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Did a photo shoot this morning in Gary. Indiana, which was once percentage wise, the most Orthodox city in the US. What a sad experience. St Nicholas Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church and St Constantine's Greek Orthodox Church, both impressive buildings are still in good condition but unfortunately are who know's what sect now, and the former site of St Sava's Serbian Orthodox Church on the East side is now nothing but prairie, having burned down in 1978 I learned. Even the PNCC Divine Providence was a corner prairie. It's always the same story, when the churches die, so does the neighborhood.

Theodore,

Lawrence's sad post on the status of things in Gary, IN brought this thread to light again and I saw your last post on it, which I missed previously.

There has never been a true Mariavite prescence in North America to the best of my knowledge. There is a body called the Mariavite Old Catholic Chruch, Province of North America, headquartered in Wyandotte, MI - where it has its sole church as far as anyone can discern.

A gentleman named Archbishop Robert R. J. M. Zaborowski heads it up and is likely its sole presbyter, despite rather astounding claims (made back in the '80s) of having some 50 priests, another 50 male and female religious, 150+ parishes, and 350K faithful in the United States alone - with another 60 churches and 30K faithful claimed in Canada. Zaborowski's claims of episcopal orders from the Mariavites themselves have been debunked and I think even his alternative claims of such from US "Old Catholic" bodies are disputed. To the extent that this body even exists, in other than the imagination of the "Archbishop", I consider he and it to be excellent illustrations of the concept of vagante, in its most pejorative sense.

Many years,

Neil

Dear Neil,

I've never heard of "Archbishop Robert R. J. M. Zaborowski" and/or his ecclesiola, and I shall be happy to remain in blissful ignorance thereof!

I think - but don't hold me to this - that the Mariavites actually did have a connection with an "Archbishop William Henry Francis Brothers", who gloriously reigned in a small rustic chapel in Woodstock (yes, that Woodstock!), New York, but who must be dead these many years. I don't know if his organization, such as it was, survives.

There is a small chapel in Paris, France, which claims to be Mariavite. I've never set eyes on the place, so I've no idea what the basis of this claim - if any - might be. I somehow doubt that there are huge hordes of French people seeking the Mariavite road to heaven. On the other hand, it could be a last gasp of the Petit Eglise.

Inevitably, the Mariavites back in the Holy Land (Poland) had a split a few decades ago - one side retained bishopesses and priestesses, the other side abandoned the practice.

I don't know, but I've occasionally wondered if the Mariavites were connected with some bizarre sects which spun off from the underground Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine during the persecution. In any event, there's no sign of them in Ukraine now.


Incognitus

Here's a link to a few of the churches I recently visited in NW Indiana http://www.preserveindiana.com/pixpages/eastchicago/eastchicagochurch.htm . St George Serbian Orthodox and Holy Ghost are across the street from each other, with Assumption RC on the corner. St Basil on Indianapolis Blvd in East Chicago is now RC and has been strangely turned into a bookstore.

Thanks for the pictures of the East Chicago, IN churches. Brought back many many memories. I was married in Holy Ghost Church. I'm surprised that the churches you showed are still standing. I also know of the churches in Gary, and it is sad that they have not faired as well.

Sue

What church body was Holy Ghost a member of ? and do you happen to know what St Basil's on Indianapolis Blvd was ?

Sorry I didn't mention it, but Holy Ghost is now a Protestant church.