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{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
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. 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, 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><ref group="note">"He was the kind who wanted to help everybody," Anastasia Karastamatis said. "They'd come to the door at 2 o'clock in the morning and I'd worry -- saying we didn't know what they'd been drinking, what drugs they were on. It was hard for me. But he'd say, 'They need me; that's what I'm here for.' "<br>
:* {Joan Connell. [http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=0EB729377435B76B&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%200EB729377435B76B%20%29&p_multi=SJMB&s_lang=en-US&p_nbid=E60V5BLTMTMxMDUwNzE5OS44NzI5NTI6MTo4Om90dGF3YXBs SHATTERED PARISH REBUILDS CHURCH TRIES TO PUT SLAYING BEHIND IT]. ''San Jose Mercury News.'' August 23, 1986.}</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.
===Desecration of the Church===
The good works of Fr. John were too numerous and his outreach too extensive not to evoke malicious actions from the haters of God.<ref group="note">For, as our [[Lord]] has told us, ''"If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you."'' (St. John, 15:20).</ref> The visibility of Fr. John and his church in the middle of Santa Cruz made them more accessible not only to those in need of help, but also to those who wished to destroy all that is holy. A few months before Fr. John's death, the church was desecrated by unknown occultists, who painted "[[666]]" and the five-pointed satanic star on the front entrance.<ref group="note">"The church was desecrated several months ago by vandals who painted a five-pointed star and the number [[666]] - symbols of Satanic worship - on the front entrance. Investigators will try to determine whether the symbols are linked to the priest's death, the chief said."<br>
:* {''Our Correspondent.'' [http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=0EB4ECEAF164BAA4&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%200EB4ECEAF164BAA4%20%29&p_multi=SFCB&s_lang=en-US&p_nbid=Y53N4EBGMTMxMDUwNjk3MS4zMTgzODE6MTo4Om90dGF3YXBs Santa Cruz - Slain Priest Was `'Severely Beaten']. ''The San Francisco Chronicle.'' May 21, 1985.}</ref>
When the desecration was discovered, Fr. John [[Consecration of a church|reconsecrated the church]]. Later he received anonymous threats, but was undaunted by them. His preaching angered some who began to threaten him by phone and in letters to cease preaching. But Father John became even more passionate about his ministry saying:
According to the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' article of May 21, 1985:
<blockquote>The spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox community here "put up a terrific struggle" before he was bludgeoned to death in the office of his church here, the police chief said yesterday. John Karastamatis, 47, of Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, was "beaten badly, severely. . . . The method of death was very traumatic," Chief Jack Bassett said. "Blood was found on the walls." ...Bassett said he believes the priest was slain between 11 p.m. Saturday and 1:40 a.m. Sunday, when his bloody body was found by his 17-year-old son, Foti.<ref name=CHRONICLE>''Our Correspondent.'' [http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=0EB4ECEAF164BAA4&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%200EB4ECEAF164BAA4%20%29&p_multi=SFCB&s_lang=en-US&p_nbid=Y53N4EBGMTMxMDUwNjk3MS4zMTgzODE6MTo4Om90dGF3YXBs Santa Cruz - Slain Priest Was `'Severely Beaten']. ''The San Francisco Chronicle.'' May 21, 1985.</ref></blockquote>
Chief Bassett also noted that ''"Father John was very accessible to many people. He was a very humanistic person"''.<ref name="CHRONICLE"/>
According to the ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'' article of June 12, 2001:
<blockquote>Ron Truhitte was the Santa Cruz police detective who was on the case in 1985. Now an inspector for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Truhitte said the murder rises above most he’s handled because of its brutality and many twists and turns. ''"It was a real, real murder mystery and if you were to write a book, you could not include as many different dark alleys, leads that led nowhere and suspicions as this case had,"'' Truhitte said. ''"But all the time the ones who did it were right there in front of us."'' It took detectives seven months to arrest Bowman although he and his wife’s names were brought up after the murder.<ref name=DARREL>Darrel W. Cole. [http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=122FFF751F4B6DC8&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%20122FFF751F4B6DC8%20%29&p_multi=SCS9&s_lang=en-US&p_nbid=K52S4DQFMTMxMDUwNjczMS4xMDg2MjU6MTo4Om90dGF3YXBs Priest’s killer set for parole hearing]. ''Santa Cruz Sentinel.'' June 12, 2001.</ref></blockquote>
Bowman was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 1988, but In 2001 he was up for parole. In response, Metropolitan [[Anthony (Gergiannakis) of San Francisco]] in a letter to clergy and other churches urged support for the Karastamatis family’s efforts to "ensure that this violent killer never again walks among us."<ref name="DARREL"/> In addition, Detective Truhitte stated that he didn’t believe that Bowman should be released: ''"It has to do with the severity of the crime," Truhitte said. "They didn’t just murder this man, they butchered him."''<ref name="DARREL"/>
The apparitions of blessed father John after his martyric death are many.
