May 12 marks the memory of St. Amphilochius of Pochaev, who passed away in 1971.

In the world, he was known as Yakov Varnavovich Holovatyyk, born in 1894 into a large peasant family in the Ternopil region. In 1912, he was drafted into the army, and during the war, he found himself on the front lines, where he was captured. In 1919, Yakov managed to escape and returned home, traversing the path from the Alps to his native village.

In 1925, he came to the Pochaev Lavra, and in 1932, he took monastic vows under the name Joseph and was ordained as a hieromonk. Father Joseph performed various duties, treated the sick, and became particularly renowned as a bone-setter. People came to him for help from all around, and over time, they noticed the power of his prayers.

During the Soviet years, Father Joseph shared in all the hardships that befell the Pochaev Lavra. In the 1960s, the authorities sought to close the monastery, confiscated buildings, and expelled the monks. In December 1964, the KGB, police, and militia raided the living quarters of the lavra, arresting and beating pilgrims, mocking the monks, and committing acts of violence and murder.

When the monks referred to the Constitution, they were told it was written for communists, while they were outcasts. One of the methods of persecuting believers was punitive psychiatry. Those who went through such institutions recalled atrocities that surpassed even those in camps. Inmates of psychiatric hospitals were powerless against doctors who administered painful injections and medications that erased their identities.

In 1962, Father Joseph was arrested and placed in a psychiatric clinic, where he underwent brutal trials. His relatives managed to secure his release, and he settled in his native village of Ilovitsa. Upon learning of his whereabouts, people began to come to him for help again.

Local authorities, unhappy with his veneration, turned one of his nephews against him, who beat the elder and threw him into cold water. Father Joseph lay there for eight hours, but he was found and transported back to the lavra, where he was tonsured into the great schema with the name Amphilochius. Despite his severe condition, he survived and recovered. Since it was dangerous to remain in the lavra, he was moved to Ilovitsa.

People continued to come to the saint for healing. In the summer, he would have up to 500 people a day, and he tried to feed everyone, serving molebens. Healings from serious illnesses, including heart defects and cancer, occurred through his prayers.

St. Amphilochius passed away on January 1, 1971. In 2002, he was canonized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and in 2005, his name was added to the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. His memory day is set for May 12, the day of his glorification.