Protopresbyter Theophan Matfeyevich Buketov

Protopresbyter Theophan (Feofan) Matfeyevich Buketov (1879-1968)

Theophan may be spelt Feofan, Theofan, Teofan, Theophanes, Théophane.

Buketov may be spelt Buketoff.

Early life of Theophan Matfeyevich

On 5 June, 1879, Theophan Matfeyevich Buketov was born in the city of Kherson in the Kherson Governorate of the Russian Empire. Kherson was founded in 1778 by Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin, on the orders of Empress Catherine II. Situated on the banks of the Dnieper (Dnipro) River near the Black Sea (in what is now southern Ukraine), it is an important port-city for both the Black Sea and for the Dnieper River.

Theophan Matfeyevich had a younger brother, Constantine Matfeyevich, who was born in 1881.

Theophan Matfeyevich was raised in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He received his primary and secondary education in the Kherson Parochial School.

Higher education

Theophan Matfeyevich entered the Orthodox Theological Seminary in the Holy Dormition Monastery of Odessa, the largest city in the Kherson Governorate, from which he graduated in 1901.

After his graduation, he felt a desire to serve in the North American Mission, and because of his personal abilities and the nature of his education, he was blessed to do so.

Marriage

Although it is an historical fact, there is no information available about to whom and when Theophan Matfeyevich was married.

Diaconal ordination, 1901

Theophan Matfeyevich Buketov was ordained to the Holy Diaconate on 3 November, 1901, by Bishop Memnon (Vishnevsky) of Novo-Mirgorod.

Presbyteral ordination, 1901

Deacon Theophan Buketov was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on 4 November, 1901, by Bishop Memnon (Vishnevsky) of Novo-Mirgorod.

Pastoral service

Even before he had been ordained, the Priest Theophan Buketov had received an assignment from Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) to Sheppton, Saint Clair, and McAdoo, in eastern Pennsylvania, USA.

Holy Trinity Church, McAdoo

Transfer to North America, 1902

Thus, with this assignment, the Priest Theophan Buketov was officially transferred to the Russian Missionary Diocese of the Aleutians and North America. In 1902, he arrived in North America together his wife, and their 2 children, and with his brother Constantine.

Father Theophan Buketov took up his assignment in the Russian Mission and he served the 3 communities in Pennsylvania to which he had been assigned for a year : Sheppton, Saint Clair and McAdoo.

Then in 1903, the Priest Theophan was transferred by Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) to Three Saints Church in Ansonia, Connecticut. There, he helped to develop the parish.

In 1906, Father Theophan led a led a group of Greek Catholics (Uniats) back into the Orthodox Faith in Waterbury, Connecticut. There, he established the parish of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Mary.

Later in 1906, he was transferred to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, but he served there only briefly.

Father Theophan made a brief visit to Russia shortly thereafter. He had been given a leave of 3 months to visit his homeland, along with his family.

On his departure, there was an unscheduled stopover in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in Canada. Father Theophan's discoveries confirmed the information that had led to an intended visit by Father Alexander Hotovitsky to that region. However, Father Alexander had been unable at that time to travel farther than Montréal, Québec. Father Theophan wrote about his experience in Sydney :

 Suddenly, a strike broke out amongst the coal loaders in New York, and our ship had to go to Canada in Sydney, Nova Scotia, for coal. 
 They loaded coal there for two days.  On the first day of the stopover, I got off the boat for a walk in Sydney and immediately ran into 
 my compatriot : a Jewish merchant.  And I knew from experience that where a Jew is, there must certainly be Russians.  From a 
 conversation with a Jew, it turned out that Sydney and especially in neighbouring Glace Bay, where coal was mined, a few Russians 
 lived, but more Galicians and Bukovynians, that they had churches, and that about fifteen years ago a Polish priest arrived from 
 faraway New York.  In the Scottish church, he had confessed and communed everyone, and he had gone back to New York, and left his 
 epitrakhil as a keepsake of his visit.

