Metropolitan Seraphim (Ustvolsky)
“Metropolitan” Seraphim (Ustvolsky) (1858-19__)
Seraphim may be spelt Serafim.
Ustvolsky may be spelt Ustvolskiy, Oustvolsky.
Foreword
In the English language, and in North America, there are few concrete details available with regard to the earlier and later life of “Metropolitan” Seraphim. His title is written throughout this article in quotation marks because he was never recognised by the Orthodox Church either as a bishop, or as a higher-ranking metropolitan. It is what he called himself. Further research about him would require consulting the various archives in Russia (and particularly of the Moscow Patriarchate), and, if possible, those of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It would help also to search for information amongst the monasteries of Mount Athos. Otherwise, we are dependent upon many different opinions which are based on uncertain information.
Early life of Stephan Ustvolsky
Stephan Ustvolsky was born in northwestern Russia in 1858. His surname (family-name) seems to be associated with the birthplace of his relatives on his father’s side. This is the village of Ust’-Volma, in the Kresttsy County in the Novgorod Governorate of the Russian Empire. However, there are uncertainties about many of the details of his biography.
Higher education
Stefan Ustvolsky graduated from the Olonets Theological Seminary in Petrozavodsk, Karelia.
Olonets Theological Seminary
Then, in 1881, he completed his studies at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg. He received the Master of Theology degree, and also “the right to obtain a master’s degree from a new oral test”.
Amongst his classmates in Saint Petersburg were several graduates of the Novgorod Theological Seminary, who later became priests, mainly in the Novgorod diocese. They included : A M Georgievsky, N V Golinsky, V I Kolmovsky, M A Ohotin, V F Sokolov, and D I Tikhomirov.
Marriage ; ordinations
At about this time, it is known that Stephan was married.
Although evidence is lacking, he would have been ordained afterwards to the Holy Diaconate, and then to the Holy Priesthood. Later evidence shows that this had to be the case.
Pastoral service
After ordination to the Holy Priesthood, in June, 1881, he was assigned to serve as a priest in the Imperial Moscow court at the Verkhospassky Sobor within the Moscow Kremlin. This was effectively the domestic chapel of the royal family in Moscow.
In January, 1882, he was transferred to serve as a priest in the Temple (chapel) of the 8th Grenadier Moscow Regiment, which was quartered in Tver.
An accusation
Following one report, in April, 1882, the Priest Stephan was accused by the commanding colonel of the regiment, Colonel Ivan Karlović von Burzi, of misconduct. In the course of the investigation conducted, the accusation was fully confirmed to be factual, but the actual nature of the misconduct is not yet known.
However, a very different version is also available. It was later told in Winnipeg, Manitoba, by "Metropolitan" Seraphim (Stephan) to Ivan (John) Bodrug that the Priest Stephan’s wife had deserted him in order to live with a Polish colonel.
Regardless of which of these 2 versions is factual, it is known that there was some sort of public scandal which could have resulted in a disciplinary action. Nevertheless, the Priest Stephan Ustvolsky then requested from the Holy Governing Synod either a rebuke or the blessing to resign with dignity. The request was granted. As an exception, by Imperial Decree, he was given the right and the rank of a collegiate secretary. After some time, for unknown reasons (perhaps obscured by him), this rank was lost in about 1893.
It is written about him that his behaviours were peculiar, regardless of the elevation of the rank or responsibility he held. However, it also may be that difficult circumstances of life caused suffering, which in turn gave evidence of itself in odd behaviours. It probably cannot be known what was the cause of the behaviours. In addition, the sources are confusing and contradictory.
Instability ; suspension ; business
Following these events, it seems that the Priest Stephan Ustvolsky was suspended from exercising any functions of the Holy Priesthood.
He then travelled to Arkhangelsk, where he engaged in business activities. There, he had an altercation with civil authorities which involved his removing and tearing up official documents posted or delivered by the official civil authorities. As a result, he served 3 weeks in detention by the sentence of the Magistrate of the Kholmogory Uyezd of the Arkhangelsk Governorate.
Year 1899 ; divorce
In 1899, still under discipline (suspension), Priest Stephan Ustvolsky returned to Novgorod.
Simultaneously, the local spiritual consistory considered the case of the divorce of Stephan Ustvolsky’s marriage with his wife, who, according to some sources, left him in Arkhangelsk (others say that this occurred in Moscow). There are also the aforementioned allegation about an adulterous abandonment by his wife. The divorce was granted. A divorce (depending on the causes) can cause a priest to be disciplined, or to have a discipline prolonged.
Later, it seems that he was for some time engaged in small business in a shop, which was located in the house of Mr. Stepanov on Znamenskaya Street in Novgorod. This two-storey semi-stone house (situated on the corner with Malo-Mikhailovskaya Street, and belonging to a retired artillery noncommissioned officer), had an annex and a mezzanine. It also housed a grocery store which Father Ustvolsky may have operated.
Znamenskaya Street : on the left, the shop where Father Stephan worked
Year 1901
After the divorce, at the beginning of 1901, Stephan Ustvolsky appealed to the Holy Governing Synod with a petition about allowing him to take up the monastic life and “to return to the sacred dignity”.
The Holy Synod took into account the fact that he had not managed his ordination affirmation to “remain steady in the assumed title”, and the synodal authorities rejected the petition. However, the Holy Governing Synod clarified his right to petition the local diocesan authorities “to take on the novitiate in this or that monastery” in order to prepare for monastic service. Stephan Ustvolsky took advantage of this opportunity.
By order of the Novgorod Church authorities, he was assigned to be a novice in the Khutyn Transfiguration Monastery.
Monastic tonsure, 1901
In May, 1901, Priest Stephan Ustvolsky entered into the brotherhood of the Novgorod Khutyn Monastery.
However, the long and difficult period of preparation for monasticism was soon interrupted.
Within 2 months from the beginning of his obedience, he was sent on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the purpose of “venerating the holy Tomb of the Lord”. Somewhere and at some time during the journey in the East, in one of the monasteries, Stephan Ustvolsky was restored by someone to being a priest in active service.
However, upon his return to Novgorod, the Holy Governing Synod did not accept this restoration immediately. He was subjected to further scrutiny.
Eventually, he was tonsured in the Novgorod Khutyn Monastery to be a monk, and he was given the name “Seraphim”. He was now Hieromonk Seraphim (Ustvolsky).
He was therefore forbidden to perform any religious services, and he was transferred in December, 1901, for monastic testing to the Spaso-Evfimyevsky Monastery (the Saviour-Saint Euthymius Monastery) in Suzdal, of the Diocese of Vladimir.
Then, taking into account his previous life, and his unstable current behaviour (which produced the “painful direction of his will”), and that he required medical supervision, the Holy Governing Synod decided to place him in the monastery’s infirmary.
Year 1902
While he was in the Spaso-Evfimyevsky Monastery, he made repeated requests to various authorities that his suspension (or possibly, deposition) be lifted. However, he received no favourable response. He then made an appeal to the leadership of the Diocese of Vladimir in which he requested that this monastic testing be ended, and that he be permitted as a layman to travel to the East.
He was required to sign an agreement not to present himself either as a priest or a priest-monk, not to wear the clothes of a priest or priest-monk, not to give blessings, and not to serve any Divine Services or Divine Liturgies. Once he had done so, he was permitted to travel as he requested. He departed from the Suzdal monastery in June, 1902.
