A young
man full of hopes, faith, and aspirations… He wants to serve God and carry the
Word of Christ to the people in the times of persecution and unbelief.
***
January 14, 1930
A cold
prison cell in Sluck. It is snowing. When you look at the intricate snowflakes
dancing around in the air, you can even lose touch with reality for a moment.
However, you come round and start praying again after a while. No one knows
what will happen to you in the next couple of hours…
A local
teacher reported Father Valerian Novicki to the authorities. He was accused of
anti-kolkhoz agitation. In fact, all he had done was speaking out against the
new anti-religious club formed in a neighbouring village, where they staged
blasphemous plays and sketches. He said that he would not perform funerals for
the peasants who visited that club. The priest pleaded not guilty.
A young
man full of hopes, faith, and aspirations… He lives in a cosy house with a wife
and three children.
He wants
to remain alive so badly! He wants to serve God and carry the Word of Christ to
the people in the times of persecution and unbelief… He had made up his mind in
1923, having studied law in the Belarusian State University for two years and
upon seeing the persecutions of the Church. He became a priest, saying, “We’ve
got to rescue the faith!” He was 26 at the time.
He was
aware of the risks and challenges that he was about to face. Being a worthy son
of his father, Archpriest Vasily Novicki, and a faithful warrior of Christ, he
fearlessly took up his cross and carried it to the end. The Lord comforted him
with an opportunity to serve in Holy Trinity Church (v. Teliadavičy, MI), a
wonderful wife, and remarkable children.
Dominica
Ignatievna, the priest’s wife, went to visit her husband in the prison but she
was denied a meeting. She received a note from her husband, which read, “They
offered me to save my life by denying God and my ecclesiastical rank. I
refused. Will you pull through with the children alone?” She wrote back, “Don’t
deny God or your priestly rank. The Lord will help me.”
They were
a gorgeous couple. Look at their amazingly expressive eyes that shone forth
their souls of unearthly beauty! She did not want to part with her beloved
husband: they had dreamed of spending their entire life together in love and
faith, and to have grandchildren. Nonetheless, they had to make their choice
and bear the brunt of it.
Matushka
Dominica was left alone with three children. The family did not know anything
about the fate of Father Valerian until 1975. The sole response to all their
requests was that he had died of a stomach-related illness in exile.
February
23, 1930. The country was celebrating the Day of the Red Army and Navy for the
twelfth time.
The three
prisoners sentenced to shooting were brought to the rifle range. They were
offered life in exchange for disavowing their faith in God and priestly rank.
The
ground was frozen. Digging out a grave wasn’t easy. Especially for oneself. Can
you imagine what it could be like to dig out your own grave, especially when
you are just thirty-three?
— Fire!
Several
tomtits were scared away by the shot. They were the only witnesses of that
tragedy.
People do
not know where these three graves are even now. What we know is that
Hieromartyr Valerian Novicki intercedes before God for all of us and for the
peace in our land.
Prepared by Sister Tatiana Khomiankova
and Sister Maria
Kotova
December 28, 2017
St.
Elisabeth Convent
CONVERSATION