Храм Воскресения Христова (Клермонт)

I: 1909-1941
Orthodoxy came to America by way of missionaries, and to Claremont by way of immigrants. During most of the 19th century, America received continuous waves of immigration. The years 1827 to 1838 brought large numbers of German and Irish immigrants, who left their countries due to restrictive religious laws (Germany), to economic distress and political troubles (Ireland), or simply to climatic and agricultural set-backs (the severe 1829-30 winter in Europe). The main flood of German, Irish, and Scandinavian immigration continued from 1843 to 1882 and is known as the «Old Immigration» period. Especially in Germany, many fled after the abortive revolution of 1848, and from the turmoil of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. From the 1880s, however, political stability and increasing economic prosperity acted to dry up the stream of immigration from Western Europe, and then began the period of «New Immigration,» from 1885 to 1914, with immigrants coming largely from Eastern and Southern Europe: Italy, the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Poland, and Russia.

The cause of the New Immigration was not difficulties in the European and Slavic nations, but the improving economy in America. The Vermont-New Hampshire area was one of the prime areas for this economic expansion. The town of Claremont in south-central New Hampshire had been granted a charter in 1764, and the name «Claremont» was taken from the country estate in England owned by Lord Glive, a friend of the Royal Governor of New Hampshire at that time. From early on, the settlers in and around Claremont used water power derived from the rocky descent of the Sugar River. The paper manufacturing industry had begun in Claremont as early as 1810. In 1831 the Sugar River Manufacturing Company was incorporated and later developed into the famous Monadnock Mills, once reputed to be the largest bedspread manufacturer in America. This same period saw the beginning of the Sullivan Machinery Company, which, in 1891, joined with the Diamond Prospecting Company of Chicago to produce drills and a variety of mining and mill machinery.

It was this climate of economic expansion and opportunity that drew Russian immigrants to Claremont in 1907 and 1908. They came primarily from the provinces of Minsk, Wilensk, and Grodnensk, in the area of European Russia between Moscow and Warsaw near the Polish border. Soon after their arrival they took measures to establish and preserve their Orthodox Christian traditions and in 1909 formed the Brotherhood of the Holy Resurrection. (The picture below shows a Brotherhood badge.)

Frequent visits by priests from nearby Orthodox enclaves allowed Divine Liturgy to be served, until in 1914, when the Rev. Basil Oranowsky was appointed to serve the needs of the Russian people in Claremont. During the first six months he held services in the local Episcopal church, until a two-story house was purchased at 16 High Street. The lower floor was converted into a temporary church, and the upper floor into living quarters for the priest. It is interesting to note that nearby Springfield, Vermont had attracted Russian immigrants in the early 1890s. Divine Liturgy was first served in Springfield in 1905, and in June of 1909 this parish had purchased a house, which was converted for use as the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity. Records indicate that the first priest was probably Fr. George Varlashkin, and hence he was possibly one of the priests who visited our church in its earliest years.

The communist revolution in Russia in 1917 precipitated an abrupt and painful break in the budding life of all Orthodox churches in America. The turmoil and instability of those times is probably reflected for our church in the list of priests who served us: Fr. Vasilii Oranovsky (1914-1915); Fr. Antony Dyachenko (1915); Hieromonk Evfimy Nikitin (1915-1919); Fr. Nikita Gress (1919-1920); Hieromonk Pavel Chubarov (1920); Fr. Afanasy Kornilyev (1920-1923); Fr. Nedzyelnitsky (1923); Fr. Vasily Amatov (1923-1930); Archimandrite Inna Kibikov (1930); Archpriest Alexei Dobryansky (1930-1940); Fr. Peter Grachev (1938-1940); Hegumen John Morozov (1940). It will be apparent from this list that, until 1923, no priest served very long. This situation seems to correspond to the trials of the national church in America during the period 1917-1923: in August 1917, Archbishop Evdokim, national head of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, departed for Russia. The annual national budget set for the North American Diocese (all provided by the Moscow Patriarchate) had been averaging $400,000 or more per year, but Archbishop Evdokim had planned to ask for as much as $1,000,000 for the 1917 budget—a prodigious sum in those days, but Russian churches in America had been growing at a tremendous rate. Instead, the communist revolution in October 1917 cut off all funds for the American church from Russia. Archbishop Evdokim never returned. Bishop Alexander of Canada was left to raise money and ward off bankruptcy for the North American Diocese. Subsequently, Metropolitan Platon was confirmed by the All-American Church Council in 1922 as Metropolitan of All America and Canada (and was later confirmed by Patriarch Tikhon in Russia).

