Everyone Is Talking About St. Raphael!
Everyone Is Talking About St. Raphael!
Fr. Patrick Cardine, Fr. Andrew Damick, & Others Speak of This American Orthodox Saint
You may be hearing a lot about politics, the Olympics, or even economic meltdown in the news today, but really, the best news is that God is still present in His world even in the most hidden places. The sweet, smelling aroma of the Holy Spirit arose from the rolling hills of Pennsylvania when God’s people gathered around one of their fathers in the faith… St. Raphael of Brooklyn.
I just had a wonderful interview with Fr. Patrick Cardine on the Translation of St. Raphael’s Relics. If you do not have 1 hr and 20 minutes to listen to it all, I would encourage you to listen to segments, because I believe it will build up your faith when so much of our world is trying to tear it down.
These ‘contrasts’ between faith and despair often remind me of Narnia. When the love of many is growing cold, we must be reminded that Aslan is on the move, and a new Spring is bursting forth even if ‘the powers that be’ are unaware. The sweet aroma of His breath causes the frozen, Narnian statues (relics) to come to life again.
It also reminds me of Middle Earth. When all appears lost and under the shadows, a light pierces through the dark clouds, and hope is rekindled in hearts of men. Weary travelers receive the ‘relics’ of ancient times from our Lord and our Lady in order to be refreshed and to find the courage to storm the gates of Hell (or Mordor).
It is also exciting that Ancient Faith Ministries has released a documentary on the Translation of St. Raphael’s relics narrated by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick where he interviews priests and laity while all of this is taking place. The quality is excellent, and you should take the time to listen to it with your family. It is very important that we share these exciting stories with our children in order to build up their living faith in Christ. We honestly do not know what kind of world they will face, and it is the stories of the saints that are going to keep them sane and sanctified!
I often recommend Fr. Andrew’s book on St. Ignatius of Antioch which is a wonderful work on my favorite saint and church father who was the son of the apostles. It is wonderfully written and researched while being very readable.
The Person of St. Raphael of Brooklyn
So who was the great man of God? St. Raphael grew up in Damascus, Syria in the spiritual soil of the martyrs. In 1860, a few months before he was born, his “parish priest, the New Heiromartyr Joseph of Damascus, and hundreds of their neighbors were martyred.” His family fled but eventually returned where he attended his parish’s school. From there, he was chosen to attend seminary in Constantinople where he was ordained a deacon in 1885. After graduation, he accompanied the Patriarch of Antioch and “would sometimes preach to the faithful when the Patriarch was unable.” He furthered his studies at the Theological Academy in Kiev where he was ordained a priest in 1889 and then became an Archimandrite in Moscow where he represented the Patriarch of Antioch. In 1895, the Benevolent Society of Syrian Orthodox of New York invited him to the United States where he began to shepherd the “lost sheep of America.” He traveled from sea to shining sea (New York to San Francisco) in order to encourage the faithful and feed them with the sacraments. In 1904, he became a bishop and was the first one to be consecrated on American soil. By the time of his death (1915) at the age of 55, he was “overseeing thirty churches with 25,000 parishioners.”1
Praises of St. Raphael in the Fourth Tone
“As a worthy hierarch thou didst take upon thyself the needs and concerns of all thy flock. In towns and villages and farms thou didst gather them to thee. Thou didst keep thy sheep from straying into strange pastures; they hand kept them safe from devouring wolves. Thy deeds of love grew brighter as the number of churches grew. Now standing at the throne of God, beseech Him to save our souls.”2
The Devastating Destruction of Relics
Many of the Protestant reformers were against revering relics which led to the sad destruction of many saints’ remains. John Calvin once wrote,
“The desire for relics is never without superstition… and what is worse, it is usually the parent of idolatry.” He continues, ““Instead of discerning Jesus Christ in his Word, his Sacraments, and his spiritual graces, the world has, according to its custom, amused itself with his clothes, shirts, and sheets, leaving thus the principal to follow the accessory.”
While Calvin believes it is either ‘worship Jesus or commit superstitious idolatry,’ the church father, St. John Chrysostom, reminds us that the grace present at the grave is from Christ and is even connected to His own resurrection. He writes,
“For not the bodies only, but the very sepulchres of the saints have been filled with spiritual grace… God allowed us the remains of the saints, wishing to lead by them us to the same emulation, and to afford us a kind of haven, and a secure consolation for the evils which are ever overtaking us.” (Eulogy on St. Ignatius of Antioch)
Why do we honor saints and revere their sacred remains? Because the Holy Spirit is still operating through their prayers, and His presence continues to permeate their grave with grace. It is also a sure sign in the present that one day we will be resurrected if we trust Him as the Author of Life. Lastly and most importantly, it is because we love them. Their bodies are precious to us in the same way that the bodies of our fathers and mothers, our husbands and wives, and our own sons and daughters are precious to us. They are our family. Their story becomes our story, and their identity is woven into our own identity in Christ.
The Orthodox Patristic Witness: An Orthodox Ethos Publication by Uncut Mountain Press. 2024. Pg. 433-435.
ibid, pg. 529