Of the two following episodes from the life of Vladika John, the first was told me by a clergyman from Shanghai, the second by a Shanghai merchant, the late Dimitri M. Azovtsev.
Vladika was asked to bring the Holy Mysteries to a dying man in the Russian hospital in Shanghai. He was accompanied by a member of the clergy. Arriving at the hospital they saw a young man of about twenty, full of vitality, playing a harmonica. He was waiting in line to be discharged. Vladika called him: "I want to give you Holy Communion." Then and there the young man had Confession and partook of the Holy Mysteries. The astonished clergyman asked Vladika why he hadn't gone straightway to the dying man and instead had delayed with this obviously healthy young man. Vladika replied bluntly, 'Tonight he will die, whereas the man who is seriously ill will live for many more years." And indeed, this is just what happened.
A friend of Dimitry M. Azovtsev, also a merchant, had a car. While driving one day, he caught sight of Vladika John, stopped and got out of the car to ask his blessing. It was late evening and it was raining. Blessing the merchant, Vladika asked him to give him a ride and gave him an address. They stopped at an apartment. The door was opened by the lady of the house. When Vladika asked to see her husband he was told that the man, feeling tired, had had dinner and had already gone to bed. Vladika asked that the man be awakened.
After confessing him, Vladika gave him Holy Communion. On the way back the merchant asked Vladika what need there was for such haste to commune a perfectly healthy man. "He is going to die tonight," answered Vladika. He was right.
Michael P. Biriukov, Stratfield, Australia
Early in the morning of July 2, 1984, the anniversary of Vladika John's repose, Mr. I. Ma made his way to the sepulchre for the Divine Liturgy. He had been cautioned that there would be a lot of people and he therefore arrived early, at 5 a.m.
The clergy were already preparing for the Liturgy when suddenly I. Ma saw Vladika John in white apparel. Vladika walked through the clergy towards I. Ma. I. Ma bowed low to ask Vladika's blessing, but when he raised his head Vladika had disappeared.
It should be noted that I. Ma had just arrived from China in December 1983. There, thanks to the Communists, he had spent seventeen years in prison and for thirty-five years was persecuted because, at Vladika John's request, he had assisted some Russians.
L.N.I., San Francisco
By virtue of necessity and clarity we had to shorten and edit some of these testimonies of Archbishop John's prayerful assistance. In doing so we made every effort to preserve the meaning and spirit of what was written. In view of the fact that a great deal of material has been received concerning Vladika John's wonderworking intercession, we tried for this anthology to choose the most varied testimonies. Those which were not included, as well as materials still coming in, will, God willing, appear in a future volume. — The compiler