Episkop Ioasaf Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory Date of Birth: 17.04.1886

1. Early Life and Education
2. Monastic Life and Ordination
3. Pastoral Ministry and Mission Work
4. Elevation to the Episcopate
5. Opposition to the Renovationist Movement
6. Imprisonment and Exile
7. Second Imprisonment and Martyrdom
8. Canonization

Early Life and Education

Ioasaf (Ivan Ivanovich Udalov) was born on April 5, 1886, in Ufa, Russia, into a family of merchants. In 1900, he graduated from the Ufa Theological School and in 1906 from the Ufa Theological Seminary, where he was mentored by Archimandrite Gabriel (Zyryanov). He then enrolled in the Kazan Theological Academy.

Monastic Life and Ordination

During his studies at the academy, Ioasaf met Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky), who had a significant influence on him. Anthony tonsured him as a monk with the name Ioasaf. In 1910, he graduated from the academy with a degree in theology. The same year, he was ordained as a hierodeacon and then as a hieromonk.

Pastoral Ministry and Mission Work

From 1910, Ioasaf served as a teacher at the Zhytomyr Pastoral School. In 1911, he became assistant inspector at the Kazan Theological Academy. From 1912, he served as the superior of the Kazan Spaso-Preobrazhensky Missionary Monastery and chairman of the council of Missionary Courses.

Elevation to the Episcopate

In 1915, Ioasaf was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. In 1920, he became Bishop of Mamadysh, vicar of the Kazan diocese. In 1921, he became temporary administrator of the Kazan diocese after the arrest of Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov).

Opposition to the Renovationist Movement

Ioasaf actively opposed the Renovationist movement that emerged in 1922. He became Bishop of Chistopol, vicar of the same diocese, in 1922. After Easter 1923, he served in Kazan secretly, as all the city's churches had been transferred to the Renovationists.

Imprisonment and Exile

In 1924, Ioasaf was arrested and imprisoned in Butyrskaya Prison. He was released in 1925 on condition that he would not leave Moscow. He participated in the funeral of Patriarch Tikhon in 1925. In 1926, he was sentenced to three years in exile in the Zyryan region.

Second Imprisonment and Martyrdom

After being released from exile in 1929, Ioasaf retired to the town of Kozmodemyansk. He criticized the 1927 Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), which called for full loyalty to the Soviet government. In 1931, he was arrested again and was accused of participating in a counterrevolutionary organization. He was sentenced to three years in prison in 1932 and an additional two years in 1934.

After being released from prison in 1936, Ioasaf settled on the outskirts of Kazan. In 1937, he was arrested again and sentenced to death. He was shot on December 2, 1937, and buried in a mass grave.

Canonization

In 1981, Ioasaf was canonized as a hieromartyr by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. In 2008, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him as a new martyr and confessor of the 20th century.