower of the Orthodox Faith, and teacher of the pious life, a wondrous helper and defender of those suffering illnesses and in sadness, standing before the Lord our God O righteous Amfilokhy, we cry out to you: protect the Pochaev community, in which you yourself have labored, and save us through your prayers, O Blessed Father.
Chosen by the King of Glory, and the leader of Pochaev, the Mother of God, as a gift to the whole Universe, which in these last years, had fallen under the yoke of the enemy the anti-Christ. A true preacher of Orthodoxy, and fierce dispeller of hordes of demons, you impartially exposed wicked, self-serving, and faithless clerics of the Church, O Holy Righteous Father Amfilokhy, glorified by the LORD of Power for your unwavering adherence to the dogmas of Christ’s Church. We turn to you for help, entreating, that through your prayers and your goodness, the LORD God will give us understanding and teach us in singing to you:
Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
The Creator of angels, by His all-wondrous seeing, chose you from your youth, that you would be pleasing to God in serving your neighbor, and would thus glorify the name of the All-Holy Trinity. You promised to be faithful to God alone, serving the All-Holy Trinity reverently and piously, and with steadfastness, for you were told by your parents that, “ terrible times will come and the oxen will leave their carts and wolves will come dressed in sheep’s clothing and plunder the flock , and the sheep will be scattered, frightened and deceived by the followers of the Antichrist..” But you, O Father, with a child’s ardor and burning love for people shouted, “ I am not afraid of him, I will save the sheep and lead them to God.” And, the LORD, foreseeing the purity of your soul and your future service, blessed you in this task of a good shepherd, of one who put his life down for the sake of the sheep. Therefore, thanking the LORD for his wondrous mercy to His people, we ask for His goodness, that He would bless us who sing “ how wonderful God is in His saints!” And we sing to you O Father, as one of them, these praises: Rejoice, as a pious father you were given spiritual children Rejoice, chosen from childhood to serve God as a priest Rejoice, for having been a shepherd of geese, you were made a shepherd of man Rejoice, outside of your town of Ilovitsa you were shown a healing spring Rejoice, working out your salvation in the silence of your cell Rejoice, for from your youth you loved the Mother of God more than earthly brides Rejoice, having come to the Pochaev monastery with an unwavering desire to serve Her Rejoice, having labored there in great service for more than forty years Rejoice, in your early youth, you promised not to fear those who would persecute and oppress the Orthodox Church Rejoice, by the Grace in you, you chased away the existence of demons. Rejoice, by hard work, obedience, humble wisdom, and lack of possessions you won the love of your pious brethren Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
For as a city can not hide itself on the top of a mountain, so also your Christian life at the holy monastery with great endeavors of prayer and acts of healing by the Grace of God, the gift of foresight and preaching by power, all do not hide the LORD, but show you to the people to be His merciful and fervent helper, a co-sufferer praying for all, and as a good pastor who cares for the salvation of the flock, a zealous servant, a soldier for truth, and of one who constantly cries out to the One Glorious God in Three Persons: Alleluia.
Orthodox people from all the lands, out of great sadness and from diseases, from unbearable disasters and misfortunes throng to the Pochaev Lavra and falling down before the footprint left by the Most Pure Mother of God, call out with great cries for help to the Most Blessed Queen, and to you, that standing before her, you will ask our Most merciful Helper, the Boast of Pochaev, our most revered advocate, and by these powerful prayers of Her servant, would hearken to the humble supplications of those who are suffering, laboring, and are heavy laden. Therefore, attend now, O Most Pure Lady, to us who are overcome with love and thanksgiving and wish to sing to Your servant, and our heavenly protector, these praises: Rejoice, by faith and works of faith and love in your life, you have been added to the choir of saints Rejoice, for you patiently endured in your heart the sores of our LORD Jesus Christ on your body; Rejoice, zealous from your youth, you served the Queen of the whole world with the love of a son; Rejoice, in vigils and in songs to the Theotokos, you took joy as if in paradise. Rejoice, as a vigilant guard of the relics of the Righteous JOB, you struggled and attained your crown. Rejoice, through your blessing you filled sad hearts with heavenly joy; Rejoice, through you, as a pious and true servant, the Righteous JOB granted blessings; Rejoice, having visited the sick; the Pochaev faithful came in contact with holiness of God through your visit. Rejoice, through the Holy Gifts many sick communed and were healed Rejoice, standing as a fiery flame in the Lavra you offered the Holy Gifts of communion; Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
News about the Divine Grace given to you and the wonderful miraculous healings, your visions, and the active help of your holy prayers, spread as if on wings, by the love of your neighbors all across Russia and beyond its borders, and many came to the Holy Lavra and gathered in prayer to honor the service of a true pastor, a speedy helper, a caring intercessor and a faithful servant of the LORD, as a great celebration of Holy Orthodoxy, which strengthens and protects and sets aflame all who love the LORD GOD and His Holy Mother, those who have been cleansed by your prayers, with thankful hearts and lips, in unity cry out of spiritual joy to the LORD: Alleluia
