MEMORIES ABOUT BROTHER JOSEPH

V. Y. Kirillov. Memories about Brother Joseph.

Translated by Seraphim Larin

The Montreal Myrrh-Streaming Icon, as a meaningful phenomenon, directly connected with the confessional mission of the Russian Church Abroad, has always, so to speak, overshadowed Brother Joseph. He appeared to us as a plain, modest, always approachable (nearly everybody could say – he was my friend), the same as us, ordinary person, although true, who experienced a “fall” of such an unprecedented and responsible miracle upon him. Well, some would say, it happens although rarely.

However, now that there is no Icon, his image has begun to be etched differently. After all, it was he who prayed for three weeks before the Icon of the Mother of God – reading the Akathist to Her every day. It’s because of his prayers that the Icon began to stream myrrh, i.e. it’s as though there was a “build-up” of his love toward Mother of God, which started to overflow, and the Mother of God replied to Joseph and through him, to all of us by the mutual miraculous act.
After all, this is the reality – the Mother of God couldn’t find anyone better among all the people than Brother Joseph – and not Russian, and a former Catholic, and not a monk (outwardly, but living stricter than some monks): and not a hierarch, not even a priest, but simply a humble, modest man allotted with human weaknesses and infirmities. However, the most important thing – and this is said by all – he knew how to love: he saw in everyone a living soul, God’s creation and regardless if he was of a different faith or from a different jurisdiction; to love not just people in general but before anyone else, the Mother of God – and not just in words but by being faithful to Her in deed.                       

He was in fact a bloodless martyr in life having left for the sake of obedience to the Mother of God much that makes up the essence of life in the world: family, children (although he did have 50 godchildren), home comforts, physical and spiritual tranquillity. He even didn’t have time or strength for his beloved pastime – iconography, which those in the know would agree demands a special lifestyle, attention, concentration, etc. And with this, in doing good for others, he was subjected to frightening slander and persecution from his own (let us remember Apostle Paul: “All who desire to live godly in Jesus Christ will suffer persecution”). As well, this slander is also slander against the Mother of God, Who according to the wretched logic of the ill-wishers chose a notorious sinner as the Guardian of Her Miracle-working Icon. That’s why, it’s not by chance that the Icon’s Guardian ended his earthly path specifically in martyrdom and confession, for which he called to everyone in voice and print. I have no doubts that his murderers demanded the Icon from him, and that’s why they tortured him in such a heinous manner. Having achieved nothing, they strangled and then slandered him.

As well, this ritualistic killing didn’t occur by chance on the eve of the satanic Halloween, but set by the Satanists in such a way so as to present to the gullible, the “grounds” for the slander of the Guardian of the Myrrh-streaming Icon and the Mother of God Herself.

The death of Brother Joseph united all those that saw him as a true Chosen one by the Mother of God. We have somewhat all together experienced the anguish, sorrow and embitterment at the beginning, then joy and tranquillity, and it wasn’t subject to where we lived or our nationality. At the same time, his death separated us from some of his foes that didn’t value the magnitude and significance of his fifteen-years-long ministry. With that, this event: appearance of the Icon and then Her unexpected disappearance, together with the death of Her Guardian, made us to re-evaluate our worldview, our lives, our attitude toward God and our neighbours.

We have lost a friend, mentor, brother, and by God’s mercy, gained an intercessor praying for us, and patron who I believe will be in eternal bliss in the Heavenly abodes.

May the name of the person through whom we received this Heavenly joy always be preserved in our minds, the person who was always giving not demanding anything in return. And may the spiritual eyes of all of us be opened, and may we finally acknowledge ourselves to be guilty in all the misfortunes that have befallen upon us, and not seek the guilty ones elsewhere, but realise that our Portaitissa has forsaken us for our sins, and that is frightening.

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The Lord vouchsafed me and my family to often visit the Lesna monastery. Actually, my spiritual life and my wife’s, independent of one another and with an interval of ten years, began in this monastery.

And the first person from whom I heard in my first visit to the monastery in 1988 about the Myrrh-streaming Icon (and that its aroma doesn’t exist in nature, which has the scientists baffled), was Archimandrite Arseniy (Kondratenko), the monastery father-confessor.

Later, I saw the Guardian of the Miracle-working Icon, Brother Joseph. At that time, no special attention was paid to him. Then once (spring 1992), having arrived at the monastery and leaving my six-months-old daughter to sleep in one of the rooms, my wife and I went to church for the service. Our cell was situated not far from the former cell of Father Arseniy, where Brother Joseph always stayed. When we returned from church, we saw a teary Katya and next to her bed on a stool, a paper Icon of the Mother of God covered with myrrh (which from that time hangs in her room in the red corner). As it happened, Brother Joseph came over to calm her as she was crying profusely. From that moment, in fact, our closer acquaintance began.