Mount Athos
It seems that on Mount Athos or elsewhere, he had an encounter with the aged and retired Patriarch Anthimos VII (Tsatsos). (In Greek, Anthiomos is Ανθήμος ; in Russian the different spellings Anphim, Anfim is Анфим). This patriarch, as did the other patriarchs, disapproved the fact that in Russia, Tsar Peter I (Romanov) and his successors had abolished the patriarchate (the "Church Reform of Peter the Great") and substituted the patriarchate with a committee called the Most Holy Synod (composed of bishops and lay-persons appointed by the emperor). However, he was better known for his August, 1895, encyclical letter in which he strongly criticised the encyclical “Præclara Gratulationis Publicæ” of Pope Leo XIII, on the subject of "the reunion of Christendom". Patriarch Anthimos VII had renounced the throne of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 1896, and he lived in retirement afterwards on Halki Island (or perhaps Antigoni Island) near Constantinople.
Simonopetra Monastery, Mount Athos
Alleged request from Uniat clergy in the USA
Then a request arrived (either in Constantinople or at Mount Athos) from a group of Greek (Eastern) Catholic priests in the USA. In conflict with Roman Catholic authorities, and unsuccessful in obtaining an independent Greek Catholic hierarchy in North America, the group asked that an Orthodox bishop be sent to them. It was their desire to establish a church in North America which would be subject to an Orthodox patriarch.
This was a strange request, if it be taken into consideration that there had already been such a Church established in North America, and that it had existed from 1794. During this particular period of time, the bishop of this entity was Bishop Tikhon (Belavin). He was the Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, and he resided in New York City, which was the cathedral see of the diocese. However, there may well have been political/historical reasons for their approaching (albeit obliquely) the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Episcopal ordination, 1902
Nevertheless, it seems that the retired Patriarch Anthimos had responded to the petition by ordaining this same Hieromonk Seraphim (Ustvolsky) to the Holy Episcopate. However, the evidence for this is based on the personal testimony of “Metropolitan” Seraphim (Ustvolsky) alone.
Meanwhile, on Mount Athos, he had supposedly been given a certificate, in which it was alleged that the possessor of it was put by the “Greek Church” amongst “missionary bishops”.
It seems, again by his own testimony, that the new bishop had then been given the blessing, and that he had been sent by the patriarch to the USA in order to serve as a bishop. It is not known whether any of this was done with the knowledge and blessing of the ruling Patriarch of Constantinople at that time, Patriarch Constantine V (Valiades).
Were it without the blessing, then it would fall amongst such irregularities as had on various occasions been perpetrated by various visiting bishops on Mount Athos, despite the fact that this territory was under the Omophor of the Patriarch of Constantinople. In this case, it would have been a retired patriarch ordaining a man to the Holy Episcopate without the involvement of the actual, present patriarch of Constantinople. Such behaviours sometimes can lead to major inter-Church tensions and difficulties. It is in part because of the many unusual circumstances that many writers simply dismiss the claimed ordination as a complete fake, and perhaps with justification.
“Episcopal” service
Before taking up the North American work, 1902
In the autumn of 1902, “Metropolitan” Seraphim (Ustvolsky) was again seen in Novgorod. Some townspeople reported having seen him in a monastic robe, with a Cross and a panagia on his chest (bishops generally wear both a Cross and a panagia when they are vested and serving, but they wear only a panagia when they are wearing their regular monastic habit).
Then, in November, the newly-appeared bishop arrived in North America, where he first briefly stopped in New York and in Philadelphia.
The now “Bishop Seraphim (Ustvolsky)” immediately took to himself the title “Metropolitan of the Orthodox Russian Church for the Whole of America”. The word “metropolitan” would in this context imply that in the Constantinopolitan environment, he had been assigned to serve as a ruling bishop in a territory. However, a retired patriarch has no independent authority to ordain bishops. Any retired or auxiliary bishop (regardless of rank) requires the blessing of the ruling patriarch or ruling bishop. Moreover, there are usually several bishops participating in any episcopal ordination. Nor does a retired patriarch have any authority to assign a bishop to a diocesan responsibility (or any other responsibility).
The not-surprising result of these events (whether or not they were all factual) was the excommunication of “Bishop Seraphim” by the Holy Governing Synod of the Church of Russia.
In the USA, it was not until 1922 that the Patriarchate of Constantinople formally assigned a bishop to North America.
As events developed, “Metropolitan” Seraphim did not manage to establish an agreeable relationship with his American sponsors (who had a relationship with a Ukrainian group in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). He stayed briefly with some clergy in New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The result of the disagreement was that the Greek-Catholic clergy who had invited him returned to their Roman Catholic bishops, where they had to repent of their errors.
It is evident from some writings that there were political and other elements also involved in the personal relationships and in the events which unfolded in the USA, and then later in Canada. It is very likely that one such element was a tension between Russian-speakers and Ukrainian-speakers (the bishop being one of the former).
Then, the bishop travelled to the west coast of the USA. He presided at services along the way, mainly amongst those who were in search of a better lot for the Ukrainians. These perceived that he was an Orthodox preacher-missionary. However, he remained in the USA only for a few months.
At that time, there were few priests in Canada to serve the spiritual needs of either the Greek Catholic or the Orthodox Christian settlers on the prairies. In addition, a 1894 decree by Pope Leo XIII of Rome had forbidden married Greek Catholic priests (who formed the majority of that church’s priesthood in Europe) to serve in North America. However much “Metropolitan” Seraphim may have desired to do something to assist in supplying the multitude of newly-arrived immigrants (primarily the Slavs) in Western Canada with desperately needed clergy, he had already stepped into a quagmire which would bring him suffering and ridicule.
Year 1903 : move to Canada
Thus, in March, 1903, “Metropolitan” Seraphim transferred himself to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada. He was accompanied by the Hieromonk Makarii (Marchenko), whom he had met in New York, and who had subsequently become his cell-attendant (a sort of valet).
The arrival of “Metropolitan” Seraphim and Father Makarii bore the unusual characteristics which soon would be demonstrated yet more. They were described by Ivan Bodrug (a Ukrainian-Canadian who had been involved in the bishop’s arrival in Canada) in an equally unusual manner :
There (at the Immigration Building upon first arriving) he (Seraphim) served mass with the assistance of the monk-priest, Makarii Marchenko, who had earlier fled from Athos and travelled through the main cities of Asia Minor, Southern Europe and South America. Father Makarii had met Seraphim in Yonkers, near New York, and from then on served as Seraphim’s assistant, even though Seraphim often publicly called Makarii a fool. Makarii was an extremely simple man, very slovenly, and not quite right in the head.
The Priest-monk Makarii was very likely more a liability than an asset to the bishop.
There is another anecdote about the bishop’s unusual behaviour in Winnipeg. It is told that on one Feast of Theophany (6/19 January), the bishop offered the customary outdoor service of the Blessing of the Waters at a hole which had been made in the ice of the Red River. Afterwards, the bishop and an entourage of clergy and servers made a procession to the City Hall of Winnipeg, and, unannounced, they entered the Office of the Mayor (likely John Arbuthnot), upon which the bishop blessed the mayor’s office with prayer and the sprinkling of Holy Water. The mayor would have been dumbfounded, and he would not have understood anything of what had just happened.
