Archpriest John and Mary Tkachuk

Archpriest John I Tkachuk (1944-2021)

and

Matushka Mary A (born Schmemann) Tkachuk (1948-____)

John may be spelt Ivan, Vanya, Ioann, Ioannes.

Mary may be spelt Maria, Marie.

John Tkachuk’s early life

On 14 June, 1944, John Igorovich Tkachuk was born in Łódź, Poland, to the Orthodox Christian Priest Igor Tkachuk and his wife Maria (born Steblinska). He was their third child. Their other children were Nina and Vera (who reposed early in life).

Father Igor Tkachuk had been born in 1918, in Zdolbunovo (currently in Rivnens’ka Oblast’ or (Rivne Oblast), Ukraine). Until 1939, this province was a part of the Second Republic of Poland’s "Wojewódstwo Wołyńskie" (Wołyń Voivodeship). Igor entered and completed studies at the Warsaw Theological Faculty. After his graduation, Igor was married to Maria Steblinska in February, 1940. Within the same month, he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate and then to the Holy Priesthood at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Warsaw, of the Orthodox Church of Poland.

Exile ; displacement, 1944

As they fled before the advancing USSR armed forces on 20 June, 1944 (very soon after the birth of John), Father Igor and his family were blessed in that they found themselves in the USA Zone in Germany as “Displaced Persons” after the close of World War II. There had been a very substantial movement of Slavic peoples towards the West during the war.

Father Igor served many Orthodox Christians in the “DP” camps throughout Germany, until he was able to emigrate with his 2 children to the USA. Because his wife, Matushka Maria, was found to suffer from tuberculosis (contracted in the camp), and she was required to stay behind for treatment and surgeries on her lungs.

Nina and Vanya in Germany ; Tkachuk family, 1952, before emigration

Transfer ; emigration to the USA, 1952

In January, 1952, Father Igor Tkachuk and his children emigrated to the USA. However, Matushka Maria had been infected with tuberculosis, and she had to remain in a hospital in Switzerland until she was well enough to be reunited with the family almost 2 years later. All these events would have their influence on the 2 young children.

Nina and Vanya at sea, en route to the USA

San Francisco, 1952

Upon arrival in New York City, Priest Igor Tkachuk was received into the “Metropolia” by Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich), and he was assigned to serve at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, California. There, he also worked in the “Home of Mercy”.

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) and Vanya

Milwaukee, 1956

In 1956, Father Igor was transferred with his family and he was assigned to Saints Cyril and Methodius Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, he also served as secretary to Archbishop John (Garklavs) of Chicago, Illinois, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1959, Father Igor was transferred, and he was assigned to serve as the pastor of Saint Theodosius Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio.

Then, in 1962, Father Igor was transferred to New York City, and he was assigned to serve first in the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection, and later in the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Woodside (where he served for 30 years).

All these events, and the example of the pastoral service of his parents, were formative to the young John Tkachuk. The experiences of moving in the manner that his family did, and the absence of his mother for 2 years because of her illness would also unavoidably affect him in some ways as he grew up. John Tkachuk passed through his primary and secondary education during these years, and he began to serve in the Altar at a young age.

Higher education

John’s university education was undertaken in New York (state) at Iona College and Fordham University, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. Afterwards, he entered and completed studies at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Christian Seminary in Crestwood/Yonkers, New York, from which he received the Bachelor of Divinity degree. In those days, the Master of Divinity degree was not yet conferred. Nevertheless, the bachelor degree was somewhat more academic than the MDiv came to be, and it could likewise be achieved only after having received a previous undergraduate degree. By that time, the Tkachuk family had come to live in the “Bronxville House”, a residence for seminary students, in Bronxville. While he was a student, he naturally came to know the Schmemann family, and Mary A Schmemann. In 1965, the seminarian John Tkachuk participated in the Summer Octet of Saint Vladimir's Seminary. The seminary sent a group of 8 young men on a trans-continental trek (mostly in the USA) in order to establish and refresh relationships between the seminary and various parishes of the Orthodox Churches on the continent. The trip, in a van, took 2 or more months, and it began after the commencement ceremonies at the end of the spring semester, in May.

Saint Vladimir's Octet, 1965

Early life of Mary Schmemann

In 1948, Mary Alexandrovna Schmemann was born in Paris, France to the Priest Alexander Schmemann and his wife Juliana Ossorguine.

After they moved to New York City in 1951, Mary grew up there, within the context of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.

Her father, Archpriest Alexander Schmemann, was first a teacher, and then the dean of this seminary. At first, the seminary was in Manhattan in the vicinity of Columbia University and the Union Theological Seminary (the cramped quarters of that period, rented from Union Seminary : an unforgettable collection of apartments on West 121st Street).

Higher education

From about 1962, the family moved, along with the seminary, to the Crestwood region of Yonkers, New York, where Mary soon began and completed her university education. It was through her life near and in the seminary that she met and became friends with John I Tkachuk, her future husband.

Marriage, 1969

On 8 June, 1969, John I Tkachuk was married to Mary A Schmemann.

Marriage photos with families

Ordinations, 1969

On 27 July, 1969, John Tkachuk was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in the Chapel of Saint Sergius at Lac Labelle, Québec.

