Recent miracles by Saint Raphael
We were ready to bring him to a mental hospital ..."
The first time that I had visited the Monastery of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene at Ano Souli, Marathon, was in the Spring of 2015, along with Parishioners from the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, in Athens.
For a long time I used to ask the help of the Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene, yet, I did not know them well. Neither did I know their life, or their miracles. When we came to Their Monastery, and venerated Them, and asked for Their help, we experienced such a great miracle that I admired the providence of God; indeed, I used to pray to Them without knowing Them adequately.
Specifically, we asked the help of the Saints because my sister's husband, who lived in the New Smyrna neighborhood, suffered from very severe depression. For 3-4 years he did not leave the house, he scarcely ate -and that happened after being forced to-, he wanted to commit suicide, he had terrible irrational fears and he had become very skinny. He was unable to sleep even at night. He said, "They will come to take me in the morning." He counted the walls with his hand. So, we were ready to bring him to a mental hospital. Nevertheless, he didn't want to see any doctor, or take his medication, not even his heart medication although he had a heart problem. We could not leave him alone anymore, lest he would harm himself. He reached to a point of almost dying and, then we all said, "it's a matter of days; let the family come to see him before he dies."
During that time, we came to the Monastery of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene and prayed to the Saints; we took Holy Water from the Saints and pour a little of it in his cup every day; and we asked the Saints to help him daily. Well, in a few days his condition began to change. And within one month he was completely well.
Now he eats, has regular contact with his family, is of sound mind, takes his heart medication, watches our country's news on television, has recovered psychologically and behaves normally. It is a huge change. We have lived a very great and breathtaking miracle; the man has been saved and has become as he had been before depression.
We feel great joy and great gratitude to the Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene. Glory to God and His Saints.
M.F.
Metamorphosis, Attica
Saint Raphael heals kidney problem
Christ has risen, father Raphael.
On March 4th, I was admitted to the Yennimatas General Hospital. I was a wreck; I had kidney problems and the doctors told me that things will be difficult, given my age – I was 77 – and that I won’t have the desirable results and would end up on dialysis and heavy drugs-- cortisone and others. I left the hospital, and was told to come back every week. My daughter asked me, ''will you be strong enough to visit Saint Raphael at Ano Souli, Marathon again this year, so I can go ahead and order the Altar Bread for the Liturgy?'' I said ''Yes''.
I very slowly made my way up the Rock and prostrated myself there. I made the sign of Cross, then turned my gaze towards Saint Raphael’s Icon and I saw his eyes opening wide and moving right and left as he looked at me, and I said to myself that something good was going to happen to me.
On the 17th of April, 2015 I went back to be checked; the doctors looked at the test results and one doctor said, “The references are this lady’s; and yet, the tests results show nothing.” The doctors were lost for words, because they had expected the worst and now I’m doing fine with the help of the Saints, whom I have as my patrons. I also anoint myself by making the sign of the Cross with oil from their Lamp very day.
I kiss your hand respectfully.
MZ
"The miracle I had asked for was fulfilled"
My story and the birth of my child began about a year ago, during a visit to my sister-in-law. While sitting down and chatting, she told me about Saint Raphael, Saint Nicholas and Saint Irene who had helped her enormously for the birth of her daughter.
My husband and I had constant disagreements about having a child; he disdained even the thought of having a child.
That same month I felt some pains in my uterus and thought perhaps I was pregnant, but, eventually, after being hospitalized I was diagnosed with hemorrhagic cysts. Two or three days later, after leaving the hospital, I was re-examined and the doctor told me that for two months I wouldn’t be able to conceive. I need to point out here that I never had any gynecological problem. Despite being told of this decision by the doctor, I did not lose faith that Saint Raphael would help me acquire my baby. That same month I became pregnant with my only son. The miracle I asked for was fulfilled.
After running certain tests, they found that my baby had been having audiogenic seizures in its tiny heart. I remember that day as the worst one of my life. I cried uncontrollably and not even my husband could calm me down. I didn't know where to turn to, so I began to search the internet for Saint Raphael and ask him to help me. I found the phone number of Saint Raphael's Monastery at Ano Souli, Marathon, and rang without knowing who I was going to speak to; I simply called and a certain monk picked up, so I told him of my problem.
I thought he wasn’t going to pay much attention to me, and yet, he spoke to me and told me that with the help of Saint Raphael, my baby was going to get well. He advised me to say the following prayer, "Saint Raphael, please take the lead." From then on I would say the prayer that the monk had suggested, every single day.
After the Feast of the Assumption on the 15th of August, my uncle was hospitalized with a serious heart attack. The doctors then told my mother that surgery was imperative; however, after the serious operation was done, the surgeon came out of the OR and told my mother that we should probably expect the inevitable. When talking with my mother, I told her to say the monk's prayer: "Saint Raphael, please take the lead." An hour later, the doctor said that a miracle must have occurred ... it couldn’t be explained otherwise. To get back to my case, I gave birth to a very healthy baby boy of f 3.775 kilos - and with natural childbirth. Saint Raphael had responded to my prayer with a miracle. Thanks to the monks of the Sacred Monastery at Ano Souli, Marathon, my faith in the Lord and His Mother and my Patron Saint Raphael has grown even more.
I thank you sincerely.
K., Ioannina
"I regretted having being unfaithful and weak ..."
It has been quite a long time that I have been meaning to write this letter... in order to describe the truth - the one that I had experienced so intensely when I became pregnant with my second son, who is now three months old – glory be to the name of Saint Raphael, young Saint “Reenie” (that's how I call Saint Irene, because she is the little girl of my heart) and of course Saint Nicholas.
I dare to confess that, all these years, albeit a faithful Orthodox, I wasn’t familiar with these specific Saints. It was during the time of an otherwise normal pregnancy, which (like my first child’s) was being monitored by an obstetrician-embryologist (his specialty in embryonic ultrasound, with credentials by the leading Cypriot, Nikolaides in London - in other words, my doctor is a modern one, and remarkably trained in analyzing fetal development via ultrasound).
So, when the time came for the B level examination during my 5th month (an examination during which the doctor measures one by one the organs of the fetus – from arteries, heart, brain, to its extremities, kidneys, its intestines, its face etc.), that was when problems began. We all have two tiny “balloons” inside the brain, filled with brain fluid; my baby's “balloons” were engorged with fluid, so I had to undergo amniocentesis, because this problem is first of all linked to Down syndrome. So they inserted a needle into my abdomen, they drew some amniotic fluid, examined it, and, fortunately, the results came back negative. Now, something equally crucial remained: the embryo’s bloated “balloons” were obstructing the brain from growing. It was then - after the MRI that I had, where this condition was confirmed - that I buckled… everything went black, I locked myself away in my room and cried all day long... my knees gave way when the doctor remarked "May God have pity on us." I am ashamed to say this, but I must be honest... I had thought of terminating my pregnancy, but because it was not permitted here, I was looking for my passport to go to London, I had nightmares of my belly being opened and the baby removed… a tragic state… at times I would be screaming, then other times silence and darkness, with feelings of guilt for my thoughts… my God, what kind of mother was I? Well, God knew, along with the Saint... (I had confessed all this at a later date to my beloved parish Priest, Fr. Themistocles, at Saint Eleftherios’ church on Acharnon Street, in Athens); I regretted having being unfaithful and weak, even for such a short time – just two days after the MRI.
One day, while searching for some monitors to check my blood sugar (given that we had recently moved to another house and I had no idea where they might be), I happened to find a tiny icon of Saint Raphael with young Saint “Reenie” and Saint Nicholas. I stood there, staring at it, trying to remember who those Saints were and how that icon had come into my possession. The next day at work (I assist my husband who is a dentist) the doorbell rang and a lady - an old patient of his - came in and said to me, ''I heard about your pregnancy, and I wanted to give you this: it is a cotton swab, soaked in oil from Saint Raphael, in Mytilene.” I was stunned! The same Saint, twice in a row! That same day I searched the internet on fetal problems and I kept seeing everywhere that “Saint Raphael’ miracle healed this problem… that problem.. etc.” Everything that I read pertained to embryos, which was when it suddenly “rang a bell” in my mind. “I want to meet him”, I said to myself, and hastened to seek information on the internet. All the while I was searching I could sense a fragrance of myrrh… I learnt everything about the three of them – what they had suffered by the Turks: the bloody massacre... and I wept, as if I were witnessing the sight with my own eyes... That was when I searched for a Church dedicated to Saint Raphael in Attica. I spotted one, at Ano Souli, Marathon. “Theologos”, I said to my husband, “I want you to take me there”. It was Thursday, the 12th of June 2014, when I actually touched the Rock; when I first saw the Saint, it was like I was born again, thanks to him.
