Saint John Kochurov

Ivan Alexandrovich Kochurov (Russian: Иван Александрович Кочуров; Russian: Иоанн Кочуров) (13 July 1871 (Ryazan, Russia) – 31 October 1917 (Tsarskoye Selo, Russia)), better known as John Kochurov, was a Russian priest of the Russian Orthodox Church who was martyred during the October Revolution. He was one of a number of young, educated Russian priests who came to the United States in the late 1890s as missionaries among the émigrés from Carpathian Ruthenia and Galicia. Kochurov was active in establishing parishes and aiding communities, mainly in the Midwest. After returning to Russia he was assigned to Estonia, where he put into action the teaching skills he learned in America before he was assigned in 1916 to Tsarskoye Selo. There, Kochurov was killed during the early days of the October Revolution, becoming its first hieromartyr. Kochurov's feast day is celebrated on October 31, the day of his execution by the Communists. He is also commemorated on the Synaxis of the first martyrs of the American lands on December 12 and on the feast of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. The latter is celebrated on the Sunday nearest to January 25, which was the date of the martyrdom of Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev, the first of the New Martyrs. John Kochurov was born on June 13, 1871. His father was a priest and John was educated at the Ryazan Theological Seminary where he graduated in 1891. He continued his education at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. He excelled at his studies at both the seminary and academy. After graduating in 1895, Kochurov married and then entered his life's work when he was ordained deacon. On August 27, 1895, he was ordained a priest at the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. The ceremony was carried out by Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) of the Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska.