St. Vladimir Memorial Church

Прот. Борис Киценко родился 28 июля 1926 года в г. Харькове. В 1950 году был пострижен в чтеца архиеп. Виталием (Максименко). В 1956 году женился на Тамаре Ивановне Плышевской, и затем был рукоположен в диаконский сан еп. Антонием (Медведевым) 18 ноября 1956 года. На праздник Крещения Господня, 19 января 1957 г., о. Борис был рукоположен в иерейский сан архиеп. Аверкием (Таушевым).

О. Борис служил настоятелям Введенской церкви в Сиракьюсе, шт. Нью-Йорк, Св. Николаевского храма в Флинте, шт. Мичиган, храма св. великомуч. Пантелеимона в Хартфорде, шт. Коннектикут, Св. Троицкого храма в Вайнленде, шт. Нью-Джерси, и больше 25 лет служил клириком Св. Владимирского храма-памятника в Джесксоне, шт. Нью-Джерси.

В связи с тяжелой болезнью, о. Борис последнее время не служил. Накануне праздника Успения Богородицы, о. Борис мирно отошел ко Господу, в окружении своих близких.

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Archpriest Boris Kizenko was born on July 28, 1926, in the city of Kharkov. In 1950 he was tonsured a reader by Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko). In 1956 he married Tamara I. Plyshevsky, and was then ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Anthony (Medvedev) on November 18, 1956. On the feast of the Theophany, January 19, 1957, Fr. Boris was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Averky (Taushev).

Fr. Boris served as rector of the Church of the Entrance into the Temple of the Holy Virgin in Syracuse, NY, St. Nicholas Church in Flint, MI, St. Panteleimon's Church in Hartford, CT, Holy Trinity Church in Vineland, NJ, and served for over 25 years as a cleric of St. Vladimir Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ. It was during his tenure that the frescos, iconostas, etc. was completed in time for the consecration of the church, which took place during the millenial celebrations of the Baptism of Rus', 1988.

As a result of severe illness, Fr. Boris did not serve in recent months. On Friday morning, on the eve of the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Fr. Boris, surrounded by his family, peacefully reposed in the Lord.

О. Борис - Fr. Boris

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О. Филипп Петровский - Fr. Philip Petrovsky

Archpriest Philip Petrovsky was born on November 12, 1946, in Brooklyn, NY. He was baptized in Holy Transfiguration Church in Brooklyn, and began serving in the altar there as a small boy. Not long thereafter, his family moved to the Cassville section of Jackson, and he began to attend at St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church (in the cemetary), and in general, had an average American way of life. However, that was about to change in the early 1970s, when the large stone steps were being installed at St. Vladimir's, and Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky) called upon able bodied young men to help with the backbreaking labour. Philip Petrovsky offered to help, and in so meeting Vladyka, this experience changed his life. Vladyka Nikon instilled in him a zeal to serve the church, and turned out to be a true mentor in all things- he even introduced Philip to Tatiana Kozosko, and encouraged them to marry, which they did, in 1974. As Fr. Philip loved to remark, "Vladyka Nikon was a spiritual father, and an earthly father".

Fr. Philip was ordained to the diaconate by Archbishop Nikon on January 25, 1976. On March 9, 1977, the feast of the First and Second Findings of the Head of St. John the Baptist, Fr. Philip was ordained to the priesthood by Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky), and assigned to St. Vladimir's Memorial Church.

Over the years, Fr. Philip was often called upon to fill in at churches with clerical vacancies; in all, he served at a dozen such churches, mostly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This was in spite of working full time during the week, not to mention his fatherly responsibilites to his five children. More recently, he also served as rector of St. Nicholas Church in Red Bank, NJ and St. George’s Kuban Cossack Church in Howell, NJ. However, he always considered St. Vladimir Memorial Church his home. In 1997, he sought to reinstitute the tradition of English language liturgies once a month in the lower church, something which was done in the 1970s under Vladyka Nikon. In 2007, this was extended to every Sunday, and Great feasts; Fr. Philip was placed in charge of this undertaking. In 2010, he was awarded the miter for his diligent service to the church.

On June 15, 2011, Archpriest Philip Petrovsky peacefully passed away in the early morning. He was 64 years old. On June 17, his funeral was held in the lower church, headed by Metropolitan Hilarion and Bishop Jerome, coserved by ten priests and four deacons; his son, Alexander Petrovsky led the choir. He was laid to rest in St. Vladimir Cemetary in the Petrovsky family plot.

Fr. Philip will always be remembered by the community of St. Vladimir's as a dedicated priest who gave his life to Christ's Church. He was always filled with earthy wisdom and advice, and was an important living link to the history and past traditions of the Memorial Church. May God grant him the Heavenly Kingdom, and may his memory be eternal!