Presbyter
Father Roman Ivanovich Medved, a confessor, was born on October 1, 1874, in the Kholm Province. After receiving a theological education, he dedicated himself to pastoral service, following the example of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt. In 1900, he was ordained as a priest and served in the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross in the Chernigov Province.
From 1907, he served as the rector of the Admiralty St. Vladimir Cathedral in Sevastopol, where he was respected among sailors. In 1912, he quelled unrest on the battleship “Saint John Chrysostom” and confessed sailors sentenced to execution. In 1918, after threats of execution from the revolutionary committee, he moved to Moscow.
In Moscow, he ministered to the parish of St. Basil the Blessed, and later was transferred to the Church of St. Alexius, where he organized the “Brotherhood of Zealots of Orthodoxy.” In 1921, he was arrested but released under an amnesty. Despite deteriorating health, he continued his pastoral service.
In the 1930s, he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in the Solovetsky camps. He worked as a guard and accountant, continuing to maintain spiritual connections with his flock. In 1936, he returned to Maloyaroslavets, where he continued his ministry, taking monastic vows in the riasophor with the name Joseph.
He passed away on August 26 (September 8 in the new style) 1937 and was buried in Maloyaroslavets. On August 3, 1999, his relics were discovered and transferred to Moscow. He was canonized among the ranks of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in August 2000.
