Miraculous visions of Saint Petka- Parascheva, which we celebrate on October 27, still happen today – the saint helps in illness and trouble, but also warns those who sin.
She saved the lives of many and led them on the right path of faith. Centuries pass, and the story of the saint continues to inspire the hearts of the faithful. And it strengthens faith, bringing us back, over and over again, to its very essence. All the saved told the same story, about a woman in a black cloak…
“A Communist Yugoslavian National Army officer and a member of the then inviolable Communist Party was found on his knees on the floor of a Belgrade chapel sunk into the rock under the walls of the Kalemegdan fortress, dedicated to St. Petka-Parascheva. When one of the believers asked him how he, as a military person, so freely expressed his religious feelings despite the Party forbidding him to do so, he replied, “This church saved my life.”
“During World War II, I was attacked nearby by a German patrol and chased by police dogs that were on my heels. I sought salvation in this cave – a church that at that time did not even have a door that could protect me from dogs. Running into the church, I expected the dogs to come in and tear me apart before the patrol arrived. However, the dogs arrived and barked, but did not enter beyond the threshold.
Then the policemen arrived and one of them stepped inside with a gun and a battery. At that moment, a woman in a black cloak appeared in front of me and, standing in front of me, spread her cloak to cover me. The soldier ran his battery over me and over all the walls and corners of the chapel, and he did not see me. I was invisible to him! The soldiers rushed on, and the woman in black disappeared. Only after two hours did I gather the courage to leave the chapel, not knowing if my pursuers were nearby, but everything outside was calm and seemed soothing.
Later, I learned that this church is dedicated to Saint Petka-Parascheva. Glancing at the icon, I saw that She was dressed in black cloak, and so I recognized her. She saved my life, so I come here to thank her. “
The story from the village of Vitanovac near Kraljevo is unusual and preserved in the same way, but it ended happily:
“The housewife of the family went out on the road to wait for the bus with which her husband was supposed to arrive, to wave to him not to get off the bus anywhere in the village, but to hurry home due to some obligation. It was a holiday. Waiting for the bus, she was hit by a van, thrown aside, and left unconscious.
She regained consciousness in the hospital, just as she was receiving the injection. After the nurse left, “a woman in black cloak by the bed” remained.
“Your child was supposed to suffer, but you replaced him. Don’t sue the driver who ran over him. When you recover, go to the church of Saint Petka-Parascheva and light a candle… Why did you work on holyday of Saint Petka? And why do you work on Sundays at all?”
When she fell asleep, the patient saw the interior of the church of St. Petka and the arrangement of icons on the wall. When she came out of the hospital, she went to the church of St. Petka and told the elder. “
As one of the newer ones, there is an example of a student of the Music Academy who was ill with leukemia:
The authors of the monograph “Saint Petka- Serbian glory and protection of the faithful”, as one of the many examples of miracles, cite the case of a young girl who suffered from leukemia:
“After many efforts, the doctors said that they had nothing more to do. Then the parents, crushed by the pain, hurried to the miraculous doctor, the relics of the Venerable Mother Parascheva in the town of Iasi, with strong faith, prayers and tears, to heal their daughter.
For two months, the priests of the Cathedral and the parents, together with their daughter, prayed to God and the Venerable for healing. After zealous prayers, the girl was completely healed of leukemia, so all the doctors were amazed, and at the beginning of the following year, she returned to the Academy for lectures. “
St Parascheva please pray for me and family.