Which makes me even more curious to learn more about Fr. Moses Abihider. I mean, he of all people was considered important enough to be buired alongside (and share a tombstone with) Bishop Raphael and Bishop Emmanuel. What distinguished this parish priest? Why was he deemed “worthy” to be buried with two bishops?

In fact, I just remembered that, in my files, I have a copy of the June 23, 1988 letter from Metropolitan Philip to the PA Dept of Health, stating, “Please be advised that as the official hierarch of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, I hereby authorize the disinternment of the following clergymen from the Mount Olivet Cemetery in the town of Maspeth, Burough of Queens, State of New York, and the transfer of their remains to the newly-established church cemetery on the sacred grounds of the Antiochian Village located in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.”

This is followed by, “Grave No. 50: Bishop Raphael Hawaweeny (died Feb. 27, 1915, reinterred at Mount Olivet ca. 1920)”

A second letter, with the same date and language, authorizes the transfer of the bodies of Bp Emmanual Abo-Hatab and Bp Sophronios Beshara from Grave 52.

In an earlier document, a 1965 letter from the superintendent of Mount Olivet Cemetery to “Miss G. Hatab” (probably a relative of Bp Emmanuel), it is noted that Bp Raphael was buried alone in Grave 50; Frs. Moses Abihider, Agapios Golam, and Makarios Moore were buried in Grave 51; and Abo-Hatab, Beshara, and Fr. Fred Farkouh were bured in Grave 52.

All of which suggests that Abihider, Golam, Moore, and Farkouh — so, all the non-bishops on the tombstone — are still buried at Mount Olivet. And that Fr. Andrew’s hypothesis about the tombstone coming from Mount Olivet is correct.