At the Fourth All-American Council of the Orthodox Church, at Detroit in March 1924, Metropolitan Platon was reconfirmed as head of the North American Diocese, and this seems finally to have laid the basis for the stability of priestly service to our own Claremont church, as reflected by the record of our subsequent priests.

In spite of the instability and uncertainty of the 1917_1923 period in America, in spite of the tragic events that overtook their Russian homeland, in spite of the wider tragedy of the First World War—in which some of the new immigrants would have had to take part as soldiers of their newly elected country, and in spite of the next great shock, the Great Depression of the 1930s, the church at Claremont grew and prospered.

Eventually, the High Street Church and residence came to need expensive repairs. The Brotherhood decided that it would be more practical to build a new, genuine Russian Orthodox church than to attempt repairs of a building that was never intended for church use.

By good fortune, they were able to acquire a highly desirable piece of land at the corner of Sullivan and Union streets, with a large two-story brick house that was suitable for a priest’s house and as a central meeting place for church organizations.

Under the supervision of Father John Morozoff the rector of the parish, on September 10, 1940, an agreement was reached with Walter Fletcher, a Claremont contractor, to build a church according to the plans of a Brotherhood building committee.

On March 1, 1941, the church was completed, and on the following day, which was Sunday, the Russian people entered their new house of worship for the first time. Many non-Russian Claremont residents flocked to the church to see the first service in the new edifice.

The new church was dedicated June 15, 1941, by Archbishop Metropolitan Theophilus, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in America and Canada.

The parish published a booklet for the dedication, containing a history of the parish, upon which the present history is partly based. But the booklet itself—its content, style, and emphasis—tells us many additional things about the parish. The historical article is a work of flowing Russian prose and is printed in the pre-1917 alphabet. The English version, History of the Parish, which begins on the 16th page, is not a full translation, but rather a shortened version, which reminds us that it was probably only added for the benefit of the non-Russian townspeople of Claremont—perhaps for the many businessmen in the town who paid for the booklet by their complimentary advertisements. Certainly in our parish at that time, every member would have found it easier to read the Russian rather than the English. This would probably have been true of most of the children as well.

Details in the Russian text which are omitted in the English version also give us clues and insights into the attitudes and concerns of the earliest generations of our parish. The first Russian paragraph is omitted entirely from the English; it conjures an impression of the thoughts and feelings of the families in Russia who heard rumors about life in the New World and made the decision to emigrate. Further on, mention is made of some members in the congregation who could no longer bear separation from their homeland and returned to Russia. The formation of the Brotherhood of the Holy Resurrection in 1909 is described, with the remark that, of the original President, Treasurer, and Secretary, at the time of the printing of the booklet in 1941, one was President of the Church Building Committee, another was deceased, and the third had returned to Russia. These were matters that personally and deeply touched the private lives of the Russians in Claremont and were not mentioned in the English History. For us today they are reminders of the burdens and sorrows that went hand in hand with the economic rewards of emigration.

