On Wednesday, May 6, the feast of Mid-Pentecost and that of the Holy Great-Martyr & Trophy-bearer George, His Grace, Bishop Jerome (Shaw), paid an archpastoral visit to the eponymous church in Howell, NJ, where he celebrated Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the parish’s patronal feast day, as well as the 65th anniversary of its founding.

The evening prior, parish clergy served the festal All-Night Vigil.

On Wednesday morning, instead of the traditional bread and salt, parish warden John Rimakis greeted Bishop Jerome at the entrance to the church with a Paschal kulich.

Concelebrating with His Grace at Liturgy were: Archpriests Vasily Andrejuk (cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Howell), Serge Lukianov (parish rector), Serge Ledkovsky (deputy rector of St. Vladimir Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ), and George Temidis (secretary of the diocesan administration), Priest Anthony Williams, Protodeacon Paul Drozdowski, and Deacon Dumitru Lişan (clerics of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral).

Fr. Serge delivered a sermon on the life of St. George.

Although a procession and holy water blessing had been planned, it began to rain heavily just as Liturgy concluded.

In honor of the parish’s 65th anniversary and the recent 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, Bishop Jerome was presented a new cross and panagia set with a commemorative inscription.

The sisterhood prepared a delicious luncheon in the neighboring Cossack Hall. At the end of the meal, 97-year old Kuban Cossack Ataman Alexander Pewnew spoke briefly, addressing the hierarch and guests.

The Parish Church of St. George

In 1951, Kuban Cossacks arriving in the United States from Europe began to settle in the Freewood Acres neighborhood of Howell.

The parents of parishioner Valentina Rimakis met in a Displaced Persons (DP) camp in Germany before coming to the United States.

"When my parents arrived in America, they began working on a chicken farm," Valentina recounts. "My father, Nicholas Alexeevich Bosko, always said that they needed a church.

"Our neighbor, Foma Romanovich Manin – who had sailed from Europe alongside my father – decided, as soon as they moved to Freewood Acres, that a church needed to be built. Our people did not own cars, so they needed a church located nearby.

"My father and Foma Romanovich purchased the land where St. George Church stands today. At that time, a small garage stood on the property.

"My mother, Anna Kyrillovna Trusova, my father, and our neighbors – together with Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky; +1976) and Protopresbyter Vasily Boshchanovsky (+1961) – initially decided to convert the garage into a chapel, with the intention of eventually demolishing the garage and building a small church in its place."

Almost all the Cossacks lived in close proximity to the church: Don, Kuban, and Terek Cossacks from Russia, as well as Ukrainians. Belarusians and Kalmyks also lived in the area. Standing right next to the church was a Buddhist monastery, built by the Kalmyks around the same time as St. George Church. Over time, the Kuban Cossacks purchased the monastery from the Kalmyks and established a hall and museum there.

"One day, Archbishop Nikon arrived, gathered everyone together, and announced that the church would be consecrated in honor of the Holy Great Martyr and Trophy-bearer George, while the Cossack church in Novaya Kuban – located an hour and a half away from ours – would be consecrated in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos."

Construction of the church began in 1958. The newly arrived Cossacks worked in the construction trades and contributed their own funds to the building effort. The Cossacks purchased all the necessary construction materials themselves; indeed, for nearly three years, they continued to donate money to the church while living without heating in their own homes.

The chapel was completed in 1961. Initially, a priest – Fr. Vasily Boshchanovsky – would travel from Lakewood to serve; later, Hieromonk Anastasy (Zagarsky – later Schema-Archimandrite Averky; +2018) served there; Archpriest Philip Petrovsky (+2011) would also come from St. Vladimir Memorial Church to serve."

The first permanent priest appointed to the church was Archpriest Nicholas Kotar (+1977), who had previously served in Philadelphia; Ilya Timofeevich Bozhenov (d. 1971) – a Kuban Cossack and former officer – was elected church warden.

The first icons were brought to the church from the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City by a parishioner, Alexander Toler (+1969). Among them were large icons of St. George and of the Mother of God. The church also houses icons brought from Lienz, Austria.

Parishioners collected empty tuna cans and fashioned them into votive lamps. They remain in the church to this day.

Cossacks brought in a military barracks, and every Friday the children would gather inside it to study the Law of God. The word "School" was painted on the side of the building. Nativity Yolka celebrations for the children were also held there. The school had an enrollment of 25-30 children. The teacher hailed from Ekaterinodar (now Krasnodar), and he was assisted by architect Michael Alexandrovich Lermontov (+2008), who provided extensive assistance to various churches – including those in Lakewood and St. George’s.

The church was visited by many prominent figures within the Russian Church Abroad. Metropolitans frequently visited; Archbishop Nikon often traveled to St. George’s, as did Archbishop George (Schaefer) of Sydney & Australia-New Zealand, and Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral; +2022).

More frequently than any other, Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky; +1985) – whose name in the world was George – would come to serve in the church and find respite in the Lakewood area. He typically arrived accompanied by his cell attendant and assistant, Protodeacon Nikita Chakirov (+1987); on occasion, Nicholas Bosko would join His Eminence on fishing trips to relax.

In 2014, St. George Church merged with the St. Alexander Nevsky parish. Divine services continue to be celebrated here at least once or twice a month. The church’s patronal feast day is May 6 n.s.

The church is located at:

57 East 3rd Street
Howell, NJ 07731