“All-Russian Patriarchal Orthodox Church”, 1903
Once he had settled in Winnipeg, “Metropolitan” Seraphim proceeded to ordain cantors, deacons and others selected by their communities, into the priesthood of what he called the “All-Russian Patriarchal Orthodox Church”, popularly known as the “Seraphimite Church”.
“Metropolitan” Seraphim was, in fact, a skilled orator and a fine preacher. He had a melodious voice. This ability, together with the mere act of bringing the Eastern-rite liturgy to the people, drew many thousands of Ukrainians to his new church. They were starved for a place to pray regularly, for liturgical worship, for liturgical prayers, and for the sacraments. Travelling across rural Manitoba and adjacent parts of the Northwest Territories (now Saskatchewan), he preached with vigour ; and, it is alleged, he often indiscriminately ordained priests for a fee. It was perhaps a lack of caution, supplemented by a strong desire to provide sufficient clergy for the people, which made him vulnerable to subterfuge.
Despite widespread doubts about the bishop’s legitimacy and authority, at the outset his Church had broad popular appeal. Many Ukrainian immigrants were attracted to a bishop who ordained poor and humble men like the “simple uneducated fishermen” whom Christ had selected as apostles.
In a very short time, the bishop’s entity claimed nearly 60,000 adherents. It was necessary to take pastoral care of this flock, and he did ordain approximately 50 priests and numerous deacons. It is said that many of them were semi-illiterate, and that they exercised the basic necessary priestly duties throughout the settlements. One of the principal elements of the bishop’s policy, perhaps influenced by those who were influenced by the Presbyterians, was the trustee-ownership of church property.
The trustee-ownership of church property was part of neither the Orthodox nor the Roman Catholic nor the Anglican traditions. However, for the most part, Canadian rules and legislation already stood in the way of the possibility that an Orthodox bishop could be incorporated with the traditional episcopal ownership of everything under his responsibility and care. This was largely due to the influence of various Protestant groups. Therefore, already in 1900, parishes owned their own properties through trustees, with the proviso that upon dissolution the assets would be transferred to the bishop in one or another manner. Thus, the policy of “Metropolitan” Seraphim about this was not far from the actual state of things for the Canonical Orthodox parishes in Canada.
Although “Metropolitan” Seraphim apparently ordained priests somewhat indiscriminately, there were also limits. For instance, according to Ivan Bodrug’s account, it had been more difficult for Ivan Bodrug and Ivan Negrych to get themselves ordained by the bishop than for them to be accepted as students of theology at Manitoba College. The nature of their education, their personal histories, and their admitted Protestant leanings, could have given the bishop pause. Nevertheless, the bishop did ordain these 2 men. There was enough controversy about the bishop's motives that he has been labelled as an “imposter” and a “cunning profiteer”. On one occasion, he was reported to have said that he would ordain an ox as a priest, were he given 50 dollars. However, since he had a reputation for drinking, it is entirely possible that he could have said such a thing in that sort of context.
When “Metropolitan” Seraphim arrived in Winnipeg, there were, in fact, 2 clergy who arrived with him : Archimandrite Sylvester (Muzhkov), and Hieromonk Makarii (Marchenko). In Canada, amongst others, “Metropolitan” Seraphim (Ustvolsky) ordained the following priests :
Theodore Stefanyk (1903) ; Nikolai Zaitsev (also Manovitch) (1903) ; (unknown) Yatsura (1903) ; Semyon Dovgan (1903) ; John Kennedy (1903) ; Dmytro Yarema (1903) ; Ivan Negrych (1903) ; Ivan Zazulyak (1903) ; Ivan Danylchuk (1903) ; Alexander Candy (1903) ; Mikhailo Bachynsky (1903) ; Alexei Bachynsky (1903) ; Joseph Chernyavsky (1903) ; Gavriil Tymchuk (1903) ; Joseph Sikorsky (1903) ; Andrei Vilchynsky (1903) ; Nikolai Rozhko (1903) ; Ivan Bodrug (1903) ; Julius Bogonko (1903) ; Grigory Prygradsky (1904) ; Damian Vityuk (1904) ; Mikhailo Kachkovsky (1905) ; Ivan Drohomyryetsky ; Dmytro Sidor ; (Unknown) Vorobko ; Maxim Berezinsky ; Ivan Glova ; and others.
Because of the very large number of men who were ordained in 1903, it is very likely that these candidates had been previously identified and presented to the bishop by those who had invited him to Canada.
By July, 1903, a congregation had been organised, and plans to build a church were underway. Finally, in December, 1903, a small, rectangular, frame building near the lane on the east side of McGregor Street (between Manitoba and Pritchard Avenues) was completed. On 13 December, 1903, the building was officially blessed by “Metropolitan” Seraphim, together with Father Makarii (Marchenko), and it was opened for worship as the Holy Ghost Church. Because it was so hastily constructed, it did not have the characteristics of usual Orthodox structures.
It may be useful to be aware that at just this time in 1903, the parishioners of the “Russian Mission” under Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) were constructing the Holy Trinity Temple just 1 block to the west of “Metropolitan” Seraphim’s edifice, at the corner of Manitoba Avenue and McKenzie Street. This building was being readied in order to be sanctified by the time Bishop Tikhon made his 1904 pastoral visit, and it was constructed in a traditional, but modern style.
Ivan Bodrug (at this time a priest, along with Ivan Negrych, in the Seraphimite church) described in his memoir how a mill that he had built for himself in Sifton, Manitoba, was sanctified by Metropolitan Seraphim, accompanied by the Priest-monk Makarii (Marchenko).
On Sunday morning hundreds of people appeared in Sifton. (Word had gotten around quickly that an Orthodox priest was to visit the area.) Seraphim and Makarii stayed in the mill from dawn to dusk, confessing the sinners. Negrych also arrived from his school. Negrych and I had never made any effort to hear confessions, and Father Makarii was glad of this, since it gave him an opportunity to make a few dollars from the confessors. Father Makarii was very tight with a penny, and constantly speculated where he could get a free meal. He had a hearty appetite, nor was he one to ‘toss a drink over his shoulder’, and so with both hands he showered blessings on all people, good and bad, while whispering quotations from the Bible. The Bishop’s service began with Negrych’s and my assistance. It was natural that my mill would have to be cleansed of evil spirits, and therefore the mill had to be consecrated, which Seraphim did, precisely according to the Missal. However, as Seraphim knew all the ritual by heart, he did not even glance at the Missal. Father Makarii, glad that Seraphim did not call on him to assist with the service, stationed himself behind the altar, where he munched noisily on wafers, drinking them down with wine. During the service, Bachinsky’s choir from Ethelbert sang, with fine cantors participating.
The language for ecclesiastical terms which is used in this commentary is certainly not that of the Orthodox Christian environment. Rather, it demonstrates the Uniat history of Mr. Bodrug, and the fact that this formation remained dominant in his life. No matter what his peculiarities were, the bishop would not have been using "wafers" for the Divine Liturgy. The words "mass" and "missal" are not Orthodox terms, but rather, Roman Catholic terms. Mr. Bodrug did acknowledge that the bishop knew the services by heart.
