Kuksha of Odessa

Before leaving the mountain, the pilgrims went to the archimandrite of Saint Panteleimon monastery for a blessing and Velitchko expressed his desire to join the monks there.

[citation needed] Velitchko arrived at Athos (with his parents’ blessing) in 1896, became a novice at Saint Panteleimon Monastery and was placed in charge of altar offerings (prosphoras).

The Imiaslavie movement reached the Athos monastery in 1912–1913, and Greek authorities demanded that many foreign monks leave (including Xenophont, who was uninvolved).

[2] After the Kiev Pechersk Lavra was closed with a decision by Soviet Ukraine officials, Kuksha served at the church at Voskresenksaya Slobodka.

In 1938, he was accused by Soviet authorities of being a "cult servant" and sentenced to five years in Vilva subcamp of Usollag labor camp of Gulag in Molotov Oblast (present-day Perm Krai), Ural.

At age 63, Kuksha and other priests and monks were working 14 hours a day at hard labour in cold weather and were poorly fed.

Metropolitan Anthony of Kiev sent pieces of the consecrated Eucharist with other breads, so hundreds of convicted priests and monks could receive communion.

[citation needed] After his release from the camp (on Saint George's Day in the spring of 1943), Kuksha was sentenced to three years of exile[2] in the village of Kungur in Solikamsky District.

In late April 1957, during the Great Lent's Holy Week, he was transferred to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Khreshchatyk, Chernivtsi Oblast.