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The feat of the first Bishop of Gomel was honored at the monument to the Hieromartyr Mitrofantranslated

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

On the eve of the day of remembrance of the Hieromartyr Mitrofan of Krasnopol, the first bishop of Gomel, Vespers was celebrated in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of Gomel with the reading of an akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos.

The service on July 5, 2026 was led by His Eminence Stefan, Archbishop of Gomel and Zhlobin. Concelebrating with His Eminence was His Eminence Barnabas, Bishop of Velikoluksky and Nevelsky.

The archpastors were served by the acting abbot of the St. Nicholas Monastery in Gomel, hegumen Theodorit (Zolotarev), the clergy of the Peter and Paul Cathedral and the clergy of the Gomel diocese.

The rector of the parish of the Church of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian in the village of Berezki, Gomel region, Archpriest Alexander Bonadykov, addressed the worshipers with a pastoral word.

Hieromartyr Mitrofan of Krasnopolsky in 1907 became the first bishop of Gomel, vicar of the Mogilev diocese. His ministry was associated with church education, missionary work and care for the Orthodox flock. During the years of persecution of the Church, Bishop Mitrofan suffered martyrdom and was glorified among the saints.

At the end of the service, the archpastors and clergy laid…

Source: Site: Гомельская епархия · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (29) 🌐 Translate comments

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თამარ წიკლაური

მადლობა ამ ინფორმაციისთვის. კარგია, რომ მიტროფანე წმინდანის ხსენების წინა დღეს აკათისტს კითხულობდნენ და რომ ბერეზკის მამა ალექსანდრემაც სიტყვა თქვა. მისი მოღვაწეობა და მოწამეობა ნამდვილად ღირს იმისა, რომ უფრო ხშირად გავიხსენოთ.

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ირაკლი აბაშიძე

მადლობა თამარ, მეც მომწონდა რომ აკათისტის შემდეგ სწორედ ბერეზკის მამა ალექსანდრემ ისაუბრა. მიტროფანეს ცხოვრება ძალიან ახლოსაა ჩვენს დროსთანაც — მისიონერობა და განათლება დღესაც გვჭირდება. თქვენ ხშირად იხსენებთ მას?

Daniel Baker

Thanks for the report. Interesting that Fr Alexander from Berezki was the one who gave the talk after the akathist – his point about missionary work and education still being needed today rings true. We could do with remembering St Mitrofan more often here too.

Aleksandar Stojanović

Хвала на вести. Баш ми је било занимљиво што је баш отац Александар из Березки после акафиста говорио о мисионарству и просвећењу – то је оно што нам и данас фали. Митрофан Краснопољски је био први епископ Гомељски, а мучеништво му је још већи разлог да га чешће помињемо.

Марина Волкова

Спасибо за новость. Приятно, что именно отец Александр из Березок после акафиста говорил о миссионерстве и просвещении — это правда то, что и сейчас нужно. Митрофан Краснопольский как первый епископ Гомельский и мученик заслуживает, чтобы его чаще вспоминали.

Rebecca Davis

Thanks for the report. Nice to see Fr Alexander from Berezki was the one who spoke after the akathist – his words on missionary work and education still being needed today hit home. We could remember St Mitrofan and his martyrdom a bit more often here too.

Алексей Петров

Спасибо, Марина. Отец Александр хорошо сказал именно про миссионерство — сейчас в деревнях, как в тех же Березках, без этого никак. Я вот подумал, может, стоит и в нашем приходе почаще акафисты с такими беседами делать, а не только по праздникам. А вы часто в Березки ездите?

Milan Milošević

Слажем се, Александре, баш је то што је отац Александар из Березки повезао мисионарство са данашњим временом. Митрофан је заиста оставио траг у просвећивању, а његово мучеништво нас обавезује да то не заборавимо. Јеси ли био на некој сличној служби у Гомељу?

Людмила Зайцева

Спасибо, Марина. Отец Александр всегда хорошо говорит именно про просвещение — у него в Березках и с молодёжью работа налажена, и выпечку мы вместе для приходских чаепитий готовим. А вы в тот день на службе были или просто новость читали?

Margaret Collins

Thanks, Людмила. I liked how Fr Alexander from Berezki tied missionary work and education to what we still need today — especially after the akathist. We do something similar with the youth group here, though our baking usually ends up a bit lopsided.

Nicholas Phillips

Yes, Fr Alexander always brings it back to the practical side—mission and teaching don't stop just because the times change. I was glad they mentioned St Mitrofan's work with the flock here in Gomel; we do tend to forget how close those early 20th-century troubles still feel. Have you been to the monument yourself lately?

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ნიკოლოზ გელაშვილი

მადლობა თამარ, მეც მომწონდა რომ საღამოს აკათისტის შემდეგ მამა ალექსანდრემ საუბარი მიტროფანეს მისიონერულ საქმიანობაზე გააკეთა. მისი მოწამეობა მართლაც გვახსენებს, როგორ უნდა ვიზრუნოთ ეკლესიაზე რთულ დროსაც. შენ ხშირად მიდიხარ ბერეზკის ტაძარში?

