[1] Florin Grigorescu, St. John the New from Suceava in the life of believers, Publishing House of the Archdiocese of Suceava, Suceava, 2003.
I
On Friday, August 11, 1900, the forester Petru Hopincă - also called Tiță, a native of Câmpulung Moldovenesc, went to the village of Crucea to bring a few ocals of wine and, as he himself confessed, he witnessed a strange event. Wishing to return to the Colbu mountain after a night spent at the Cojoci picket post, his path was blocked by an unexpected mist that had settled on the Bistrița Bistrița, making it impossible to advance. Because of the darkness, the forester was forced to stop. As he held his horse by the halter, he felt a magic of some power wrench it from his hands. Running after him, the man fell unconscious. He was found mute and with his jaw clenched. After strenuous medical interventions, on the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on Tuesday, the forester and his wife also arrived at the Monastery of St. John, where prayers were read to him at the shrine of St. John the New. On Sunday, August 27, prayers and the Mass were read to him. At the end of the Mass, Fr. Sidorovici took him by the hand and urged him to say aloud „bless you honorable fathers and forgive me the sinner!”. Then he opened his mouth and repeated the same words a second and a third time with his own mouth, choking with tears of joy.
II
In June 1903, to Father Sidorovici at the shrine of St. Great Martyr John the New was brought by Father Serota a very sick woman. Her name was Aglaia lui Teodor Sabie, she was from Câmpulung and for twenty years she had been suffering from a terrible disease in one leg. Her flesh had been eaten to the bone, and the doctors in Câmpulung urged her to go to Chernivtsi for an operation. Refusing again and again, she ended up crawling on her hands and knees. At one point she decided to go to Chernivtsi, but the night before she left, she dreamt that she had been at St. John the New, where she told her illness to an elderly priest. The priest took her by the hand and led her to the icon of St. John the New, telling her „this one will read to you, who prays: holy John, help, help all!” On the third day, Aglaia also went to Suceava and just as she had seen in her dream, she entered the church of the Monastery of St. John the New. Fr. Serota took her to Fr. Sidorovici who was serving the saint; prayers were read to her, she was given oil from the Holy Mass and from the candle burning at the saint's shrine, and the woman was completely cured. The four doctors in Câmpulung, who had treated her, were astonished to hear that the woman had healed without surgery.
III
In 1901, the householder Vasiluț from Poiana - Stampei was brought by his relatives to St. Great Martyr John the New from Suceava. This man was so hardened that he could not be brought by train, but was chained hand and foot and placed in a cart. He tormented the fathers of the monastery - especially Fr. Pancratius, whom he kicked severely, mocking and spitting in his face - during the prayers of Holy Mass, but on the third day - he had not slept for a very long time - he fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up he was completely healthy; then he was unbound and alone he worshipped the relics of St. John the New, the icons, he beat the metan and returned home in good health.
IV
In 1985, immobilized because of severe pain in her legs, the Christian Maria read for several days the acolytes of some healing saints, including that of St. John the New of Suceava. Leaning on two sticks, the woman reaches the Saint's canopy, where, touching the lower part of the racle (the place where the feet of St. John the New are), she is healed on the spot. She then made her way home on her own feet, without the sticks, bearing in her heart a deep gratitude to her holy healer.
V
The month of July 2001 brings another marvelous fact of St. John the New: the young D. from Suceava, who for almost a decade had been confined to her house because of severe locomotor deficiencies, is shown St. John and tells her that healing can happen if she will go to the shelf where he is. Listening, the girl experienced the most touching moment of her life: as soon as she stepped into the large church of the Monastery of St. John the New, she began to walk alone, thanking and praising God.
St. Great Martyr John the New from Suceava helps those who ask for his help!
