Sophia S Koulomzin (born Shidlovsky), and Nikita Koulomzin

Sophia Sergeievna Koulomzin (born Shidlovsky) (1903-2000)

and

Nikita Iakovlevich Koulomzin (1903-2003)

Sophia may be spelt Sophie, Sofie.

Yuri may be spelt Iuri, Youri, Iouri.

Koulomzin may be spelt Kulomzin, Koulomzine.

Early life of Sophie Sergeievna Shidlovsky

On 3 December, 1903, Sophie Sergeievna Shidlovsky was born in Saint Petersburg, in the Russian Empire. She was the youngest of 5 children, the second daughter, born into an aristocratic Russian family (of the hereditary nobles of the Voronezh Governorate and the Kharkov Governorate). Her father was Sergei (Serge) Iliodorovich Shidlovsky (last Vice-President of the fourth and last State Duma of the Russian Empire under Tsar Nicholas II) and her mother was Alexandra Andreevna Shidlovsky (born Sabourova).

The other children in the family were : Andrei Sergeievich Shidlovsky ; Aleksandr Sergeievich Shidlovsky ; Maria Sergeievna Shdlovskaya ; Georgiy (Yuri) Sergeievich Shidlovsky.

Sergei Iliodorovich Shidlovsky

Childhood

Sophia and her siblings grew up in the pleasant surroundings of a large Saint Petersburg home on a side-street of Kameno-Ostrovsky Prospekt (the winter residence), and of the family’s new rural estate, “Voltchy” (meaning “of a wolf”). Her father, whom she described as an entrepreneurial landowner, had developed the new property which he had inherited from ancestors in 1880 from a few fields with a thatched-roof hut into a self-sufficient farm which included about 60 buildings. This property was in the region surrounded by Kursk, Voronezh and Kharkov, south of Moscow and southeast of Saint Petersburg.

Kursk is 461 km (286 mi) from Moscow and 985 km (612 mi) from Saint Petersburg. From the residence in Saint Petersburg (on the Kameno-Ostrovsky Prospekt), the railway journey to "Voltchy" took 2½ days. The railway station was at Volokonovka, about 2 hours by horse from the 10,000-acre estate. It was situated about 32 km (20 mi) from the ancestral home, "Pokrovskoye" (meaning "Protection", with reference to the Feast-day).

Sergei Iliodorovich Shidlovsky worked hard at his political responsibilities, and equally as hard on the improvement of both the property and the lives of those who worked in his employ on the large farm. He was very much a supporter of the agrarian reforms of Pyotr Stolypin, and his administration reflected this. He treated all who lived and worked there with respect.

Her mother Alexandra Andreevna also took seriously the responsibilities of her station in life. She supervised the gardens and the household ; she operated a dispensary ; she arranged educational and vocational opportunities for local villagers ; she responded to their various domestic needs ; and she managed the education of her own children (with the help of tutors and others).

Voltchy

Schooling

The particular personal formation of Alexandra Andreevna is reflected in her being described by her daughter as "a very sensitive and emotionally intense person in her spiritual life. Her thinking was shaped both by her own background and the whole way of life of the Russian Orthodox Church as well as by Protestant piety of the Anglican type". Alexandra Andreevna provided her children with rigorous schooling which was balanced with intense creative play. This was particularly so for Sophia and for her brother Yuri.

Because Yuri was frequently ill (he had scarcely survived meningitis one summer), he was kept at home instead of going to a regular school, and the 2 children became constant companions as they received a similar formation. The intensive home-school programme which they followed included learning the Russian, German, Latin, French, and English languages, and classes in science, mathematics, history and geography. This heavy emphasis on language study would help Sophia particularly in the future.

Both she and her brother Yuri eventually took annual examinations at the Sixth Classical Male Gymnasium in Saint Petersburg, which assessed what they had been taught privately, and allowed for their progress towards higher education. Sophia was the first female to qualify. She had, however, received all her previous education outside the school system. In order to qualify for the examinations, she was required to become an official student of the gymnasium. Thus, she was both the first female student to be examined at the gymnasium, and she was officially the first female student of that gymnasium.

Religious formation

Sophia did not receive the direct formal lessons of religious instruction in schools. Rather, her formation came in the form of daily evening prayers, Bible reading, and catechism with her mother. Her mother, however, was not her only influence in spiritual formation. Her nanny, Gania, was a sincere and believing Christian, and they had daily conversations.

As she grew older, Sophia came to discuss social conditions, religious life, and life in general. As a result, she came to understand class and social distinctions in Russian society, and the injustices involved in them. Every Sunday morning, the family went to worship in the nearby Temple (whether in the city or in the countryside). As was the custom then, they participated in the sacrament of Confession and Holy Communion only once a year, during Holy Week. The Church's liturgical cycle and daily family life were thoroughly intertwined, and the ecclesiastical rhythm was a part of daily life.

Besides major saints’ days and feast-days, there were name-day celebrations (the feast-day of the saint for whom one was named). The name-day was of greater importance than a birthday, and the observance of the services of Holy Week and the Feast of Pascha was the main focus of every year. This foundation prepared her well for the rest of her life’s work and service. References to the ecclesiastical hymns and prayers are a constant undercurrent in her writing.

At home, Saint Petersburg

World War I, 1914

During World War I, the way of life in Saint Petersburg changed. Large homes and palaces were converted into hospitals and infirmaries, and the aristocratic and wealthy families provided nursing care as well. Sophia and Yuri were asked to help wounded soldiers learn how to read and write during their convalescence. Such activities were not new to them, since their mother had already been engaged in similar work with the rural folk during their summers in the countryside. At this time, her mother opened a private home in which she helped those who had become blind to learn Braille. The family were greatly concerned about the welfare of Andrei, who had graduated from the Imperial Alexander Lyceum and had been taken to the front in East Prussia. During the course of the war, Andrei was somewhat wounded ; he survived, and he was decorated for bravery. During the progress of the war, stresses increased within the family.