Transfer to Montréal, Canada, 1907

In March, 1906, Father Alexander Hotovitsky had visited Montréal, Québec, where he met with many newly-arrived people, emigrants from various parts of the Russian Empire and from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He had served a Divine Liturgy in that city, on the Feast-day of Saint Patrick. At that time, he established the Russian Orthodox Brotherhood, which would enable the legal establishment of a parish, and the future support of a priest.

Following the preparatory work done by Father Alexander Hotovitsky in 1906 during the first official visit, the Priest Theophan Buketov was sent from New York City in 1907 in order to serve the developing community. There, he oversaw the organisation of the Orthodox parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal. During this brief period, a space was found in “Old Montreal” in which to begin to gather the faithful people to worship, although it was far from an ideal space. Such was and is frequently the early challenge for many mission communities. He prepared the way for a series of future priests who would nurture the community towards maturity.

However, because of his other talents, he was left in Montréal for only one year, and he was transferred again to the USA to do similar work there.

Father Theophan Buketov

Transfer to New York, 1908

From 1908 to 1911 (again following the preparatory work done by Saint Alexander Hotovitzky), Father Theophan organised a parish of former Uniats in Brooklyn, New York, where he then served as the first rector of the Holy Transfiguration Church in Brooklyn. He lived in a private house at 256, Berry Street.

Holy Transfiguration Sobor, Brooklyn

At this time, Father Theophan was also assigned to serve as the Dean of the New York Deanery of the "Russian Mission".

During his time of service in this parish, Father Theophan supported and encouraged the several brotherhoods and sisterhoods in the community, and he enabled many opportunities for Christian education in the parish. There was a Church school for the young, which met at 4:00 p.m. every day of the week. In the history of the parish, this comment is included : "He was very active in organizing many Orthodox parishes".

On 2 June, 1911, he was transferred to Saint Nicholas Church in Salem, Massachusetts. In the same state, he also organised a parish in Lawrence.

Saint Nicholas Church, Salem

Return to Russia, 1913

In about 1913, Father Theophan returned to Russia. Not every missionary stayed permanently in North America, and during the early years in particular, many priests were recalled to Russia after having served for some years in the missionary diocese. In Russia, they were given other assignments. Father Theophan's sojourn in Russia at this time coincided with World War I, the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the ensuing Russian Civil War with its consequent famine.

His brother, Constantine, had remained in the USA, where he had been married to Mellitza Lebedeff. Father Constantine had earlier been in the parish of Saints Cyril and Methodius (later Holy Trinity) in New Britain, Connecticut. In 1914, he became the first pastor of All Saints' Church in Hartford, Connecticut. He is reported to have been involved in the foundation of the parishes of Saint Cyril and Methodius in Terryville (1908) ; Saints Peter and Paul in Meriden (1911) ; Saint Nicholas in Norwich (1915) ; Holy Trinity in Willimantic (1916) and Saints Peter and Paul in Springfield, Massachusetts (1916). It was in Hartford that their son Igor was born in 1915.

Return to the USA in exile, 1921

Continuing pastoral service

Father Theophan returned again to the USA in 1921, in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution and the subsequent civil war.

Upon his return, he was assigned by Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky) to Holy Annunciation Church in Maynard, Massachusetts.

Within a few months, he became the editor of the periodical "Nedelya" ("The Weekly"), and he was assigned to Saint Michael's Church in Newark, New Jersey.

Annunciation Church, Maynard

Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral, New York, 1928

Later, in 1928, he was assigned by Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) to serve as the administrator/“economos”/manager/sacristan (second priest to the rector) of the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection. This was 2 years after the canonical Orthodox parish had been expelled from the Saint Nicholas Cathedral by the “Living Church” through mistaken judgements by judges who did not understand either the Orthodox Christian Faith or Orthodox ecclesiology. The dispossessed community, led by the Archpriest Leonid Turkevich and others, re-organised as the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection. The community was greatly aided by the local Episcopal Church diocese which gave them use of Saint Augustine’s Chapel at 105, Houston Street, a chapel of Trinity Episcopal Church, Wall Street.

