the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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Hierarchical House, and in October, 1899 was ordained to the priesthood,
being appointed treasurer in 1901. In 1903 he was transferred to the Kharkov
Hierarchical House as steward. Four years later, at his own request, he was
again assigned to the Kazan diocese, and in November, 1907 was transferred
to the Zilantov monastery. Here, in view of his experience and piety, he was
confirmed in the posts of sacristan (from February, 1908), dean (from May 15
of the same year) and spiritual father. As the numbers of monks in the
monastery had increased, on September 25, 1910 he was relieved of the posts
of sacristan and dean. His asceticism and ability to bring people to repentance
won Fr. Joseph the respect of the Kazan clergy, and in November, 1911 he was
appointed spiritual father of the Kazan Theological Academy
By 1918 there was only one hierodeacon in the monastery - Fr. Theodosius,
in the world Theodore Alexandrov. He was born in 1864 in a peasant family
of Kazan province and entered the Zilantov monastery in 1904, where he was
tonsured into monasticism in August, 1910 by Archimandrite Sergius. He was
ordained to the diaconate on December 24, 1910.
The revolution did not leave the Zilantov monastery untouched: lands and
economic resources were confiscated, and many of the novices were called up
into the army. However, in July, 1918, Archimandrite Sergius secured the
transfer to the monastery of Hieromonk Seraphim, in the world Semyon
Kuzin or Kuzmin, who was born in 1870 into a Chuvash peasant family from
Kozmodemyansk uyezd, Kazan province. On March 25, 1903 Fr. Seraphim,
who was a widower, entered the St. Michael monastery, on December 20,
1904 was made a rassophor monk, and on April 7, 1907 was tonsured into
monasticism. He was ordained to the diaconate on July 20, 1910, and to the
priesthood - in 1913. In 1914 he was called up into the army and fulfilled the
functions of pastor in a mobile field hospital. On returning from the front,
where he suffered much on seeing the sufferings of the soldiers, Fr. Seraphim
was appointed sacristan of the monastery in 1916. In July, 1918, Fr. Seraphim
asked to be transferred from the St. Michael monastery because of the racial
tensions between Cheremiss and Chuvash monks.
Thus in the middle of 1918 there were 11 people in the Zilantov monastery:
Archimandrite Sergius, Hieromonks Laurence, Joseph and Seraphim,
Hierodeacon Theodosius, Monks Leontius and Stephen, and novices
George Timofeyev (38 years old, a Chuvash, in the monastery since October
9, 1909), Reader John Sretensky, Novices Sergius Galin, and Hilarion
Pravdin.
In August, the Czechs occupied the Zilantov monastery because of its
strategic importance on a height above the city, and so on August 11
Archimandrite Sergius petitioned for the transfer of his monks to other
monasteries in the city. However, on the eve of the withdrawal of the Czechs
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