AKATHISTOS TO ST JOHN OF SHANGHAI AND SAN FRANCISCO

Composition of Antonios Markou

Kontakion.
Tone 8. To thee, O Guardian Leader.

Let us, the Faithful, honor the revered John,
the Hierarch of Shanghai and San Francisco,
Whom the Lord hath honored with incorruption;
for he is the splendour of the Church
and the most fragrant flower of Russia.
Let us cry to him: Rejoice, O Father beloved of God.

Thou didst truly prove to be a man of spiritual desires, O John our Father (3x, with the refrain “Holy Hierarch John, intercede for us”), and by thy truly heavenly way of life thou wast vouchsafed spiritual gifts; therewith thou dost hasten to aid those who cry to thee such things as these:

Rejoice, Divine adornment of Hierarchs;
Rejoice, honor and diadem of holy Fools.
Rejoice, fervent preacher of the sufferings of the Lord;
Rejoice, eager emulator of the Forefathers in faith.
Rejoice, extinguisher of the fire of error;
Rejoice, vessel of heavenly light.
Rejoice, seal of the words of the Lord;
Rejoice, fall of the audacity of Belial.
Rejoice, light-filled sun of the Church of Christ;
Rejoice, unshakeable support of the flock of God.
Rejoice, thou who didst manifest the fragrance of heavenly myrrh;
Rejoice, lamp of a life equal to that of the Angels upon earth.
Rejoice, O John our Father.
Thou wast revealed through thine intense asceticism as a Divine citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, O Father; for from thy youth thou didst despise the delights of the world and didst prefer to follow the Savior of all; to Him thou dost cry with fervor, attending on Him faithfully:
Alleluia.

Thou didst prove to be an efficacious instructor in the knowledge that alone is true, O John our Father, and in the last times an incorrupt wonderworker; wherefore, do thou illumine with heavenly light, as one gifted with Grace from the Lord, the souls of those who cry:

Rejoice, firm pillar of the Faith;
Rejoice, radiant habitation of the Truth.
Rejoice, thou who wast foolish and weak for the sake of Christ;
Rejoice, thou who didst suffer dishonor for His sake, as Paul saith.
Rejoice, thou through whom evil is driven away;
Rejoice, thou through whom Divine Grace is bestowed.
Rejoice, thou who wast a fool for love of the Lord;
Rejoice, thou who didst preach the Gospel while in the flesh.
Rejoice, deliverer from soul-destroying affliction;
Rejoice, bestower of God-given joy.
Rejoice, thou who didst despise the prosperity of thy family;
Rejoice, thou who didst teach the law of the Savior.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

Entirely desiring the glory of the Master, thou didst make thyself a spectacle in the world, humbling thyself, O Divine John; for taking up the Cross of folly and with it destroying proud thoughts, thou didst richly receive the gift of working miracles, whereby thou dost hasten to benefit those who chant unto the Lord:
Alleluia.

By thy words, O Father, thou didst attract the assembly of the pious and didst guide it unto the saving pastures, in Asia and the West, for thou wast above all a lover of godly deeds; wherefore, thou hearest from us such things as these:

Rejoice, thou who wast mighty in asceticism;
Rejoice, thou who wast supreme in wisdom.
Rejoice, willing sacrifice for the sake of Christ;
Rejoice, severe blow against the Devil.
Rejoice, piercing herald of the love of God;
Rejoice, two-edged sword against the deceit of the enemy.
Rejoice, nightingale of help welling forth from God;
Rejoice, brilliance of heavenly manifestation.
Rejoice, thou who didst mortify the uprisings of the flesh;
Rejoice, thou who didst behold the mansions of Heaven.
Rejoice, thou who dost gather the faithful for celebration;
Rejoice, thou who dost gladden the assembly of the Orthodox.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

Thou didst desire the life that hath no ending, O blessed John; wherefore, from thy youth thou didst spurn the pleasures of the world as fleeting and passing, and didst choose the monastic life and its glory, for the benefit of thy soul, crying to the Lord:
Alleluia.

Thou didst shine upon the firmament of the Church, actively proclaiming, “I am a fool for Christ’s sake,” O Divine John; for imitating the poverty of Christ, thou didst scorn all earthly things, seeking after heavenly blessedness; therefore, blessing thee the true shepherd, we say from the depth of our hearts with gladness:

Rejoice, straightest rule of abstinence;
Rejoice, fragrant meadow of dispassion.
Rejoice, mirror of the love of Christ;
Rejoice, scythe of the deception of Satan.
Rejoice, newly-revealed star of our Holy Faith;
Rejoice, powerful destroyer of vain wisdom.
Rejoice, word of the Church of Christ;
Rejoice, fount of consolation for the poor.
Rejoice, most holy servant of Jesus;
Rejoice, builder of a Church of the Theotokos.
Rejoice, for thou wast conspicuous in sacred struggles;
Rejoice, for thou didst triumph over the might of the adversary.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

Thou didst shine upon the world, O all-blessed John, as a vessel of Divine light; wherefore, thou didst receive the gift of working miracles, and Christ God bestowed Thy Relics upon the Church as a fountain of healings; to Him, then, do we chant:
Alleluia.

Through thy way of life, O Father, thou didst prove, as an Hierarch, to be truly an imitator of the Great and Only High Priest; for thou didst follow His ways and didst shepherd His people in a God-loving manner, settling them in the pastures of salvation; wherefore, honoring thee with faith we sing:

Rejoice, thou who wast firm and invincible in contests;
Rejoice, thou who wast eager in ascetical labors.
Rejoice, trumpet of piety;
Rejoice, herald of the Truth.
Rejoice, thou who art the fragrance of Christ;
Rejoice, thou who drivest away every stench of evil.
Rejoice, unerring instructor in the laws of the Spirit;
Rejoice, true diminisher of the vanities of the world.
Rejoice, firm tower of the Church;
Rejoice, mighty downfall of ignorance.
Rejoice, thou through whom the Church danceth for joy;
Rejoice, thou to whom she hath recourse, crying.
Rejoice, O John our Father.
Thou wast seen to be a preacher of Grace and a source of miracles through thy way of life, O John, scion and boast of Russia; wherefore, we now honor thee with all the Saints, with whom thou dost rejoice in Heaven; to the Lord Who glorified Thee do we cry aloud:
Alleluia.

Through thine abstinence thou didst prove to be a lyre of the Spirit; and receiving the flame of Divine love, thou didst accomplish the course of martyrdom through thy manner of life, offering a saving witness to all; hence, marvelling at thy struggles, we cry:

Rejoice, thou who didst ignore thy corruptible body;
Rejoice, thou who didst consciously shed thy blood.
Rejoice, thou who didst ascend to the height of holiness;
Rejoice, thou who wast filled with Divine gifts.
Rejoice, teacher of a holy life;
Rejoice, peer of Hierarchs and Ascetics.
Rejoice, thou who wast one in zeal with John the Forerunner;
Rejoice, thou who wast equal to him in honor and glory.
Rejoice, thou who didst show thyself stronger than toils;
Rejoice, thou who didst prove to be above pleasures.
Rejoice, thou who didst hasten to thy suppliant in Athens.
Rejoice, thou who didst chase away the threat of her illness.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

Wishing, O Father, to attain to the future good things, in thy life thou wast well-pleasing to the Word, through thy good deeds and loving soul; and after thy departure from the world, thou dost compassionately benefit the lines of those who fall down before thy coffin and cry unto the Lord:
Alleluia.

* * *

Thou wast victorious over Belial, O renowned Father, and over the world and the mind of the flesh; for by thine ascetical struggles, as in the desert, thou didst put to shame him who of old caused us to stumble; wherefore, beseeching thee to intercede with the Lord, we chant unto thee, as is meet, such things as these:

Rejoice, thou who art proclaimed through thy miracles;
Rejoice, thou who art manifested as the protector of thy people;
Rejoice, Icon of unbreakable endurance;
Rejoice, mystical flower of heavenly bloom.
Rejoice, most inspired Hierarch of the Lord;
Rejoice, most valiant destroyer of the enemy.
Rejoice, thou who pluckest out the thorns of the passions;
Rejoice, thou who waterest the fields of souls.
Rejoice, thou who drivest away swarms of demons;
Rejoice, thou who preservest multitudes of men.
Rejoice, conspicuous example of incorruption;
Rejoice, sweet-fruited model of piety.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

Wondrous is the manner of thy life, O Father, whereby thou didst put to shame the ancient foe and show thyself to be a luminescent star of the Church, proclaimed through thy miracles; wherefore, preserve from all harm us who cry unto the Lord:
Alleluia.

Wholly sanctified didst thou prove to be, who didst cause thy body to waste away through thine intense struggles and extreme humility; wherefore, thou didst work extraordinary wonders, bestowing strength on us who chant:

Rejoice, healing of many who are sick;
Rejoice, sacrifice offered to Him Who was sacrificed.
Rejoice, Divinely wise guide of the pious;
Rejoice, thou who wast deified by heavenly light.
Rejoice, Divine election of Christ;
Rejoice, vessel of immaterial light.
Rejoice, brilliance of the Church of Christ;
Rejoice, helper of Church-loving people.
Rejoice, most sacred scion of Russia;
Rejoice, God-given guardian of California.
Rejoice, thou who once didst feed orphans in Shanghai;
Rejoice, helmsman of the city of San Francisco.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

Thy discourse inflicted wounds on Belial and gave support to the faithful, O John; for thou wast truly a stranger to the good things in the world and a sojourner upon the earth; wherefore, we Orthodox all honor thine example and cry out:
Alleluia.

Thou didst prove to be a fragrant flower of Russia and an Apostle preaching the Word to the world, O Hierarch John; for applying His commandments first to thyself, thou didst subsequently proclaim them to others by thine example; wherefore, honoring thee, the Church crieth out with one accord:

Rejoice, vessel of the Grace of the Spirit;
Rejoice, storehouse of His holiness.
Rejoice, treasury of Divine love;
Rejoice, abode of the poverty of the Word.
Rejoice, lamp of Divine purification;
Rejoice, guide of the resurrection of souls.
Rejoice, glory and succour of the Orthodox faithful;
Rejoice, shelter and strength of the pious on earth.
Rejoice, thou who didst imitate the fasting of Elias;
Rejoice, thou who didst hereby receive the Grace of Heaven.
Rejoice, honored receptacle of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, treasured bounty of miracles.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

Thou didst proclaim the words of salvation to thy flock, O John, by putting them into practice through thy holy life; after thy departure, thou didst leave thine incorrupt body as an ever-flowing well-spring of miracles to us who cry unto the Lord:
Alleluia.

Thou wast shown to be a repository of the Grace of the Spirit and a container of His light, O Father, through thine intense struggles; wherefore, thou didst receive the gift of alleviating the pangs of the flesh for those who have recourse with faith to thy shrine and who cry with hope:

Rejoice, great illuminator of Russia;
Rejoice, acclamation of all Orthodoxy.
Rejoice, remover of the appetites of the flesh;
Rejoice, destroyer of the opinions of error.
Rejoice, thou who didst proclaim the Name of Christ in deed;
Rejoice, thou who didst prove to be the tabernacle of His Grace.
Rejoice, Divine monument of love;
Rejoice, treasury of traditional piety.
Rejoice, thou who didst separate thyself from earthly thoughts;
Rejoice, thou who wast filled with heavenly gifts.
Rejoice, thou who beholdest of the radiance of Christ;
Rejoice, thou who purgest the wickedness of Satan.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

The Church on earth doth hymn thine ever-abiding memory in triumph and glory, O Father, together with the Jerusalem on high; the faithful draw nigh to the Church of the All-Pure Virgin and bending the knee piously before thy shrine, they cry unto the Lord:
Alleluia.
The Grace dwelling in thine incorrupt Relics burneth the might of Belial, O Saint; it sanctifieth those who approach it with faith and venerate it; wherefore, as is meet, we call to thee, the favorite of the Lord:

Rejoice, standard of severe asceticism;
Rejoice, beacon of Divine wisdom.
Rejoice, bouquet of new cultivation;
Rejoice, city of the heavenly homeland.
Rejoice, thou who dost assuage the pains of the flesh;
Rejoice, thou who dost correct the lives of sinners.
Rejoice, thou who didst receive the gift of working miracles;
Rejoice, thou who didst put to flight the swarms of unclean spirits.
Rejoice, animate Icon of meekness;
Rejoice, thou who wast replete with feigned foolishness.
Rejoice, seal of Orthodox dogmas;
Rejoice, downfall of modernist errors.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

Rejoicing, thou dost enjoy the endless life in Heaven with every soul that hath pleased the Lord and all the orders of the Bodiless. Deliver from all sorrow and wrath us who have recourse to thy Relics with love and chant unto the Lord:
Alleluia.

We, the faithful, sing of the everlasting glory of our Father John; he was shown to be a wonderworker in the last times and he bequeathed his incorrupt body to his suppliants; wherefore, he is now blessed by us in this wise:

Rejoice, ever-shining star of the noetic firmament;
Rejoice, sublime correction of our grievous fall.
Rejoice, lamp of the angelic life;
Rejoice, bowl of heavenly myrrh.
Rejoice, thou who wast rich in the effulgence of the Saints;
Rejoice, thou who didst emulate the condition of the Martyrs.
Rejoice, most pure stream of mystical waters;
Rejoice, most fragrant bloom of the heavenly Kingdom.
Rejoice, straightest rule of asceticism;
Rejoice, fragrant meadow of abstinence.
Rejoice, participant in my rejoicing;
Rejoice, helper of her that was ailing.
Rejoice, O John our Father.

O honored Hierarch of Shanghai and the city of San Francisco (3x, with the refrain “Holy Hierarch John, intercede for us”), forget not us who honor thee, but hasten thou as a good father, and incline Christ the Lord unto thine intercession, that He may grant forgiveness of sins to us who chant unto Him:
Alleluia.

Verses

O honored Hierarch John, we beseech thee,
enlighten the life of our Father Cyprian.

Strengthen him that he may be a God-loving Shepherd
to us lowly ones who are subject to him.