          
 -Patriarchal
Parish in the USA ---Eastern
States Deanery (Russ)
The Russian
Orthodox Church of Three Saints, the first Orthodox parish chartered in
Garfield and in Bergen County, celebrated its 100th Anniversary in September
of 1998. The church was founded in 1898 by Russian immigrants,
mostly from the region of the Carpathian Mountains in the former Austro-Hungarian
Empire. Today’s parishioners include: first, second, and third generation
families of those immigrants; converts to the faith; and recent immigrants
from Russia. Named in honor of 3 fourth-century church Hierarchs, the founding
of the Three Saints Church is connected to the lives of three more recent
saints: Saint TIKHON (Belavin), Saint ALEXANDER
Hotovitzky and Saint ALEXIS Tovt.
A Patriarchal Parish of the Moscow
Patriarchate, the parish today is under the pastoral care of Very
Rev. George Konyev and the loving ways of Matushka Alexandra Hnatkow-Konyev.
Also serving in our parish is Father Protodeacon Daniel Sudol. Parish properties,
business affairs, and social events are managed by the elected Church Committee,
Mark Wolchko, President. The history of the Three Saints Church is shaped
by the events of the parish as well as by the issues of the history of
the Russian Orthodox Church in the United States.
The Centennial history of the Three
Saints Church is related in two parts. The first highlights parish life
from 1898 to the present. The second summarizes the history of Orthodoxy
and its influences on the parish.
The Three
Saints Parish FOUNDING A CHURCH Beginnings: 1898-1918
From around 1860, waves of Eastern
European immigrants left their war-torn and economically depressed homelands
to come to America. Some sought a new life in a new country. Some expected
to earn enough money to return to the homeland to improve their family’s
economic conditions.
Ethnically distinct peoples of Slavic
ancestry came from the Carpathian Mountain region of the former Austro-Hungarian
Empire to settle North Jersey. Today the region is in Slovakia, Ukraine,
Poland, Hungary, and Romania. Our ancestors from the Carpathian Mountain
region were called Carpatho-Rus, Galicians, Lemkos, Ugro Rusyns, Russians,
Rusyns, Slovaks, Magyars, and Ukranians. Many were Orthodox Christians;
others were Roman Catholics of the Eastern Rite (Greek Catholics/Uniates).
Many people emigrated from Europe
through the ports of Hamburg and Bremen, Germany, as well as through Fiume
in the former Yugoslavia. Many people immigrated to the United States through
Ellis Island, port of New York. Some immigrants established themselves
in the industrial and textile districts of New Jersey, particularly in
Garfield, Passaic, and Clifton.
The church was incorporated in 1898
under the name Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Three Saints Society of
Passaic. In 1952, the corporate name of the church was reincorporated as
the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Three Saints Society of Garfield. In
1959, the corporate name was once again changed. The legal name of the
church corporation is the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of Three
Saints of Garfield. In common practice, the church is more usually known
as "The Three Saints Church" or "The Three Saints Russian Orthodox Church."
-
Orthodox - from the Greek
word meaning "right opinion". The correct religious doctrine conforming
to the Christian faith as represented by apostolic teaching and the creeds
of the early church.
-
Greek - indicating the language
of the early church, and, the Eastern Rite ( Orthodoxy) rather than the
Latin Rite ( Roman Catholicism) of Christianity.
-
Catholic - from the Greek
word catholikos meaning universal or according to the whole.
Russian Orthodox men and women shared
the first fruits of their labors to build the church that commemorates
the 4th century Church Fathers: St. Basil The Great, St. Gregory The Theologian,
and St. JOHN Chrysostom. Founded as a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church
North American Diocese, the Russian Orthodox Church of the Three Saints
was chartered on September 11, 1898. Thus the church’s beginning coincided
with the beginning of the Liturgical Year.
Three
Saints Russian Orthodox Society Branch 35
Hatala Thomas, Krayniak John, Kuchta
John, Shagen Joseph Sr., Shirak John Sr., Taras Anthony
and Timochko Michael.
Twenty-six families from Garfield,
Clifton, Passaic, and Wallington united to build the church edifice in
1900. A site selection committee of founders recommended purchase of two
city lots on the corner of Cambridge Avenue and Commerce Street. The two
Garfield lots cost $475 in 1901.