Already at a very young age, Jesus Christ gave you the wisdom to glorify the Holy Trinity, the true faith, unshakeable hope, a love aflame to seek after Him. May He, vouchsafe you, O Holy Father, to become a dwelling place of the Most Holy Trinity in the churches of the Lavra and “in every place of His Dominion” to serve Him day and night. For this, we sinners, amazed by your spiritual feats and your strength of spirit, take heart and sing to you: Rejoice, through fasting and prayer, and not judging your neighbor, you obtained the Grace of the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, unceasingly keeping in mind the glory of God with pure lips and a pure heart; Rejoice, unashamed of the true faith in God and of the holy dogmas Rejoice, fulfilling throughout your whole life the holy commands of Jesus Christ; Rejoice, raising up on high the cup of Thy most pure Body and Thy precious Blood and the Holy Cross Rejoice, O healer, having shown compassion to those suffering from demons Rejoice, for you were not frightened by the persecutions of the wicked, of their evil deeds, and of their slander Rejoice, you called to repentance those enticed by evil spirits, the sheep who lost the Way, and great sinners, who sensed in you righteousness, excellence, and love; Rejoice, having relentlessly fought and chased out those who stubbornly were stagnated in evil and were unrepentant Rejoice, through your great deeds of brotherly love you awakened many unbelievers to Baptism Rejoice, inextinguishable light of the Orthodox faith Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
With the gifts of recognizing Divine providence, unceasing prayer and purity, the LORD bestowed wealth on you. Even from an early age you foresaw the monastic life and the priesthood. Hunger and pestilence, terrible plagues and cancers, leprosy and diseases, all in a world of disobedience to God, you heralded the entire nation to return in repentance and to correct one’s life, you called for the expulsion from Christian homes of impudent adherents of the darkness of this age, you recognized those who with falsehood and flattery seduced the souls of man, and you, yourself, out of great sadness for the destruction of humanity, day and night in prayer before God, the Great Helper of the human race, incessantly called for help even to your last breath: Alleluia.
Orthodox people marvel in your life, O Holy Father, and are strengthened by the power of your prayers and your pleasing voice before God, rejoicing and thanking Him, who has given us such an intercessor and caring representative, similar to our Holy Father Serafim of Sarov, we humbly cry out: Rejoice, O instrument, fulfilling all the gifts of God’s grace; Rejoice, for you were not caught by the prince of this world through his nets of enticement; Rejoice, for you loved prayer with prostrations more than other actions; Rejoice, for you have became an example of loving one’s neighbor and praying to God; Rejoice, for your untiring service to God and your almsgiving to the world and “in this” you reached the great schema Rejoice, having learned to run, in times of sorrow, to the compassion of our fervent Intercessor, the Theotokos. Rejoice, having exclaimed to the whole universe with unremitting singing of Psalms and praying “Most Holy Mother of God, save us” Rejoice, having ordered all to honor daily their guardian angel with prostrations; Rejoice, in apostolic zealousness for God, you exposed those who served satan and chased them out of the Lavra, Rejoice, O strict Punisher, of unworthy men who accepted clerical ranks, who labored for the world, for flesh, and for the devil; Rejoice, O quick Healer, of priests, their wives and their children, monks and nuns, who had been enticed by demons; Rejoice, nightly you were attacked by demons, and you freed yourself from them by praying and making five hundred prostrations Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
The stormy, surging sea of this life, full of evil intentions, dangerous temptations, and various enticements, you have swum through, O Holy Father Amfilokhy, by the aid of the Holy Cross, spiritual exercises, and by the Grace of God, and you have gone to the bright and peaceful haven- the Kingdom of Christ, which here on earth “the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and the heart of man has not conceived” but has already been prepared for those who love the LORD, where the eye will see the glory of God, and the ear will hear the eternal angelic worship, and where man will rejoice with the heavenly powers, and the soul will be filled with unspeakable joy and happiness, and in unending blessedness will exclaim “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth!” And with the divinely beautiful honor of holiness, you stand before His throne singing to the Almighty God: Alleluia
You are kind, O our most beloved father Amfilokhy, you shined forth in your Godly imitated life, as a heavenly light, enlightening the Russian land, and even the whole universe, for by your prayer the LORD averted dangers, misfortunes, and persecutions, and all that were with you saw with their eyes, how those possessed with demons were healed; you tended to those who were wounded, both physically and spiritually, cleansing lepers, and taming wicked passions and lusts, softening hardened hearts, and returning to the path towards Truth those who were seduced from it, the weak in faith seeing the miracles performed by you, were strengthened by the Grace of God towards faith, and many were delivered from various infirmities, diseases, evil slander, and physical and spiritual sicknesses, and in good health rejoiced, glorifying God and honoring you, as a great intercessor, and advocate for the Truth of