St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky)… Who doesn’t know this name! A holy surgeon who endured all the persecutions and privation. A saint who not only acquired holiness from the Lord, but also left behind both theological and medical works after his earthly life, which have not lost their significance to this day.
The Church of St. Luke of Crimea in Ulyanovsk
Thirty years ago—on March 18, 1996—the saint’s relics were uncovered in Simferopol and solemnly translated to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the city, where they still rest. All over Russia and beyond, churches are being built in honor of St. Luke of Crimea—a saint with whom you only need to get acquainted and he becomes so dear and close to you. Remarkably, there is a parish in the city of Ulyanovsk,1 whose patron saint is St. Luke of Crimea.
“Where should a church be if not in a hospital?”
Priest John Podzhilkov with Orthodox volunteer nurses It was my first thought when, on a Sunday morning, I entered the Church of St. Luke of Crimea, situated on the territory of the V.A. Egorov Central Clinical Medical and Sanitary Hospital of Ulyanovsk. God helps in suffering and heals physical and mental diseases. That is why hospital churches are so important and harmonious in their locations.
“Since we have a hospital parish, serving the sick and suffering is an essential part of its life,” relates the church rector, Priest John Podzhilkov. “In this ministry, I cannot do without the help of our Orthodox volunteer nurses. They visit the wards and help those who wish to prepare for the sacrament of Communion. Every parishioner is also important, because—I am sure of it—only five percent of the life of any church is the merit and care of the priest, and the remaining ninety–five percent are the heartfelt desire and labor of the people who make up this parish. I am wholeheartedly grateful to everyone for this contribution! I would like to say a huge thank you to those who help us financially and with their hard work.”
At the church under construction
The construction of the church on the territory of the hospital began ten years ago, and Fr. Dimitry Subbotin was its initiator. The construction work was not easy and not as fast as they would have liked, but, most importantly, it went on with God’s help!
“When I arrived at the parish, the church was unfinished; there was no ceiling, no floor, only walls and a roof. Where our analogion now stands there was a huge heap of garbage, which many parishioners remember,” Fr. John continues his story. “When I saw this, I was even overcome with fear and horror: ‘What should I start with?’ On the second day of my experiences three wonderful women—Tatiana Alexandrovna, Maria, and Lyudmila—came to the church and said, ‘We will be with you!’ We started serving the akathist to St. Luke of Crimea, and things began to move forward. Members of the Simbirsk Orthodox Youth movement responded to my appeal for help to the church. They are still helping us in any way they can, but then their work was invaluable, for which I am so grateful to them! Now the church is slowly being transformed and our parish family is expanding.
“Before St. Luke’s Church, I had served in several other parishes, and I can say that serving in a hospital church leaves a special mark. If usually people who for the most part already know God (He brought them to the Church Himself, whether through sorrows or joys) come to church, then at hospital many people think about God, but have no inner knowledge about Him. When you come to the ward, it is important not only to give Communion, but also to instruct and encourage a patient so that he shouldn’t become despondent while suffering. Hospital walls don’t bring joy to anyone, so as a priest I need to try to find words of encouragement for each patient, sharing in their pain and sorrows... People often come to our church with tears in their eyes. Thank God, all the staff of our parish are sensitive people; they understand where we serve and try to help those suffering.”
A Miracle through the Saint’s Prayers
Archbishop Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) “There are many cases of miraculous help from our Heavenly patron,” Fr. John goes on. “I remember one of the first ones most of all. Then we were plastering the walls with our old ladies. Despite their venerable age, they used to climb the scaffolding together with young people for half a year!
“At that time, two women came to the church and said, ‘Our relative, a young girl, has been admitted to the hospital. She’s a hopeless case: the doctors said she may have two weeks to live. We’ll come here a lot from now on—let us do something to help you.’
“I said, ‘We are plastering, and we need to remove the garbage.’
“And those women began to come to our church to help us and pray for their seriously ill relative. I went to the ICU to give her Unction… They came to us for a week, two, and then three weeks… ‘How is she?’ I asked.
‘She opened her eyes, moved her hands, and was transferred from the ICU to a usual ward…’
“Two months later the women stopped coming here and disappeared… Well, I thought that girl had probably died and even came to terms with this thought. A year passed, and one fine day the women returned!
‘How are you doing?’ I asked them (I was afraid of accidentally wounding their hearts).
‘The girl is okay—she’s at home. She was transferred from this hospital to another—to the rehabilitation department. She is already walking!’ I heard in response.
“That was a true miracle! A little more time passed, and I came to visit the girl who was no longer seriously ill, but recovering. I told her: ‘You don’t know me, but I know you. When you were in the ICU, I visited you. Let’s get acquainted now.’
“Thank God! And her relatives said without a doubt: ‘St. Luke has healed her. We prayed to him then. We prayed and worked in church, worked and prayed.’ The Lord answered our joint prayer. And this case is not the only one. Many hospital patients ‘get’ miracles, but take it as a natural course of events. Thank God, there are those who come back to thank the Lord.”
Great Love for People
“What surprises me most in St. Luke’s life, in his image, is how great his love was for every person,” says Fr. John. “Regardless of whether the person who came to him was good or bad, whatever the saint could do, he did one hundred percent. And he didn’t look at whether it was an ordinary man, a child, or the guard who watched over him in exile… St. Luke helped everyone—even those who hurt him and tortured him… This is the great, true love of God, which was reflected in St. Luke’s life as in a mirror! This is the best example for all of us. We always ask the saint to remain prayerfully in our church and help us comfort the sick.
