NEW YORK: 30 October 2026
Epistle from His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, on the 45th anniversary of the canonization of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia

Beloved in the Lord, Most Reverend Brother Archpastors, Esteemed Fathers, Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Sunday, October 19/November 1, on the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, will mark forty-five years since a great historical event in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church — the glorification in 1981 by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, who suffered for Christ during the years of godless persecution. This event was the result of many years of labor, prayers, and the spiritual insight of our archpastors, clergy, and the entire church community. Even long before the aforementioned Council of Bishops, which was held under the chairmanship of the late Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky), a deep conviction had matured in the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad about the necessity of glorifying those who gave their lives for Christ and His Holy Church.

The role of the late Archbishop Anthony (Sinkevich) was especially significant in this regard, as he steadfastly defended the necessity of the Church's glorification of the new martyrs, which is evidenced by his articles and sermons, not to mention his passionate speeches at the Councils of Bishops and various church and public meetings. A great contribution to preparing for this historic task was also made by the late Archbishop Anthony (Bartoshevich), who had deep reverence for the memory of those who suffered for their faith and helped ensure that their sacrifice was properly recognized and understood by the Holy Church.

A special place belongs to the ever-memorable Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev), a worthy successor of Saint John (Maximovich) in the Western American diocese, who composed the service for the new martyrs and confessors — a true liturgical masterpiece of the 20th century. In this service, with extraordinary spiritual depth, the greatness of their sacrifice is revealed, connected with the Crucifixion of the Lord Himself, and gratitude is offered to God for those who remained faithful to Christ even unto death. At a time when open church glorification of the new martyrs in the USSR was still impossible, the service composed by Archbishop Anthony was performed in private, unofficially. Yet even in this modest and intimate form, the prayerful memory of those who suffered for Christ continued to live on and gradually spread among the children of the Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia also contributed significantly to this spread. Icons of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, the Hieromartyrs Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev; Kirill, Metropolitan of Kazan; Peter, Metropolitan of Krutitsy; the pious Royal Passion-Bearers, and other new martyrs, printed abroad, as well as literature dedicated to their lives, feats, and sufferings, reached the USSR in various ways and became widely circulated there. For many Orthodox people, deprived of the opportunity to openly speak about their faith and church history, these icons and books became witnesses to the truth about the Church, its sufferings, martyrs, and confessors. Thus, the memory of them, despite decades of persecution, did not fade among God’s people.

Metropolitan Laurus (Skurla) of blessed memory worked hard preparing for the Council. While he was a bishop, he spent many years collecting and compiling a detailed list of martyrs and confessors, which was first published in the church-public journal Pravoslavnaya Rus’ [Orthodox Russia] in 1974. This work was reviewed with special attention and reverence by the 1981 Council of Bishops.

The very order in which this list was considered at the Council of Bishops shows the level of church responsibility and prayerful attitude the archpastors had toward the matter of glorifying those who suffered. Before each break, after reading and discussing each part of the list, a memorial service was held in the meeting hall for those included among the glorified. Their names were spoken in prayer, and the Council of Bishops itself became a witness to their spiritual victory. The bishops didn’t just look over historical records and discuss lists of the tortured and killed; in prayer before God, they bore witness to the Church’s remembrance of its faithful children who remained loyal to Christ even unto death.

The solemn glorification of the New Martyrs and Confessors, carried out in the Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” at Synodal Residence in New York 45 years ago, became an event that went far beyond the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. More than two thousand people attended the service itself. From that day on, the memory of the New Martyrs started to spread more widely throughout the Orthodox world, and their icons, lives, works, and testimonies of their feats became the heritage of all Local Orthodox Churches.

The attitude of His Beatitude Patriarch Diodorus of Jerusalem toward this glorification was especially significant. By bowing before the relics of the Alapaevsk New Martyrs, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and Nun Barbara, he gave testimony to the recognition of their holiness. Sending a high delegation from the Holy Synod of the Jerusalem Patriarchate to the celebrations related to the transfer of these saints’ relics from the crypt on the territory of the Russian Gethsemane to the Cathedral of the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in 1982 further expressed this ecclesiastical recognition. The general canonization of the New Martyrs by the Local Russian Orthodox Church in 2000 became a very convincing confirmation of the spiritual foresight and pastoral justification of the actions of the fathers of the 1981 Council of Bishops.

And now, forty-five years later, we see with particular gratitude to God how the names of the martyrs and confessors of the 20th century have entered into the prayer life of many Orthodox people, and how their holy images have become an integral part of the spiritual renewal of our people.

We believe that this glorification has become one of the important spiritual signs of the revival of the Church, which became especially evident on the eve of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’. The Holy New Martyrs and Confessors, who testified to their faithfulness to Christ during the most terrible years of persecution, have become a living reminder for the renascent Church that no earthly power can destroy the Church, founded on the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ.

Their testimony turned out to be addressed not only to Orthodox believers. The feat of the New Martyrs touched the hearts of non-Orthodox and people of other faiths living in the countries where the Lord allowed the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad to exist. Getting to know the life, sufferings, and loyalty to Christ of our New Martyrs became, for many, a path to understanding Orthodoxy and brought them into the bosom of the Holy Church.

But the special significance of honoring the New Martyrs and Confessors lies in the fact that it contributed to the actual restoration of full fraternal communion within the entire Russian Orthodox Church, which was accomplished in 2007. Those who suffered for the one Church of Christ cannot belong to only one part of it. Their memory became a shared spiritual heritage of the whole Church, and their prayers are a unifying principle for its children in all countries and on all continents.

Today, as we prayerfully remember their glorification, let us also keep in mind the great responsibility that rests upon us. Honoring the new martyrs should be not only a remembrance of the past but also a call to live by their faith. They maintained their unity with Christ in trials; we, in turn, must preserve peace, love, and unity among ourselves. Let us now offer our heartfelt prayers to the holy new martyrs and confessors, so that they, standing before the Throne of God, may intercede for us and for the entire Russian Church. Let us pray to them that their veneration and their prayerful intercession continue to help preserve church unity, and may they obtain from the Lord peace, harmony, and love among all the faithful of historical Rus and its Church, wherever they may be.

"Through the glorification of the martyrs, we are granted the greatest help from God through their prayers. And this help is needed by all who want to live according to God’s commandments, especially persecuted and suffering Christians of our terrible times," says the message of the 1981 Archierarchical Council. May the holy new martyrs teach us courage in confessing the Orthodox faith, faithfulness to the Church’s tradition, and that sacrificial love with which they served Christ and their neighbors. May the Lord, through their prayers, preserve the Holy Russian Church in unity, peace, and love, and strengthen all of us in faith, hope, and trust in Him. Amen.

Asking for the saints' prayers, I remain with love in the Lord,

+NICHOLAS
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
October 19/November 1, 2026