Mauricius (Poletaev)

In the world, Poletaev Mikhail Vladimirovich, was born on December 18, 1880, in the city of Kronstadt, Saint Petersburg province. His father, Protodeacon Vladimir Poletaev, served in the Andreevsky Cathedral under John of Kronstadt and was married to Maria Petrovna Nisvitskaya, the niece of Saint John of Kronstadt's wife.

After graduating from seminary, he married and was ordained a priest. He had a son, Vladimir.

In 1908, he moved with his family to Turkmenistan, where he served as a priest with the Russian army.

Later, he served in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky in Vladimir province. He became a widower (presumably before moving to Vladimir province).

In 1927, he took monastic vows at the Nikitsky Monastery in Moscow. His children were adults and lived separately from their father.

He was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and served in the city of Yuryev-Polsky in Vladimir province.

On September 8, 1928, he was arrested in Yuryev-Polsky on charges of "counter-revolutionary activities."

Mauricius was sentenced by the Collegium at the OGPU to three years of exile with the deprivation of the right to reside in six major cities of the country. He was exiled to Orel.

In 1930, after serving his exile, he arrived in Zagorsk (Sergiev Posad) and was appointed rector of the Kukuevsky Church.

On October 21, 1935, he was arrested in Zagorsk on the grounds of "the existence of a counter-revolutionary monarchist group of clergy and church members headed by Monk Mauricius and Monk Igumen Maximilian." He was accused of "anti-Soviet agitation, active participation in a counter-revolutionary group of church members and former monks of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, glorification for counter-revolutionary purposes of the grave of 'Elder Alexei' Solovyov, and spreading provocative rumors." He was involved in a group case, "The Case of the Clergy and Church Members led by Archimandrite Mauricius. Zagorsk. 1936." During the investigation, he was held in the Butyrka prison.

The indictment stated that "in the city of Zagorsk... monks of the 'Sergius Lavra' - Marchenko M.G., also known as Igumen Maximilian... and Poletaev M.V., also known as Archimandrite Mauricius, returned from exile and settled in residence. Marchenko and Poletaev reestablished their ties with monks of the 'Sergius Lavra' and counter-revolutionary minded church members. Marchenko, Poletaev, Kondratyev, Klimov, Grafov, and Krestnikov formed a tightly knit counter-revolutionary group, uniting around themselves monks, nuns, and counter-revolutionary minded church members... spreading false rumors about alleged persecution of believers in the USSR, calling on believers to unite and stand in defense of the Orthodox Church, urging the necessity of organizing new church administration and people unconditionally devoted to the church, who would defend the interests of believers before the Soviet government... Marchenko, Poletaev, Krestnikov, and Kondratyev, for counter-revolutionary purposes, glorified the grave of 'Elder Alexei' (Solovyov), buried at the Kukuevsky cemetery, spreading provocative rumors about alleged cases of healing at his grave, organizing pilgrimages of believers to the grave, while indoctrinating them in an anti-Soviet spirit along the way..."

On February 8, 1936, the Special Meeting at the NKVD sentenced him to three years of corrective labor camp, and the next day he was sent to KarLag.

In 1937, he was arrested in KarLag on charges that "while serving a social protection measure in KarLag NKVD... he created a counter-revolutionary group, which, under the leadership of [Archimandrite Mauricius] Poletaev, systematically gathered, conducted services, spread counter-revolutionary and religious sentiments among the prisoners, aimed at discrediting the Soviet government...". He was involved in a group case "The Case of Archimandrite Mauricius (Poletaev) and others. Karaganda. 1937."

Witnesses in the case testified that Poletaev "was the organizer of meetings of prisoners, held services, [he] had literature, vestments, crosses. Services were held at Poletaev's and Kondratyev's apartments, in the smithy and behind haystacks. In his sermons, Poletaev called on believers not to succumb to the temptation that those who had sold out for temporary well-being had succumbed to... When asked if he planned to break with the clergy, he said that as long as he was alive, he would not renounce his views and opinions... Poletaev is a very devout person, he strictly observes the rules and time of performing rites. He regularly reads akathists and the Gospel. At the end of the readings, he delivers sermons, [in which he calls on] to patiently endure the punishment of the Lord, imposed on us for our sins. That the Lord is merciful, that he sees our suffering for the faith, the mockery of believers by people who have sold themselves to the Antichrist," "...our suffering will come to an end, that the faith of true Christians will triumph in Russia again."

During interrogations, Archimandrite Mauricius stated that "...he was fundamentally loyal to the Soviet government, although the fact of the existence of this system of governance is unpleasant to me," and he denied all other charges, not admitting guilt. He categorically denied any desire to create a counter-revolutionary group. "I keep my prayerful disposition to myself, and I have not manifested it outwardly," said the holy martyr during the interrogation.

On September 28, 1937, he was sentenced to execution by the troika of the UNKVD for the Karaganda region.

He was executed on October 4, 1937, in KarLag. According to the accounts of Bishop Guriy (Yegorov) of Tashkent, who was imprisoned with him in Karaganda, Father Mauricius was severely tortured in the camp before being executed.

On December 15, 1989, he was rehabilitated by the Prosecutor's Office of the Moscow region for the 1936 repressions.

On September 30, 1997, he was rehabilitated by the prosecutor of Karaganda city for the 1937 repressions.

In August 2000, he was canonized as a New Martyr and Confessor of Russia by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.