Sergei Shidlovsky's study

Bolshevik Revolution, 1917

At the time of the February Revolution of 1917, Sergei Shidlovsky's time was greatly occupied with matters in the Duma (parliament).

He was away from home for long periods of time. The abdication of Tsar Nicholas II increased the stress. Sophia was well aware of the changes that were occurring in society, the demonstrations and the unrest in the capital city. She mentioned that she became aware of a change in a word meaning. "Soviet" had until that time had meant an elected local, district, or national council. The meaning was shifting towards referring to the Communist Party, and later in the year it became a symbol of the Communist State. That summer was the last at "Voltchy".

Sophia's mother, aware of some aspects of the troubles to come, worked hard with her family to prepare canned and preserved foods for the future winter.

Sophia was just 14 years of age a month after the Bolshevik Revolution began in 1917. This revolution affected her family directly, and it brought the years of her joyful and bright formation to an abrupt end.

Quickly, the family changed their focus from serving the government and society along with their local community, to finding ways to survive and to escape being murdered.

They were displaced from their former position in society, and they moved to Moscow, where they lived in an available apartment for a time. Their beloved "Voltchy" was appropriated and nationalised.

At this very time, Sergei Shidlovsky took part in the All-Russian Sobor of 1917-1918 in Moscow. On one occasion in 1918, after the first anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, Sophia and Yuri were brought to the new Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin), whom they immediately loved and respected, as did most people. During this period, red cloths had been draped on the gates of Red Square. One of the red cloths covered over the holy icon of Saint Nicholas of Myra on the Nikolsky Gate. Somehow, the cloth over the icon became shredded unexpectedly, and thus exposed the icon to view.

Patriarch Tikhon immediately organised a moleben (prayer-service of intercession and thanksgiving) before this icon. People came in procession from every Temple in the city. Red Square was filled to capacity with the people, as were all the streets leading into the square. From their vantage point at Saint Basil’s Sobor at one end of the square, voices of the clergy were difficult to hear, except for that of the Patriarchal Archdeacon. It was a moving moment for them all.

By 1918, Sophie had completed the first 4 years of the Gymnasium (High School) curriculum. Her studies were interrupted by the social turmoil that developed.

The violence, disorder and bloodshed continued. The family suffered from severe deprivation, and this stress introduced alienation between the family members. Sophia and her mother tried in many ways to raise money by doing some sort of handiwork. They sold their belongings in order to eat. Her eldest brothers were away in the war. Yuri's health deteriorated, and he was smuggled away to their relatives near Uman, south of Kiev, in Ukraine. When he had recovered, he returned to his family. They all found work wherever they could in order to survive. Her sister Maria returned to Saint Petersburg, and she escaped from Russia with relatives by walking on the ice in the Gulf of Finland. Her father and Yuri escaped through Saint Petersburg to Estonia.

Through a neighbour, Sophia became more involved in the life and work of their local parish and she began to work with the priest. It was her introduction to work within the Church.

In this year, 1920, Sophia and her mother tried to plan their own escape through Poland. Sophia remained with her mother in Moscow until finally a chance to escape to Germany presented itself. This was not until 1920. Until then, there was constant hunger, although they were able to eat something each day. The situation produced strong emotional effects. The stealthy escape to Berlin, Germany, through Narva at the Estonian border was a stressful and harrowing experience for Sophia and her mother.

Exile, 1920 : Estonia, 1920-1922

Sophie and her mother spent a brief time in Berlin, Germany. Sophie commented that she did not feel much affinity with many of the Russians whom she met living in Berlin. Unlike Sophie and her family, they had not suffered the deprivations, fear and hunger of post-revolution Moscow, and they simply lamented the loss of the previous way of life in Russia. Then, with the help of the networks of the American branch of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), Sophia and her mother learnt of the death of Andrei from an epidemic during the Civil War. They also learnt that Maria was now in Paris, France.

Through the YMCA also, Sophia, Yuri and their parents were reunited in Estonia. Yuri's health had suffered yet more, and he was enduring an extreme case of eczema which required special treatment. This produced in him a depression which took some time to conquer.

Their time in Estonia was difficult. Housing was inadequate, employment was difficult to find, and they engaged in relief work amongst their fellow Russian émigrés, who were being supported by the YMCA and by some American diplomats. Sophie’s work with them gave her exposure to the YMCA's unique blend of American optimism and Protestant industry. This phenomenon was rather attractive yet strange to her because of the practical diagnosis of and assault on life's difficulties. In addition, the patronage of the YMCA gave Sophie her first experiences teaching younger children in Sunday schools, as a part of a youth group, and as a component of her emerging independence.

However, her father’s health was noticeably failing (from congestive heart-failure) and her mother was very protective of her as the youngest child. Such circumstances did not permit her to accept an all-expenses-paid opportunity to travel to the USA in order to train as a YMCA secretary.

Instead, she continued in her contributions towards the support of the family. In addition to this, Sophie was determined to complete the remaining years of her Gymnasium requirements within one year. In a press of concentrated study, she passed her high school (gymnasium) graduation exams in spring, 1922, after having taken 16 exams in 2 weeks. There had been a cost in this to Sophie, physically.

Because of overwork, she had stressed her heart, and she was required by the physician to take 2 weeks of complete rest at Baroness Maria Feodorovna von Meyendorff's farm. After the completion of her examinations, she received an invitation from the YMCA to study in the USA, but between the concerns of the health of her father, and her own health, she was unable at that time to accept.

It is not a usual feature of an autobiography that an author would honestly and openly address the spiritual weaknesses and temptations with which she is faced (especially when there are great disappointments or losses), but Sophie does this in a very matter-of-fact way, and very much in the spirit of an Orthodox Christian.

