the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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"Brothers," I said to them, - "go to the commander and report to him. This
is a miracle. They are all saints, martyrs killed by the communists in 1918-20.
We cannot make toilets here!"
I recognized that the old priest was a bishop because he was wearing the
engolpion [panagia]. Unfortunately, the cross was stolen by the soldiers
digging the trench, who cut it and distributed the parts among themselves. I
saved the engolpion, but it was taken afterwards by the commander. I called
him to the site. All he said was, "Why is this sitting on a stool? Take him out
and bury him somewhere else like all people!" And he put me in charge.
I went to the camp shop and we made a solid oak chair. I seated him on the
chair and attached him firmly to the back. I sprinkled him and the other
bodies with holy water. Then we buried him like a bishop next to a well in the
monastery yard.
He was a true saint.
In that well the water bursts from time to time, according to the worthiness
of those who come to take water. In the summer, on the 6th of August, a
number of old priests, all former prisoners in the labour camps of Siberia,
gathered to perform the Holy Liturgy. We took part in the Liturgy.
The commander ordered that a solid oak box be made to protect the body.
I witnessed a miracle. When I took him out from among the other bodies, his
body stretched out as if he had just died then.
I had the opportunity to tell this story to two young Russian intellectuals.
One was of Romanian origin. These two men went to Oranki to search for the
bodies. But they could not approach the camp, which in the meantime had
been transformed into a prison for women. They strove to obtain official
approval to disinter them. But that is a difficult thing. Remember that 11,000
bodies constitute an army! This is the army of the Heavenly Emperor! Christ's
saints!
We just covered them back with earth. We made the toilets in other
locations. And so they remained known only by God's knowledge and mercy.
The two students managed to dig in the place indicated by me and from my
sketches. The found the skeletons, but they could not find the bishop, because
they were not permitted to dig deeper than two meters. They departed fully
convinced. They came to me and confirmed my words. In Russian there is not
the same religious freedom as here. The communist spirit is still very strong,
so they put off the matter indefinitely.
"What year did you find the relics?"
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