 St. Elizabeth the New Martyr of Russia |
By Kathleen (Katina) Patitsas
Compiled By Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
Boise, Idaho
USA
March 20 2002
Grand Duchess Elizabeth carried her cross;
When she left her home in Germany,
Her spirit yearned for the faith of the simple peasant folk -
Of life amid the simple beauty of the quiet countryside,
His remains for burial, and feel to her knees,
And afflicted. There was no one every turned away.
Of the innocent arrest of two women of love:
From the hand grenades hurled at them, eight victims in all.
Notes: This Orthodox Ballard was based on the book Grand Duchess Elizabeth Of
Russia by Lubov Millar, Nikodemos Orhtodox Publication Society 1991.
Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the wife of a cousin to Tsar Nicholas II. After the assassination of her husband she founded the Martha-Marty Convent of Mercy in Moscow. St. Elizabeth the New Martyr of Russia was martyred by the Communists with Sister Barbara, along with others on July 18, 1918.
Grand Duchess Elizabeth is known in the Orthodox Church as both Royal Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, and St. Elizabeth the New Martyr of Russia.
Matushka is Russian for "little mother."
This cassette is called: Out Of The Land Of Russia, by Katina Patitsas, from Katina Poductions,
Box 437, Huntingdon, PA. 16652. For more information how to obtain this cassette visit:
http://www.katinamusic.com
Glory Be To God For All Things!
She cared for the sick, and the wounded of heart.
She served Holy Russia with untiring love.
Now learn her story, and how this woman's faith in God, overcame the darkness of that time.
Who could have known…
and married the Grand Duke, Serge Alexandrrovich, her one and only love.
Devoted to his people, understanding their needs.
Her radiating beauty, won the very heart and soul of all,
"rich and poor"; she touched their lives by the meekness of…
deeply were they founded in this true belief.
Orthodoxy was the deep confession of their hearts.
With a pure conscience, and the strong conviction of her soul;
she converted to this Holy Faith.
After seven years…
Freely seeking solitude away from social life.
Then came revolution, and its waves of unrest.
In the shadow of danger, a terrorist bomb hit the Grand Duke;
In a single instant he was dead.
She gathered up…
the mournful hymns in the chapel could be heard.
Elizabeth decided to sell all that had to build the Martha and Mary Convent of mercy,
dedicated to her fellow man.
To serve the poor…
In the slums of Hitrovka, she walked through alleyways,
Seeking out the children, desolate and cold;
Clothing for the naked, and food for the hungry soul.
She was their "Matushka": little mother.
How can one speak?…
Mother Elizabeth and the nun Barbara.
The Red Beast waved its flag, in a country gone mad.
Human life was worthless to the Red Cheka executioners.
They threw them down a dark mine pit, a blast was heard…
A peasant witnessed the callous massacre.
He saw that she was praying and crossing herself;
Even at they beat her, her last words to them repeatedly:
Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do…
Holy Saints Elizabeth & Barbara,
Pray Unto God For Us!
Content written/compiled by Father Nektarios Serfes.
(c) Father Nektarios Serfes