St. Macarius of Moscow, Apostle of the Altai

Joyous feast! С праздником! St. Macarius II (Nevskiy) of Moscow and the Altai was one of the lights of the Church of Rus' in the 19th century. Born to a poor family in rural central Russia, he later felt called to witness amongst the Altai and served in that region as a translator, evangelist, and teacher. While there he became a monk and was ordained to the holy priesthood and the later consecrated a bishop, becoming the head of the mission to the Altai in the meantime.

In 1912 Tsar St. Nicholas named St. Macarius Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna and a member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in recognition of the archbishop's praiseworthy missionary labors in Siberia amongst the Altai. In 1917 the interim government of Russia removed St. Macarius from his see and was sent into internal exile in a monastery, later being persecuted by the Bolsheviks and dying in 1926 of pneumonia.

St. Macarius was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000. A full account of his life and labors can be found here. May his blessing and prayers be with us all!