 | An Overview of the Russian Orthodox Churches of Connecticut by, Robert J. Klancko |
| 75th Anniversary Of The Founding Of The Russian Church In Seymour by, Robert J. Klancko |
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TCC would like to express our gratitude to ROBERT J. KLANCKO for offering our site two very informative articles. ROBERT JOHN KLANCKO P.E., CSP of Woodbridge is a partner in the consulting firm Klancko & Klancko, LLC. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and past president of the UConn Engineering Alumni Society. He also holds a certificate in Russian from the Yale University Summer Language Institute. Bob sits on the State Emergency Response Commission by appointment of Governor Rowland and the Nuclear Energy Advisory Council by appointment of Speaker of the House Ritter. He is also an adjunct lecturer at RPI-Connecticut in Hartford.
He is a member of the Russian Orthodox Laymen’s League of Connecticut, the Orthodox Palestine Society, Orthodox Christian Laity, and the Congress of Russian Americans. Mr. Klancko (pronounced Klyansko) is an authority on the History of the Orthodox Church in the Diaspora and Connecticut He has published in One Orthodox New England The Orthodox Church and Orthodox Unity. He and his wife have sponsored and hosted Russian Christmas/ Russian New Year Teas at the Seymour Historical Society and have coordinated Russian Artifact Displays at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and for President Gorbachev’s visit to UConn. Bob has recently written a History of the Russian Churches of Connecticut and a History of the Russian Church in Seymour. He is now working on a history of the Ukrainian Churches of Connecticut. While a student at UConn he was president of the Orthodox Christian fellowship for four years and endeavored to build a Chapel on land donated by the State.
Connecticut is one of our smallest states, both from a population and a land area viewpoint. It was one of the original 13 that broke from England, and is known for its manufacturing and inventive prowess. Its metals industry is world renown and this manufacturing reputation and opportunity brought skilled artisans and those wishing to acquire these skills to its territory. The Cradle of the Brass Industry, the Brass Valley and similar appellations were used to describe Connecticut. All of this spelled opportunity, so it was logical that immigrants flocked to its cities and towns seeking a better life. In fact, the best evidence of this plus for us is the name Sikorsky which has added technological fame to this State.
Russian immigrants, as Connecticut would experience them, came from two distinct regions and cultures, both of which melded their identities under a common umbrella - the Church The Russian Christian immigration began about 1880 with immigrants arriving in Bridgeport, Ansonia, Seymour and New Haven These immigrants were either from what they called Great Russia - areas comprising Moscow, Minsk, St. Petersburg, Kiev such areas belonging to the Romanov Empire or from the Hapsburg Empire, Austria - Hungary comprising areas such as Galicia, Lemkovina, Carpathian Mountains etc. The culture and religious practice of the so-called Great Russians differ substantially from those of the Hapsburg region, these people being commonly known as Little Russians. Yet they both shared a common faith and identity. The" Orthodox" Little Russians prayed for the Czar and the Cossacks to free them from the Hapsburg, Roman Catholic, yoke. This was the view of the pre 1915 immigrant and this pro Great Russia ideal was ubiquitous.
There are many viewpoints regarding some of this philosophy and terminology, especially when considering the Ukrainian Nationalistic Question This overview is not intended to mediate this debate. It is necessary, however, that one observation be considered; those people of the Hapsburg region who immigrated before 1915, and who considered themselves to be Utile Russians and were members of the Orthodox Church connected with Russia, were very proud to be called Utile Russians and many were supportive of the creation of a separate Galician Russian State. There is little evidence of their playing the Russian! Rusyn/Ruthenian semantic game except for defense against the pro Ukraine element, which they considered hostile to their aspirations. Such debates, interpretations and situations became very complex and even violent. The debate heated up after the rise of Communism and the emergence of the Ukrainian Nationalistic Issue.
What needs to be realized is that in Connecticut, the Great Russian immigrant was in the minority, although the Russian Orthodox Churches were led by a Great Russian Hierarchy. Those calling themselves Russians, were essentially of Hapsburg Empire, Little Russian lineage, who eventually realized that their church organizations were not truly "Pravoslavnie - Orthodox" but were "Uniate - Eastern Rite Catholic" and that a Latinization process was being imposed upon them This process caused them to rebel, and as they put it " return to their Mother Orthodox Church?. Many of these immigrants placed such allegiance to Faith above nationalism and this both created and added to the turmoil.
