Archpriest George and Matushka Natalia Pokrowsky

Archpriest George Pokrowsky (1907-1999)

and

Matushka Natalia Kalinowska 1904-1991)

— edited from an article in the “Canadian Orthodox Messenger” by the Priest Symeon Rodger, and from 2 articles by Christopher Guly in the “Canada Courier” and the “Ukrainian Weekly”.

George may be spelt Georgi.

Natalia may be spelt Natalie, Natasha.

Pokrowsky may be spelt Pokrovsky.

Kalinowska may be spelt Kalinovskaya.

What first came to mind when I [Father Symeon Rodger] was asked to write about my spiritual father were the words of Father Joseph of Vatopedi Monastery in his biography of Elder Joseph the Hesychast (Hesychasm is a spiritual practice of prayer) : “No-one should ever imagine that he can describe the life of a spiritual person, however much he may have heard him, seen him or lived with him”. Therefore, I set out on this task, knowing how inadequate the result would be, but at the same time rejoicing at the opportunity to share Father George’s extraordinary spiritual wealth with my dear brothers and sisters.

Early life of George Pokrowsky

On 5 May, 1907, Father George Pokrowsky was born into the Russian Pokrowsky-Shafranov families in Volyn, (then in the Russian Empire, now in Ukraine). His father and both his grandfathers were priests, going back 7 generations on one side of the family. Moreover, his family members were for some generations involved in prominent governmental and military positions of responsibility.

Immersed from birth in the traditional Orthodox Christian world of a Russian village in the time of the Russian Empire, Father George was raised in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church, and he became permeated by the tradition from an early age. Indeed, he recalled his childhood with great fondness. Many others who grew up at this time and who were later living in exile recalled these times similarly.

Surviving wars, revolution, repression

Nevertheless, the trials that Father George passed through during his life were monumental. In this regard, Father George reminds one of such fathers as Abba Philemon (one of the early desert fathers who lived as hermits, some of whose sayings are recorded in "The Philokalia"), who refused to discuss the details of the struggles he had been through because his disciple would not have been able to bear even hearing about them.

Many of Father George’s close relatives and friends were martyred by the communists during and after the Bolshevik Revolution ; and then he, himself, passed through the Civil War and the repression of the 1920s and 1930s, during which he narrowly escaped imprisonment and death on several occasions.

Civilian occupation ; World War II ; escape, 1941

Once he was an adult, George Pokrowsky (as he was then) served as a railway train driver (engineer) for many years, and he came to be in charge of a railway section in Ukraine.

However, in 1941, during World War II, the armies of Nazi Germany invaded Ukraine. After a brief sense of having been liberated from the Soviets, the Ukrainians understood that they had merely been taken over by a different sort of oppressor, and that they were intended to become slaves of the Nazi German government.

At that time, George Pokrowsky became a member of the Ukrainian partisans who were struggling for an independent Ukraine during World War II, and he was responsible for a cache of weapons used by the partisans.

When the Ukrainian police (collaborators with the Nazi German government) discovered this fact, and began to pursue him, he had to flee.

He had heard later that his wife, Natalia, and their 2 sons and their daughter (Evgeniy, Constantine and Vitalia) were hiding in the basement of a building that had been destroyed by the Nazis. Then, when Mrs. Pokrowsky tried to help a wounded Soviet soldier who had fallen near the entrance to their hiding spot, she was shot dead by a German soldier. Therefore, what he did not learn until many decades later was that the children had survived, thanks to a German soldier who prevented the other soldier (the one who had murdered Natalia) from bludgeoning Evgeniy to death with a rifle-butt. The 5-year-old had thrown himself across his mother’s body, and he was mere moments away from meeting his end as well.

Forced labour ; exile

George was later arrested by the German Gestapo, who sent him to a forced-labour camp in Northern Germany, in the Kiel area, near the Danish border. In this camp, he was starved to the point of temporary blindness.

After the British army liberated the camp in 1945, George Pokrowsky remained there, where he worked on building hydroelectric facilities until 1948.

