Mitred Archpriest Oleg and Matushka Natalia Boldireff

Mitred Archpriest Oleg Boldireff (1911-1997)

and

Matushka Natalia Vsevolodovna Boldireff (born Maliantovitch) (1917-2005)

Boldireff may be spelt Boldirev, Boldyrev.

Oleg Boldireff's early years

Oleg Boldireff was born on 24 June, 1911, in Novonikayevska Stanitsa on the Don River near the city of Mariupol, which was at that time in the Russian Empire, and nowadays in Ukraine.

His was a family descended from the Don Cossacks.

In 1919, Oleg was enrolled in the Donskoy Military Cadet School of Emperor Alexander III.

In 1920, when he was only 9 years old, Oleg was separated from his parents and from his native land as a consequence of the turmoil of the wars and revolution.

While he was very young, Oleg Boldireff felt a strong attachment to the Orthodox Christian Faith in which he had been raised.

As a child, he suffered at one time from malaria, and then promised God that, if he healed, he would give his life to God. He kept his word.

Exile, 1920 ; 1926

The school, because of the Bolshevik Revolution and civil war, was evacuated to Izmailia, Egypt.

In 1923, Oleg left the military school and entered the English high school (gymnasium) for Russian émigrés in Turkey.

From Turkey, he emigrated to Bulgaria where, in Shumen in 1926, he entered the Russian high school (gymnasium) from which he graduated in 1930.

Higher education

From 1930-1934, he studied at the Saint Sergius Theological Institute in Paris, France.

Saint Sergius Institute and Temple

Like the other seminarians, he spent his summer holidays in England, in Anglican Church parishes.

He graduated from the Institut Saint-Serge with the diploma of Candidate in Orthodox Theology, First Degree.

From 1934-1935, Oleg lived in Canterbury, England, where he attended Saint Andrew’s College.

He wrote a thesis entitled “The Doctrine of the Church according to the Narratives of the Evangelists Matthew and John”.

Natalia Vsevolodovna's early years

On 28 May, 1917, Natalia Vsevolodovna Maliantovitch (in Russian, Maliantova), along with her twin sister Anastasia, was born in Moscow, Russia. Their parents were Galina and Vsevolod Maliantovitch.

This was the year of the 2 revolutions. The first was the February Revolution followed by the Provisional Government. The second was in October, the Bolshevik Revolution, followed by the communist government.

Vsevolod Maliantovitch was killed during the period of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Exile, 1920

After learning of her husband’s death in 1920, Galina Maliantova took her twin daughters and older son Nicolai to Prague, Czechoslovakia. The 2 girls were put in a foster home for 8 years, but Galina was able to take her daughters to Paris in 1928. Later, she sent them to a Roman Catholic girls’ boarding school in Belgium.

Natalia also had a younger half-sister, Katia, daughter of her stepfather, Vladimir Jeleznoff.

At age 18, while visiting Christ the Saviour’s Church in Asnières-sur-Seine, France, Natalia met her husband-to-be, the seminarian Oleg Boldireff.

However, the story of this meeting of Oleg and Natalia somehow demonstrates the importance of faith in their future family. According to their son Andrei, Natalia dreamed, at 13, that she was entering a church she had never seen and that in the centre of the church was a young seminarian. She had this dream 3 times. At the age of 18, she entered with her mother the church of the seminary of Saint-Serge. Oleg was in the centre of the church praying. Natalia told her mother that they had been here before, and that she knew the man who prayed ; but her mother replied that this was really their first visit to this church.

Institut Saint-Serge, Paris

Marriage, 1935

Oleg Boldireff and Natalia Maliantova were married in Paris on 10 November, 1935.

Andrei believes that his parents met by the Grace of God.

Oleg and Natalia received from the Lord 5 sons : Sergei (in adulthood a church choir director) ; Vladimir (for a time in Canada, he was a Cossack Ataman) ; Nicolas (in adulthood a priest) who were all born in France ; Andrei and Oleg Séraphim, who were born in Montréal.