Later, one day Joseph offered for all of us to go for a walk. Then also one day, by chance we found ourselves sitting side by side at a table on an Easter repast in 1995. This was perhaps the only time I saw him at a common table because usually, his food was brought to him by the sisters to his cell as he didn’t like being among people, preferring solitude. We were then able to talk on church themes throughout the whole lunch, and it appeared that our attitudes coincided.  

When at the request of the Abbess, I organized, as they say, “from scratch” in the monastery a bookstore (which was in a large empty and previously unfinished hall, and where later there were not only serving of teas for pilgrims and guests, but also conferences, talks, meetings, etc…), Joseph loved to come there. Looking through the books, he eagerly spoke about himself, shared church news and his personal problems.

Brother Joseph was of a rather large build, modest in appearance, easy to communicate, in whose appearance there was nothing pretentious. There was something childlike, pure, and innocent in his reactions.

In apparel, Joseph was extremely modest and we always saw him in the same apparel, but here was a small secret: he bought his clothing by chance, at sales and several items at a time, but as a rule, of black or white colour, as he regarded that living near such a miracle, it was disrespectful to dress in coloured clothing (one of his white shirts were given to me after his death).

He combined both delicate modesty and, at the same time, sociability, which arose from his humanity and compassion. But he didn’t impose conversations, was seen as a person that was busy, immersed in himself and only very, very rarely allowed himself to “relax”. But to converse with him was very interesting and informative and somewhat easy and pleasant. In conversations he didn’t suppress. He had one feature – he was always happy to see you, not me personally but each of his acquaintances. He had enough love for everyone. When he saw you, his eyes warmed, and it could be seen that you were close to him. And so it was with everyone. Many regarded him as a close friend, a brother, before whom you could open your soul and trust him. This was his whole secret – he learned to love, be compassionate and merciful.

Joseph loved to repeat the words of his Mount Athos Elder Fr. Clement: “Church is where there is love, mercy and compassion”. And it seems, he was able to fulfil this in deed. He had no pride and self-exaltation for having been entrusted with his service. His whole humble appearance spoke as though he had nothing to do with it, as he was only the “carrier” of the Icon. He didn’t regard that as a just reward and didn’t seek anything personal.  

His was a high great feat: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends,” said the Lord (John 15:13). And here, despite his oppressive ailment (he had diabetes) he laid down his soul for us for over 15 years to bring us joy, relief, healing and peace into our souls and our families. And now we are alive – revivified, while he paid for this revivification with his martyrdom, because the whole world’s malice was directed at him and settled old scores with him.

Over this time – what places he visited and what ROCA celebrations that he had attended! Here, only his beloved Russia was fated to be in absentia. The Hierarchy was saying to him: “It’s too early to go there”: but he himself understood …where would he go with the Icon? To apartment churches in secret?  And to the Moscow Patriarchate churches, he said: “I and the Icon will not take one step! No, we are not thieves. The Icon must enter Russia through the Royal Gates”.

The Russians were his own people to him. He always watched as to what was transpiring in Russia, and was conversant with the signs, miracles and other God’s acts of grace that were happening there, especially those that were associated with his Iveron Icon. He related, for example, that one Russian old woman, who received a piece of cotton wool impregnated with the myrrh from his Icon and put it into a glass, then, through her prayers, the glass began to fill with myrrh.

Joseph totally shunned extreme views, so-called “super-correctness”, and to one seeker of the “ideal” Church who had left ROCA, he replied “The completely perfect Church is there only” – pointing a finger at the heavens.

At the same time, Brother Joseph knew how to blend complete and full implacability toward heresies, modernism, and various types of deviations, with condescension toward those people caught in these nets, whom he tried to softly and friendly admonish, pushing no one away and not closing the door in front of them. Purity of faith meant much to him, and he didn’t retreat from it by one iota.

He had a great desire to go to Russia and in a conversation with a high-ranking clergyman, he offered him to go there with him. “But they may kill us there” responded the hierarch. “So what…then we will be martyrs”. Overall, he regarded that death should not be feared because regardless of how much we prepare for it, we will never be ready.