“I would like to recall another interesting miracle that occurred at the very beginning of construction. I had to dig a trench, there were no helpers that day, and I was working alone slowly. Suddenly I saw a man walking towards me, coming up close and asking, ‘Are you in charge here?’
“I was even taken aback by this question, thinking to myself: ‘Lord, where should I run in case of danger?’ Questions continued, ‘Is this St. Luke’s Church? May I go inside?’
“I went into the church with that man—there wasn’t even a floor in the church yet—and watched him closely.
‘You have a lot of work to do here,’ he said thoughtfully. He went up to St. Luke’s icon, stood for a while, and said before leaving: ‘Actually, I’m a Muslim, but I know Luke of Crimea, respect and honor him!’
“Then he gave me a donation for the construction and left. So, St. Luke is close to everyone who honors him. Sometimes I hear in the hospital, ‘We are non-believers, but we know about St. Luke. We have read about him, watched a film about him, and ask him for help…’”
“Father John Is in Church All the Time”
“Father John can talk for hours about the church, about each of us, but I want to talk about him,” says the singer, Tatiana Trushina. “I have been performing obedience as a church choir singer for twenty years now: I have seen many good pastors in my life, but our rector is a real father to us. He has put a lot of effort into the construction of the church. After all, once there were just two iron barrels on the site of the church, on which we would lay out books to celebrate memorial services or read the Akathist… Father John is in church all the time! I live nearby. Sometimes I pass by the church at ten or eleven in the evening when it’s dark outside—and Father John is still planing, digging, and welding for the future church. I had never seen such priests before. Many thanks to the young men from the Simbirsk Orthodox Youth movement who were the priest’s main helpers while the church was being built. And we could only bring pies so that our workers would not be hungry, because the work went on literally all day… And now it’s not just a church, but a family.”
“I live in the Zheleznodorozhny district of Ulyanovsk, but I am happy to come to our church of St. Luke of Crimea: every weekend I make my little ‘pilgrimage’ because both my heart and soul rejoice in this church,” says Valeria Mileshina. “I am sincerely grateful to the Lord for showing me a place where I want to return, pray, help in any way I can, and talk with people… My church family is here. Everyone has their own joys, sorrows, and illnesses, but we live through them together.”
“Beloved Luke! There Are Angels Here!”
St. Luke of Crimea It is impossible not to notice Kirill and his mother Irina among the parishioners. The caught my eyes right away—the mother led her son by the hand to the analogion, then to the priest for his blessing, and then to Communion. Kirill is a teenager with beautiful and kind eyes. Due to his diagnosis, he hardly speaks and only repeats with a smile:
“Luke!”
“Yes, your beloved Luke,” his mother answers him.
“And I want to recall the days of COVID-19… At the peak of the pandemic, in that very tough period, our batiushka went in spacesuit-like protective equipment to where very many sick people were waiting for him. He prayed for all of them and comforted them,” recounts Irina. “Kirill and I have now moved to another area, but we continue to come here. This is the dearest church for us. And the parishioners are wonderful—everybody loves Kirill. Recently, my son underwent surgery on his legs, and he says that St. Luke was by his side during the operation.”
Kirill touched my sleeve lightly to make me pay attention to him, and said with a smile, “Luke!” Then he gestured, and his mother interpreted, “There are angels here.” Don’t worry, Kirill; I’ll definitely write down what you wanted to say…
From a War Film
“We Orthodox volunteer nurses love this church and Father John dearly! We go to the hospital and help patients prepare for Communion. We try to explain to them that this is very important,” says Olga Kuznetsova. “I remember coming here in my uniform for the first time: then the medical staff looked at me with surprise and some with suspicion… Even now they sometimes look at us as at some kind of ‘zoo animals’, but otherwise everybody here is used to that. Many people see us in uniform and say with a smile: ‘Oh, you look like you are in a movie on the First World War. You’re so beautiful...’
“Of course, our service is very important. Few people come to God in the happiest moments of their lives, but everyone needs God in sorrow. For me, the greatest joy is to see a person receive Communion for the first time. We already have experienced Orthodox volunteer nurses, and there are those who are just starting this service... At first you come home from the hospital and either cry, even for yourself, or are absent for your family… And then, with God’s help, you gain experience, the Lord gives you strength, and you realize that you shouldn’t cry or be sad next to someone who is sick—your task is to encourage and endear yourself with inner warmth and kindness even to those in the ward who don’t believe in God.
“Being volunteer nurses is hard work, but it is also a great happiness. How much joy you feel when you see those who are getting better in the rehabilitation department! I remember one case: I went into a ward where a woman saw me and started crying. I hurried away, but she stopped me. The woman’s hand couldn’t move, and she was trying to make her bed and crying because she was unable to do it.
“I helped her make the bed, but the woman kept weeping… Then she confessed: ‘I told myself that God exists and He will help me, and then you entered the ward...’ And she burst into tears again.”
Parish of the Church of St. Luke of Crimea in Ulyanovsk
On Plans and Cooperation
“With God’s help, we hope to construct a building that will house an assembly hall, a Sunday school for children and an office for the volunteer nurses to have a place to meet and discuss important issues. I also thank the hospital administration for their caring attitude towards us. When I told the chief physician, Yuri Borisovich Kelin, that our volunteer nurses would help me, he was only happy and said that he was very willing to provide help and assistance. It is a great relief when the importance of spiritual guidance of the sick is understood and shared by the hospital administration and staff,” concludes Fr. John.