The fragrance of myrrh was constantly present; I would take a sip of the Holy Water from Saint Raphael’s every morning, and 2-3 times a day would anoint my abdomen with the oil from his Unsleeping Lamp; I would pray to him daily, and talked to him constantly. The months went by and just before giving birth to my John, the test results showed that measurements were restored to normal, the “balloons” had shrunk, and that the brain had grown normally; my doctor reassured me that the scientific term “ventriculomegaly” no longer appeared in the test results!
I was in tears with joy thereafter - everything was perfect - it was a miracle. Everything went well, and I gave birth by caesarean section to a healthy and very beautiful baby boy weighing 3,800 kilos - with a mark on his forehead that very discreetly resembled a Cross!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I used to anoint my belly making the sign of Cross on it with the Saint’s oil, and always over the spot that the baby's head was (I knew where, thanks to the frequent ultrasounds). The doctors named that mark a hemangioma, but I sensed that it was the Saint’s way of showing me that he was present. I might also mention that when the baby was 5 days old, he almost choked in his sleep because of a milk reflux; he had begun to turn purple, we rushed him to hospital, and I kept praying: "Saint Raphael, don’t take it away from me. Please save it." When my husband came out of the examination room and told me that they had suctioned out the fluids and saved the child, I collapsed to the floor from stress… and that’s when then I felt the Saint saying: “stand up”.
My beloved Saint Raphael, Saint “Reenie” and Saint Nicholas, magnificent are your intercessions to God for my family! I love you deeply and I think of you constantly.
Maria K., Saint Eleftherios, Athens.
(I would like you to publish whatever you can of this letter, so that we might instill courage to people who are in need of it).
"If you are a Saint, heal me"
My name is Georgia S. I live in Athens, and I was blessed to have met Saint Raphael personally. What I mean by this: Years ago, when I was 30 years old, I suffered from severe migraines. I visited different doctors, but to no avail. My sister had visited Saint Raphael’s Monastery in Mytilene (Lesvos island) after a personal experience of her own, so she encouraged me to have faith in Saint Raphael and that I would get well. Not believing in her words, I would reply with the usual comment: ''If the doctors can’t cure me, what can the Saint do for me?” As the torment continued, one afternoon, while I was lying down for a siesta, I prayed and said, "If you are a Saint, heal me." And behold, as soon as I fell asleep, I heard bells tolling in my ears and "Glory to God in the highest" being chanted, as the pain was being pulled away, from my jaw to the top of my head. I woke up and was completely healed, and I am now glorifying those Saints for the miracle.
That is until lately, when new problems with my health appeared. In addition to osteoporosis and other health issues, I also got panic attacks in my sleep. I used to lie down and feel that was fading away. That was the worst of all the problems, and it was completely uncontrolable. I acquired it during one time that I had boarded a plane, perhaps because of the change in cabin pressure. I was persistently asking Saint Raphael to take it away. On Bright Tuesday after Easter I came to your Monastery at Ano Souli of Marathon to thank the Saints and paid my respects there. However the problems with my health continued. Finally, one day, I called your Monastery and asked father Raphael to pray for me. Thus, Saint Raphael performed his miracle once again, through your prayers, because I have been feeling much better since then. Now, even though the problem hasn’t gone away completely, the anxiety has gone, I don’t feel any pressure on my heart, and I am able to sleep. Because before that, I could feel those conditions to the point of madness.
I thank Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene. Along with my miracle, Saint Raphael performed one more for my husband. He had an inexplicable pain in his side. We were afraid there was something wrong with his liver. Someone suggested it was his gall bladder. So he set off to see a doctor, while I prayed to Saint Raphael, for the doctor to tell him that it wasn’t something serious and that the pain was on account of a simple bruising. And behold, that was exactly what the doctor told him: they were the exact same words that I had used in my prayer! To me, that was clearly a miracle. In fact my husband had seen a dream prior to his visit to the doctor. He had seen two men and a little girl standing on a hill, on a tiny path. One of them was higher up on the hill and the other two were further down – just like the icon of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene that you have at your Monastery (which the husband –incidentally- had never seen, as he hadn’t been to your Monastery at the time). It felt so amazing in his dream that he exclaimed: “How wonderful it is here! I’ll be coming here to rest, whenever I feel tired.”
The way the Saints provide for us is truly wonderful, and we thank them very much, from the bottom of our heart. May they always be with us, and with the whole world.
Georgia S.
"I died and he brought me back."
In late August, Ms. Alcestis called the Monastery of Saint Raphael at Ano Souli, Marathon from Mykonos Island, asking for information regarding access and accommodation nearby, in order to be present at Saint Raphael’s, during the celebrations of the Monastery’s feast day on the 2nd of September.
While on the phone with one of the fathers, she asked him to light a candle to St. Raphael for the brother of the cleaning lady that she had at her place to help with the housework, as he had suffered a stroke and eventually fallen into a coma. She had learnt that the doctors had said that it was almost impossible for the patient to recover and had recommended that the relatives be prepared for the inevitable. They all feared that even if he did survive –which was highly unlikely- he would not be able to move his hands and legs, nor would he be able to speak properly and coordinate his thoughts, due to extensive brain damage. As a result, all of the patient's relatives (of the Muslim faith, as was the patient) were extremely upset, as was Ms. Alkestis, as she shared their pain.
So, on the same day that Mrs. Alkestis made that call and the fathers lit a candle to Saint Raphael, the patient showed some slight movement. His relatives noticed this. On the 2nd of September, when Mrs. Alcestis was attending the Feast of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene, the patient moved his arm and his leg and began to show signs of life. His relatives also noticed it, and were greatly impressed, as it coincided with the Saints’ feast-day. When Ms. Alcestis returned to the island, the patient’s sister -albeit a Muslim- asked for an icon of St. Raphael and began to kiss it, weeping and beseeching him to help her brother.
Fifteen minutes later, she received a phone call from Bulgaria where her brother and the remaining relatives were, and they told her that her brother had suddenly begun to move his head, he had woken up and spoke to them, asking "have you been coming to see me for many days?” and then fell into a coma again. Her joy and her emotion were indescribable. She prayed with sobs to Saint Raphael and kept telling him that she believed in him and was certain that her brother would get well.
In fact she even promised to bring him to Saint Raphael’s Monastery. Ms. Alkestis also gave her some oil from Saint Raphael’s oil-lamp and told her to send it to her brother, along with an icon of the Saints. She immediately agreed and sent them off through her son - who "by coincidence" had come to see her (four years had passed, and yet he hadn’t visited her at all) - and was going to return to Bulgaria.
No sooner had the icon and the oil from Saint Raphael departed, than the patient came out of the coma permanently and had asked to eat and go home!! Everyone was amazed and impressed. Saint Raphael had worked his miracle! In fact, as soon as the icon of Saint Raphael had arrived at the Hospital, the patient was discharged and sent home.
The doctors said that it was very clearly a miracle, for a patient who was in intensive care and comatose, to go straight home. Many people learnt of this miracle, and the patient himself also came to believe in his miraculous salvation by Saint Raphael, and slept with the Saint's icon above his bed, and would say on his own: “You didn’t anoint me with the Saint’s oil today... anoint me with the oil!"
A few days later he even said the following to his sister: "I am fully aware of what happened to me. I died, and he brought me back. I had seen that I was dead and was being taken to our cemetery. But I noticed a Christian Church there, and a Christian priest who said to me: “You should have died now, but I’m doing you the favor to send you back, for your son and for your daughter... ".
