A HISTORY OF OUR PARISH
The
main entrance to St. Seraphim's Russian Orthodox Church in Sea Cliff is adorned
by a mosaic depicting our patron Saint. The slightly faded words above quote
Psalm 113: 9 - Not to us, O Lord, not to us; but to Thy name give glory. This
phrase has been guiding the creators, clergy and parishioners of this church.
The history of the parish begins with the arrival at these blessed shores in the late 1940's and early 1950's of thousands of DP's (displaced persons). Having finally reached a refuge from the suffering and privations caused by WWII in Europe they first wanted to express their gratitude to the Lord.
Those among them who found themselves in the Sea Cliff - Glen Cove area were drawn to the newly established Protection Of the Holy Virgin Church in Glen Cove, in the basement of the first Russian seniors' home on Alvin Street.
The recent arrivals encountered a division of church jurisdictions but, unlike others, were not convinced by Bolshevik propaganda concerning the restoration of the Church in the USSR. They had personally experienced the brutality of the Soviet regime and chose therefore to follow Archbishop Vitaly (Maksimenko). He headed the American and Canadian parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia. Its clerics had shared the refugees' pain, lived through the bombardments, seen the plight of the "Ostarbeiter" (slave laborers from Eastern Europe) living in typhoid-infected sheds on starvation diet and lastly, struggled to save as many as they could from the horror of forced repatriation to the USSR.
In the early 1950s the Glen Cove church moved from the basement to a more spacious converted garage but, when it was designated a private church by wishes of the founder in 1953, a group of parishioners formed the present St. Seraphim's parish in Sea Cliff. At first, services had to be performed in the priest's house on 14th Ave, in a tiny room and an enclosed porch, but the foundation of the new church was already laid. Countless people donated their time and gave money saved from their meager incomes so that by 1959 the construction of the church was completed.
That
year also marked the arrival from Morocco of Fr. Mitrophan (Znosko) who had
tended the orthodox flocks in North African French colonies until their collapse.
He agreed to become parish priest and immediately directed his considerable
energy toward the various needs of the parish.
A parish school was established and children studied Russian language, religion, geography and history. The Ladies' committee was formed, and to this day the members tend to the garments, provide Sunday lunches and perform many other vital functions.
One of the significant events in parish history was the arrival of two icons once belonging to Czar Nicholas II.
The mosaic described earlier was finally installed, new parishioners were joining, and an expansion of the church building took place in 1976 despite a fire in the previous year.
A dwelling for the parish priest was constructed and another building was acquired on Carpenter Ave for the school. By the 1980's the school was so successful that its annual stage production had to take place in the large auditorium of the local public school.
Two tragic events shook our community in the 1980's. After the downing of a South Korean airliner by Soviet war planes one of our parishioners, a young woman, was shot and killed by a deranged man seeking vengeance on anyone Russian. Another parishioner's life was extinguished by terrorists who bombed the Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
Fr. Mitrophan, then 83, was elevated to bishop in 1992. His health was gradually failing, and in addition he suffered a broken shoulder in 1993. Nevertheless, he continued to celebrate masses, attend to the needs of his bishopric along the Eastern Seaboard, and guide St. Seraphim's parish life.
Bishop Mitrophan weakened greatly in 2001 and had
to be hospitalized in the following January. Despite his illness he kept his
lively mind and sharp memory until one week before his death. On February
15, 2002, the day of the Feast of the Meeting of Our Lord, Bishop Mitrophan
reposed: Lord, now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace (Luke 2, 29).