In 1933, the Archpriest Leonid Turkevich (a widower) accepted the nomination to become a bishop. He was then tonsured to be a monk with the name Leonty, and ordained to the Holy Episcopate. He was assigned to serve as the Bishop of Chicago.

In 1937, Father Theophan Buketov was assigned by Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) to serve as the dean and rector of the Cathedral of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary in New York. During these years, in the midst of the Great Depression, the community had been recovering and consolidating, and searching for a permanent site of their own. After 17 years of displacement, in 1943, the parishioners had finally raised sufficient funds to purchase the Olivet Memorial German Reformed Church at 59, East 2nd Street. This is in the neighbourhood known as “The Bowery”. Steadily, the building (constructed in 1867 and designed by renowned architect Josiah Cady) was adapted without difficulty to Orthodox worship. The icons were painted at various times and they represent both the traditional Byzantine style as well as the westernised style that was popular in Russia in the 19th century.

' Holy Protection Cathedral, New York City

In addition to his pastoral duties at the cathedral and his duties in the Metropolitan Council, Father Theophan both re-activated and served as the editor of the periodical “Russian-American Orthodox Messenger” from 1936 to 1961. He was one of the successors of Father Leonid Turkevich in this responsibility, as he was in the leadership of the parish.

In 1949, the Great Sobor of Bishops of the "Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America" elevated the Archpriest Theophan Buketov to the dignity of protopresbyter.

In 1952, Fathers Theophan Buketov and Joseph Pishtey (members and officers of the Metropolitan Council) made known the blessing of Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) for the beginning of the publication of the “Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly”.

On 17 June, 1957, the Mitred Archpriest Constantine M Buketov and Matushka Mellitza (born Lebedeff) celebrated the 50th anniversary of their marriage, the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood, and the 25th anniversary of their service in the Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York parish, Holy Transfiguration Cathedral (228 North 12th Street). Father Theophan M Buketov served at the celebratory services. When Father Constantine had arrived in 1932, he had served for several years without salary because of the desperate financial situation, and Matushka Mellitza had worked to support the family. It was she who, in 1932, had founded the Sisterhood of Myrrh-bearing Women. Father Constantine had received the award of the Mitre in 1952 in recognition of his many accomplishments in organising Orthodox parishes. He retired in 1964. He then became the first pastor of the newly-established Saint Vladimir's Chapel at the university in Princeton, New Jersey, but he fell ill in early 1965.

Newspaper report about the anniversary of Father Constantine and Matushka Mellitza

Newspaper photograph from the anniversary services : ‘Pastor is Twice Blessed’ in “Daily News” (New York), p. 5

The caption under the photo says : "The Rt. Rev. Constantine Buketoff (second left) receives a cheque for $3,000 from John Wandzilak in Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Church at 228 N. 12th St., Brooklyn. The cheque is a gift from Father Buketoff’s parish in honour of his 50 years of priesthood and his Golden Wedding anniversary. In attendance were (l. to r. foreground) Mrs. Buketoff, Father Buketoff, the Rt. Rev. Feofan Buketoff and John Wandzilak. In rear are the Rev. Julian and the Rev. D Hubiak".

Igor Buketoff was a child of Father Constantine and Matushka Mellitza Buketoff. Born in 1915, he followed in his father's footsteps in studying music, although he did not remain throughout his life in the Orthodox Church (he eventually became an Episcopalian).

In 1960, Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) wrote a general letter of instruction to the whole North American Church regarding the inadmissibility of members of secret and masonic orders to membership in the parishes and to receiving the Mysteries. (This prohibition of masonic orders came as an enforcement of rules against such societies. Despite their contrary protests, they clearly consider themselves to be before and greater than the Orthodox Christian Church which Christ initiated.) The Protopresbyter Theophan Buketov, along with the Mitred Archpriest Joseph Pishtey (Secretary-Treasurer of the Metropolitan Council), were signatories of the resolution which preceded the letter. Father Joseph Pishtey later was assigned to serve as the first Chancellor of The Orthodox Church in America.

