NEW YORK: March 8, 2021
The Synodal Residence of the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad hosts the presentation of a new book by Archpriest Andrei Sommer

On Thursday, March 4, 2021, a new book by Archpriest Andrei Sommer, The Zatoplyaevs-Our Ancestors Beyond Baikal, was presented for the first time, published in Russian and English editions.

The evening began with a moleben service at the Synod Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign,” at which His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada and His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan prayed. Following was a reception during which Fr Andrei talked about his ancestors.

This book by Archpriest Andrei Sommer, Dean of the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” in New York, is about his ancestors, a dynasty of clergymen and churchmen, the Zatoplyaevs, who served the Holy Church over the course of two centuries.

Searching for information about his great-great-grandfather, Archpriest Pavel Rodionovich Zatoplyaev, an eminent pastor of the Zabakaliye region at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, led Fr. Andrei to the archives of Irkutsk oblast.

Over 50 years as a clergyman, Fr. Pavel Zatoplyaev passed through all the levels: he became the dean of the main cathedral of the city of Nerchinsk, a teacher and inspector of the religious school, the director of charitable organizations, a loving father to his four children and a multitude of orphans. He has even been called “legendary.”

He was not a careerist, nor was he an inveterate bureaucrat. Rather than a collector of awards, he had a bright soul and placid conscience, which he labored over most of all.

This publication also reveals to the reader the history of Orthodoxy in Zabaikalye, and the holy sites, saints and righteous people of the region.

The book includes unique photographs from Russian and family archives.

Vladyka Hilarion thanked Fr Andrei for his efforts, wishing him Divine aid in his service and blessings upon his friends and family.

Revenue from the sale of the book will go to the St Vladimir Youth Association. To order the book (in Russian or English), contact Fr Andrei at: youthpv@gmail.com