19/06/2026
In January 1944, St Luke the Surgeon was appointed Archbishop of Tambov and Michurinsk, while continuing his medical work; he oversaw 150 hospitals! In May 1946, he was appointed to the cathedra of Simferopol and Crimea. Yet, his long years of imprisonment and exile, the rigours and sequelae of things he experienced throughout his difficult life, took a toll on his health. He began to lose his sight, and his heart began to fail. Enduring all these health complications, his motto was: “Continue your path with courage, with much courage. Let your heart rejoice in the Lord.”