Charter
Members of the Three Saints Church
Hatala Thomas, Holoviak Harry, Klapp
Evdokim, Koval Peter, Krayniak John, Krishko Ivan, Krynicky Conrad Kuchta
John, Kurilla Yatsko, Palubniak Harry, Ruschak Wasyl, Shagen Alex, Shagen
Joseph Sr.,
Shirak John Sr., Taras Anthony,
Timochko Michael, Tyrlich Ivan, Veliky Michael, Vladyka Michael,
Wolchko Elias, Yacenik Harry, Yatskanin
John, Youschak Michael, Zemlansky John, Zemlansky Stephen and Zemlansky
Wasil
1901
Site Selection Committee
Hatala Thomas, Krayniak John,
Krynicky Conrad, Palubniak Gregory, Shagen Alex,
Shagen John Sr., Shirak John
Sr., Veliky Michael, Wolchko Elias and Yatskanin John
The cornerstone of the Three Saints
Church was laid on July 3, 1901 and blessed by Archimandrite Raphael
Hawaweeny under the omophor of Bishop TIKHON (Belavin). The
Archimandrite was the future Bishop of the Syro-Arabian mission and first
Orthodox bishop consecrated in America. Bishop TIKHON became the Patriarch
of Russia, 1917-1925. He was martyred in 1925 and than glorified with the
saints in 1989. Reverend Benedict Turkevich (brother of Metropolitan LEONTY),
a reader at the St. Nicholas Cathedral, participated in the ceremonies.
Rev.
Turkevich presided over the Russian Orthodox Mutual Aid Society as
well as edited its publications.
The original Three Saints Church
edifice was a wooden building adorned with traditional mural icons and
a bell imported from Russia. The Reverend Fathers Alexander Hotovitzky
and Elias Zotikoff of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, New
York City, ministered to the spiritual needs of the parish on Sundays and
supervised church construction on weekdays in 1901-1902. Before their church
was built, some members of the parish would travel to NYC to attend services
at the St. Nicholas Church, at that time a home chapel. St. Nicholas’ Cathedral
was completed in 1905.
Father Hotovitzky, Dean of the New
York Cathedral, was instrumental in forming diocesan parishes throughout
North America. He later returned to Moscow to become the Assistant Pastor
of Christ the Savior Cathedral. Martyred in 1937 during the Communist era,
Father Hotovitzky was glorified as the New Hieromartyr ALEXANDER in 1994.
(Christ the Savior Cathedral, erected in gratitude
to all those who had served or who had given their lives in the War of
1812, was destroyed by Stalin in 1931. The Cathedral is currently being
rebuilt and restored to its original specifications in Moscow as a monument
to the heroes of 1812 and to the fall of an anti-Christian, anti-religious
government).
Reverend Anthony Doroschuk
became the first full-time rector of the Three Saints Church from 1902-1903.
Under Reverend Keiko, 1903-1904, and Reverend Olchevsky,
1904-1905, the parish grew as an increasing number of Russian Orthodox
people continued to settle in the area. From 1905 to 1908, the church membership
more than doubled. Reverend Peter Popoff, 1905-1908, organized the
first church choir and founded a parish school. Reverend George Popoff
replaced his cousin Fr. Peter Popoff as Rector, 1908-1911. The first
Hierarchical Liturgy was sung when Archbishop PLATON visited the
Garfield church. Archbishop PLATON had replaced Archbishop TIKHON as head
of the mission in the United States in 1907. He continued missionary work
among the immigrants.
Through the leadership of Reverend
Michael Chervinsky, 1911-1913, a rectory was built on Commerce Street,
adjacent to the church. During these years, debt was minimized. The church
was consecrated by Archbishop PLATON. Reverend John Soroka led the
parish from 1913-1914. He was followed by Reverends Porfiry Puzanoff
and Peter Salovey from 1914-1915. In 1914, a group from the Three
Saints parish who lived in the Singac-Little Falls area formed the Brotherhood
of St. John the Baptist. The group founded St. John the Baptist Orthodox
Church in Singac in 1916.
Fire destroyed the wooden structure
of the Three Saints Church on August 14, 1915. Reverend Alexander Alekhin,
pastor from 1915-1917, guided the building of a larger brick church on
the same site as that of the original church. Additional land adjacent
to the church property was purchased. The property was used for building
a parish hall and auditorium which included rooms for classes, meetings,
and social functions. While the church building was under construction,
church services were held at the Holy Innocents Episcopal Church. When
the parish hall was completed, the hall was used temporarily for church
services.
The brick, five-domed church (five
domes represent Christ and the four Evangelists), completed in the fall
of 1916, held its first service on December 25, 1916. Membership in the
parish rapidly increased with many families coming from the towns of Clifton,
Paterson, and Passaic. The parish census increased from about 100 families
to more than 300 families. Two hundred of these families were members of
the Fraternal Organization of the Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Society
of Passaic, who had joined the church as one group. Some new parishioners
returned to the Orthodox Church from the Greek Catholic/Uniate churches
such as St. Michael’s Uniate Church in Passaic.
Reverend John Zultinoha led
the Three Saints parish from 1917 to 1918 as the crucifixion of the Orthodox
Church in Russia began.