This return "to the Mother Orthodox Church" many times tore apart the fabric of families, husband vs. wife, children vs. parents, brothers vs. sisters, brother vs. brother. It was not a happy situation Eventually many of the Eastern Rite Uniate parishes changed their names from Rusyn or Ruthenian to either Ukrainian or Byzantine Catholic; thereby creating their own staunchly protected organizations.
Many communities such as Hartford, Ansonia, Meriden, Terryville, Stamford, Danbury, Willimantic, Bridgeport, and New Britain were served by both Russian Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic churches. Many of these parishes began as one, which eventually split creating those that presently exist a situation that is tragic indeed; however its reality must be recognized. Its effects still exist today. This division from the one original parish is also true regarding the founding of Ukrainian Orthodox parishes. They similarly sprang up where Russian Orthodox parishes existed, such as in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven Waterbury, and Willimantic.
It is also necessary to recognize the complexity of the Russian Orthodox Church organization In fact it is simple as Connecticut has experienced it Yet the explanation can become very convoluted. Initially the North American Mission of the Russian Church was the sole dominant Orthodox Church force. After the Revolution this group essentially became the Russian Metropolia of America. Those Connecticut Churches, most of which were founded prior to 1915, that aligned themselves with this administration were:
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Ansonia Three Saints 1895 |
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Bridgeport - Holy Ghost 1894 |
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Danbury- St Platon’s 1915 |
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Hartford- All Saints 1914 |
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Meriden- Sts Peter and Paul 1911 |
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New Britain - Holy Trinity 1902 |
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New Haven- Holy Transfiguration 1915 |
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Norwich- St. Nicholas 1915 |
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Stamford - Holy Assumption 1914 |
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Stratford - St Nicholas 1929 |
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Terryville - Sts Cyril and Methodius 1908 |
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Waterbury - Holy Virgin 1906 |
It would be safe to classify all of these parishes, except for Hartford, New Haven and Stratford as essentially Little Russian dominated. The Living Church, a short lived Russian Orthodox heresy in the U.S.S.R. with married bishops, made an overture to take over Meriden, but this was thwarted in a landmark court case. St. Platon’s, in Danbury, burned down the Chancery held the policy, and due to various circumstances, the parish never received the money. The parish split, and two churches resulted, a Byzantine Rite, and about a half a block away Holy Trinity Russian The Metropolia of America also sponsored two short-lived parishes, one in Monroe (St Marks 1964) and a convent in Litchfield (Protection of the Holy Virgin 1958).
Holy Trinity Church in Willimantic (1916), vacillated between dioceses, it was the only Connecticut Church aligned with the Moscow Patriarch and in the early ‘50’s it permanently joined the Metropolia of America.
Around 1930, Archbishop Adam Philippovsky created an independent Carpatho-Russian Jurisdiction which lasted about 15 years. He eventually joined the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. This Carpatho-Russian diocese comprised many Gallician- Russian Parishes. The two churches that aligned with him were:
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Danbury - Holy Trinity (after Archbishop Adam joined the Moscow Diocese, it returned to the Metropolia of America). |
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Seymour- Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple (this started in 1920 as Ukrainian Orthodox, then became Carpatho-Russian Orthodox. It was opposed by Three Saints in Ansonia and the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ansonia. The parish ceased to exist in 1936 and the building became the clubrooms of the Russian American Club - which began as the Galician Russian American Club. The parish records were given to Holy Trinity Church in Danbury and its cemetery was given to Three Saints in Ansonia 1955). |
Three Saints parish in Ansonia was not without its problems. One of its clergy supposedly sold property without authorization, tore the record page from the city files, left the parish house back door as the authorities entered the front, fled to Niagara Falls, and jumped. This was during the parish presidency of Simeon Warholic and was a story told in whispers during family reunions.