Then, on 17 August, 1969, Deacon John Tkachuk was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich).

This sort of rapid succession of marriage and ordinations was not uncommon at that time, and it sometimes still occurs.

Archpriest Igor Tkachuk, new Priest John Tkachuk

Pastoral service

Both Priest John Tkachuk and Matushka Mary Tkachuk worked in harmony and mutual support during all the succeeding years of their pastoral service in various parishes.

Their daughter, Vera, was born in 1970.

Vera

After ordination, Priest John Tkachuk served with his family in Three Saints Church in Ansonia, Connecticut, and at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Buffalo, New York.

Transfer to Canada, 1973

In 1973, Father John was transferred with his family, and he was assigned to Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Montréal, Québec, Canada, in order to serve in the cathedral parish as the pastor. At that time, Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) was the rector of the Cathedral. Father John became active in developing the use of the English language in the cathedral parish, which principally used the Russian and Church Slavonic languages.

In 1975, the Russian writer, Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn visited Montréal, and he spent the whole of Passion week and the Feast of Holy Pascha with the cathedral parish of Saints Peter and Paul. He had been considering whether he might live in Canada ; but he ultimately chose Cavendish, Vermont, instead.

In 1976, there was a temporary chapel established at the Summer Olympic Games in Montréal. These games were likely the first in Olympic history which “served” the Orthodox Christian participants and attendees.

From 25-28 October, 1977, the 5th All-American Church Council was convened in Montréal. At this council, after the retirement of Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish), Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor) was elected as the next Metropolitan of The Orthodox Church in America. It was Father John and Marie Miklashevsky who had the greatest responsibility for enabling that assembly of the Church to function very smoothly. Father John early became the Secretary of the Archdiocese of Canada.

Establishment of the Sign of the Theotokos parish, 1978

In 1978, Archpriest John Tkachuk, his family, and some other parish families left the cathedral parish in order to found the new parish of the Sign of the Theotokos in Montréal. About this event, Olga Lawes Melikoff (of the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral) wrote :

In the seventies a group of English parishioners led by Father John Tkachuk held services in English in our 
church.  Unfortunately, misunderstandings developed about their relationship to the membership-at-large, and 
Vladyka Sylvester gave them permission to start their own mission.  This came soon after a North American 
church sobor was held in Montreal in 1977, when a new Metropolitan was elected and when the English 
parishioners played an important role in the celebrations.  In time, their move resulted in a viable English 
parish under the name of the Sign of the Theotokos, which in 2006 celebrated its 25th Anniversary under Father 
John Tkachuk.  [It was] a loss to our church, but filling a need for Orthodox services in English in the city.

On 7-8 September, 1978, Priest John Tkachuk became the founding pastor of the Sign of the Theotokos Orthodox Church in Montréal, Québec. It was Marie Miklashevsky who is reported to have said, “If we were able to organise an All-American Council, then we ought to be able to organise a mission parish in this city”.

At the beginning, this small group of inspired founders met in 2 different small, rented quarters. The first of these was a lower townhouse flat that had previously been used by an Irish Roman Catholic congregation for some years.

In 1980, the community moved to "Nazareth House" in Old Montréal. Then, in 1982, it became possible to rent a large portion of the basement of the French-speaking Roman Catholic Church, Saint Léon de Westmount. There, the community remained for many years.

Side entrance to Saint-Léon de Westmount, Montréal, access to "The Sign"

Orthodox Theological Institute (OTI)

In March, 1978, the first “Orthodox Theological Institute” (OTI) retreat was organised, and it was led by Priests John Tkachuk and Ihor Kutash. The roots of the establishment of this institute were already developing at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral before the establishment of “The Sign”. There followed a long series of speakers who addressed these sessions during the following decades. All this developed under the insightful leadership of Father John and Matushka Mary.

In 1979, the Orthodox Theological Institute (OTI) established a lending-library of books about the Orthodox Christian Faith at the new parish.

The OTI Châteauguay Lenten retreats

Soon after the first OTI retreat in 1979, the regular annual Lenten retreats began in Châteauguay (a suburb of Montréal on the south side of the Saint Lawrence River), at the edge of what is called Lake Saint-Louis (Lac Saint-Louis). These retreats took place at a Roman Catholic retreat centre which had long been the Grey Nuns monastery.

The setting for these retreats in this still-active convent was very conducive to a good retreat : comfortable rooms, comfortable and clean dining-room, a good hall, the river, the grounds. Father John always worked hard before, during and after these events. Even though some speakers were better than others, the whole experience was perceived to be valuable and refreshing and strengthening to the participants. It was nourishment for the soul. It was a brief experience of a different and deeper way of life which people tried not to miss. There was and remains sincere gratitude to Father John and Matushka Mary for their dedicated labours.

In April, 1979, the OTI organised a first attempt at a Lenten retreat in Châteauguay. It was led by the Archpriest Thomas Hopko.

By this time, the regular agenda had already been established which characterised the succeeding years. It was a structure in which the participants benefitted spiritually (as they benefitted also from the contributions of the presenters who had been asked to come).

