May
18, 2010
Stratford, CT: "Igor Sikorsky Stood at the Foundation of Our
Parish" A conversation with Archpriest Theodore Shevzov
Founded
in the 17th century, the city of Stratford, CT, boasts a beautiful
landscape and a rich history. This is the birthplace of the American
helicopter industry. Here, in 1939, a Russian immigrant, a young
engineer by the name of Igor Sikorsky, tested his first helicopter and
founded the first manufacturing plant on the outskirts of town. Later
his name would gain world renown, and Sikorsky Aircraft would become
an enormous helicopter-building empire, a supplier of aircraft for
commercial and military purposes.
Today,
as in the middle of the last century, a good half of the male
Russian-speaking population of Stratford works at Sikorsky.
But
outside of "Russian Stratford" few know that the famous
aircraft builder, a graduate of the Kiev Polytechnical Institute, Igor
Ivanovich Sikorsky, who gained renown for his planes named "Ilya
Muromets” and "Russky Vityaz’" was a deeply religious
man. Emigrating after the Revolution to the United States, he wrote
and published a book on the Lord’s Prayer, and exerted a great deal
of effort during the establishment of the first Orthodox parish in the
city, St.
Nicholas Church, which on December 15, 2009, celebrated its 80th
anniversary.
Today,
Archpriest Theodore Shevzov serves at this church, one of the senior
priests of the Russian Diaspora, who knew the legendary inventor
personally.
Igor Sikorsky was a
very humble man. Out of a lineup of, say, 15 men, Igor Ivanovich would
probably be the least noticeable. Once, some Americans who didn’t
recognize him asked him what he does. He replied: "I work at
Sikorsky."
Sikorsky was not
very talkative, he tended to listen rather than talk. But when asked,
he would talk about himself and his experiences.
He was infected
with the idea of helicopter flight at the beginning of the 20th
century, in the early days of aviation. But everyone, including
Americans, thought the idea unworthy of serious consideration, and
preferred to concentrate their efforts not on helicopters but on
airplanes.
But Sikorsky built
a helicopter factory in Stratford—at the time a humble
endeavor—and began to gather Russian workers. All of our male
parishioners worked at Sikorsky, the biggest employer of the city at
the time.
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St. Nicholas Parish is closely bound to the Sikorsky name…
The Parish was
indeed founded thanks to the efforts of Igor Ivanovich. At the end of
the 1920’s, a Russian community began to assemble around him in
Stratford. On December 15, 1929, the parish was founded, and the
construction on the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker began on
October 12, 1941.
At first, the
parish would gather at a private house on Lake Street. Most of the
parishioners were recent immigrants to America from Germany, Austria,
Yugoslavia, and by and large they were educated people. Almost all of
them, including my father, Ivan Ivanovich Shevzov, considered
themselves refugees. They did not believe that they were settling in
America permanently, they dreamed and hoped that they would return to
Russia sooner or later. Still, wherever they settled, the first thing
they would do was establish a church.
Igor Ivanovich was
not yet a leader and did not have a lot of money, but he did not
refrain from helping to establish the church.
The first rector of
the parish, which was still meeting at the house, was Hieromonk
Panteleimon (Nizhnik), who was helped by Fr. Joseph (Kolos). Later
they made their way to Jordanville, where a monastic community was
established in 1930 in an open field, where they began to build a
monastery. The construction of St. Nicholas Church was finished in
1941, and the already-successful Sikorsky actively participated in its
establishment. Most of the parishioners did not have big paychecks, of
course, but they donated all they could to the community. Igor
Ivanovich was a member of the parish until his death. He had his own
"place" in the church, to the left of the altar, and he
stood on that spot his entire life.
-
Fr. Theodor, were you already an altar boy then?
Yes, I had a good
deal of experience as an altar boy, some five or six years. As a
child, I had served as an acolyte in church where Metropolitan Anthony
(Khrapovitsky) served.
Beginning in 1922,
there were very many Russians there, most of whom had left Russia
after the Revolution, thanks to Metropolitan Anthony and General Peter
Wrangel.
We had a humble
church, but everyone stood and prayed piously, no one spoke loudly
[during the service]. I already saw how one was to behave in the
altar, how one was to act during service.
In 1948, after a
brief stay in Germany, in a Displaced Persons camp, we came to
America. I was 18 at the time.
After Fr.