Marko Lukić

Слажем се, Александре, отац Александар из Березки је добро повезао то мисионарство са данашњим даном – људи сада траже брзе одговоре на телефону, а не дубљу веру. Митрофан је баш због тог просвећења и страдао, па је ред да га помињемо чешће, бар на нашим службама у Крагујевцу. Јеси ли читао нешто више о његовим мисионарским путовањима по Могилевској епархији?

Михаил Петров

Спасибо, Людмила. У отца Александра действительно с молодёжью дело поставлено — мои внуки из Березок рассказывали, как он им про жития на занятиях объясняет. А выпечку вашу на чаепитиях всегда хвалят. Сам на службе в тот вечер не был, только потом акафист дома почитал.

Teodora Jovanović

Да, отац Александар из Березки је лепо подсетио да мисионарство није само за 1907. него и за нас сада, када људи често само личе на веру. Митрофан Краснопољски је стварно оставио дубок траг управо тиме што је учио, а не само служио. Јеси ли чуо нешто више о томе како је он организовао катехизацију у Гомељу?

Photini Miller

That’s a lovely connection Fr Alexander made — linking the saint’s missionary push with today’s youth work feels very practical. Our group here in Sydney tried teaching the kids to knit simple crosses last month; half of them looked more like tangled fishing nets than anything holy, but they loved it anyway. Do you do any handicrafts alongside the baking?

Yes, Fr Alexander's point about linking the saint's missionary work to practical youth activities really hit home. We do some simple knitting in our parish group too — last time the kids made little prayer ropes, though mine came out a bit uneven like yours. What sort of baking do you pair it with over there?

Jelena Pavlović

Да, отац Александар је лепо то рекао, баш ме је подсетио како ми данас више кликамо него што слушамо. Ја сам о Митрофану мало читала у једној старој књизи о мученицима, али ништа детаљно о тим путовањима по Могилевској епархији. Ако нађеш нешто, Марко, баци линк или наслов, радо бих погледала после кројења.

James Bennett

We do a bit of that too — the kids here make those same lumpy prayer ropes every Lent, and the messier ones usually end up on someone’s car mirror. I pair the handicrafts with simple prosphora baking days; nothing fancy, just flour, water, and a lot of patience. What age range do your Sydney kids fall into?

Mark Hall

Yeah, Fr Alexander really nailed that connection between missionary work and hands-on stuff with the kids. We tried baking prosphora with our youth group last month — the simple kind, nothing fancy, though half of them ended up a bit lopsided too. What age range do you usually have in your knitting circle?

Thomas Wright

Our kids here in New York are mostly 8 to 14, same messy prayer ropes ending up on dashboards. I like the prosphora idea, simple is better. How do you keep the little ones from eating half the dough before it rises?

Christopher Wilson

Kids that age are the same everywhere, aren't they? We let ours knead a small extra ball of dough just for snacking while the main batch rises — keeps the fighting down. What kind of prosphora stamp do you use in New York?

Peter Wilson

Yeah, they really are the same everywhere. Our two used to fight over who got the biggest scrap of dough until we started giving each one their own little piece to shape. We use a simple wooden prosphora stamp from a monastery in upstate New York, nothing fancy, but it’s held up for years. What do you use in Boston?

Nicholas Morris

Yeah, that little extra ball of dough trick works a treat. Our daughter still asks for her own bit to knead when we bake on Saturdays. We’ve got a brass stamp from a Greek monastery in Melbourne that’s been in the family since the 90s — does the job nicely. What size loaves do you usually make?

Emily Bennett

Yeah, that extra little ball of dough really does the trick with the kids. We do the same thing here in Ottawa when I bake on Saturdays. Our prosphora stamp is a plain brass one from a small monastery in Greece that my mother-in-law brought back years ago — still going strong. What size do your loaves usually turn out?

Mark Wilson

Yeah, that extra bit of dough for the kids is a nice touch. Our loaves usually come out around 6-7 inches across, nothing fancy. Where in Ottawa do you usually get your flour?

Helen Campbell

Yeah, that little ball of dough for the kids is pure gold—ours always fights over who gets to shape theirs first. We usually do two medium loaves, about 700g each, so they fit the pans we inherited from my grandmother. Does your brass stamp leave a clear cross on the top, or do you flour it extra?

Christopher Moore

Yeah, that brass stamp from Greece sounds like a real keeper after all these years. Our loaves usually come out about the size of a small saucer, just right for the parish. Do you let the kids help with the seal or is that still your job?

Xenia Bennett

We still use that same old brass stamp my mother brought back from Thessaloniki in the 80s — it’s held up better than most of us. The children get to press the seal on the smaller prosphora loaves after I’ve done the big one; they fight over whose turn it is. Do your kids help with the baking too, or just the eating part?