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===Missionary Activity===
Fr. John by no means wanted his Orthodox community to be a closed one, and he rejoiced to discover any fervent young souls which came to him in search of the fulness of [[Introduction to Orthodox Christianity|Christianity]]. Santa Cruz has been a gathering place not only of the darker and meaner elements of society, but also of idealistic young people who have desired something more meaningful than the American values of materialism and competition. By the time Fr. John started his church in Santa Cruz, a small but significant "Orthodox Christian movement" had already begun at [[w:University of California, Santa Cruz|the university there]]. This was primarily the result of the [[missionary]] work of Hieromonk [[Anastassy (Newcomb) ]]. Through him, many Santa Cruz university students embraced the Orthodox faith and dedicated their lives to serving [[Christ]].
In 1981, Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]], at the request of the Orthodox students there, gave two [[Homily|lectures]] at [[w:University of California, Santa Cruz|the university]] and further inspired young souls to enter what he called "the saving enclosure of the Church." The fellowship of Orthodox students turned also to Fr. John and his church in order to receive spiritual nourishment and to participate in the divine services, which lifted them above the worldliness of university life. Fr. John always greeted them with a radiant smile and warm love, seeing in their young faces the freshness and enthusiasm that would keep Orthodoxy alive for future generations. After these students graduated, Fr. John brought other young people to the Orthodox faith, giving them all that they needed for their growth in the faith and being to them a loving father who was concerned for their spiritual welfare.
<blockquote>There, the boy was faced with a terrible sight: his father was found on the floor slaughtered and unrecognizable…he had been hit in the head with a hammer and his whole body was butchered with knifes. As the police had later discovered, because father John didn’t die right away, the criminals took the [[cross]] he was wearing around the neck and hanged him with its chain. The [[blood]] poured from his wounds and flooded the floor of the Holy [[Shrine]]. The Satanists used his blood to write their slogans and the mark [[666]] on the walls of the Church. The blessed father John suffered martyrdom in the very place where he was photographed with the cross in his hand, almost prophesizing of what would follow.<ref name=PANTAKRATOROS>[http://orthodoxword.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/the-new-hieromartyr-john-karastamatis-of-santa-cruz/ The New Hieromartyr John Karastamatis of Santa Cruz]. Orthodox Word. May 19, 2011.</ref></blockquote>
Because Fr. John's face and fingers were so disfigured and mutilated, <ref group="note">The brutality of this murder recalls the martyrdom of Elder [[Philoumenos (Hasapis) of Jacob's Well]] only a few years earlier in 1979, who was tortured and whose fingers were cut into pieces and his thumb hacked off, which were the fingers with which he made the [[sign of the Cross]].</ref> his [[relics]] could not be displayed at the funeral service, therefore his body was covered in the usual gold-[[vestments]] and the coffin was sealed. Several priests attended Fr. John's funeral, coming from the many and various Orthodox churches in the United States.
===Assailants===
