Archpriest Arkadiy Piotrovsky

Archpriest Arkadiy Piotrovsky (18__-1934)

Arkadiy may be spelt Arkady, Arkadius.

Life details of Arkadiy Aleksandrovich Piotrovsky

There is not available at present much concrete information about Archpriest Arkadiy Aleksandrovich Piotrovsky.

Service in the Russian Mission

What can be inferred is that Father Arkadiy was a married cleric who had received the blessing from the Most Holy Synod of the Church of Russia to travel from some place in the Russian Empire to North America in order to serve in the Russian Orthodox Mission's Diocese of the Aleutians and North America.

The Russian Orthodox Mission in North America had been initiated with the sending of the missionary group of monks from Valaam Monastery in Lake Ladoga, north of Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1793. The missionary group arrived at Kodiak, Russian America (that is, Alaska), in 1794. Eventually, the missionary work spread from Alaska south to the territory of the USA, and then to Canada and to Mexico. In these parts, the missionary work was occupied mainly with meeting the needs of the many people who had begun to emigrate from Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East, and who settled in North America from the middle of the 19th century.

During some part of the 1910s, Archpriest Arkadiy Aleksandrovich Piotrovsky served as Dean of the Detroit Deanery. This being the case, it is likely that he was for a time the pastor of the Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in Detroit, Michigan, which had been established formally in 1907.

Saint Theodosius Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio, 1915

For a short period of time, Father Arkadiy Piotrovsky served at Saint Theodosius Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio. However, he was soon transferred.

Saint Theodosius Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio

Holy Resurrection Church, Berlin, New Hampshire, 1915

At that time, in Berlin, New Hampshire, there were living many Russian-speaking immigrants who had found employment, but who were bereft of the Orthodox Christian Church. As a consequence, their traditional way of life was not being supported, and they were becoming discouraged. Priest Jakob Gregorieff of Roxbury, Massachusetts, began to make visits to the people. Understanding their plight, he proposed to Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky) of New York the possibility of finding a priest who could serve them regularly and who could help them build a local Temple in which to worship. Meanwhile, Messrs. G B Brown (of the Brown Company) and R B Wolf (of the Burgess Sulphite Fibre Company) were willing to support their workers in the project of constructing a place of worship. Thus, Priest Arkady was assigned to serve in Berlin.

In March, 1915, Priest Arcadiy Piotrovsky and his wife arrived in Berlin, New Hampshire, from Cleveland, Ohio, to establish an Orthodox Temple for the approximately 500 Russian-speakers that inhabited Berlin at that time. Father Arcadiy was very energetic in his activities as a missionary founder of the parish.

A general meeting was called, which was attended by 139 persons. They agreed to the formal formation of a parish, to the support of a priest, to the establishment of normal operating by-laws, and to the construction of a Temple and school. They elected the neessary parish council and officers, and the work began in earnest.

At first the Divine Services were held in an Episcopalian church, but then moved to an old garage owned by the city. A site at the base of Mount Forest was chosen for a new church building to be constructed. The new building would reflect customary Russian ecclesiastical architecture. There would be 7 cupolas and 7 Crosses. It would be a two-storey building with a full basement. Excluding the entry, the dimensions were 36 feet by 63 feet, with a height of 100 feet. The parish house was to be a two-storey structure of colonial architectural style. It had a complete basement, 9 rooms and 2 bath-rooms.

On 1 May, 1915, construction of the Temple began. On 1 October, 1915, the construction was completed. Thus, the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Temple was established in Berlin, New Hampshire. On 10 October, 1915, Holy Resurrection Orthodox Temple was sanctified by Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky) of New York.

Holy Resurrection Temple, Berlin, New Hampshire

Later, and with commendation, Father Arcadiy was transferred to another parish.

First service at Saints Peter and Paul parish, Montréal

Archpriest Arkadiy A Piotrovsky served twice at the Temple of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

The first time of his service was somewhat brief. After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, he served third amongst a series of 6 priests who cared for the parish during the 7 years that followed that revolution.

The main reason for such turmoil was the revolution itself. In its wake, the Archdiocese of the Aleutians and North America was cut off from the Church in Russia, both in terms of reliable communication and of any financial support.

It is known that in 1922-1923, he served in Saint John the Baptist Church, Little Falls, New Jersey.

Saint John the Baptist Temple, Little Falls, New Jersey

Second service at Saints Peter and Paul parish, Montréal

Then, in 1928, Archpriest Arkadiy Piotrovsky returned to the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal, Québec, and he remained there until the end of his life.

Youth club, 1930

In 1930, Father Arkadiy, aware of the importance of the nurture of the youth (especially in the difficult economic environment which was generally worse for immigrant families), organised a youth club in the parish. The youth benefitted under his leadership and support ; however, there was no-one else in the parish at the time who was able to perpetuate this service when Father Arkadiy came to the end of his days, and the club ceased to exist thereafter.

Saints Peter and Paul Temple

Repose, 1934

In 1934, Archpriest Arkadiy A Piotrovsky fell asleep in the Lord at Montréal, Québec.

There is no information available at present regarding the funeral services or the interment.

Reflections

As is the case with many priests, and most especially the earlier missionary priests, there is very little information available about them. Father Arkadiy Piotrovsky, like the others, was a faithful pastor who loved the rational flock with which he was entrusted.

Even less known are the wives of these priests. Their unreported work and support enabled the priests to fulfil their responsibilities towards the parishioners. In this case, we do know that Father Arkadiy was a married priest, although we do not have available the name of his wife. However, it is evident from the parish historical documents that Matushka Piotrovsky remained alive and active in the parish for some time after her husband's repose, and that she was an active contributor to the work of the Sisterhood of Saint Catherine at Saints Peter and Paul's Parish in Montréal, Québec.

In fact, she was part of the "nucleus" of the sisterhood at that time, during which the women worked hard in order support the life of the parish. They planned fund-raising activities to help pay the church mortgage and other expenses by way of concerts, bazaars, “yolkas” (Christmas parties) and blini dinners (before Great Lent), coffee, tea and bake sales, as well as other activities.

References

Russian Religious Workers Abroad biography

Additional information :

Archdiocese of Canada — Orthodox Church in America, “The Orthodox Church in Canada : A Chronology” (Ottawa : Archdiocese of Canada, 1988).

“A Commemorative List of the Departed Servants of Orthodoxy in North America ('Diptychs')” (California, USA : Syosset, Department of History and Archives, 1992), p. 16.

“Anniversary Collection in Memory of the 150th Anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America. Part 1” (New York, 1944).

Melikoff, Olga Lawes, “Parish Life”

Okuntsov, I K "Russian Emigration in North and South America" (Buenos Aires : The Sower, 1967).

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

Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of Russia

Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America

Russian Mission in North America

Archbishop (Saint) Tikhon (Belavin)

Saint Raphael (Hawaweeny)

Archbishop (Saint) Arseny (Chahovtsov)

Saint Alexander Hotovitzky

Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky)

Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky)

Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky)

“Anniversary Collection in Memory of the 150th Anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America. Part 1” (New York, 1944).

Parish History of Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Montreal, Quebec.