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Saint Kuksha of Odessa, born Kosma Velichko (, selo Arbuzinka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire – December 24, 1964, Odessa, USSR), is a modern saint canonized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in 1995. Saint Kuksha was in the family of Cyrill and Kharytyna who lived in Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire) and had many children. In her youth, his mother dreamed of becoming a nun, but married from obedience to her parents. She had two more sons, Theodore (Fedor) and John (Ivan), and a daughter, Maria. In his young years, Kosma made walking pilgrimages to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, traveled to the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, to the far north Valaam and Solovki monasteries, and to Jerusalem and Holy Land in 1895. Kosma lived in Jerusalem for six months and visited all the sacred places in Palestine. On his way back, he visited Mount Athon. Before departing from Athon, the pilgrims went to the archimandrite of Saint Panteleimon monastery for a road blessing. Kosma expressed his will to join the monks there. The archimandrite consented and told him to return after one year, and gave Kosma a little icon of monastery patron saint, the great martyr Saint Panteleimon. This icon Kosma kept to himself until his death. After returning to the Russian Empire, Kosma visited elder Jona of Kiev, who was widely known for his clairvoyance and wonder working. The elder was receiving people in the court of Jona monastery and giving blessing to everyone. The elder approached Kosma, touched his head with the cross and said: "I bless you into the monastery! You will live on Athon!". Kosma's mother thanked God for her son's decision. ==Joining Saint Panteleimon monastery in Greece (1896)== In 1896, at the age of 21, Kosma arrived to Athon and became a novice at Russian Saint Panteleimon monastery, and was put in charge of altar offerings (prosphoras). In 1897, Kosma visited Jerusalem again, this time together with his mother whom he joined on her pilgrimage to Holy Land. Two remarkable events took place with Kosma while in Jerusalem. When pilgrims were at Siloam baths, Kosma fell in the water. Though there was a custom among all the pilgrims to bathe there, those who were unable to have children tried to enter first so that God would grant them children. This way people, smiling, started saying that Kosma would have many children. It did really happen: the future saint had a multitude of spiritual children. The second event took place when he was visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There, pilgrims wished to anoint themselves with the oil from the lamps burning at the Holy Sepulchre. At that moment, the Lord's angel invisibly turned over one of the lamps and the oil poured out upon Kosma. People quickly surrounded Kosma trying to anoint themselves with the oil from his clothes. The event foretold that God's grace that poured upon Kosma so abundantly will be transmitted through him to many people. A year after coming from Jerusalem to Athon, Kosma departed for Jerusalem again. For 1 and a half years, he served in turn at Lord's Sepulchre. Having returned to Athon, Kosma was appointed as guest-servant at the guesthouse for pilgrims where he served for 11 years. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kuksha of Odessa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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