View source for Archpriest Nikanor and Matushka Maria Komarnitsky



[[File:Archpriest-Nikanor-Komarnitsky2.jpg]]

'''Archpriest Nikanor Komarnitsky (1893-1989)''' 

and 

'''Matushka Maria Komarnitsky (____-2001)'''


— edited from an article in the “Canadian Orthodox Messenger”


Nikanor may be spelt Nicanor. Some may atypically use "Nikita".  

Komarnitsky may be spelt Komarnitski, Komarnicki, Komarnizky.  



==Early life of Nikanor Komarnitsky==

On 10 August, 1893, Nikanor Komarnitsky was born into the family of some generations of  priests in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volhynia Volyn], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine Ukraine] (which was then in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire Russian Empire]).  He was, therefore, raised in the bosom of the [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Church_of_Russia Russian Orthodox Church]. 

Being the eldest son, he dreamed of one day becoming a priest to carry on the clerical tradition of his family, which came from both the maternal and the paternal sides.  

==Higher education==

After having completed his primary and secondary education, Nikanor entered the Volynian Seminary, where he received both a religious education and a paedegogical education.  He then taught school in Koltipov, Volyn, at the same time as he continued with advanced studies.  During summer vacations, Nikanor returned home to Kniaze, Volyn, to visit his family.  Here, he became involved in more ecclesiastical activities.  He helped out both as a [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Reader reader] and as a choir-master.

It was during a choir-rehearsal that Nikanor met his future wife, Maria.

==Marriage, 1928==

In 1928, Nikanor was married to his beloved Maria.  

It was after this that they agreed that he should petition the bishop for ordination.

==Ordinations, 1928==

It was after this, then, later in 1928, that Nikanor Komarnitsky was ordained to the Holy [https://orthodowiki.org/Deacon Diaconate] and then to the Holy [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Presbyter Priesthood].  

==Pastoral service==

Times were difficult in Ukraine, because of the constant unrest that had been caused by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I World War I], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution Bolshevik Revolution], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Civil_War Civil War], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish-Ukrainian_War Polish-Ukrainian War], the economic turmoil (which included the great [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor famine] of the 1920s), and the activities of the [http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/b2rcr2 anarchist underground].  

==Emigration : transfer to Canada, 1929==

Thus, when Father Nikanor was called by [[Saint Arseny (Chahovtsov) |Bishop Arseny (Chahovtsov)]] in 1929 to serve in the [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Archdiocese_of_Canada Orthodox Christian mission] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada Canada], he decided to answer that call affirmatively.  

Father Nikanor and Matushka Maria had planned to leave their homeland to serve in Canada for only a few years ; but the situation in Ukraine did not improve, and they remained in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America North America] for the rest of their lives, and it was there that they raised their family.  

His first Canadian parish was that of the [http://readreidread.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/st-elias-ukrainian-orthodox-churches-sirko-mb/ Temple of Saint Elias] in [http://roadsidethoughts.com/mb/sirko-profile.htm Sirko], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoba Manitoba].  (Sirko is located about 8 km (5 mi) south of Manitoba Highway #201 on Mile Road 54E, just east of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundown,_Manitoba Sundown]).  He served in the original Temple there, built in a [http://www.ukrainianchurchesofcanada.ca/architectural_styles/traditonal_bukovynian.html Romanian-Bukovinian style] (there is now a much newer one as well).  Father Nikanor and Matushka Maria served also in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina,_Saskatchewan Regina], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan Saskatchewan].  

Then they served at [[Nisku AB Nativity of the Theotokos Russo Orthodox Church and Cemetery 1898 |Saint Mary’s Church]] near [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisku Nisku], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta Alberta], and in  [[Calmar AB Holy Ascension Russo Orthodox Church and Cemetery 1927 |Holy Ascension Church]] near [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calmar,_Alberta Calmar], Alberta (1938-1940).  

They then served in the [http://mcdiocese.com/en/cerkov-sv-velmych-ioanna-sochavskogo-lachine-qc-canada/ Saint John of Sochava’s Church] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lachine,_Quebec Lachine], [https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quebec Québec] (a suburb of [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/montreal Montréal]).  

After this, they served in several parishes in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States USA], after which they returned to Canada, and to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa Ottawa], [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ontario Ontario].  