In Talinn (Reval), Sophia and Yuri

Move to Berlin, 1922

Sergei Iliodorovich reposed in the Lord later in 1922, and this was followed by the relocation of both Sophie and her brother Yuri to Berlin with their mother. Both had received unexpected YMCA scholarships to study at the university there.

The courses which Sophie followed were to some extent dictated by limitations at that time in her ability with the German language. She was able to study some subjects which suited her talents, such as history, art history, and philosophy ; but she did not soon acquire a clear sense of direction in her studies.

Then, in November, 1922, at a time of somewhat inexplicable changes in Soviet policies, that government expelled a group of eminent Russian philosophers and scientists : Nikolai Berdyaev, Father Sergius Bulgakov, Semyon L Frank, Lev P Karsavin, Ivan A Ilyin, Boris P Vysheslavtzev, and others. These persons were the amongst the elite of the Russian Orthodox religious revival of the early twentieth century, who, after having first lived a rather materialistic life, had then rediscovered Christianity specifically, and more specifically Orthodox Christianity.

Their arrival in Berlin played a significant role in the coming establishment of the Russian Christian Student Movement (RSCM). Their presence and their ideas and their teaching strongly influenced the life of Sophie. She benefitted from their lectures about the Orthodox Christian Faith, and also from small-group discussions which they hosted. Sophie also began to serve as an interpreter for some of them with regard to their conversations with YMCA officials. As a result, she was present at their first explanations of the Orthodox Faith to westerners. She participated in attempts at translation, such as Nikolai Berdyaev’s statement to Sherwood Eddy that "Orthodoxy is the fulfillment, the perfection, of freedom in and through the fulfilment of communion, fellowship". This sort of encounter influenced Sophie’s own work of distilling the essentials of the Orthodox Christian Faith for Orthodox children who were raised in the West. Also pivotal for Sophie Sergeievna and others was a YMCA-sponsored conference, of which the Orthodox participants took the schedule and adjusted it so as the better to meet their own spiritual and ecclesial ethos.

Father Sergei Bulgakov proposed that each day begin with an early Divine Liturgy and end with Vespers. For some of the students, such a daily participation in the liturgical life of the Church was a completely new experience. Even for those who were already fully within the Orthodox tradition this experience of fellowship was enriching and vital. At the end of the week, the conference became a retreat. Everyone went to confession and received Communion. A large number of the people who attended those first conferences became deeply involved in Church life, and most of the Orthodox Church leaders outside Russia were to some extent its product.

However, her time in Berlin was soon to end. Economic changes in Germany meant that her scholarship no longer covered the costs. Sophie donated her own scholarship to her brother Yuri, so that he would be able to complete his degree.

Move to Paris

Sophia Sergeievna moved to Paris, France, along with her mother. There, they settled into the growing Russian émigré community, and they pieced together a living with poorly-paid language and correspondence school teaching. Eventually, Sophie was able to undertake a more formal course of secretarial training, which finally led to her having a stable job as a translator for a research centre. All the while, the deeper engagement with Orthodox Church life and thought that she had experienced in Berlin continued to motivate her.

Sophie continued to be involved with the emerging Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM) and also with the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius, in which she served as an interpreter in the meetings. These circumstances worked in her favour when the YMCA was seeking ways to "give help in projects that the Russian Orthodox people could recognise as authentically valuable and relate to their own Christian experience". The YMCA secured a grant from John D Rockefeller which included a scholarship for a Russian Orthodox student with leadership ability to travel to the USA, and to study American methods of social work, youth work, and religious education. By this time, Sophie's sister Maria had moved from Paris to London, England.

1924 meeting of the RSCM

Study in New York, 1926

After a consultation between YMCA officials and Metropolitan Evlogiy (Georgievsky) in Paris, Sophie was chosen to study in New York City, New York, USA. She thus departed in the summer of 1926 for a year of study there. Her mother was rather sad about the separation.

In September, Sophie Sergeievna enrolled in the religious education programme of the Columbia Teacher's College in New York City. She wrote regular letters to her mother, in which she described her new experiences. On 1 October, she wrote of her first lecture, "Principles of Religious Education".

Already, she was clearly aware of the difference in perspective that she had now encountered. She wrote : “It seemed to me that I had arrived from a different planet, that what they call religion here has nothing in common with what we call religion”. Despite her sense of disorientation, she began to find her way in the environment of mainline liberal Protestant thought as she studied under Harry E Fosdick, George A Coe and others.

Sophie was able to see what was good in this environment, but at the same time she was quite aware of the sharp differences between her Orthodox world-view and that of the Methodists and others who were her teachers and classmates. She could appreciate the preaching of Dr. Fosdick, and also good singing, and the fact that some hymns expressed Orthodox Christian perception. For such a reason, she was confident that it was possible to come to understand one another somehow. However, because Dr. Coe’s sense of religious education did not involve theology and sought to provide some sort of freedom, Sophie felt “rather like a Christian facing sixty hungry lions, because I think theology is not something you can simply discard. Much of the time in his class is spent in discussion and with my feeling that to remain silent is kind of cowardly, and my lack of qualifications to defend Christian theology, I face the lions rather nervously”.

Sophie was also perturbed by the naïve readiness amongst many academics and YMCA officials to embrace Marxism and Sovietism. That Sherwood Eddy and Jerome Davis were amongst these prompted her to try to expose her teachers and colleagues to the Orthodox Christian Faith and worship, and to encounter those who had experienced these expressions of socialism (Marxism, Sovietism). She provided contrasting evidence through experience of Orthodox Christian worship and other encounters. At that time, personal encounters were almost the only avenue by which to provide exposure to the Orthodox Christian Faith, since very few books had yet been written in English.

