the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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having as obedience to assist the teacher of the St. Nilus parish school. On
September 25, 1893 he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Sergius.
In June, 1894 he was ordained to the diaconate, and on May 24, 1896 - the
priesthood. On March 14, 1900 he was transferred to the post of treasurer of
the Novotorzhsk Borisoglebsk monastery, and on July 1 - to the post of
steward of the Hierarchical House. From August 13, 1904 he was temporary
dean of the monasteries of the first district. At his request, Hieromonk Sergius
was received into the brotherhood of the Hierarchical House in Kazan on
April 2, 1905, and on May 11 of that year he was raised to the rank of igumen.
On September 1, 1906 Igumen Sergius was appointed superior of the
Sviyazhsk St. Macarius Desert, and from April 13 - dean of the monasteries of
the third district. On January 17, 1908, by a decree of the Kazan Spiritual
Consistory, Igumen Sergius was appointed dean of the second district of
monasteries of the Kazan diocese (which duty he carried out until his
martyric death), and on May 28, 1908 he was raised to the rank of
archimandrite. On January 7, 1909 Archimandrite Sergius was appointed
superior of the Kazan Zilantov monastery of the Dormition, where he
acquired a good reputation for his ascetic life and his ability as a peacemaker.
Fr. Sergius found the monastery in a dilapidated state, and he spent a lot of
time restoring the building and churches. He also introduced monks from
other monasteries. Thus from the St. Macarius Desert came Monk Leontius, in
the world Laurence Karyagin. He was born in 1870 into a peasant family in
Kazan province. From 1901 to February, 1907 he was a novice in the Raithu
Desert. He was tonsured into monasticism on December 20, 1909, six months
after his transfer to the Zilantov monastery.
From the monastery of the Archangel Michael came Hieromonk Laurence,
in the world Leontius Nikitin. He was born in 1872 into a Chuvash peasant
family from Yadrinsk uyezd, Kazan province. At the age of 23 he entered the
Cheremiss monastery, where he was tonsured into monasticism in August,
1902. (According to another account, he became a novice in the Raifu
monastery, Kazan province in 1901, and in February, 1907 moved to the
Sviyazhsk Makaryevskaya desert, Sviyazhsk uyezd, Kazan province.) In
October, 1907 he was ordained to the diaconate. In February, 1908 (according
to another source, June 20, 1909) he was transferred to the Zilantov
monastery, where he was ordained to the priesthood on March 22, 1909. In
April of that year he became temporary treasurer, becoming confirmed in that
post on February 1, 1910. He was tonsured into the mantia on December 20,
1909 by Archimandrite Sergius.
The spiritual father of the monastery was Hieromonk Joseph, in the world
John Tyurin. He was born into a peasant family in Kazan uyezd, and entered
the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery in 1892 at the age of 39. In March, 1893 he
was tonsured into monasticism, and on March 30, 1894 he was ordained to the
diaconate. In November, 1894 Fr. Joseph was transferred to the Kazan
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