The daily life of the Boldireff family was organised around the church and faith. It also influenced the choice of children's names. According to Andrei O Boldireff, there are 2 different traditions :

 The first tradition is the tradition of my family, of my ancestors.  With them, the eldest son was always 
 called Roman or Ivan.  It is a Cossack tradition.  There is however another tradition, that of Saint Serge 
 where the first son was to be named Serge.  My father chose the latter tradition and renounced the Cossack 
 tradition and that is why my older brother is called Sergei.  As for my younger brother, Seraphim, his name 
 is so because my father loved Saint Seraphim of Sarov very much.  But, we, the brothers, we protested a lot 
 because, among Quebecers, there was a programme called 'Les belles histoires des pays d'en haut' and where the 
 main character, Séraphin (in French), was very mean.  We insisted very much that our brother be called Oleg, 
 like my father and that his second name be Séraphim.  In our family, we have always respected what our father 
 taught us : that you had to love everyone ; that you had to be a Christian before you were Orthodox.

Ordinations, 1935

On 30 November, 1935, Oleg Boldireff was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Metropolitan Evlogiy (Georgievsky) of Paris.

One month later, at the end of December, 1935, Deacon Oleg Boldireff was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Metropolitan Evlogiy.

Pastoral service

In a demonstration of her support, Matushka Natalia surprised the new Priest Oleg on the day of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood. She gave him the news that she had completed the readers’ courses, and that she was therefore able to conduct music for any of the services, including those of Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha. Being musically gifted, Matushka Natalia not only sang in the choir, but in case of necessity she could also substitute for the choir director (even when services would be in English, as they would be, later in their years of service).

Despite her difficult childhood, the harshness of the revolution, World War II, and famine, Matushka Natalia, through God’s Grace, was able, while raising 5 sons, to serve alongside her husband Father Oleg in the capacity of caregiver to the elderly, youth-group organiser, church reader, choir singer, choir director, church school teacher. In addition to this, she offered sanctuary in her home to literally hundreds of refugees at one time or another. Matushka Natalia enjoyed music, singing, and reciting poetry. Together with Father Oleg, she served the Lord and His people.

In 1935, Father Oleg was assigned to serve as assistant rector in the Church of Christ the Saviour in Asnières-sur-Seine, France. During the following years, he also served in a senior citizens’ home in Rozay-en-Brie. In addition, he founded and organised the new Church of Saint Spyridon in Rueil-Malmaison.

In July, 1939, Metropolitan Evlogiy sent Father Oleg to organise a new parish in Dives-Cabourg, Calvados, Norrmandy. While serving there, he worked as a metallographist in a factory laboratory. However, within 2 months, he was mobilised and he spent 6 months as a trainee at Le Havre.

By June of 1940, Father Oleg was on the battle-front, and working as a medical orderly in the regular French army. In the same year, he was taken prisoner by the Nazi German army and he was sent to work in Germany (usually forced farm-labour).

In March, 1941, he was released from the Prisoner of War camp, demobilised, and (as a priest) sent back to France.

In 1942, the Priest Oleg Boldireff was assigned to serve in Saint Spyridon’s Church in Rueil-Malmaison, Paris, (a parish he had founded). The Church of the Mother of God (Korchin) was also founded by Father Oleg.

The year 1945 was spent in travelling all over France. Father Oleg visited labour camps and prisons in order to attend to the spiritual needs of the many Russian-speaking people held in them. Certain other priests were also engaged in various aspects of this pastoral work.

In 1946, Father Oleg Boldireff was assigned to serve as assistant rector of the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky in Paris. He was the youngest priest to be given this assignment.

During the time of his service there, the Priest Oleg Boldireff was elevated to the dignity of archpriest by Metropolitan Vladimir (Tikhonitsky) of Paris.

