The Church remembers St Gabriel of Samtavro (Urgebadze) on 2 November. Even in his lifetime thousands of people came to him for advice and prayer, and today Orthodox Christians from many countries tell of the help they have received through his prayers.

Many of these accounts were collected by Nun Maria (Glushchenko), who lives at the metochion of the Holy Dormition convent in Kemerovo. With her blessing we publish a small part of them, retelling each story briefly. All help and healing come by the mercy of God; the saints are our intercessors before Him.

Long-awaited children

Kursk, 2018. Doctors gave Ekaterina almost no hope of a second child. In February she venerated the icon of St Gabriel brought to Kursk and prayed fervently. That same month she learned she was expecting a son.

Kursk, 2018. Olga and her husband had been unable to have children for many years. When the saint's icon was brought to the city, she came to it in church every day, and that same month she learned she was expecting a baby.

Samtavro, 2018. For five years Neonila prayed that her daughter Alexandra would become a mother. In May the family prayed at the relics of St Gabriel in Samtavro, and soon afterwards Alexandra told them she was expecting a child.

Children who were healed

Zheleznogorsk, 2018. Ksenia's son was three and a half and still barely spoke. Nun Maria gave her a blessing to anoint the boy with blessed oil and to pray. Some time later he began to say words, and then whole sentences.

Georgia. Little Tato was injured at birth, went through several operations, could not walk and suffered frequent seizures. At St Gabriel's tomb he crawled to it on his own for the first time and stayed there quietly for a long while. At home the family prayed and anointed his head with oil from the tomb, and a few days later Tato took his first steps. (From the testimony of Gogita Murtskhvaladze.)

Tbilisi. Tamta Gugushvili's thirteen-year-old son was being prepared for a fourth eye operation. For two weeks the family prayed and anointed his eyelids with blessed oil, after which the doctor said the operation was no longer needed.

Gori, 2001. Vera Makashvili's son was diagnosed with leukaemia at eighteen months. His parents prayed at Samtavro and at home, and over time the child recovered. Today he is healthy.

"I am waiting for you at Samtavro"

In 2010 Elena Getsadze's younger son suddenly fell ill at school. At the hospital Elena fainted, and when she came round she saw an elderly priest in black who said only: "I am waiting for you at Samtavro." Soon the boy was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Later Elena saw a photograph of St Gabriel and recognised the priest. She brought her son to the relics, and the next day a repeat scan found no tumour. Since then the family has lived a church life.

Adults who were healed

Kemerovo, 2018. Lia Gavrilovna Fomina, a reader at the church of All Saints, had suffered from leg ulcers for many years. She read the akathist to St Gabriel and anointed the sore places with oil from his relics, and within a few days the wounds had healed.

Georgia. Irakli Gogoladze's father was seriously ill with psoriasis. Irakli anointed him with oil from the lamp at the elder's tomb, and the next morning the doctors saw that his skin had cleared. That night the sick man had dreamt of a grey-bearded priest who called him to live a church life; later he recognised St Gabriel in a photograph.

Kutaisi. Ramaz Kobakhidze, ill with cirrhosis of the liver, was brought to Samtavro on a stretcher and laid beside the saint's tomb. After a while he stood up by himself, asked for food for the first time in a long while, and from that day began to recover.

Peace in the family

Zheleznogorsk, 2018. When the relics of St Gabriel were brought to the city, Raisa prayed for one thing: that her husband would be freed from his drinking. The next day he went to venerate the relics himself and afterwards lost all desire to drink. Calm and understanding returned to their home.

Retold from testimonies collected by Nun Maria (Glushchenko).