During his years of service, commencing with the poverty of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression Great Depression], Father Nikanor endured many trying and difficult times, but he never wavered in his faith and hope.  He devoted himself to the Church.  Besides enthusiastically fulfilling his priestly duties, Father Nikanor enjoyed working with the youth of the parish, teaching them the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_language Ukrainian language], “the Law of God” ([https://www.translatetheweb.com/?from=ru&to=en&ref=SERP&dl=en&rr=UC&a=https%3a%2f%2ffb.ru%2farticle%2f145291%2fkatehizis---chto-eto-pravoslavnyiy-katehizis-katolicheskiy-katehizis catechism]) and choral singing.  

Included in his many priestly awards was a gramota (certificate) given on 27 June, 1948, by [[Metropolitan Anastasy (Gribanovsky)]] and the [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Holy_Synod Holy Synod of Bishops] of the [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Russian_Orthodox_Church_Outside_Russia Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia] (ROCOR) for “his zealous service and courage in defending the Church truth”.  

When Father Nikanor returned to Ottawa in 1955, he had been serving for some time in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR{.  It is to be remembered that distinctions between jurisdictions in those decades were not clearly-defined, and that many clergy (including Father Nikanor) were not as concerned about these demarcations as they were about feeding the rational sheep of Christ.  Thus, Father Nikanor and Matushka Maria were assigned to [[Ottawa ON Holy Trinity Bukowinian Orthodox Sobor 1918-2003 |Holy Trinity Bukowinian Church]] in Ottawa.  It was here, too, that his son and his daughters Evgenia and Ludmilla settled and remained.  Evgenia did not marry, but, Ludmilla did.  As it sometimes happens that there can arise certain difficulties in parishes between national groups within, so it happened at Holy Trinity Church for a period.  Before the arrival of Father Nikanor, a group of “great Russians” left Holy Trinity Church to form the [[Ottawa ON Protection of the Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Memorial Church 1965 |Protection of the Theotokos]] parish.  Then, soon after Father Nikanor’s arrival, a different group of Russian-speakers separated from Holy Trinity Church  to form the [[Ottawa ON Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church 1955-1987 |Saint Nicholas]] parish (which would much later become the [[Ottawa ON Annunciation to the Theotokos-Saint Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral 1955 |Annunciation-Saint Nicholas Cathedral]]).  

Father Nikanor Komarnitsky became the first significant priestly leader of the Church of Saint Nicholas, together with his wife, Maria, for a time after 1956.  It is the opinion of one of his successors as rector that his and her particular love and generosity of spirit affect this community even now.  Their descendants (and those of many of the founding families) remain active either in this community or elsewhere.  The community consisted of an interesting blend of Russian-speaking aristocracy, intelligentsia, and ordinary people, who got along well together.  

Throughout his life, Father Nikanor showed an interest in and a love for music.  This love was passed on to his son and 2 daughters who sang in Church choirs for many years.  His love was not only for music, but also for literature and for poetry.  He had a great thirst for knowledge, and because he was an avid reader, much of his leisure time was spent with his books.  

In his retirement years, Father Nikanor continued to serve actively by visiting the sick and the needy, and by attending the Holy Trinity Sobor in Ottawa, where he participated in Church services as long as his health allowed.

==Repose of Father Nikanor, 1989==

Father Nikanor fell asleep in the Lord in retirement in Ottawa on 29 July, 1989.  He left behind his Matushka Maria who was always a source of strength and support to him, his children and 4 grand-children.  

After the Service for the Burial of a Priest, which was served at Holy Trinity Church in Ottawa, his body was interred at the [http://www.christthesaviour.ca/cemetery/ Holy Trinity Bukowinian Cemetery] in Ottawa.

==Repose of Matushka Maria, 2001==

Matushka Maria Komarnitsky fell asleep in the Lord on Pascha, 20 April, 2001.  

After the funeral services at Annunciation-Saint Nicholas Cathedral, her body was interred next to that of her husband at Holy Trinity Bukowinian Cemetery in Ottawa.  

==Reflections==

His family and those who knew him fondly remember Father Nikanor as a gentle, forgiving, loving and humble man, who had a warm and ready smile and a kind word for everyone.  As with others like him, information about Father Nikanor, and about his family and life, is quite limited, primarily because of his and Matushka's humility and their keeping as a priority the feeding of the rational flock of Christ.  [[Archpriest Oleg Kirilov |Father Oleg Kirillov]], one of his successors, called him “a shining example of a deep Christian life”.  