In the Lesna monastery, Joseph found himself a new home, a second family. Here, in a quiet, friendly atmosphere, he could pray, go to confession to the spiritual father of the monastery, Archpriest Konstantin Fedorov and partake of Holy Communion. Here he had a permanent cell, where he left his belongings while he was away, here he had many friends from among the sisters of the monastery, regular pilgrims and monastery labourers.

He was also predisposed toward our family maybe because we tried to help the monastery as much as we could. “Don’t you leave the monastery” he said to me during the period of various disruptions at the monastery.

And when somebody objected against him getting ready to travel to the monastery with the Icon, Joseph responded with: “The monastery is the home of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the Mother of God wants to go there”. And when in 1984 the Icon first arrived at the monastery, the great volume of myrrh was such that when they were carrying Her on the stairs from Joseph’s cell to the church, there were drops that could not be removed and remained there for a long time.

My family and I often visited the Lesna monastery, especially as I had an obedience to fulfil: look after the bookstore, and coincidentally over a period of years, I nearly always greeted and farewelled the Icon.

The arrival of the Icon to the monastery was indescribably touching. First of all, nobody knew when She arrived. All that was known was that the arrival was near and that’s why when at an inopportune time, the bell suddenly rang, everyone knew that Brother Joseph had arrived with the Icon. And everybody ran to the church. Unforgettable minute: people are crying, the sisters singing “It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos”, everybody is kissing the Icon, which was exuding not only a prodigious aroma but also tangible grace. There was no limit to the general jubilation. People were weeping from emotions, prayed, fell on their knees before the Icon, an improvised choir formed, and the sisters sang hymns to the Mother of God.  

If it was a late hour, the children were brought in their pyjamas – sleepy, but happy. And how they felt the grace that emanated from the Icon: how they loved Her, and not like us, adults with hearts coarsened by sin. I watched my Katya: how she loved the Icon and Joseph, and how she lamented when she found out that Joseph was no more, and the Icon was gone. Despite the difficult journey, Joseph is happy that he found himself in the house of the All-Blessed Mother of God, where everyone loves him and was waiting for him as the dearest guest.

Then there was a somewhat lull for everyone until morning, when the first pilgrims started to appear – especially Catholics, unknown as to how they found out that the Icon had arrived.

Even there, in a quiet Norman little village, Joseph had no peace. They find out from somewhere that the Icon had arrived and begin telephoning, arriving, with a constant “Where is Joseph? Where is Joseph”. Some need consolation: others need help, to be listened to all their sorrows and woes. And he has his own woes and ailments – it happened he would come to the bookstore and begin to free himself from these accumulations (about himself, and about other people’s problems, and about relationships with others, with hierarchs, and the pain about the Church, which at the time of the mid ‘90’s, was being methodically led astray). He talked about all these and felt relieved.

We practically had no differences, and it was very pleasant to converse with him, especially as I didn’t interpose with my own “lesions”. Joseph said what he thought, was not a hypocrite and was a true friend. And how it was difficult for him in the last period: how he suffered and was at his limits as thoughts appeared to drop everything. That’s how far he was pushed. He asked to pray for him.

He felt the clouds above him were thickening. His spiritual father – clairvoyant abbot Fr. Clement who handed him the Icon in 1982, warned him that he will be ambushed either in 1997 or 1998 (“you will be a victim of a horrendous attack” said the Elder), and your name will be subjected to frightful slander.

Especially in the last months, more than once Joseph received anonymous death threats. There is a known case when a car followed him and when he, having lost patience, approached it, the people sitting in the car said that if he did not stop his activities, he would be liquidated.

Brother Joseph treated the Moscow Patrairchate Hierarchs with distrust, seeing them as lackeys of the Soviet authorities, but at the same time, he didn’t confuse them with the ordinary Russian people, which he loved dearly. He rejected the Ecumenical heresy and innovations in the Church, and regarded them as being the cardinal obstruction to the unification of the Russian Church Abroad with MP.

It was well known that the presence of such a miraculous Icon with ROCA was standing across the Moscow Patriarchate’s throat. That’s why one should not be surprised if it ever turns out that the persecution, and then the murder of Br. Joseph, were planned in Moscow and carried out by its special services.

In relation to the above, it must be remembered that on the night of 21^st November 1985 when Metropolitan Philaret was dying – he was highly respected and honoured by Brother Joseph, who informed me that he saw on that night a significant and prophetic dream in connection with the death of the First Hierarch, and the acceptance of the ROCA Cross from him by the newly elected Metropolitan Vitaly, who carried this cross for some time with great difficulty. But importantly, what has to be noted is the grave atmosphere or situation in the place where the actual activity was taking place (i.e. the Church Abroad), as well as the incredibly heavy weight of the ROCA Cross. The vision ended with the crucifixion of the last First Hierarch, Metropolitan Vitaly on this Cross, driven into the ground. And the authenticity of this prophecy was reaffirmed to me by Joseph in one of our conversations.