From 1680 to 1873 the area that
became Garfield had been a farming community settled mostly by former immigrants
from Western Europe. Gradually industries developed and attracted newer
immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean in the late 1800’s
and the early 1900’s. Now in 1998, Garfield as well as Bergen County continue
to have a diversified population with many immigrants from Asia, Latin
America, and the Caribbean. Immigrants still arrive from Russia and Eastern
Europe.
The village of Garfield became the
Borough of Garfield on March 15, 1898 when it separated from Saddle River
Township. On April 17, 1917, the borough became the City of Garfield under
the leadership of Mayor Ernest B. Danhert, grandfather of Protodeacon
Daniel Sudol. Reverend Protodeacon Sudol has served the Three Saints
Church parish since his ordination in 1986. The name "Garfield" was chosen
in 1881 to honor the 20th President of the United States, James Garfield.
The city that was named for a president hosted another president in 1992
at the site of the Three Saints Church.
Before 1887, there were no churches
in the area of Garfield. The Russian Orthodox Church of the Three Saints
was among the first churches built in Garfield. In 1998, there are 14 Orthodox
churches in Bergen County.
Maintaining
The Church - Growth: 1918-1953
Father John Telep’s guidance
of the Three Saints Church for thirty three years brought spiritual and
material growth to a fast developing parish. Great strides were made in
completing the church’s religious art work and adornment, in educating
children and adults, in organizing spiritual and fraternal societies, and
in enabling the parish to become debt free. The parish expanded from being
an immigrant church to a more assimilated one.
New immigrants fleeing war-torn
Europe and Russia’s revolution came from diverse backgrounds (Galicians,
Great Russians, Hungarians) and were drawn to the Three Saints Church.
Some members of the parish were already first and second generations of
immigrant families. Some families had inter-married with those of a different
ethnicity and/or faith. While many parishioners spoke Rusyn and understood
Church Slavonic, an increasing number of parishioners understood and spoke
primarily English.
The years 1917 through the 1950s
found the parish contending with the instability of relations with the
Orthodox Church in Russia. The instability and poor communication were
created by the events of the Russian Revolution and the rule of the Communist
government. The Mother Church could no longer provide accessible leadership
and spiritual guidance freely. In response, the Orthodox faithful assumed
increased financial responsibilities for the parish and for the diocese.
The parish also experienced a disunity within the Orthodox Church in North
America when conflicts of jurisdiction and authority developed. Parishioners
were anxious and confused about the status of the church hierarchy.
As he guided his local parish through
troubling times, Father Telep also helped his country to understand the
plight of the Orthodox Church in Russia by serving as translator at White
House conferences. While affected by the turmoil in the church hierarchy,
parishioners faced an economic depression and events of a nation called
to wars (WW I, WW II, Korea). Sons and daughters responded to the call
to military service. An increasing number of women entered the workplace.
Meanwhile, parish life continued with its responsibilities to maintain
the church and to provide for the education of the young.
During 1924-1925, the interior of
the church was adorned with religious mural icons written by Photius Bodasiuk,
an artist from Russia. The cost was $4,500. In 1926, a cellar was built
beneath the church and a heating system installed at a cost of $4,500.
The oak pews installed in 1930 cost $1,500. Parishioners paid $1,500 in
1930 for new roofs for the church school and rectory. The central Czechoslovakian
crystal chandelier that hangs in today’s Three Saints Church was purchased
for the Cambridge Avenue Church in 1934 for $1,200. In 1938, the Iconostasis
and wall murals were restored (washed and repainted) by Pavel Fallat and
Vladimir Gessay for $1,100. When Father Telep arrived in 1918, both the
church and school buildings were heavily mortgaged. Much interior work
had to be accomplished. By 1948 the renovations and repairs were made and
the debt was fully liquidated.
Religious education of children
and adults was a priority. Children participated in Sunday school classes
for instruction in their religious and spiritual duties. The curriculum
was supervised by Father Telep. Children also took Russian language
lessons. Evening Bible classes were held for adults. In partnership with
the Young Men’s Christian Association, English language classes were available.
Father Telep prepared numerous booklets on Orthodoxy for use by parishioners.
The priest inaugurated English Matins services on Sunday mornings especially
for the young people. In 1948, when Professor Constantine Leontovich
came to the parish, he directed the junior and senior choirs, taught beginning
and advanced Russian language classes, and directed the Balalaika Orchestra
Ensemble.
By 1921 there were four Brotherhood
organizations affiliated with the parish: the Russian Orthodox Society
of Three Saints (125 members), the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Beneficial
Society (300 members), St. John the Baptist Brotherhood (60 members), and
St. Mary’s Sorority (80 members). Over the years other organizations replaced
the former groups. The Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs (FROC) known as
the ‘R’ Club and the ‘Junior R Club,’ began in 1929 continues its activities
to this day.
