DECISION of Holy Bishops' Council of Russian Orthodox Church on the report of Metropolitan Yuvenaliy of Krutitsa and Kolomna, Chairman of the Synodal Commission on the Canonization of Saints
June 24-29, 2008. Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior

1. To approve the work of the Synod Commission on the canonization of saints in the period between councils.
2. To glorify in the choir of universal saints and to include in the calendar of saints of the Russian Orthodox Church the names:
* Anthony (Smirnitsky, 1773-1846), Bishop of Voronezh, setting the day of his memory on December 20 (January 2);
* John (Maximovich, 1896-1966), Bishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, setting a day of his memory on June 19 (July 2);
* The righteous women, Hegumeness Iulianiya (1300-1393) and the nun Evpraksiya (1302 - 1394) of Moscow, setting the day of their memory on May 3 (16).
3. Report the names of these saints to the Leaders of fraternal Orthodox Churches to include them in the list of saints.
4. Instruct the Holy Synod during the time between councils to consider and decide matters related to the glorification of Saints Russian Orthodox Church Abroad canonized during the period of separation.
5. [Instruct] the Educational Committee to incorporate into the educational process of theological schools the lives and theological heritage and the new martyrs and confessor of Russia of the twentieth century.


Alexandr

Holy Father John, pray to God for us.

Our parish is celebrating the Feast of St John today (19 June / 2 July) rather than on Saturday. We had a beautiful Vigil this past evening and will have Liturgy this morning.

July 2nd is also my Matushka's Birthday.

Happy Feastday to all.

Fr David Straut

Dear Father David,

I had read a book about him which I picked up at the Greek Orthodox monastery in Roscoe. He was such a holy man. May his holiness sanctify San Francisco and turn it away from sin and back to God.

H A P P Y * B I R T H D A Y to your wife and matushka!!!
and may God bless her with many happy and healthy years. AMEN!

In Christ our Lord,
Alice

When ROC glorified the Romanov family, it did not glorify the servants who were murdered with them, nor did ROC glorify the Grand Dukes who were murdered with Saint Elizabeth Feodorovna and Saint Barbara in Alapaevsk. ROCOR glorified the servants (it was later discovered that one was actually Roman Catholic and another Lutheran) and the Grand Dukes.

Also, how will the Romanov family be classified when the common martyrology is completed?

Will ROC accept the Romanov family as martyrs or will ROCOR have to accept them as passion-bearers?

Will certain glorifications done by ROCOR be declared invalid or simply ignored?

Very interesting. Basically, what ROCOR did in 1981 is now considered as "local glorification" while the ROC has now glorified St. John of Shanghai for universal veneration.

Does anyone else see the parallels between local and universal glorification on one hand, and beatification (which is really permission for local veneration) and canonization (universal veneration) on the other hand?

Pilgrim,

Not really. The Catholic Church has long canonized Saints whose cultus is observed in a specific locale - one or more canonical jurisdictions or within the jurisdictions of a particular nation - or by a specific religious order or a family of related religious orders. There are many more Saints whose feasts are so observed than are observed universally - elsewise, the Calendar of the Universal Church would be unmanageable in its size and complexity.

Many years,

Neil

It is not unusual for a Local Church (not necessarily autocephalous or autonomous) to canonize a Saint. It may or may not happen that other Local Churches later include such a Saint in their specific calendars of Saints. There is also precedent for the use of variant services for different Saints in different places. One might compare the 12-volume English Menaion published by the Saint John of Kronstadt Press with the English Menaion published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery.

Fr. Serge