The other Carpatho-Russian Diocese under Orestes Chornock began in the late thirties. It was comprised of many former Eastern Byzantine Rite Catholic parishes whose members were from the southern Carpathian Mountain regions. This diocese began as a split away from the Byzantine Catholic Church over Latiization of the Byzantine rite. St John the Baptist Church (on Mill Hill Avenue, Bridgeport -1937 - was built as its cathedral church Due to some legal concerns, the church left Chornock and became part of the Metropolia of America. This relationship lasted until the early seventies when it returned to the Carpatho-Russians. The remnants of the parish that remained loyal to Chomock built St John the Baptist on Broadbridge Avenue Stratford (1947). Again there were problems, the church joined the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Ecumenical Patriarch), and a third Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church, St. John the Baptist Canonical, aligned with Chornock was built on Silver Lane in Stratford (1967) At present, all three of these parishes are now part of the Carpatho-Russian Diocese under Bishop Nicholas Smisko.
Holy Trinity in Danbury has joined them also. In the late fifties a controversy regarding the Masonic Fraternity was engendered, and this parish split. The church edifice and its adherents joined the Ukrainian Orthodox (Ecumenical Patriarch) and the others formed a short-lived parish in Monroe (St Marks 1964). This Monroe parish was part of the Metropolia of America and existed for only a few years. Holy Trinity church and it adherents have now left the Ukrainian Orthodox and joined Carpatho - Russian Bishop Nicholas.
With the conclusion of the Second World War, an immigration of Great Russian peoples began to occur. With this came another Russian Orthodox Church Organization to Connecticut. This group, the Synod of Russian Orthodox Bishops in Exile or the Synod of Russian Orthodox Bishops Outside Of Russia made their presence known This organization of churches was formed after the fall of the Russian Empire. It has churches worldwide and preserves the essence of pre-Revolutionary Russian Orthodoxy.
The Synod’s first major parish was St Panteleimon’s (circa 1960) in Hartford. However, its presence began with the Chapel of St. Sergius (circa 1925) at the Russian Colony of Churaevka in South Britain St. Sergius has been claimed on occasion by the Russian Metropolia, however many sources indicate that a strong Synod allegiance always existed. It is now part of the Synod. Old Rite (Believer) Bishop Daniel, of Erie, has lived at the Colony for the past 30 years. He is an accomplished iconographer and assisted Pimen Sofronov in his work at Three Saints in Ansonia. Joining these two were the Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple on Wheeler Place (1969) and St. Nicholas on Honey Spot Road in Stratford. St Nicholas was a Metropolia parish and joined the Synod in the early seventies over the calendar change question Short lived was the association with Holy Ghost in Bridgeport which lasted for about 5 years with Holy Ghost rejoining the Metropolia (OCA), and the Mission of Our Lady - Joy of All Who Sorrow, existed in Milford (1979) for about 4 years. One of its major objectives was to minister to Asians.
A new parish was recently created in Norwich - Holy Martyrs of Russia. This was due to a split from St Nicholas (OCA) which, according to the news accounts was created by an over zealous council member and a very short sighted chancellor and Metropolitan This split made the front page of local newspapers on many occasions The incumbent priest was forced to join the Synjod for survival.
Over this time, the Russian Metropolia of America changed its name to the Orthodox Church of America and new American, essentially non-ethnic, parishes were created. These parishes exist in Bethel - St. Peter and St Paul (circa 1990), Woodbury - Christ the Savior (1991), Salisbury - All Saints of North America (1990), and Clinton - St Alexis of Wilkes Bane (1995). A monastery in the Woodstock Valley - The Holy Mother of God, The Life Giving Fountain (circa 1991) existed for about five years. It recently closed amidst considerable controversy.
The largest church structures are St. John the Baptist and Holy Ghost in Bridgeport, and Three Saints in Ansonia. Those with the most beautiful frescoes are St. John the Baptist in Bridgeport, Three Saints in Ansonia, Holy Virgin in Waterbury, and Sts. Peter and Paul in Meriden Those with no pews are St Nicholas in Stratford, Meeting of Our Lord in Stratford, St. Panteleimon in Hartford, and St Cyril and Methodius in Terryville. The ones with the most classic Russian Architecture are Holy Virgin in Waterbury, St. Panteleimon in Hartford, St Nicholas in Stratford, Three Saints in Ansonia, Holy Ghost in Bridgeport and St Peter and Paul in Meriden The O.C.A., Metropolia of America, uses little, if any, Old Church Slavonic, while both the Synod and Carpatho-Russians do.