Panteleimon left, Archpriest Stefan Antoniuk became the rector between
1931 and 1969. I remember that he asked me to help him read on the
kliros. I wanted to help, but I could not read Church Slavonic, and so
he began teaching me. At the time I worked as a chemist, and I had no
intention of becoming a priest, considering myself unworthy. I was
what you would call an active parishioner. But in 1971, Metropolitan
Philaret (Voznesensky) noticed me and ordained me a reader, and three
years later made me a deacon. Only 14 years later, now-Metropolitan
Hilarion ordained me to the priesthood. I served in Mahopac, in St.
John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC, and at the same time
worked as a chemical engineer.
I have been serving
at St. Nicholas Church in Stratford for six years, the same place
where my church life in America began.
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Fr. Theodore, your classical Russian language surprises not only
Russian Americans, but Russians from Russia, and it is hard to believe
that you were born in the monarchy of Yugoslavia, and that your first
visit to your historic homeland, as is often written, was only in
2003. But this was a visit already as a priest. But your acquaintance
with the Soviet nation occurred much earlier, is this not so?
My ancestors are
from the Buturlinovka region of Voronezh oblast. Yes, I visited Russia
for the first time in 2003. My second trip was in 2007, and my third
in 2008.
But the very first
time I came to the USSR was at the end of the 1950s as a member of an
American delegation of chemists. They had searched for an interpreter
for this delegation for a while, but not a simple interpreter but
specifically a chemist who did not only speak Russian but knew the
specialized terminology.
Two old émigrés
who were offered the job refused to go to the USSR, where, in their
words, "there was terror and it smelled of blood."
And so in the
listings of the American Chemical Society, the organizers of the trip
noticed the name Theodor Shevzov, a young specialist in plastics in
one of the largest chemical companies in the US. They offered me the
job and I agreed.
We were invited by
the Ministry of Chemical Industry. The nine-person delegation which
included the presidents and vice presidents of leading chemical
concerns stayed at Moscow’s Ukraina Hotel. At the time, I was very
young, a "green" chemist. The Minister of Chemical Industry
of the USSR, Tikhomirov, personally welcomed us.
For six weeks, we
traveled to plants in Vladimir, Orekhovo-Zuevo, Leningrad, Tbilisi,
and for less than a week in Moscow.
This busy schedule
did not permit us to leave the group to go to church. Only in
Vladimir, early in the morning we were able to attend a service in
Uspensky Cathedral, which was celebrating its 850th anniversary at the
time. The church was remarkable in scale. This was the most memorable
impression of church life during that visit.
In Moscow, I
managed to excuse myself, and instead of visiting an exhibition of
chemical products, took a taxi to Staro-Konyushenny Lane, where my
mother, Vera Mitrofanovna Pavlovskaya, was born, a niece of the
composer Alexander Dmitrievich Kastalsky.
Time was limited,
and I was only able to take a stroll on the street a half-century
later, in 2007.
In 2003, we
discovered that a cousin of mine lived in Voronezh, a Maria Stepanovna
Shevzova, a teacher of Russian for 34 years. We started to correspond,
and in 2007, I traveled to Voronezh. I was given the opportunity to
serve in Resurrection Church, and I spent a great deal of time
wandering the streets of my grandparents’ city.
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Fr. Theodore, you have been fortunate enough to know and serve
together with renowned and revered people: clergymen, scholars,
entrepreneurs, that is, with those who are part of Russian history
abroad. Which of these gave you the most memorable life’s lesson?
I already talked
about the remarkable humility of Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky. But I would
also like to share one instructive anecdote, something that happened
to me before I began my time as deacon.
This was in
Mahopac, NY. The service, led by Metropolitan Philaret, was ending.
Vladyka began to read a sermon. Then, Protodeacon Nikita Chakiroff
came up to me and told me this story: Once, he was given the chance to
serve with St. John (Maximovich) in the very same church in Mahopac.
The hierarch was reading a sermon. Everyone was already becoming
restless, started talking… Fr. Nikita also gave in to the general
impatience and thought: "I wish Vladyka would hurry up and
finish." The hierarch then finished, turned to Fr. Nikita and
said "And you, Nikita, why do you think ill of me?"
"When you
serve as a deacon," Fr. Nikita then instructed me, "never
think of anything external, and do not under any circumstance think
ill of anyone."
This was one of the
most noteworthy lessons I have ever learned.
The
interview was conducted by Tatiana Veselkina.
Official
website of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws
