Tver, Tver Province, Russia, September 1, 2025
The Tver Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church has announced the beginning of a formal collection of testimonies regarding the sanctity of two 20th-century ascetics: Blessed Eldress Lyubov (Lyubushka) Lazareva of Susanino (1912-1997) and Schemanun Maria (Matukasova), known as Maria of Samara (1908-2000).
In accordance with a decision by the Diocesan Council of the Tver Diocese, the Church is seeking evidence that would support the eventual canonization of these two women, whose lives of devotion spanned some of the most difficult periods in Russian Orthodox history, reports the Tver Metropolitanate.
Both ascetics spent their childhood and youth during the years of atheistic persecution in the Soviet Union. From a young age, they felt called to a life of spiritual struggle. Beginning in the 1930s and 1940s, they undertook the challenging spiritual disciplines of wandering and holy foolishness for Christ. Through their devotion, they received spiritual gifts of discernment, clairvoyance, and effective prayer, using these charisms to provide comfort and spiritual guidance to several generations of Russian Orthodox Christians.
Blessed Lyubushka carried out her ministry among the faithful in the Leningrad Province, while Schemanun Maria served in the Samara Province. Both women, according to their personal wishes, found their final rest at the Kazan Convent in Vyshny Volochyok in the Tver Diocese.
The diocese is calling upon all who received grace-filled help through the prayers of these eldresses during their lifetime or after their repose, as well as those familiar with such cases, to share their memories and testimonies. The Church is particularly interested in accounts of healings, miracles, and instances of spiritual help and consolation connected with their names. Of special value are stories about life transformations and conversions to faith of people who encountered these ascetics or who prayed at their gravesites.
Those with information are asked to send their testimonies to the Kazan Convent in Vyshny Volochyok at kazanskymon@mail.ru.
Similar collections of testimonies are underway in other Russian dioceses. The Pereslavl Diocese is gathering information about the revered ascetic Hieroschemamonk Joachim (Ulyanov) of the Holy Resurrection Monastery in Uglich.
Optina Monastery is actively collecting miracle stories about the 1993 Pascha Martyrs—Hieromonk Vasily (Roslyakov), Monk Trophim (Tatarinov), and Monk Therapont (Pushkarev)—as well as Archimandrite Benedict (Penkov), who served as abbot from 1990 until his repose in 2018, Igumen Theodore (Trutnev), who labored at the monastery from its reopening in the late 1980s until his repose in 2003, and Hierodeacon Iliodor (Gairiyants), a monk of Optina from 1989 until his repose in October 2020.
In the Pskov Diocese, stories and information about the revered Elder John (Krestiankin) are being actively collected for his eventual canonization.
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