Repose, 1968

The Protopresbyter Theophan Buketov fell asleep in the Lord on 8 January, 1968, in New York City.

Reflections

Father Theophan was described as having been a young, educated, competent and energetic missionary priest. This assessment was borne out in the fruits of his pastoral labours.

Father Theophan and his brother Father Constantine were not the only example of family service in the Orthodox Church in North America, but they are significant in their devoted service and their Christ-loving missionary disposition. Both brothers were involved in introducing the English language into worship services. Music was a part of their lives, and they both had a co-operative relationship with Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) and with other members of the Turkevich family, as well as with the Skvir family.

An example of this loving care in this and other families is found in the 2013 announcement of a gift of musical resources to the library of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary :

The Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Library recently received the 'Skvir–Buketoff Music Collection' from Archpriest Daniel and Tamara Skvir,
rector and choir director of Holy Transfiguration Chapel [OCA], Princeton, NJ.

The collection consists of four boxes of Eastern Orthodox liturgical music published between 1819 and 1950 and includes several
unique and rare scores.

The bulk of the Buketoff–Turkevich–Skvir collection belonged to Archpriest Constantine Buketoff, who came to the United States
in the first decade of the 20th century as a church musician, and later served as rector of several parishes in the vicinity of
New York City. It includes hundreds of pre–Revolutionary individual sheet music scores as well as anthologies. Dozens of Russian
composers are represented, prolific composer, conductor and teacher Pavel Chesnokoff prominent among them.

The Buketoff portion of the collection was later passed on to Father Constantine’s son, Igor Buketoff, a renowned symphony conductor
and composer known for his unique rendition of Tchaikovsky’s '1812 Overture' that incorporates the choral component, and for his
orchestration of Rachmaninoff’s unfinished opera, 'Mona Vanna'.

Subsequently, Father Daniel and Tamara — Father Constantine’s granddaughter — inherited the collection and supplemented it with the music
collection of Archpriest John Skvir, who reposed in 1987 after serving as rector of Saints Peter and Paul Church, Jersey City, NJ
for 35 years. The entire collection was then donated to the 'Father Georges Florovsky Library' by the combined families.

'In addition to making this generous donation, the Skvirs also volunteered a significant amount of time in 2012 at the seminary
to organize the collection and create a list of its contents' noted Librarian Eleana Silk. 'We are grateful to Father Daniel and
Matushka Tassie for their efforts to make this collection more accessible to our patrons. Many thanks!'

To access a complete list of the collection’s contents, visit the Saint Vladimir’s Seminary web-site.

References

“The Russian Mission in North America”

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America” (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE. p. 123.

‘Feofan (Buketov) 1879-1968’ biography in “Russian Religious Workers Abroad”

Биография ‘Протопресвитер Феофан (Букетов) 1879-1968’ в “РЕЛИГИОЗНЫЕ ДЕЯТЕЛИ РУССКОГО ЗАРУБЕЖЬЯ” (in Russian)

“The Foundation of the Parish : Memoirs of Father Feofan Buketov (1939)” [History archive article from Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Sobor in Montréal, Québec : Father Theophan's recollections regarding North America, published in the “Russian-American Orthodox Herald”, 1939].

Additional information :

Kukushkin, Vadim, “From Peasants to Labourers : Ukrainian and Belarusan Immigration from the Russian Empire to Canada” (Montréal : McGill-Queen’s University Press, October, 2007). ISBN : 9780773532670.

“Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of our Lord (Brooklyn, New York) : 75th Jubilee (1908-1983)” (Brooklyn, NY : Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, 1983). p. 10.

Russian Wikipedia article about the “American Orthodox Messenger”

OCA History Archives – “Orthodoxy in America, Part One : From the Russian Mission to the OCA”

Saint Tikhon (Belavin)

Saint Alexander Hotovitzky

Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky)

Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky)

Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky)

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)

Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish)

Holy Transfiguration Church history

1998 Congressional record about the 90th anniversary of Holy Transfiguration Church

Holy Protection Cathedral New York history