Presbyter
Saint John was born on January 1, 1864, in the village of Zhelovizh, Kaluga district, Kaluga province, in the family of priest John Speransky. After graduating from the Kaluga Theological Seminary, he was ordained as a priest and served in the churches of the Kaluga diocese. For his impeccable service, he was elevated to the rank of protopresbyter and awarded a mitre. In 1922, Protopresbyter John was arrested and sentenced to one year of imprisonment. In 1937, he was arrested again, accused of counter-revolutionary activities. During interrogations, he denied his guilt and did not acknowledge himself as a participant in a counter-revolutionary organization. On November 19, 1937, the NKVD Troika sentenced him to execution. Protopresbyter John was shot on November 23, 1937, and buried in a common unmarked grave.
