Beasts in Cassocks: The Crimes of the Heads of the Russian Greek Catholic Orthodox Church in America/Chapter 2

by John Feoktist Dudikoff

CHAPTER II.

 

I Come to America

Having obtained letters of introduction to Platon, Greek-Orthodox Bishop of North America, from Stefan, Archbishop of Moghi-

Father J. Slunin, Archpresbyter

lev; Flavian, the Metropolitan of Kiev, and from Ivan Ivanoyitch Barnatny, Government Supervisor of Schools, I left, in June, 1913, for America. I was one of the forty-eight members of the so-called Moscow Excursion, consisting of educators, lawyers and men of other learned professions who came here to make a study of this country. Among the most well known members of the "Excursion" were Professor Lapinsky of St. Vladimir University of Kiev, Professor Maximeiko of the University of Kharkov, Professor Yurchik of the University of Kazan, and others. We sailed from the port of Libau, and arrived in New York on July 4th.

On July 5th, 1913, two Russian clergymen came to meet me on board of our steamer "Czar." They had been informed by those who had given me the letters to Archbishop Platon, that I had left

Father John Dudikoff

for America. These two clergymen, Father John Chepelev and Father John Slunin, took me off the boat and escorted me to the Russian Ecclesiastical Consistory. They introduced me to His Eminence the Rt. Rev. Archbishop Platon. The Archbishop read my three letters of introduction in my presence, gave me his blessing, and told Father John Slunin, who was connected with the Consistory, to find an apartment for me.