Bishop
Saint John (in the world Ivan Efimovich Troyansky) was born on November 10, 1862, in the village of Novo-Klinskoe, Voronezh province, into a priest's family. He graduated from the Tambov Theological Seminary and was ordained a priest on September 10, 1884. After the death of his wife, Fr. John was consecrated by the Renovationist bishops in 1922 as a bishop. In November 1924, he severed ties with the Renovationists, for which he was banned from serving. In early 1925, he repented and, as an appointee of the bishops of the old order, was accepted back into the same rank and appointed Bishop of Akmolinsk and Petropavlovsk, vicar of the Omsk diocese. On March 9, 1932, Bishop John was appointed to the see in Rybinsk. However, the authorities did not forgive him for leaving the Renovationists, and shortly after his appointment, he was arrested and sentenced to three years of exile. Upon returning from exile in 1935, he was appointed Bishop of Velikoluksk and Toropets and settled in the city of Toropets, Tver region. After much effort, he received registration and permission from the civil authorities to serve in the churches of the city, and he tried to serve as often as possible, addressing the worshippers with sermons after each service. Malicious individuals reported to the NKVD that he spoke in his sermons about the undeniable existence of God, the great importance of holiness and saints in our lives, as well as the miraculous icons; the miracles performed through the prayers of the saints and the believer's appeal to the miraculous image—these are facts. Moreover, he lured children into the church with treats and cookies. For example, in the Ascension Church, he distributed candies and gingerbread to children in the middle of the church. On July 23, 1937, Bishop John was arrested and imprisoned in the Toropets prison. On August 31, the NKVD Troika sentenced His Grace John to execution. Bishop John was shot on September 4, 1937. He was canonized among the ranks of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia at the Jubilee Archpastoral Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000 for church-wide veneration.