After it became possible, he then emigrated and resettled in the West (specifically in Canada), where he had to bear the heaviest of crosses : not knowing whether his 3 beloved children had survived the war, and fearing that they had all been killed.

Emigration to Canada, 1948

Once he arrived in Canada in 1948, he found work on the construction of a dam on the Ottawa River. It was after he had emigrated that he met and married Natalia Kalinowska. It was not an intentional choice on his part that his second wife would also be named Natalia, but he was grateful to God for the gift of this co-worker with him. He was certain that his first wife had died.

As a descendant of a long line of priests, he, too, feeling called by the Lord to do so, began to pursue the possibility of ordination. It was clear, first, that being twice-married was a first hurdle. There were other questions to be answered, so he consulted with Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich), who was at that time once again the locum tenens of the Archdiocese of Canada, and the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America. There was included an assessment both of his theological education and of the need for the application of "economia" (careful management) regarding the possible ordination.

Ordinations, 1958

With the needed special dispensations and permissions, in 1958, George Pokrowsky was ordained to the Holy Diaconate and then to the Holy Priesthood in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal, Québec, in the Archdiocese of Canada of The Orthodox Church of America.

Pastoral service

Ordained to the priesthood in his fifties, the Priest George Pokrowsky was the rare exception amongst priests, since he had married twice. In his particular case, the hierarchy judged it necessary to set aside the canon that prohibits ordaining a man in a second marriage. (Such canons serve as general rules, and it is wise for us to remember that the Holy Spirit is not bound by them.) Certainly we can say in retrospect that his ordination was plainly the will of God.

Holy Trinity Church, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, 1958

After he had been ordained to the Holy Priesthood, and after he had served for a time at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal, Father George Pokrowsky was assigned to serve Holy Trinity Church in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

In their service in this parish, both Father George and Matushka Natalia worked hard on building the community, first through prayer and intercession, then through developing the church school, renovating the Temple and other facilities, and teaching and feeding Christ’s rational sheep there. They lived in the rectory just to the north of the Temple, and they were much loved by the parishioners. During this time, painted murals of saints were added to the interior walls of the Temple, and many practical improvements were made in order to "modernise" the structure of the Temple itself. This restoration project initially had a blessing from Archbishop Kiprian (Borisevich) of Philadelphia for an appeal to parishes in the USA, but this was never required. The parishioners of the Temple, under the chairmanship of Mike (Mihail) Ambrose, managed to accomplish the work on their own. Katherine Moisiuk and Fred Kubek were the main and generous contributors to this project. Already, on 18 November, 1964, the parishioners made a celebration during which the retired mortgage was burnt.

At that time, the church school had developed well, and there were 40 children in attendance. The choir became much more numerous and capable. The Sisterhood of Saint Anna embraced many projects for the support of the parish.

The service of the region by Father George included caring for various nearby rural and other Temples, such as the Holy Trinity Church in Kayville, and the Holy Ascension Church in Maple Creek, and others.

Holy Trinity Church, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Holy Trinity Church, Ottawa, Ontario, 1966

In 1966, however, Father George and Matushka Natalia were transferred to Ottawa, Ontario, to serve Holy Trinity Church there. This was a parish which had had a difficult and unstable history to some extent, and it needed a loving and strong pastor. With God’s help, Father George and Matushka Natalia together provided what was needed. Again, the need was supplied first through prayer and intercession, then through developing the church school and encouraging the sisterhood. It was at this time, also, that the city expropriated the land on Gladstone Avenue on which the Temple had been situated. Therefore, leading a building project became Father George’s priority.

As was reported by Millie Kutowy (former secretary of Holy Trinity), it was her father (who served as the parish council president) who had tried to persuade Father George to leave western Canada. “We needed to build a church and heard about this priest in Moose Jaw who was a great builder”, she said. “My father finally convinced Bishop Sylvester (Haruns) to send Father Pokrowsky to us”. By 1968, the new Temple of the Holy Trinity had been built on Somerset Street, in the midst of "China-town".