Afterwards, in the autumn of 1903 (and ostensibly because of the uncertainties regarding the irregular status of the bishop), the newly ordained Ivan Bodrug, together with some others, had persuaded “Metropolitan” Seraphim to travel to Russia. The aim of the journey was to obtain forgiveness, blessing and subsidy from the Holy Governing Synod for this church. There is no apparent evidence that he had in advance contacted Bishop Tikhon (Belavin), nor that he had Bishop Tikhon’s support in this quest. “Metropolitan” Seraphim made his departure after mid-December, 1903, and he returned in the spring without having succeeded in achieving anything of his purposes. When the bishop returned to Winnipeg in 1904, he found that things were now completely different.
On 27 January, 1903, while the bishop was in Saint Petersburg, the “priest" Ivan Bodrug, 18 priests and some lay-persons assembled in a convention, adopted a new constitution, and announced the formation of the “Independent Greek Church”. This new entity, which took over the control of most of the “parishes” that had belonged to “Metropolitan” Seraphim, introduced many elements of Calvinist teaching and theology to these communities. They were now very clearly Protestant entities, not at all of the Orthodox Faith, and not at all of the Orthodox Christian Church.
Year 1904
When “Metropolitan” Seraphim returned to Winnipeg in September, 1904, he brought with him photographs that showed him serving the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy along with Saint John of Kronstadt and many other priests. The bishop was fully vested as a hierarch. This very fact introduced yet more uncertainty to a very unclear situation. The bishop also sent copies of these photos to his correspondents in Novgorod.
Upon his return, “Metropolitan” Seraphim was astounded to learn that in his absence Ivan Bodrug and others had reorganised his church. As soon as he learnt about the rebellion, the bishop immediately excommunicated the Protestant reformers from his church. He managed to have printed in some local newspapers the photos of the renegade clergy, with their names on their chest, in a similar fashion in which photos of criminals were printed. The result of all this was an immediate and significant reduction in the number of his clergy and parishioners.
In this context, in November, 1904, there were 3 structures in the process of construction. Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church on McKenzie Street was nearing completion. The Independent Greek (Presbyterian) Church of Our Saviour was being constructed in a typical Ukrainian Orthodox style on the corner of McGregor Street and Pritchard Avenue.
Holy Ghost Church ; Our Saviour Independent Greek Church
The so-called “Tin Can Cathedral” was also being constructed from any and assorted found material on King Street between Stella Avenue and Dufferin Avenues.
Improvised cathedral
Improvised additional building
Another view of the cathedral building
However, by this time, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) had made a several-months-long pastoral visit throughout Western Canada. During this visit, he managed to reconcile many of the Seraphimite clergy to the Canonical Orthodox Church, and to replace confusion with order.
Then, as was reported in the "Winnipeg Free Press" of 10 October, 1904, a riot had occurred on Sunday, 9 October. During this riot, the "cathedral" was completely dismantled by a mob of Orthodox people, and all the "junk" was taken away so that nothing was left. As the newspaper reported, while this was happening, the "bishop" was denouncing them with "most un-seraphic language".
The newspaper reported that it remained to be seen what would happen next, but photographs of a somewhat "different-looking" structure constructed with similar materials (odds and ends) appeared in 1905.
Mob Tore Down His Cathedral : Strange Place of Worship of Bishop Serafim Demolished Yesterday There was war and all sorts of bis excitement in the north end of Winnipeg yesterday. Unholy and sacriligious hands of scoffers were laid upon the tabernacle recently erected by “Bishop” Serifim. It was torn down and removed piecemeal, so that the place where it stood knows it now no more, except in fragments. The "Bishop" in most unseraphic language denounced the mob meanwhile. It would be hard to say where the trouble began. Serafim, who represents himself to be none other than tne metropolitan and bishop for the whole of America, of the Orthodox-Russian church, came to Winnipeg just a year or two ago, and has spent a good deal of time here since. He is said to be in reality no bishop at all, nothing but a sort of fanatical impostor, and so crazed that he actually has come to have a sort of belief In his own claim. It Is said that he was at first recognised by Russians here and even ordained clergy among them. Afterwards, for some fantastic reason or unreason, he excommunicated these men. It is said they refused to “put up” to meet the “bishop's” needs for cash. Neither the priests nor their flocks paid any heed to the ban of the self-styled metropolitan, but went on their ways as usual. Since that time the actions of the “Bishop” have been strange. He seemed to have decided to erect a tabernacle which would be a fortress of the true faith, a stronghold against attack, carnal as well as spiritual, that might be made upon it. Two lots were purchased by him near the corner of King and Stella streets, at a price more exorbitant than any man in his right senses should think of paying. On this site, the “bishop” began to gather material for the tabernacle — and such material. At
Mr. Shragge's well known
establishment he made large purchases of odds and ends, the like of which possibly have never before under heaven been fashioned together into a house of worship. There was iron piping of all .shapes, sizes and sorts. Stove doors and furnace scrap iron, barb wire and hay rake teeth, bed frames and stair rails, tobacco tins and burned-out boiler plates — all sorta and conditions of old junk in as curious a mix-up as Macbeth's witches had in their ghastly kettle. The site of the proposed sanctuary was first surrounded by a fence, planned to keep the scoffers well at bay. On a framework of steam pipes, stand after stand of barb wire was twined until all looked like a modern cavalry trap. Inside this formidable barricade, three circles after the manner of Dante's heaven, were marked out to constitute outer courts and Holy of Holies. Upon these rings was piled the junk, the stove castings, bed frames, boiler plate, scraps of wood, two carved bed posts marking the entry. Over this a roof was spread, of tobacco tins, canvas, bits of lumber and several other sorts of junk, somewhat thin and flat in shape. Two cracked
farm bells surmounted this
most curiously constructed temple. But the scoffers came up against it, and during last week Mr. Shragge bought back from sundry small boys junk which he thought had been in his scrap yards before. The “bishop” hurled forth at the pilfers epithets such as bishops are not supposed to use — except, perhaps, when excommunicating the wicked. So the skirmishes and sallies and petty encounters went on until yesterday, when a general advance and onslaught was made. Companies of small boys, with flanking companies of small girls, and a rear guard of parents and spectators advanced against the stronghold of orthodox religion. The outer barricade was soon forced, and ere the set of sun all that was left of the tabarnacle was several piles of miscellaneous junk scattered over the prairie. Fully four hundred people were present in the riot of yesterday. What “Bishop” Serafim will do now remains to be seen. (Winnipeg Free Press Monday, 10 October, 1904)
Year 1905
By January, 1905, the schism within the Seraphimite church movement was complete.
Independent Greek Church assembly, 1905
“Metropolitan” Seraphim nevertheless persevered.
The “Tin Can” Cathedral
The “Tin Can” Cathedral, or the “Tin Cathedral” was a very unusual building, also called “haphazard-looking”, which attracted more curious onlookers than worshippers. The reason for such an odd appearance is that it was built from whatever second-hand materials could be found, mostly scrap metal and wood. Much of the metal was tin. Near it, there was also another small and improvised construction, perhaps more like a shack or a shanty than a usual building.
In 1905, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) was in Winnipeg for the sanctification of Holy Trinity Church.