The lives of those people had changed. Whichever home the icon of Saint Raphael had entered, the people became more active, more cheerful and had begun to show more love towards each other, and they themselves felt and confessed that change and believed that it was due to Saint Raphael.
Indeed, great is the Grace of Saint Raphael and his companions, and many are the blessings of God bestowed on people who invoke His saints, whether they are believers or unbelievers. Glorified be their names. May we have their blessings. And may the people respond with gratitude to the blessings of the Saints, and may they end up in salvation and in Heaven, through the Church and Her Sacraments. Amen.
"Thank God, everything went well"
On the 2nd of November 2011 I was notified around midnight that my three-year old daughter was at the ''Saint Sophia'' children's Hospital with acute appendicitis and that she had to be urgently admitted for surgery. At 00:30 I arrived at the hospital where our child was given a room on the 2nd floor of the surgical clinic, and where we were settled in the room that they indicated.
The child however was dehydrated and they administered intravenously whatever was necessary to hydrate it, in order to be able to proceed with the surgery. During the night the child’s fever spiked three times to 37.6 ⁰C, and that was another reason they couldn’t proceed with the surgery. The child was in pain, it was restless all night, and it cried every time it doubled over in pain while trying to make it comfortable.
Meanwhile however, at 1.30 after midnight, I hastened to call the fathers of Saint Raphael's Monastery at Ano Souli, Marathon and informed them of the risk my daughter was facing and begged them to pray to Saint Raphael for a favourable outcome for the child. They said they would pray to Saint Raphael to ensure that everything would go smoothly, but they recommended that I pray along with them, so that the prayers of all of us would ascend to the Lord and to His Saints. And that was how the night passed. At last, next morning the child was in a condition to be operated on. She was taken to the O.R. where the surgery lasted three quarters of an hour.
Then, the doctor came out and called us for an update. He said: “You were very lucky, in your misfortune. The child had acute peritonitis, such that I have never come across in such a young child (she was a three year old), and yet, it had not become evident, either in the lab tests or in the child's reactions. In cases like this, the decomposed section of the appendix bursts and causes a discharge of ordure from the intestine into the body, thus bringing on septicemia and ultimately death. But in your case, nothing like that happened, because the decomposed section of the appendix was wrapped by a membrane like the one that lambs have – something like a protective sheath. Only the decomposed section of the appendix was covered, so that the septicemia didn’t spread, and that gave us time to perform the surgery. What struck me was that, the way this protective membrane was wrapped, even if the appendix did burst, no ordure would have seeped out. That being the case, thank God, everything went well.” We were amazed by what the doctor told us. My joy was indescribable, as was my gratitude towards Saint Raphael.
Two days later, we left the hospital and the child is enjoying perfect health. I am absolutely convinced that we had experienced a miracle by Saint Raphael, whom all of us had been invoking. Also amazing and impressive is how the Saint always finds a way to help out.
We thank Him and may He always be by our side.
Charalambos S.
"There's a Saint Raphael who works wonders. Pray to Him!"
For two years, while living in Qatar (due to the economic crisis) and working there, I began having terrible pain in my neck, left shoulder and left arm, which were eventually rendered numb. Additionally, the arm began atrofying, gradually reaching 70%. I visited several doctors who gave me different drug treatments, in order to observe how I would respond. Because there was no improvement, I went for an MRI, which showed that there was a serious problem in three cervical vertebrae, and that the only remedy involved very serious surgery to mechanically reconstruct the vertebrae. The neurosurgeon whom I visited in Greece in July 2013, said that if I do not start the treatment soon, I would soon be paralyzed, because that ailment (called myelopathy) affects the entire spinal column. I must also mention that my condition was so dramatic, that for eighteen months I could barely sleep because I was unable to lie down or even sit down comfortably. I slept in a sitting position for two hours at most, until woken up by the pain again. To give you an idea, in order to have the MRI I had to go under general sedation; otherwise I wouldn't have tolerated the pain of lying down in a horizontal position.
It was then February 2014. Up until that month, I knew nothing about Saint Raphael. Regardless of the fact that I may have heard of him, he didn't come to mind. However, a thought had come to my mind, like a sudden inspiration: "Pray to Saint Raphael." It was as if someone had whispered this thought in my ear: "There's a Saint Raphael who works miracles. Pray to Him." It was during that time that my wife had to return to Greece, so I told her to go the Monastery at Ano Souli and pay our respects to Saint Raphael, whom I had "discovered" on the Internet while searching for more information about him.
I asked her to light a candle and to bring me some oil from the Saint's unsleeping lamp, which she did bring me, along with some holy water and an icon. In the meantime, I kept praying. Two days before my wife had returned from Greece, the pain was so exacerbated that I thought my arm would literally drop off. The excruciating pain had me in tears. No sedative or injection was of any help. The pain had suddenly become ten times worse. I couldn't go to work any longer (even though I hold a very responsible position, with many workers under my supervision). At the same time I had a strong belief that when my wife returns, and I have "marked" myself with the sign of the Cross with the oil from the unsleeping lamp, I would get well. I believed it ever so strongly - just like I know the sun exists and shines. The day my wife returned to Qatar, I prayed to Saint Raphael, as I did every day, and, by the time I went to pick up my wife from the airport, 95% of the pain had disappeared. When we finally arrived home, I prayed, I smeared the Saint's oil on me, and I gave thanks to God. From that moment on, I have had no problems whatsoever. No pain. My arm's atrophy gradually disappeared. I have now completely forgotten my problem. It passed, as if it were a dream. And I also gradually lost the weight I had gained from the cortisone. My life has returned completely back to normal. That's why I came there myself, at Saint Raphael's monastery, to thank him for the great miracle that he bestowed on me.
Jordanis F., August 2014
There was no cancer at all in her body
"Early June I was on the phone with a friend of mine who told me of her family problems. Knowing how miraculous Saint Raphael is, I suggested that she give me the names of her family for prayers to be offered during the Supplication to Saint Raphael at Ano Souli, Marathon, given that the Monastery is relatively close to my home. She gladly accepted the offer, and she asked me to also include the name of a friend, Styliani T. (an Athens resident), because, as she explained to me, the woman had a serious health problem. She was a young woman who had breast cancer and had undergone mastectomy. But the cancer metastasized and Styliani's health worsened dramatically, to the point that her doctors told her family that she had only days left to live. Their exact words were: "It's a shame to leave her here. She only has 1 0 days left to live. Take her home, so she can die there ..." In the meantime, Styliani was in pain and suffering. It was for this particular reason that our mutual friend had asked me to include her name in the Supplication to Saint Raphael and ask the Saint to at least alleviate her pain. But the Saint's miracle was even more spectacular! Not only did Saint Raphael alleviateher pain, he also cured Stiliani completely!!!! It was barely a few days after her name had been included in the Supplication, when Styliani began saying: "I' m not in pain, l'm not in pain. Why doesn’t it hurt any more? Because of her insistence, her doctors performed new tests repeatedly, which gave mind-blowing results: THERE WAS NO CANCER AT ALL IN HER BODY... Within a few days she was discharged from the hospital and some time later I spoke with her on the phone. "I don't know what you didfor me, but I thank you sincerelyfor that!" she said. I explained that all I did was to give her name to be read during the Supplication toSaint Raphael. And she replied: "No -one mentioned anything a bout SaintRaphael. What can I possibly say about St. Raphael? I thank him very much! And I will most certainly go to venerate him, before leaving for the vacation that I have arranged for late July. Where is this monastery?" So,we decided to take herto the Saint's Monastery at Ano Souli to give thanks to him, with our souls overflowing with immense joy for that great miracle. I wanted to share my happiness with you, which iswhy I told you exactly what happened, in my desire to honorthe name of the great, wonder -working Saint Raphael, who constantly surprises us with his breathtaking miracles."
Sofia P.
