Paul Khomich

Paul Khomich (Belarusian: Paval Homich, 17 October 1893, Volkovysk, Grodno Region – died on 10 September 1942, Saint Petersburg, now Russian Federation) was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, the head of the Apostolic Administration of Leningrad.

Family and education

Born into a family of an employee of the district treasury belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church and being baptized Orthodox, Khomich converted to Catholicism in 1905 (when the adoption of the Decree on religious tolerance transition from Orthodoxy to another religion is no more a criminal offense, a lot of people whose ancestors were Roman Catholic or Greek Catholics have left the Orthodox Church). He graduated from Catholic Petrograd Theological Seminary (1916), studied at the Catholic Theological Academy of Petrograd, which was not completed due to its closure in 1918.

The beginning of the church

Since 1916 Khomich was a Catholic priest, served in Petrograd and Vyritsa. Since 1920 he became head of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Pskov, also conducted services in the branch chapels Island, Day and Porkhov. In 1923 many members of the Catholic clergy of Petrograd were arrested. At this time, a young priest from Pskov became the rector of Saint Casimir's Church in Saint Petersburg, and then as administrator of Our Lady of Czestochowa Church in Ligovo and Saint Alexis in Peterhof. Khomich has worked with youth, organizing for her educational and religious circles, teaching young people the law of God. Also led to his parish community of Franciscan laymen, which at that time about 40 people. In 1926 headed the third Franciscan order in Leningrad, which consisted of several hundred people.

In prison and exile

In December 1926 he was arrested, briefly released soon, but in January 1927 was arrested again. Initially sentenced to three years in prison, and on 27 June 1927 followed by a new sentence of 10 years in prison on charges of "counter-revolutionary religious conduct activities among the youth and the faithful of the parish, as well as the creation of an illegal anti-Soviet brotherhood member of the Third Order Franciscan." On 3 July 1927 was in the Solovki prison camp. Participated in church services held in Herman, preached in Polish and Russian. Unofficially Khomich was considered the head of the community of Catholic priests of the Latin Rite. After the ban of worship continued to serve Mass in secret. In March 1929, along with other Catholic priests, was transferred to a penal trip to the Anzer island, where he was held under harsh conditions. Despite this he continued to celebrate mass daily. In 1932 was one of the players of the next case against Catholic priests accused of anti-Soviet propaganda among the prisoners – one of the main charges were conducting secret worship. Also priests accused of being "influenced by other prisoners – Catholics by giving cash benefits of amounts received from their colleagues and organizations in the wild in the form of remittances, led talks on religious subjects, recruiting in this way like-minded people in the camp ". During the interrogation, said: "In my letters, I emphasized the fact that he is satisfied with his lot, that is what my God said that bear suffering, enhancing feelings of believers." Khomich was transferred to the prison in Leningrad on 27 May 1933, sentenced to a year of punishment cells and was imprisoned in Siverskoye camps, the Far East, and from 1935 to 1936 again at Solovki prison camp.

In recent years, the secret service

In November 1936 Khomich was released. He lived in the cities of Kostroma, Kaluga and in Siberia. In August 1939 in Leningrad, continued secretly to serve. From 1941 to 1942 secretly take care of the Apostolic Administration of Leningrad. Together with his parishioners remained in the city during the siege.

The last arrest and death

On 15 July 1942, at the re-registration of passports has been arrested, accused of organizing the underground church, anti-Soviet and defeatist propaganda and defamation of the Soviet government. On 1 September 1942, was sentenced to death, nine days later the sentence was carried out Kolmich died.

Beatification

In 2003 officially began the process of beatification of Paul Khomich.