Holy Trinity Church, Winnipeg;;;
During the visit, Bishop Tikhon was staying in the apartment of the Priest Jaroslav Sechinsky, nearby this haphazzard building under construction. It caused him to pass on a description to the Ober-Procurator Konstantin Pobedonostsev. He indicated that it was so unique and difficult to describe in words that it truly had to be seen :
The apartment of our priest Sechinsky in Winnipeg (where I stayed) is actually located next to the ‘cathedral’ of Seraphim. It is difficult to describe what kind of ‘cathedral sobor’ it is: one must see it. From old, unfit iron pipes, pillars are made, and between them the space is plastered with boards and tin. There are crosses of old iron rods ; ornaments and cornices from cardboard paper. Directly speaking, it is some kind of show booth, like those where visiting actors and conjurers offer performances. On top of everything, Seraphim lives in the temple in the choir-loft, from where he climbs out onto the roof through the dome and, sitting there in a chair, attracts a large crowd of spectators (especially the neighbouring Jews). — ‘Letters from Saint Tikhon: American period of life and activity of Saint Tikhon of Moscow’.
"Tin Can" cathedral and parishioners, 1904
"Tin Can" cathedral, 1905
"Tin Can" cathedral Altar area
A weekly newspaper, “Pravoslaviie” (“Orthodoxy”), printed with mismatched fonts of every size imaginable, also failed to attract subscribers or adherents.
Year 1908 : departure of the metropolitan
Finally, in February, 1908, a dejected and disheartened “Metropolitan” Seraphim left Winnipeg, never to return, and all the “constructions” of his cathedral were later destroyed by vandals.
There are various theories about what happened to the bishop afterwards, and there is no reliable information. Either he remained in North America in some hidden state, or he returned to Russia. The latter is more probable. If he returned to Russia, he may well have been taken in somewhere by compassionate people. By this time, he would have been 50 years old.
Some wish to perceive this man, “Metropolitan” Seraphim (Ustvolsky), as a deliberate opportunist and manipulator. This is perhaps an unfair assessment. He was certainly a very troubled and disturbed person, but he was also in many ways a serious Christian. Those who used him did recognise his liturgical and oratorical gifts. The rumours of his disappearance into obscurity in either California or British Columbia are scarcely credible. Had the bishop gone to either place, he certainly would have been a visible and reportable phenomenon. It is far more likely that he returned to his homeland, and that he was taken in somewhere.
The spiritual hunger of the Greek Catholic Ukrainian immigrants in Western Canada had drawn them to “Metropolitan” Seraphim. Whatever his faults may have been, it must be affirmed that he knew the services of the Orthodox Church ; he knew the Scriptures, and he provided in some measure for the spiritual needs of the recent arrivals.
His brief success (and that of the Independent Greek Church) caused concern in the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic hierarchies, and it led directly to the appointment in 1912 of the first Greek Catholic bishop of Canada, Bishop Nykyta Budka, and to greater efforts to maintain the Ukrainian settlers in their most recent affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church.
It has been stated that, in some respects, the activity and phenomenon of first “Metropolitan” Seraphim and then the Independent Greek Church prepared the way for the establishment (a decade later) of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada.
The persistence of the Seraphimite entity
It is not known precisely how it came to be (if there were any episcopal “ordination” at all), but the former Priest-monk Makarii (Marchenko) suddenly then appeared in the vestments of a bishop. However, this so-called bishop did not stop at calling himself a bishop. Very soon, he proclaimed himself to be “Arch-Patriarch, Arch-Tsar, Arch-Hetman and Arch-Prince”. No true bishop has had such titles.
This person was a notorious drinker who regularly behaved in foolish ways. People tolerated him because he seemed to be fundamentally harmless. However, although he was for the most part the last one remaining of the previous many Seraphimites, his personal presence perpetuated the existence of the schismatic entity until his own repose in about 1927.
Regardless, the “All-Russian Patriarchal Orthodox Church” effectively came to an end before 1914.
Repose
The date, month, year, and place of the repose of "Metropolitan" Seraphim (Ustvolsky) are unknown in 2022.
— "Metropolitan of the Orthodox Russian Church for the Whole of America", 1902 Title created. See dissolved.
— "Metropolitan of the All-Russian Patriarchal Orthodox Church in Canada", 1903-1908 Title created. See dissolved.
Further historical material and reflections
The following sub-headings and materials refer to the beginning of the “Independent Greek Church”, a somewhat derivative entity, which was for the most part not identical with the “All-Russian Patriarchal Orthodox Church”.
The 1903 rebellion, and some of its history
If any incident caused the events considered here, it could have been the 1902 introduction by the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Joseph Bernier of a bill “transferring the properties of the Greek Ruthenian Church [Ukrainians were also called ‘Ruthenians’], the church in communion with Rome, to the control of corporations under the control of the Catholic Church”. Adélard Archbishop Langevin of Saint Boniface announced that the Ruthenians must behave as Roman Catholics do ; that they must transfer the property to the bishop of the church ; and they must not behave as Protestants do, that is, to invest property ownership in a person or committee of non-specialists who are independent of a priest or bishop. He increased his efforts to try to assimilate the Ukrainian immigrants into the Roman Catholic fold. He opened the church of Saint Nicholas on McGregor Street at Stella Avenue.
Saint Nicholas Roman Catholic church on McGregor at Stella
The Presbyterian Church became interested in possibilities associated with the very large Ukrainian immigration, and young people from amongst them were invited to study at Manitoba College (later, United College, and now the University of Winnipeg), where special classes were set up for young Ukrainians who wanted to become school teachers (and later, Independent Greek Church ministers). Being competent in the German language, Dr. John M King, Principal of the college, interviewed candidates Ivan Bodrug and Ivan Negrich in German. Cyril Genik translated their educational documents in writing from Polish into English.
In 1899, these 2 became the first Ukrainian university students in North America. Another faculty member at Manitoba College with an influence was Dr. William Patrick, the successor to Dr. King as principal in 1900.
During the time of “Metropolitan” Seraphim’s absence in Russia in 1903-1904, a rebellion took place. These events occurred not only because of the eclectic character and sometimes misbehaviour of the bishop (it is true that a heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages by the bishop was a regular observation). There was also an active, covert, predetermined plan to accomplish different aims than his. The rebellion had, in fact, in some respects, been planned even before the bishop’s first arrival. It had long roots, and the local Presbyterian college (Manitoba College) and its faculty seem to have been very much involved in these activities.
The “Bereziv Triumvirate”
The central and most influential person in the Ukrainian community in Winnipeg at this time was Cyril (Kyrylo) Genik (1857-1925). He had come to Canada from Galicia, where he had completed the Ukrainian Academic Sports Gymnasium (a European academic high-school) in Lviv, and then had briefly studied law at the Chernivtsi University. C Genik was a friend of Ivan Franko, who wrote "Lis Mikita", and who was nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature. Upon his arrival in Canada, Cyril Genik became the first Ukrainian to be employed by the Canadian government, and he worked as an immigration agent. He took new settlers out to their farms. Cyril Genik’s cousin Ivan Bodrug (1874-1952), and Ivan Bodrug’s friend Ivan Negrych (1875-1946) also came from the village of Bereziv in Kolomiya county (now the Kosiv County), and they were qualified as primary school teachers in Galicia (Halychyna). They emigrated from there to Canada in 1897, as a part of the immigration programme initiated by Dr. Joseph Olesiw in 1896.
These 3 men formed the core of the intelligentsia in the Ukrainian community and were known as the “Bereziv Triumvirate”. C Genik, the oldest of the 3, was the only one who was already married. His wife Pauline (née Tsurkowsky) was the daughter of a priest, an educated woman, and they had 6 children.