Marathon, July 2014
The dream and the christening of little Raphael
"It was the summer of 2011. One night I had a strange dream: I'm in a monastery that also had a Church, and I am attending a christening. I am watching everything while standing under an olive tree for protection from direct sunlight. It was noon. I see the priest lifting out an infant from the baptismal font, but the infant wasn't naked. It was already fully dressed, in white. The christening was taking place outdoors and t he child was being anointed with oil. As the priest lifted up the infant he said: "And his name is Raphael." In that dream I knew that the child was mine. The dream was very characteristic.
At the time I had only one child - a two-year-old daughter - and I hadn't read anything about Saint Raphael, nor had I ever visited a monastery that resembled the one I had seen in my dream.
The following February, in 2012, my wife became pregnant. But before discovering that she was pregnant, something strange happened. At that time she was working in a bakery. One morning while at work, an unfamiliar old woman came in and without any prior conversation or greeting, she said: "Do you believe?" And my wife replied: "What do you mean? I don't understand." "You will go to the Church of the Holy Trinity to venerate him" she said. "The holy relics of Saint Raphael have been taken there. You will go there to venerate him, to give you a healthy baby." My wife was in the first month of her pregnancy, but wasn't aware of it yet. She was amazed at the woman's words, but didn't make any remark to her. The old woman departed and my wife went to venerate Saint Raphael two days later. Later, when she told me about the incident at the bakery, I remembered the dream I had last Summer. Shortly thereafter, we learned that she was pregnant.
During her pregnancy she had encountered many problems, especially psychological ones. In November of 2012 she gave birth to a baby boy, whose gender we were sure of, from the very beginning. We knew it was a boy, even before the doctor announced it to us. The baby suffered an infection later and had to remain in the incubator for 22 days, but everything went well in the end.
Ultimately, the dream I had seen took place in reality. The baby's christening was held at St. Raphael's at Ano Souli, Marathon, outdoors, amid olive trees. The baby was named "Raphael" and was dressed in white. The baptismal font had been placed in the exact spot that I had seen in my dream. Thanks to Saint Raphael we have a healthy boy."
Nikos and Fotini N.
We are waiting for you
Mrs. Angeliki Ch., resident of the Athens suburb of Kallithea, came to the Monastery, and told us the following:
"In September of 2013 I began feeling sick, so I went to the hospital where a CT scan showed something that looked like a brain tumor, "a huge one" (that was how the doctors described it) 7.5 cm by 4.5 cm, plus a serious swelling around it. For that reason I was admitted to the Evangelismos Hospital. Meanwhile, within a day, hemiplegia appeared on my left side: arm and leg both became paralyzed. The diagnosis was hopeless. The doctor said that it could not be operated on. Apparently it was a considerable malignancy and the doctors said that if it were operated on, it would worsen. They of course gave me cortisone and anticonvulsants for the swelling, but that was all they did. I prayed to Saint Raphael, because we had heard that San Rafael is endowed with power and works miracles, and my husband had read a book about the Saint’s miracles. Recently we learnt that there is a Saint Raphael's Monastery at Ano Souli, Marathon, so we talked about it and decided that my husband would go and pray there. He did indeed go there, and he also brought back some oil from the Saint's unsleeping lamp, with which I anointed myself every day; he also brought back holy water that I drank of each morning.
A few days later, our doctor told us that, even though the opinions of his colleagues were different, he felt that the tumor was not what they had thought it to be, and that he personally believed it could be operated on. The operation lasted a long time; before entering the operating room, I had asked the Saint to guide the doctor to perform the surgery successfully. It was a very difficult operation. But it was indeed very successful, with the grace of Saint Raphael. We were told that the entire tumor was removed; however the doctor said that some mobility problems would remain; and yet, there were absolutely no side effects in the end. Furthermore, although they had originally asserted that the tumor was a malignant one, they afterwards said that it was only partially malignant - and ultimately that it was a benign one, without eventually having understood what it actually was. Thus, it was undiagnosed, and, despite the numerous tests, it still remains undiagnosed.
Meantime I was in such a good physical conditi on that within a week I was discharged from the hospital. But I had a severe allergic reaction and complications from the medication, so I went to another hospital. Then I had a dream: I saw three people, one older, another younger and a little girl, and they told me 'We are waiting for you!" At first I was scared because I thought that the old person was someone from the room we shared at the hospital who had just died and I thought I would die as well. But then I realized they were the three saints: Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene, and I was sure of that because I had promised to go venerate them at their Monastery at Ano Souli, as soon as I had recovered; with their invitation they were revealing to me that I had indeed recovered fully and that they were waiting for me there. From the day of that dream and thereafter there have been no side effects and complications. My health has stabilized and now, today, I feel I have been blessed to come to the Saint's Monastery to keep my promise. I have recovered completely, with absolutely no motor or other side effects and I owe this to Saint Raphael, because I managed to cope with the whole situation, the medication and the surgery, despite the fact that, among other things, I have thalassemia; it was definitely a great miracle!!"
"We had been trying to have a child, but in vain."
I would like to write a bout my own experience with Saint Raphael. Since 2010, my husband and I have been trying to have a child, but in vain. Last year, in August of 2012, I went with my husband to America for his cousin's wedding; one morning , after I woke up, I remembered that I had heard a voice in my sleep telling me to "Go and light a candle to St. Raphael, and then you will become pregnant". I saw myself entering a Church that was built on a hill and there was a view of a city and the sea spread below it; I lit a candle without knowing the name of the Church and without praying for what I wanted. On my way back from the Church I saw many people who were going up the church to pray. So I asked one of the pilgrims and he told me that it was Saint Raphael's Church. I went back into the Church and lit another candle, but this time I prayed to have a child.
When I woke up in the morning I recounted the dream to my husband, telling him specifically that I had never mentioned the name ''Raphael'' previously, nor had I heard of the Saint. On our return from America, on Monday, my mother told me that the holy relics of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene would be brought to the church opposite her house. I went and prayed there, but I wasn't concerned about finding a church with that name until March 2013. Some time in March I searched online for Churches and found the Monastery of Saint Raphael at Ano Souli, Marathon, which looked like the one I saw in my dream.
So we went there with my husband, we prayed, and I was pregnant a month later. During our visit, we narrated our story and we learnt that the Saint is the patron of women who are unable to have children; they gave us oil from the Saint's Unsleeping Lamp. From the day that I learnt I was pregnant, I've been making the sign of the Cross over my belly with the oil-soaked cotton swab, while also wearing the token belt of Saint Irene Chrisovalantou. We are now waiting for our daughter Raphaela to be born.
I wish to thank you, while feeling immense gratitude and blessings, and I wish for everyone to be healthy and happy and their prayers to also be answered, soon.
With respect
Evangelia M.
"Saint Raphael said that he will cure you"
I write with deep emotion to inform you about the miracle that our family e xperienced thanks to the divine intervention of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene and to the support and heartfelt prayers of the fathers of the Monastery at Ano Souli.
My family was always very devoted to Saint Raphael, and we had visited and v enerated the Saints on the island of Lesvos several times in the past. In September of 2012 we learnt that my father had colon cancer (my parents live in Thessaloniki). The doctor who did the biopsy did not give us any hope for his life. We felt the earth falling under our feet with the news, so we made the decision to m ove to Athens to be able to face the situation together.
During those days I was searching online for a church of Saint Raphael in Athens and found a link featuring the Monastery of the Saints at Ano Souli of Marathon. It was a Friday; on Monday he was scheduled for the first stage of radiation therapy in order to shrink the tumor a little, and the n proceed to surgery. As soon as I spotted the link I told my family that we would go to the Monastery. That same night in my dream I saw Saint Irene with her blond braids and white robe, smiling at me and telling me that everything will be fine. Indeed, the following day we visited the Saints' monastery; when I reached the spot where the Saints had appeared and saw the rock and the icon of Saint Irene, I burst into tears: she was exactly as I had seen her in my dream. The warm welcome of the monastery fathers and their reassurance that Saint Raphael would help us, gave us a lot of courage for the future.
