Presbyter
Saint Sergius was born on August 6, 1884, in the village of Yeltsino, Vladimir Province, into the family of priest Mikhail Rufitsky. All four of Mikhail's sons became priests and accepted martyrdom. Sergius graduated from the seminary in 1904, was ordained a priest in 1907, and served in the church of the village of Sedikovo. In 1919, he was transferred to the church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Ivanovo, where he served until his arrest in 1937. Martyr Dmitry was born on October 20, 1879, in the village of Pokrov, Vladimir Province, into the family of priest Ioann Rudakov. From 1901 to 1914, he served as a psalmist in the church of the village of Gavriltsovo, and then in the church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. In 1930, priest Sergius and psalmist Dmitry refused to renounce their faith, while the deacon of the church, Nikolai, renounced and left. After their refusal to renounce, the Ruda family was dispossessed, and Dmitry Ivanovich was sentenced to three years of imprisonment. He returned home after his wife's successful petition. In 1937, Sergius and Dmitry were arrested and sentenced to execution. The execution took place on November 27, 1937, at the Butovo firing range, where they were buried in an unmarked grave.
