SERVICES:
Vigil:
Saturdays 6:00 p.m.
Feastdays 6:30 p.m.
Divine Liturgy:
Sundays 9:30 a.m.
Feastdays 9:30 a.m. |
|
|
Church of Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
617 Sand Creek Rd, Colonie NY 12205
BRIEF HISTORY OF OUR CHURCH
After the close of the Second World War many Russian refugees
settled into Displacd Persons Camps throughout Germany. One of these
camps was located in Fischbeck. Nikifor and Olga Fedorov and their extended
families resided in this particular camp, under the spiritual guidance of the
then Archimandrite Vitaly Ustinov ( Met.Vitaly 2006).
This particular camp was inhabited by mainly orthodox families.
Fr. Vitaly established a chapel and church school, the camp church was the center
of life for everyone in the camp. In the late 1940's some of those families decided to
move West to North America, first settling in Canada and eventually settling in Albany, New York.
It was these immigrants with their genuine love for the Church and a desire to raise
their children and grandchildren in the faith, that a search for a place to hold services began.
There was, and still is, a close bond between the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville and the Albany Parish.
Shortly after Olga and Nikifor's arrival to the Albany area,
Archimandrite Panteleimon ( co-founder of the Holy Trinity monastery),
introduced the Albany Parish members to Bishop Brown, the Episcopalian Bishop of Albany.
Bishop Brown's family lived in Jordanville and were well acquainted with Father Panteleimon.
With the help of Bishop Brown the search came to an end. Services were temporarily held in a side room
of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. One of the perishioners built a portable iconastas and
priests from Holy Trinity Monastery came to Albany to conduct services.
In the mid 1950's,after six years, the parish moved to their own permanent home, they
purchased the Anglican Church of the Holy Innocent. Bishop Brown was instrumental in aiding the
Parish with the purchase of this church ( at a significant reduction of price). Thus the Church of the
Nativity of the Mother of God came into existance. The first permanent priest assigned to the parish was
Father Michael Komlkiv, who also had come from Germany. The second priest was Father Aristarex Katzubinsky, but he
was elderly and had difficulty serving and soon retired. The parish was fortunate to have
visiting hieromonks and priests from the Holy Trinity Monastery serve in the interim. Our current
rector Mitered Protopriest Wsevolod Drobot was assigned to the Parish in 1962.
|
|