Meanwhile, my father is claustrophobic and it is impossible for him to get into the radiation apparatus, so he prayed to Saint Raphael for help; so, each time he got into the machine, instead of fear he felt euphoria and joy. He knew and could feel that St. Raphael was near him. One evening my father saw in his dream that he was at the Monastery at Ano Souli, and heard a voice saying "Saint Raphael said that he will heal you. So you should go and light two candles to him."
The day of the surgery approached and our heartache and anxiety was growing; but my father dreamt again that he was at the rock of the Monastery, where he saw a priest in vestments, whose face he couldn't discern but sensed that it was Saint Raphael, who said to him, "That which I was to do, I did" and then pointed to the icons with the offerings. We called at the monastery and told them of his dream and the fathers assured us that Saint Raphael would help us. The surgery was done, but unfortunately the doctor was not happy; the tumor had spread outside the colon. Not even a single moment did we believe him, nor did I lose confidence in the Saints, that perhaps what we had experienced and seen weren't true.
That night my mother saw Saint Irene in her dream, holding a blank page and telling her that the test results would be clear. And it actually happened: the biopsy was surprisingly good; the doctor couldn't believe his eyes; all that was left for my father to do was to follow a preventive series of light chemotherapy. The CT scan and all the test results were impeccable.
The Saints' intervention throughout our difficult times was great and obvious, to this day; and we thank God with all our might, as well as the Saints who helped us so much and also the fathers of the Saints' Monastery at Ano Souli, Marathon, for their support.
Evangelia M.
Pray to Saint Irene, who is also a little girl, to cure you!"
Saint Irene,
I cannot find words to thank you, nor can I find words to express the anguish that a mother suffers with her child sick and helpless. I prefer to focus on the miracle that you performed for me so speedily - in fact, so speedily that, while still trying to think what to write down as a prayer to the Holy Mother, in your name and with your mediation, my little girl suddenly recovered!
For two whole months she had remained bedridden after falling from a couch, albeit without any obvious signs of injury. I went to doctors, I prayed, I spoke to various Elders on the phone, but nothing happened. In 2012 on the eve of my nameday, Eisodia (the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, celebrated on November the 21st), I had left the child with my mother (her father was in America) and had gone to a night vigil at a Monastery at Kato Panagia of the township of Arta. Before leaving for home, I bought an icon of Saints Irene, Nicholas and Raphael (such Grace-filled Saints!).
The next day I said to my child - aged five and a half, ''Davidoula (affectionately named after Saint David of Evia), I can't help you! I'm a sinful person. Please, pray to young Saint Irene, who is also a little girl, to cure you!" In fact I told her to draw a picture and send it to her as a form of prayer. That's what I suggested. ''Look, mommy'' she said to me, ''I drew this one of her, in a pink dress." (Saint Irene is depicted wearing a pink robe in the icon). She had prayed in her own words and was cured - and we didn't even get to send the picture! ''Draw another picture and say "THANK YOU", I told her a few days later. And she did. Saint Irene, we are now sending you that drawing.
 |
 |
Glory to the Lord
M. Maria
07.02.2013, Arta
"Mom, that man wasn't a monk. He was a Saint!"
I am Evangelia R., resident of Nikaia [suburb of Piraeus] and I would like to tell you about an amazing event that I experienced.
In 2012 I saw Saint Raphael and Saint Irene, live. It was February - a very cold season. I went to pick up my little girl from school and, on our way back, I saw Saint Raphael and Saint Irene, in my neighborhood bakery. I thought he was a monk selling something, so I took some money from my pocket to give to him. He pulled out of his pocket a bottle of myrrh and he anointed our head and hands with it. He even motioned to my daughter to remove her gloves, to anoint her hands also. Next to him stood a girl with blonde braids. I will never forget his eyes and his gaze, for the rest of my life; he was very tall and handsome. When we left the bakery we thought we had been in paradise. And our hands retained the fragrance of the myrrh for several days. My daughter said to me: "Mom, he wasn't a monk, he was a Saint." We didn't know which Saint he was. Fifteen days later, my cousin Evangelia came to our place. She had returned from Mytilene (on Lesvos Island) and had brought us a book on Saint Raphael. When I saw the image of the Saint I immediately recognized him. I couldn't believe it!!! The monk I had met was SAINT RAPHAEL and the girl was Saint Irene. I prayed and beseeched the Saint to help me visit his grace in Mytilene. What I prayed for, eventually happened. The Saint had heard me; that Easter, a relative of mine went to Mytilene, and she took me along, so I visited his grace. When I arrived at the church and particularly at the Saint's grave, the myrrh that he had anointed us with immediately exuded its fragrance as soon as I looked at it. It was a great miracle!
In September of 2012 my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was hospitalized in Athens, at the Sismanogleio hospital; after surgery (a very difficult surgery, lasting four hours) he saw in a dream our beloved Saint Raphael looking at him with a great smile on his face standing in front of a rock, at the specific spot of the temple of the church of the Saints at Ano Souli, Marathon. He also saw the marble steps that are in front of the Church. When my husband mentioned all this, I realized that the Saint would undoubtedly restore his health! And indeed, my husband recovered completely. At the time, we hadn't yet visited the Monastery of our Saint at Ano Souli. When we visited for the first time, we realized that this was the place that my husband had seen Saint Raphael in his dream.
Those events made me realize that Saint Raphael had appeared live and had anointed us with myrrh in order to give us strength, courage and faith, and to also indicate that he would be helping us during the Calvary of the ordeals that our family was going through. With the help of the Saints we overcame everything.
Glorified be the names of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene!
For as long as I live I will glorify them with all my soul!
"You know that I can do whatever you may ask of me''
Early October I went with my brother and my wife to a tavern at Ano Souli. On the way there, just before reaching the tavern, we noticed the sign directing to Saint Raphael's Monastery. My sister-in-law said, ''Let's go and pay our respects there''. ''Let's go'', the four of us replied unanimously. So we headed uphill towards the monastery. When we arrived, it was the monastery's closing time. However the monk noticed that we were disappointed so he let us in. The monastery was austere, simple and you could feel love all around you, along with kindness, and serenity. The monk took us to the church where the Liturgy is held. We didn't go to the shrine, as we didn't want to impose further, in view of our after-hours visit. In the afternoon, when I arrived home I began having a slight pain in the neck. I thought it was caused by the draft, because I had the car window open. But during the night the pain worsened and it didn't let me sleep. I drank hot tea, I took painkillers, but nothing helped me. I was overcome by panic and fear; I was afraid that it was damage to the vertebrae in my neck, and, indeed, I was right. The X-ray verified it. I had several operations and two fusions that left me with eight blades and ten screws in my spine. That's why I can't tolerate another operation. The following day the pain continued and spread. At night I was unable to sleep, and would only groan in pain. Around noon the next day I tried to lie down to see whether I could get some sleep. Then I remembered the words that the monk said, "The Saint cures diseases. With this in mind I fell asleep. At one time I woke up from a light that shone into my eyes. I got up to see who had opened the window but didn't see anything; the window was closed. I went back to sleep, and just as I closed my eyes three bright halos formed before me. A large one, a smaller one and an even smaller one. I jumped up and exclaimed that Saint Raphael had come to help me. On Saturday night I fell asleep with sad thoughts about my husband; apart from a cancer surgery, a rash had appeared on that same spot, which could not be cured by any treatment; we had tried three... So I was in tears for both of us. At dawn I heard a voice saying to me, "You know that I can do whatever you may ask of me; why don't you visit me and take some oil from my lamp..." After my husband woke up, I told him about my dream and wanted to go to the Monastery immediately. On arriving at the Monastery, we went to the shrine and prayed to Saint Raphael, asking him to keep me away from surgeries, so that I might continue to live without any more pain, and to cure my husband. Before leaving, I obtained some oil from Saint Raphael's Unsleeping Lamp, and then we headed back home. The pain in my neck gradually became receding; by the time we got home, I had no pain whatsoever! The doctor was surprised at how quickly I had recovered. My husband is entirely well now, and, more importantly, although he used to be negative about monasteries, he has changed now; he has accepted that his therapy was thanks to the sacred oil. Glory to God that everything is fine now, and I sense that everything will be even better in the future. I praise Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene and I thank them.
