John Pankratovich, Presbyter

To the Holy Martyr John Pankratovich, priest, born in 1870 in the city of Kletsk, Slutsk district of the Minsk province. In the 1920s and the first half of the 1930s, he served as the rector of the Holy Protection Church in the village of Chizhevichi. After the church was closed in 1934, Father John secretly performed baptisms and funerals. During the All-Union census, he advised parishioners to indicate their affiliation with the Orthodox Church. On August 23, 1937, he was arrested, accused of 'committing religious activities.' During the interrogation, he remained courageous and refused to renounce his priesthood. On October 6, 1937, he was shot in Slutsk.