In 1968, Andrey Somow, his wife Henriette and their family arrived in Ottawa from Europe, settled in Ottawa, and attended Holy Trinity Church there. They became close workers and collaborators with Father George and Matushka Natalia. Soon, Father George recognised the spiritual, liturgical and pastoral gifts in Andrey, and he strongly supported his candidacy for ordination to the Holy Diaconate before Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) of Montréal. This ordination came, with God's blessing, in 1974. However, very soon afterwards, Deacon Andrey and his family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where Father Andrey had found work.

Holy Trinity Church, Ottawa, Ontario

Retirement, 1983

Father George continued to serve as the pastor of Holy Trinity Church until 1983, when he had to retire because of his failing health. When Father George had to retire because of his illnesses, there began a search for a successor.

In June, 1993, Bishop Seraphim (Storheim) presented Father George with a "gramota" (certificate of blessing) which recognised not only his own pastoral labours with gratitude, but those also of Matushka Natalia.

While Father George had continued with his pastoral labours both in Moose Jaw and in Ottawa, beginning in 1966, he also served on the archdiocesan council of the Archdiocese of Canada as its treasurer during the time of Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns). Even though Father George carried within his heart a very painful and difficult personal history, he also carried in his heart (along with Matushka Natalia) the burden of intercession for the flock of Christ and the burden of pastorship. In addition, there was the burden of the developing physical ailments of his Matushka Natalia, and of his own ailments.

Bereavement, 1991

On 8 February, 1991, the time came for the falling asleep in Christ of Father George’s beloved Matushka Natalia, to whom he had constantly shown tender care, and whom he deeply loved.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Lay-Person were offered at Holy Trinity Sobor on Somerset Street West in Ottawa, Ontario.

After the funeral services at Holy Trinity Sobor, her body was interred at the Holy Trinity Cemetery at 1890, Merivale Road in Ottawa.

Our weekly conversations over the 7 years or so before this were a great source of strength for me. He was himself burdened by a plethora of physical illnesses — in fact there were so many that there was no room to write them all on a hospital chart ! In his later years, he suffered noticeably from Parkinson’s Disease. Nevertheless, as soon as conversation would turn to life in Christ, everything changed. His eyes would sparkle, his face would light up, his physical limitations would suddenly vanish, and with deep compunction and conviction he would discourse on the great wealth of the Orthodox Christian Faith, the mysteries of its inner life, the beauty of its services, and on the love of God which seemed to be his food day and night.

In 1992, Father Andrey Somow, who had remained a close friend with Father George for decades, recommended to him, to the parish council and to Bishop Seraphim (Storheim), the Priest Marek Kocon who was living with his family in Victoria, British Columbia at the time. This recommendation was accepted and blessed, and Father Marek arrived by car from British Columbia in January of 1993. This choice proved to be truly blessed. Father Marek and Father George quickly developed a close relationship, and they worked and prayed together. The result was very positive in the parish, and Father Marek and his family learned a great deal from this man who was something like a grandfather to them. Father George was, however, put in a difficult position very quickly, because Father Marek developed a rapidly-progressing cancer and reposed in 1994. Father George was able to be a consolation to the grieving family, however.

Finding family, 1996

Father George became acquainted in 1994 with Dr. Tamara Ivanovna Vlasova, a retired Moscow surgeon who had recently immigrated to Canada. In time, she and her husband became long-term personal care-givers for Father George in his progressing weakness. She was aware of the concern of Father George about the fate of his family, and this was sharpened when, in June of 1995, the Ukrainian Red Cross had written to Father George, and effectively told him to give up.

Later in 1996, Tamara Ivanovna returned to Russia for a visit. There, she found the answer to Father George’s long question about the survival of his children, and more. She had persuaded a Moscow radio station to broadcast Father George’s story to try to locate his offspring. All 3 children were found to be located in the former Soviet Union. Father George told a reporter :

 My daughter lives in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (in the Russian Far East, on the Pacific coast).  My sons 
 live in Voroshylovhrad (now Luhansk).

Father George also learned that he had 3 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His son Evgeniy was working in natural gas exploration, and Constantine was employed as an auto mechanic.

