Comments on: Prayers for the President

By: OrthodoxHistory.org » Blog Archive » Prayers for the President: an addendum

OrthodoxHistory.org » Blog Archive » Prayers for the President: an addendum — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:04:24 +0000

[...] A few weeks ago, I wrote an article detailing some of the history of prayers for the US President in American Orthodox churches. After I published it, a reader named Andy Romanofsky sent along this excerpt from Chapter 1 of Archbishop Gregory Afonsky’s A History of the Orthodox Church in America: 1917-1939: The faithful of the Orthodox Church in America never considered any form of political dependence on Russia. Just as in his own day the Russian Prince Vasili Dmitrievich (XIV century) stopped commemorating the Byzantine emperor in Russian churches on the grounds that, although the Russians received the Church from Byzantium, “they did not receive the emperor and will not have him,” so too Bishop Nicholas Zyorov, in 1896, reported to the Holy Synod that, “the commemoration of the Emperor and the Reigning House during divine services brings forth dismay and apprehension among Orthodox in America of non-Russian background. This practice is also a hindrance to the propagation of Orthodoxy among Russian Uniates who came to America from Austria-Hungary.” In an Ukase dated January 27, 1906, and addressed to Archbishop Tikhon, the Holy Synod confirmed the practice of commemorating the American President by name during divine services. [...]

By: Matthew Namee

Matthew Namee — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:00:14 +0000

Right. That’s an angle I should explore further. Last year, I wrote about a US Independence Day service in Chicago in the early 1890s, but I don’t think I’ve done much research into Thanksgiving.

By: Isa Almisry

Isa Almisry — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:41:23 +0000

I should add that the NY Times article is speaking of a Thanksgiving service (as in Turkey and cranberries). It is the last of a series of Thanksgiving prayers overed by various churches. Talk about Americanization.

By: Matthew Namee

Matthew Namee — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:44:29 +0000

Oh, good catch, Isa. I’ll add the Bjerring anecdote to the article. Thanks!

By: Isa Almisry

Isa Almisry — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:52:46 +0000

“Bishop Johannes, of the Russo-Greek Church on the Pacific coast, has ordered the prayer for the President of the United States, contained in the Liturgy of the Episcopal Church, to be used by the Greek Priests.”

It is interesting that the PECUSA got its own BCP just for such prayers for the President (i.e. and not the King), under similar cirucmstances.

The New York Times records on November 25, 1870, that “servives were conducted by Bishop PAUL, formerly Bishop of Alaska, who is on his way to Russia, to assume his new position as Bishop of Siberia. Rev. Mr. BJERRING also officiated. The litany was said by the Bishop, while prayers for the Emperor and Empress of Russian, and for the President and people of the United States were offered by the pastor.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B04E3D6113DE53BBC4D51DFB767838B669FDE&scp=1&sq=Bjerring+Paul+Russia&st=p
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9B04E3D6113DE53BBC4D51DFB767838B669FDE