Hieromartyr, Archbishop Damian (Voskresensky), Archbishop of Kursk

Hieromartyr Damian, born Dmitry Grigoryevich Voskresensky, was born on October 23, 1873, in the village of Brusovoye in Kursk province, into a priest's family. He graduated from Kursk Theological Seminary (1894), the St. Petersburg Theological Academy (1905) with the degree of candidate of theology, and the St. Petersburg Archaeological Institute. He held various positions of church service, was elevated to the episcopate, and in different years headed several dioceses, including Kursk and Oboyan. During the years of persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Damian was repeatedly arrested, exiled, and imprisoned, but did not renounce his faith or his archpastoral ministry. He was shot on November 3, 1937, in the Sandarmokh tract (Karelia) together with a large group of clergy and laity. At the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000, Archbishop Damian (Voskresensky) was numbered among the saints as a new martyr and confessor of Russia. His memory is kept on October 21/November 3.