Saint Herman in America today

The canonization of St. Herman has come at a time when the free world has literally entered upon an age of satanism. Into the contemporary maelstrom of witchcraft and black magic the devil strives to draw even the last Orthodox Christians, using a seductive path of "renewal" and "making the Church relevant."

The following shocking incident reveals St. Herman as an intercessor and deliverer of the Orthodox faithful – and especially his beloved children-from an evident manifestation of satanic powers masquerading as the most up-to-date "Orthodoxy."

Transcribed from an oral communication, this testimony is a cry from the very soul of Orthodoxy in America today.


IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR, 1970, the Syrian Antiochian Archdiocese held its annual Convention in Chicago, and customarily my wife and I attend. This year my wife, my daughter and I attended.

Upon arriving in Chicago, on the 19th of August, and looking over the brochure with the list of events, we noticed that an event had been rather as a second thought-added to the agenda, which called for what was then described as a "Vigil." The "Vigil" would be for the young people who would attend the Convention, to be held in a room that was set aside as a chapel, where Divine Liturgy would be celebrated every morning and Vespers in the evening. But the "Vigil" was designed to gather together all the young people at midnight for a prayer service. Lest there be confusion, let me say that the Vigil that we know as an office of the Church was not the "Vigil" I am referring to. It was simply a name attached to a gathering for a prayer service, a "spiritual expression," so to speak.

The first "Vigil" was held on August 19th, Wednesday evening, at midnight, and we did not attend this. However, the next day we heard very many comments concerning the "Vigil." As a matter of fact there was an open discussion at one of the planned programs that was moderated by Mother Alexandra and a Dr. Ofiesh,and during that open discussion the subject of the "Vigil" the night before came up, and it was there that we had principally heard of the effects of the "Vigil" and the response and the attitude of the young people who attended-which was quite enthusiastic, to say the least.

My wife and I decided that that night, which would be Thursday, the 20th of August, we would attend and see for ourselves what the "Vigil" had done the night before, what effect it had on the young people, and so on.

I cannot tell you the feeling that came over us upon entering the chapel and upon having the "Vigil" service start, conducted by a Father Gregory Ofiesh of San Francisco. He led the prayer service, and the principal participants were all young people. They had arranged the seating in a theaterform, in a circular form, the focal point being a podium on which there was a young lady – I don't know her name; I know that her father is a priest of our Diocese, one I'm not familiar with. And this young lady, wearing casual sport clothes, as most of the young people did, and guitar in hand, provided the musical background for the service. In the congregation were many, many young people, some adults, and, scattered here and there, other members of the clergy.

The service started with a rather dramatic and emotional prayer by Father Gregory. It was followed by a song – as I recall, it was "Blowing in the wind," played on the guitar by the young lady with responses by the young people in the congregation. That was followed by another "dramatic" prayer and I say this not in the sense of piety and devotion, but in the sense of emotionalism – a very dramatic, pleading type of prayer for brotherhood, peace, understanding, etc., etc. That was followed by another song, the name of which escapes me, but it did have a certain primitive rhythm to it, in which the young people were caught up in a response of swaying and clapping to a particular cadence.

This, in the meantime, began to have a very, very dramatic and – to say the least – depressing effect upon me. My wife, nudging me, gives me a peculiar look, as if to say: What's going on here, this is a Holy Roller kind of gathering, a soul-saving Baptist conglomeration of people, rather than an Orthodox-conducted service: and God knows we don't have to borrow anything from anybody! But this whole thing began to take on an increased tempo, and as the tempo increased with the drama of the prayers and the increased cadence of the music, we could see the young people being caught up in an emotional, stimulating type of situation; we began to see restraints loosening and being given away. The inhibitions were drained slowly, but effectively.

Finally, the young lady began to say: "Now, those of us who were here last night know the movement of the spirit that dwelt among us, and how the spirit affected us, and how we were moved and carried away by the spirit. Who here tonight feels the movement of the spirit?" – things of this nature. She began to cry out and exhort from the young people. And then pretty soon one young person would raise his hand and stand up and give testimony: "I felt the spirit. I never liked church. This is something new to me. I can't help but feeling in love with everybody and I never had this kind of feeling before," etc., etc. And then she would ask again: "Who else feels the spirit moving among us," and another young lady gets up and says: "I feel the spirit moving among us, and it makes me feel wonderful, and at peace with everybody," etc.

My wife by this time is on the verge of trembling. I felt such a depressing feeling... The entire chapel had no light except vigil candles, and I felt as though the candles were slowly being extinguished. I felt a stifling, choking kind of feeling. Perhaps it was nothing more than a feeling of total, desperate frustration to see what our young people were being led into, and what's worse, being led into by our own clergy. I felt such a desperate sense of frustration that I didn't know what to do. I felt as though I should scream at the top of my lungs to stop this nonsense, this fiasco, this which is so completely foreign, and different, and alien to Orthodoxy and to what Orthodoxy truly is that I didn't know, truly, what to do.

Fortunately, there was a beautiful icon of St. Herman present in the chapel, and knowing that those who are about to be or have recently been canonized are closest to people, closest to God, can move us as effective intercessors – I immediately implored him to please intercede with Christ our God to stop this nonsense, to do something about it. Our children were being led astray with authority – something had to be done. And my pleading with him was earnest and fervent, and at the very instant of my "Amen," at that very moment I opened my eyes and one of the priests stood up and gave a speech – he rather just simply interrupted rather than asked for the floor. His name was Father Audi. He made the statement that he had had to address the opening clergy meeting of the Convention, and there was a particular page in his speech that he had deliberately left out for some reason; he felt that it was not opportune to give that particular part of his speech to the clergy, and he didn't know why. And he said: Now I know why: that section of my speech has been reserved for now. And he talked about how he had made his decision to be in the priesthood, and he talked about the movement of the Spirit, and how it had affected him, and how the saints had labored a lifetime in search of the Spirit; some men never did find it, upon some the Spirit never came. Israel, he said, wandered for forty years in search of the Spirit, and how can you young people in the matter of one or two hours, with the strumming of a guitar, expect to truly have the Spirit come upon you in this manner. This is not Orthodoxy. This is something that is dark and evil.

I wish I had a copy of what he had to say, because in effect he really did-by the intercession, I believe truly and fervently, of St. Herman with Christ our God – this brave priest pulled the rug out from under this whole terrible dark deed.

Upon leaving the chapel, we encountered several people. One woman said: "I was choking in there. I couldn't breathe. I even found myself unable to pray. There was something dark and ominous in that chapel. I don't know what it was, but thank God for that priest who got up and put a stop to this."

Now, this can't hold much weight in talking to somebody who is not of an Orthodox mentality. I don't feel that it's important, I don't feel that it's even necessary, for me to make an apology for this. There is nobody who can convince me otherwise than that the intercession of St. Herman was effective and immediate at that moment.

It was a feeling, it was as though one's mind, mentality, his entire soul was being closeted, being stifled, being overwhelmed. And suddenly, instantly, the door was opened, the light had shone, the darkness had been dispelled.

I have mentioned this event to one or two other clergymen, and it was very well received; there is no question in their minds but that an intercession of St. Herman had taken place.

Ted Khoury Youngstown, Ohio