Clarification of her calling in life

It was this year in New York which clarified for Sophie what was her calling in life : to work with children, to teach, to write, to nurture in them their Orthodox Christian Faith. She was prepared to support this endeavour through the work her secretarial abilities could provide. She still understood that she required a thorough comprehension of the other perspective that she had encountered, and that through this her own perspective would be tested, tried, clarified and refined.

Return to France, 1927

In 1927, Sophie returned to Paris, France at the end of her year of studies. Upon her return, she was again sponsored by the YMCA for developing the religious educational work of the Russian Student Christian Movement with regard to the émigré children. From her experience in the USA, Sophie understood that it is necessary to try to understand a situation, to assess its requirements, to be appreciative of what is already being done by others, and in that context to address what more ought to be done or provided. She took pains to enable an undertaking to grow organically, without being imposed from the exterior. She also quickly became convinced that it was crucial to devote regular hours to her work, and that she be diligent in record-keeping, accounting, filing, reporting and correspondence.

What was truly pressing at that time was the need for current catechetical materials, and for distributing them throughout the large and scattered Russian émigré population in France. Therefore, Sophie prepared correspondence courses, a new curriculum for Church schools, and the organisation of summer camps. Derived from her own experience, the camps were organised in such a manner that the émigré children could experience Orthodox worship, and the Orthodox way of life within a non-Orthodox culture (which could sometimes also be a culture that was hostile to the Orthodox Way). She and her colleagues were quite aware that the bare information was far less important than the personal life-example of the leaders and counsellors. They tried to provide more for the latter. It was necessary that the children themselves be involved ; thus, they were invited to contribute to the form and content of the camps in particular.

Because of the very difficult living conditions of the Russian émigré families, children were very often undernourished. Therefore, Sophie solicited support from the Russian émigrés in general in order to provide the children with enough food and clothing. These requests were in addition to the support provided by the YMCA through the Russian Student Christian Movement. One of her co-fundraisers was Mrs. Elizabeth Skobtsova (Saint Marie).

Sophie's work with the Russian Student Christian Movement continued for nearly 7 years, during which she took a 2-month course in 1930 at Saint Christopher's College, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, in England.

In the course of her studies and travels, Sophie encountered Nikita Iakovlevich Koulomzin, whom she had known since their childhood in Russia, and who was now a professional electrical engineer. Their renewed friendship would lead to marriage.

Early life of Nikita Iakovlevich Koulomzin

Nikita Iakovlevich Koulomzin was born in 1903 (on 18 December, 15 days after Sophia), in Saint Petersburg.

Nikita was of a family with history in the Kornilovo estate which belonged to the Kineshma county (now in the Ivanovo Oblast) of the Kostroma Governorate. It belonged to the Koulomzin noble family, and it was the custom of Nikita's family to spend as much time as possible at their ancestral home, and especially in the summer.

In 2019, the village of Kornilovo is the centre of the village administration of the same name in the Zavolzhsky district of the Ivanovo province. The village is located in a surprisingly beautiful place, on the bank of a small river Kistega, on an elevation. Only an old, overgrown manor park and several small buildings remain at Kornilov today.

Marriage, 1931

In 1931, Sophia Sergeievna Shidlovsky was married to Nikita Iakovlevich Koulomzin.

Nikita and Sophie, 1932

In 1933, Nikita and Sophie received from the Lord their first child, Elizabeth. Sophie Koulomzin continued to lead the summer camp programme that year, with her infant daughter in her arms.

During the autumn of 1933, as a consequence of the Great Depression that had taken hold in the USA and much of the world, Sophie was suddenly without this sort of Church work. Instead, she found employment as a secretary and translator while she and her husband cared for their growing family and for various relatives.

In 1934, their second daughter, Olga, was born.

In 1939, their third daughter, Xenia, was born.

World War II, 1939-1945

With the beginning of World War II in 1939, there followed 6 years of occupation by the Nazi government in France. Amidst the many confusing and tumultuous events during the war, there were tensions amongst the émigrés about whether or not to support the Nazis against the Soviets.

In addition, many Russian émigrés were both longing for their homeland and having a tendency to believe that things might be not too bad in the Soviet territories. Yuri had such optimism. Despite the fact that he had French citizenship, he was in Estonia in 1940, and when the Soviet Army invaded in June, Yuri was amongst the other émigrés who were arrested and sent in goods cars to the USSR as "volunteer labour". Sophie learnt of this third-hand, and there was no further word of or from Yuri.

For everyone, there were difficult economic restraints. Sophie and Nikita worked hard to bring in enough income to provide food and shelter for their children and their several elderly relatives. Because they had to find work wherever it might be found, they had to endure separations from each other, and Sophie once had to work as a translator for the German occupation forces.

Nikita’s creative engineering, supplemented by barter, eased the burden of lack of money and supplies. This work eventually took them from Paris to the region of Biarritz, very near the border with "Vichy France". There were some other relatives living in this region as well. Here, they lived in what might be called extreme poverty which was alleviated from time to time by acts of Providence. Nikita and Sophie could not live in the same place most of the time, but they managed with Divine aid to keep their extended family together.

In 1943, the family left Paris for the village of La Séguinière. There, the family lived in a cottage that lacked any electricity, running water, toilet, or stove. Cooking was done over an open fire in a fire-place. Their neighbours were devout Roman Catholics. Nevertheless, Nikita’s creativity enabled an improvement in the conditions to some extent. Regardless of the deprivation, the family truly became a part of this little village.

Their fourth child, George, was born in December, 1944, during this period of rural subsistence-living in La Séguinière. He was baptised in January, 1944 by an older Orthodox priest (Father Barnabas) who came especially for the purpose. This priest also took care of other isolated Orthodox Christians. On this occasion, Nikita brought him (seated behind him) on his bicycle from the nearby town where his bus arrived.

When they it was possible for them to return to Paris in 1945, Nikita and Sophie were able to find more reliable employment, and they managed to take care of the stabilisation of their family life and to provide for their children's health. They also had support through “CARE Packages” from friends in the USA.