What followed was a major fund-raising effort by the Ukrainian Orthodox community in Ottawa to reunite the children with their father. Since Father George’s health prevented him from travelling, 2 of the 3 children (his daughter could not travel) and a grandson (Valeriy) made the journey to Canada from Ukraine. Aeroflot Airlines helped by reducing airfare, and an Ottawa limousine service sent a car to meet the Pokrowsky party at the Mirabel aeroport and bring them back to Ottawa. Father George’s 2 sons and grandson met Father George on 25 May, 1996, and they remained in Canada for 2 months. Father George exclaimed : “I am very appreciative of everyone who helped bring my children back to me”.

Father George Pokrowsky ; grandson Valeriy, sons Evgenii, Konstantin

There was, obviously, great joy for Father George in this reunion with his children. Nevertheless, the preparation had been filled with pain, sorrow, anxiety and fear over many years. This was clearly a part of the burden that he bore throughout his life.

The mere mention of all these things might strike fear into some hearts. Yet, despite these great trials, the Father George whom I knew was always calm and serene, without the slightest hint of bitterness. Deeply grateful to God for all things, he never complained, which is the reason why, even to this day, and despite the hundreds of hours we spent together, I am still learning now details of his sufferings. He only talked about certain of them for the purpose of instruction.

Of course, in the context of all Father George’s sufferings and challenges, I often felt silly even talking to him about my own temptations. It was as though someone who had walked a few steps were to complain of sore feet to a marathon runner ! Yet the depth of his sufferings enabled him to empathise with me on a very deep level, to analyse my trials in detail, and to find a way to meet them successfully.

There was a special power to his concluding word at every encounter, which was : “derzhis”, meaning “endure”, or “hold on”. The expression underlined Father George’s conviction that, if we are faithful, if we pluck up our courage and fight, then God will not allow us to be overcome, but will grant us victory. Indeed his whole life was a constant testimony to that fact, and at the end of his life, God granted him 2 gifts — to be reunited with his children, and to outlive the Soviet regime.

Father George put a great deal of emphasis on faith, on the necessity of trusting God, and on convincing oneself over and over that everything is in God’s hands. He saw and judged all things through the eyes of this complete trust, so his judgements were often different from those of conventional “wisdom”. For him, trusting God was first and foremost a matter of personal relationship, and so the criterion for judgement was always the word of Christ, whether expressed in the Scriptures, the liturgical texts or the lives of saints.

A lover of the liturgical services, Archpriest George never ceased to speak of their importance for the spiritual life of us all, especially since, as he said, we are not surrounded by an Orthodox rhythm of life as he had been in his childhood. His spiritual life seemed to centre on the services to a great degree, and when I once asked him if he had ever made use of the Jesus Prayer, he replied : “Not very often”. In this way his “method” was similar to that of Saint John of Kronstadt, and like the latter, he had a genuine pastor’s heart, constantly praying for the faithful and grieving deeply for the sins of all.

What most afflicted him in later life, however, was the ignorance of so many, their failure to understand Orthodoxy for what it really is — rather than what they want it to be — and their refusal to put it into practice. Although he spoke only Russian and Ukrainian (his English was limited), he understood the importance of moving towards English and French, emphasising that Orthodoxy must be made as accessible as possible and not be treated as anyone’s ethnic possession. He was particularly distressed to watch some of his successors almost destroy a parish he had carefully built up and nurtured. Although he normally refused to criticise anyone, he was uncompromising when it came to the defence of the faithful, saying that it was unconscionable to allow those who cause spiritual harm to remain in pastoral positions.

His rare upbringing, combined with constant theological reading, gave him an unusual and refreshing perspective on many contemporary intra-Orthodox debates. On the question of saying the Anaphora prayers aloud at the Divine Liturgy, for instance, he insisted that the real reason for doing them silently is to allow the priest to concentrate completely on the words of the prayer, something he judged to be of great importance. Yet he could also understand the benefits of reading the text aloud in our present context. He would offer his opinions and sometimes defend them vigorously, but he never did so simply from habit or a narrow conservatism. He was, rather, genuinely traditional, in that he judged all matters according to their impact on spiritual life. This gave his opinions an unpredictable, but often liberating quality.

