Hieromartyr
Johannes Värk
An Orthodox priest honored as a martyr, who died for the faith in 1952.
Life
Holy Hieromartyr Johannes Värk was born on 3 August 1904 in the village of Ilmjärve, Sangaste parish, in Valgamaa. He was ordained deacon on 16 December 1934 and priest on 9 June 1935. From 1935 to 1937 he served the parish of the Baptism of the Lord in Velise, and from 1937 to 1949 the parish of the Appearance of the Mother of God in Ilmjärve.
After 1949 he was taken to Siberia, where he died in a camp on 20 May 1952, in the village of Chernogorsky in the Kormilovka district of the Omsk region.
The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided in March 2019, on the proposal of the Orthodox Church of Estonia, to enter among the saints those who died as martyrs or confessors of the faith between 1944 and 1955, in the first years of Soviet rule after the war: Bishop Peter of Tartu and Pechory and a number of clergy and laity. They are remembered on 20 August.
Commemorated the same day August 20
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AmadourVenerable · Hermit of RocamadourAug 20
Theocharis of NeapolisNew Martyr · New martyr of NeapolisAug 20
Peter PähkelConfessor · Bishop of Petseri and TartuAug 20- Heliodorus of Bet ZabdaiHieromartyr · Bishop of Bet ZabdaiAug 20
- 37 Martyrs of PlovdivHoly MartyrsAug 20
- 37 Venerable Martyrs of BizyeHoly Venerable MartyrsAug 20
- Achilles of ThraceMartyrAug 20
- Agathon of ThraceMartyrAug 20
- Alexander GadalinNew MartyrAug 20
- Alexander MalinovskyHieromartyrAug 20