At this time, the World Council of Churches and the YMCA provided a sponsorship for a part-time position for someone to help to meet the needs of the Russian Orthodox community in France. This position was given to Sophie Koulomzin. Because of this, she was able to publish some books which she carefully crafted to meet the needs of Orthodox Christian children who lived in the post-World War II western societies and environment. It was her opinion that these books "set a new standard for Russian religious educational books as regards language, objectivity, closeness to life" and prepared her for her "future activity in the United States on a much larger scale".

Despite the fact of a steady improvement in the state of affairs in France, Sophie and Nikita prayerfully came to the conclusion that they could be in a more advantageous position if they emigrated to the USA. They understood that there was no hope in the foreseeable future of any return to their homeland. Their relatives could be better cared for, and there would be better employment opportunities. They also had many friends there already.

Eve of emigration to the USA

Move to the USA, 1948

In 1948, the family sailed from France to New York City, New York. They arrived there on 6 December, 1948, and as did a great many others, they arrived stateless (belonging to no country). The matter of citizenship was dealt with later. There, with the help of the Tolstoy Foundation and of Sophie’s YMCA acquaintances, they were received and they settled into the Russian émigré community in and around Nyack, New York. Soon, both Nikita and Sophia were able to find steady employment, although they each faced having sometimes to be separated, and having difficulty commuting. Then Sophie Koulomzin found a secretarial position with the National Council of Churches (NCC) which allowed her a 4-day work-week. This left one day free for writing. By this time, she had been welcomed as a member of the Sunday School Committee of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America (ROGCCNA), (now The Orthodox Church in America, OCA), and her open day allowed her to translate into English some of the books she had helped publish in Paris.

Once they were settled in Nyack, they were able eventually to purchase their own home. There, they were able to receive the numerous family members on frequent occasions, besides many friends as well. The Koulomzins were warm and serious practitioners of the Russian virtue of hospitality ("гостеприимство" – "gostepriimstvo").

At about the same time, in 1948, Nikita's brother Yaroslav had graduated in architecture from the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, and he emigrated from France to Canada, where he settled in the Province of Québec. There were, naturally, visits in both directions.

Although Sophie taught and worshipped in the Nyack parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile (now the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia/Moscow Patriarchate, ROCOR), she gradually found herself drawn into the life of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America (ROGCCNA), commonly referred to as the "Metropolia" (now The Orthodox Church in America, OCA). This Orthodox entity consisted mostly of parishes established during the time of the Alaskan Mission, and during the earlier, more diverse waves of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For the most part, the clergy and laity did not have the experience of the most recent immigrants. The chief challenge of the Metropolia was to establish amongst its parishioners a sense of Orthodox identity in a non-Orthodox society, especially via religious education.

Development of the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC) 1954-1956

Through the connections that were established as a result of her work at the National Council of Churches, Sophie secured the support of the NCC's division of Christian Education for a consultation on Christian education with representatives of Orthodox churches in America.

Beginning in 1954, this group met to study all aspects of this question, before convening a conference in 1956.

At this conference, decisions were made to establish the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC), to publish a twice-yearly bulletin of articles on Christian Education in the Orthodox context and to work towards the publication of religious education materials to be used in all the different Orthodox jurisdictions.

Teaching at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, 1956

By the 1950s, many generations of members had assimilated into American society. However, the youth felt increasingly alienated because of services in a language they could not understand (Slavonic), and because the Protestant Sunday School model that had been adopted in the parishes clashed with Orthodox liturgical life in distressing ways.

Archpriest Georges V Florovsky, the Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York, understood this very difficulty, because of the responsibility to educate all the faithful people of every age about their Orthodox Christian Faith. Saint Vladimir’s Seminary was one of the 2 seminaries which the Metropolia had at that time, and it, in particular, was increasingly serving seminarians of diverse Orthodox ethnic backgrounds and jurisdictions, and some who had come to the Orthodox Faith from outside. Father Georges invited Sophie to give a lecture about Christian education at a clergy meeting. Her address was extremely well received, and she was hired to teach a regular course in religious education. This event influenced the rest of her life. Sophie Koulomzin taught at Saint Vladimir's Seminary from 1956 to 1973, where she taught together with the notable theologians and scholars who had emigrated there from Saint Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris.

Besides Father Florovsky, these teachers included Father Alexander Schmemann (whom she had taught in religious education classes in Paris when he was only a boy) and Father John Meyendorff. Under their direction, her efforts in religious education became concretely pan-Orthodox. She came to understand clearly that the disparate ethnic Orthodox jurisdictions in the United States would all benefit from a united approach to their religious education efforts, an approach that emphasised their common Orthodox Christian Faith rather than their diverse national backgrounds and customs.

Full-time work at OCEC, 1957

In 1957, Sophie left her last non-Church job in order to commit herself fully to the work of the The Orthodox Education Commission (OCEC).

In 1959, the OCEC published a 135-page teacher-training manual.

Saint Vladimir's Seminary 1962 yearbook biography

In 1962, there was published a 100-page, illustrated book for 2 years of work with pre-school children. The same year saw the publication of the now out-of-print "Lectures in Orthodox Religious Education", for which the Archpriest Alexander Schmemann wrote this foreword :

 In these ‘Lectures on Orthodox Religious Education’ the reader will find the substance 
 of a course given each year by Mrs. Sophie Koulomzine at St. Vladimir's Seminary. 
  We believe it proper to inaugurate our Orthodox Theological Library with this volume 
 because it is our firm conviction that in the Orthodox Church in America nothing is 
 more needed today than a clear formulation of religious teaching. In a few years 
 children who now fill every week the church schools will constitute majorities in our 
 parishes. And, thus, the future of Orthodoxy in this country depends on their 
 understanding of their Faith, on their readiness to confess and to live it in a world full of 
 temptations and errors.
 No one is better qualified to guide us in this responsible task than Mrs. Sophie 
 Koulomzine. Her academic teaching is the fruit of a life-long experience in the field of 
 religious education, and her work during the last years as Executive Secretary of the 
 Orthodox Christian Education Commission has won the admiration of those who are 
 privileged to be associated with her.
 May this little book be of real help to all those priests and teachers who fulfill the 
 greatest of all Christian ministries, that of preparing men for the new life in Christ.

