Igor Akulov
Akulov, Igor
Igor A. Akulov (Epiphanius (shark); 13 April 1897 , the village of Novo-Nikitskaya Korchevsky county province of Tver - 27 August 1937 , Leningrad ).
Born in an orthodox family of farmers. He graduated from Technical High School ( 1918 ), studied at the Petrograd Theological Institute ( 1920 - 1922 ). In 1918-1920 worked as a clerk at the Nikolaev Railroad , served as a mobilization of the Red Army , was engaged in trade. From 1920 - novice Alexander Nevsky Lavra , 2 July 1921 he was tonsured a monk with the name of the Epiphany.
Significant role in his fate played a familiarity with the Russian Exarch Leonid Fyodorov . Under his influence the young Orthodox monk began attending Catholic services, and the summer of 1922 joined the Catholic Church and was ordained a Catholic priest Eastern rite. Since August 1922 - The Vicar of the parish of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in Petrograd (Byzantine Rite). Also served in the Latin parish of St. Boniface. According to Leonid Fedorov:
Infinite mercy of God, and there has not left us, sent us a young priest-monk Epiphanius. He came to us in the midst of the struggle for the Church, but not scared and did not retreat. Protestantism and rationalism, he was not touched. Служит он прекрасно. It serves well."
In 1923, after the closure of the church, secretly served at the apartment. 23 November 1923 was arrested - after the arrests of other priests and their parishioners (during which he was not in Petrograd), he went to the police station and claimed to be a priest and grekokatolikom. He was accused of the Catholic counter-revolutionary organization. 19 May 1924 was sentenced to 10 years in prison, was in Alexander's political prison under the Irkutsk . In 1927 released early and sent into exile. In 1933 freed from exile, he served in various churches in St. Petersburg. Akulov was a good preacher, preached in Russian. In 1935 was arrested again a short time.
26 July 1937 was last arrested on Aug. 25 sentenced to death and executed on August 27. Buried at Levashovskaya wasteland in St. Petersburg [citation needed 400 days] .
In 2003 officially began his process of beatification (chargeability to the ranks of the blessed).
References
Martyrology of the Catholic Church in the USSR. 2000
Links
Biography