AP – Suburb of Keratea.
"I am a mother, like any other mother in the world"
Saint Raphael,
I am a mother, like any other mother in the world; all my family and I want to thank you wholeheartedly for the miracle that you worked for my son.
A year ago he had undergone kidney surgery; at the end of October, after having tested his thyroid gland, the doctors told us that he had to be operated on urgently, because he had thyroid cancer. He left immediately and checked into the hospital; he had the surgery, but the doctors gave him three months to live. And yet, my son had no idea about his condition, not even to this day, nor was he aware of what had happened. The whole family was in despair.
A family friend who had been randomly browsing the Internet found you, Brethren, and Saint Raphael's Monastery. She spoke to the abbot in tears about her friend's case. He listened carefully to everything she told him and reassured her: "Don't worry my child; your friend will get well. He has none of those things that you mentioned."
Saint Raphael, my daughter had also been praying fervently for a miracle by you, for her brother.
We all waited anxiously to learn the results of the tests. When they came out and the doctors noticed that all of them were negative, they couldn't believe their eyes. They declared that a miracle must have taken place and they gave up trying to explain it otherwise.
Today my son is fine. He came to your Monastery, venerated your icon, obtained a piece of cotton wool soaked in blessed oil and crosses himself with it every day.
Thank you from my heart, my Saint; I beseech you to remain the protector of our entire family.
With respect and reverence, his mother F.R.
"Saint Raphael himself had invited me - I cannot refuse his invitation!"
On Wednesday, November 21st, 2012, at around 7 in the evening, my wife was reading the miracles of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene to me, from a book that a friend had given her, when I fell asleep. When I woke up, I told her about a dream I had. We were on a wide road, in our car, and we found ourselves at a crossroad. We didn't know which way to go. Then a tall man appeared, but WE couldn't see his face clearly. He motioned to me with his finger and said: "Come to my Church, get some blessed oil, use it to anoint yourself with the sign of the Cross, and everything that you want will be fulfilled!'' I was very upset because in my dream I saw that I had lost my way. Suddenly we left behind all the traffic and the traffic lights, and the car with us inside it reached a beautiful, green and untrodden area, surrounded by a fence and a wire gate; it looked like a camp. When I walked in and passed through the gate, there was a beautiful olive grove, rose bushes and generally lush vegetation. I moved on and saw to my right, a Church with marble steps, a marble floor and columns with arches. Suddenly I woke up. Amazed and moved, I narrated this dream to my wife. When I finished, my wife asked me: "Was it Saint Raphael 's church?" She asked me, because she happened to be reading the miracles of the Saint to me; I replied that I didn't know, because I had never been to this particular Church. My wife searched online and initially located Saint Raphael's Church in Mytilene, which she showed to me. I told her that it was not the Church I had seen in my dream, and I lied down again. After searching online again, my wife located Saint Raphael's Church in Marathon and shouted to me: "Come and see if this was the Church." I rushed over to see it, and couldn't believe my eyes, as it was the Church and the garden exactly as I had seen them in my dream! I immediately decided to go to Saint Raphael's Church. I said: "Saint Raphael himself had invited me - I cannot refuse his invitation!" Indeed, on Sunday the 25th of November 2012 we headed for the Church of Saint Raphael at Marathon by car. We arrived at a crossroad, just as I had seen in my dream, and we got lost -- exactly as I had -again- seen in my dream! We naturally found the way, after a very polite gentleman had helped us out. We arrived there, and what did we see? The beautiful, lush, untrodden area, the gate and the fence, the olive grove, the roses, the Church with the marble floor, the marble steps and the columns with arches! Exactly the same as the ones in my dream! I was so shocked, that it felt like cold water had been thrown onto my body. We attended the Mass; we venerated Saint Raphael, Saint Irene and Saint Nicolas and got ourselves some small swabs of cotton wool soaked in the oil from the Saint's Unsleeping Lamp.
I felt peace and serenity and I was sure that the Saints would help me in everything that I may ask of them. I enjoyed it so much there, that I didn't want to leave the Church!
Panagiotis Th.
Athens, 12/04/2012
"Lead on, Saint Raphael, and I will follow you"
I am writing to you about a miracle that Saint Raphael wrought for me. I am Helen Ch. from Alexandria, Imathia Province (Greece). In November of 2011 I was informed by my gynecologist that I was pregnant with my second child. The doctor said I had to visit him the following month -that is in December- in order to monitor the baby's tiny heart. Time passed and the day arrived for the ultrasound of the baby's tiny heart. We went to the doctor, he began the ultrasound, he scanned here and scanned there, but there was nothing to be seen. The amniotic sac was much larger than it was the first time, except it was empty. Nothing could be seen inside it. My husband and I froze. We could hear the doctor telling us that the baby's heartbeat wasn’t audible and that he couldn’t see any embryo whatsoever. He called us to his office and told us that I had to clean out the womb – that is, with a uterine curettage – so that there wouldn’t be any traces left inside the womb, because that would be dangerous and could quite possibly cause blood sepsis and death. It was a Tuesday when all these things took place. He booked us an appointment for Friday (3 days later). We were very upset during those three days, so I rang one of the fathers at Saint Raphael’s Brotherhood at Ano Souli of Marathon, whom I knew over the phone and who had supported me with his kind words and his blessings and prayers. Severely distraught, I described everything that had happened and asked him to pray for me and my baby. He gave me courage and strength. He told me not to despair, but to have faith in God and the Saints. He said he would pray, but that I too should pray, and beseech Saint Raphael to take control of the situation and say to him: "Lead on, Saint Raphael and I will follow you". And that’s what I did. Friday came, and we went to the doctor for the “procedure” (it was, after all, a surgical one). We arrived at the clinic. The doctor was upstairs in the surgical ward, because he participated in a labor process. Straight after that, it was supposed to be my turn to also go upstairs for the curettage. I waited for a while, together with my husband and a friend of ours. A phone rang. It was my doctor, asking his employee if I had arrived. She told him I was in his consulting room and ready for surgery. Then the doctor told her that I should wait for him to see me once more in order to disperse every hesitation that I may have had, and then proceed with the surgery. The doctor came downstairs, called for me, and prepared me for the ultrasound. Positive that there was no baby, my husband sat outside the examination room to wait for me. The doctor placed the probe on me, but what did he see? Oh my God, a little heart, beating normally, as well as an embryo – which I could also see on the monitor!! The doctor was at a loss. He re-examined me, 2-3 more times. Bewildered, he went out of the room to his computer to check my medical history (little did he know that Saint Raphael had a hand in it). Shortly after, he returned to the ultrasound apparatus, called my husband in as well, and announced that the surgery couldn’t be performed because there was a baby - and in fact with a totally normal heartbeat. Our joy was so immense, it was beyond words. We were thrilled. As soon as we left the doctor’s office, the first thought that I conveyed to my husband and our friend was that we should go and light a candle to Saint Raphael. We thanked Saint Raphael with all our heart for the miracle he wrought for us. He is my patron Saint, as is the Archangel Michael and our Most Holy Mother. He helps us daily with his presence. I will be thanking him for the rest of my life! Thankyou for everything, my Saint Raphael!
Note: Saint Raphael is not only the patron saint of the sick; he is also the patron saint of pregnant women – as experienced by many women – and as often revealed to them by Saint Raphael himself in a dream, in which he exhorts them to invoke him to protect both them and the children they are carrying, as well as to assist them in giving birth smoothly.
“The priest came into my room and said to me: You, Thanassi, will return home.”
It was March 11th and my father Athanasios was alone at home when he suffered a severe stroke. He remained there, helpless for many hours, unable to react or call for help, until we, his children, after realizing he wasn’t answering the phone, alerted the neighbours who went there to help him and who eventually took him to the hospital.
By the time we arrived at the town of Ioannina where he was hospitalized, the doctors informed us that he had suffered a very severe stroke. They didn’t give us any hope that his health would improve or even that his life could be saved. They told us that even if we had taken him to the best hospitals in America, his life would not have been saved. The first three days his condition didn’t change. On the fourth day it even worsened, making us fear we would surely lose him.