 Retreatants would arrive on a Thursday evening and find their rooms, and then hear the first lecture.
 On Friday, the day would begin with Matins and antiphonal psalm-reading.  Then after lunch there would be 
 an hour of quiet, followed by the second lecture, Vespers, supper, and the third lecture.  On Saturday, 
 there would be the Divine Liturgy and brunch, the fourth lecture, lunch, and then departure.

This schedule worked best when it could be on the weekend of western Easter (which was most times).

Subsequent speakers at these OTI retreats and other sessions included :

Father Alexander Schmemann (twice) ; Archimandrite Kallistos (Ware) (twice) ; Father Thomas Hopko (twice) ;  
Archpriest George Timko ; Priest Paul Tarazi ; Archpriest Michael Koblosh ; Dr. Robert Hutcheon, 
Father Thomas Ryan, Alexandra Valerianos ; Priest Basil Zion ; Archpriest John Breck ; 
Archpriest John Tkachuk and Dr. Thomas Kolivakis ; Archpriest Vladimir Berzonsky ; Priest Alexis Vinogradov ; 
Bishop Seraphim (Storheim) ; Dr. Daniel Sahas ; Father Theodore Stylianopoulos ;  Father Michael Plekon.

In April, 1994, Father John organised the 18th annual “Orthodox Theological Institute” retreat, which was led by the well-known writer and film-director, Frank Schaeffer. Mr. Schaeffer’s reflexions were upon the subject, “Expectations of the Faith in Orthodoxy”. His 3 presentations focussed on personal expectations, expectations in society, and expectations in the Church.

New responsibilities for Father John in the archdiocese, 1981

In 1981, Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) retired from active episcopal service. When Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor) was given the responsibility of serving as the Locum Tenens and Administrator of the Archdiocese of Canada, Father John was assigned to serve as the Secretary-Treasurer. During the following years, he regularly reminded Metropolitan Theodosius and the Holy Synod of Bishops of The Orthodox Church in America how long it had been since the diocese had a resident ruling bishop. These reminders persisted until 1990.

Metropolitan Theodosius : Archdiocese of Canada Assembly, 1980, with Fathers J Tkachuk, N Boldireff, E Lowig, S Balevich, J Matusiak, O Kirilov

From the beginning of the establishment of the Sign of the Theotokos Church in 1978, Father John insisted that the parish be a welcoming family into which anyone and everyone would be welcome. No particular national ancestry would predominate. The English and French languages would be at the heart of the life of the community as they expressed their love and faithfulness to the Lord and worshipped Him with filial affection.

 The parish became the spiritual home for many people of different origins — people who would probably never 
 have come to Orthodoxy, or stayed in the Church, had it not been for ‘The Sign’ and Father John.  As it is, 
 they pray ; they sing ; they preach ; they bring their children of all ages with them to The Sign — and some go 
 on to become deacons, monks and nuns, and priests.  Other men and women go on to serve the Church with their own 
 talents both here in Montreal, in Canada, and across the oceans.

At some time not long after their arrival in Montréal, Father John and Matushka Mary had acquired a summer house at Lac Labelle, Québec, not far from that of Matushka Mary's parents, not far from the home of the Meyendorffs, and near to the home of Prince Serge and Lubov Troubetzkoy. Along with other clergy, Father John served on some occasions there at the Saint Sergius Summer Chapel during the summer months.

US Air Force chaplaincy, 1983

Major John Tkachuk, Chaplain

From 1983, Father John served in the US Air Force for 20 years (1983-2003) as a USAF Reserve Chaplain first at Plattsburgh AFB in New York, and then Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts. In order to fulfil his obligations, there were certain periods of every year during which Father John was required to be absent for several weeks. By God’s mercy, there were clergy available who could attend to the spiritual flock of rational sheep in his absences. When Father John retired, it was in the rank of Chaplain Major.

Summer, 1983, with Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, at Labelle

Bereavement, 1983

On 13 December, 1983, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann fell asleep in the Lord at his home in Crestwood, New York.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Presbyter were offered at the new Three Hierarchs Chapel of Saint Vladimir`s Seminary. They were led by Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), and a very large number of priests and deacons served together with him.

After the conclusion of the services, his body was taken to be interred in the Cemetery of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

First chancellor of the Archdiocese of Canada, 1987

In 1987, the Hieromonk Seraphim (Storheim) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate in Edmonton, Alberta in order to serve as the Vicar-Bishop of the Archdiocese of Canada, and then as the administrator under the supervision of Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor).

Father John, by now elevated to the dignity of archpriest, did not cease his regular reminders about the status of the diocese.

In due course, in 1990, when Bishop Seraphim (Storheim) was elected and enthroned as the diocesan bishop of the Archdiocese of Canada, Father John no longer had to repeat his reminder about the lack of a diocesan bishop. However, in gratitude to God for the talents of Archpriest John Tkachuk, the new bishop added to Father John the responsibility of serving as the first chancellor of the Archdiocese of Canada.

Archpriest John Tkachuk, first chancellor of the Archdiocese of Canada

The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan subdeacon James Nicholas Davis provided photos taken at the 1990 Archdiocesan Assembly sponsored by Holy Resurrection Church in Saskatoon, which show the participation of Father John.