God, and praising you as a wonder-worker, we sing these words: Rejoice, for you chose prayer more than other saving actions; Rejoice, as a flame of fire, you enlightened the sins of man; Rejoice, crucifying oneself for our sins, with petitions for the granting of mercy on us sinners, you stood before God day and night; Rejoice, by incessantly pronouncing “JESUS CHRIST”, you drove out demons; Rejoice, having greatly loved the Mother of God, the deliverer of the world; Rejoice, having promised to those who sing to Her “Rejoice” with unyielding joy, to be with them at the Terrible Judgement; Rejoice, with love for the Mother of God, you thereby imitated the spiritual feats of our Holy Father Job; Rejoice, exhorting people to pray for a half hour in the morning and in the evening; Rejoice, advising true servants of the altar to stand in prayer for up to nine hours; Rejoice, blessing the weary in spirit to sing “O heavenly King” and the troparion of the Holy Trinity: Rejoice, permitting those who are fighting dangers, from seen and unseen enemies, in times of trouble to shout out “Flee from me, satan, I am wearing a cross from Fr. Joseph”; Rejoice, o great pleaser of God and wonder-worker, bearer of Truth, for you begged the Lord’s blessing on those being attacked and in danger; Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
In the days of a blasphemous antichrist, under the activity of satan, in a spirit of lostness, drunkenness, rebellion from God, wickedness, hatred, satanic pride, unconfirmed hearts easily seduced, the whole universe was filled with the smell of transgressions, like the smell of wine drunken in excess. But You, O Holy Father, were like a pure bolt of fresh air, enlivening the earth, you appeared through the various gifts of the Grace of the Holy Spirit, as a light of the True doctrine and understanding of the Church, the Bride of Christ, which was shaken by various innovations, and torn by discord, and through Her true pastors resisted the encroachments of the Polish government and their efforts of advancement, towards the blending of all confessions and into the Roman church, as if they had come for the sake of peace and safety, yet they also came like wolves among the sheep, but you maintained the Truth. Many priests were not shepherds but as hirelings, not caring for their sheep, and were enslaved by the devil, but you were manifested as a servant of the Sun of Righteousness, Christ, by divine strength, a spirit of understanding, and by illumining the hard hearts of the believers. You dispersed the gloom of this world and that which comprises it: love of idleness, vain-glory, bestowing honors on one’s self, acts of deceit, hypocrisy, love of money, gluttony, lack of faith, superstitions, magic, and witchcraft. You destroyed the shadow of passions, temptations, and dangers placed by enemies, as if tearing down a spider’s web, and through your preaching, a wise word aflame, a prayerful defense against the devil, you saved countless sinners from the jaws of roaring lions. And, according to the measure of your soul, you accepted from this world all repentant sinners, those who remembered your good works and love, and those who came to you with faith seeking a placed of burial, you graciously accept all, and help those who run to you seeking your help, giving joy to their hearts, dispersing their sadness, and strengthening their faith in the undivided Trinity, and from the two paths- one to death and the other towards salvation, you guide all to the path leading to eternal rest, where the righteous and the holy ones ceaselessly sing to our God, the Redeemer: Alleluia
Foreseeing the future, with your gifted eyes, O servant of the LORD, and regarding all the passing things of this age, as but a twinkling of an eye, you foretold the things of this world would fall apart as a stack of straw. You subjugated all the powers of the spirit, the will, and the reasoning, to the service of the One God and to pleasing Him without rest, and ascending from spiritual feat to spiritual feat, you vouchsafed from the generous hand of the LORD great gifts, and for these you exclaim with a loud voice at the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, joining with the angelic powers: “Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD of Sabaoth!” Incline the LORD to have mercy and to vouchsafe us, now to exclaim these to you, His good servant: Rejoice, growing from the tree of the Pochaev Lavra, flourishing and becoming a pillar of Orthodoxy; Rejoice, having grieved for the impoverishment of the spirit of piety and love among the brotherhood; Rejoice, having foreseen the world and all that which is in it; Rejoice, having tirelessly glorified God in your village, under the open sky and in “every place of His dominion;” Rejoice, having taught people to avoid the mighty of this world, for they are like a spider’s web; Rejoice, having taken into consideration the worms of decay, and therefore fearing God rather than fearing those of this world; Rejoice, for you exhorted people to keep their minds and hearts free from fear and worldliness; Rejoice, having received lovingly those who were sent to you by the Heavenly Queen for strengthening and healing; Rejoice, having met Her exhausted children who were heavy laden with sadness and their sins, with a smile and the words “My beautiful ones!” Rejoice, having thrown down to the ground by the Sign of the Cross those who were possessed; Rejoice, having chased out legions of dark spirits into the abyss forever, by the strength of the Grace in you, and by the placing of your hand on their hand; Rejoice, having assisted secular people who were overcome with evil spirits, by the abundance of miracles, wisdom, and love, to become servants of God; Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
