the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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1919 to 1920 she “was mentally ill” and was in hospital. The doctor said that
she “suffers from vividly expressed schizophrenia”. In 1924 she became a
novice in the Diveyevo monastery. In 1925 she left and in March, 1926 went to
work as a teacher in Vertyanovo, Arzamas uyezd. She was sacked from this
post because she conducted religious propaganda in the school. Then she went
round the monasteries, mainly Diveyevo. In her native village she, together
with her father, organized a circle for young people called “The Seventeenth
Party” by the authorities. The members of the circle were concerned with
keeping the church clean, spreading Christianity among the village youth and
converting unbelievers to the faith. Maria herself succeeded in converting
some inveterate unbelievers. On October 7, 1931 Maria was on a steamer
sailing down the Volga from Samara and started preached to a crowd that
gathered around her. She was arrested and cast into prison in Samara. She was
accused of “going round a whole series of towns and conducting anti-Soviet
agitation and spreading counter-revolutionary leaflets”. On April 13, 1932 she
was convicted of being “the main messenger for the counter-revolutionary
centre of ‘The Trues’”, and in accordance with articles 58-10 and 58-11 was
sent to the Vishera camps in Perm province. There she died sometime after
1932.
Alexandra Petrovna Zhukova. She was born in 1889 or 1888 in Samara, and
went to Samara University. Until 1917 she gave private lessons. From 1918 to
1920 she worked in Samara University and taught in a preparatory school. On
Novembe 10, 1931 she was arrested and cast into Samara isolator. On April 13,
1932 she was convicted of “joining the group of founders of a counterrevolutionary
churchpeople in Samara” and of “taking part in the spreading of
the organization’s ideology”. In accordance with articles 58-10 and 58-11, she
was sent to the Vishera camps for three years.
*
Protopriest Vladimir Ivanovich Kassenyev served in the village of Bolshie
Berezinki, Simbirsk province. He was related through his wife to the poet F.I.
Tyutchev and the over-procurator of the Holy Synod, K.N. Pobedonostsev.
The family of Fr. Vladimir was large and friendly – there were nine children.
Fr. Vladimir served in the largest church of the village, which had four altars.
On great feasts the service encompassed all four altars. Fr. Vladimir read the
canons for Christmas and Pascha in twelve languages, which astonished
everyone. At his house there assembled congresses of priests. They came with
their families and lived there for weeks. For Christmas and Pascha three tables
were laid with places for twelve people on each, and for three days the doors
were open for everyone. The intelligentsia also came, and the richer and
poorer peasants. The family had two cows, two horses and poultry. Batyushka
was friendly with Michurin and had a beautiful garden. Matushka was good
at sewing and cooking, and was an excellent housewife. They were
dekulakized three times: first they took their livestock, then their furniture,
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