Cyril Genic 
Ivan Bodrug
Difficulties with the Roman Catholic diocese of Saint Boniface
The area from which these 3 men came was one which was dominated by the Ukrainian Catholic Church within the Roman Catholic Church. Now in Canada, they had already faced difficult experiences with the local Roman Catholic hierarchy, and Archbishop Adélard Langevin of Saint Boniface in particular. He believed that his priests were more than sufficient for the needs of the Ukrainian population. This was a similar attitude held by Roman Catholic Bishops in the USA, who were often Irish or of Irish descent.
Amongst the first clergy who were given to the Ukrainian Catholics was the Redemptorist Priest Achille Delaere, who was the Roman Catholic missionary to the Slavs of Manitoba and Saskatchewan from 1899 to 1939. His missionary activity was aimed in part to protect the Galician immigrants from a rapidly increasing number of Protestant missionaries. An example of his methods was written by Ivan Bodrug :
In Sifton, there had been built a small Greek Catholic Church, which was occasionally visited by Father Zaklynsky, but more often served by Father Dollar. Delaere had learned to read mass in Old Church Slavonic and he dressed according to Greek ritual, but he delivered his sermons in Polish.
“Dollar” was the word used by many who tried in vain properly to pronounce “Delaere”. The phraseology and vocabulary of Mr. Bodrug reveals his Eastern Catholic formation.
Father Delaere eventually recognised the historical rôle of the Eastern Catholic Church in the lives of the immigrants, and he pressed Archbishop Langevin to permit Ukrainian Catholic priests and a bishop to serve them and to keep the flock together. However, it took until 1911 before this could begin to happen.
It is not anywhere explained why there was no apparent communication or involvement with Father Alexis Toth in Minneapolis, Minnesota, or Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He and a large number of others with him had faced a similar difficulty with the Roman Catholic bishops in the USA. It is possible that there was an unwillingness to co-operate with Father Toth, since both he and the great majority of the people with him were, in fact, Carpatho-Rusyns (Carpatho-Ruthenians). The Carpatho-Rusyns were from the region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which is now called Slovakia and Trans-Carpathia, to the south and southwest of Galicia. There may well have been a political or nationalistic difference between the 2 groups of people.
The “Independent Greek (Presbyterian) Church”
Cyril Genik, Ivan Bodrug, and Ivan Negrych together wished to set up an independent Ukrainian church which would be free from control of other church authorities, and in which church property would be administered by local trustees. From these aims, one might say that it foreshadowed the more recent and so-called “non-denominational” movement.
Nevertheless, these and other leaders, who resisted both French-speaking Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox missionaries, and who rejected Ukrainian Catholic clericalism, hoped that by providing “better” leadership to the “Seraphimite” movement, it would evolve into a progressive, democratic and independent Ukrainian church. In exchange for secret financial assistance from the Presbyterian Church in Canada, leaders of the independent church, including Ivan Bodrug and Ivan Negrich, agreed to adopt certain Protestant teachings.
It had been decided that Ivan Bodrug and Ivan Negrych would infiltrate “Metropolitan” Seraphim’s church and become priests. They had already been theology students at Manitoba College.
“Metropolitan” Seraphim worked with this group, and they established what he called the “All-Russian Patriarchal Orthodox Church in Canada”. This title reflected the origins of “Metropolitan” Seraphim, and it probably reflected his personal attitude ; but it did not reflect the reality of his present situation, and it did not take into account the rapid development around him of a Ukrainian nationalist movement. This movement's sentiments and activities were expressed after 1910 in the newspaper, “Ukrainian Voice” (“Ukrainskii Holos”). There is also a substantial description of the activities of those days in the biography about the Mitred Archpriest Peter Sametz.
Encouraged by Kyrylo (Cyril) Genik, the 2 young men, who had attended classes at the Presbyterian Manitoba College in 1899, presented themselves to “Metropolitan” Seraphim for ordination.
Ivan Bodrug described the developing situation :
Out of that meeting (with Cyril Genik) came the decision that Seraphim could continue as Seraphim, and we would accord him due respect, but, having once established leadership over his priests, we would undertake to preach not Orthodoxy, but Evangelical Christianity. As for the forms and traditions in the Church ritual, we would honour those which did not conflict with the spirit of Christ and the teaching of the Apostles. Within a week of that meeting, Negrych and I went to Winnipeg to see Seraphim. We found him at prayer in his modest room. Genik introduced us to Seraphim, and we turned out to be the first people able to converse with him in his native Russian, which we had learned as leaders of the Doukhobors. [The Principal of Manitoba College had released Bodrug and Negrych from February through May 1899 to help in settling 10,000 Doukhobor immigrants who had arrived from the Caucasus ; they worked as interpreters for the Immigration authorities.] Seraphim blessed us using both hands (bishop’s blessing), and invited us to sit down. He asked us exactly who we were, when we had arrived in Canada, and what schooling we had had. He questioned us as to whether we had the willingness and the call to become Orthodox priests. We told him that we were Protestants by conviction. He smiled and said : ‘We will make fine Orthodox priests out of you. The Protestant Anglican Church is a daughter of the Orthodox Eastern Church’.
Sometime later, Ivan Bodrug described their ordination to be priests :
Saturday morning, we accompanied Seraphim on a mission to Brokenhead, about fifty miles east of Winnipeg. The church was small, but a great many people had gathered there. During the service, Seraphim ordained us as priests.
This description is itself mistaken in its details, since only 1 priest and 1 deacon can be ordained at any single Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Christian Church. It is unlikely that “Metropolitan” Seraphim would have adopted a Roman Catholic custom of ordaining many priests at one liturgical service.
A few months later, in May, with the assistance of some Presbyterian professors at Manitoba College, the newly-ordained priests Ivan Bodrug and Ivan Negrych secretly drafted the constitution for a new institution : the “Independent Greek Church”.
This new church would be independent of all ties with the Vatican, the Russian Holy Governing Synod, and the Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, although, in the short term, it would retain the Eastern Christian liturgy and ritual so as not to alienate traditionalist Ukrainian peasant immigrants. From the beginning, however, the church would espouse “evangelical principles” (stress on reading the Holy Bible, on preaching and on praying), and stress the ethical teachings of Christ. It would also promote equality between the clergy and the laity. It would adopt a democratic form of self-government and administration. It would encourage literacy through the reading of the Bible.
During the ensuing year, hidden from the view of the bishop, Ivan Bodrug and Ivan Negrych recruited men who shared their reformist Protestant views to enter into the priesthood of the “Seraphimite church”, and they waited for an opportunity to break with the eccentric bishop and to seize control of the movement. In the meantime, Ivan Bodrug and Theodore Stefanik (an electrician by trade) preached and held services in the Immigration Hall, and in a tent on a vacant lot at 479, Stella Avenue in the “North End” of Winnipeg.
Later, in 1904, while “Metropolitan” Seraphim was in Saint Petersburg, Ivan Bodrug and his followers called a convention, adopted the new constitution which they had prepared, and announced the formation of the Independent Greek Church.
1905
On 4/17 September, 1905, the Holy Trinity Russian (Greek) Orthodox Church was sanctified in Winnipeg, on the corner of McKenzie Street and Manitoba Avenue, by Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin), Ruling Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Mission in North America. Ukrainian teachers who were studying at the Ruthenian Training School on Minto Street sang at the sanctification services.
Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church
1907
The Winnipeg Independent congregation, under the care of the cleric Ivan Bodrug and his father-in-law, Oleksa (Alexander) Bachynsky, an experienced old-country cantor and choir director, fared well in the beginning. A new and larger building, “The Independent Greek Church of Our Saviour”, was erected in the traditional Ukrainian style at the northeast corner of McGregor Street and Pritchard Avenue during the summer of 1907. At the same time, a reading club, the “Canadian Star Association” (“Tovarystvo Kanadiiska Zoria”), was established in the old “Holy Ghost” building, providing congregation members with a reading room, access to several newspapers, and free English-language instruction on weekday evenings. By the winter of 1907-1908, however, Winnipeg had become the focal point of a dispute concerning the pace of reform.
A small contingent of recently recruited, well-educated missionaries, led by Zygmund Bychynsky (who had studied at the University of Lviv and at the Presbyterian Seminary in Pittsburgh) pressed for the elimination of the Eastern Liturgy altogether, and for the immediate reform of the church.
In 1907, the Church had 15,000-20,000 followers served by 24 Ukrainian missionaries, including 11 full-time pastors who received salaries of $480 annually from the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions. By 1911-1912, the Presbyterians were spending about $16,000 annually on the experiment.
Ivan Bodrug, on the other hand, ever mindful of the peasant immigrants’ traditionalism, considered that the new church was actually a long-term project which would require many years to reform. Although he prevailed this time because several of the church’s prominent Presbyterian sponsors took his side, the controversy caused turmoil within the Winnipeg congregation. Ivan Bodrug, accompanied by a few like-minded missionaries, briefly left Winnipeg for Newark, New Jersey, where efforts to establish a similar movement amongst Ukrainian immigrants were underway.
1910
When Ivan Bodrug returned to Winnipeg in the spring of 1910 because of the urgent request of the Presbyterian Home Mission Committee, the local congregation and the church as a whole were in a state of crisis.
The period of growth and expansion had come to an end ; clerical discipline was crumbling ; many congregations were divided into traditionalist and reformist factions. Dmytro Yaremii, Ivan Bodrug’s successor in Winnipeg, had left the church and joined the Russian Orthodox Mission.
Most of the church’s Presbyterian backers (who considered it to be a vehicle of Canadianisation that was designed to promote Protestant beliefs, British values and the English language amongst Ukrainian immigrants) were also growing impatient. The Independent Greek Church seemed to them to be an unmitigated failure. They could not understand why the church had not already been reformed. Moreover, since public opinion amongst Ukrainian Canadians was increasingly being shaped by secular leaders (who were primarily socialists and nationalists), rather than by Independent Greek Church ministers, they concluded that the rationale for the church’s existence had disappeared.
As a result, the Presbyterian Home Mission Committee reversed its policy in the summer of 1910, and it began to encourage Independent Greek Church ministers to introduce reforms immediately. This strategy only deepened the chasm between traditionalists and reformers within the church, and it induced Ukrainian critics of the church to label Ivan Bodrug and his colleagues as “traitors”, “mercenaries” and “assimilators” who were at the mercy of their “Presbyterian masters”, and therefore not, like “Metropolitan” Seraphim’s Holy Ghost church and the Independent Greek Church of Our Saviour (UCEC), “independent”.
Independent Greek Church ministers, 1911
1912
Then certain critics went beyond name-calling and initiated fist-fights at Manitoba College, and a deranged fanatic murdered a missionary near Goodeve, Saskatchewan in the winter of 1912. Upon these events, the Presbyterian Home Mission Committee decided to withdraw its support from the Independent Greek Church and focus on missionary work only in the Presbyterian manner.
In August, 1912, the special classes at Manitoba College were cancelled ; financial assistance was withdrawn from the Independent Greek Church ; its congregations were placed under local presbyteries. Only those Independent Greek Church clergymen with at least 4 years of theological training could apply for positions as Presbyterian ministers. Those less qualified were eligible to apply for missionary work. In October, 19 applicants were admitted into the Presbyterian fold, but few of them were able to convince more than a minority of their congregations to follow them.
The transition from the Independent Greek Church to Presbyterianism did not go smoothly in the Winnipeg congregation. After reformers took down the icons and removed the Holy Table, traditionalists retaliated by taking control of the building and padlocking the church. Eventually, the traditionalists relented.
They abandoned the movement, and they returned to the Ukrainian Catholic Church or to the Russian Orthodox Church.
1913-1920
By May, 1913, the Holy Ghost Church building was securely in Presbyterian hands and Presbyterian services were being held for a much smaller congregation. Obtaining and retaining a permanent Ukrainian Presbyterian minister also proved to be difficult, and for much of 1914-15 the building stood vacant. It re-opened only in October, 1916, when the formation of a Ukrainian Presbyterian congregation was formally announced. Simultaneously, the Ivan Franko Reading Association was established in the old building adjacent to the church (the former Holy Ghost church) and English-language classes attended by about 20 persons were offered in the evenings. Nevertheless, during the next years, the congregation remained in a precarious state and without a permanent minister. As a result, some members began to attend services and participate in activities at the nearby Robertson Memorial Presbyterian Church and Institute, which had been erected at 648, Burrows Avenue (at McKenzie Street) in 1911. It was only 3 blocks distant to the northwest from the Presbyterian site.
Robertson Memorial Presbyterian Church
(Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church is in the background)
In the same manner as in Winnipeg, the Presbyterian Church constructed various church buildings in various places across the prairies in a style which imitated the architecture of Orthodox Temples in Ukraine. This strategy was intended to attract Ukrainians. It had some success, but not great success.
1921-1929 : the absorption of the “Independent Greek Church” by the Presbyterian Church
From 1921 to 1929, Pastor Robert George Katsunoff served as pastor of the Ukrainian congregation at the Our Saviour building. He was a Bulgarian missionary who had been educated in Sofia, Berlin, Constantinople, and also at the Presbyterian seminary, and the musical conservatory in Toronto, Ontario.
In 1922, the congregation became affiliated with the Ukrainian Evangelical Alliance, an umbrella organisation founded in New York City with the intention of uniting all Ukrainian Evangelical Protestants.
In 1925, the Ukrainian congregation became a part of the United Church of Canada along with the union of most of the Canadian Presbyterians, Methodists and Congregationalists. By 1929, when Pastor Katsunoff was replaced by Pastor Elias Eustace (Ilia Eustafiewicz), a Ukrainian, the congregation had a membership of over 100 families, a Sunday School (taught by English-speaking teachers) attended by 105 children, a Canadian Girls in Training (CGIT) branch with 36 teenaged members, a Young People’s Society of 35 members, and a 30-member Mission Band. Other activities included a story hour, a Bible class, a Scout troop, a Mothers’ Club and a choir. The congregation had also produced the first Ukrainian United Church deaconess in Canada (Dorothy N Kushner).
Now that it was more lively than it had been in years, the remnant congregation if the Indepenent Greek Church was also being drawn into the orbit of Robertson Memorial United Church because it had better facilities and varied programmes, and also because other Ukrainian Presbyterians had joined this community some years earlier. After 1929, Ukrainian services were held at Robertson Memorial Church during the autumn and winter months, and most social, cultural and recreational activities were gradually transferred to the spacious and well-equipped Robertson Institute.