All the lands of Orthodox Rus’ proclaim, O Divinely chosen father, your hardships of the flesh, sufferings, wounds, beatings, persecutions, slandering and interferences from relatives and authorities, envious false brothers and those warring with God, for in these, you endured all for the sake of Christ and earnestly prayed to God that he would be merciful unto them: “they slander for they do not pray.” Those who sought to take from you the keys of the Holy Lavra, O courageous father, as a true friend and warrior of Christ, were not afraid of their threats, but bravely stood saying “God was, is, and will be, but you who are ‘branded with the curse’ will not be” and you threw them out, and the Lavra withstood its closing by the help of God and His Holy Angels. For this, shortly after, you were betrayed by vile creatures, cowardly selling out Christ, fearing the freedom of Grace and the greatness of spirit that inhabited you, treacherously in the night, falsely prayed and pretending not to have let them in, and right from your cell you were betrayed into the hands of apostates, butchers and executioners. And being heartlessly dragged by them, by your hair and your beard, you were beaten and sent to the psychiatric hospital in the town of Budanov, which is outside of Ternopol. And there, glorifying and giving thanks to God, who through wonderful miracles, vouchsafed you to endure persecutions for Christ and His Church, and for this patient enduring, you received even greater amounts of Grace, and you were healed by Him, in spiritual joy, you sang to Christ, who placed this passion in your path this hymn of thanksgiving: Alleluia.
Shining in your various good works and deeds, through the sweat of your brow, to the pleasing of God and the service of your neighbor, you came to a level of maturity, courage and a spirit of truth, O worthy and wonderful Father Amfilokhy. As the good pastor has gone from us, we the sheep have been scattered all across the Russian lands, and we your children, glorify and give thanks to the All-merciful Savior, our LORD Jesus Christ, and by your holy prayers, we who are unworthy of His mercy, are sustained, comforted, corrected and are recipients of His love. Therefore, we never cease to thank Him, for in these days of terrible desolation, of deviation from the Apostolic Canons, and the resolutions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, which were added and proclaimed by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Fathers, the LORD gave you to the Orthodox Church and Her sincere children, O Father Amfilokhy, as a defender of God’s Truth, the Orthodox Faith and Christ’s Church, You O Father helped to form human souls into uncreated temples of Christ, for only hearts cleansed of wickedness and every impurity, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, can withstand the gates of hell, and there will come a time, when it will not be possible to go to the churches, you yourself foretold this. For these, O Father, you were glorified by God in the land of Volyn and Galytsia, and in all the cities of great Russia. Accept now from us, who glorify God and honor with love your holy memory these words of praise to you: Rejoice, for you created a shelter for pilgrims, a place of wonderful freedom from the imprisonment in your homeland; Rejoice, for through the Grace of God and your efforts the Church of the Holy Trinity was erected; Rejoice, for in this church you reverently served and offered the Holy Gifts for all; Rejoice, you were beautified by the holiness and the Divine beauty of the offerings by the lovers of God and the Holy Icons; Rejoice, for you defended to your last breath the holy churches saying “the church belongs to the bishop, as the barracks belong to the colonel;” Rejoice, having called prayer and the singing of psalms the meaning of your life; Rejoice, having received a blessing to pray and serve in the church from the Queen of this world Herself; Rejoice, having taught to maintain a spirit in the monastery that is useful for salvation; Rejoice, victorious over evil thoughts through patience, humility, and unceasingly calling upon the name of Jesus Christ; Rejoice, having been strengthened by not fearing hunger, persecution and many tortures for the sake of Christ; Rejoice, unceasingly praying, glorifying and singing day and night in your monastery; Rejoice, for all those who thirst after righteousness’s sake, and sought comfort and healing were confirmed and healed by those songs and prayers with prostrations, in faith, hope, and in love; Rejoice, for at the sound of your very name demons trembled; Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
The flock of Christ was entrusted to you, by our LORD and the Queen of Heaven, in order to prepare them for the Second and Glorious Coming, you O our wonderful father taught all by your words and actions, teaching: prayer, purity, passionlessness, acts of mercy, patience, abstinence, righteousness, poverty, love, and goodness, often repeating: “Where God is,— there is love”, you yourself shined in these virtues. From your youth you chose the difficult path, and ascending from spiritual endeavor to spiritual endeavor, from strength to strength, you shined with various gifts of the Holy Spirit, having love for all, generously bestowing gifts both spiritual and physical, encouraging and exhorting us with fatherly love and long patience: to fast, to pray without ceasing, to keep pure, to live with gentleness in righteousness, to which nothing wicked enters, for you said and showed: “That whoever will retain even an inkling of wickedness, — will not be saved.” And that person will not see nor hear, the place where you now repose from your righteous deeds, in the eternal mansions of paradise, where you rejoice with the saints and sing to the Almighty God the blessed song: Alleluia.
