the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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Igumen, later Archimandrite Theodosius was born in 1866 of pious
peasant parents of the Kazan diocese, Aquila Grigoryevich and Aquilina
Mikhailovna Luzgin, and was called Theodore at baptism. He entered the
Raithu monastery on July 10, 1897 at the age of 31. In August, 1902 he was
tonsured with the name Theodosius, and on March 16, 1903 was ordained to
the priesthood. He fulfilled the duties of steward of the Hierarchical House,
was treasurer of the Sviyazhsk monastery, and was then appointed igumen of
the St. Macarius Desert. He was an ascetic of irreproachable morals and
firmness of faith. He did not have higher education, but he was a man of great
experience. The monastery accepted him with joy, and he was also highly
respected by the laity.
Soon, however, Metropolitan Cyril was arrested and sent to Moscow,
Bishop Anatolius (Grisyuk) was imprisoned, and in 1922 there arrived in
Kazan the renovationist "Archbishop" Alexis. Most of the clergy accepted the
usurper, but the monasteries remained firm in the faith. Thus the brotherhood
of the Raithu monastery wrote to the diocesan administration that they "do
not recognize the renovationist Higher Church Administration (HCA), as
having broken unity with the One, Catholic and Apostolic Church, nor
Archbishop Alexis." 25 monks and 18 novices signed this decision.
Archimandrite Theodosius was dean of all the monasteries of the diocese
and remained firm in his support of the only Orthodox bishop in the region,
Vladyka Joasaph. He particularly supported Abbess Angelina of the St.
Theodore monastery in her struggle with the renovationists. Indeed, after the
exile of Bishop Joasaph and the monks of the St. John the Forerunner
monastery, the Raithu and Seven Lakes Deserts with their superiors,
Archimandrites Theodosius and Alexander, became the main pillars of
Orthodoxy in the Kazan region.
As a result, Archimandrite Theodosius was exiled (nothing more is known
about his fate), and in June, 1928 the Raithu monastery was closed and
handed over to a colony of adolescent criminals. However, the peasants of the
surrounding area organized a community in a local parish church, and seven
of the former inmates of the monastery became members of it, including
Hieromonks Joseph (Gavrilov) and Barlaam (Pokhilyuk), Hierodeacons
Porphyrius (Sovetnikov) and Jerome (Sorokin). The other monks settled in
nearby villages. Thus about 40 monastics settled in the village of Belo-
Bezvodnaya; and the peasants selected seven of these to carry our church
needs for them. Thus in spite of the closure of the monastery, the influence of
the monks of Raithu remained great, and peasants came to them from the
Tatar, Chuvash and Mari republics. The Raithu monks did not cease to
perform the sacraments, to take confession, baptise and bury people, and
even celebrate the Liturgy (sometimes in the parish church, sometimes at
home).
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