Then I, Margaret -his daughter- on Thursday at 7 pm prayed fervently to Saint Raphael, asking him to save his life. Shortly after, I noticed a flash of light glowing on the hospital night stand next to my father; to reassure myself, I observed more carefully and that’s when it registered that Saint Raphael had given me a sign of His presence in the room. The following morning the doctors visited my father to examine him; to their surprise they noticed he was reacting to very strong stimuli; nevertheless he was paralyzed on his left side and his faculty of speech was almost completely gone. By the afternoon of the same day, my father had begun speaking very clearly. At some point, in my effort to give him courage, I said "God has decided that you will be with us and that you will be cured." "I know", he replied. “…the priest came into my room and said to me: You, Thanassi, will return home.” That was when I took out the booklet titled AN ELDER’S DREAM by the Brotherhood of Saint Raphael at Ano Souli, Marathon (which I had obtained during my recent visit there to venerate Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene) and I showed my father the icon of Saint Raphael that was on its cover; upon which he exclaimed "That’s the priest who had visited me!"
Let it be noted that Mr. Thanassis was not an especially religious person, and as such was not familiar with that specific Saint. But ever since then, he has been glorifying God and Saint Raphael and has constantly been crossing himself. Soon after, he was discharged from the hospital, and the state of his health has constantly been improving.”
Margaret K.
Gerakas - Attica
"Did you think we were going to let you fall off the cliff?"
With reverence for our miraculous Saints - Raphael, Nicholas and Irene - Paraskevi Ch. related the following to the fathers, about how the Saints had led her visit their monastery: "A very difficult situation in my life had made me break down, without being able to find support anywhere. My life was all darkness and totally meaningless. None of the people close to me could give me the slightest help or hope.
It was at that difficult moment that Saint Raphael had taken pity on me and had approached me. His presence was so frequent and vivid, that I could not consciously realize what I was experiencing. They were the most soul-stirring moments of my life.
I recall one of the Saint’s visitations at night, in my sleep, which had been the reason for me to acquaint myself with his Monastery at Ano Souli, Marathon: Well, I saw in a dream that I was walking along a dirt road, and that I kept stumbling. Suddenly, I saw myself falling off a cliff and grabbing hold of a small, protruding tree branch which was ready to snap off. Saint Raphael and Saint Nicholas then immediately appeared. Saint Raphael stood upright, while Saint Nicholas with a radiant smile offered me his hand to grab hold of, and said: “Did you think we were going to let you fall off the cliff? ”
Soon after, we found ourselves in another place, and Saint Nicholas again said to me: “Near here is the Monastery of Saint Raphael at Ano Souli. Do you know it? You should take some of these ‘crocuses’ there…”, and then, giving me a flower (a yellow chrysanthemum), he continued: “…and place them next to Saint Raphael’s icon.” While in that place with the Saints, a young girl with blond hair showed up; it was Saint Irene...
Thus, this dream, in addition with a prod-reminder by the Saint (a booklet on the inauguration of St. Raphael's Church at Ano Souli that fell into my hands on my return home from a summer swim) had led me to visit the Saints’ Monastery at Ano Souli, Marathon for the first time, where I found my mental and physical health, the peace that was missing from my life, and where I was also rid of the difficult situation that I had lived through. My life has acquired another meaning now; The presence of Saint Raphael and his entourage give me the answers to my everyday doubts and questions.
He is the one who shows me the path that I must follow, and I thank him sincerely for that.
I love him very dearly.
"What is this place?"
One Sunday, Mrs. Maria P. and her husband Constantine came to Saint Raphael's Monastery at Ano Souli, Marathon; after attending the Divine Liturgy, they went into the Brotherhood's guest area where the fathers discuss and exchange views with pious pilgrims. It was there that Mrs. Mary had narrated the following to the fathers:
"... I had never heard of Saint Raphael before. I learnt of him for the first time in '93, the year that my husband Kostas had a heart attack. He was in a very bad condition when he arrived at the hospital, but he finally survived and overcame his health problems.
Well, it was during the time he was recovering in the hospital bed that I had noticed an icon of Saint Raphael at his bedside, which is how I came to learn about him; it had surprised me that no other bed had icons, only my husband's. After asking a friend of mine, I was told that it is an important and miraculous Saint.
Meanwhile, the years went by. In 2009, diverticulitis appeared in my husband’s small intestine - a rare phenomenon, given that diverticulitis usually appears in the large intestine. So, because of this condition, he was on cortisone.
Then, quite suddenly on October 4th, 2009, he fainted; he had fever and other symptoms, without us understanding what was wrong with him. He was in a very bad condition. But he had very strong faith. He kept repeating: “My Holy Mother… my God... My Holy Mother… my God...” We took him to the Emergency Ward. After examining him, the doctors said that he had swine flu; they prescribed antibiotics and sent us away. We went to another hospital’s Emergency Ward, but those doctors also couldn’t find what he had. We even brought a doctor at home privately, but he too couldn’t figure out what was wrong. However my husband was in a lot of pain. Finally, after doing blood tests, an MRI, and other tests, the doctors noticed that the intestine had become perforated on account of the cortisone he had been taking for his ailment.
It was December the 14th by the time he could go into surgery. By then, my husband had deteriorated into a dreadful condition and some had said that he was a lost cause; that he was finished. They didn’t expect him to recover, because his operation required that he be put under general anesthesia. And yet, he survived!
I remember a nurse coming to us joyfully and saying: ''He is moving his legs, he is recovering!" He had Saint Raphael by his side, but we didn’t realize it at the time. One week later, his trauma ruptured. He had suffered a post-operative hernia. So, it was back to the O.R. again, but with local anesthesia this time, as general anesthesia was not feasible.
Despite all expectations, he pulled through once again; however, he was thoroughly exhausted. He had lost 17 kilos and he was barely able to eat. He was on an IV and a catheter and he had fever and various other symptoms. The doctors said he should go home in order to uplift his morale and that he should eat more. That was how we brought him back to his room: bedridden and transported bodily. He had somewhat recovered his strength there, but continued to have serious problems.
Just prior to the Lenten fast, I had two dreams, on two consecutive nights. In the first dream I was with my husband Constantine in a small ship sailing at the sea, when we suddenly reached a shore and then found ourselves on a hillside unknown to me, on which there was a tiny Church. I was saying to myself “What is this place, and how did we get here?” and then I woke up.
However, that dream became imprinted in my memory and I kept wondering what it meant. The following day I had another dream: I saw a woman, who came along and gave me very many potatoes and said to me: “here, take these to eat”. When I asked her who she was, she said: “I’m a neighbor… I live up there” (and pointed towards the monastery of the Holy Mother)… I’m Maria of Evia”.
I woke up and realized that it was the Holy Mother Mary, the “Gorgoepikoos” (“the swiftly responding”) whose church is near our summer place in the town of Eretria in the province of Evia, and that She was going to help us. But I still couldn’t interpret the first dream.
Two or three days after I had seen the dreams, my husband’s condition worsened. His pain was excruciating. He once again relapsed into a very bad condition, so we decided that he should be taken back to hospital.
We took him to the “Laiko” (Popular) Hospital, where they ran a series of tests, and opined that he needed surgery once again. "I can’t hide the fact that we need to open him up again," the doctor said. However, because my husband’s health had been seriously impaired (he had very a very high level of blood platelets etc.), no doctor would undertake the operation.
One of those days, while we were still at the hospital and in a ward with many beds, there was a gentleman in the adjacent bed to my husband’s, with whom I struck up a conversation. Well, at some point I asked him: ''Yanni, where are you from?'' ''From Mytilene,'' he answered. ''Ah… you have Saint Raphael there. Have you ever been to Saint Raphael’s?'' I asked him. ''Of course; I go there every year,'' he replied. ''I personally believe in Saint Raphael very much'', I replied, and that same moment a priest entered the ward and gave me a pocket calendar.
I glanced at the calendar and what did I see? It was a calendar issued by the Saint Raphael Brotherhood at Ano Souli, Marathon. I was speechless. The moment I said that I believe in Saint Raphael, that elder – whom I had never seen before – entered the room and gave me the calendar by Saint Raphael whom I had just mentioned. All of us were impressed.
