[Roamsaffots]

Dear All,

I'd just like to share this snippet of news with you. Earlier this evening, one of the Lavra Fathers we know 'phoned my wife (who is still in Moscow) and during the conversation mentioned that yesterday, he met a young man who has just been admitted to the Moscow Conservatoire to study piano. Four years ago, this young man, who had a promising career as a pianist ahead of him, injured two of his fingers (don't know which hand) such that he lost the ends of them. The doctors could not sew these ends back on, and they told him he could not now think of a musical career. The young man was advised by some relatives to pray to St Luke the Blessed Surgeon. After a week, the two finger ends had grown by themselves and became as before, complete with new bone and finger nails. There is just some scarring to show the point from where each finger end grew. This Lavra Father examined the young man's fingers and could see this for himself.

There are, apparently, other recent accounts of the miracles of this saint. Many of you will know about him - there is a short paperback book in English of his life and it tells of his courage in standing up to the communist authorities.

In Christ,

Andreas.

[darieBarexish]

This saint is also known as St Luke of Simferopol (might make searches easier). He was not only a monk (later consecrated as bishop in 1946), but also a professor of surgery (his name in the world was Valentin Voino-Yassenetsky), specialising in trauma surgery. He wrote many scientific papers, and developed a number of surgical techniques in his field. Truly an amazing saint, and yet more proof that saints can arise from our modern world, and that science and faith are not mutually exclusive.