On November 8, 1925, Metropolitan
PLATON consecrated the Three Saints Church and elevated Father Telep
to the rank of Archpriest. Bishop ARSENY of Canada (who later founded
St. Tikhon’s Seminary) offered a Hierarchical Liturgy in 1930. In the summer
of 1937, the Right Reverend Archbishop VITALY, of New Jersey
and Eastern US, served the Hierarchical Liturgy. On June 4, 1939, the
Ruling Head of the Church in the US and Canada, His Eminence, The Most
Reverend Metropolitan THEOPHILUS, served the Hierarchical Liturgy and
attended a special banquet in his honor. Clergy from New Jersey, New York
and Pennsylvania participated in the services. Seven hundred people attended
the banquet festivities.
In 1938, parishioners of the Three
Saints Church honored Father Telep, a beloved priest and friend, with a
banquet to celebrate his 20th anniversary as Rector of the Church. Ten
years later Father Telep resigned because of poor health.
The Very Reverend Simeon Nemetz,
a graduate of St. Platon’s Russian-American Theological Seminary in Tenafly,
served the parish from 1948 to 1953. Under his tenure, stained glass windows
were installed, the five cupolas were refabricated, and new stainless steel
crosses were erected on top of the cupolas.
In 1948, the 50th Anniversary of
the Three Saints Church was celebrated. A plaque, dedicated on September
12, 1948, in memory of the founders of the church, is located on the left
front porch of the nave of today’s church. The Three Saints Church had
grown spiritually, materially, and educationally. Membership was strong
and the parish was debt free. The first 50 years was a period of remarkable
growth. The next 50 years involved relocation, expansion and development,
a gradual decline of membership, and changes in Church authority.
Expansion
and Building: 1953 – 1984
From 1953 to 1960, Very Reverend
John Nehrebecki guided the church property improvements and acquisitions
as well as expanded educational activities. The church’s brick facade was
repointed and parish grounds were landscaped. The church school was remodeled
at a cost of $40,000. Two houses were purchased on Commerce Street, one
next to the Rectory for office space and the other as a home for the choir
director. Both the church and the rectory were refurbished. In 1956, a
new altar table was consecrated. The altar table now serves as a side altar
in the current Three Saints Church.
In 1959, a section of the George
Washington Memorial Park Cemetery in Paramus was purchased. The consecration
was led by Father Dean Peter Kohanik and Fr John Nehrebecki with
Orthodox clergy from the State of New Jersey participating. Later a Chapel
was constructed and dedicated.
The church school enrolled 350 students
in an eight-grade program of study. Each class had its own teacher. The
numbers of students so taxed the limited parish hall that the parishioners
rented School # 6 on Hudson Street, Garfield, to accommodate the students.
A monthly parish newsletter, "The Three Saints News," was initiated
and achieved national recognition as one of the best parish newspapers
in the United States. Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops won many prizes
in competitions in Bergen and Passaic counties.
Some members of the Three Saints
Church left the parish to establish Christ the Savior Church, Paramus,
in 1960. The move was reflective of expansion of Orthodox churches into
the suburbs and an interest in participating in the Orthodox Church in
America. The issue of establishing an independent Orthodox church in America
versus the re-establishment of ties with the Mother Church was growing.
The issue was decided in 1970 by a Tomos of the Orthodox Church in Russia.
When the 60th Anniversary of
the Church was celebrated in 1958, the parishioners included 1,000 families.
The Three Saints Church had grown to be the second
largest Orthodox parish in New Jersey. The largest parish
was Saints. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Catholicon (founded in 1902)
in Passaic.
The Sunday school program required
rental space. The church hall could no longer accommodate the affairs of
parish social life. Youth programs were curtailed or drastically limited
because of space. The church building was too small to serve the worship
needs of parishioners. Parishioners decided to build a larger church and
to relocate the parish to a 9 1/2 acre property at 464 Outwater Lane in
Garfield, the site of the former Srob dairy farm. On 12/6/61 the land was
purchased for $350,000 and the mortgage liquidated in four years. Reverend
Joseph Pishtey, Jr., guided the parish from 1960 to 1969. Father Pishtey
oversaw the initial building program for a larger church at a new location.
Plans for a Three Saints Church
building complex included 6 buildings: church, rectory, pavilion, cultural
center, choir director’s house, and annex for permanent picnic facilities.
The cultural center would house: a lounge, classrooms, stage, banquet-ballroom,
commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, rest rooms, administrative offices,
children’s chapel, and the John Semtak Memorial Library. There would
be an attached summer kitchen for picnics and a separate open pavilion
for music and dancing along with storage areas for equipment and supplies.