In this book, she wrote :

 Another basic principle in Orthodox curriculum planning is that it must be built not only 
 around the process of instruction, but foresee progression in the child's liturgical
 experience.  It is not enough to learn about the Divine Liturgy ; it is an indispensable 
 part of Orthodox Christian training to participate in the Divine Liturgy with a constantly 
 growing and deepening understanding of it.  It is indispensable for an Orthodox school 
 to reflect in all the details of its program the rhythm of Church life, the feasts and the 
 periods of penitence, the joys and sorrows of the body to which we belong.  Our 
 children should be taught the Christian meaning of life sanctified by the Sacraments, 
 blessed by the many special services ; and since our Church proclaims that the 
 Sacraments should not be refused to young children, we certainly cannot exclude 
 these sacraments from our teaching.  Our curriculum should also plan for the use of the 
 audio-visual aspects of our church life in training our children : everything the child 
 sees, hears, smells, touches, tastes in Church is a meaningful and important
 experience that must not be neglected.

Sophie at work

Constance Tarasar

Constance Tarasar soon joined the OCEC. In 1965, she and Sophie Koulomzin together began producing regular periodicals for children : “Young Life”, “On the Upbeat” and “Concern”. These were filled with stories from the Scriptures, the lives of saints and contemporary Orthodox Christians, all re-written for children. There were also reviews of secular books that were deemed fruitful, such as J R R Tolkien's “The Lord of the Rings”. During this time, Sophie also published books with the support of particular jurisdictions.

Constance Tarasar became not only a pupil or student, but what may be called a disciple of Sophie Koulomzin. Connie followed very much in her footsteps, and she carried on Sophie's dedication to developing sound courses of Christian education that would nurture the Orthodox Christian Faith in children and youth (and adults as well), and help them to acquire not only an Orthodox Christian world-view, but also a holistic, unified Orthodox Christian way of life. She wrote with Sophie, and also about Sophie.

Saint Vladimir's Seminary, 1960s

The First Chapel

OCEC Retirement, 1969

By 1969, Sophie considered that the OCEC was well-enough established, and that she could retire and write the book “Our Church and Our Children”. At her retirement banquet, she was given a financial gift that would enable her to take a final, integrating trip to Russia. Meanwhile, Sophie was grateful to God that the works that she had initiated were flourishing under new leadership. She also received letters of love and gratitude from all over the world, from bishops, priests, deacons and regular people.

In 1970, Sophie was able to make her visit to her homeland.

In 1970, Saint Vladimir's Seminary awarded her the Degree of Doctor of Divinity, “honoris causa”.

Sophie and Saint Vladimir's faculty

In 1975, Sophie wrote in her book “Our Church and our Children” :

Religious education must involve growth. Growth means change. One grows from
something one is into something one was not, and yet one continues to be the same
person. Growth is a process that takes place within the individual : he grows in
understanding, in strength, in intelligence, in feeling. When there is no growth there is
stagnation. The whole art of education can be defined as 'stimulating growth'. This
sounds trite, yet it is one of the most demanding and critical criteria to be applied to the
educative process. To what extent does our lesson stimulate growth ? To what extent
does it stretch our student's capacities ? To what extent does our teaching provoke an
autonomous process of growth in the students' capacities ? [...]

In religious education we deal with the very core of human personality, the very core of
life. Religious education means nurturing the growing human soul in its relationship to
God and to fellow human beings. In dealing with these essentials, we must become
penetrated by them ourselves. We must possess the religious knowledge we teach,
and we must be possessed by the contents of this knowledge. You cannot teach
children the story of the Resurrection unless you are filled with its meaning, unless the
religious truth of this fact has become a part of you. Unless in your mind and heart you
are there with Mary of Magdala, with John and Peter, unless you have experienced the
breathless haste of Peter, unless you have said with Mary 'Master [...]' you cannot
convey to children the meaning of the Easter story. If you are a Christian educator, you
constantly must be penetrated with the great facts of Christianity.

We can go through life as if the world were not created by God, as if Christ were not
born, as if He did not die and did not rise from the dead. Our natures are lazy and
unimaginative. Then, suddenly, we have to teach all this. We become the vehicles
through which these events make their impact on a child's growing mind. It is indeed a
stimulating experience to become a wire through which passes this powerful electric
current. Once you have experienced this, you have found a real vocation and it holds
you.

In 1980, she documented her return to Russia in the final chapter of her autobiography, “Many Worlds : A Russian Life”. She summarised her experience there thus :

 Now I had again come briefly in touch with life there and suddenly I realised that there 
 was no absolute break, no complete separation.  My life, my own life, such as it was, 
 came easily in touch with the flow of life that went on in Russia.  I was together with 
 Russia in the life of the Church ; I was together with Russia in the search for spiritual 
 values that is going on there.

Religious Books for Russia (RBR)

After 1980, during the last decades of her life, Sophie focussed her efforts on Russia and on assisting a severely weakened but re-emerging Russian Orthodox Church.

She became a participant in the non-profit “Religious Books for Russia” (RBR), which had been founded by Catherine Lvoff.

This organisation at that time worked to make religious books available in Russia, at first through smuggling and importation, then increasingly, with the loosening of restrictions, printing on-site.

After the repose in Christ of its founder Catherine Lvoff in 1991, Sophie Koulomzin took up the leadership of the RBR until the end of her life. During this time, the RBR published several new books by Sophie Koulomzin for use in Russia. These included lives of the saints for children and a children's catechism and prayer-book.

