RPT - New York City Dedicates Street After Saint Russian Patriarch Tikhon - Activist

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2022) The New York City authorities named a part of a street in Manhattan after Russian patriarch and saint - Tikhon of Moscow, Russian American Cultural Heritage Center (RACH-C) President and Executive Director Olga Zetsepina told Sputnik.

Elected by the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in November 1917, Tikhon (Vasily Bellavin) became the first Russian patriarch in almost 200 years. In the period between 1898-1907, Tikhon headed the ROC diocese in North America. The Russian Church Abroad glorified him as a saint in 1981 and the Moscow Patriarchate canonized him in 1989.

The New York City authorities named a part of 97th East Street - between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue close to the Russian cathedral St. Nicholas - as "St. Tikhon's Way." Tikhon served in the church in the early 1900s until his departure to Russia in 1907.

"There are many streets in New York, parts of which are named after famous persons of different ethnic groups. However, there were no Russian Names so far," Zatsepina said.

The idea to perpetuate the name of St. Tikhon emerged about ten years ago, when the then archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchal Parishes in the United States, Justinian (Ovchinnikov), proposed such an initiative. However, it took a rather long time for the proposal to come to fruition.

Initially, one person gathered hundreds of signatures from Russians across the world, but it turned out that New York City laws require gathering the support of 100 residents who live in the specific area of the city, Zatsepina said.

"Then, the clergy of our cathedral asked us in RACH-C to coordinate this process," she said.

Since 2012, RACH-C has organized each April the Month of Russian-American history in New York, resulting in its activists having good working relations with the state Senate and the city's authorities.

"We were able to collect ten letters signed by senators and members of the assembly, who supported the idea of adding the name of Patriarch Tikhon to the name of the street," Zatsepina said.

Obtaining 100 signatures of local residents was not easy either given that the Russian cathedral is located in a prestigious part of New York City, where some wealthy people own property but do not live there, Zatsepina said. Yet another problem was in getting access to the buildings, which are closed for those who are not tenants.

"In order to get the required number of signatures, we had to wait outside lobbies, come to the local playgrounds and tell people every time about the history of our cathedral and Patriarch Tikhon," Zatsepina said.

The whole process took about five years and the activists got in touch with more than 1,000 residents. They attended local board gatherings, invited neighbors to the church and talked with them on the streets, she said.

"Unfortunately, the cathedral opened on Saturdays and Sundays only and on all other days, people, when passing by, saw only closed doors. They knew nothing about the church, and we informed them not only about this building but about the history of the Russian Orthodox Christianity in the United States as well," Zatsepina said.

What is remarkable is the fact the authorities adopted their decision on the day of St. Tikhon's birthday in January, Zatsepina said. However, it took them several months to make a street sign. When the conflict in Ukraine began, the clergy and the flock of the cathedral, along with RACH-H activists, decided to postpone the ceremony for some time, she said.

"We timed the ceremony to coincide with the anniversary of the consecration of the temple by Patriarch Tikhon," Zatsepina said.

Zatsepina expressed confidence that during times of uncertainty, when the official relations between the United States and Russia are at a low point, such events of people diplomacy could act as a bridge and help the countries to improve relations.

"Next year we will celebrate the 150 year anniversary of the great composer Sergey Rachmaninov. Now our biggest goal is to organize the concert dedicated to this significant jubilee," Zatsepina added.