Justin Polyansky

Hierarch Justin Polyansky (in the world Mikhail, 1830-1903) was bishop of Ufa and Menzelinsk, after having served as bishop in Mikhailov, Novomirgorod, Tobolsk and Ryazan, and a dogmatic theologian. He died on 26 September 1903 at the Bizyukov Monastery in the Kherson region. He is commemorated as a holy hierarch on 26 September, in the Synaxis of the Saints of Voronezh (4 September) and in the Synaxis of the Saints of Crimea (15 December).

Youth and studies

He was born on 15 May 1830 in the village of Bogatyrevo, Zemlyansk district, Voronezh province, in a deacon's family. He graduated from the Voronezh seminary in 1853 and, with the blessing of Archbishop Joseph, whom he regarded as his confessor, married an orphan, a priest's daughter. He was ordained deacon on 25 September 1854 and priest the next day, at the church at Kastornoye. He enlarged the village church with two new side altars and built a bell tower and wall. After his wife's death on 16 March 1862 he entered the brotherhood of the Annunciation Monastery of Saint Mitrophan in Voronezh and on 1 June 1864 was tonsured a monk with the name Justin, in honour of the Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher. He was confessor of the people and preacher at the monastery. From 1864 he went to Kyiv and in 1865 entered the Kyiv Theological Academy; he was professor at the Kharkov seminary (1869), inspector at the Lithuanian seminary (1870) and for a time rector, then, in 1872, archimandrite and (1875) rector of the Kostroma seminary, where he wrote "The Orthodox Christian Teaching, or Dogmatic Theology."

Bishop at Kherson and Tobolsk

On 27 January 1885 he was consecrated bishop of Mikhailov, vicar of the Ryazan diocese, and from 10 August 1885 bishop of Novomirgorod, first vicar of the Kherson diocese, where, by his own account, he had an appearance of the Mother of God, who placed on him a wreath of white roses and lilies, and an unseen voice said to him: "The Greater Holy of Holies"; he placed in the Kherson cathedral an icon of the Dormition with a gilded wreath and a plaque with these words, and later, at Tobolsk, he composed the akathist of the Abalak "Sign" icon. From 16 December 1889 he governed the diocese of Tobolsk and Siberia. He made repairs to churches, built a burial church in the Mezhdugorsk monastery, where he wished to be buried, founded the diocesan brotherhood of Saint Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, with a missionary section for the missions of the North (Obdorsk) and of the south of the diocese (Kyrgyz), and a printing house that became the fifth church printing house in Russia. He honoured the memory of the "apostle of Siberia," Metropolitan Philotheus Leshchinsky. In 1893, because of illness, he asked to be retired.

Ryazan and Ufa

He then directed the Peter and Paul Hermitage at Ranenburg, built there the Ascension skete, and from 10 December 1894 was bishop of Ryazan and Zaraisk. He organised the great celebration of 20-22 September 1895 of the 800 years of Ryazan and the 600 years since the repose of Saint Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, wrote the service, akathist and prayers for Saint Basil and for Prince Roman Olgovich, used to this day. On 14 October 1896 he was appointed bishop of Ufa and Menzelinsk, arrived at Ufa on 14 November and founded the diocesan brotherhood of the Resurrection of Christ, with missionary, educational and charitable sections; he appointed teachers and missionaries against the schism and the sects and gave away, at evening services and on journeys through the diocese, up to 300,000 spiritual books and brochures. He wrote numerous sermons and works.