Father John Tkachuk with Archdiocesan Council members ; with Father Orest and Matushka Oksana Olekshy ; with a parishioner

Orthodox Christian Women, 1992

In 1992, Matushka Mary Tkachuk was able to establish the group “Orthodox Christian Women of Montréal”, which began to sponsor an annual one-day conference, primarily for women. Matushka Juliana Schmemann was the first of many other significant presenters. The conferences became very popular, and they were consistently well-attended. The conferences tended to be held at Saint George’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Montréal.

Matushka Mary Tkachuk

In March, 1995, Matushka Mary and the “Orthodox Christian Women” organised their 4th annual conference in March, which was led by Abbess Christophora of the Holy Transfiguration Women’s Monastery at Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. The day consisted in a reflection about “Making a Difference”. Giving examples from the lives of those who have made a difference, she showed how our lives may be transformed into a liturgy. She also led a panel discussion with other nuns about monasticism, and an open discussion about “Becoming holy, here and how”.

Father John serving at Lac Labelle

Father John with Vera and photos

25th Anniversary of marriage, 1994

In 1994, the parish of The Sign celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the marriage of Father John and Matushka Mary Tkachuk. In that year, it was also the 25th Anniversary of Father John’s ordination to the Holy Priesthood. Both were marked on 25 November, 1994, by a Thanksgiving Moleben and a dinner at Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Montréal. At the dinner, there were many musical presentations given by the young people of the parish, and many people spoke about both Father John and Matushka Mary at this time. The whole evening was organised by the warden, George Bedrin and his wife Debbie, and the “Master of Ceremonies” of the evening was the Archpriest Alexis Vinogradov. In his presentation, Bishop Seraphim commented :

 Father John has exceptional organisational abilities : he put the diocese in order and succeeded in 
 maintaining that order.  He has given the Archdiocese a certain prestige in the public media.  He has created 
 a small but significant place for us in the CCC.  He has fostered good relations with other Orthodox
 Christians through his love, care, and sensitivity.  And as Chancellor of the Archdiocese since 1987, he has 
 helped to keep the Bishop out of trouble a lot by his wise counsel.

Father Alexis Vinogradov, in his concluding remarks,

 rightly reminded the banquet audience that throughout all of Fr John’s years of priestly service, he has been 
 above all else an enabler of others : ‘It is his pastoral gift never to push people but instead to inspire 
 them by his own life to be excited about serving the Church to which he himself is so whole-heartedly 
 dedicated.

The 1995 “Canadian Orthodox Messenger” article concludes with the sincere greeting :

 To Father John and Masha, from all of us in Canada and the United States who feel so much affection for you 
 and thanksgiving for your life and ministry together : MANY YEARS !

Father John in particular was uncomfortable in being thanked, but he gracefully accepted the expressions of affection given by others.

Bereavement, 1995

Following a prolonged illness, Archpriest Igor Tkachuk, Rector Emeritus of Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Woodside, New York, peacefully fell asleep in the Lord at home in Elmhurst, New York, during the morning of 8 November, 1995.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Presbyter were offered at Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Cathedral, where he had served as the pastor for more than 30 years.

After the completion of the funeral services, the body of Archpriest Igor Tkachuk was interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Grand Avenue and Remsen, Maspeth, Queens, New York.

He was survived by his beloved wife, Maria ; a sister and nephew in Ukraine ; a daughter, Nina Dimas of Elmhurst, New York ; a son, Archpriest John Tkachuk of Montréal, Canada ; grandson Constantine Dimas ; granddaughter Vera Tkachuk Solak ; great grandson Justin Solak, and great granddaughter Alexandra Solak.

Father John with his wife Matushka Mary, and his mother, Matushka Maria

Matushka Juliana Schmemann retires to Montréal, 1996

In 1996, in retirement, Matushka Juliana Schmemann moved to Montréal, Québec, in order to live in a “logement” (apartment) in the building next door to her daughter and son-in-law, Archpriest John and Mary Tkachuk. In this city, she actively participated in the life of the parish of the Sign of the Theotokos (which had been founded by her son-in-law and daughter). From there, she travelled extensively, as she gave many talks and lectures, led retreats, and participated in meetings. Always, her maternal concern was the welfare of The Orthodox Church in America.

Matushka Juliana Schmemann

Pascha at "The Sign"

Purchase of a new Temple, 2000

After having continued to worship in the rented space in the basement of the Saint-Léon-de-Westmount church for many years, the parish purchased an existing Temple on Boulevard Saint-Joseph E at Rue Resther during the summer of 2000. The Temple is situated at an intersection 3 blocks east of Rue Saint-Denis, in east-central Montréal.

Upon moving into the new building, the community began to organise the new facilities. Because their worship-space had always been thus far improvised, with Father John's insight, they were able to make the best of the situation until there would be resources to make more permanent arrangements.

A great deal of work was required in order to make the building suit the community's space for Orthodox worship. The pipe organ and its parts were eventually removed. Slowly, from the spaces it had occupied, a room was organised for a vestry, and another for a sacristy. A temporary iconostas was established until further work could be developed with an extension to the Altar area itself. The library was established first in the lower hall, and then more permanently in the upper loft.