Internal parish problems are discussed in the Russian text and omitted in the English version: by 1914 membership in the Brotherhood of the Holy Resurrection had reached 55; however, «many Russian people did not wish, for one or another reason, to join,» and so it was decided to organize «the parish, independent from the Brotherhood.» This worked well, briefly, and overall membership quickly rose to 120 members. «But,» continues the Russian history, «those not wishing to join the Brotherhood turned out to be uncertain, and the number of parish members began to quickly drop.» The attendant effects on the Russian community of both World War I and the 1917 revolution are not discussed; the Russian simply says, «By 1921 the parish was so weakened that it could no longer exist independently, and it was united to the Brotherhood, which still had certain financial resources. From that time the Brotherhood began gradually to increase and by 1941 [when the booklet was published] counted 51 members . . . and the Council of the Brotherhood was in fact synonymous with the Church Council.»

Alongside these developments, the Sisterhood of the Assumption of the Mother of God was formed in 1924 (apparently coinciding, incidentally, with the settling down of the American church’s problems on the national level after 1923). One may note, to anticipate our story, that throughout our parish’s history the Sisterhood has remained strong, and is very active in our church’s work today. It also seems, somehow, to have avoided the difficult administrative involvements that plagued the Brotherhood until it ceased to exist as a separate entity in 1976.

Fr. Alexei Dobryansky, who over the 27 years of the parish up to 1941 served longest of any pastor (8 years), decided in 1931 that in addition to the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood there was needed a young people’s Russian Orthodox Christian Fellowship, «to promote a deeper sense of fellowship and unity among the young people of the parish» and to «encourage a more intimate social life among young Russians.»

Father Dobryansky was clearly directing this organization at the problem of encouraging and involving young people in the life of the church as they grew up. However, as the writer of the History notes, the youth organization «did not prosper the first few years of its existence.» The club was reorganized in 1935, and in 1937 it affiliated with the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs of America, and, at the time of the church dedication in 1941, had 30 active members.

A 1941 tally of the members of the various clubs, which in fact constituted the active membership of the parish, was as follows: young people’s Russian Orthodox Club, 30; Sisterhood, 31; Brotherhood, 51; for a total parish active membership of 112. This number would, incidentally, not include young children of, say, age 15 and younger, of which there surely must have been many. (If one supposes out of 51 men and 31 women a total of 20 married couples, each with 3 children — the national average in those days — one would have to add 60 to the membership roll for a grand total of 172. It is hoped that an examination of old records might be able to confirm if the actual membership did indeed approach this figure.)

At the end of the History in the dedication booklet of 1941 is mentioned a «junior club.» Thus, surely the children were both present and cared for; but the actual name of their club is not given, nor any figure for its youthful membership. Clearly 1941 was still firmly in the historical period of «seen but not heard,» or, considering the lack of any children’s photos in the booklet, except for the three in the procession photo—scarcely even seen!

One further organization, very active during this period, must be mentioned: the choir. To quote the History, «The church choir is known throughout New England because of its appearances in different communities, singing sacred, classical and national songs at concerts. Thousands of people have heard and enjoyed these concerts.» Its membership in 1941 was 18.

Parishioners put a lot of effort decorating the interior of the church.

Adam and Juliana Sharkevich donated the iconostasis for the new church.

Reader Flor Pashnik served the Holy Resurrection Church for 27 years.

II: 1941-1979

The Second World War wrought many changes in American life, and these were reflected in our parish’s history in the nearly forty years since the close of the war. On the heels of the upheavals, the difficulties, and often the tragedies brought by the war, subtly pervasive influences such as the shifting of religious attitudes, the increase in personal, family, and employment mobility, the decline of large families, and the prosperity and materialism of the post-war period, which brought new lifestyles and a new, secular flavor to American life—all these things conspired against our parish. During the 1950s and 1960s, attendance at Holy Resurrection Church gradually declined. The young people’s Russian Club disappeared, as did the balalaika and national costume of the Russian Choir. Whereas in 1941 services were almost entirely in Russian (and the Russian history makes pungent remarks about troubles between the Building Committee and the contractor who was building the church, because the builder’s contract had not been translated into Russian and consequently the Building Committee had no way of checking on the progress of the builders), in the post-war years the services began to change until by the 1970s the services were largely in English.