References

External links

v t e Saints of the Catholic Church
Dicastery for the Causes of Saints Stages of canonization: Servant of God → Venerable → Blessed → Saint
Virgin Mary	Mother of God (Theotokos) Immaculate Conception Perpetual virginity Assumption Marian apparition Titles of Mary Joseph (husband)
Apostles	Andrew Barnabas Bartholomew James of Alphaeus James the Great John Jude Matthew Matthias Paul Peter Philip Simon Thomas
Archangels	Gabriel Michael in the Catholic Church Raphael
Confessors	Anatolius Anthony of Kiev Athanasius the Confessor Chariton the Confessor Dominic Edward the Confessor Francis of Assisi Francis Borgia Homobonus Lazarus Zographos Louis Bertrand Maximus the Confessor Michael of Synnada Paphnutius the Confessor Paul I of Constantinople Peter Claver Salonius Sergius of Radonezh Theophanes the Confessor Pio of Pietrelcina
Disciples	Apollos Mary of Bethany Mary Magdalene Priscilla and Aquila Silvanus Stephen Timothy Titus Seventy disciples
Doctors of the Church	Gregory the Great Ambrose Augustine of Hippo Jerome John Chrysostom Basil of Caesarea Gregory of Nazianzus Athanasius of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Jerusalem John of Damascus Bede the Venerable Ephrem the Syrian Thomas Aquinas Bonaventure Anselm of Canterbury Isidore of Seville Peter Chrysologus Leo the Great Peter Damian Bernard of Clairvaux Hilary of Poitiers Alphonsus Liguori Francis de Sales Peter Canisius John of the Cross Robert Bellarmine Albertus Magnus Anthony of Padua Lawrence of Brindisi Teresa of Ávila Catherine of Siena Thérèse of Lisieux John of Ávila Hildegard of Bingen Gregory of Narek Irenaeus
Evangelists	Matthew Mark Luke John
Church Fathers	Alexander of Alexandria Alexander of Jerusalem Ambrose of Milan Anatolius Athanasius of Alexandria Augustine of Hippo Caesarius of Arles Caius Cappadocian Fathers Clement of Alexandria Clement of Rome Cyprian of Carthage Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Jerusalem Damasus I Desert Fathers Desert Mothers Dionysius of Alexandria Dionysius of Corinth Dionysius Ephrem the Syrian Epiphanius of Salamis Fulgentius of Ruspe Gregory the Great Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa Hilary of Poitiers Hippolytus of Rome Ignatius of Antioch Irenaeus of Lyons Isidore of Seville Jerome of Stridonium John Chrysostom John of Damascus Maximus the Confessor Melito of Sardis Quadratus of Athens Papias of Hierapolis Peter Chrysologus Polycarp of Smyrna Theophilus of Antioch Victorinus of Pettau Vincent of Lérins Zephyrinus
Martyrs	Abda and Abdisho Boris and Gleb Charles de Foucauld Canadian Martyrs Carthusian Martyrs Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala Christina of Persia Devasahayam Pillai Dismas the Good Thief Forty Martyrs of England and Wales Four Crowned Martyrs Gerard of Csanád Great Martyr The Holy Innocents Irish Martyrs John Fisher Korean Martyrs Lorenzo Ruiz Martyrs of Lübeck Luigi Versiglia Martyrology Martyrs of Albania Martyrs of Algeria Martyrs of Cajonos Martyrs of Drina Martyrs of China Martyrs of Gorkum Martyrs of Japan 21 Martyrs of Libya Martyrs of La Rioja Martyrs of Damascus Martyrs of Laos Martyrs of Natal Martyrs of Otranto Martyrs of Prague Martyrs of Sandomierz Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War Martyrs of Zenta Maximilian Kolbe Óscar Romero Pedro Calungsod Perpetua and Felicity Peter Chanel Pietro Parenzo Philomena Saints of the Cristero War Stephen Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Titus Brandsma 17 Thomasian Martyrs Thomas Becket Thomas More Three Martyrs of Chimbote Ulma Family Uganda Martyrs Vietnamese Martyrs Valentine of Rome Victor and Corona Zanitas and Lazarus of Persia
Missionaries	Augustine of Canterbury Boniface Damien of Molokai Evermode of Ratzeburg Francis Xavier François de Laval Gregory the Illuminator Junípero Serra Nino of Georgia Patrick of Ireland Remigius
Patriarchs	Adam Abel Abraham Isaac Jacob Joseph Joseph (father of Jesus) David Noah Solomon Matriarchs
Popes	Adeodatus I Adeodatus II Adrian III Agapetus I Agatho Alexander I Anacletus Anastasius I Anicetus Anterus Benedict II Boniface I Boniface IV Caius Callixtus I Celestine I Celestine V Clement I Cornelius Damasus I Dionysius Eleuterus Eugene I Eusebius Eutychian Evaristus Fabian Felix I Felix III Felix IV Gelasius I Gregory I Gregory II Gregory III Gregory VII Hilarius Hormisdas Hyginus Innocent I John I John XXIII John Paul II Julius I Leo I Leo II Leo III Leo IV Leo IX Linus Lucius I Marcellinus Marcellus I Mark Martin I Miltiades Nicholas I Paschal I Paul I Paul VI Peter Pius I Pius V Pius X Pontian Sergius I Silverius Simplicius Siricius Sixtus I Sixtus II Sixtus III Soter Stephen I Stephen IV Sylvester I Symmachus Telesphorus Urban I Victor I Vitalian Zachary Zephyrinus Zosimus
Prophets	Agabus Amos Anna Baruch ben Neriah David Elijah Ezekiel Habakkuk Haggai Hosea Isaiah Jeremiah Job Joel John the Baptist Jonah Judas Barsabbas Malachi Melchizedek Micah Moses Nahum Obadiah Samuel Seven Maccabees and their mother Simeon Zechariah (prophet) Zechariah (NT) Zephaniah
Virgins	Agatha of Sicily Agnes of Rome Angela of the Cross Æthelthryth Bernadette Soubirous Catherine of Bologna Brigid of Kildare Catherine Labouré Catherine of Siena Cecilia Clare of Assisi Eulalia of Mérida Euphemia Faustina Kowalska Faustina and Liberata of Como Genevieve Hiltrude of Liessies Joan of Arc Kateri Tekakwitha Lucy of Syracuse Maria Goretti María de las Maravillas de Jesús Narcisa de Jesús Patricia of Naples Rosalia Rose of Lima Teresa of the Andes Teresa of Calcutta Trasilla and Emiliana Ubaldesca Taccini Josephine Bakhita
See also	Calendar of saints Four Holy Marshals Fourteen Holy Helpers Martyr of charity Military saints Athleta Christi Miles Christianus Church Militant Seven Champions Virtuous pagan
Catholic Church portal Saints portal