Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of the Belarusian Landtranslated

There are pages in the history of the Church that are difficult to talk about without pain. But the memory of survivors of persecution is needed not only to know the past. It helps to see how people maintained faith and human dignity in circumstances where loyalty to Christ could cost freedom and life.

Today, November 1, the Church remembers the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of the Belarusian Land. It includes clergy, monastics and laity who suffered for their faith during the years of persecution. Some suffered martyrdom, others went through arrests, imprisonment and exile, remaining faithful to Christ.

The Gomel region did not remain aloof from this tragedy. It was the night from October 31 to November 1, 1937 that went down in history as one of the most sorrowful dates: the clergy were shot in the forest near Gomel:

— Archpriest Vladimir Butomo; — Archpriest Vladimir Zubarev; — Archpriest Andrei Kurnevich; — Archpriest Peter Ryllo; — priest Savely Demyanenko; — priest Thomas Konashevich; — priest Pavel Osyko; - priest Vasily Saulsky; — priest Kliment Shamko; - Hieromonk Menander (Stepanyuk); — Deacon Afanasy Sosinovsky.

Today in all churches of the Gomel diocese after the Divine Liturgy there were...