Sign of the Theotokos Temple, Boulevard Saint-Joseph

Vera Tkachuk marries John Bullock, 2003

In an article of the “New York Times”, it was reported that

 on 24 August, 2003, Vera Tkachuk and Nigel John Bullock were married at the Sign of the Theotokos Orthodox 
 Church in Montreal.  Father John Tkachuk officiated.  Vera was the director of fund-raising, alumnae
 relations, publications and communications at the Chapin School in New York.  Nigel, the bridegroom, was 
 developing his own hedge fund in New York, Pusinka Partners.  Until the previous August he had been a senior
 portfolio manager for Standard Americas, an asset-management subsidiary of Standard Bank of South Africa. He 
 graduated from Oxford University in England.

25th Anniversary of “The Sign”, 2001

On 29-30 November, 2003, the parish of “The Sign” marked its 25th Anniversary. Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor) and Bishop Seraphim (Storheim) were present and participating in the Great Vespers of Saturday and the Primatial Divine Liturgy of Sunday.

On this occasion, many gramotas (certificates of blessing) were presented, first to the parish as a whole, and then to some particular persons. Since by that day, the debt of the parish had been retired, Father John ceremonially burned the mortgage outdoors at the banquet after the Divine Liturgy. The Tkachuks were grateful to have been given on this day a digital camera.

In July, 2004, Father John participated in the triannual Archdiocesan Assembly of the Archdiocese of Canada in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. At one of the Divine Liturgies, Father John preached the homily.

Preaching at the Archdiocesan Assembly, 2004

Bereavement, 2004

On Wednesday, 29 September, 2004, Matushka Maria Ivanovna Tkachuk fell asleep in the Lord in Elmhurst, New York.

On Thursday, 30 September, 2004, at 7:00 p.m., a panikhida (Memorial service) was offered at the Urban Funeral Home in Woodside, New York.

On Friday, 1 October, 2004, at 7:00 p.m., the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Lay-person was served at the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City.

On Saturday, 2 October, 2004, at 9:00 a.m., the Memorial Divine Liturgy was served at Holy Transfiguration Cathedral. This was followed by the final Memorial Litiya.

After the completion of the funeral services, the body of Matushka Maria Ivanovna Tkachuk was interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Grand Avenue and Remsen, Maspeth, Queens, New York).

Matushka Maria Tkachuk was survived by her son, Archpriest John Tkachuk, Montreal ; her daughter, Nina Tkachuk Dimas ; 2 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

Sanctification of the Sign of the Theotokos Temple, 2009

In 2009, the Altar was renovated and an iconostas was installed. With that completed, the Temple was sanctified (consecrated), and Relics were placed in the Altar Table on Monday, 18 May, 2009, by Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhousen), the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. He was assisted by Archbishop Seraphim (Storheim) of Ottawa and Canada, and by Bishop Benjamin (Peterson) of San Francisco and the West, along with Archpriest John Tkachuk, Rector of The Sign of the Theotokos, and many local and visiting clergy and Faithful.

Sanctification of the Holy Table by Metropolitan Jonah

With Bishop Benjamin (Peterson)

40th anniversary of marriage, 2009

During the summer of 2009, at the summer cottage at Lac Labelle, Father John and Matushka Mary Tkachuk marked their 40th anniversary of marriage. They did so together with Father Alexis and Matushka Elizabeth Vinogradov, who had been married during the same year, and who also had their summer home nearby at Labelle. The priests called one another "brother from another mother", and their wives were cousins.

40th anniversary

Order of Saint Innocent, 2013

On 22 August, 2013, during the opening address of the Archdiocese of Canada Assembly, Metropolitan Tikhon (Mollard) awarded Archpriest John Tkachuk with the Order of Saint Innocent, Silver Medal, in recognition of his 40 years of priestly ministry and of his upcoming retirement from active pastoral duty.

Retirement, 2013

On 1 September, 2013, Archpriest John I Tkachuk officially retired as rector of “The Sign”. Afterwards, he and his family remained for a short time in Montréal.

Father John I Tkachuk and his wife Mary had served in the Archdiocese of Canada for 40 years, of which 35 years were served in the parish of the Sign of the Theotokos.

Father John and Matushka Mary in retirement and on vacation

In 2014, Archpriest John and Matushka Mary Tkachuk moved to live in Bronxville, New York (not far from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary). They took with them Matushka Juliana Schmemann, who moved into an extended care facility nearby, in Riverdale, The Bronx, New York. In a manner of speaking, in retirement, Archpriest John and Matushka Mary Tkachuk “went home”, as did Matushka Juliana (because of the proximity to Saint Vladimir’s Seminary).

In retirement, Father John Tkachuk was attached to Holy Trinity Church in Yonkers, New York, and to the Diocese of New York and New Jersey in which he then resided.

Matushka Mary, Archpriest John Tkachuk, Matushka Anne Hopko at Lac Labelle

Bereavement, 2016

On 14 February, 2016, Justin A Solak, the first child of Vera, unexpectedly fell asleep in the Lord at Scarsdale, New York, at age 26.

On Friday, 19 February, 2016, there was visitation and a panikhida (memorial service) at Edwin L Bennett Funeral Homes of Scarsdale, New York.

