On October 26-27, the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, His Eminence Nicholas, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, officiated celebrations in honor of the 75th anniversary of the founding of Holy Trinity Church and the 50th anniversary of pastoral service of its longtime rector, Archpriest Vladimir Malchenko.

On Saturday, October 26, before the All-Night Vigil, the clergy, numerous parishioners and visiting pilgrims greeted the miraculous Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God and the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in the church. Both icons were in the cathedral for the veneration of the faithful both at the All-Night Vigil and at the Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated on Sunday, October 27.

Serving alongside Metropolitan Nicholas were Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, cathedral rector Fr. Vladimir Malchenko, Archpriest Vyacheslav Davidenko and the cathedral clergy, as well as visiting clergy: Archpriests George Kurtow & Boris Henderson, Archpriest Anthony Filchak (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), Abbot Nicholas (Perekrestov; St. Nicholas Cathedral, Montreal, QC), Hieromonk Spyridon (Gusakov; St. John of Shanghai & San Francisco Church, Calgary, Alberta), Priest Nectarios Yangson (guardian of the myrrh-streaming "Hawaiian" Iveron Icon of the Mother of God), Protodeacons Alexander Morin, Boris Sidorenko (St. Nicholas Cathedral), and Boris Bakhvalov (Belarusian Orthodox Church, Minsk), and Deacons Seth Davidenko, Andrei Petarodas, Andrei Anishchenko (Intercession of the Holy Mother of God Memorial Church, Ottawa, ON), and George Luimes (cleric of Our Lady of Pochaev Mission in Grassie, ON).

Both on Saturday and Sunday, the celebrant church was overcrowded. In particular, more than 500 worshippers attended the Sunday Liturgy, and almost as many attended the Saturday All-Night Vigil.

The cathedral choir, led by Reader Alexander Pushchin, sang solemnly and splendidly.

After the evening services, the priesthood and clergy were invited to a gala dinner prepared by the cathedral sisterhood, which is famous throughout the Canadian Diocese for its work.

On Sunday, October 27, Parish warden Pavel V. Kazennyi greeted the First Hierarch with bread and salt on the porch of the church.

Their Eminences Metropolitan Nicholas and Archbishop Gabriel were joined by His Eminence Metropolitan Mitrofan, head of the Canadian Metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The concelebrating clergy were joined by Archpriest George Lagodich (dean of St. Nicholas Cathedral), Archpriest Thomas (Georgian Orthodox Church), and Priests Pavel Gomar (community of the Holy Apostles, Barrie, ON), David Parker (Church of the Holy Savior Not-Made-by-Hands, London, ON), and Mikhail Baleka (Assumption Church, Leithbridge, AL).

At the Little Entrance, cathedral cleric Archpriest Vyacheslav Davidenko was awarded the jeweled cross.

His Eminence delivered a sermon and also presented Synodal gramotas to Holy Trinity Parish and its rector, Fr. Vladimir Malchenko, as well as to Fr. Alexander Morin for his 20th anniversary of diaconal service.

Soon after the dismissal at Liturgy, the anniversary banquet began in the hall belonging to one of the parishioners of the Holy Trinity Cathedral: Gerasim A. Margaryan. The banquet was attended by the Acting Consul General of the Russian Federation in Toronto. The beginning of the banquet was preceded by the performance of the hymns of Canada and Historical Russia ("God Save the Tsar!..") by the parish choir. The choir also gave a concert of church hymns at the banquet.

Awards were presented at the banquet: the rector celebrating his anniversary, Fr. Vladimir Malchenko, was awarded a special jubilee cross by the Synod of Bishops, minted celebrating the centennial of the Russian Church Abroad. Long-term cathedral choirmaster George A. Skok was awarded the Synodal Order of the Kursk Root Icon, 3rd Class. Diocesan gramotas were also presented to those parishioners who have carried out and continue to carry out constant zealous labors for the good of the Church.

The sisterhood and parishioners presented gifts to their rector, Fr. Vladimir: a cassock, a ryassa, and a beautifully embroidered vestment and miter.

Background

In the spring of 1949, an initiative group of Orthodox residents living in Toronto was organized, with the goal of opening a parish of the Russian Church Abroad there in the near future. All members of the initiative group, with the exception of one representative of the first, so-called White Emigration, belonged to the number of new emigrants who arrived in Canada from Europe after the Second World War.

The initiative group sent a petition to the then-First Hierarch of ROCOR, the ever-memorable Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky), who was still in Munich: for assistance in opening a parish of ROCOR in Toronto. The Metropolitan responded with an explanation that the petitioners should contact Bishop Joasaph (Skorodumov), Archbishop of Edmonton & Canada, representative of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops in Canada. Bishop Joasaph said in his letter that he blesses the initiative group's undertaking. Unfortunately, due to a lack of funds, he himself will not be able to visit Toronto, but he asks his brothers, Bishop Seraphim of Chicago and Bishop Nikon of Washington, to visit the initiative group as much as possible, right up until the founding of the church.

In the fall of 1949, a decision was made to find and rent premises to open a parish in Toronto dedicated to the Holy Trinity. They began to look for a priest. At that time, Fr. Matthew Andrushchenko had just arrived in Canada from Belgium, where he served in one of the parishes of the Russian Church Abroad. On November 2, 1949, Archbishop Joasaph appointed Fr. Matthew as the rector of the parish dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Toronto.

In 1952, Fr. Serge Shchukin arrived in Toronto from England. Previously, before leaving for England, he was a priest in the refugee camp of Fischbeck (Germany). Here in Toronto, Father Serge was joyfully greeted by many of his former Fischbeck parishioners. He immediately became involved in church and social work. Having become the second priest, he first of all organized the St. Vladimir Circle, which was joined by more than twenty young people. Fr. Serge often lectured on spiritual topics, conducted discussions on the study of the history of the Church, the Lives of the Saints, the interpretation of the New Testament, wrote articles for Russian foreign newspapers and magazines. At the same time, he founded a church parish school for children. With the opening of the school, the parish began to grow. Russian Orthodox people, having heard about Father Serge, brought their children to his school and became members of the parish. By the end of 1952, Holy Trinity Parish already numbered about 70 families.

By the beginning of 1966, the necessary sum of money for the deposit had been collected, and in June of that year, a building at 23 Henry Street was found and purchased.

55 years ago, on November 16, 1969, His Eminence Vitaly, Archbishop of Montreal and Canada (later First Hierarch of ROCOR), and His Grace Bishop Paul of Stuttgart (later Archbishop of Australia & New Zealand) officiated the Great Consecration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

And in 1974, a young priest, Priest Vladimir Malchenko, was sent to help Fr. Matthew, who, in addition to divine services, at the request of the Church Council also became the director of the church parish school. In 1986, after the repose of Fr. Matthew, Fr. Vladimir assumed the full duties of the parish priest. We will add that over the years of the existence of the Holy Trinity Church, six of its parish family were ordained to the priesthood. Among them are Fr. George Kurtow (now archpriest, rector of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Seaside, California), Fr. Vladimir Morin (rector of the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, London, Ont.), Fr. Boris Henderson (Archpriest, Rector of the Church of All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Russian Land in Denver, CO) and the reposed Fr. Michael Lyuboshchinsky. We will add that Frs. George Kurtow and Boris Henderson were able to come to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of their ancestral parish.

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