Both the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood of the church continued to maintain the core of church life; but by the early 1970s the decline in membership had become serious. Some of the church records were thrown away during this time, but from the remaining records it is clear that in March 1976 the parish had been without a full-time priest for at least a year. It is also clear, however, that the membership of the church was seeking a priest and had begun the struggle to rebuild church membership. The priest who came that year, Fr. Neal Carrigan, with Matushka Sherry, joined in facing the outstanding problem of the church at that point. He was greatly assisted in engaging the problem by Fr. Peter Tutko of Holy Trinity Church in Springfield, Vermont.

The problem the parish now faced actually arose from circumstances that, by 1976, were fully fifty years old. After the dislocations of World War I and the post-1917 troubles of the Orthodox Church in America, the parish was compelled, in 1921, to join herself to the Brotherhood of the Holy Resurrection in order to stay afloat financially. In the1950s and 1960s, however, it was clear that no priest could successfully serve the parish while the church’s property and finances were owned by the Brotherhood instead of the parish as a whole. It was further clear that, from a legal standpoint, Holy Resurrection Church could not be recognized as a parish of the Orthodox Church in America, and hence could have no canonical standing at all, unless it had a duly elected Parish Council, approved by the Bishop of Hartford and New England, and installed according to Article X of the 1971 Statutes of the Orthodox Church in America.

In a very moving meeting of July 25, 1976, with Brotherhood members, the parish at large, and Fr. Neal all in attendance, agreement was reached on what was finally a very simple and effective solution to the problem: an overwhelming majority voted «to recharter the Russian Brotherhood as the Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection of Claremont, New Hampshire, A member parish of the Orthodox Church in America.» Dimitri, Bishop of Hartford and New England, visited the parish on September 12, 1976, and confirmed this action. In the Parish Council minutes for September 28, 1976, President Walter Baker reports the reissue of all church legal documents in the new name, and arrangements for the granting of a New Hampshire state charter for the parish. Subsequently, in the general parish meeting on November 14, 1976, President Baker presented the new state charter and a copy of the original 1909 charter. The two charters were framed and hung side by side in the church.

In spite of the successful outcome of this matter, difficulties remained within the parish, and Fr. Neal left the parish June 30, 1977, after one year of service. He was succeeded by Fr. Theodore Wasiluk on July 1, 1977. During Fr. Theodore’s tenure some church property was repaired, including a new roof on the parish house, and removal of the cupola and re-roofing of the garage (a task that Fr. Theodore did himself). A building committee was established and arrangements were made for parishioners to contribute to a building fund. Additional work included: repair of porches on the parish house, additional heating in the back bedrooms, and a new water heater. In spite of the need for further work, funds were scarce. In addition, there remained underlying problems within the parish, and on April 11, 1978, Fr. Theodore left the parish after only nine months of service.

As this was only shortly before Pascha, the Diocese assigned Fr. David Black to serve the parish for two weeks at Easter time. The parishioners were very pleased with Fr. David and requested the Bishop to assign Fr. David permanently to the parish. Unfortunately Fr. David’s services were required elsewhere and the parish was informed that the Bishop would seek to appoint some other priest as soon as possible. During this Paschal season Fr. David was assisted by Deacon Andrew Tregubov.

On May 7, 1978, Fr. Mark MacNamara was assigned as our new parish priest. During his time, funds were raised to continue to improve the parish house, adding storm windows, insulation, and aluminum siding. Attention was also given to vestments and liturgical equipment of the church, the issuing of regular church bulletins, a display of icons and religious materials for sale in the rectory, and proposals were made for attracting new members and converts. During this period Fr. Mark was assisted by Deacon Andrew.

In spite of progress, the situation in the parish was not satisfactory, and Fr. Mark left the parish December 10, 1978. During the interim period, the parish was greatly assisted by Fr. Michael Westerberg of the Berlin, New Hampshire, parish and Fr. John Terrell of Holy Trinity Church at Springfield, Vermont.