The cultural center would be available for displays, large meetings, social
events, wedding receptions, and musical programs.
On June 21, 1968, the first structure
of the Three Saints Complex was completed and dedicated. The structure
was the annex to the cultural center. It housed the permanent picnic kitchen
facilities, a refrigeration area, and rest rooms. On May 9, 1970, Reverend
Igor Burdikoff, pastor from 1969 to 1978, and local clergy blessed
the foundation of the cultural center. Reverend George Burdikoff,
father of Father Igor, served the parish for a few months in 1969.
Four hundred thousand dollars had
been allocated for the construction of the cultural center . It was completed
in 1971 at a cost of $575,000. His Grace Bishop MAKARY (Svistun)
blessed and dedicated the building on October 10, 1971.
Some parishioners of the Three Saints
Church who desired affiliation with the growing Orthodox Church in America,
left the parish to found the Eastern Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostles
in Saddle Brook in 1969. The majority of the parishioners
of the Three Saints Church voted in 1968 to affiliate with the Moscow Patriarchate.
The affiliation decisions were difficult and painful for many of the parishioners.
The issues were complex and involved the parish’s vision of its past and
future, its sense of self-governance, and its concern for financial matters.
In 1969, a by lingual Divine Liturgy
service was instituted. The Sunday English Matins was replaced by a Saturday
Vigil service. The changes in church service were aimed at accommodating
the changing needs of a parish whose membership was declining. In July
1973, the parish choir director of 19 years, Wsewolod Dudnyk, took
up residence in the bi-level home constructed on the Outwater Lane property
to the rear of the cultural center. Initially conceived to be the home
of the choir director, the house became the rectory later. A second home
has not been built.
The Church Complex was built by
our own parishioner Mr. John Opuda, General Contractor. Building
continued through-out the tenure of Reverend Basil Micek (1978 to
1984). By 1978 a pavilion adjacent to the picnic grove was constructed
for use as a covered dance floor, refreshment area, and storage facility
for supplies and heavy equipment. Church construction began in February
1982. On May 29, 1982, His Excellency Bishop IRENEY presided at
the service of the founding of the new church building. Priest Basil Micek
laid the foundation stone in the eastern wall of the Church. Each parishioner
and friend present placed a trowelful of cement on the foundation stone
as a tangible part of his or her personal participation in the building
of the new church.
His Holiness PIMEN, Patriarch
of Moscow and All Russia, who had come to New York City to address
the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, visited the site
of the new church. He reviewed the architect’s (Lawrence S. Stern, A.I.A)
plans and rendering of the Church and inspected the initial construction.
His Holiness PIMEN presented the Church with an icon of Christ Pantocrator
(Christ the Almighty) as a token of his love and blessing. As construction
continued in 1983, His Excellency Bishop CLEMENT ceremonially tightened
the final, gold-plated steel bolt of the frame work. When the concrete
floor was poured, a redwood Cross that had stood in the sanctuary area
since the blessing of the foundation was encased within the floor of the
sanctuary where the Holy Altar would stand.
On May 14, 1984 the main cupola
of the seven-cupola church and the main cross were blessed during a Molieben
offered by Archpriest David Abramtsev and Priest Basil Micek. Seven
cupolas symbolize the seven Ecumenical Councils that formulated the basic
dogmas of the Orthodox Church. The parish choir, under the direction of
Professor
Michael Bondar, sang the troparia to the Holy Cross and to the Three
Saints . The cross and cupola were sensed with fragrant incense and blessed
by the sprinkling of holy water. The mosaic of the Three Saints, fathers
of the early Orthodox Church, was already in place above the front doors
of the church. It had been designed by Bruno Salvatoni of Italy. The Iconastasis
had been erected. The Iconastasis wood frame was prepared by Paul Moses
and the Icons written by the Studio of George Fillipakis. Fashioned
in reinforced fiberglass and coated with gold leaf, the seven domes push
their way toward the sky. The largest dome is 15 feet high and 24 feet
in diameter, and it weighs about 5,000 pounds. A 75-foot crane set it on
top of the sanctuary.
The newly
constructed Three Saints Church was dedicated and consecrated on July 15,
1984. His Holiness PIMEN, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,
gave the parish the Antimension (cloth upon which the communion sacrament
is offered) and a new altar table. The Patriarch was represented by His
Eminence VLADIMIR, Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk, and Bishop
MAKARY. His Eminence VLADIMIR gave the Church an Antimension as well. Bishop
CLEMENT, Bishop of Serpukhov, Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All
Russia, Administrator of Patriarchal Parishes in Canada and the USA participated
in the event. About 1000 people from Garfield and its surrounding communities
were on hand for the occasion, one of the biggest events in the history
of Garfield.
