Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) of Simferopol and Crimea

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Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) of Simferopol
St. Luke Archbishop of Simferopol
The Reliquary of St. Luke Archbishop of Simferopol in Sagmata Monastery, Greece
St Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) of Simferopol

Saint Luke, Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea, the Blessed Surgeon, was born Valentin Felixovich Voino-Yasenetsky (Валентин Феликсович Войно-Ясенецкий, Βαλεντίν Βόϊνο-Γιασενέτσκι), April 14, 1877 and died June 11, 1961.

Doctor of Medicine, Professor, and State Prize winner, since 1944 he was the Archbishop of Tambov and Michurinsk, and later of Simferopol and the Crimea. While he was serving the church as an Archbishop, he was also practising as a surgeon and taught and published many books and articles on regional anesthesia and surgery. He is now known to be a world-famous pioneering surgeon.

In November of 1995 he was announced as a Saint by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and was officialy glorified by the Patriarchate of Russia May 25, 1996. He is commemorated by the church June 11 the anniversary of his falling asleep in the Lord.

Life

Living in the Ukraine during the oppressive period of communism, St. Luke stood out among his fellow physicians both as a surgeon and as a Christian. Even the communists coveted his talents for healing the body.

As a physician, he practised in a number of district hospitals in central Russia, serving as head physician in the Tashkent urban hospital and as a professor at Central Asia University. In the early 1920s he took vows and was ordained as a bishop. After his consecration as a Bishop he was arrested and tortured many times and sent into exile for his views and unwillingness to deny his faith in Christ. During his life he published 55 scientific works on surgery and anatomy, winning the state prize in 1946.[1]

He wore his bishop's cassock in the operating room and refused to perform surgery without an icon. Through all of this St. Luke remained faithful to God to the end of his earthly life (+1961). The relics of St. Luke are kept at Ss. Peter & Paul Cathedral, Holy Trinity Convent of the Simferopol and Crimean Diocese. In addition, the Monastery of the Transfiguration of Christ (Sagmata) near the city of Thebes in Greece has portions of St. Luke's relics, and it has become a major pilgrimage of the Saint in Greece. He is beloved by Orthodox Christians throughout the world, and many miracles occur through his intercessions.

The Saint's last words

In Russian

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In Greek (translation)

"Παιδιά μου πολύ σας παρακαλώ,
Ντυθείτε με την πανοπλία που δίνει ο Θεός για να μπορέσετε να αντιμετωπίσετε τα τεχνάσματα του διαβόλου.
Δεν μπορείτε να φανταστείτε πόσο πονηρός είναι.
Δεν έχουμε να παλέψουμε με ανθρώπους, αλλά με αρχές και εξουσίες, δηλαδή με τα πονηρά πνεύματα.
Προσέξτε!
Τον διάβολο δεν τον συμφέρει να δεχθεί κανείς την ύπαρξή του, να σκέφτεται και να αισθάνεται ότι είναι κοντά στον άνθρωπο.
Ένας κρυφός και άγνωστος εχθρός είναι πιο επικίνδυνος από έναν ορατό εχθρό.
Ο πόσο μεγάλος και τρομερός είναι ο στρατός των δαιμόνων.
Πόσο αμέτρητο είναι το μαύρο τους πλήθος!
Αμετάβλητα, ακούραστα, μέρα και νύχτα, επιδιώκουν να σπρώξουν όλους εμάς που πιστεύουμε στο όνομα του Χριστού, να μας παρασύρουν στό δρόμο της απιστίας της κακίας και της ασέβειας.
Αυτοί οι αόρατοι εχθροί του Θεού,εχουν βάλει ως μοναδικό τους σκοπό μέρα και νύχτα να επιδιώκουν την καταστροφή μας.
Όμως μη φοβάστε,πάρτε δύναμη από το όνομα του Ιησού"

In English (translation)

“My children, very much do I entreat you,
Arm yourselves with the armor that God gives, That you may withstand the devil's tricks.
You can't imagine how evil he is.
We don't have to fight with people but with rulers and powers, in effect the evil spirits.
Take care!
It's no use to the devil for anyone to think and feel
that he is close to him.
A hidden and unknown enemy is more dangerous than a visible enemy.
O how large and terrible is the army of the demons.
How numberless is their black horde!
Unchanged, untiring, day and night, seeking to push all of us who believe
in the name of Christ, to lure us on the road of unbelief, of evil and of impiety.
These unseen enemies of God have made their sole purpose, day and night to seek our destruction.
But do not be afraid, take power from the name of Jesus.”

The Troparion of St. Luke Archbishop of Simferopol

Troparion of St. Luke of Simferopol - Tone 1
O herald of the way of salvation, confessor and archpastor of the Crimean flock, faithful keeper of the traditions of the fathers, unshakeable pillar and teacher of Orthodoxy, pray unceasingly to Christ our Saviour to grant salvation and strong faith to Orthodox Christians, O holy hierarch Luke, physician wise in God.[2]

Further Reading

External links

YouTube Video in Greek

In Greek

In French

References

  1. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 6161 Vojno-Yasenetsky (1971 TY2).
  2. Archdeacon Vasily Marushchak. The Blessed Surgeon: The Life of Saint Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol. 2nd Edition. Divine Ascent Press, 2008. (Contains the life and service of St. Luke)

Sources