an advocate of Russification, and an opponent of Romanian nationalist trends. On the archbishop's orders, the Eparchy began putting out journals with increasingly Russified content, and also with shows of support for the Tsarist autocracy. From December 18, 1909, Cecan and his wife Eugenia began putting out Nashe Obyedineniye ("Our Association" or "Our Union"). Presumably "the only private-owned church magazine" in early 20th-century Russia, it had a maximum of 800 copies per issue. Although mostly in Russian, this publication was mainly aimed at the Bessarabian–Moldavian priests and other Romanian-speaking intellectuals. Its Romanian-language content was directed at the peasants and the schoolteachers, focusing on ideals of social improvement and education. These were regarded as independent and progressive stances—for such reasons, it came to be indexed by Okhrana agents. As a Romanian nationalist, Ion Pelivan doubts that Nashe Obyedineniye was ever pro-Romanian in content: "[it] came out with corresponding text in Roumanian to fight against the increasing influence of Roumanian newspapers." Criticized by Seraphim and by the conservative Russian press (the journals Besarabskaya Zhizn and Drug), Nashe Obyedineniye closed down formally in August 1911 and reemerged instantly as Obyedineniye, with Eugenia Cecan for its editor. Published from Nișcani, it drew contributions from Orthodox intellectuals such as Andrei Murafa. As seen by historian Piotr Șornikov, Cecan was an exponent of "Moldavian patriotism" during the Russian Revolution of 1905; this meant advocating for Bessarabian autonomy and language rights in the province, while expressing loyalty toward the House of Romanov and its "Russian statism". The outlook was shaped by Seraphim, whom historian Andrei Cușco depicts as "the first Moldovanist"; Seraphim himself "articulate[d] the idea of the fundamental difference and even antagonism between Moldovan and Romanian linguistic identity". Despite being identified as anti-conservative dissenters, the Cecans generally took up the cause of far-right Russian nationalism. In its pages, Obyedineniye expressed full support for the Union of the Russian People, and in particular for the antisemitic agitator Pavel Krushevan. Ieremia "was co-opted into the union's leadership in 1907 and served as the official Bessarabian representative within the union's Main Board." Reportedly, Father Ieremia was also co-opted by his former critics at Drug, which was otherwise noted for its strong expressions of anti-Romanian sentiment. In preparation for the legislative election of September 1912, he was called upon by Alexander Makarov, the Russian Minister of Internal Affairs, to oversee the election and ensure that overt expressions of Romanian nationalism