Archimandrite Ignaty (Falovsky)
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Archimandrite Ignaty (Falovsky) (1876-1953)
An Early Priest and Photo-Archivist
Early years of Ivan Ivanovich Falovsky
On 29 May, 1876, Ivan Ivanovich Falovsky was born in the village of Tetievo, Kyiv Province, Ukraine, on 29 May, 1876. At that time, it was within the Russian Empire.
He was raised within the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church, and he received his primary and secondary education in his home region.
Education
Ivan Ivanovich then entered the Kiev Theological Seminary.
Once he had completed his theological education, he entered the Epiphany Kyivo-Bratskii Monastery as a novice.
In 1911, the Novice Ivan was accepted to be sent to the North American Mission.
Monastic tonsure, 1911
In 1911, the Novice Ivan (Falovsky) was tonsured to be a monk with the name Ignaty.
Ordinations, 1911
In 1911, the Monk Ignaty (Falovsky) was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Bishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky).
His ordination to the Holy Priesthood followed soon afterwards.
Pastoral service
Transfer to Canada, 1911
On 2 October, 1911, the Hieromonk Ignaty (Falovsky) departed for Canada where he served for a short time, and then returned to Russia to recover his health ; but he returned shortly thereafter to continue serving the Church in Canada for 4 decades.
During this time, he was given the responsibility of leading the missionary work in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
During his time of faithful service, he was elevated first to the dignity of igumen, and then to the dignity of archimandrite.
He served in almost every province in the west (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), and he left behind such a number of early photographs of Orthodox services, that one draws the conclusion that he must have had his own photography equipment. It may be seen from the documents included here that he served the parish of Saint Elia in Wroxton, Saskatchewan before World War I, at the time when the new Temple was constructed. The present Temple, the third building, was constructed in the hamlet.
Father Ignaty and some rural parishioners
After World War I (particularly after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917), as a consequence of those revolutionary events in Russia, the giving of subsidies to the North American diocese ceased.
Often priests literally had to beg as they took their families to farmyards of neighbours and parishioners. This could happen because such clergy did not have land of their own on which to grow their own food, since previously they had had a stipend which made up the difference between what parishioners could contribute and what was necessary for life.
Father Ignaty wrote to Bishop Alexander (Nemolovsky) about the desperate situation of the Canadian clergy :
They eat potatoes. The whole priest's family is in tatters [...]. The Missionary of O. R. begs people for bread. Here in Canada, almost all Russians have a painful expression. All involuntarily weep because of the terrible frosts. All our Canadian missionaries are both needy and slandered.
In his later years, Archimandrite Ignaty resided in the Holy Ascension Monastery at Sifton, Manitoba.
Father Ignaty (Falovsky) and rural parishioners
Repose, 1953
Archimandrite Ignaty (Falovsky) fell asleep in the Lord on 29 October, 1953, as the following shows.
The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Presbyter were served for him in Sifton under the leadership of Bishop Nikon (de Grève) of Toronto. He was assisted by clergy of the surrounding region who had assembled.
After the funeral, his body was interred at the cemetery of the Monastery of the Holy Ascension at Sifton.
In the evening of 29 October, 1953, close to Holy Ascension Monastery in Sifton in the province of Manitoba, the resident of the monastery, an aged missionary in Canada, Archimandite Ignaty was fatally injured in a car accident. For his funeral on Tuesday, 3 November, Bishop Nikon came from Toronto and the local priests gathered [...].
Holy Ascension Monastery Cemetery at Sifton
A panikhida at the cemetery
Monument on the site of the orphanage at the monastery
References
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.
Saint Tikhon's Seminary "Tikhonaire" reference
“Dauphin Herald and Press Newspaper Archives”
Religious Workers of the Russian Mission Abroad
Additional information :
Wikipedia article about the Epiphany Kyivo-Bratskii Monastery
Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America
Orthodoxwiki article about the Archdiocese of Canada (OCA)
Archdiocese of Canada — Orthodox Church in America, “The Orthodox Church in Canada : A Chronology” (Ottawa : Archdiocese of Canada, 1988).
“Orthodoxy in America, Part One : From the Russian Mission to the OCA”
Stokoe, Mark and Kishkovsky, Leonid, “Orthodox Christians in North America”
Bishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky)
Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky)
“Historic Sites of Manitoba : Russian Orthodox Orphanage Monument (Sifton, RM of Dauphin)”
Sifton MB Monastery of the Holy Ascension 1910-1970
“The American-Canadian period of the ministry of Metropolitan Alexander (Nemolovsky)” (Mention of Ignatius (Falovsky) in foot-note no. 21 : “And Jerome Ignatius (Falovsky; Ignatius Falovsky) lived and served in Canada in the poorest province of Saskatchewan. He died on 28 October, 1953, at the Ascension Monastery in Sifton (near Winnipeg, Canada) in the jurisdiction of the North American Russian Metropolitanate in the rank of Archimandrite .” (Text : “Bishop Alexander, in his article “From Canadian Impressions,” published in the diocesan magazine, wrote about the problems and troubles of the Canadian clergy : “They eat potatoes. The whole priest's family is in rags. <...> Fr. Ignatius 21 begs people for bread. Around - small villages. <...> Here - in Canada - almost all Russians have a suffering expression. All involuntarily cry from the terrible frosts. All of our Canadian missionaries are both hungry and slandered”. Foot-note no. 22 : Alexander (Nemolovsky), Bishop, from 'Canadian Impressions' in “American Orthodox Russia”, no. 4 (1916), pp. 57-59.)
Nemolovsky, Bishop Alexander, from 'Canadian Impressions’ in “American Orthodox Russia”, no. 4 (1916), pp. 57-59.