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New Hieromartyr Father '''John (Karastamatis) of Santa Cruz''' (August 8, 1937 - May 19, 1985) was the first parish priest and one of the founders of the [http://propheteliassantacruz.org/?page_id=2 Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church] in Santa Cruz, California, and . He was a fervent preacher of the [[Introduction to Orthodox Christianity|Orthodox Faith]]and "ministered to the unemployed, homeless and drug addicts of the city"<ref name=BLACKWELL>Ken Parry, for which et. al. (Eds.). ''[http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9780631232032_chunk_g978063123203214_ss1-14 John Karastamatis].'' The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. 2001.</ref> before he was brutally [[Martyr|martyred ]] by Satanists in 1985. <ref group="note">According to ''The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity,'' the couple that murdered Fr. John had a history of mental illness. And in the words of District Attorney Art Danner, Anna Bowman was "clearly psychotic."</ref>

He has been credited with numerous miracles of healing since his death.<ref name="BLACKWELL"/> His memory is celebrated on [[May 19]](N.S.), on the eve of the feast of the translation of the holy relics of Saint [[Nicholas of Myra|Nicholas]] the Wonder-worker, for whom Fr. John had a great reverance, because as a child he often visited the [[St. Nicholas Monastery (Andros, Greece)|Monastery of St. Nicholas of Andros]], Greece. This day corresponds to [[May 6]] ([[Julian Calendar|O.S.]]), which is the birthday of Royal [[Passion-bearer]] Tsar [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]], and the [[feast day]] St. [[Job the Long-suffering|Job the Much-suffering]], pointing to the mystical significance of his death.

By giving his parishioners new aspirations, Fr. John instilled in them the desire to start their own [[Parish|church]]. They collected and saved money and eventually found the perfect building for their church: a former funeral home in Santa Cruz, across from the public library and in the best part of town for [[missionary]] activity. Fr. John did much of the interior work himself, fashioning a beautiful white [[iconostasis]] and a large domed [[apse]] behind and above the [[altar]]. According to his son Photios, ''"My father put his blood, sweat and tears in. You've got all of that there and more...With the help of some parishioners and myself, he literally built the whole inside of the that church."''<ref>Jennifer Squires. [http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/education/ci_14308329 Parole hearing stirs memories of the murder of the Santa Cruz Greek Orthodox Church's first priest]. Santa Cruz Sentinel. 02/01/2010.</ref> When completed, the [http://propheteliassantacruz.org/ newly-consecrated church] became a refuge from the noisy bustle of the world, an island of holiness in the middle of downtown Santa Cruz. The church was dedicated to the [[Elijah|Prophet Elias]].<ref group="note">Archimandrite [[Meletios (Webber)]] later served as full-time parish priest in this Santa Cruz parish, for nine years. Of Fr. John, Archimandrite Meletios says: "He was not my immediate predecessor; there had been three other priests in between. I knew his presbytera quite well, and his children. He was murdered on the premises of the church, in very unpleasant circumstances, some years before I arrived, but it was still a very dominant factor in the life of parish while I was there—something they couldn't forget."<br>

:('''The events and details of the martyrdom of the saint were relayed to Abbot Dorotheos (Themelis) of [[St. Nicholas Monastery (Andros, Greece)]] by his daughter Maria.''')</ref>

* Jennifer Squires. [http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/education/ci_14308329 Parole hearing stirs memories of the murder of the Santa Cruz Greek Orthodox Church's first priest]. Santa Cruz Sentinel. 02/01/2010 01:30:40 AM PST.