September 18, 2015
On September 16 an incident occurred at the parish of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk (ROCOR) in San Francisco, which is the former St. Tikhon of Zadonsk orphanage where St. John Maximovitch lived. A mentally disturbed man entered the building and began to throw things about. Thankfully, God preserved this holy place through the intervention of his priest Fr. Dimitri Jakimowicz, who asks for prayers for the offender, Valeriy. Fr. Dimitri writes:
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"Yes, there was an unpleasant event at St. Tikhon’s house yesterday. A mentally ill man, who was also clearly effected by drugs and alcohol, showed up and began screaming profanities, got into St. Tikhon’s house, and began throwing things around. He knocked over the holy water container and the water went everywhere. He tried to destroy an icon, a very old icon of the Mother of God, but he was only able to destroy the kiot. Zoya quickly grabbed the icon before it hit the ground. I stayed in between him and the sanctuary, and in between him and St. John’s cell. Running thorough the church he knocked over some candle stands and threw the candles all over the floor. Natasha and Zoya we’re clearly and visibly very upset. The man then tried to attack Zoya, and that’s when I grabbed him and pushed him through the door and onto the stairs that lead from the sidewalk to the building.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk parish
Before the onset of mental illness he was a parishioner at one of the San Francisco parishes for many years. His name is Valeriy.Unfortunately, considering the legal system, I need to press charges for assault in order for Valeriy to be able to get some effective help. I did not want to do that. I signed a complaint for property damage and vandalism, but apparently that is not enough to get him into the system so he can receive the proper attention. Tomorrow, I have an appointment to go visit Valeriy, along with his priest, Fr Phillip. Please everyone, pray for Valeriy’s troubled soul, that our Lord God grant him an effective path to mental health and a peaceful heart. And please pray for the sinful priest, Dimitri."
