Kuksha of Odessa

Kuksha Of Odessa

Saint Kuksha of Odessa, born Kosma Velichko (25 January 1875, selo Arbuzinka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire - December 24, 1964, Odessa, USSR) is a modern saint canonized by Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 1995.

Saint Kuksha was in the family of Cyrill and Kharytyna who lived in Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire) and had many children. In her youth, his mother dreamed of becoming a nun, but married from obedience to her parents. She had two more sons Theodore (Fedor) and John (Ivan), and a daughter, Maria. In his young years, Kosma made walking pilgrimages to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, traveled to the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, to the far north Valaam and Solovki monasteries, and to Jerusalem and Holy Land in 1895. Kosma lived in Jerusalem for 6 months and visited all the sacred places in Palestine. On his way back, he visited Mount Athon. Before departing from Athon, the piligrims went to the archimandrite of Saint Panteleimon monastery for a road blessing. Kosma expressed his will to join the monks there. The archimandrite consented and told him to return after one year, and gave Kosma a little icon of monastery patron saint, the great martyr Saint Panteleimon. This icon Kosma kept to himself until his death.

After returning to the Russian Empire, Kosma visited elder Jona of Kiev, who was widely known for his clairvoyance and wonder working. The elder was receiving people in the court of Jona monastery and giving blessing to everyone. The elder approached Kosma, touched his head with the cross and said: "I bless you into the monastery! You will live on Athon!". Kosma's mother thanked God for her son's decision.