Maxim Sandovich

Maxim Sandovich
New-Hieromartyr, Protomartyr of the Lemkos
Born: February 1, 1888 (Zydnia, Poland)
Died: August 6, 1914 (Gorlice, Poland)
Feast: September 6
== Early Life ==
Maxim Sandovich was born in Zdynia in the Lemko region of the Carpatho-Rus in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in what is now modern-day Poland. His family was Eastern Catholic and his father was a chanter in a local Greek-Catholic church. In 1904, at 16 years old, he entered the novitiate (monastic training process) at the Monastery of Krechov of the Basilian Order. After only 3 months, he left the order having felt dissatisfied with the spiritual level and atmosphere of the monastery. Sandovich disagreed with the attempts of the Catholic Church to Latinize the Eastern rite as well as their attempts to denationalize the Rusyns. At the time, the Greek-Catholic Church was used as an instrument by Austria and Poland to strengthen Ukrainian influence while undermining the positions of Russophiles, which Sandovich considered himself to be.
== Introduction to Orthodoxy ==
In 1904, Maxim went to Russia where he became an obedient at Pochayev Lavra Monastery and worked in a printing house. At the monastery, he was noticed by Archbishop Anthony Khrapovitsky, one of the promoters of Orthodoxy in Galicia (modern-day Poland). The Archbishop granted Sandovich a scholarship and directed him to the theological seminary in Zhytomir. Even prior to completing his studies, he was offered the chance to serve as a parish priest in Grab, Poland. in 1911, he graduated with the best results in his year. Soon afterwards, he married Pelagia Grygoruk, the daughter of an Orthodox priest from Nowe Berezowo, Poland. On November 17, 1911, Sandovich was ordained a priest and began to serve at the parish in Grab.
During this time, the Austrian authorities were intimidated by the growth of Orthodoxy in the Polish region and viewed the Russophile movement as a threat to national security. The Austrians attempted to illegalize the practice of Orthodox priests who were ordained in Russia or without the permission of the Metropolitan of Bukovina. Father Sandovich was arrested for 8 days after authorities did not accept his explanation of his legitimacy to serve as a priest in Galicia. Afterwards, the authorities became even more strict, even closing the chapel in Grab. Nevertheless, Sandovich continued to serve despite continuously being arrested and stopped. In this time, he became a symbol for the Lemko people, he donated to the poor and offered reduced-cost religious services (provided the people promised not to reconvert to Catholicism) while also raising funds for Russian sources. 
== Martyrdom ==
On March 28, 1912, shortly after being released from custody, Sandovich and another priest, Ignacy Hudyma, were taken to a detention center in Lviv and charged with espionage for Russia. Numerous other priests and peasants were also tried. On March 9, 1914, the trial of Sandovich and other priests began where he was accused of speaking negatively about Catholicism as well as illegally celebrating the service. On June 6, 1914, the court found that Father Sandovich and the others did not seek to tear away Galicia from the Empire. The next day, he was released and resumed his pastoral duties. 
On August 14, 1918, after the outbreak of World War I, Sandovich was arrested alongside his family (himself, his wife, brother, and father) and imprisoned in Gorlice. People who were found to be Russophiles were shot by officers without an official court judgment. On September 6, 1914, in Gorlice, Maxim Sandovich was shot and killed. At his last minute, he sang "Long live the Rus' people, long live Orthodoxy". His father, mother, and brother were sent to a concentration camp in Talerhof where his wife, Pelagia, gave birth to a son whom she named Maxim.
== Canonization ==
On September 6, 1994, Maxim Sandovich was canonized and named a saint by the Polish Orthodox Church in Gorlice, Poland. He is regarded as a Hieromartyr.
His legacy continues to live on today. He is regarded as the Protomartyr of the Lemko people.