We realized there was no chance that what had happened was a mere coincidence, but a miracle. Our Saint was showing his presence and his care for us.
We decided that when my husband was well enough, we would go together to venerate Saint Raphael, since the pocket calendar had a diagram showing the way to the Brotherhood of Saint Raphael, at Ano Souli, Marathon. So, from that day, my husband began feeling better. He even kept telling us "I'm fine." But our doctor stated that we should disregard his claim of feeling fine, as his tests indicated that he needed surgery.
Amazingly, as the days passed, the tests actually showed improvement and in the end, surgery was not necessary. Speaking for myself, I am convinced that it was a miracle, thanks to the intercession of the Holy Mother and Saint Raphael. And it was a huge miracle, given that my husband’s symptoms had persisted for such a long time and the condition of his health was such that wouldn’t allow him to come out of surgery alive this time.
In May my husband was feeling much better, so we came to Ano Souli for the first time, to venerate Saint Raphael and to thank Him.
In fact, even though we got lost on the way, we randomly took a turn somewhere and found ourselves there, without understanding how.
So, when we arrived and I saw the hillside and Saint Raphael’s chapel and then noticed the sea in the distance the way you can see it from there, I realized in amazement that this was the place I had seen in my dream, which I had visited with my husband.
I was touched, as I realized that Saint Raphael had us under his shelter and protection - even when I wasn’t invoking him - and that he had shown me in advance that with His mediation we would arrive at a favourable end to our adventure, here in His sacred place, here on his sacred ground, on the hillside of Ano Souli, Marathon.
It then occurred to me that he had already shown us, since 1993, that he had been protecting us - despite the fact that many years had passed, and I had forgotten it.
In fact, on the 14th of December, 2010, exactly one year from the day my husband had his first operation, Saint Raphael made his presence felt once again, thus proving that he remembers and protects us, but also reminding us that he was present during the surgeries and throughout our entire adventure.
This was his way of strengthening our faith and our courage, but also our gratitude to him. May His name always be blessed and glorified.
We thank Him for everything. "
"... The Grace of Saint Raphael works miracles ..."
Ms. Catherine A. spoke to the fathers of Saint Raphael's Monastery about the miracle performed on her mother, Eleftheria, with the request that they record it for the glory of Saint Raphael, but also as an expression of humble thanksgiving for His benefaction. Her narration is as follows:
"For three months my mother had been feeling serious pain in her back and her leg. Thinking it may have been a slipped disc, she underwent physiotherapies, osteopathy, etc., but the pain would not go away. Sometime later a very good neurosurgeon was recommended to us, who told us to proceed with certain tests, specifically an MRI, to see what it will show.
To our great sorrow, the MRI showed the presence of cancer, which had metastasized to the bones. This was confirmed by two other, leading neurosurgeons, but also by her hepatologist (who was attending my mother for a minor case of cirrhosis of the liver), who also concurred. They also urged us to arrange for a scintigram. Both my sister and I were very disappointed and disheartened with those developments.
We naturally turned to God for help. On the following Sunday, we came here, to Saint Raphael, along with our mother, and attended the Divine Liturgy. We asked the fathers to pray for our dear mother, and we acquired some oil from the Unsleeping Lamp of Saint Raphael, which one of the fathers gave us, with the suggestion that we anoint the spot where the pain was located. He explained that with the oil, the Grace of St. Raphael can perform many miracles, and he encouraged us not to worry, because Saint Raphael would help us.
We departed feeling quite optimistic, and we did everything the fathers told us to do. We applied the oil, and offered a fervent prayer to Saint Raphael, asking him to help our mother.
So, the next day she had the scintigram and - lo and behold - the results came back clean!!
Overcome with joy and emotions, we came back to Saint Raphael and we brought him flowers, while making the distance up the slope to his tiny church on our knees. We thanked him and fervently beseeched him to ensure that the remaining tests that had to be taken would come back clean. And indeed they did! The mammogram, the Cat Scan of the upper and the lower abdomen and the thorax, the cancer indexes etc. all came back clean. Our joy was indescribable!
We firmly believe that it was a miracle by Saint Raphael!! We praise and thank him for his miraculous care of our beloved mother. We beseech him to continue sheltering us with his Grace and to ensure the health of both body and soul, to all who invoke him. "
"... Wondrous is God, in His Saints...''
One Sunday Mr. George K. and his family came to the Monastery of Saint Raphael at Ano Souli, Marathon. He paid his respects at the sacred temple, as well as the location where the Saint had appeared; he said his prayers, then asked and obtained some oil from Saint Raphael’s Unsleeping Lamp. After discussing certain theological topics with the fathers of the Monastery, he departed.
In the days that followed, the Saint responded to all of the things he had prayed for; meantime, after anointing the small of his back with the oil from the Unsleeping Lamp, the chronic pain that tormented him vanished automatically. Overjoyed and especially moved by this miracle, he returned to the Monastery the following Sunday, along with his family, to give thanks to Saint Raphael.
However, another miracle followed:
They arrived at the Monastery at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. As confessed to the fathers of the Monastery afterwards, they had agreed among themselves beforehand that if they found the monastery gate closed, they weren’t going to ring the doorbell, in order not to disturb the fathers, given that they had arrived during their hour of repose. And yet, even though the fathers always close the Monastery gate at noon (but also at every other moment that none of the fathers is present at the Monastery’s entrance), they found the gate open!!!
And that’s how they were able to enter the Monastery and pay their respects. They only came to the attention of the fathers, upon entering Saint Raphael’s chapel. That was truly a miracle by Saint Raphael, because the fathers always make very sure that the gate doesn’t remain open, given that flocks of sheep frequently pass by and there is the danger of them entering the Monastery’s courtyard and destroying the trees and the flowers there.
So, as evidence that it was his desire that the pious pilgrims and friends who had come to thank him could enter the Monastery, Saint Raphael once again showed his love and his providence in practice.
Mr. George K. and his family have become even more attached to Saint Raphael’s Monastery ever since, and they have acknowledged the Saint as their protector and supporter, and the fathers of his sacred Monastery as their friends and as one of their own – which is how they truly are.
They frequently visit Saint Raphael to offer their respects, to obtain his blessing and his benediction and to show him their gratitude, which became so apparently obvious that it was greatly welcomed by Saint Raphael.
The wondrous signs by Saint Raphael continued, now also in Mr. George's occupation, given that after having venerated Saint Raphael the second time, and despite the financial crisis everywhere, he had orders pouring in, the one after the other, and he also began to close important trade agreements for large quantities of goods.
Progress was so sudden and so huge, that he himself was ecstatic and astounded, and would frequently repeat to himself: “Wondrous is God, in His Saints…”
He in fact sent other friends to Saint Raphael, who had problems with their jobs, in the hope that the Saint will help them also – which did actually happen.
"It was his desire to invite them to his dual feast"
On September 2nd, 2010, the day of inauguration of the pilgrimage temple of Saint Raphael, a grandmother and her granddaughter came to visit and and pay their respects to Saint Raphael.
In a conversation with one of the fathers, they mentioned that they had known for some time that there was a Monastery of Saint Raphael at Ano Souli, Marathon, and that they had decided months ago that they would pay a visit there. So it was merely “by chance” that they had decided to make the visit on that day.
That father pointed out that the day they decided “by chance” to visit, was the exact same day that the Saint had appeared live, in the spot where his church was later built, and that on this same day, today, there is a twofold celebration at the Monastery: both in remembrance of the miraculous, live presence of the Saint in that place, and because “by chance”, today is also the inauguration of the sacred temple that the Saint himself had asked to be built, and with his very presence had indicated the location for its construction.
As soon as these details registered in the mind of the pious pilgrims they were overwhelmed, because they realized that it was the Saint who had enlightened them to choose the specific date to visit the Monastery, out of his love and concern for them, and in his desire to invite them to his dual celebration.
They thanked Saint Raphael very emotionally and they glorified God and the Saint for their love and care.