Moscow, October 25, 2021
Photo: patriarchia.ru
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church resolved to canonize Archimandrite Gennady (Parfentiev) as a New Martyr at its session in late September.
St. Gennady was arrested by the godless soviet authorities several days, and was shot to death on November 10, 1919.
Yesterday, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill led the liturgical glorification of St. Gennady at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, together with two other hierarchs and a number of clerics.
At the Small Entrance, the Synodal resolution on the inclusion of St. Gennady in the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church was read out by Archpriest Andrei Bondarenko, reports Patriarchia.ru.
Then Pat. Kirill blessed the people with the icon of the new saint while the choir sang his troparion and magnification. The icon was then placed in the center of the church for the people to venerate.
Watch the rite of glorification:
Following the homily, the biography of St. Gennady was read out (see below). At the end of the service, the Patriarch addressed all the people with a primatial word.
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St. Gennady was born to a peasant family in 1864 in the Kursk Governorate. He first entered a monastery at the age of 26, and after 10 years, he took monastic vows and was ordained a hierodeacon at St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery in Kirov. The next year, he was transferred to the Holy Dormition-St. Tryphon Monastery, also in Kirov, where he was ordained a hieromonk in 1900.
In 1902, he was appointed rector of Holy Prophet Monastery in Yaransk. A peaceful and grace-filled atmosphere reigned under Fr. Gennady, who enjoyed authority among the local population. He also pastored local convents and took part in the founding of the Holy Protection Convent in the Kotelnich District.
In 1918, Fr. Gennady was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
Due to the monastery’s authority in the local area, the Soviets decided to disperse the monastery in September 1918, beginning with the confiscation of a significant part of the monastery’s property. Fr. Gennady was detained and sent to Vyatka in November 1918, but in January 1919 he returned to the monastery.
The authorities ordered the monks to leave the monastery the next month, and on February 16, Fr. Gennady was arrested again. In April, he was sentenced to death, being held responsible for the monastery hiding grain and celebrating the services.
St. Gennady was shot on November 10, 1919.
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