Blessed Walentyna Mińska

Valentina of Minsk, born Valentina Sulkovskaya, née Chernyavskaya (April 7, 1888, in Koski – February 6, 1969, ibid.), was an Orthodox saint. She was born into the family of the Orthodox priest Fyodor Chernyavsky, rector of the St. Nicholas parish in Stankovo (Minsk District) and a teacher, and his wife Zofia. She spent her childhood and youth in the neighboring village of Koski, where her family settled permanently. She had three sisters: Anna, Ksenia, and Olga. A few months before the outbreak of World War I, she married Fyodor Sulkovsky, an employee of the Minsk district administration. Forced to seek additional income due to the family's difficult situation, Valentina completed a clerical work course, though she never took up employment. She stayed with her husband in Orsha until the end of World War I, after which they returned to her home region to run a farm. In 1930, the couple was forced to join the "Rebirth" collective farm established in Stankovo. A year later, her husband was arrested for opposing collectivization; he was released in April 1931 but was permitted to reside only in Astrakhan. Valentina Sulkovskaya remained in Koski with her mother, whom she cared for despite suffering from a severe kidney disease. Her mother died in the late 1930s. Left alone, Valentina Sulkovskaya became involved in spreading the faith in her area. She provided spiritual guidance to those who sought it; according to witnesses, she possessed the gift of clairvoyance and was able to discern people's problems before they confided in her. During her lifetime, she was considered a saint by some and a sorceress by others. She continued her activities for thirty years until her death in 1969. On February 6, 2006, she was canonized by the Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate. Her sister Ksenia was the wife of the priest and later new martyr Sergius Rodakovsky.