Presbyter
Saint John Voronez, priest-martyr, was born on June 20, 1864, in the family of a priest in the village of Kholopenichi, Borisov district. He graduated from the Minsk Theological Seminary and was ordained a priest in 1888, serving in the town of Smilovichi, Minsk province. In 1930, he spoke out against the policy of robbing peasants in his sermons, which led to his arrest in April 1930. After being exiled to Chernihiv, he returned to Smilovichi and resumed serving in the George Church. He was often summoned for nighttime interrogations by the NKVD. In 1935, the church was closed, and he began to serve secretly, urging people to register as believers during the All-Union census. In July 1937, he was arrested; during interrogations, he did not name anyone and did not confess to any wrongdoing. Priest John Voronez was shot on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord in 1937.