The ceremony of dedication included
the greeting and vesting of His Eminence Metropolitan VLADIMIR who led
the blessing and dedication of the new church as well as the consecration
of the altar. A processional moved from Outwater Lane to Cambridge Avenue
to take the sacred relics from the altar of the old church. The sacred
relics were carried to the new church on Outwater Lane for a consecration
ceremony. A Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was served by His Eminence VLADIMIR,
Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk. The Metropolitan was assisted
by His Excellency MAKARY, Archbishop of Ivano-Frankovsk and Kolomisk;
by His Excellency CLEMENT, Bishop of Serpukhov, Administrator
of the Patriarchal Parishes in Canada and the United States; Archpriest
Lev Machno, and Priest Basil Micek, Pastor of the Three Saints
Church. A banquet was held in the church’s cultural center with noted clergy,
city government officials, and Church Committee members as speakers. The
cornerstone of the church was laid after the banquet and before further
festivities.
Parishioners of the Three Saints
Church gave and still give of their labors to build the $2.5-million-dollar
church complex just as those parishioners had done in 1900 and 1916. Some
of the names of the many contributors are memorialized on appropriate plaques
at the rear of the church. Parishioners have donated icons, ikots, windows,
chandeliers, candle stands and re-plated gold Eucharist objects. Many,
many other volunteer their talents and time for the betterment of the parish.
Preserving
The Orthodox People - Church and Community
The Three Saints Church received
much public attention for very significant events. The events included
a special Sunday of Orthodoxy celebration in 1986, the renaming of the
church’s address, the hosting of the celebration of the Millennium, and
the visit of President George Bush. In November 1991, workers from the
Makarenko Studio, Yonkers, NY, installed stained-glass windows in the church.
Some 1,200 square feet of glass was installed.
On Sunday, March 23, 1986, thirty
Orthodox priests and deacons re-enacted the return of icons to the church,
a ceremony stemming from the ninth century. The service demonstrated Orthodox
unity. The gathering of clergy from Greek, Antiochan, American, Russian,
and Carpatho-Rus Orthodox Churches marked the first time that so many jurisdictions
of Orhodoxy had worshipped together in New Jersey. A procession commemorated
the joyful march in Constantinople in 843, when Christians returned icons
to the churches. The icons had been removed by those who believed the portrayal
of religious figures in human form to be idolatry (iconoclasts). Some 800
people from 60 parishes in NJ, NY, and PA participated in the 90-minute
service. The Sunday of Orthodoxy gave parishioners a chance to go beyond
ethnic identities and to share common roots. Archpriest Sergei Suzdaltsev
from St. Nicholas Cathedral, NYC, represented the Russian Patriarch and
led the worship. Rev. Emil Minkovich of SS. Peter and Paul Russian
Orthodox Church, Elizabeth, was homilist.
Seventeen high-ranking dignitaries
from the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union met at the Three Saints Church
on April 22, 1986. The group was visiting the US at the invitation of the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the US. The visit was part of
a once-a-decade exchange program. The group included representatives of
the Georgian Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox churches in addition to Russian
Orthodox clerics. Metropolitan FILARET, a member of the group, joined
Garfield’s Mayor Thomas Duch and members of the City Council to read a
proclamation renaming one block of Outwater Lane as St. Vladimir’s Square.
The Three Saints Church was given its own distinct address.
The
Millennium, 988-1988
The Three Saints Church was selected
to host the American celebration on August 13 and 14, 1988 of the Millennium
of the Baptism of Kievan Rus in 988.
On Saturday (8/13) the Church sponsored
exhibits, liturgical concerts, folk singing and dancing. A great Vigil
was celebrated with responses sung by two church choirs. The Three Saints
Church choir sang the responses in Church Slavonic; the Christ the Savior
Church, Paramus, choir sang in English. On Sunday (8/14) the Russian clergy
were joined by representatives of the Bulgarian Orthodox and Serbian Orthodox
churches for a procession and liturgy. Religious services were conducted
by Metropolitan MEFODY of Voronezh and Lipetsk, who led the delegation
from the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The sacred icon, "Our Lady of Pochaev"
was held in a procession for the solemn Divine Liturgy commemorating the
1,000 year’s anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church. (An exact copy
of the miraculous Pochaev Icon is located in the St. Nicholas Cathedral,
NYC. The original Icon dates from 1340 in Volynia--Little Russia.)
In Russia, the Millennium was celebrated
in Moscow by Patriarch PIMEN as perestroika began the division of the USSR.
It was the first time since 1943 that a meeting between the leader of the
Orthodox church met with the leader of the Russian government. Since the
Russian Revolution in 1917, some 100,000 Orthodox priests, monks, and nuns
reportedly were executed or were sent to prisons and labor camps during
Joseph Stalin’s purge of the church in Russia. Orthodox churches in North
America and elsewhere called for the rights of the faithful of the Orthodox
church in Russia. They called for the Church’s freedom from oppression,
the deliverance of hundreds of prisoners of religious conscience, and the
expression of the truth of the Russian tragedy to the free world.
On November 2, 1989, the Bergen
County Council of Churches sponsored a banquet in honor of visiting clergy
at the Three Saints Russian Orthodox Church Cultural Center. The Council
served as host to members of the Presidential Board of the Christian Peace
Conference during its US tour.
The visitors came from Eastern Europe,
Latin America, Africa and Asia. Among the foreign visitors were: Bishop
Karoly Toth, Hungarian Reformed Church and president of the Peace Conference;
Metropolitan PHILARET of Kiev, the Russian Orthodox Church; Dr. Gerhard
Bassarak, Evangelical Church of East Germany and former professor at Hombolt
University, East Berlin; Bishop Jan Michalko, Lutheran Church of Slovakia;
Dr. Lubomir Mirejovsky, Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren; Archpriest
Georgi Goncharov, Russian Orthodox Church; Rev. Christie Rosa, Anglican
Church, Sri Lanka; Dr. Sergio Arce Martinez, Presbyterian Pastor and Professor
at Matanzas Theological Seminary, Cuba; Professor Luis Rivera, Baptist
Theological Seminary, Puerto Rico; Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios, Metropolitan
of the Syrian Orthodox Church, New Delhi, India.
Given only eight days notice, the City of Garfield was
informed that President George Bush would be coming to Garfield on July
21, 1992 at the invitation of former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean. President
Bush was to present his "Captive
Nations Proclamation" and declare "National Freedom Day." The Three
Saints Church was selected to host the President of the United States for
this international event. The President spoke to a crowd of 4,000, many
of whom had waited four hours for the President to arrive to give his 12-minute
speech. Members of diverse ethnic groups stood in the church parking lot
and waved flags of their homelands. Colombians and Ecuadorians wore native
garb. Macedonians urged President Bush to support their new nation. Pakistanis,
Armenians, and Poles displayed banners. Cubans and Filipinos were visible.
Russian, Polish, and German music filled the time between speeches. The
president stood in the shadow of the Three Saints Church’s seven golden
domes surrounded by women in brightly colored ethnic costumes of more than
a dozen nations. Russian Orthodox clergy joined state Republican leaders
on a stage framed with a rainbow of international flags. Church bells rang
as Bush took the podium. Workers from Bergen County and Garfield helped
Three Saints parishioners pick-up the debris left behind by the onlookers.
Garfield mayor James Krone honored the parish at the 1995 Memorial Day
celebration by presenting the parish with a memorial tablet commemorating
the visit of President Bush.
Under the leadership of Dr. Peter
Jermihov, choir director, 1992 to 1995, a Music Society was founded. The
society sponsored world-class Russian classical and folk music performances
on the stage of the cultural center.
In 1994, the Three Saints Church
joined in the commemoration of the Bicentennial of Orthodoxy in America.
Russian missionaries had come to Alaska in 1794.
Reverend Father George Konyev arrived
to minister to the Garfield parish in 1995. A native of Russia, Father
Konyev received his spiritual training at the Moscow Seminary and St. Petersburg
(Russia) Theological Academy. He is instrumental in encouraging recent
immigrants from Russia and others to participate in the Three Saints Church
parish.
On Memorial Day, 1995, the Three
Saints Church celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The year had marked various displays of posters and pamphlets about the
historical remembrance. The Sunday school children obtained an American
flag that had flown over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, for the
church on this occasion. Men and women of each branch of military service
and of all wars were honored at a banquet held in the cultural center.
Members of the parish served their country during World War I, World War
II, the Korean Conflict, the Viet Nam War, and the Gulf War. Other parishioners
had served in the Russian Army or had been imprisoned as nurses in concentration
and POW camps. A special tribute to those who had made the ultimate sacrifice
for our country and for our freedom was led by Father George.
Today
The parish currently numbers a little
over 500 people with the expectation of future growth. The parish includes
families of the original charter members of the church: Palubniak, Wolchko,
and Krenicki.
Subdeacon Peter Palubniak has been
a reader for church services for the past 22 years. Mark Wolchko continues
a family commitment to leadership on the Church Committee.
The Kenicki family offer two scholarship
programs. The Paul Krenicki Memorial Scholarship Fund honors the
memory of Paul Krenicki who would have been a student at Cook College in
1982. A full-tuition scholarship is awarded to a graduate of Clifton High
School, New Jersey, to pursue either an undergraduate or graduate degree
at Rutgers University. The Joseph and Helen Grusha Monchak Memorial
Scholarship Fund supports full tuition at Rutgers University for a
undergraduate or graduate student who is a member of the Three Saints Church.
(Information about the scholarships is available from our Pastor
Very
Rev. Archpriest George Konyev Dean of Eastern States of the Patriarchal
Parishes in the USA and Rutgers University.) The Very Reverend
Archpriest Alexander Krenicki, pastor of the Saint Nicholas Orthodox Catholic
Church, Bayonne, New Jersey, occasionally serves the Divine liturgy at
the Three Saints Church.
Parishioners are in the midst of
renovating the church complex, since the buildings are over 25 years old.
Plans have been made to further adorn the Church in the future by adding
icon murals to the walls and ceiling. Designs have been offered by Russian
Orthodox monks. Finalization has not been approved by the Church Committee.
The church and its people are inseparable.
Parishioners’ sacramental lives are documented in the church records. Below
is a chart summarizing the findings available in the parish records. The
earlier records are available for review from the archives of the Orthodox
Church in America, Syosset, New York.
The Sunday school enrolls 67 students.
Students are taught Bible history as well as prayers, and traditions. There
are classes in the Russian language, Russian literature, and choir.
Parishioners are involved in diverse
occupations, businesses and professions. Many have achieved higher learning
and advanced degrees. An increasing number of women are in the workforce
and two-income families are quite common. Many parishioners are retired
and contribute their time and talents to church work.
Over the years, the membership of
the Three Saints Church has fluctuated. In the early years, membership
swelled because of increased immigration from Eastern Europe before World
War II.
A decline in membership after the
1960’s may be attributable to relocation of families to the suburbs or
other parts of the country. Many looked to join parishes closer to their
new homes. Some people left the Three Saints Church to found other Orthodox
churches. More recent church members of the 1990’s tend to be families
of Russian immigrants. These families come to the United States for better
opportunities and to connect with their religious heritage as did the immigrant
founders of our church.
Our
Future
Always, most important to Orthodoxy
is the development of the soul of each parishioner. The spiritual life
is more profound than the objects and experiences of the material world.
At this, the 100th Anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church of Three
Saints, parishioners rededicate themselves to a life of harmony and integrity
in accord with the teachings of Jesus Christ. We continue as missionaries
to share the Orthodox faith among ourselves and others by our own words
and deeds. We preserve our immigrant legacy by valuing our religious heritage,
studying its precepts, and teaching its wisdom. We strive for unity within
the cultural diversity of the Orthodox churches and of our broader communities.
"To
each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
(I Corinthians 12:7)
For more information Email our Webmaster
Archpriest George Konyev: frgeorge@3saints.com
 Site
designed and maintained by Very Rev.
Fr. George Konyev
3StS'
material may not be reproduced without permission.
The
use of this website implies acceptance of this condition.
Copyright
© 1998-2002 St. Vladimir Square at 454 Outwater Lane - Garfield,
NJ 07026
The
use of this website implies acceptance of this condition. |
 FATHER
ALEXANDER HOTOVITSKY
Father Hotovitzky was born in Kremenetz,
Volynia, Russia, the son of the rector of the Volynia Theological Seminary.
He was one of the graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy to accompany
Archbishop Nicholas to America in 1895. The Archbishop assigned Hotovitzky
as a reader in the new parish in New York, then located in 323 Second Avenue.
On January 28, 1896, he married
Maria Vladimirovna Scherbutchin, a graduate of St.Petersburg-St.Paul Institute.
He was ordained to the priesthood in San Francisco by Archbishop Nicholas
on February 25. Since a Father Balanovich, the pastor of the New York parish,
had returned to Russia, Father Hotovitzky was appointed his successor.
In 1900, Father Alexander traveled
to Russia to collect funds for the construction of a cathedral. As a result
of his tireless activities, on April 18, 1902, the parish moved to 15 East
97th Street and became the new St. Nicholas Cathedral. He served as Dean
of the Cathedral for the next twelve years.
Father Hotovitzky was very successful
in his pastoral work in America. His fluency in English aided him immensely.
He was publisher of the Russian-American Orthodox Messenger, the chief
publication of the Russian Mission in America. He also hepled lay foundations
for founding parishes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New England, Canada
and all along the east coast, and played a very instrumental role in the
organization of the Russian Orthodox Mutual Aid Society (Orthodox Brotherhoods)
in the East.
After a very successful career of
missionary efforts, traveling, preaching, publishing and witnessing to
the faith, St. Father Hotovitsky returned to Russia on February 27, 1914
where he was reported to be martyred by the Bolsheviks. (from
the book "Orthodox America, 1794-1976" Published Syosset, NY 1975)
|
|
