Saints, Soviets, and Canterbury: Three Events That Prove the Church Cannot Be Destroyed

Catherine of Siena, Soviet Martyrdom, and the Archbishop Who Shaped the Church of England: This Week in Christian History

This week in Christian history marks three extraordinary events that span centuries of faith, persecution, and church leadership across Europe and the Soviet Union.

On April 28, 1848, John Bird Sumner was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury at Canterbury Cathedral. Born in Kenilworth and educated at Eton, Sumner was ordained in 1803 and consecrated as Bishop of Chester in 1828. A self identified Evangelical, he firmly opposed the Oxford Movement's effort to restore Catholic leaning practices within the Church of England. Lord John Russell, the Whig premier, chose him to succeed the late Dr. Howley. He was confirmed at Bow Church on March 10 and enthroned on April 28.

Despite the strength of his evangelical convictions, he acted upon them without any prejudice to opponents or any undue bias to friends.

William Prideaux Courtney wrote of Sumner in 1898. Bishop Wilberforce described his demeanor as "good, gentle, loving, and weak," though many saw his measured tone as evidence of principled restraint rather than frailty.

On the same date in 1939, Natalia Ivanovna Sundukova was arrested in Stalinabad, Tajikistan. The daughter of an Orthodox Church priest, Sundukova was charged with leading the True Orthodox Church, labeled a counterrevolutionary organization by the Soviet state.

According to court documents, "Her agitation was directed against the measures of the Soviet government: elections to the councils, Soviet holidays, the leaders of the party and government." She was sentenced to five years imprisonment. In 1942, Sundukova and 10 other women at a prison camp were executed by shooting for allegedly distributing literature critical of the regime. The Russian Orthodox Church recognized her as a saint in August 2000.

On April 29, 1380, Catherine of Siena died in Rome at just 33 years old. Born in Tuscany in 1347, she became a Dominican tertiary who lived outside the cloistered community. She experienced mystical visions, mediated Church conflicts, served the poor, and authored hundreds of writings that shaped Catholic spiritual thought for centuries.

How Catherine of Siena, a Soviet Martyr, and an Evangelical Archbishop All Changed Church History Forever

Catherine suffered a massive stroke eight days before her death, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Her last words were, "Father, into Your Hands I commend my soul and my spirit." Pope Urban VI celebrated her funeral and burial at the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. She was canonized by Pope Pius II in 1461, declared co patron of Italy alongside Francis of Assisi in 1939, and named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970, one of only four women to hold that distinction.

The Crusader's Opinion

Three stories, three centuries, one unbreakable thread: the Church endures. Sumner held the line against theological drift when it would have been easier to compromise. Sundukova chose a firing squad over silence when the Soviet machine demanded she deny her Lord. Catherine of Siena counseled popes and kings before she turned 30, then died praying. The world forgets these names because the world has always hated what they stood for. We will not forget. The blood of the martyrs is still the seed of the Church, and every regime that tried to stamp out the faith now sits in the dustbin of history while the Gospel marches on.

Take Action

• Learn more about persecuted Christians around the world and support their cause at www.TheShepherdsShield.org
• Support Christians facing persecution today through Open Doors USA or Voice of the Martyrs
• Read the writings of Catherine of Siena, especially The Dialogue, to deepen your understanding of the Church's spiritual heritage
• Share this article with your church community and start a conversation about the cost of faith throughout Christian history
• Pray for Christians in nations where religious freedom is under threat, including Central Asia where Sundukova gave her life