Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas

St. John the Russian

Could there be another incorrupt hierarch in America? Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas appears to be incorrupt. Read the news here. You can read about other incorrupt holy hierarchs in America here, her…

Source: May God be Glorified: Incorrupt Relics in Texas

To the Eastern Orthodox Church, incorruptibility continues to be an important element for the process of glorification. An important distinction is made between natural mummification and what is believed to be supernatural incorruptibility. There are a great number of eastern Orthodox saints whose bodies have been found to be incorrupt and are in much veneration among the faithful. These include:

• Anthony, John, and Eustathios
• Saint Alexander of Svir 
• Saint Dmitry of Rostov
• Saint Job of Pochayiv
• Saint John the Russian
• Saint Ioasaph of Belgorod 
• Saint Nectarios of Aegina
• Saint Parascheva of the Balkans and here
• Saint Seraphim of Sarov and here
• Saint Spyridon
• Dionysios of Zakynthos
• Gerasimus of Kefalonia
• Saint Zosima
• Saint John Maximovitch of Shanghai and San Francisco

“For centuries, and in monasteries especially, it has been observed by the Church that often only one or two bodies, among many buried in the same place, remain incorrupt. This would have no meaning, were it not for the fact that, through such long-term empirical observation, it has also been ascertained that these incorrupt bodies, as well as skeletal remains bearing a certain color or fragrance, are almost always those of individuals who lived exceedingly and exceptionally virtuous lives. The supernatural phenomenon which we acknowledge, then, is not the incorruptibility or exceptional quality of remains as such, but the virtuous lives to which these attributes attest. Likewise, when we venerate relics, we are not venerating the miracle of bodies that do not decay (indeed, there are instances in Church history where the bodies of corrupt people have remained whole after death); rather, we approach relics, whatever their state of incorruption, out of awe for the virtues that once adorned these precious remnants of the human body. Relics, like Icons, are, of course, Grace-bestowing; but ultimately they serve to lift us up and beyond their material form to the Saints who bequeathed them to the Church. Their final reality is understood only by those who attain to this communion with the Saints, which is ultimately communion with Christ Himself, to Whom the Saints have been joined and Whose majesty and power they reflect.” (Source: Orthodox Christian Information Centre)

St Gerasimos of Kefalonia