7/2/25, My trip to the Holy Virgin Cathedral the Joy of All Who Sorrow along with the residence of St. John Maximovic was the highlight of the Antiochian Diocese of the West and Los Angeles Parish Life Conference.
Many Orthodox Christians yearn for fellowship and fraternity outside of the embraces of the Holy Services. The Parish Life Conference in San Francisco hosted by St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church provided us with this opportunity to share the faith with others and learn about the experiences of the faithful of the Western Diocese. His Grace, Bishop Anthony, was a consistent companion for the faithful and conduit of Christ’s courtesy with his attention to the services and wonderful words of wisdom
to his flock. 
Outside of all the events and opportunities to spread the word of Share the Faith Ministries to hundreds of newcomers, I was blessed with the break to be part of a small pilgrimage to the Holy Virgin Cathedral the Joy of All Who Sorrow, which houses the Holy and Saintly relics of St. John Maximovich. To my surprise, just down the road from the Cathedral, I was also able to visit the quaint yet spiritually saturated abode that provided shelter and sustenance to St. John Maximovic. The Cathedral basked me in blessed joy and was beautiful beyond any human boundary. While the blessed holy, bunker on Balboa was breathtaking and bountiful with nuggets of nutritious nourishment that only a Saintly Man could leave behind for us.
The next time you find yourself in San Francisco in need of closeness to Christ, make sure to visit St. John’s relics at the Cathedral of the Joy of All Who Sorrow, and his residence on Balboa St.
Our Father Among the Saints and Wonderworker, St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, pray for us!
