In 1998,  the Brother Joseph Munoz-Cortes Memorial Fund (formerly Icon’s House) received a touching letter from a 17 year-old named Yaroslav, from Voronezh. The following are excerpts from that letter.

“It is a joy that your society is preparing to publish a book about the Miraculous Myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, which appeared in Montreal.

We can certainly include this holy image of the kind Keeper of the Portal among the greatest holy things of the 20^th century. This icon of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos occupies a unique place in the history of the Church of Christ, for over the course of a full fifteen years, excluding Passion Week [of each year], the Mother of God poured forth sweet-smelling myrrh. Not only did countless physical healings take place through this icon, but especially important is its healing of souls, something justifiably underscored by the Russian author A.I. Solzhenitsyn in his letter to Brother Joseph of eternal memory. At the conclusion of the 20^th century, world Orthodoxy has suffered a great blow, for because of our sins, God has allowed the Myrrh-streaming Icon of the Keeper of the Portal to taken from us, and Brother Joseph Munoz to be killed.

The parishes in Russia under the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia faithfully commemorate Brother Joseph and pray for the repose of his glorious soul among the saints of God.

We all know that ever-memorable Brother Joseph Munoz was a great ascetic, spiritual struggler, and man of prayer… The Lord Himself, through His unfathomable ways, brought him to Holy Orthodoxy. The Most Pure Mother of God herself wondrously revealed to him her miraculous image and imposed upon him a very difficult obedience.  Brother Joseph was meek, and was a model of humility, meekness and good nature, of true monastic work and of the life in Christ. His earthly journey ended with a martyr’s death, becoming one of the lambs of God, tortured to death by the servants and precursors of the looming antichrist.