Father George seldom spoke of the depths of his own inner life, and I was not one to pry, since his genuine experience of Grace was quite apparent. Nevertheless, he did share the following incidents. Once, when he was serving in Moose Jaw in the early 1960s, he was totally exhausted by the middle of the Divine Liturgy and he was afraid that he would collapse. Asking the Lord for help, he felt himself suddenly transformed. His fatigue vanished completely and he felt strong, even young, again. Many years later, when his wife was sick in an Ottawa hospital, the doctors told him that her death was imminent. He calmly went into the church, knelt in front of the altar and prayed for her. She lived another 10 years.

When he was in hospital with some minor heart trouble over the Feast of Pascha, 1998, Father George called me and with great excitement told me to come right away. When I arrived, he explained the following with great emotion and tears in his eyes. While he was lying there fully conscious and alert, he suddenly heard the Cherubic Hymn begin very faintly. As it grew louder, his surroundings were suddenly transformed, his hospital room faded away, and he found himself in perfect health standing in a meadow of indescribable beauty. The singing continued and he remained enraptured by it for what seemed a very long time. Then the vision faded away gradually and he found himself back in his bed. He strictly forbade me to mention this vision to anyone while he was alive, but clearly it had made a deep impression on him and gave impetus to his often-stated desire to depart this life.

Repose, 1999

For reasons known only to God, no-one was present at the moment of his falling-asleep in Christ in the early afternoon of 23 July, 1999. Several people (including his dear friend and housekeeper Dr. Tamara Ivanovna Vlasova and a few others) all missed this event by a matter of minutes.

In order to fulfil his wish that Bishop Seraphim, Father Andrey Somow and I be present at his funeral, there had to be a delay of a week. Then, on the eve of the funeral at Holy Trinity Sobor in Ottawa, we discovered that “by coincidence” we had scheduled the blessed event for the 31st anniversary of the day he had blessed the Temple, the building of which was largely his own doing.

A Panikhida was served on Sunday, 1 August, 1999, and on Monday, 2 August, 1999, both at 7:00 p.m. in Holy Trinity Bukowinian Orthodox Cathedral (Somerset Street West at Arthur Street).

The Memorial Liturgy and Service for the Burial of a Priest were served at 10:00 a.m. in Holy Trinity Bukowinian Orthodox Cathedral on Tuesday, 3 August, 1999 (the day of the anniversary of the blessing of the Temple).

Interment followed at the Saint Seraphim Russian Orthodox Cemetery, in Rawdon, Québec. The funeral arrangements were managed by McEvoy-Shields Funeral Home.

May the memory of the Archpriest George and Matushka Natalia Pokrowsky be eternal.

Grave-marker in Rawdon, Québec

Reflections

There is no doubt about the love that Father George Pokrowsky had and showed towards the Lord (as described in the previous words). It revealed itself in the careful manner of his liturgical serving, in the way he taught, in the patience he demonstrated with everyone, in his fervent words regarding the proper support and administration of the Church, and in his attentive and personal loving care for the parishioners.

There is no doubt about the love that Father George Pokrowsky had and showed towards Matushka Natalia. On any visit to their home after his retirement, this loving care and service was clearly visible, and it was reciprocated.

There is no doubt about the love that Father George Pokrowsky had and showed towards the first parish to which he was assigned. The parishioners of Holy Trinity Church in Moose Jaw received fresh energy and strength from the Lord through him.

There is no doubt about the love that Father George Pokrowsky had and showed towards the parishioners of Holy Trinity Sobor in Ottawa. Not only did he consolidate the parishioners, but he also oversaw the construction of the new Temple, and his parishioners were strengthened through his careful service. The parish flourished under his paternal hand. When the time came for his retirement, and other clergy came to serve the parishioners after him, he was always present and serving as much as possible in the Temple (because the Lord and serving were his "first love"). He did his best to support those who cared for the flock of Christ in this parish.

Father George Pokrowsky once wrote :

 Many of my relatives held responsible governmental positions ; many served the Church as priests. 
 All were strong supporters of the Church. 
 I tried to continue the tradition to the best of my abilities.

There is no doubt that Father George had fulfilled his expressed desire with God's help.