Hieromonk
In the world, Sheichenko Rodion Ivanovich was born in 1891 in the settlement of Velikaya Mikhailovka, Kursk province. After finishing the church-parish school, he worked as a shoemaker. In 1913, he was drafted into the army, where he graduated from the military-veterinary feldsher school and served until 1918. After demobilization, he became a novice at Optina Monastery on August 26, 1918, where he performed duties as a veterinary feldsher and in the choir.
In 1923, the monastery was closed, and he began to earn a living through shoemaking. In 1928, he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Raphael and was ordained as a hierodeacon. In 1930, he was arrested on charges of counter-revolutionary activities and sentenced to 10 years in camps. He went through the Vysher and Dmitrov camps, where he continued to profess his faith.
In 1943, he was released due to disability but could not return to Kozelsk. In 1944, he was ordained as an hieromonk and appointed as the rector of the Annunciation Church in Kozelsk. He restored the church and helped those in need, opening the doors of his cell to all.
In 1949, he was arrested again and accused of anti-Soviet agitation, sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 1955 and became the second priest at the Annunciation Church, where he continued to serve and help people.
He passed away on June 19, 1957, and was buried in Kozelsk. On May 17, 1989, he was rehabilitated, and on June 22, 2005, his relics were found. On April 11, 2006, he was canonized among the new martyrs and confessors of Russia for church-wide veneration.
