Presbyter
Alexander Semyonovich Shalay was born on November 20, 1879, in Slutsk. After graduating from the Slutsk Spiritual School and the Minsk Spiritual Seminary, he was ordained as a deacon on August 13, 1901, and as a priest on August 15. He served in the churches of the Mozyr and Borisov districts, and later in the Holy Trinity Church of the village of Blon.
Father Alexander was a diligent prayer and a caring pastor. In 1935, when the church was closed, he showed courage by addressing those gathered with condemnation of their actions. After the church's closure, he continued to perform services at the request of parishioners.
Arrested on August 6, 1937, he was accused of “counter-revolutionary agitation,” but the true reason for his arrest was his unwillingness to renounce his faith. Without trial or investigation, on October 10, 1937, he was sentenced to execution. He was killed on November 14, 1937, in Bobruisk, suffering for the confession of the Orthodox faith. In 1999, he was recognized by the Holy Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church as a locally venerated Belarusian saint.
