Presbyter
Saint Hieromartyr Michael Petrovich Plyashevsky was born on November 1, 1862, in the village of Voronichi, in the Igumensky district of Minsk Province. He came from a family of clergy with a long-standing tradition of service to the Church. After completing his studies at the Minsk Theological School, he continued his education at the Minsk Theological Seminary. Upon graduating in 1890, he was ordained to the priesthood.
In 1893, he was appointed rector of the Church of the Intercession in the village of Pogoreloye, in the Igumensky district of Minsk Province. During his nineteen years of service there, he devoted his life to the spiritual care and salvation of his flock. His fervent preaching and deeply spiritual way of life earned him the love and respect of all who knew him.
In 1912, he was transferred to the village of Shatsk, in the same district, where he was appointed rector of the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah. There, too, he gained the love and esteem of the faithful. On June 25, 1914, he was elected to serve a three-year term as a representative at the diocesan congress.
After the Bolsheviks came to power, Father Michael was subjected to persecution by the authorities and repeatedly arrested on false charges. In 1929–1930, he was imprisoned. In 1932, he endured a new investigation that lasted three months, while in 1933, he was arrested and detained for three weeks. Despite his advanced age and declining health, Father Michael remained steadfast in his faith and priestly calling, refusing to compromise his conscience.
Soon afterward, the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah was closed and Father Michael was forced to celebrate the Divine Services in private homes. He also gathered signatures from the faithful in an effort to secure the reopening of the church. During the All-Union Census of 1937, he encouraged the residents of Shatsk not to fear the Soviet authorities, but to courageously profess their faith.
Father Michael was lastly arrested on July 17, 1937, accused of anti-Soviet and counter-revolutionary activities. He was imprisoned in the NKVD prison in Cherven. Enduring torture with steadfastness, he refused to renounce his priestly dignity and boldly denounced the brutality of the atheistic regime. On August 12, 1937, he was sentenced to death, together with John Voronts and Alexander Shpakovsky, the churchwarden of the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah. Saint Michael was executed on August 19, 1937.
On March 21, 1989, he was officially rehabilitated by the Soviet authorities. On October 28, 1999, the Holy Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church established his local veneration as a saint. In August 2000, at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, Saint Michael Plyashevsky was officially glorified among the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.