As one of the newest and last holy pleasers of God, before the end of the world, the Creator of all and the terrible Judge who is coming with great strength and glory, has shown you, O Father, as a good and loving pastor, giving your life for the sheep, for with great love, the kind which ruled in your heart towards God, towards prayer, and towards people, and existed in your monastery, was so great, that it is rare. Many in pain from the darkness, suffering, depressed by sorrow, the grieving, the pilgrims, the poor and the children, the possessed who drove and walked in an unending stream, came in order to come under the protection of your prayers and be calmed, to be rejuvenated, softening their soul and strengthening their infirm, troubled and broken down bodies. And to everyone, according to their need and their faith: you gave healing, countless blessings, and generous charity, therefore, for these great deeds, we are compelled with thankful hearts, and with love, to sing to you in unity: Rejoice, as His obedient servant, you have instilled love in our hearts to the Almighty God, and thereby also to you Rejoice, for you glorified God by taking care of wayfarers, the persecuted, the poor, the lame and the blind; Rejoice, for you joined many women to Christ, the Bridegroom, by repentance, as it is a second baptism; Rejoice, having warned of the entrance of the heavenly Bridegroom, by entering and singing to the faithful: “The Bridegroom Comes;” Rejoice, for you healed those in pain, by the reading of akafists, serving “the blessing of waters,” indefatigable reading of the Psalter, prostrations, and the sustenance of your blessing; Rejoice, for you never displayed impatience, annoyance, brevity, carelessness, inattention and laziness in prayer; Rejoice, for you would prayerfully serve with visible grandeur and spiritual tenderness, one of the rarest gifts of Grace, Rejoice, joining with Righteous Job, you begged those who were struggling to raise their hands to the Mother of God in your petitions and needs; Rejoice, sustaining with spiritual food those who hunger for the Grace of understanding truth; Rejoice, for you fed and filled to their heart’s content those who hunger for earthly food; Rejoice, for you taught many penitents to pray, and turned many from the service of the devil to the service of God; Rejoice, protecting with spiritual endeavors, those who seek Truth along the path towards salvation; Rejoice, raising your eyes to heaven in the night and seeing the heavens opened up and the Angelic Powers there serving God; Rejoice, having taken delight in the light of the setting of the sun, as in the appearance in the clouds of the Holy Trinity with the Archangels, as depicted on the icon, at the beginning of the kanon to the Guardian Angel; Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
Your life has been marked by great miracles, O most wonderful well- pleaser of Christ, for with un-contestable strength given to you from above you drive out legions of demons into the abyss, you were given the power to order a demon to come out of a pig, with the words: “people eat this animal”, for those possessed by demons, you pray for mercy, and you heal those who are suffering from various diseases of the soul and body, protecting people from misfortunes and dangers, comforting those in sadness and those who are being persecuted, extending your hand in aid to those who are being attacked by temptations, appearing in dreams and showing the right path to those who have doubts and encountering stumbling blocks, and fulfilling all the spiritually useful petitions of those who turn to you, that are asked with faith before your holy image, just as you had promised. You sustain the wayfarers and the helpless, rejuvenating those who are spiritually exhausted, admonishing strictly those who are lazy and laying around, returning impoverished and damaged minds to right reasoning, and turning the unbelievers to faith through these miracles. You were not afraid of the mighty of this world, but meditating on sin, and hating its presence in this world. You loved the One God, who was pleased to allow you to worship him tirelessly in the joy of the Spirit, we join you in singing to Him this song of praise: Alleluia.
