Senate Resolution No. 1101

BY: Senator KENNEDY

COMMEMORATING the 125th Anniversary of Saints
Peter and Paul Orthodox Church of Buffalo, New York
on June 29, 2019

WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and

WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 125th Anniversary of Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox
Church of Buffalo, New York on June 29, 2019; and

WHEREAS, On April 1, 1894, Saints Peter and Paul Greek Catholic
Russian Orthodox Church Association was organized with the goal of
establishing an Orthodox parish in Buffalo, New York; in May of the same
year, a site for the proposed church was purchased at 45 Ideal Street
and consisting of four city lots; and

WHEREAS, From June of 1894 through December of 1895, the
construction of a small wooden church was completed by men from the
parish who also built a parish hall; and

WHEREAS, The church received a bell cast from bronze which was
consecrated on April 23, 1903, by His Grace, The Most Reverend
Archbishop Tikhon who later became a Patriarch of Moscow and was
glorified a saint in the 1980s; and

WHEREAS, The first full-time rector, Father Alexander Venjaminoff,
was assigned to the parish in 1905, and the decades that followed were
marked by continuing growth in membership; and

WHEREAS, On July 1, 1928, Father Erast Wolkodoff was assigned to
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, and approximately one year after
his arrival plans were made for the construction of a brick church;
during the autumn of 1932, with 225 families registered, contracts were
signed with the architect and contractors; and

WHEREAS, The consecration of the new edifice took place on October
8, 1933, with thousands in attendance; many of those in attendance
traveled great distances to participate in this milestone and
represented many different ethnic Orthodox Christians; the Lord's Prayer
was especially arranged for the choir by Nicholas Kedroff, director of
the famous Kedroff Quartet; and

WHEREAS, Under the able leadership of Father Erast Wolkodoff, Saints
Peter and Paul Orthodox Church continued to grow tremendously,
sponsoring refugees to the United States who greatly contributed to the

cultural, financial, educational and spiritual life of the Buffalo
Parish; and

WHEREAS, Today, Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church stands on the
threshold of tomorrow, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming
decades while retaining that spiritual resolve which characterizes its
past; and

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 125th Anniversary of Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox
Church of Buffalo, New York on June 29, 2019; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church of Buffalo, New
York.