Brother Joseph always felt himself tightly bound with Christ’s Church through “our little Church Abroad”, and he conformed his activities in accordance with the blessing of the Hierarchy, in particular Metropolitan Vitaly.

On Easter of 1997, there was a happening that disturbed Joseph for a long time and to which I was a witness. On Easter night, during the procession, with him carrying the Icon with three girls alongside, they saw three so-called “flying saucers”, shimmering with a beautiful though cold light and standing above the Icon. All this generated a terrible and repellent impression on them and imparted fear. After the sign of the cross and a prayer, the objects disappeared immediately. But even a day later (second day of Easter), Joseph continued to talk about it in the vestry after another Easter procession.

On the last visit to the Lesna monastery, (on the eve of his travel to Greece), he manifestly sensed his approaching ordeal about which he spoke to me. Joseph was very agitated: asked many people to pray for him. One sister that he offered a piece of cotton wool impregnated with the Myrrh, told him that she would take it at his next visit. To this, he replied that he doesn’t know when he will come again, although earlier he had promised to come for Christmas. On his last visit, Joseph told those three girls that the Icon will not stream any Myrrh there on Easter 1998. At the time, they didn’t pay much attention to his words: their meaning came to them some time later. As well, Brother Joseph had a frightening dream where, as though in reality, he was subjected to torture which in fact was the same as what he was exposed to in Athens.

It has to be noted that besides all other things, Joseph suffered from diabetes and was on medication. One event comes to mind on the day of Lesna monastery feast. Just before the commencement of Liturgy, he came into the store where tables were set for the repast and asked for a cup of coffee. I have to say that this confused me because before Liturgy, partaking of food was not allowed. Seeing my perplexity, he explained that if he didn’t have his coffee, he might faint.

Despite his declining health, Joseph Munoz travelled for 15 years with the Icon so that as many people as possible could receive a motherly blessing from the Heavenly Queen. It is without a doubt that he drew strength from the Icon. As Joseph said to one of his friends: “You know, once I was completely exhausted: And then a bright light came from the Icon. My exhaustion passed and I felt like an eighteen-year-old”. One day, he related to the same friend that he saw his Guardian Angel and added: “This was the first time, and he told me that everything will be alright”.

The whole depth of his feat – guarding the Icon in this proud and evil world remains hidden from us. One can only imagine what visible and invisible temptations he had to endure during the responsible and overwhelming service to this heavenly, unfathomable mystery in our cold, consumerist age.

The faithful of the Russian Church Abroad called him Brother Joseph. His exceptional empathy for his neighbour impelled him to give his last coin to the needy. His voluntary poverty reached to the extent that he sometimes didn’t have sufficient money for essential needs e.g. medicines. His life of a monk in the world was that of non-acquisitiveness, chastity, and obedience to the hierarchy.

He couldn’t have any personal life or more specifically, he didn’t allow himself such a right, believing that he must fully dedicate himself serving the Mother of God in Her Icon. People came, phoned, wrote, requested and asked for help and prayers. And he prayed for everyone, reading his commemoration book that contained many names of people throughout the world. He knew them all, remembered everyone and prayed for all of them. Thus Brother Joseph prayed for my family every day, although to him, we were only one of many acquaintances and in comparison with others, not very close.

But his whole life was often hidden from prying eyes, and on the surface, we saw a person with his weaknesses, virtues and, possibly, deficiencies, but truly modest, non-intrusive, good natured and frank, living some special, inexplicable life. On the other hand, it could be seen that he didn’t have plenty of time and couldn’t allow himself lengthy conversations and very many meetings. However, it can be said without a doubt that what Joseph had – even his life – he gave in the service of the Mother of God.

Today, it’s becoming more apparent that the veneration of Br. Joseph is no longer local, but ubiquitous. If God wills it, miracles will keep appearing through his payers. But there will be sceptics who will distance themselves from love and veneration on account of the Holy Canons, awaiting official recognition. However, we will not wait because our hearts told us that Brother José Muñoz Cortés has appeared before God, for he is… – “Chosen One of the Heavenly Kingdom”.

Holy New Martyr Joseph, pray our God for us! Amen

Subdeacon Vladimir Kirillov