Others who knew Father Nikanor commented after his repose as follows : 
  In my travels across the US and Canada, I found Father Nikanor's name pop up in almost every slav jurisdiction ! 
  Nonetheless, he was not a ‘jurisdiction-hopper’, but a ‘journeyman priest’ who served as needed. [...]  May 
  his memory be eternal.  
    
  If I recall my Orthodox Ottawa history, back in the innocent — at least for me — pre-Autocephaly ‘60s, the 
  Bukovinian parish, then in the Synod, made life rather complex for Russians (a Russian couldn’t be a member, 
  for example) and the latter group asked Archbishop Vitaly to bless the opening of a new Russian parish.  He 
  figured that Ottawa could not support more than one Slav Orthodox parish and did not allow this.  This group 
  then petitioned [[Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) | Archbishop Sylvester]] of the Metropolia to start such a Russian community and he did so. 
  [...]  The Russian parishioners included people on both sides of the jurisdictional divide (not such a great 
  one at that time), and our family attended the new Metropolia Saint Nicholas Church until the Synod’s 
  Protection parish was established (which Vladyka Vitaly allowed only when the Bukovinian Holy Trinity Parish 
  went over to the Metropolia).  For a while, Father Antony (Abramovitch) from Montreal serviced the parish, but 
  it seems to me that it was only a short while later that Father Nikanor became the first full-time rector of 
  Saint Nicholas, at the house-church on MacLaren Avenue, and my younger brother and I were privileged to have 
  been his altar-boys. He was a gentle and welcoming man and I was honoured to have learned about the mysteries 
  and complexities of the Liturgy, at least from the [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Acolyte acolyte's] point of view, from him. [...] I like your term, 
  ‘journeyman priest’.  It gives one the image of a well-travelled, hardscrabble [meaning a great effort made in 
  the face of difficulties, or managing with very deficient resources in a barren environment], and devoted 
  soldier for Christ — which he was.  'Vetchnaya yemu pamyat’'[Eternal Memory to him]. 

In the recent past, the [https://oca.org/clergy/Andrew-Morbey/ Archpriest Andrew Morbey] (then in Ottawa) wrote the following comment which well expresses the disposition of Christ-loving and Christ-imitating pastors such as Father Nikanor, who understood properly the meaning of the word "canonical" :  

  Lots of people throw around the term canonical as if it were something magical or extraordinary. In this 
  instance I think one should simply think of 'uncanonical' as meaning disorderly, rather than 'graceless'.  
  Disorderly IS difficult and trying and exasperatimg - and a scandal - but it is a Very Far Cry from making 
  pronouncements denying Grace ! There is altogether too much disorder in ALL our houses these days [...].

Father Nikanor, together with his beloved Matushka Maria, were most particularly well-known for the great and generous warmth of their Christian hospitality.  Everyone who arrived in their home felt warmly embraced in Christ, and they felt  encouraged to do likewise.   

==References==

[http://archbishop-of-ottawa.org/messenger/Com1994-2.5-2.pdf “Canadian Orthodox Messenger” (Spring, 1994)] pp. 11-12


'''Additional information :''' 

[[Saint Arseny (Chahovtsov)]]

[[Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns)]]

[[Ottawa ON Holy Trinity Bukowinian Orthodox Sobor 1918-2003 |Holy Trinity Bukowinian Sobor, Ottawa]]

[[Ottawa ON Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church 1955-1987 |Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Ottawa]]

[[Ottawa ON Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church 1955-1987 |Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Ottawa]]

[http://archbishop-of-ottawa.org/content/words-fiftieth-anniversary-ottawa-cathedral-2005-03-25 Anniversary words at Saint Nicholas Parish, Ottawa, including mention of Father Nikanor]

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/ROCOR_and_OCA Article about the relationship between the ROCOR and the OCA]

[http://zarubezhje.narod.ru/kl/K_659.htm Biographical note] (in Russian)

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Church_of_Russia Orthodoxwiki article about the Russian Orthodox Church]  

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Archdiocese_of_Canada Orthodoxwiki articcle about the Archdiocese of Canada]  

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Orthodox_Church_in_America Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America] 

[[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Russian_Orthodox_Church_Outside_Russia Orthodoxwiki article about the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia] 




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