The parish continued to be assisted by Deacon Andrew, and in February 1978 the parish approached him to serve as their priest. Although this did not seem possible, the suggestion was taken under consideration by the Diocese; and in late April 1979, one week before Pascha, Fr. Andrew and Matushka Galina returned to Claremont to serve our parish.

III. 1979-2003

The history of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church since 1979 has been greatly guided by a single fact: that Fr. Andrew Tregubov has been the pastor. Fr. Andrew’s tenure in the parish has been longer than that of any three of the former rectors combined. When Metropolitan Theodosius visited the parish on May 2, 1999, he said to Fr. Andrew as he bestowed on him the right to wear the scapular, «You have gathered in this wonderful community, and you have been the pillar and ground of its truth.»

Two factors—apparently contradictory—have shaped these past twenty years. In being a stable priestly presence, Fr. Andrew has given the parish the kind of focus and continuity that the village priest provided in Orthodox Russia for nine centuries. What Soviet violence destroyed in Orthodox Russia, this parish has found in Fr. Andrew. The second factor is that the parish now has many non-Slavic converts who live some considerable distances away from Claremont, driving an hour or more for each service. Thus, as the parish has, in its priest, come to resemble the Russian village, it has also become far more diverse in its parishioners. The great issue in the parish’s past—how to retain the ethnic «Russian-ness» that seemed the very core of its Orthodoxy—has now been rendered largely moot. The great issue has become: how to let go of mere ethnicity in order better to comprehend genuine Orthodoxy—and how to achieve an integration as a parish that arises from Orthodoxy rather than ethnicity.

During these twenty years all members of the parish, both ethnic Russians and those of other national origins, shared in giving concrete help to people in Russia who suffered under communism and the chaos of its aftermath. St. Catherine’s summer camp provided a time of spiritual and bodily respite for Russian children and teenagers newly immigrated to the New York City area in the early and mid-eighties. The camp, held in various locations in New Hampshire for a number of years, was supported by the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church parish and by private donors. Outdoor concerts of plays, poetry, and music on the church grounds served as a culminating activity for the summer camp participants, as well as for children in the parish.

Another form of help was the Humanitarian Aid to Russia Project. A forty-foot trailer with open doors in the parking lot of the parish was the most visible sign of this project. Matushka and helpers loaded several of these with about 25 tons of food, clothing, and medical supplies donated by many Orthodox parishes, as well as by other churches and individuals in New Hampshire. A letter from Nina Fast in Tomsk told about opening the «1,184 boxes of items you sent.» Among her detailed accounts of the people who received the clothing, blankets, and first aid items was this sentence about women who had never had nice things: «The little boxes with needles, buttons, and thread touched them to tears.»

In order to support such causes and to help with church and rectory improvements, the old and young of our parish have dedicated and donated their talents over the years. Ignat Solzhenitsyn gave two benefit concerts at the Claremont Opera House. Sharon Titorenko-Eastman has donated her paintings and photographs. Irina Krajcik’s needlework is evident in hundreds of colorful vestments. The woodcarving and woodwork of Gregory Likhter, Fr. Alex Karlgut, Timothy Tregubov, Jonathan Korban, Stanley Dole, Anton Belov, and Paul Babich appears everywhere one looks in church. Our church icons have a varied history. Maria Struve, a well-known iconographer in Paris, did the icons on the iconostasis. Ann Margititch, Yuriy Galetsky, and Robert Rayevsky painted the large icons on the side walls. Fr. Andrew did the icons in the altar, those at the back of the church, and many of the festal icons. Quilts, especially those made by Jenny Walsh, needlework, baked goods, and hand-made decorations for church sales and bazaars come from scores of parishioners too numerous to mention.

