On the canonization of Brother Joseph Muñoz as Martyr – an article by Bishop Andrei

On the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, December 19, a conference of the Canonization Commission was held. In the course of the lengthy discussion, members of the Commission shared their thoughts and recollections about Brother Joseph.

In the early Church, there was no special procedure for canonization of martyrs for Christ. The very fact of the martyrdom was sufficient for one’s veneration as a saint. However, at that time the feat of the martyrs, their suffering for the faith of Christ were obvious to everyone.

With regard to Br. Joseph, it can be said with certainty that he died as a martyr. We don’t know who his murderers were, but it’s obvious, that he was not killed as a private individual but with the aim of ending his ministry to the Church. If we recall that the time of his death coincided with the commencement of the process of the unification of the Church Abroad with the Moscow Patriarchate, then it can be assumed that his firm position in rejecting the MP started to bother the enemies of the Church, who decided to eliminate him. 

In the preceding years before his death, he received a number of threats and knew that his life was in danger. But he fearlessly walked the path to his martyrdom.

The exclusive right to glorify a new Saint belongs to the Church of which the Saint was a member. Brother Joseph was a member of the Russian Church Abroad, and therefore only ROCA has both the right and the duty to glorify him among the Saints. This is in response to those who may assert that our Church is too small to be able to canonize a Saint.

The canonization of Brother Joseph must be performed by the whole Church Abroad and not just one of its parts. Unfortunately, our Church finds Herself in a fragmented state. However, in our view based on a deep conviction, this fragmentation is only external inasmuch as in the spiritual plan ROCA, which does not accept ecumenism and Sergianism, remains whole. That’s why we are reaching out to the primates of these groups for communion, because we are convinced that we are separated by nothing but human errors and passions, and possibly clandestine schemes by the enemies of the Church.

Glorification of the Saints is a matter for the whole Church. While the decision of canonization is made by the Council of Bishops, what usually happens is that before an official canonization takes place, a spontaneous veneration of the Saint arises among the people of the Church, which is afterwards sanctioned by church authorities.   

We can confirm that even though 25 years have passed since the death of Brother Joseph, the memory of him is not dimming. He is venerated in various countries of the world, and even where he hasn’t been during his life, like Russia and Georgia.

As there is not one person without sin, regardless how righteous he was, the Church accompanies his demise with a prayer to the Lord. However when the conviction in the sanctity of the deceased is crowned with the Church’s solemn glorification of him, prayers for forgiveness of his sins cease, giving way to praises of his feats for Christ with a request for his prayers for us.

During these days, when our Church is preparing the canonization of Brother Joseph in the choir of Martyrs, we must intensify our prayers for the repose of his soul in the belief that in response, he prays for each person who commemorates him and for our entire Church.

There is quite a lot of material about Brother Joseph on internet. However, in the opinion of those who knew him, not all these particulars are reliable. It is for this reason that the Canonization Commission suggested to engage in the gathering of authentic witness of Brother Joseph from those that knew him. These memories will help to create his true image.

An e-mail address was registered so that those wishing to share memories of Br. Joseph and testimonies of miracles through his prayers could forward these materials to the Canonization Commission.

canonizationcommission@gmail.com

Bishop Andrei