The heyday for these parishes was the period of 1930-1960. There was strong growth, the printing press in South Britain was humming and a Connecticut Russian American Political Club existed. There were active brotherhoods and sisterhoods. Strong affiliations with the Russian Brotherhood Organization, Russian Orthodox Catholic Mutual Aid Society, Lemko Union etc. existed. In fact, Seymour was known as Little Russia, in 1903 it was one of 3 towns in the U.S.A. that had Michael Kachkovsky Reading Room and library. Kachkovsky was an enlightener of the Galician peoples, he along with Fr. John Naumovich and St. Maxim Sandowich, were considered Russianophilic leaders. In addition, it boasted a Russian American Company that was a food cooperative serving the town’s Galician Russian community.
Today the situation is not so bright. The OCA. New England Diocese claims some 2800 souls. In 1955 this was close to the size of one parish, which had about 250 in its Sunday school, and now has about 35. The parishioners of most of these churches are over 60 (est. 70%). The most vibrant of the parishes appears to be St Nicholas in Stratford. Holy Trinity in Willimantic is just hanging on, while 250 (est.) souls at the University of Connecticut, a mere 10 miles away, are in need of ministering. According to one church statistician, in 10 years time most of these edifices may be museums. Of course this somber opinion may be inaccurate. However, there appears to be a serious downward membership trend. Many believe that the resources for future growth are housed in the Carpatho-Russian and Synod parishes where there are strong vibrant youth and young adult groups.
Little has been systematically archived regarding these parishes. A search of State and local historical societies, libraries and the University of Connecticut has yielded only a few references. Because much of the traditional archival material is not in English. Mainline American historical archives have difficulty handling it, and over the years too much have found its way into the waste stream. A need exists to capture this history before more is lost Very little, if anything, can be found regarding those parishes which no longer exist. In contrast to the Russian situation, the Ukrainian Catholics have two active heritage centers, one in New Haven and one at their seminary in Stamford. Both have efforts are underway to preserve their parish archives and cultural artifacts.
In summary the ethnic Russian parish status since 1895 is.
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Stratford, St Nicholas |
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Stratford, Meeting of Lord |
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Hartford, St Panteleimon |
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South Britain, St. Sergius |
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Norwich, Holy Martyrs |
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Bridgeport, St John |
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Stratford, St John |
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Stratford, St John Can |
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Danbury, Holy Trinity |
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Ansonia, Saints |
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Bridgeport, Holy Ghost |
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Hartford, All Saints |
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Meriden, St. Peter-St. Paul |
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New Britain, Holy Trinity |
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New Haven, Holy Transfigur |
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Norwich, St. Nicholas |
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Terryville, Sts. Cyrl. &Meth. |
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Waterbury, Holy Virgin |
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Stamford, Holy Assumption |
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Willimantic, Holy Trinity |
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Bethel, St. Peter& St. Paul |
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Salisbury, All Saints of NA |
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Clinton, St Alexis |
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Woodbury, Christ the Savior |
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Seymour, Meeting of Lord |
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Litchfield, Protection of the Virgin Convent |
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Monroe, St Marks Mission |
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Milford, Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow |
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Woodstock Valley, Mother of God Monastery |
Just think, if united these represent 24 parishes, enough to support their own Connecticut based Bishop.
As a postscript, an equally complex situation exists with the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches of Connecticut. There are five active and four closed parishes which were connected with three different dioceses. They are ethnically very close knit, and many of their parishioners are from the same european geographic areas as those affiliated with the aforementioned "Russian" parishes.
It should also be noted that St. Antony’s Orthodox Church - Western Rite - began in Greenwich in 1966 with some Carpatho - Russian ties, joined the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese and in 1968 it joined the Russian Synod Outside of Russia. After 1974 no mention has been made about it
1995 marked the 75th anniversary of the establishing of an Eastern Orthodox Church in Seymour. Between 1920 to 1936 the Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lord’s Meeting had a brief and dynamic life. It built upon the Slavic fabric of the community and this fabric continued on after its demise. The remaining vestige of this era and its influences on the Ukrainian and Russian community in Seymour is the Russian American Club on Beecher and Church Streets.
In the latter part of the twentieth century, the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church came of age in the United States. 2efore this time, understanding and recognition by the American community was severely lacking. A result of the immigration of Eastern Europeans to the United States between 1880 and 1920 was that the American religious establishment became aware of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. This awareness was, in many ways one of skepticism and misunderstanding. In contrast to the mainline American Roman Catholicism or Protestantism, here were churches where Greek or Slavonic languages, both using strange alphabets, were employed as extensively as Latin was in the Roman Catholic Church. The lack of pews, organs and statues, along with the use of icons, incense, and candles and married clergy made these immigrant parishes strange to the Western European American, and so, very misunderstood.
