Fr. Cyril

Father Cyril Stavrevsky was parish priest here from 1979 to 2003. He was a native of Rochester and a first generation Macedonian American, his parents having come here from that country. During his growing up years the family used the Greek Orthodox church for baptisms and so forth, but like the families of other founders of St. Johns didn’t feel that they really fit in there and so were not regular attenders. As Carl Stavrevsky he was a civilian employee for the military occupation forces in Germany after WWII and was strongly influenced by an Episcopalian chaplain he got to know then. This is also where he met his wife, Margarite. In the very early 1960s he and his family attended a local Episcopalian church.

Then he saw the advertisement the founders of St Johns ran seeking members, and he responded, joining in with them in 1964, just after the initial beginning of the parish. As time went on he felt called to the priesthood and became a priest in 1969. After serving in various capacities away from Rochester, he returned to be the parish priest of St. Johns, falling asleep in the Lord while preparing for Vespers one Saturday night.  

Following are a few brief reminiscences of Father Cyril. Please feel free to add your own in the comments field, and help identifying and dating the photos would be great too.

Andrea Fedoruk: Father Cyril’s love and spiritual clarity was responsible for bringing my family back to the church. I continue to miss his unfailing kindness and thoughtfulness, as well as his depth of knowledge.

Irene Georgantas: I loved hearing Father Cyril give the final proclamation of faith on the Sunday of Orthodoxy--it was always with such passion and conviction. Inspiring!

 Steven K. Mojsovski: Father Cyril was my 1st spiritual father. I spent many sessions talking to him and asking him many questions about faith. Father Cyril opened my eyes to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, and also was a wonderful friend.

Gus Platas: My most vivid memory of Father Cyril is during our midnight Pascha service, when he used to run through the Church with his censer behind the altar servers, almost running over them with his enthusiasm.... many of us thought that the Holy Spirit overtook him and endowed him with so much energy and exuberance!

Ryan Platte: I’ll never forget my first encounter with him when I inquired about receiving Communion. Someone let him know I had a question for him, and in a minute out came this amazing, radiant priest, hunched over a bit in his age, his vestments a bit tattered. A fair amount of incense smoke came through the door with him, making the picture even more vivid. He was kind, patient, quite apparently in awe of God’s glory, and down to earth. His example helps me understand what it is to be an Orthodox Christian...

Jane Wargo (from an oral history interview): Fr. Cyril always could talk to a person where they were and explain things to them so they could understand.