Warren Commission (09 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15) — John Shaqi
Warren Commission (09 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (09 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. RAIGORODSKY. Now, because of my--I always believe that even though
I am, myself, not much of a churchgoing man, but I believe that the
only way to unite Russians, and I think they should be united in this
country, was through a church, so, for many years we had a church
in Texas--at Galveston--but that church--we didn't like because the
Serbian priest, they were coming over there. We couldn't figure it out,
whether they were one side of the fence or the other.
Mr. JENNER. One side of what fence or the other?
Mr. RAIGORODSKY. Well, the only fence I know of is between the
communism and the anticommunism.
Mr. JENNER. All right. You are on the anticommunistic side of the fence?
Mr. RAIGORODSKY. Oh; of course.
Mr. JENNER. I want that to appear on record is why I asked.
Mr. RAIGORODSKY. Oh, yes; I have been all my life. So, let's see, maybe
in 1949 or thereabouts--I have donated quite a bit of money to the
Russian colony in Houston there with the understanding that if they
would secure at least 50 percent of additional money from the rest
of the people of the Russian colony, that they buy or build a church
there, which they did.
Mr. JENNER. What religion is that--the name of the church?
Mr. RAIGORODSKY. Russian--Greek Orthodox. You may call it also Eastern
Greek Orthodox. It's the same religion as Greek Catholics have with two
main differences--one is the language in which the service is performed
is the old Slavic languages against Greek, and then, of course, we have
our own Patriarch at the head of our own church.
Mr. JENNER. In Houston?
Mr. RAIGORODSKY. Oh, no, no; we have in New York--it's Metropolitan
Anastasia, who is the head of our church of this country.
Mr. JENNER. Who was the pastor over in Houston?
Mr. RAIGORODSKY. Well, I will come to that.
Mr. JENNER. All right.
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.
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