In 1989, Sophie translated an account of the experiences of Christians under the Soviets : “Light in the Darkness”, a book that had been written by the Archpriest Sergei Fudel.

Nikita and Sophie, both at 90 years of age in 1993

In 1999, Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger) of the Russian Orthodox Church awarded her with the Order of Saint Olga in recognition of her many years of service to the Orthodox Church.

Nikita and Sophie Koulomzin lived in Valley Cottage, New York, which is the site of the Tolstoy Foundation with which Sophie had long been associated. There, the Temple of Saint Sergius is the centre of the spiritual life of the foundation, and of the local community. The Tolstoy Foundation now includes a nursing centre and a rehabilitation centre.

Repose of Sophie, 2000

On 29 September, 2000, Sophia Sergeievna Koulomzin fell asleep in the Lord (at age 96) at , Nanuet, Rockland County Valley Cottage, Nanuet, Rockland County, New York.

The Services for the Burial of a Lay-person were offered in the Temple of Saint Sergius at the Tolstoy Foundation Centre.

After the conclusion of the funeral obsequies, her body was interred in the Novo-Diveevo Russian Orthodox Cemetery in Nanuet, Rockland County, New York.

Repose of Nikita, 2003

Nikita Iakovlevich Koulomzin fell asleep in the Lord on 24 January, 2003, at the age of 99, at Valley Cottage, Nanuet, Rockland County, New York.

The Services of the Burial of a Lay-person were offered in the Temple of Saint Sergius at the Tolstoy Foundation Centre.

After the completion of the funeral obsequies, his body was interred in the Novo-Diveevo Russian Orthodox Cemetery in Nanuet, Rockland County, New York.

Grave Cross and inscription

Novo-Diveyevo Monastery of the Dormition Cemetery

Reflections

Especially during the time of her teaching at Saint Vladimir's Seminary, Sophie Koulomzin taught many students from Canada. Because of her influence, these clergy and lay-persons improved the quality of Christian education where they served.

However, it is a regrettable fact that despite the work and the multitude of resources provided by Sophie Koulomzin, Connie Tarasar, and their colleagues and disciples (such as Arlene Kallaur and Dr. John Boojamra), Christian education and formation remains in a place of secondary importance in a great many North American parishes.

This formation is crucial for Orthodox Christian children always and everywhere. Likewise, it is crucial for those who come from elsewhere into the Orthodox Christian Faith as catechumens. This formation and training is a main part of the purpose of the Orthodox Christian Church, and especially in missionary territories such as North America (see Matthew 28:19-20).

Writings

• “Many Worlds : A Russian Life” (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1980). ISBN : 0-913836-72-9.

• “Our Church and our Children” (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1975, 2004). ISBN : 0913836257 9780913836255.

• “The Bible lives in the Church” (Nyack, NY : Orthodox Christian Education Commission, 1967, authors Koulomzin, S, and Tarasar, C.).

• “God is with Us : Bible Stories for Children” (Syosset, NY : Department of Religious Education, Orthodox Church in America, 1968 & 1990).

• “Heroes for Truth : The Orthodox Christian Church through the Ages”, Part 1 (Nyack, NY : Orthodox Christian Education Commission, 1968).

• “The Law of God for Little Ones” (Moscow : Pilgrim, 1997).

• “Lectures in Orthodox Religious Education” (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1962).

• “The little Child in Church : A Manual for Nursery and Kindergarten” (Nyack, NY : Orthodox Christian Education Commission, 1973).

• “Many Worlds : A Russian Life” (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1980).

• “Miry za mirami. Moskva : Pravoslavnyi Sviato-Tikhonovskii bogoslovskii in-t” [Russian translation of “Many Worlds”], (2000).

• “Nasha tserkov'nashi deti. Moskva : Martis” [Russian translation of “Our Church and our Children”], (1993).

• “The Orthodox Christian Church through the Ages” (New York : Metropolitan Council Publications Committee, 1956, 1963).

• ‘To Orthodoxo vioma kai ta paidia mas’ in “Ekdoseis Akritas” (Athena, Greece) [Greek translation of “Our Church and our Children”], (1989).

• “The pre-school Child in the Church : Teacher’s Manual for Work in Nursery Department and Kindergarten Grades of Orthodox Church Schools” (1962), authors Koulomzin, S, and Tarasar, C. [Reference incomplete].

• “Sacred History for Children” (Moscow : Department of Religious Education and Catechism of the Moscow Patriarchate : Krutitsy, 1998).

• “Stories about the Saints” (Moscow : Pilgrim, 1994).

• “We learn to worship” (Nyack, NY : Orthodox Christian Education Commission, 1965, 1970), authors Koulomzin, S, and Kesich, L.

• “We live in God's World : Pupil's Workbook” (Nyack, NY : Orthodox Christian Education Commission, 1966, 1969).

• “We live in God's World : Teacher’s Manual” (Nyack, NY : Orthodox Christian Education Commission, 1963).

• “Worlds in Worlds : Memoirs of a Russian Emigrant” (Moscow : St. Tikhon Orthodox Theological Institute, 2000)

• “Light in the Darkness” (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1989), author Fudel, S, translated by Koulomzin, S.

Articles :

• ‘The Advent Period in Home Life’ in “OCEC News”. [Reference incomplete]

• ‘Alaska’ in “Young Life”, no. 7 (1972), p 5.

• ‘Children and Christian Education’ in “OCA Resource Handbook of Lay Ministries”.

• ‘Days I remember : The Escape’ in “Young Life”, no. 7 (1972), pp. 9-10.

• ‘Days I remember : A new Life begins’ in “Young Life”, no. 7 (1971), p. 1.

• ‘Days I remember : A personal Reminiscence’ in “Young Life”, no. 6 (1970), pp. 1-2.