Major renovations (the church hall in the basement and two additions to the church building for access) improved both the church and the rectory as people like George Uhrin, father of our long time Parish Council president, Reader Greg, Scott Brown, Cye Ondre, Frank Hunka, Walden Sinawski, and Semyon Tregubov lent their practical building, plumbing, and heating talents to the projects. To try now to imagine having coffee hour in the old downstairs kitchen and living room of the rectory forces one to realize how many changes have occurred. The inside of the Church has been made more beautiful by increasing the amount of visible wood on walls and floor. Wood paneling now runs halfway up the walls, to the level of the icons. Also, some of the pews have been removed and the hardwood floors have been refinished. The result is breathtaking. Fr. Andrew’s contributions as an iconographer and Matushka Galina’s incomparable embroidered icons have greatly helped in this beautification. As the parish has become more geographically widespread in the past twenty years, the church has become steadily more beautiful.

As new families joined the church, new projects and activities developed: Sts. Joachim and Anna House (with Ann Brash as caretaker), rented from the St. Mary parish for two years, was furnished and equipped by parishioners and served to house those who needed a place to stay in Claremont, both longterm and for short visits. John Bourdon’s family donated space in their home for much the same purposes. A week-long family camp was held for several summers at Singing Hills. Many youth retreats were organized by Xenia Sheehan. Treasure hunts for children were a treat the Sunday after Pascha for many years. Christmas concerts took on a particularly professional cast as Semyon Tregubov’s vocal students began to perform. The young people of our parish have recently organized the Fellowship of New Theologians (FONT). Their goal is to study, learn, and serve. As they carry out their work, they hope to earn enough money to take a pilgrimage to Alaska and to visit the parishes so important to out Orthodox Church history in America.

In the past three years, two other projects have been initiated: a journal entitled In Our Midst (published twice a year) and a theological institute on various subjects, which meets for three or four days in October. The first institute considered the work of Christian philosopher René Girard and the problem of sacred violence, the second was devoted to the Psalms, and the third focused on the Orthodox understanding of what it means to be in the world but not of the world. Both of these projects have sought to make an asset of geographical diversity and ground the parish in a community even larger than its own members.

Subdeacon Paul Feeney has maintained an Orthodox presence on the campus of Dartmouth College since 1990. This ministry has borne good fruit in the form of several students rediscovering or finding for the first time the Orthodox faith. Subdeacon Donald Sheehan and Reader John Konkle also both work at Dartmouth, and their student contacts as well as a twice-weekly prayer group begun by the Sheehans, have helped reinforce Subdeacon Paul’s admirable work.

Over the years we have had a number of talented and hard working choir directors. The most recent include: Walter Baker, Virgie Spasink, Larry Margititch, Misha Gill, Subdeacon Alan Lohanik, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, Anton Belov, Rowan Sheehan, Amy Konkle, Xenia Sheehan, and Gabrielle Burholt.

For our children, many parishioners have participated in teaching Sunday School. Among them both those who have taught Sunday School for many years and those who have taken a turn at it are: Debbie Krajcik, Naomi Belov, Lee Browne, Greg Uhrin, Xenia and Sbdn. Don Sheehan, John and Amy Konkle, Scott and Susan Brown, Blake and Stephanie Keller, David and Sharon Eastman, Paul Dyer, Sbdn. Paul Feeney, Dn. Mark Korban, Melanie Mastanduno, Sharon Marshall, Irina Krajcik, Sarah and Rachel Krajcik, Rowan Sheehan, Tim Tregubov, and Matushka Galina.

Ongoing fundraising projects like the fall craft and bake sale put on by the Sisterhood of the Dormition of the Theotokos with Clara Taft, Dot Kasaras, and Claudia Sinawski at the helm have been joined by a festival in June, spearheaded so enthusiastically by Angelo Nestor. These traditional and regular events fall for support to the often anonymous and quiet but always dependable parish worker, of whom there are many. People who clean, cook, put things in order, and make items for sale keep the parish going, keep the bookstore running, and keep an eye out for newcomers to welcome. They are too numerous to name and to praise individually, but they are the backbone of the parish.

Services:
Saturdays  6:00 p.m.
Sundays  9:30 a. m.

Address:
99 Sullivan St.
Claremont, NH 03743

Rector:
V. Rev. Andrew Tregubov
Tel. (603) 542-6273

Источник: http://web.mac.com/atregubov/Site