Saint Alexander Men was born on the 22 of January 1935 in Moscow to a Jewish family. When he was six months of age his mother converted to Orthodoxy and sought baptism in the persecuted catacomb Orthodox Church. Saint Alexander’s Family was not unfamiliar with suffering for when he was six years of age, his father was sent to the Ural Mountains where he spent more than a year under arrest. Men began his studies as a youth at the Moscow Fur and Down institute, however, in the year 1955, Saint Alexander transferred to the Irkutsk Agricultural Institute. However, due to the fact that Saint Alexander was a man of faith he was expelled from his studies in the year 1958. However, all was not lost for in that same year Saint Alexander was ordained to the rank of Deacon. At this point of his life, Saint Alexander enrolled in the Leningrad Theological College where he pursued his theological studies at the end of which he was ordained to the rank of Presbyter at the completion of his studies in the year 1960.
Saint Alexander was a man who was well respected by many people - even by members of other Christian sects. He appealed to many people because he was not afraid to talk about issues in science and contemporary culture as well as being open to talking to people from other Christian sects. Perhaps it is for this reason some accuse him of being involved in the heresy of ecumenism, however, what Saint Alexander showed was a willingness to meet people on their own terms in an attempt to guide them towards the truth. Indeed, this is something we all are called to do as Christians! Throughout his life, Saint Alexander served a number of parishes around Moscow. In each of these parishes there came to be a great renewal in the faith which had been so terribly persecuted by the evil communists with their devilish doctrine of socialism. Indeed, because of Saint Alexander’s work, many thousands of people came to accept the truth of Orthodoxy – a fact that Saint Alexander will always be remembered for.
Saint Alexander was a man who was fearless in the spreading of the Gospel – because of this he was always under constant surveillance by the KGB. Nonetheless, Saint Alexander continued in his missionary work – one gets a real sense that he desired to see all brought into the truth of the faith. In the late 1980’s he started to spread the Gospel using the medium of the mass media – in this time he recorded a series of homilies. Sadly, only one of these homilies have come down to us the others were mysteriously destroyed! Further to this work, Saint Alexander was a founding member of the Russian Bible Society a society which has worked tirelessly to spread the message of the Gospel.
Sadly, in the village of Semkhoz on 9th of September 1990, Saint Alexander was martyred on his way to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Parish of Novaya Derevnya by an unknown assailant. What is interesting is that despite calls for his Martyrdom to be further investigated by the police nothing has come of these requests - which would seem to indicate that those high up in the government and the Church of his day had motives to ensure that he was silenced! Saint Alexander is the perfect example of a how we as Christians are to be – a light to the world. Saint Alexander was not afraid to talk to people of all walks of life and because of this, he understood what people were experiencing in their day to day lives. Furthermore, Saint Alexander did not give up he forged a path ahead for many and showed them the way that they should walk. Indeed, let us do our utmost to imitate the life of Saint Alexander for by his example many people were led to Christ and had the opportunity to become members of His Body the Church.
Troparion Hymn (tone 4)
Venerable Father Alexander, you were a descendant from the people of the elder law via blood. Therefore, he whose blood was shed upon the cross illumined you with the knowledge that he is the light of the nations and glory of Israel. Your heart burned with the desire to know, love and proclaim his name to the captives and he in turn called you to his service as a presbyter of his Holy Church. Intercede to the Lord that he save us his people and open the eyes of the spiritually blind.
Kontakion Hymn (tone 6)
Holy Father Alexander, God raised you up as another Stephen to give witness to the wondrous love he has for his people. Yet many despised you for their hearts did not understand, but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit challenged them through the gift of theology for that age imparted you. They in turn rendered your robes with the stains of your very life blood to silence you. Christ who is Bishop of his Church then raised you amongst the saints who died testifying his Name to the world. Pray that the Church continually rids itself of all worldly cares.
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