On Saturday, 20 February, 2016, the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Lay-person took place at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Yonkers, New York.

Bereavement, 2018

On Friday, 24 August, 2018, Nina Dimas (born Tkachuk), sister of Father John, fell asleep in the Lord in Elmhurst, New York.

Her funeral obsequies took place at Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Woodside, New York.

Nina Dimas had been an active parishioner at Holy Transfiguration Cathedral throughout the pastorate of her father, and until her own repose. She was a prolific writer, and she was a vocal defender of the Orthodox Christian Faith.

50th anniversary of marriage, 2019

On Sunday, 9 June, 2019, Archpriest John and Matushka Mary Tkachuk celebrated the 50th anniversary of their marriage. Following the Divine Liturgy on the 7th Sunday of Pascha, a special Moleben of Thanksgiving was offered for them at Holy Trinity Church in Yonkers, New York.

On the following Sunday, 16 June, 2019, the Feast of Pentecost, as Holy Trinity parish marked its 120th anniversary, Archbishop Michael (Dahulich) presented a special gramota (certificate of blessing) to Father John Tkachuk from the Holy Synod of Bishops of The Orthodox Church in America, in honour of the 50th Anniversary of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood.

From about 2020, Father John was found to be suffering from cancer, and despite treatments, he became weaker into 2021. He remained at home with his family in Bronxville. Being a practical man, Father John also organised necessary details of what would be needed at the end. For instance, he had many years previously in Canada purchased a coffin hand-crafted for him by a local priest.

Repose of Father John Tkachuk, 2021

On Friday, 19 February, 2021, Archpriest John Tkachuk fell asleep in the Lord. His repose was without pain and peaceful, as is requested in our prayers, and he went to the Lord in his home in Bronxville.

Upon his repose, there were panikhidas (memorial services) served for him both locally, in Montréal, and across Canada.

At 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 23 February, 2021, clergy assembled at the Duchynski-Cherko Funeral Home in order to vest the body of Father John for the coming funeral services. After this, the body of Father John was transported to Holy Trinity Church in Yonkers, New York (46, Seymour Street). Because of the rules that regulated the attendance at the services (in the context of the covid-19 pandemic), rather few persons were able to be physically present. However, very many were able to participate remotely through the transmission of the services on the internet.

At 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 23 February, 2021, after 2 hours of time to pay respects, the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Priest was served in the Temple. Archbishop Michael (Dahulich) led the service, assisted by 8 priests and 1 deacon. Archpriest John Hopko preached a homily-eulogy at the conclusion. Father Hopko is a nephew to Father Tkachuk and Matushka Mary. A substantial number of Canadians participated through the internet.

At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 24 February, 2020, on the Feast-day of the First and Second Findings of the Honourable Head of the Forerunner John, the Memorial Divine Liturgy was served in the Temple by Archbishop Michael and 4 priests. This was followed by a Memorial Litiya. Archpriest John Jillions (who, from his youth, had known Father Tkachuk as his pastor in Montréal) gave a eulogy-homily at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Archbishop Michael (Dahulich) gave a homily at the end of the Litiya, at the conclusion of the services, before the closing of the coffin.

The Hours (left) ; Lesser Entrance (right)

The Epistle (left) ; The Gospel (right)

Great Entrance (left) ; Holy Communion (right)

Memorial Litiya (left) ; Dismissal (right)

Memory Eternal (left) ; Conclusion (right)

When the services were concluded, the body of Father John was transported to the Saint Tikhon Monastery Cemetery at South Canaan, Pennsylvania, for interment there. The interment was led by Archpriest Alexei Vinogradov.

On Thursday, 25 February, 2021, at 7:00 p.m., the family hosted an internet memorial conversation and reminiscence about the life of Father John. It was moderated by Serge and Manya Schmemann, and a very large number of persons participated for an hour-and-a-half, many of them Canadians. This sort of reminiscence after a major event is characteristic of the cultures of many an Orthodox country. It is especially characteristic of Georgia. Those who participated were grateful to God for the opportunity to express their love for Father John.

Serge and Manya Schmemann, moderators of the memorial reminiscences

Reflections

Father John Tkachuk was survived by Matushka Mary Tkachuk, their daughter Vera, and their grandchildren Alexandra and Peter.

From the beginning, it was not the intention of Archpriest John I Tkachuk to "pursue a career" in the Church. Having grown up within the Orthodox Christian Church and in the family of a priest, he had acquired love for the Lord, and a desire to serve both the Lord and His people. This desire to serve, in the manner of a Christian, seems to have been his principal motivation throughout his life. As a result of this, his service as a priest proved to be fruitful. In addition to his pastoral gifts, he demonstrated a significant organisational ability. His desire to serve and to care for others extended into the military chaplaincy over many years.

When he married Mary Schmemann, he married a woman who had grown up similarly, and who had a similar love for the Lord and a readiness to serve. Thus, their service throughout their years of pastoral activity was marked by a harmonious and mutually supportive "teamwork". Matushka Mary was constantly involved in supporting both their own family (she worked as a teacher, in a similar manner to her mother) and the parish in concert with her husband. For a very long time, she carried the responsibility of leading the singing, until the Lord raised up a competent successor. She was involved likewise in hospitality and education in the parish.

