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the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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1929 he served in <strong>the</strong> village <strong>of</strong> Taganash, and served as a go-between<br />

between <strong>the</strong> Catacomb Bishops Nectarius <strong>of</strong> Yaransk and Demetrius <strong>of</strong><br />

Gdov. He was arrested on January 23, 1930 in <strong>the</strong> village <strong>of</strong> Belo-Bezvodny,<br />

and on February 20 was sentenced to death. He was shot on April (March) 7.<br />

Hieromonk Anthony (Stefanovich Chirkov) was born in 1860 or 1861 in<br />

Chistopol in a lower middle class family. His parents were called Ivan<br />

Stefanovich and Evdokia Ivanovna. He served in <strong>the</strong> army from 1883 to 1887.<br />

In 1890 he joined <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rhood <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Raithu Desert, where on March 23,<br />

1908 he was tonsured. After <strong>the</strong> revolution he was ordained to <strong>the</strong> diaconate<br />

and priesthood. After <strong>the</strong> closure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> monastery he went to Belo-<br />

Bezvodnaya, where he worked as a carpenter, taking orders from <strong>the</strong><br />

peasants. He was arrested on January 23, 1930. Like all <strong>the</strong> Raithu monks, he<br />

pleaded not guilty. On February 20 he was sentenced to death. On March 7 he<br />

was shot.<br />

Hieromonk Sergius, in <strong>the</strong> world Paul Ivanovich Guskov, was born in<br />

1875 (1876) in <strong>the</strong> village <strong>of</strong> Mansurovo, Laishevsky uyezd, Kazan province,<br />

in <strong>the</strong> family <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pious peasants Ivan Alexeyevich and Anna Semyonovna,<br />

and went to <strong>the</strong> village school. While helping his fa<strong>the</strong>r in his work tilling <strong>the</strong><br />

land, Paul, like his sister Barbara, dreamed <strong>of</strong> monasticism, and on May 1,<br />

1898 he entered <strong>the</strong> Raithu Desert. After eight years as a novice, Paul was<br />

tonsured on June 18, 1906 with <strong>the</strong> name Sergius. Three years later, he was<br />

ordained to <strong>the</strong> diaconate, and on April 15, 1910 - to <strong>the</strong> priesthood. By a<br />

decree <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spiritual Consistory, on February 12, 1914 he was confirmed in<br />

<strong>the</strong> post <strong>of</strong> sacristan. In September, 1918, at <strong>the</strong> request <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs, he was<br />

confirmed as temporary superior <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> monastery. It was during this period<br />

that <strong>the</strong> monastery was almost completely gutted, but thanks to Fr. Sergius<br />

<strong>the</strong> sacristy was saved from <strong>the</strong> looters. Even after July, 1920, when<br />

Archimandrite Theodosius became superior, Hieromonk Sergius was <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

called on to fulfil <strong>the</strong> duties <strong>of</strong> acting superior while Fr. Theodosius was<br />

away. In 1923 his sister Barbara Ivanovna (born 1880 in <strong>the</strong> village <strong>of</strong><br />

Mansurovo, Laishevo uyezd) settled near <strong>the</strong> monastery, receiving <strong>the</strong><br />

tonsure with <strong>the</strong> name Nun Vera and <strong>the</strong>y were arrested toge<strong>the</strong>r on January<br />

23, 1930. As <strong>the</strong> sacristan <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> closed monastery, Fr. Sergius was especially<br />

fiercely interrogated and tortured until <strong>the</strong>y extracted from him where <strong>the</strong><br />

monastery sacristy was hidden. And when he was brought out <strong>of</strong> his cell to be<br />

executed, two soldiers had to support <strong>the</strong> formerly strong monk under his<br />

arms. On February 20 he was sentenced to death, and on March 7 he was shot.<br />

On February 20 Nun Vera was sentenced to five years in <strong>the</strong> camps in<br />

accordance with articles 58-10 and 58-11. Nothing more is known about her.<br />

Novice Peter Yegorovich Tupitsin was born in 1906 in <strong>the</strong> village <strong>of</strong><br />

Elanbui, Osinovsky uyezd, Perm province, in a pious peasant family. Having<br />

finished his studies in <strong>the</strong> village school, he set <strong>of</strong>f to visit <strong>the</strong> <strong>holy</strong> places,<br />

searching for a quiet community in which to practise <strong>the</strong> monastic life. Peter<br />

367

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