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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. IX - Page 6« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Paul M. Raigorodsky)

Mr. Raigorodsky.
Then, when we got to--when I came to Dallas we had Father Royster here of the church, I mean, he is a convert. He is an American convert to the Greek Orthodox religion and he approached me because he wanted to build the Church of St. Seraphim in Dallas.
Mr. Jenner.
You must be acquainted with Father Royster?
Mr. RAIGORODSKY- He knows me very well, but anyhow, here it is about the church here----
Mr. Jenner.
The full name is Dimitri Robert Royster--go right ahead.
Mr. Raigorodsky.
(Handed instrument to Counsel Jenner.) That gives us the history of the situation here, but then we had a split here between the Russians who came to this country escaping the Communists or Bolsheviks, at that time we called them--they called themselves the Guard.
Mr. Jenner.
The original church that you helped organize, that is referred to as the Old Guard?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
That's right, and St. Seraphim you see, because we both occupy the same premises and I was the head of both of them.
Mr. Jenner.
You were the head of both churches?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
Oh, yes; I belong to both churches. In fact I belong to three churches.
Mr. Jenner.
They are different parishes in the same church, aren't they?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
No, they are entirely different churches. I would like to explain to you--you see, in this country--I'm quite sure you know--I don't know whether you would be interested in what I am going to tell you about?
Mr. Jenner.
I am primarily interested in this--from the depositions I have taken and inquiries I have made, my impression is that one of the immediate sources of obtaining acquaintanceship in the community by refugees who come here is through the church.
Mr. Raigorodsky.
That's correct.
Mr. Jenner.
St. Seraphim's is one parish and then there is another one--George Bouhe's folks.
Mr. Raigorodsky.
That's right.
Mr. Jenner.
Or the church he is most active in, and I forget the name of that one----what is that?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
That's St. Nicholas.
Mr. Jenner.
That's the St. Nicholas Church?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
I'm head of that one.
Mr. Jenner.
You are head of that one?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
Yes.
Mr. Jenner.
And you say it is a third one?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
No, it is not a third one here just the two. Now you see, this is the thing I have to tell you then, because that is, again, leads to the same Oswald situation, I believe.
Mr. Jenner.
All right.
Mr. Raigorodsky.
You see, the Father Royster Church is not just for Russians. It is for all the Greek Orthodox, whether they are Serbians, Sicilians, or Lebanese--and there are lots of people that came for the same religion even though their services in their own churches is in their own language, but here they are all in the English language because of Father Royster's.
Mr. Jenner.
Father Royster preaches the sermons in English?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
Oh, yes; there is no question he is an American, he was a teacher at S.M.U. until he resigned. Now, I am a member of this church because it is a Greek Orthodox and I want to help them--that means I pay my dues and I help them with everything they need, in fact, we have a monastery there that's the one which Father Royster organized of which also I helped them. Now, the difference between Father Royster's Church and Bouhe's Church, as you know it----
Mr. Jenner.
St. Nicholas?
Mr. Raigorodsky.
St. Nicholas---so that Father Royster belongs to Metropolitan Leonty--Metropolitan Leonty is in New York, and if you may say so, he is a competitor of Metropolitan Anastasia. Metropolitan Leonty is the head of the American Russian Church. You see, before the revolution, we had a church in America, and he was the head of it. Metropolitan Anastasia is the
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