St. Luke the Surgeon, Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea (1877-June 11, 1961)

Known as The Surgeon and Saint":  Scientist, ophthalmologist, surgeon, professor anatomy and surgery, priest, bishop, prisoner, confessor of the faith.

St. Luke was born on April 27, 1877 in the eastern Crimea.  He noted in his memoirs:  "I did not receive a religious upbringing..."  He described his first true understanding of his Christian faith after reading the New Testament, which was a graduation gift from his high school principal.  His Bible became his constant companion.  St. Luke had a natural talent for art and intended to study at an art institute but decided to enroll in medical school of Kiev University to devote his life to benefit the suffering among the peasants in remote villages. From 1905-1917, he practiced medicine and surgery in various district hospitals.  During this time, he married Anna Lanskaya, a nurse who had the nickname among her patients as "the holy nurse."  They were blessed with four children.  He wrote in a letter to his son:  "I suffer deeply if a patient dies after an operation.  I had three deaths in the operating room and this literally crushed me...I prayed for the dead at home, because there is no church open here..."