Father John accepted responsibilities as they were given to him, and thus he served as a District Dean in Eastern Canada, as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Archdiocese of Canada (he was successor to the Archpriest George Pokrowsky as the treasurer), and he became the first Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Canada. Similarly, when he entered military chaplaincy, he rose in ranks to that of Chaplain Major. The accumulation of the responsibilities that were given to Father John resemble the manner in which Protopresbyter Daniel Hubiak (former OCA chancellor) had served the Church during the course of his life.

The parish of the Sign of the Theotokos in Montréal, Québec, which Father John and Matushka Mary developed, was one of the very first English-speaking parishes in Canada. From the early days of this community, it became evident that the parish was composed of persons of many ethnic backgrounds, and Father John encouraged awareness of this fact by establishing a display in the parish hall of the flags of the nearly 2 dozen national ancestries of the parishioners during his years of service there.

Because of the "pioneering" rôle of Father John and the Parish of the Sign of the Theotokos, other anglophonic and francophonic communities which began to develop at approximately the same time and afterwards used this community as a sort of rôle-model. This includes not only the manner of parish life, but also the nature of parish education and retreats.

Matushka Juliana Schmemann, her children, their spouses

An article about Father John’s father, Archpriest Igor Tkachuk, is included here, since it is an example of the sort of family which formed Father John :

‘Memories of Father Igor Tkachuk’ by Archpriest Thomas Edwards

On Holy Pascha 1966, having been an Orthodox Christian for exactly one week I was visiting New York City.
Someone had directed me to the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral of the ‘Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic
Church’. A priest was hearing confessions ; it was Fr. Igor. With a certain amount of ‘fear’ I approached him
to explain that I was a ‘brand new Orthodox and former Uniate seminarian from Washington [...]’. How would he
receive me, a perfect stranger right off the street ? My fears were immediately dissipated when he welcomed me
with great patience and true priestly concern.

At the end of the liturgy, Fr. Igor asked me, ‘What are you doing for the rest of the day ?’ I replied that my
friend and I had no specific plans and he said, ‘You are coming home with me. You must spend your first
Orthodox Pascha with my family [...]’.

And so it was that my friend, Michael and I were whisked up the FDR Drive in Fr. Igor’s car to his house in
Westchester County, known in those days as, ‘The Bronxville House’. Here we spent a most delightful
afternoon - my first ‘Russian Orthodox Easter’. We were graciously entertained by Fr. and Matushka Tkachuk
and met their children, Nina and John (now Father John of Montreal) and his friend, Oleg Olas.
Fr. and Matushka’s hospitality made such an impression on me thirty years ago that it seems like yesterday.

Fr. Igor asked if I was thinking about going to St. Vladimir's Seminary and I told him that I wasn't sure.
I said this because I had just completed seven years ‘cut off from the world’ in a Uniate seminary and
could not imagine ever going back into a seminary again. Fr. Igor encouraged me to consider St. Vladimir’s.
His sincerity gave way to reality when that evening he drove me to Crestwood and introduced me to
Fr. John Meyendorff. I entered St. Vladimir's Seminary that September, through no small part of this
providential encounter with Fr. Igor and his family.

On February 12, 1968 I was ordained a priest and shortly thereafter (through no effort on my part) was
appointed assistant to Fr. Igor, who was now rector of the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Brooklyn.
Still attending St. Vladimir’s and believing myself to be a typical ‘blundering student’ - an expression
immortalized by seminary Professor Serge Verhovskoy, I began my first days as an Orthodox priest under Fr.
Igor with the same ‘fears’ I had anticipated the first time I had met him two years before. And just like my
first encounter, all of my ‘fears’ vanished in the reality of the kindness and patience he extended to me. He
guided me through his example of how a priest serves ‘in the parish’. What I know today of how ‘to serve in a
parish’, I received serving alongside Fr. Igor.

Those moments and the kindness of Fr. and Matushka towards my new bride, Matushka Evelyn, and me are forever
etched in our memories. I cannot drive down the FDR Drive or see a sign for the Williamsburg Bridge without
thinking of him with fondness and affection.

Many things happened to both of us since our days together in Brooklyn, but whenever our paths would cross at
an All-American Council or some other event he would always seek me out. He would not simply give me a
perfunctory ‘kiss on the cheeks’ or simple handshake ; rather, Fr. Igor would engulf me with an old fashioned
bear hug that was as strong and as all-encompassing as the love he had for all of God's children.

Father Igor Tkachuk retired from active priesthood in 1983. However, he continued working in the New York-New Jersey Diocese, and ministering to his spiritual children throughout the USA and around the world until his repose in 1995.

An article published in the digal version of the “Canadian Orthodox Messenger” by Priest A Gregory Scratch is included here :

Reflection on the Work and Influence of Fr John Tkachuk

Christianity is by definition a mission ; a living tradition that not only proclaims the Gospel (Good
news) of God’s saving love and victory over death, but also manifests the life of the Kingdom of God
in every age and in every nation.

