Visitation by His Grace Bishop Tikhon (Bellavin), Bishop of the Aleutians and North America
to the Orthodox parish in Hartshorne, Indian Territory (Oklahoma)
as related in the Russian Orthodox American Messenger, May 1904
Our Orthodox Visitor: On April 6 (19), Bright Tuesday, Hartshorne had the good fortune to receive His Grace, Vladyka Tikhon. Meeting the archpastor at the railway station were the rector of the church, Hieromonk Tikhon (Rostovsky); the church warden, Vasiliy Prokopchak; and the local brotherhood, led by their chairman, Ivan Kitchak; along with a host of children. Led by Hierodeacon Anthony, His Eminence was brought from the station to the church in a carriage, accompanied by the crowd gathered.
At the temple, the parishioners were lined up in rows, with lit candles in their hands, waiting for the Right Reverend. With a loud ringing of the bell, the archpastor entered the temple, where he was met with the cross, held by Archimandrite Theoklitos, who had arrived here from his parish the day before to meet with His Grace. Led by the priest, the children sang “The Angel Cried” and “Eis polla eti despota”, and then, after a short prayer, Vladyka greeted the flock with the feast of the Resurrection of Christ and shared a comforting word. Just as the Lord once appeared to his disciples after his Resurrection and greeted them with the exclamation “Rejoice!”, so our holy one came to us, and his first greeting was the same joyful news and exclamation: “Christ is risen! Rejoice!”
From the church building, our dear guest went to the church house, where a modest meal was offered to the arriving travelers, and where Vladyka remained until late at night, partaking in gracious conversation with the rector and parishioners about parish affairs.
The next day, on Wednesday, April 7 (20), at the rising of the radiant sun, Vladyka arose and, for quite a long time, admired the wondrous natural surroundings from the porch: boundless forests, gardens covered with fresh greenery, and the fragrant aromas of a thousand flowers.
After Matins, which took place at 8:00, the brotherhood, in full dress uniform, gloriously led His Grace, Vladyka, to the church. Little girls walked in front in orderly rows spreading flowers along his path, and there was a joyful chorus of paschal chants to the sound of bell ringing.
At the liturgy, after the Gospel, His Grace gave an instructive word on the commemoration of the dead. Then after liturgy, there was a cross procession. Preceded by the choir, the banners, a mass of people carrying lamps, and with the school children singing hymns, all processed to the cemetery, which had only shortly before been acquired by the parish. There, we prayed the service for the Blessing of Water, and then blessed the cemetery with holy water.
After returning to the temple, Vladyka gave us a blessing and went to the church house. Then after dinner, the local school children were tested by His Grace in the knowledge of their prayers, the commandments, and scripture verses. Then, our arch-monastic examined the parish estate and vegetable garden, while talking with parishioners.
Vespers was served in the evening, after which, Vladyka said goodnight to the flock, since his departure the next morning would be too early to properly receive His Grace. However, the parishioners would not leave the archpastor, and there in the church house, conversation began, again. The children sang church songs, for which Vladyka twice rewarded them with gifts. The bishop expressed his gratitude to the rector for maintaining good order in the parish, and also to the chairman of the brotherhood, I. Koutchak, for his voluntary and diligent performance of his duties as a psalmist in the Church, rewarding both men with a gramota recognition.
In general, this visit was a true story of the arrival of joy, like a second Pascha. The Orthodox people abandoned their occupations and chores in order to look at the sweet face of the hierarch, which was ever-illumined by good-natured grace, and to enjoy his affectionate warmth, as from our father.
On April 8 (21), at 8:00 in the morning, the rector, with parishioners and school children, accompanied Vladyka to the station, and for the last time received the archpastor’s blessing. Even as it began to roll, all the people remained bowing to the train which was departing with the Right Reverend, who through the windows overshadowed the Hartshorne flock with hierarchical blessings. Our heart was both happy and sad. Just as the Apostles on the Mount of Olives looked on after the Ascension of the Savior, so we too said goodbye to our dear Vladyka, who, perhaps, is no longer destined to visit our town. We went home, praising and thanking the Lord who granted us such great joy in the visitation of the Right Reverend.
The dear archpastor also pleased us in that he brought, as a gift to the church, the holy vestments donated by the Moscow philanthropist, Chetverikova. We, in turn, handed over to Vladyka the $12.65 collected for the Palestine Society, which had been received at a rally on the feast of the Apostles, as well as $43.40 to help Russian soldiers who are wounded and weak.
—Hieromonk Tikhon (Rostovsky)
Editor’s note: The original of this text is in Russian, and computer translation was employed to produce a first draft in English. Two, different translations were used to compare against one another. The original drafts were exceedingly rough, but the embellished words of the priest and rector, Hmk. Tikhon, still shine through. Though small inaccuracies almost certainly exist, the joy of receiving St. Tikhon at their parish in Oklahoma is unmistakable.
Additional note: If you are wondering why this is posted now, it is because Hmk. Tikhon (Rostovsky), this wonderful servant to the Russian missionary diocese in America, needs to be remembered and honored by us today. He was the parish priest in Hartshorne, and then was brought from there by Abp. Arseny to assist in watching over St. Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, PA, effectively serving as the abbot, when it was started in 1905. Hmk Tikhon seemingly disappears from our knowledge back to the Old World, and the date of his death is not known to us. He came from Glinsk Hermitage (on the modern Ukraine-Russia border), and September 9th is the celebration of all-saints of Glinsk Hermitage. So, these words, penned by him, are a fitting way to remember him before the Lord.