Transfer to Canada, 1948 ; service in Montréal ; founding communities

Then, in March, 1948, with the blessing of Metropolitan Vladimir, the Archpriest Oleg Boldireff, together with Matushka Natalia and their children, were transferred, and they emigrated to Canada. They thus entered the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America (ROGCCNA).

In Canada, Father Oleg was assigned to serve as the rector of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal, Québec. He served in this capacity for 15 years. During this time, he served as the dean of Québec and Ontario. Further, during these years, he was instrumental in founding churches in Québec City, Val d’Or, Rouyn, and Rawdon, Québec, and also in Kirkland Lake, Kearns, and Ottawa, Ontario. These foundations were associated with the very many Russian-speaking immigrants who had begun to live in these areas.

Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Montréal

Rawdon

In Québec, the Boldireff family life took place mainly between the parish house of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal where Father Oleg was a priest for 14 years, from 1948 to 1962, and Rawdon where he built a house to spend the summer vacation. The Village of Rawdon at the time had a fairly high number of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants. Father Oleg decided to build a small Russian Orthodox chapel there. However, since most people protested that they were going to Rawdon for the holidays and to rest, Father Oleg decided to build a domestic chapel for his family, while welcoming the other Faithful to the services. People then came by the hundreds, and the chapel was so small that people stayed outside.

Domestic chapel

Blessing the Cross for the chapel, 1957

The Town of Rawdon, Québec is of special significance in the life of the Boldireff family, and also in the lives of very many other people of both Russian-speaking and French-speaking backgrounds. Rawdon is situated north of Montréal, in the Laurentian Mountains, a distance of about an hour’s drive. The first Russian immigrants to go there for fishing were Boris Orlov and his wife Iuliana, in 1926. Even though before World War I, the village was mainly a place of temporary summer residences, it was with the second wave of immigrants in the 1950s that the Russian-speakers settled there in greater numbers. Many other immigrants also settled there (people from Hungary, Poland and other countries). Retirees who initially had had their dachas (small chalets) in Rawdon began to winterise them and to move to Rawdon permanently.

The presence of Orthodoxy in Rawdon is marked by the existence of 3 chapels, a hermitage and a cemetery. The founder of the Orthodox Christian community of community of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1956) in Rawdon was the Archpriest Oleg Boldireff, as previously noted. After spending a few summers with his family in Rawdon, Father Oleg decided to buy a small property there, and to build a house. With the help of some parishioners, and especially the architect Mr. Levtchuk, he erected a small chapel in the family’s garden for the use of his family and for the local community. At the end of the summer of 1955, this small chapel was dedicated to Saint Seraphim of Sarov.

During the 1950s, Father Oleg founded several organisations in Montréal, including the Association of Veterans of the Canadian Legion, and the charitable society of Saint John of Kronstadt, which at first helped immigrants to come and settle in Canada. Each year, on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, a memorial service was held in front of the monument dedicated to Russian fighters in the Saint Seraphim Cemetery in Rawdon.

Cemetery in Rawdon, 1962

Gradually, the Russians living in and around Rawdon came to attend the services. Growth in the number of parishioners was also due to the increase of the numbers of Russians of Montréal who decided to move and settle in Rawdon after retirement. In 1962, the Orthodox cemetery was opened following the acquisition of land donated by the A Lowes family in the community, and following successful approaches made by Father Oleg to the Roman Catholic Church of the municipality. The opening and consecration of this landmark site was conducted by Bishop Anatoly (Apostolov), who was the Bishop of Canada at that time.

After the departure of Father Oleg from Montréal, Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns), the newly-arrived successor to Bishop Anatoly, built a larger chapel next to the cemetery, and dedicated it Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Over the years, the vitality of the Temple declined somewhat, because of ageing or death of members of the Russian community. However, after the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, a new wave of immigrants and young families began to appear. In this revival of the community, there was added a growing interest in spiritual matters, and they (and tourists also) began to visit the Temple to find out more about Orthodoxy. Pilgrims from various parishes in Montréal also would go to pray and to venerate the relics exhibited in the Chapel of the Transfiguration beside the Temple of Saint Seraphim. These relics include those of Saint Seraphim of Sarov and Saint John the Forerunner (the Baptist). The legacy in Rawdon of both Father Oleg Boldireff and Archbishop Sylvester is very much alive.