* When [[Abbot]] Dorotheos (Themelis) learned about the martyrdom of Father John, he wrote to the [[Presbytera]] asking her to send his priestly [[vestments]] from when they had celebrated together the feast of [[Dorotheos of Gaza|Saint Dorotheos]] at the Monastery in 1981. Some time passed but he received no response from father John’s family. On the eve [[July 4]], at the [[St. Nicholas Monastery (Andros, Greece)|Monastery of St. Nicholas]], an Athonite [[All-Night Vigil|vigil]] was celebrated in honor of St. [[Athanasius of Athos|Athanasius of Mt.Athos]], with many [[Pilgrimage|pilgrims]] in attendance who had come from Athens. As the vigil was about to end, the monastery [[bells]] began to beat themselves as for a solemn feast. They stopped for awhile, but the bells started ringing again so harmoniously that everyone was astonished. Seized with fear and awe, the faithful started to pray the [[Paraklesis|paraclesis]] of [[Nicholas of Myra|St. Nicholas]], waiting for a miracle to happen. That afternoon, elder Dorotheos got a call from Mary, the daughter of Father John, who had come specifically to the monastery bearing the [[vestments]] of her father. She brought them into the [[monastery]] and they were received with joy by all the pilgrims there. The bells had been ringing in the monastery that morning exactly at the time when the ship entered the harbor carrying the Martyr's vestments.<ref>Joan Connell. [http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=0EB729377435B76B&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%200EB729377435B76B%20%29&p_multi=SJMB&s_lang=en-US&p_nbid=E60V5BLTMTMxMDUwNzE5OS44NzI5NTI6MTo4Om90dGF3YXBs SHATTERED PARISH REBUILDS CHURCH TRIES TO PUT SLAYING BEHIND IT]. ''San Jose Mercury News.'' August 23, 1986.</ref>
* On the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas, in 1986, abbot Dorotheos, together with several women, was preparing for the monastery's patronal feast. At one point, they saw blessed father John walking through the monastery gardens and heading towards them. They all were frightened and began to shout: ''“Papa Iani!”'' Then he disappeared from their sight. Immediately after this to their surprise, came the postman with a package from Switzerland containing a wooden carved image (icon) of Father John, from some Russian believers that honored him as a saint. Father John had asked that his [[icon]] may be spread to all Christians so they may learn about his martyrdom and missionary work.
'''Newspaper Sources'''
* ''Our Correspondent.'' [http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=0EB4ECEAF164BAA4&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%200EB4ECEAF164BAA4%20%29&p_multi=SFCB&s_lang=en-US&p_nbid=Y53N4EBGMTMxMDUwNjk3MS4zMTgzODE6MTo4Om90dGF3YXBs Santa Cruz - Slain Priest Was `'Severely Beaten']. ''The San Francisco Chronicle.'' May 21, 1985.
* [http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-09/news/mn-14136_1_greek-orthodox-priest Court Hearing - the State]. ''Los Angeles Times.'' January 09, 1986.
* Joan Connell. [http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=0EB729377435B76B&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%200EB729377435B76B%20%29&p_multi=SJMB&s_lang=en-US&p_nbid=E60V5BLTMTMxMDUwNzE5OS44NzI5NTI6MTo4Om90dGF3YXBs SHATTERED PARISH REBUILDS CHURCH TRIES TO PUT SLAYING BEHIND IT]. ''San Jose Mercury News.'' August 23, 1986.* Darrel W. Cole. [http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=122FFF751F4B6DC8&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%20122FFF751F4B6DC8%20%29&p_multi=SCS9&s_lang=en-US&p_nbid=K52S4DQFMTMxMDUwNjczMS4xMDg2MjU6MTo4Om90dGF3YXBs Priest’s killer set for parole hearing]. ''Santa Cruz Sentinel.'' June 12, 2001.
* 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.'' February 1, 2010.
* Jennifer Squires. [http://www.orthodoxnews.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=usnews.one&content_id=18416&CFID=72092943&CFTOKEN=53644936&tp_preview=true Man who killed Santa Cruz priest denied parole for five years]. ''Santa Cruz Sentinel.'' February 8, 2010.