• ‘Days I remember, Part 2 : The lost Children’ in “Young Life”, no. 6 (1971), p. 8.

• ‘Education and Growth’ in “The Orthodox Church”, vol. 43, no. 4 (2007), pp. 4, 31.

• ‘A Gift of Singing’ in “Young Life”, no. 8 (1972), p. 4.

• ‘Grandmother's Cure’ in “Young Life”, no. 8 (1973), p. 8.

• ‘Grandpa's Saint’ in “Young Life”, no. 9 (1974), p. 5.

• ‘Holy Fools’ in “On the Upbeat”. [Reference incomplete]

• ‘In this Sign, conquer ! : The Story of Constantine the Great’ in “Young Life”, no. 8 (1973), pp. 9-10.

• ‘King of the Garden’ in “Young Life”, no. 8 (1972), p. 5.

• ‘Life of Father Dimitry Klepinin’ in “Young Life”, (1970). [Reference incomplete]

• ‘Mother Mary’ in “On the Upbeat”, no. 1 (1969), p. 12.

• ‘My Word and I’ in “On the Upbeat”, no. 2 (1969), p. 10.

• “The Orthodox Idea of Christian Education’ in “St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly”, no. 3 (1959), p. 4.

• ‘Painters of the Holy Trinity’ in “Young Life”, no. 6 (1971), p. 6.

• ‘Prince Vladimir's Choice’ in “Young Life”, no. 8 (1972), pp. 1-2.

• ‘The Prince who found Happiness’ in “Young Life”, no. 10 (1974), p. 3.

• ‘Remembering Church Feasts at Home’ in “Young Life”, no. 9 (1973), p. 3.

• ‘Saint Perpetua’ in “Young Life”, no. 10 (1975), p. 6.

• ‘St. John of the Ladder’ in “Young Life”, no. 10 (1975), p. 7.

• ‘St. Mary of Egypt’ in “Young Life”, no. 10 (1975), p. 8.

• ‘Sts. Peter and Paul’ in “Young Life”, no. 10 (1975), pp. 9-10.

• ‘St. Philaret the Merciful’ in “Young Life”, no. 10 (1974), p. 4.

• ‘St. Sava’ in “Young Life”, no. 10 (1975), p. 5.

• ‘The Story of a Priest : Father Dimitri Klepinin’ in “Young Life”, no. 6 (1971), p. 4.

• ‘The Story of Mary’ in “Young Life”, no. 10 (1974), pp. 1-3.

• ‘Summertime Adventure’ in “Young Life”, no. 9 (1973), pp. 1-2.

• ‘The Lord of the Rings’ [Review] in “Young Life, no. 1 (1969), p. 4.

• ‘Solzhenitsyn’s Religion’ [Review of the book “The Gulag Archipelago”] in “Religious Education”, no. 72 (1977), p. 1.

Articles by various authors about Sophie Koulomzin :

• Bezzerides, A M, ‘Foreword’ in “Our Church and our Children” (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1975, 2004), pp. ix-xxvi.

• Forest, J, “Learning to be Peacemakers: A History of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship” on the web-site of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship “In Communion”

• Orthodox Christian Education Commission, “Testimonial dinner in tribute to Sophie Koulomzin, Executive Secretary”, 1969. [programme booklet]

• Kishkovsky, S, ‘Sophie Koulomzin Dies at 96, Orthodox Christian Educator’ in “The New York Times” (4 October, 2000).

• Theodoropoulos, H C, ‘Lives of Notable Women – Sophie Shidlovsky Koulomzin : An Extraordinary Life’ in “St. Nina Quarterly”, no. 2 (1998), p. 2.

• Vrame, A C, ‘An Overview of Orthodox Religious Education’ in “International Handbook of the Religious, Moral and Spiritual Dimensions in Education” (The Netherlands : Springer, 2010).

Gratitude is expressed to Jenny Haddad Mosher for her detailed biography (Biola University biography).

References

Biola University biography

Rodovid outline biography

Bulgarian Orthodoxwiki biography (in English)

Drevo Orthodox Enyclopaedia biography

Pravimir article about Sophie Koulomzin

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary biography

Additional information :

The photos in this article are taken mostly from the book “A Russian Life”.

Casey, B, “An Oral Interview with Sophie Koulomzin” [recorded on cassette] (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, 1984).

Kulomzina, Sofia, “Goals of Christian Education” (Pravmir Anniversary article, 2014)

Meyendorff, M F, Book Review of “Memoirs of Baroness Maria Feodorovna Meyendorff”, 13 May, 2014.

Prokurat, Michael ; Golitzin, Alexander & Petersen, Michael, eds., ‘Koulomzin, Sophie (Shidlovsky)’ in “The A to Z of the Orthodox Church” (Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 2010), pp. 189-190. ISBN : 978-0-8108-7602-6. (There is an Azbyka.ru translation of this book into English.)

......, ‘St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary’ in “Historical Dictionary of the Orthodox Church” (Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 1996), pp. 287-288. ISBN-13 : 978-0810830813 ; ISBN-10 : 0810830817. (There is an Azbyka.ru translation of this book into English.)

Sanidopoulos, John [web-site], “Rare Film Footage of notable Russian Orthodox Thinkers at the St. Sergius Institute of Paris between 1926 and 1934”.

Tarasar, Constance, “Sophie Shidlovsky Koulomzin : Architect of Cooperative Orthodox Education”

(Zavolzhsk) Kasatkina, S V, “Manor Kornilovo and its Owners Kulomzin”.

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, New York

Three Hierarchs Chapel, Crestwood, New York, OCA listing

Orthodox Church in America web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America

Saint Sergius of Radonezh Russian Orthodox Church, Valley Cottage, New York (ROCOR)

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR)

Russian Orthodox Church

Saint Tikhon (Belavin)

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)