Yet we tend to lose perspective of this core element of our faith, especially when beset with all
kinds of temptations and challenges. Of course we recognize the amazing work of those missionary
saints like St. Nino of Georgia, St. Nicholas of Japan, and our own St. Innocent of Alaska, but we
generally consign those amazing missionary works to the supernatural and those supernatural people who
performed them.

But, if we open our hearts to the life of the Gospel as revealed by the Holy Spirit, we see that those
supernatural endeavours were manifested by very ordinary people. For as much as our faith is ‘mission’
it is equally personal. As Fr. John Parker notes ‘The Apostles told those. Who told those. Who told
those. Who told those. All the way through the ages. Until someone told me’, Indeed the mission work
of the Church has always had a personal context that has cut through history, cultures, classes, and
genders. Even here in Canada. I was reminded about all this with the repose in the Lord of the
Archpriest John Tkachuk this past week.

Fr. John was born in 1944 in Lodz, Poland to Archpriest Igor and Maria (Steblinksa) Tkachuk, their
family fled before the advancing Soviet forces and succeeded in reaching the American Zone in Germany,
from which they were able to emigrate to the United States in 1952. After college, the soon to be Fr.
John went to St. Vladimir’s Seminary, where he met and married Mary Schmemann, daughter of Father
Alexander and Matushka Juliana Schmemann in 1969. Shortly after his marriage, John was ordained to
the Diaconate and then Priesthood, eventually being assigned to Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in
Montreal, Quebec in 1973, where Father John encouraged the use of English in the Divine Services.
Indeed, Fr. John’s commitment to English became a source of tension within the Cathedral, and with the
blessing of Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) he helped found the Mission of the Sign of the Theotokos in
1978.

We should note, that despite the witness of Orthodox Christianity in Canada for almost a hundred
years, and the growing use of English in Orthodox Churches in the United States ; only one other
Orthodox Church in Canada was fully serving in English at that time (St. Herman of Alaska in Edmonton-
which revived a blessing to start only one year earlier). Like St. Herman’s in Edmonton, the
establishment of the Sign of the Theotokos in Montreal, was a bold experiment that had a polarizing
effect on the relationship with other Orthodox Churches in Canada still very connected to their
historical and cultural homelands. Yet without dismissing those historic and cultural roots, Fr. John
and the community of the Sign of the Theotokos (and Saint Herman’s in Edmonton) revealed something
about Orthodox Christianity that was at that time shrouded in foreign languages and customs; that
mission of the Church was to ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 28:19).

It was at this time that my family converted to Orthodoxy from Anglicanism, and that my father (Igumen
John Scratch +2006) was ordained to serve as the second priest at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
in Ottawa.

Fr. John was the only English speaking priest around for my father, and the Mission of the Sign was
the only English community in which to draw upon. Although my father was committed to learning
Slavonic, and serving the community of St. Nicholas, the terms of his service began to change. He was
initially told that he could incorporate English for the small group of English families in
attendance, but then told he was using too much English. In addition to this, he was then told that he
would only be paid when he could serve in Slavonic fully ! This placed an unbearable burden on my
father, considering that he had left everything to join the Orthodox Church (including a very well
paying career) and had a family of six children to provide for.

He once told me that it was a very ‘dark time’ for him. Always wondering if he had done the right
thing in becoming Orthodox, or if he had ‘chased a fantasy’ at the expense of his family ? He went on
to talk about how, during this time, the only thing that kept him sane and Orthodox (one and the same
he noted) was Fr. John and the mission of the Sign in Montreal. It was there that he saw what
Orthodoxy was, and what his heart had called him to ; the ‘house of God, which is the church of the
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth’ (1 Timothy 3:15). It was there with Fr. John, that the
witness of God’s saving love was manifested – in the love and support of a brother priest – and a
community that sought Christ first. It was with Fr. John Tkachuk that the mission imperative of the
Church that has been passed down through the ages to eventually him, was now passed down to my father…
and eventually to me.

The rest is history as they say. With the encouragement of Fr. John and the community of the Sign, a
petition to establish the third English speaking mission Canada (Holy Transfiguration in Ottawa) was
blessed by Archbishop Sylvester in 1980, and in the next decades, many English Orthodox communities
were founded, and the once token use of English, and French started to become more of the norm across
the Archdiocese, and other Orthodox jurisdictions across Canada.

Of course, in addition to Fr. John, there were other people who set this course for the witness of
Orthodoxy in Canada. But none of them had the same kind of influence on my father though such a
critical part of his life. Truthfully, I don’t know what my father would have done in those ‘dark
days’ had Fr. John, not been there. Nor would I know what our Church would look like without his
desire for an Orthodox Church that was first and foremost the Church and everything after that.

But what I do know, and what I am profoundly thankful for, is that despite what flaws and shortcomings
Fr. John might have had, he nonetheless understood that to be an Orthodox Christian, was to be a
missionary. Preaching the Gospel of God’s saving love and victory over death, and manifesting the life
of the Kingdom of God […] even here in Canada.

Indeed I am here today because ‘The Apostles told those. Who told those. Who told those. Who told
those. All the way through the ages. Until someone told me’. Fr. John Tkachuk indeed was one of
‘those’, for which I will continually offer my thanksgiving to God for !

Father John nourishing the flock