Saints Are Not Exclusive To The Roman Catholic Church

Monastery Experience  and Ancient Wisdom in Modern Times  were two recommendations on You Tube. [1]  At the end of each video, Hieromonk Alexii Altschul mentioned in his prayer, among other Orthodox saints, Saint John of San Francisco.  A search online for Saint John of San Francisco led to an article published by Orthodox Christianity  entitled LIFE AND MIRACLES OF ST. JOHN (MAXIMOVICH) OF SHANGHAI AND SAN FRANCISCO—ONE OF THE GREATEST SAINTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. [2]  (It is a worthwhile read even though it is long relative to text message standard but it is brief relative to traditional biographical standard.)

A further search revealed that "[t]he relics of St. John—the Miracle-worker of Shanghai and San Francisco and the twentieth century's great ascetic, archpastor and man of prayer--were found to be incorrupt in 1993, on the threshold of his glorification. The relics were transferred from the burial-vault beneath the church into the very Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, the "Joy of All Who Sorrow", in San Francisco, during the glorification of St. John in 1994. His relics are the only intact relics open for veneration in North America. Numerous pilgrims come from all over the world  to pray at St. John's relics. On Saturday nights, before the Vigil, a moleben is chanted before the relics, This moleben is open to all. Oil from the continually burning lampada is sent globally to all those that seek St. John's assistance.  The Liturgy is performed daily in the Cathedral and there is access during all services to the holy relics." [3]

In the midst of a self-obsessive city where Christ is largely being relegated to a place of obscurity in the hearts and minds of its inhabitants, there happened to be an Orthodox saint who had once lived in it.  Christ's saints are therefore not confined within the outermost reaches of the Roman Catholic Church but are also present in other branches of Christianity.

Through St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, the light of Christ shone and continues to shine today in and from one of the most spiritually dark corners of the world.  May this light also pierce through and dispel the darkness in the soul of this blogger.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjh-TzKddfE

[2] http://orthochristian.com/54575.html

[3] https://www.sfsobor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=68&lang=en