Here, in the lower Naugatuck Valley, when a mentioned is made of Russian-Americans, first thoughts are of Three Saints Russian Orthodox in Ansonia, and the Russian-American Clubs in Seymour and Shelton. If a broader definition is used, St. Peter and St. Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and the Lemko Club, both in Ansonia, may be included.
In considering Eastern Christianity, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Three Saints Russian Orthodox Church, St. Peter and St. Paul’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, all of Ansonia comes to mind. However, lost to history and remaining solely in the memories of a select few senior citizens is the Eastern Orthodox Church that existed on Beecher Street in Seymour, on the property of the present Russian American Club.
To quote from page 351 of the Tercentenary Pictorial And History’ Of The Lower Naugatuck Valley, "The latest additions to the church organization in Seymour are The Lord’s Meeting Russian Orthodox Church which has led a rather checkered career in it’s comparatively brief existence." This is certainly a statement designed to provoke the reader’s interest and evoke creative thinking.
During the years of mass migration of Slavic peoples to the USA, ghetto type communities were formed in Ansonia, Oxford, Shelton, and Seymour. Most of these immigrants both farmed and worked at menial jobs in factories throughout the Valley. For mutual support and benefit, they first bonded together in lodges and benevolent societies. They then formed religious corporations, initially with Ansonia as their spiritual center. Most of them were Uniates of Eastern Rite Catholics in their native countries: however, for ethnic, national, and liturgical reasons they founded both
St. Peter and St. Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic, and Three Saints Russian Orthodox Churches. For some time, Ansonia also boasted of a Russian Baptist Church.
In early 1918, there appeared to be dissatisfaction with Ansonia’s spiritual and social leadership. A Ukrainian Citizens Club was founded in Seymour by Messer’s S. Wityak, A. Bomba, and J. Oziadik. In fact, St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Lodge met once a month at the Russian American Club in Seymour for over 50 years, as did the St. Michael the Archangel, and St. Volodymir's Russian Orthodox Benevolent Societies, and the Michael Kachkcvsky Library Association.
1918 and the years following were ones of unrest in the American Russo-Slavic-Ukrainian community. Communism had taken over Russia and it was hoped that the League of Nations would create the new countries of Galicia, Carpatho-Russia, and Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church was being persecuted and independent Ukrainian Orthodox Churches formed. Outside of Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church was split into three major groups, each vying for power. The financial and moral support of the Tzar no longer existed, and the Russian Churches worldwide had to become self-sufficient. In addition the Uniate Greek Catholic Rite of the Roman Catholic Church was being Latinized.
It was during this spiritual and political turmoil that in 1920 St. Michael’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Seymour was formed by Messer’s S. Wityk, P. Fatula, J. Labowsky and A. Sadowsky. It was located at 22 Church Street. The spiritual leader in 1925-6 was Rev. Father Michael Zaparyniuk He was followed by Rev. Father Joseph Bodnar, (1927-29) and Rev. Father Alexander Nizankowsky (1930-32).
The reason for the creation of this parish appears to have been a reluctance of its founders to: accept the Latinization of the Roman Catholic Uniate Church, accept the leadership of the Great Russians who led the Russian Orthodox Church in Diaspora, and a belief that there were enough of their countrymen in Seymour to support a separate church and not have to continue reliance on the Ansonia Churches. Most of the Russian population in Seymour were immigrants from Galicia; Byelorussian’s and Great Russians were certainly a minority. These Galicians considered themselves "Little Russians" and a valuable segment of the Russian Community.
1932 was a year of great significance, for not only was the New Deal of FDR voted in, but the Church was sold and reorganized as the Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lord’s Meeting. The incorporators were A. Preczimirski, N. Smerekanich, S. Karfiak, H. Smey, M. Nemas, and T. Cymbalak. The Officers were A. Sokol, President; T. Krynitsky, Secretary; M. Nemas, Treasurer; along with P. Chergyn, J. Bashta, and Y. Stelinack. Their spiritual leader was Rev. Father John Krohmalney.
