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The Life of Holy Martyr Alexei of Lelchitsy

St Alexei, the Shepherd Who Answered God's Call in Troubling Times

Father Alexei Mogilnitsky

The life of this man tells the tale of a righteous soul faithfully serving God, much like the lives of many other shepherds whose ministry coincided with the Church’s most tumultuous years in the early twentieth century.

St Alexei of Lelchitsy

The early steps of a future shepherd

The future priest, Alexei Savelyevich Mogilnitsky, first drew breath on 17th October 1870, arriving into the family of scribe Savely, a retired soldier turned Minsk townsman, and his wife Herminia. At ten, his parents enrolled him in the Minsk Theological School. Upon completing his studies there, he progressed to the Minsk Theological Seminary. A choice lay before him: to follow in his father’s footsteps, adhering to the established tradition of remaining within one’s social class, or to forge his own path. The young man chose the path of service to God.

When he reached the age of maturity at 21, the seminary’s leadership recommended the young man for ordination as a reader. This momentous occasion took place on 8 May 1892, amidst a solemn ceremony. His Eminence Simeon (Lynkov), Bishop of Minsk and Turov, performed the ordination. On 13 June 1892, Alexei graduated from the seminary, receiving a second-class diploma. Already discerning his calling to the priesthood, Alexei resolved to marry. His bride was Anastasia Ivanovna, a young woman five years his junior.

Father Alexei and his family

Father Alexei and his family

Commencement of ministry

Alexei’s first appointment placed him as a psalmist at the Ostrov Church in the Pinsk district, a position he assumed on 9 October 1892. Then, on 31 August 1893, he was ordained a deacon within the hallowed halls of Minsk Cathedral, at his own request. A mere week later, on 5 September, Alexei Mogilnitsky ascended to the priesthood. His ordination was performed by His Eminence Simeon (Lynkov).

Father Alexei’s ministry commenced at the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Veliky Bor, Rechitsa County. There, he also taught God’s Law at the local school. The parish records of the Veliky Bor Church bear witness to the creativity and profound sense of responsibility with which Father Alexei approached his mission, noting that between October and November 1893, he delivered seventeen sermons from the pulpit and led sixteen conversations with his parishioners.

On 5 August 1894, the Lord blessed the young couple with a daughter, whom they named Larisa.

Minsk Holy Spirit Cathedral

Minsk Holy Spirit Cathedral, present-day view

In the Bobruisk county

Father Alexei spent three years of his service in Veliky Bor, until on 4 April 1896; he received a new posting to the village of Turki in the Bobruisk county. There, he would minister for almost a decade. His parish included eleven villages, drawing nearly five thousand souls to the church. Concurrently, he also tended to the chapel in the village of Bircha. In Turki, he and his wife welcomed a daughter, Nina, and three sons: Theodosius, Tikhon, and Nikolai.

orthodox music

Beyond his priestly duties, Father Alexei served as a religious instructor at the Turki village school, a spiritual investigator for the first district of the Bobruisk county, a member of the Audit Commission of the Parichi Women’s Theological College, a district supervisor of church schools in Bobruisk, and a member of the Bobruisk District Branch of the Minsk Diocesan School Council. Thanks to Father Alexei’s efforts, a wooden Church of the Holy Trinity, complete with a bell tower, refectory, and other buildings, rose in Turki in 1898.

With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in February 1904, Father Alexei, like all men liable for military service, was listed in the military rolls as a second-class reservist. As Chairman of the Turki Guardianship, he led fundraising efforts for the front lines. The people responded generously to their shepherd’s calls. For his dedication, Father Alexei received two silver medals: one from the Red Cross and the other commemorating Emperor Alexander III.

Church of the Holy Trinity, Turki Village

Church of the Holy Trinity, Turki Village, photo 1941

In addition to these civic awards, Father Alexei’s devoted service earned him honours from the Church. His first award, a nabedrennik, came in 1899. In subsequent years, his ministry was further acknowledged with a velvet purple skufia, a Holy Bible from the Holy Synod, a kamilavka, a pectoral cross, and elevation to the rank of archpriest.

His dedication to church-school matters earned him an Archpastoral blessing in 1902, as noted in the “Diocesan Gazette.” Yet, amidst these honours, Father Alexei remained humble and modest. In a 1922 questionnaire for parish registration at the executive committee, he wrote: “Due to lack of means and difficulty in travelling to Minsk, I am unable to receive ordination as an archpriest and obtain the required certificate. Therefore, although honoured with this rank, until I fulfil this requirement with my spiritual administration, I refer to myself as a priest and sign accordingly.”

Despite any personal hardship or other challenges, Father Alexei steadfastly discharged all his duties and responsibilities. His zeal in teaching God’s Law in the parish schools of the Minsk diocese repeatedly earned him the gratitude and commendation of the bishop.

In Mozyr

After a decade of ministry in Turki, Father Alexei received a new assignment on 16 October 1907, taking him to Mozyr. There, until the close of 1917, he served in St. Michael’s Cathedral and imparted religious instruction at the Mozyr Women’s Government Gymnasium and the Boys’ Parish School. A surviving character reference from 1915 paints a vivid portrait of Father Alexei: “...Priest Alexei Mogilnitsky has been in service since 1892, his conduct exemplary. He approaches his duties with zeal, diligently delivers sermons and instructions, leads an exemplary life, maintains excellent relations with his family, performs baptisms by immersion, has never been fined, has not been subject to reprimands or legal proceedings, has not been under investigation or trial, has not taken leave, has not been off-staff or without a post, and has received awards, including the pectoral cross.”

