Page:John Feoktist Dudikoff - Beasts in Cassocks (1924).djvu/138

 received orders to call on the following morning at the school of the Priest Vladimir Richlov at 367 Cherry Street, and I did so. In the school of father Richlov I received from the latter the following announcement: "I received orders from Arhbishop Alexander Nemolovsky and Bishop Stephan Dziubai to elevate you to the rank of priest to-day, i. e. October 12, 1920. Half an hour did not elapse when an automobile arrived to the school and from it appeared Bishop Dziubai. He entered the school and at once they put on upon me the sacradotal vestment, walked with me a few times through the school room and then they declared that I was already "a lawful and rightful priest". Bishop Dziubai demanded from me $100.00 American dollars which I gave him immediately. I was tod to come to the school two days later to receive the documents. In accordance with the instructions I came and received these documents written in English and Russian with the following order: "To keep it as a secret that I am a priest until my return to Russia as I can be a priest only in Russia, but not in America." But when the documents were looked over it was found that the Russian was made out in my name Vassily Ptashchuk, and the English document was made out in the name of some one "Ivan Ptaschchuk." I was very much surprised and thought that either the Bishops were very much drunk and mixed up my name or they did it with the purpose to deceive me and just at an unhappy toiler like me.

When the Metropolitan Platon Rozhdestvensky arrived in 1921 I knew that he will take place of Archbishop Alexander Nemolovsky. I began to ask the Archbishop Alexander Nemolovsky to issue to me a receipt for the $4500.00 I loned him. Nemolovsky gave me a receipt, but this was later obtained from me in a deceitful manner by the Metropolitan Platon Rozhdestvensky.

In November 1921 the Archpriest of the Cathedral, Leonid Turkevich, ordered me to come to 15 East 97th Street into the part occupied by the Metropolitan Platon Rozhdestvensky who gave me his blessings and wished me success in my priestly work saying that he was glad that I "became by the will of God a priest." He asked me somehow to remain with him alone to talk over about some secret church affairs. When I remained the Metropolitan Platon Rozhdestvensky at first asked me about the receipt which the Archbishou Alexander Nemolovsky gave me. Suspecting nothing bad on the part of the Metropolitan Platon Rozhdestvensky I took out the receipt