Many and apt words are not able to worthily praise you, nor to show your love for God and for the suffering, nor the depth of your understanding of the Holy Scriptures, nor your wisdom and spiritual sensibility and your precise understanding of the inner parts of a person. By Grace-filled strength you, O Wondrous Father, like a beacon, you attracted many from the surging sea of life, in your lifetime performing wondrous and many miracles, yet even after your departure, you continued to work still greater miracles. We, recalling your love, are thankful to you and with sadness in our hearts, sing to you: Rejoice, for you foretold that you would depart from this life on the eve of the Birth of Christ; Rejoice, for the LORD marked your death for a week, with a brilliant star, an ascending ray of light and a snow storm; Rejoice, for by that ray of light, your path to heaven was shown; Rejoice; for with God-praising songs on your lips, you surrendered your holy soul to God; Rejoice, having heard of your passing away, despite the cold and the storm, people from all over the country, and from small to great, gathered at your all-wondrous grave; Rejoice, for you were subjected day and night to crafts and afflictions of enemies seen and unseen; Rejoice, for the enemy of mankind, notwithstanding seeing souls being saved through you, mercilessly took vengeance on you; Rejoice, for you did not fear the craft of the devil and the attacks of demons; Rejoice, for you did not bow your wise and white-haired head before the demons; Rejoice, having faced them, like a fearless general and destroyed them with your palitsa, as if it were a sword, laying on them fear and trembling, chasing them out; Rejoice, meeting with the holy martyrs Boniface and Ignatius as their imitator and fellow soldier; Rejoice, for your soul, as a habitation of the tri-hypostatic God, ascended with the holy angels to the throne of the King of Glory; Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
Both the angelic powers and mankind were greatly amazed by the rare gift in you and in your unquenchable care for the salvation of your soul, for from your youth you rejected every worldly concern, and having come to Pochaev, and there having spent 39 years along the difficult path of a novice to a schema-monk, you truly lived as an angel in the flesh. For acts of righteousness, purity, humility, and love, the LORD placed on you the tasks, to be fulfilled by you in our present time: to chase out demons, by open preaching to expose untruth, persecution, oppression, the destruction of churches, and the trampling under foot of the Cross, “for a church without a Cross, is like a man without a head,” you have thus proclaimed with your righteous lips. For this service, according to the Holy and Life-creating Spirit, and not according to the letter of the law, but for you actions and spiritual exercises, Christ God Himself the giver of spiritual exercises, with the Father and the Spirit, chose your pure heart as a habitation for One’s self. You, O All-glorious Father, touching your chest, said, “In here, I have the Holy Trinity, the Mother of God, the Cross, St. Job of Pochaev, the Lavra, all the saints, and all the holy things, for we— are the temples of the Living-God.” And with this temple, you joyfully moved from this earth to heaven, where standing before the Great Creator of miracles, God, you sing to Him along with hundreds of saints the holy song: Alleluia.
You are a wall and a bastion to all who with unwavering faith and love cry out to you, “O Father Joseph help me!” Just as to those who come to the holy place of your grave, where your incorrupt body lies, and wonderful miracles of healing happen, show your love, and help us orphaned and helpless: in our misfortunes, afflictions, sadness, and diseases, and in all of our needs, who are drowning among the evil-filled waves of this surging sea of life. Stretch out your hand and pull us up from the quagmire of passions, seductions, and temptations, for now is the time for the salvation of our souls, for we are hardened and dying in laziness, carelessness, negligence, and fearlessness. In the present time of bounty and prosperity, the abundance of earthly good things has lulled us to sleep, wake us up, O Father, breath in to us the fear of God, and beg the King of Heaven to grant us more time to repent and to correct our ways, for strength to endure to the end and not to become exhausted under the burden of the Saving-Cross, in order to reach a blessed end. We, hoping in your aid, modestly sing to you: Rejoice, for you called to those who were struggling with the words “Prayer delivers the soul from death.”; Rejoice, for by honoring the Mother of God with acts of mercy, you filled many hearts with love for Her; Rejoice, for you took up the responsibility of healing infirmities and diseases by the Grace of God; Rejoice, not passing off to others, but skillfully tending to broken bones; Rejoice, for you healed the souls of those who were mutilated by their sins; Rejoice, for you amazed doctors with your gift of healing; Rejoice, for you were not afraid but battled against those who were like wild animals, overcome with fornication, gluttony and drunkenness; Rejoice, detecting and exposing the passions of people contracted from this age; Rejoice, having detected the demons in people, living in their mouths and minds, their blood, hair, and stomachs; Rejoice, touching the exact spots in need of healing; Rejoice, having served all that turned to you with faith, as a blessed nourishment, the Grace of repentance and healing
Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
By praising God in song, we thankfully cry out to Him who is generous and gave the Russian lands such an intercessor and faithful son, who did not wish to leave his homeland and settle in a foreign land, but was freed from imprisonment by Divine Will, for a wealthy woman, the wife of a government official, who had been healed by you of convulsions, saw in you not only a skilled healer of the body but also a healer of souls, and tried to take you far away to a foreign land. Abandoning her homeland, she wanted to take with her such a treasure, a sche-igumen intercessor for all peoples of the earth. But you, O Father, by the mercy of God, in the city of Lvov were rescued from such captivity by colonel named, Philip, whose name you often remembered with gratitude and prayed for his attainment of the Kingdom of Heaven. He also helped you return to your village, Malaya Ilovitsa, whose name would become great, owing to the wondrous and great miracles allowed by God for the sake of the multitudes of people. Your last ten years you would spend here in constant spiritual warfare, relentlessly struggling with enemies of humanity and in unceasing fervent prayer. You were in obedience to the Queen of Heaven Herself for the salvation of God s chosen ones, and their acceptance of the angelic life. We, by the good will of the Most Holy Theotokos, have been placed by you on the true path, but falling into the ditch of our passions, your exhausted children ask you, O Beloved Father: through your holy prayers lift us from this pitfall, enliven the fading spirit in our hearts, so that we will be able to glorify the wonderful deed of the Lord in your life and sing to the Creator of miracles, to Him who is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel, the angelic hymn: Alleliua.