Saint Michael's Cathedral in Mozyr

Saint Michael's Cathedral in Mozyr

Tragedy struck in 1912 with the passing of Matushka Anastasia Ivanovna at the young age of 37, leaving Father Alexei with five young children. Yet, the Lord did not forsake them, providing him with the strength and means to raise them. Though the burden was heavy, Father Alexei nurtured and guided his children, ensuring each received a good education and grew into upstanding individuals. An elderly housekeeper, Khioniya Pavlovna Podolskaya, now assisted the family with domestic affairs.

The paths of the Mogilnitsky children diverged. Theodosius, as a young man during the First World War, journeyed to America and later taught theology for many years at Boston University. Larissa graduated from the Parichi Theological College in 1913 and married, but soon found herself widowed. She lived in Gomel, working as a teacher, before relocating with her children to Rostov. Nikolai taught in the town of Slovechno in the Ukrainian SSR until 1923. Nina initially worked for the Krukovichi Volost Executive Committee in the Rechitsa county before moving with her husband, Nikolai, to Gomel, where they resided until 1939, eventually settling in Bialystok. Tikhon, in 1912, attended the Mozyr Boys’ Gymnasium, and sadly, this is all that is known of his fate.

His priestly service in Lelchitsy

The turbulent years of revolution arrived. In 1920, Father Alexei received a new calling to the town of Lelchitsy in the Mozyr county, where he continued his ministry until his own ascent to Golgotha.

Holy Martyr Alexei of Lelchitsy with his children and grandchildren

Holy Martyr Alexei of Lelchitsy with his children and grandchildren

The ancient parish of Lelchitsy, established in the 18th century, belonged to the Skrygalovo deanery in the early 20th century. Father Alexei served in the Holy Trinity Church, built in 1889 on the site of its predecessor. The 1920s proved a perilous time for all believers, a time of grave danger for the priesthood. In 1922, a campaign to confiscate church valuables swept through Eastern Belarus, and it did not spare the Trinity Church.

Anti-religious propaganda held sway, and those weak in faith succumbed. While the Lelchitsy parish boasted 4,539 Orthodox faithful in 1917, this number had dwindled by almost half by 1925. Yet, steadfast souls like Father Alexei remained, unwavering in their devotion to God, the Church, their flock, and their priestly mission.

The final seventeen years of Father Alexei’s life were a testament to his unwavering faith. Persecuted and humiliated, he never renounced his beliefs. In 1930, a people’s court sentenced him to a month of forced labour for “possession of small-denomination coins” — an absurd charge typical of those deranged times. In the autumn of 1935, the church itself fell victim to the regime, its sacred space desecrated and repurposed as a grain store.

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Lelchitsy

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Lelchitsy, modern view

Even so, Father Alexei continued his ministry, now within the walls of his own home. A surviving interrogation transcript records his simple explanation: “I performed religious rites in the Lelchitsy church until the autumn of 1935, after which I began conducting them in my apartment, such as baptisms of newborns, commemorations of the departed, and more.” His home truly became a sanctuary. People flocked to him from neighbouring villages, seeking spiritual guidance and solace in these trying times. They partook in the sacraments, requested prayers, baptisms, and funeral services. This did not go unnoticed. The authorities, seeking any pretext for action against Father Alexei, laid several traps. Following these provocations, they accused him of counter-revolutionary activities.

Among the charges levelled against him was an incident on Easter Sunday in 1937, which coincided with May Day. Women from the nearby village of Simonichi, denied permission to worship in the church on this holy day, forced the lock and entered the building. This, too, became a factor in Father Alexei’s arrest on 14th August 1937.

The final step towards sainthood

Imprisoned in Mozyr, Father Alexei knew his Golgotha was near. The charges under Articles 72 and 76 of the BSSR Criminal Code were a litany of fabricated accusations:

“As a member of a counter-revolutionary group, he systematically slandered the Soviet government, praised life in fascist Poland and Germany, actively campaigned against all Party and government measures in the village, urging people to leave the collective farm. He spread provocative rumours about an imminent war and the defeat of the Soviet government, organised illegal gatherings where he conducted counter-revolutionary work.”

Father Alexei did not admit his guilt. His case was submitted for review. On 27 September 1937, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, an NKVD troika sentenced him to death. On 20 October 1937, a single shot rang out in Mozyr. The sentence had been carried out.

Such was the life journey of Father Alexei Mogilnitsky, who followed Christ with meekness and courage. Fifty years had passed since his earthly demise, when on 7 June 1989, the Feast of the Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist, Father Alexei received posthumous rehabilitation.

In 2010, the Holy Church glorified this confessor and martyr for the faith, canonising him as a locally venerated saint. The feast day of the Holy Martyr Alexei of Lelchitsy falls on 20 October (7 October Old Style).

It's striking that Father Alexei's arrest fell on 14 August 1937, the Feast of the Procession of the Venerable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Then, on 27 September 1937, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross itself, his death sentence was pronounced. A chilling symmetry, woven into the fabric of his martyrdom.
Through the holy martyr Alexei of Lelchitsy's prayers, may the Lord grant us, too, the strength to bear our own crosses with honour, unto the very end.
Send us your prayer requests to the holy martyr Alexei Lelchitsky via the link. https://obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request

October 16, 2024
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3 months ago

Seraphima

3 months ago
Thank you so much for this inspiring story of Holy Martyr St Alexei.
Stories like this one of the lives of Saints, give us the Faithful, strength to carry on, and never give up, in spite of our difficult lives , trials and persecutions.
We are so grateful to God that you all are there at St. Elizabeth's Convent, faithfully serving Christ and being literally, a Light to the World.
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