the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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"Of the 700 prisoners who had arrived in Odessa, the majority turned out
to be Russians, not Ukrainians. The Hetman's authority refused to receive
them and began to return them to Constantinople.
"When I received the document enabling me to go to Athos, only military
vessels went there. It was impossible for me to leave unless I could bring two
monks from Odessa to go with me. When the monks arrived, I left them to
look after the podvoryes instead of me while I myself left on December 12th
on a military vessel to Thessalonica, and from there to Athos by mule. I had to
go for four days over hills and through forests. I found a driver and agreed
with him, but since it rained heavily during the night he refused. Then I
decided to go on a French steamboat which went to Kovana for wood for the
armies. This steamboat passed by Athos. I got on the steamboat with a Greek,
a monk from the Panteleimon monastery. The captain of the steamboat, a
Frenchman, took an interest in me and called me into his cabin and began to
ask me about what was happening in Russia. I couldn't speak French, so the
Greek translated. We sat there the whole night. I didn't ask the captain to
drop me off at Athos. At ten in the morning the mountain of Athos appeared.
The captain suddenly turned the steamboat towards Athos. I don't remember
what happened to me: such tearful joy, I hadn't been on Athos for eight years,
I had experienced such sorrow; I had been separated from Athos since 1914.
"At three in the afternoon the ship came up to the quay of Daphni. The
captain asked me about my return journey. I said that I would return in two
weeks. He said that on January 7/20 he would drop by for me on his return
journey. After this they let down the small boats and let us out on the
quayside. Then I sent the Panteleimon monk to the Panteleimon monastery to
tell them about my arrival, and after two hours they came for me on horses
and at six o'clock in the evening, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, I arrived
at the Panteleimon monastery. They met me so triumphantly and with such
joy: none of them knew whether I was alive or dead. They took me straight to
the abbot of the monastery. He, like all the monastics, was amazed. I told
them how I had arrived there, and they all listened with amazement. They
gave me something to eat, but there was no time to eat - I was talking to them
the whole time. After one-and-a-half hours I said:
"'Take me to my community, the St. Andrew skete.'
"But under no circumstances would they let anyone out at night. They said
they would take me the next day. I promised that afterwards I would come
and tell them everything, but they said:
"'No one will go with you on the eve of the feast.'
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