José Muñoz Cortés

Brother José (Joseph) Muñoz Cortés (a privately tonsure monk Ambrose; 13 May 1948, in Santiago, Chile – 30/31 October 1997, in Athens, Greece) was an Orthodox monk, and the keeper of a revered copy of the Panagia Portaitissa (Iveron Icon), in Montreal, Canada.[1]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Muñoz and the second or maternal family name is Cortés.
Muñoz with Montreal icon of the Holy Virgin

Early life

Muñoz was born in Chile into a pious Roman Catholic family of mainly Spanish descent, though he had an English grandmother who was an artist and from whom he may have inherited his artistic talent. When Muñoz was 12, he became acquainted with local Archbishop Leontius (Filippovich), and under his influence Muñoz was baptized into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia two years later, with his mother's consent.[2]

Death
Muñoz' grave at the Holy Trinity cemetery in Jordanville, New York

In October 1997, during one of his trips with the icon, Muñoz was tortured and murdered in a hotel room in Athens, Greece during the overnight hours of October 30 or 31. The icon was stolen, and has not been seen since. Muñoz had planned to return to Canada the following day to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the appearance of the miraculous myrrh on the icon.

Aftermath

Nicoulai Ciaru, a Romanian, was accused of the murder, and appeared in court on November 18, 1998 in Athens, Greece. The judicial process continued to November 23rd, and Ciaru was acquitted, due to the lack of evidence. [3]

See also

References
  1. Brother Joseph Memorial Foundation (2003). Montreal Myrrh-Streaming Icon and Brother Joseph [Монреальская Мироточивая икона и брат Иосиф] (in Russian). Montreal, Moscow: Publishing house "Pilomnik". p. 477. ISBN 2-9807705-0-7.
  2. Gumerova, Larisa (13 October 2007). "On the 10th anniversary of the martyrdom of brother Jose [К 10-летию мученической смерти брата Хосе]" (PDF). Our country [Наша страна] (in Russian). Buenos Aires (2829): 3. Retrieved 31 October 2020. She asked to be buried next to her son.
  3. "The trial of the murderer of Brother Joseph Munoz-Cortes | RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL OF ST.JOHN THE BAPTIST".
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