This was indeed a daring change for not only was a new corporation created in the middle of this country’s greatest depression but the ethnic and spiritual allegiance of the parish changed. Although the specific diocese the Ukrainian congregation belonged to is not known, this transformation brought the congregation under Bishop Adam Phillipovich, a Carpatho-Russian who was a colorful personality who vacillated between being independent, being affiliated with the Russian- American Metropolia, the Synod of Russian Bishops in Exile, and finally was a representative of the Moscow Patriarch in the USA. Records show that the Church was located at 25 Beecher Street with a hall at 10 Church Street
Under Rev. Father John Krohmalney’s spiritual leadership, this was to have been a period of stability and growth. Strong ties were established with Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church on Roberts Street in Danbury. In 1933 Rev. Father Wasily Kostyshak became the resident cleric. Unfortunately substantial resistance to this parish was growing in Ansonia. The existence of this Church under a rival bishop caused much distress at Three Saints Russian Orthodox Church. St. Peter and St. Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was also opposed due to the loss of some of its members. These feelings remain strong and these deep wounds still smart today.
The end however was near. On Easter 1936 Paschal Liturgy could not be celebrated. This situation led to a split in the parish and its eventful dissolution. Father Kostyshak remained in Seymour for a while, working on the town crew, and finally went to Manchester, New Hampshire, where he had a long and fruitful pastorate. In fact, this Manchester, New Hampshire parish continues to be the only parish under the Moscow Patriarch in New England. Father Kostyshak ‘s daughters are still living in Manchester, and in the Seymour areas. Although the Seymour parish was listed in the town directory until 1948, no resident clergy were listed since 1937.
Eventually the church building was acquired by the Russian Americans Citizens Club. A bar was installed along the left was with booths along the right. Huge Remingtron print reproductions were hung on the walls. This building was dismantled some 30 years ago and with this act the last remnant of this once dynamic parish ceased to exist. The only known remaining relic is a metal cross that once topped the carrying staff of one of the church’s religious banners.
Not to be undaunted, some of the parishioners founded the Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church incorporated in the early 1940’s. Their intent was to purchase property on South Main Street near the site of the former St. Stanislaus Polish Citizens Club and to erect a church. Supposedly, they had the support of an independently wealthy priest whose name is unknown. The officers of the corporation were J. Belinsky, S. Cherhoniak, and M. Kityk. Lewis Whitehead Sr. was their attorney. An edifice did not materialize. Three Saints Church burned in the early fifties and in 1955, the remaining funds and parishioners were joined to this parish and assisted in the building of the existing edifice - on Howard Avenue in Ansonia.
The last asset transfer was that of the cemetery of Sts. Kirylo and Meftody (Sts. Cyril and Methodius), just off Bissel Place, to Three Saints Orthodox Church. This cemetery consists of 6 acres of land boarding St. Agustine’s Roman Catholic Cemetery. It was originally deeded to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Michael in 1925 by Messers 4. Dziadik, P. Fatula, P. Dziadik, and P. Potosky. Three Saints Church now conducts services of blessing and memorial on the third Sunday following Eastern Orthodox Easter at the cemetery. The cemetery has a majestic view of the Lower Naugatuck River Valley.
The demise of this parish can be attributed to many interconnected factors; the political, (Ukrainian vs. Carpatho-Russian vs. Great Russian), and the religious, (Eastern Orthodox vs. Ukrainian Catholic), (Bishop Adam vs. Metropolitan Theophilus). These rivalries were real and were decisive. The economic depression made money tight, thereby limiting the Parish’s economic resources. The Ansonia Clergy and laity were shortsighted and were blind to the possible advantages of a parish in Seymour. The irony is that with this parishe’s demise there were no massive increases in the resources of any of the Ansonia religious institutions. Disillusioned, many of the families chose to join the Protestant and Catholic Churches in Seymour. Being part of the Seymour community appeared to be very important factor. To the remnants of the parish few options existed, the most popular were Trinity Episcopal Church and St. Augustine’s; Roman Catholic Church.
Even after 50 years have passed, memories of this facet of Seymour’s history are tender and sensitive, Feelings of distain, scorn, and disharmony are real to many as they were in 1936.
At present there is a ground swell to re-establish this parish and reactivate the Russian heritage fabric of the Seymour community.
Research concerning this parish is still being conducted. If any one has information they would like to share, please contact the writer at Box 121, Seymour, CT 06483, or Fax at (203) 393-2539.
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