By this time, the Independent Greek Church had effectively come to its end as an independent entity.
Former Our Saviour Greek Independent church Winnipeg (in 2018)
References
Dictionary of Canadian Biography about Stefan Ustvolsky
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Wikipedia article about Stefan Ustvolsky
Russian religious Personalities Abroad biography
Additional information :
Bodrug, John [Ivan], “Independent Orthodox Church: memoirs pertaining to the history of a Ukrainian Canadian church in the years 1903 to 1913”, ed. J B Gregorovich, trans. Edward Bodrug and Lydia [Bodrug] Biddle (Toronto, ON : Ukrainian Canadian Research Foundation, 1982). © 1981.
Bozhyk, Panteleimon, “Tserkov ukraintsiv v Kanadi” (Winnipeg, 1927).
Ewanchuk, Michael, ‘Monakh Makarii (Makarenko)’ in “A heritage in transition : essays in the history of Ukrainians in Canada”, ed. M R Lupul (Toronto, 1982) & (Winnipeg : Michael Ewanchuk, 1989) [self-published]
...... “The Michael Ewanchuk Fonds, PC 96 (A.02-19)”, Box 21, Folder 7, The University of Manitoba Archives [text in Ukrainian].
Herstein, Harvey H, “The Growth of the Winnipeg Jewish Community” (Winnipeg : Manitoba Historical Society).
Hewlett, Deacon Edward, “The Formation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada”, (New York : Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, 2003)
Hryniuk, Stella, “Dictionary of Canadian Biography : Ustvolsky, Stefan”
Ivanov, S A, “Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond” (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2006). ISBN-10 : 0199272514, ISBN-13 : 978-0199272518.
Kukushkin, Vadim, “From Peasants to Labourers: Ukrainian and Belarusan Immigration from the Russian Empire to Canada” (Montreal & Kingston : McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2007).
Martynowych, Orest T, ‘Joseph Czerniawski’ in “Dictionary of Canadian Biography”, vol. XIV (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998), pp. 260-262. Available here
...... “Ukrainians in Canada: The Formative Years, 1891-1924” (Edmonton : Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, University of Alberta, 1991).
...... “Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church” (Winnipeg : University of Manitoba)
...... “The Seraphimite, Independent Greek, Presbyterian and United Churches” (Winnipeg : University of Manitoba)
...... "Favourite Foote Photos : Tin Can Cathedral" (University of Manitoba archives)
Maruschak, M H, “The Ukrainian Canadians: A History”, 6th ed. (Winnipeg, MB : Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1982). ASIN : B0006EDBB0.
Mitchell, Nick, “The mythology of the Exile in the Hebrew, Mennonite and Ukrainian Canadians : Writings in the Diversity Section, Hearings of the Jewish Mennonite Ukrainian Conference, ‘Bridging Bridges’”, ed. Fred Stambrook (Regina : Canadian Plains Research Center, Regina University, 1999).
Mitchell, Nick, “Ukrainian-Canadian history as theatre in the Ukrainian experience in Canada: reflections”, eds : Oleg V Gerus ; Iraida Gerus-Tarnawecka ; Stefan Jarmus (Winnipeg : Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in Canada, 1994).
Olender, Vivian, “Reaction of the Canadian Methodist church towards Ukrainian immigrants: rural missions as agencies of assimiliation” (Edmonton, Alberta : Canadian Institute for Ukrainian Studies, 1976)
Olender, Vivian, “Reaction of the Canadian Presbyterian Church towards Ukrainian immigrants (1900-1925) : rural home missions as agencies of assimilation” (Edmonton, Alberta : Canadian Institute for Ukrainian Studies, 1984)
Russin, Geraldine C, “The Ukrainian United Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1903-1961 : The History of a Unique Canadian Religious Experience” (Unpublished MA Thesis, University of Manitoba, 1999).
Sametz, William, “My father the priest : the life and times of the Very Reverend Dr. Peter Sametz : founding missionary priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada” (Toronto : Hypertex Plus, 2008). ISBN : 9780969670056.
Yereniuk, Roman, “A Short Historical Outline of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC)”
Yuzyk, Paul, “The Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada, 1918-1951” (Ottawa, ON : University of Ottawa Press, 1981). ISBN-10 : 2760309274, ISBN-13 : 978-2760309272.
Yuzyk, Paul, “The Ukrainians in Manitoba: A Social History” (Toronto, ON : University of Toronto Press, 1953). ASIN : B0000CIO1Q.
Patriarch Constantine V (Valiades)
A brief history of the "Orthodox Church of the All-Russian Patriarchate"
Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of Russia
Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America
Archdiocese of Canada of The Orthodox Church in America
Orthodoxwiki article about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
“The Orthodox Church in Canada : A Chronology” (Ottawa : Archdiocese of Canada, 1988), p. 3.
The “Russian Mission” in North America
A brief history of the "Orthodox Church of the All-Russian Patriarchate"
Fiftieth anniversary book of the Olonets Theological Seminary
‘Seraphim and the Tin Can Cathedral’ in Saskatoon “Star Phoenix” (8 August, 2015)
“All-Russian Patriarchate Orthodox Church”
Alexandr Kirillov’s negative appraisal of “Metropolitan” Seraphim (in Russian)
Russian web-site “ru.knowledgr.com” version of the bishop's biography
“Olonets Theological Seminary”
Saint Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Gimli
Wikipedia article about the Seraphimite “Tin Can Cathedral”
“Tin Can Cathedral” : A play, by Nick Mitchell (Winnipeg, 1993)
Wikipedia article about Father Achille Delaere
Article about Galicia in “Encyclopedia of Ukraine”
“Fluffy carpets of ‘the insolent’”
Graduates of the Saint Petersburg Spiritual Academy, 1881 : No. 33, Ustvolsky Stepan (Olonetskaya)
Wikiwand article about Temples of the Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin
“Orthodox Church of the All-Russian Patriarchate” “Православная Церковь Всероссийского Патриаршества” (in Russian)
Wikipedia article about Kievan Rus
“Church Gazette”, no. 34 (1907) (in Russian) “Церковные Ведомости”, no. 34 (1907) :
“Letters from Saint Tikhon : American period of life and activity of Saint Tikhon of Moscow” (Saint Petersburg : Satis, 2010). p. 200. (Translated from the Russian : Письма святителя Тихона: Американский период жизни и деятельности святителя Тихона Московского. СПб.: Сатисъ, 2010. С. 200.).
--Extract in Russian : “Из письма преосвященного Алеутского Тихона (Беллавина) Победоносцеву К. П. от 2 (15) октября 1905 года : «Квартира нашего священника Сечинского в Винипеге (у которого я останавливался) действительно находится по соседству с “кафедрою” Серафима. Трудно описать, что это за “кафедральный собор”: его нужно видеть. Из старых, негодных железных труб сделаны столбы, и между ними пространство заделано досками, жестью; кресты из железных старых прутьев; украшения и карнизы из картонной бумаги. Прямо какой-то балаган, наподобие тех, где заезжие актеры и фокусники дают представления. В довершении всего Серафим и живет в самом храме на хорах, откуда через купол вылезает на крышу и, сидя там на стуле, привлекает большую толпу созерцателей (особенно соседних жидов) »”.
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