November 4, 2015
Washington, DC: SGPA Members mark 50th Anniversary of "Putivl"
Chapter
On
Sunday, October 18, after the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at
St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC, over 200
attendees – scout leaders, scouts, parents, relatives, friends, and
other guests gathered at the parish hall of St. George Antiochian
Church to celebrate the 50th anniversary of SGPA Chapter "Putivl."
The Organization of Russian Young Pathfinders (ORUR), known and
registered in the United States as St. George Pathfinders of America
(SGPA), is the successor organization to the first patrol of Russian
scouts organized in Pavlovsk Park, (outside St. Petersburg, Russia)
on April 30, 1909 by Colonel Oleg I. Pantukhoff at the behest of
Emperor Nicholas II. SGPA’s mission is to offer an extracurricular
program for boys and girls of Russian origin in an ethnic and
religious setting, complementing the family and school by utilizing
an enriched scouting methodology, conceived and developed by Sir
Baden-Powell and Colonel Pantuhoff. Since the days when scouting was
forbidden in the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution, one of
SGPA’s goals has been to preserve scouting abroad and return it to
Russia as soon as she was free of communism.
Russian scouting celebrated its centennial six years ago, and this
year the Washington-based "Putivl" Chapter celebrates its 50th
anniversary. Putivl' considers its official birthday to be March 1,
1965, when Scoutmaster Lydia Gerich held the first scout meeting in
her home. With the arrival of Scoutmaster Michael Danilevsky to the
Washington area in January 1970, the program gained more structure
and the group grew into a formal coed Troop (№ 4), named after
Admiral Nakhimov, naval hero of the Crimean War. The following year,
1971, the troop was able to conduct its first independent two-week
summer camp. Prior to this, Washingtonians participated in a much
larger scout camp run by the "Tsarskoye Selo" chapter in Upstate NY.
The
Washington SGPA Chapter "Putivl'" became very active in the parish
life of St. John the Baptist Cathedral. Its members help with
cleaning the church for Easter, organize the preparation of pussy
willows and palm branches for Palm Sunday, and provide an honor
guard at the Holy Shroud. During Christmastide, they go caroling to
nursing homes and visit shut-ins. Scouts are also active in the
choir and sisterhood, serve in the altar, participate in church
decoration, and help out at the annual bazaar. On Lazarus Saturday,
many members go to confession and receive the Holy Mysteries as one
big family. During their annual two week summer camp, the scouts
build a field chapel with their own hands using lashings and the
materials they find in the forest. This is where their
father-confessor, Archpriest Victor Potapov, and other clergy come
to celebrate the divine services "under a big tent of blue sky." In
the last few years, the scouts have also been very active in the
parish ethnic dance troop "Matryoshki", where they immerse
themselves in Russian traditions and culture through yet another
dimension.
Scout meetings are held roughly every other Saturday, and include
games, patrol competitions, scouting skills such as knot-tying,
orienteering, first aid and Morse code, as well as lessons in
Russian history, culture, and religion. Scouts also go on hikes,
campouts, ski trips, whitewater canoeing, spelunking, bike-hikes,
and other exciting outings. Every summer, "Putivl" conducts a
two-week wilderness camp following a Russian historic theme for the
older children and fairytale theme for the younger. Periodically,
stationary camps for the older children are replaced with adventure
hiking camps. The chapter offers comprehensive leadership training
courses for several age groups, some held locally in Washington, DC,
others in "Tsarskoye Selo." Love and respect for nature are root
values in SGPA. Meetings and activities are conducted utilizing
scout game methodology. Hiking adventures in both summer and winter
reinforce knowledge gained indoors. Scouting is a big,
multi-generational family. There is a saying – "Once a scout, always
a scout!" Friendships that arise through scouting remain for a
lifetime.
Year after year, the ranks of Russian scouts in the Washington area
has continued to grow. By 1977 twelve years later, the troop had
grown into a chapter of over 50 members, consisting of two troops,
one for the boys and the other for the girls. The chapter also had a
pack of "wolf cubs" (cub scouts) and "squirrel kits" (brownies). M.
Danilevsky had by then been elected Chief Scoutmaster of SGPA, but
continued to lead the Washington chapter. He chose "Putivl'" as the
name of the new chapter, from the late 12th century Russian ballad,
"The
Tale of Igor’s Campaign."
Consequently, the names of the troops became "Prince Igor" for the
boys and "Princess Yaroslavna" for the girls, as the couple ruled
Putivl at that time. The name for the pack became "Knyazhichi",
from the word "knyaz’,"
or prince.
Chapter leadership helped run the St. John parish Russian School and
Nativity Yolkas, organized formal balls, led participation in local
American, Ukrainian, and Czech scout troop activities. Parents
wholeheartedly supported chapter activities by forming an active
Parents & Friends Organization ("ODR").
By 1989, central SGPA leadership decided that it was time to fulfill
the covenant of the organization to return scouting to Russia.
Consequently, in June of that year, a "Tsarskoe Selo" delegation led
by Scoutmaster Alexey Zacharin re-lit the first official bonfire and
conducted a scout program in Pavlovsk Park, the cradle of the
Russian scouting movement.
Subsequently, in August 1990, "Putivl" sent a delegation of nine
scouts and their leaders (including N. Scott, N. Zelensky, M.