Like a shining lantern, a sweet-sounding pipe, or a never abating organ, the whole universe heard your thundering voice “God is with us, understand all you nations and submit yourself for God is with us!” “As Many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, Allelluia!” “I Believe in One God Father Almighty!” The last time the Holy Lavra and all of Pochaev heard your voice, you O Holy Father, before your death, visited the holy community, on bended knee before the holy altar, and fervently praying with tears in your eyes, you kissed the footprint of the Most Holy Mother of God and the relics of St. Job, and bade farewell with the monastic brotherhood and those who were low in spirit. Yet, there were certain brothers, two-faced and false, who feared the powerful of this world, consumed by their jealousy, they breathed wickedness, not retaining Grace, which left them, and was attracted to all those true faithful who sang with you, yet the false brothers, with rage in their hearts, shouted reprimanding you “these are sung only but once a year.” But you O All-Brave Father answered, “Maybe God is with you but once a year, but He is always with me, as is Righteous Job, this is how it is, and how it will be,” and turning to the monk, guarding the relics of St. Job, he said, “but with you, Righteous Job, will not be,” and this soon came to pass. And now glorifying the ever-glowing Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, you sing aloud the heavenly song, covered by Divine rays, in great gladness and majesty, just like you were shown to one of your spiritual children in a dream, standing before the throne of the All Holy Trinity, you were made worthy, while still living on the earth, to glorify God, O Most Pious Father, by taking up your Cross, and by good works of abstinence, purity, and wisdom, shouting with the apostle “I can do all, for Jesus upholds me.” You fulfilled your spiritual task, which you took up, not considering one’s self, a task which many men of old could not bear, but you disgraced yourself and plunged for battle into the abyss of satan. Because of these great acts of patience, accept from our repentant and thankful hearts these praises; Rejoice, by God s blessing and the will of the Most Pure Lady, the Theotokos, you were subjected to this great trial; Rejoice, being all things to all men, you shamed yourself with the eating of meat, the drinking of wine, and accepted the embraces of women; Rejoice, for many even of the clergy, gossiped and had scorn for you, having become darkened and overcome by temptations; Rejoice, for in your spiritual work, uncomprehensible to some, you took on yourself the passions of others; Rejoice, in wisdom and not giving in to sin, you protected well your mind and heart; Rejoice, for you displayed peace, by the greatness of your selflessness, and the mortifying of your flesh; Rejoice, having mercilessly scorched the demons of fornication, drunkenness and gluttony; Rejoice, having exposed all of us, lovers of sin, flesh and pleasure; Rejoice, for the Lord God draped you with even more Grace for the carrying of your Cross; Rejoice, for you taught many by your spiritual works of shunning the uncleanness of this world, by abstinence and purity; Rejoice, for you ascended Golgotha, in unwavering endurance of the carrying of your Cross; Rejoice, for our lack of faith and understanding, betrayal, and coarseness, the Merciful Lord did not allow you to stay with us longer, but took you to His Heavenly Court; Rejoice, O righteous martyr, straight from the Cross of Golgotha to the Heavenly Paradise, you were moved, all the while praising God with joyfulness; Rejoice, for your obedience and accession to the Cross, the Queen of Heaven Herself prepared for you an incorruptible crown; Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
The Grace that was found by you, and that was given to you from above, was given a sign by God Himself with a bright star, and a wide fiery beam, which extended upwards over your monastery. You awoke all those that were with you, showing them the sign, foretelling of your own ascent to heaven, and one of your spiritual children, a novice exclaimed “Such a star is like the star of the Birth of Christ!” But you answered simply and softly, “At the Birth of Christ, the bright beam of light was sent downwards, but this star with its beam extends upwards.” We did not understand nor take to heart your words, for you gave us many signs foretelling your end. But we, we obscured through our carelessness, and only suddenly was the sadness understood. For many times you said, “My death will be such, that today I will dine with you and tomorrow, you will rise, and I will no longer be.” Now we sinners repent and remember your every word, we fall down with tears at your grave of cold, heavy and white marble, where your incorruptible remains lay rest. And with great sadness and a contrite heart we ask you, who does not remember evil, our good pastor: forgive us, accept our sighs and bitter tears of repentance and help us to correct ourselves. As you told one monastic sister, exposing us all, “Faith, where is your faith?” Forgive us O Father. Obtain mercy for us from the All-Merciful God and His Most Blessed and Pure Mother, the Virgin Mary, and ask that at the moment of the scorching fire of the whole universe, that He will save those of us living and those who had already passed, and transform us, in order that by God s mercy and being cleansed by repentance, we will meet the Lord in the clouds, who will come with great glory, and hundreds of angels and saints, and with a pure heart and lips, we may sing to the Sweetest Jesus, as our Beloved and our True Desire, the Bridegroom of our souls: Alleluia.
Praising He who is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel, the One who is glorified and the One who glorifies you, O wonderful Father Amfilokhy, merciful and a quick intercessor, fulfilling our petitions, and hearing us in all our needs, diseases, and a faithful helper out of our spiritual prisons. By Your God pleasing life and miracles that show the strength, majesty, and mercy of the All Holy Trinity, and the victory of the Orthodox Faith, and none other faiths. You foretold about the hiding of your relics and the relics of St. Prokhor, which took place, in spiritual joy we sing to you: Rejoice, O intercessor for all of Russia and lover of the Mother of God of Pochaev; Rejoice, for many times, while you were still on this earth, you spoke with the Mother of God and in your God-pleasing obediences you were blessed by Her; Rejoice, your gifts of Grace, and great spiritual works, you hid and lowered yourself, saying, “I lie in the tomb, and a little girl I hold in my hands,” and other sayings; Rejoice, for you sought not the glory of man or of this world, but the glory of the One God; Rejoice, for all the faithful, remembering your love and good works, are overcome with great tears; Rejoice, for as we loved our sin, celebrations and feasting, you loved the Lord and conversing with Him; Rejoice, having called all to love each other with one mind, those from Lvov, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Kiev, and Pochaev; Rejoice, through your righteous life, you were made worthy by God, of a painless, blameless and peaceful death; Rejoice, having held high the Honorable Cross, the weapon against the enemy, even unto the tomb, you held it over your heart; Rejoice, for the monks sang your passing and carried your pure body, and buried you in the monastic cemetery with honor and a multitude of people; Rejoice, for you promised during your life, that at your departure you would beg at the throne of the Holy Trinity, that the cemetery church would be opened; Rejoice, for you, O Father, renewed the stagnant life of the monastery; Rejoice, for by your intercessions for both the living and those who had passed, a temple for worship was quickly opened up by the Lord; Rejoice, for your words came to pass, “When I die, you will know who I am.” Rejoice, for people gather at the place of rest of your incorruptible body, to love and honor your memory; Rejoice, for some do not know you, but come to your grave with faith, and are healed; Rejoice, O our Righteous Father Amfilokhy, in these last years, a firm pillar of Orthodoxy and a fiery intercessor for the whole world.
O praised and beloved Father Amfilokhy, Our speedy Intercessor in times of sorrow, afflictions, and misfortunes; O merciful Healer and Doctor of our physical and spiritual diseases; O expedient Helper in difficult times and in material needs; O true Defender of the purity of the Orthodox Faith; O Victorious, chasing out the demons opposed to God and the wickedness of this age, into the darkness; Accept our petitions which we bring to you with sighing and tears, that in your fiery prayers before the Throne of the All-Holy Trinity, you will remember us sinners, exhausted under our yoke of sadness, such that has not been even from the beginning of creation, and darkened by our vanity, and led by the noise and rapidness of demonic signs and wonders, and infected by satanic pride, love of pleasure, hatred, wickedness and many other sins, and lost in our suspicions and slanderings. Of our All-Merciful Savior and His pure Mother, that having been cleansed by His redemptive punishment and by His Grace, and unspeakable goodness, will deliver us from eternal torments, the fire of Ghena, and the terrible tortures of hell, and will make us worthy to live a life pleasing to God, sincere love for Him and for each other, a deep repentance, humility and patience, so that we will enter the Jerusalem of High, and sing eternally, in the Church Triumphant, to the King of Glory, the Creator of the world, the Redeemer, the Sweetest Bridegroom of our souls, ceaselessly: Alleluia.
The Kontakion is read three times, then Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1are repeated.
Kiev, Bortnichi. 2003. The Holy Annunciation Monastery.
Translation by Fr.Alexander Lukashonok