Transfer to Vancouver, 1963

In 1963, the Archpriest Oleg Boldireff was transferred by Archbishop Sylvester to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he was assigned to be the rector of Holy Resurrection Church there. This parish consisted of Orthodox Christians of different eastern European ancestries (as do most parishes). However, many of Holy Resurrection’s parishioners (more than usual elsewhere in Canada) had a history which involved China and eastern Siberia, mostly associated with the 1918 revolution. As in Montréal, life was rich with the activities of a large parish : liturgical services, a children’s school, a young people’s circle, a string orchestra, lectures and performances were all parts of this richness.

In 1967, during the Canadian Centennial celebration, Father Oleg organised a special concert composed of Canadians and Canadians of Russian origin. The money collected from this concert was donated to Vancouver’s organisations for handicapped children. The next year, he was invited to read the prayer for the opening of the new session of the provincial parliament in Victoria (the first time in the province’s history that an Orthodox Christian clergyman had done so).

Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church, Vancouver

Transfer to Detroit, 1970

In 1970, the Archpriest Oleg Boldireff was transferred to the omophor of Bishop John (Garklavs) of Chicago, Illinois, and he was assigned to be the rector of All Saints’ Cathedral in Detroit, Michigan (this parish was closed over 2 decades later and absorbed into the parish of Saints Peter and Paul).

It was during this period that he took part in a pilgrimage in the Holy Land. This pilgrimage was led by his spiritual father (and former dean in Paris) Bishop Methodius. They visited approximately 50 Biblical sites, and very often Father Oleg assisted Vladyka Mefody (Methodius) in the services. The most unforgettable one, which he remembered with awe, was the midnight Divine Liturgy they celebrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the bishop asked him to serve proskomedia on the very Tomb of Christ.

Saints Peter and Paul Church, Detroit

Transfer to Ottawa, 1974

In 1974, Father Oleg requested a transfer back to the Archdiocese of Canada, and he was assigned by Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) to be the rector of the Russian Church of Saint Nicholas in Ottawa, Ontario. This parish had been founded by him many years previously.

The next year, in 1975, on the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood, he was awarded the right by the OCA's Holy Synod to wear the mitre (an award given to priests primarily by the Russian Orthodox Church). This award recognised also the amount of missionary work that he had done during his pastoral service.

A high point for him in these Ottawa years was the pilgrimage that he made with Matushka Natalia in Greece. There, they had the blessing to venerate the holy relics of the 2 saints in whose honour had been named the first and the last Temples which he had opened and in which he had served. In Bari, Italy, they prayed before the relics of Saint Nicholas of Myra, and they served an akathist to him. On the island of Corfu, they prayed and served before the relics of Saint Spyridon of Trimythus. Besides this pilgrimage, Father Oleg visited Alaska. In Sitka, along with other priests, he participated with Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor) and other bishops of the Holy Synod who met there in order to sanctify the newly-restored Cathedral of Saint Michael.

Many times during his years of service as a parish rector, Father Oleg was able to harness the cultural talents of the Russian community on behalf of charitable causes. For example, in 1985, his parish in Ottawa organised a large concert for the benefit of persecuted believers in Soviet Russia. Featured was the choir of Christ the Saviour Sobor in Toronto, Ontario (under the direction of his eldest son, Sergei) and the Volga dancing ensemble. The large sum raised was forwarded to its intended destination by way of Paris.

Perhaps the most joyous events for Father Oleg and Matushka Natalia during their many years of service were those related to the welcoming to Canada of the miraculous Tikhvin Icon of the Theotokos. This holy icon of the Theotokos was invariably accompanied by Bishop John (Garklavs) of Chicago, who participated in the solemn services before her image. During this visit of the wonder-working icon, Father Oleg witnessed the appearance of a great number of visitors who took the opportunity to venerate this wonder-working icon of the Theotokos. There were stops in Montréal (twice), Vancouver, Detroit and Ottawa. When the holy icon was in Ottawa, Bishop John stayed for a few days in the home of Father Oleg and Matushka Natalia, and he enabled Father Oleg to arrange the visiting of sick parishioners with this holy icon, so that they could chant, together with all the rest : “Rejoice, our Lady, quick to hear, interceding for us before God”.

Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Ottawa

Retirement, 1987

In 1987, the Mitred Archpriest Oleg Boldireff was given retirement at the age of 76 by Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor). He was attached to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal, and he moved to Rawdon, Québec.

There, he was asked by Archbishop Sylvester to conduct services in the Chapel of Saint Seraphim (and in the winter in the smaller skete chapel of the Transfiguration) for as long as his health would permit. To the delight of all, Father Oleg agreed. For about 10 years, he faithfully conducted these services.

Subdeacon Andrei Boldireff showing the winter chapel and Skete of the Transfiguration

Saint Seraphim summer Temple at the Saint Seraphim Cemetery

Visit to Russia, 1991

In 1991, Father Oleg had the physical strength to make an extended visit to Russia. There, with God's help, he was able to locate his remaining relatives (a half-sister, nephews and nieces). He also visited the village where he was born. For him, the greatest joy of that trip was the day that he celebrated the Divine Liturgy for his compatriots on the soil of his native land which he had left so very long before.

Repose of Father Oleg, 1997

On 14 November, 1997, the Mitred Archpriest Oleg Boldireff fell asleep in the Lord in Rawdon, Québec. On the old-style calendar, this is the Feast of the Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, and on the new-style calendar, this is the Feast of the Apostle Philip. Father Oleg had suffered for some time from cancer. In his last moments, and upon his repose, Father Oleg received every detail of loving Christian attention : the Service of Anointing (with 7 Gospel-readings), Holy Communion, prayers at the house, and the washing, anointing and vesting of the body by his brother priests.

The very beautiful and memorable funeral services which followed were conducted as Father Oleg had wished. He was vested in his blue vestments ; he wore the purple kamilavka (with the Trisagion prayer-strip laid across it). The Jerusalem Orthodox shroud was at the lower end of the coffin. At Rawdon, his mitre and jewelled Cross were placed on a little table beside the coffin. In Montréal, at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, the mitre was placed in the coffin by his shoulder. The Russian flag was draped over the coffin, as was the regimental standard custom. During the singing of “Memory Eternal (Vetchnaya Pamyat’)”, a Cossack lowered a flag.

The concelebrating clergy at the Order for the Burial of a Priest and at the Memorial Divine Liturgy were Archpriest Alexander Janowski, Archimandrite Cyril (Bulashevitch), Archpriest Nicolas Boldireff, Higoumène Irénée (Rochon), Hiéromoine Marc (Pierre), Hiéromoine Cyrille (Bradette), and the Priest Nikolai Nikolaev. The Archpriest John Tkachuk was also present.

After the services in Montréal, the coffin containing the body of Father Oleg Bolidreff was taken to the Russian Cemetery (now named for Saint Seraphim) in Rawdon, and it was interred there.

After the repose of her husband, Father Oleg in 1997, Matushka Natalia, in retirement in Rawdon, remained active by keeping contact with the many spiritual children of her late husband, with clergy in North America, Ukraine and France, as well as her very large family. As much as she was physically capable, she attended and participated in services, primarily at Saint Seraphim’s Church in Rawdon. When she was unable, a priest would bring to her the Holy Mysteries, and pray for her, as well.

Repose of Matushka Natalia, 2005

Matushka Natalia Boldireva joined her beloved husband in repose in Christ on 12 December, 2005 after a two-month illness. On the new-style calendar, this is the Feast of Saint Spirydon, and on the old-style calendar it is the eve of the Feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew.

Matushka Natalia Vsevlolodovna Boldireva went to the Lord peacefully while her son, Subdeacon Andrei Boldireff, was reading the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke.

After the Panikhida (memorial service), Funeral Service, and the Memorial Divine Liturgy, her body was interred next to that of her husband in the Saint Seraphim Russian Cemetery in Rawdon, Québec.

At the time of her repose, Matushka Natalia left behind 5 sons, 16 grand-children, and 11 great-grand-children (with 2 soon to be born).

Memory Eternal to Mitred Archpriest Oleg Boldireff and to Matushka Natalia Vsevolodovna Boldireff.

Saint Seraphim Russian Orthodox Chapel and Cemetery, Rawdon

Reflections

In the Boldireff family, Orthodox Christian customs, traditions and festivals were always respected.

 When my father was still alive and very old, Pascha was always celebrated here (in Rawdon).  In the last 
 10 years of his life, the family reunited.  There were Orthodox Faithful from the village, too.  Thus, 
 the church was full [...]. After the death of my father, we continued to meet for Pascha, but not in 
 such large numbers (Andrei Boldireff). 

Although he was very attached to the "true Faith", Father Oleg was always against administrative organisations, because, for him, they distance the believer from God. He also passed on his convictions to his sons and forbade them to participate in committees. "Yes, you are going to sing, to serve, to work, to help, but not in committees" (Andrei Boldireff citing his father).

Wherever they went, in accordance with their assignments, Father Oleg and Matushka Natalia Boldireff did their best to serve the Lord as a team. It is a substantial commitment to raise 5 sons, and Matushka Natalia devoted herself to this in addition to her helping her husband. In later years, she found that she had to be careful of her heart. Nevertheless, hospitality was readily offered to all who came to their home. Father Oleg himself proved to be a very active missionary labourer in Canada. He had been a very active pastor in France during a very difficult period of history, and this labour seems to have prepared him for the work that awaited him across the Atlantic Ocean. Many communities were established in the Province of Québec as he sought to nurture and to support the communities of Russian- and Ukrainian-speakers who had settled there in various places after World War II. His love for the Lord and his care for the Lord's flock of "rational sheep" was evident at all times, and there remain to this day the fruits of this, his offering of himself to the Lord.

Father Oleg and Matushka Natalia remain a helpful example for the clergy and Faithful who follow.

References

Holy Resurrection Vancouver history

OCA Montreal history

OCA Rawdon history

Additional information :

L’implication de la famille Boldireff dans l’Église orthodoxe russe de Montréal

The obituary of Archpriest Oleg (Boldireff) was published in the Montréal “Gazette” on 25 November, 1997, p. 47.

Metropolitan Evlogiy (Georgievsky)

Metropolitan Vladimir (Tikhonitsky)

Bishop Anatoly (Apostolov)

Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns)

Bishop Joasaph (Antoniuk)

Archbishop Irénée (Rochon)

The Orthodox Church in America

Archdiocese of Canada

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Montréal

Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church Québec, Québec

Saint Seraphim of Sarov Church, Rawdon

Saint Seraphim Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Rawdon

Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church, Vancouver

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Detroit, Michigan

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Detroit, history

Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Ottawa, Ontario

Russian article, "Don Cossacks : History and Culture"

Wikipedia article about the Don Cossacks

Encyclopaedia.com article about the Don Cossacks

Annunciation to the Theotokos-Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Ottawa, Ontario

'Mitred Archpriest Marks 60 Years' Service' in "Canadian Orthodox Messenger" (Autumn, 1995), pp. 5-6.

'Mitred Archpriest Reposes in the Lord' in "Canadian Orthodox Messenger" (Spring, 1998), pp. 1-2.

'Matushka Natalia Boldireff 28 May 1917-12 December 2005' in "Canadian Orthodox Messenger" (Spring, 2006), p. 6.