Paulson, A. Obe, and the Potapov family), led by Scoutmaster Marina
Levitsky (now Zacharin), to the village of Gorelets near Kostroma,
Russia, to help organize and run the first scout summer camp since
the Organization’s activities were outlawed by the Bolshevik regime
in 1922. This became possible through the efforts of Fr. George
Edelstein and the support of Archpriest Andrej Voronin of Holy
Trinity Church in Gorelets. Thus SGPA returned scouting to Russia
with the participation of newly formed native Russian troops.
Since
then, the participation of Washingtonians in trips to Russia has
grown. In 1991, several of the older scouts (the Zarechnak children
and D. Ekzarhkov) provided substantial assistance to the St.
Petersburg chapter summer camp. In 1994, a "Putivl" delegation, led
by Scout-Instructor Nikita Zelensky, attended the 85th ORUR jamboree
in Anapa on the Black Sea coast. In 1999, two of the chapter’s
Vityazi, A. and A.
Zarechnak, joined the Russian ORUR contingent in climbing Mount
Elbrus, the highest peak in the Caucasus Mountains in Russia and in
Europe (and one of the world’s tallest "Seven Summits"). The 100th
anniversary of Russian scouting in 2009 found the "Putivl"
delegation led by Scout-Instructor Anna Tschursin at the jamboree in
Pavlovsk Park.
In 2007 and 2012, Scoutmaster A. Zacharin organized SGPA’s third and
fourth pilgrimages to the Holy Land, in which "Putivl" delegates
participated. Besides visiting such holy sites as Jerusalem,
Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho, Mount Sinai, and the Jordan River, the
group organized stopovers in Madrid and Constantinople.
In the summer of 2014, "Putivl" embarked on a high adventure
canoeing/hiking trip to Maine, following the St. Croix River and led
by scout instructor A. Tschursin. Over 50 scouts and leaders
participated in the two-week trip, canoeing both calm and rough
waters, hiking challenging mountain terrain, and further bonding
into a close-knit family of brothers and sisters. This past summer
2015, "Putivl" helped celebrate the 100th anniversary of Russian
girl scouting by sending a delegation of 28 people, led by
Instructor Masha Joyce to the "Tsarskoye Selo" camp. It was an
unforgettably wonderful jamboree, attended by ORUR representatives
from Germany, Australia, Russia, Northern and Southern California,
New York, and Washington. The Washingtonians won the greatest number
of prizes in the patrol
competitions.
For the last ten years, "Putivl" members called "zaichiki"
(bunnies) have been able to start at a very young age – from 3-7
years old. In the past, a
zaichik was a camp leader’s toddler who tagged along with his
parent. By 2004, several young leaders who had small children of
their own were looking for a better way to include their toddlers in
the program. That year, a new age group with its own specific
program was added to the existing multigenerational family. The
zaichiki group continued
to meet throughout the year, attracting new members and hosting
fundraisers. The program has three primary goals: introducing
families to scouting through SPGA, learning to live in nature, and
supporting Russian language and culture. A
zaichik moving up to the
next level of scouting is not afraid of being left in camp by his
parents for a two-week period, and knows how to follow a camp
program, learning how to make friends and help each other.
Zaichiki parents
appreciate leadership’s dedication, so they get involved on many
levels, some becoming scouts themselves. The
zaichiki program has
become vital to the growth and prosperity of "Putivl," not only
because it adds individual scouts, but because it adds families to
the common goal of fostering the next generation.
"Putivl’s"
50th anniversary on October 18th began with a solemn formation in
the courtyard of St. George parish hall. Brought out in procession
with SGPA’s banners were icons of the Savior, the Great-Martyr
George (patron saint of scouting), and the Holy New-Martyr Tsarevich
Alexis (the first Russian scout), and a thanksgiving moleben was
conducted. After prayers, jubilee orders were read and prizes and
certificates of appreciation awarded.
After formation, everyone moved to the church hall, where they had a
chance to peruse an exhibit of "Putivl’s" history and take part in a
specially prepared program and banquet during which greetings were
read from various organizations, including the Congress of Russian
Americans. The letter from His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion,
First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, was especially warmly
greeted. It read in part:
Today we honor those who for many years have remained loyal to the
cause of scouting. May God grant you, dear counselors and
instructors, health, enthusiasm, and His aid in raising up the next
generation.
It is important to note that, today, SGPA is one of the a few unique
institutions of child rearing that features the cooperation of older
and younger generations, the transfer of historical experience,
knowledge, and ability, and, most importantly, the Orthodox Faith.
Dear scouts! Remain faithful to God, dedicated to your homeland,
parents, and instructors, hardworking and persistent; strive to
perform good deeds, and never give in. In every day of your life,
follow the example set by SGPA’s Heavenly intercessor – the Holy
Great-Martyr & Trophy-Bearer George – and the Holy Hierarch John of
Shanghai & San Francisco. Finally, preserve in your hearts a love
for your historical homeland – Russia.
After the banquet, the youth continued to enjoy themselves in
celebrating the history of their scout chapter, while "Putivl"
veterans happily watched and shared memories of their personal
involvement in this holy undertaking of raising young people.
Fifty successful years of working with youth is no small
accomplishment for an organization run entirely by volunteers with
no external sources of funding. Over these 50 years, nearly 300
youngsters have passed through the chapter’s ranks; nearly all of
the Russian youth who grew up during this period at St. John the
Baptist Cathedral.
For more information, see
www.orur.org,
www.orurz.org,
or follow the chapter on Facebook:
St. George
Pathfinders – Druzhina Putivil.
Media Office of the Eastern
American Diocese
