October 20
St.
Artemius is a child saint of the Orthodox Church, often referred to as
"the Righteous Child Wonderworker." He was born in 1532 to Cosmas "the
Lesser" and Apollinaria, peasants in the Russian village of Verkola.
Cosmas and Apollinaria raised their son within a life of Christian
piety, and at the early age of five his behavior was already based on
Christian virtues. He was quiet, meek, God-fearing, and obedient to his
parents.
At the age of twelve, while helping his
father till the fields, a sudden thunder storm broke overhead. Before
he could move, Artemius was struck dead by a bolt of lightening. The
date was June 23, 1545.
Superstition about the bad omen of such an untimely death kept Artemius
from being granted a proper funeral and burial. Many years later,
however, his body was discovered lying in a clearing covered only by
tree branches. It was found not to have grown corrupt. In the Orthodox
church, the miracle of a person's body not returning to dust is viewed
as a one sign that the person lived a holy life in the sight of God.
In 1648, a monastery was built and placed under Artemius' protection.
His relics, as the earthly remains of a saint are referred to in
official Church language, were enshrined there for veneration by the
people. Over the centuries many miracles were attributed to these
relics by people who have approached them with true faith in Christ.
By
the command of the Most High, the sky was darkened with rain clouds,
lightning flashed, threat'ning thunder clashed, and you gave up your
soul into the hands of the Lord, O Artemius most wise. Now as you stand
before the Throne of the Lord of All, you grant healing unfailingly to
those who come to you with faith and love, and you pray to Christ our
God that our souls may be saved.
Sadly, in the summer of 1918, as the Bolsheviks began their savage
persecution of the Orthodox Christian Church, St. Artemius' relics were
among those destroyed. As Orthodox Christians we believe that God
ultimately wins out over all evil. So though his earthly remains may
have vanished, St. Artemius lives on eternally with God.
As a sign of this victory, Philip Zimmerman, an iconographer living
in Johnstown, PA, was granted a vision of St. Artemius. Phil was
told to paint his icon "for all children." With the blessing
of Fr. John Namie, the Director of the Antiochian Village at the
time, a site was selected on which to build a rock shrine to house
the finished icon. The shrine stands to the right of the entrance
to the St. Ignatius Church.