New-York tribune., 1915-03-08
Weeping Syrians Join in Procession in Streets
and Stirring Ceremonies at Burial OF Bishop
Distinguished Arab Who
Founded Syro-Arabian
Church Here Is Buried
Beneath Altar Of Fine
Cathedral He Erected in
Brooklyn.
By ISABEL +. HAPGO0D.

thedral of st. Nicholas in Brooklyn,
which forms his monument.
Bishop Raphael Hawaweeny was
born in Damascus, pure Arab. FROM
the Patriarehal Theological School at
khaki. he went to Russia and became
so identified with the spirit of the
country that he was wont TO say IN
soul am 9 Russian He was in
monastery at Kiev for six years. and
then was professor Of Arabic at the
University Of Kazan. A desire for ac-
tive work brought him TO America.
In Russia he was ordained, and 1t
was under the auspices Of the Holy
SYNOD that he labored here. On sew
eral occasions the Patriarch OF An
tioch offered him the rank of Metro
politan in his native Syria. 1t is
probable that had he returned he
would have become Patriarch, but he
felt that his work was among the
25.OOO Syro-Arabians here, whom he
had organized into thirty parishes
He came to this country IN 1925.
His first church was on the second
floor of a house in Washington Street,
Manhattan. How the floor bore up
under the masses of worshippers, es.
pecjally when the Russian Bishop held
services there on his infrequent visits
from San Francisco (then the seat OF
the Russian diOcese), / never uhder
stood. Another dispensatlon OF froNl-
dence was required 10 avert catas-
trophe when we adjourned to the moor
above and enjoyed a genuine Arag
Toast ending with Arab coffee favored
with rosewater from Syria. All the
partitions and supports below had been
removed to make space in the church:
Bishop Nicholas, now Archbishop OF
Warsaw, remarked TO me on one oc-
casion: al know now exactly no"
Louis XIV felt when he had to eat IN
pubhc!"
After the feast a couple of handsome
voung fellows (ladies' tailors by their
American profession) in Albanian cos
tune performed the famous sword play
over the oilclothed floor, upon whlch
dressy lengths of ingram carpet mao
been loosely laid, with such vlgor that
thew literally cut out the gas Jets'
partly smashed the fixtures and had 10
be separated by the umpire. who inter,
posed with a dagger more providence;
One day pistol flew from one OF
the swordsmen's sashes across the room
and landed at my feet-that Illustrates
the vigor Of the proceedings cap,
tured il and refused to return It until
ne e,d of the session and thereafter,
instead Of sitting at the SIDE OF the
-, +ooL a safe seat by the side
of the Russian Bishop.
4 few years passed and Father
Raphael was able to move his church
to building on Pacific Street, near
Uovt Street. which later on became a
cathedral. That was in 1904. Early
that wear he was raised TO the rank
Of Archlmandrite. and in May OF that
wear he was consecrated Rlshop. ana
became the second Vicar of the Russian
Archbishop.
ordinarily three bishops are re-
nuired for conservation. In this case,
owing to it's exigencies, only two OH
ciated. the Most Revered Tlkhon, Arch-
b:shop Of Aleutia and North America,
now Archbishop of Wilma, and the RlRht
Rev. Innokentz, first Vicar, later blshop
of Yakutsk and Niluisk, and now Arch
bishop Of Tashkent, in Turkestan. That
is | am sure. the only OCCASION when
BISHOP of the Orthodox Eastern Church
has been consecrated IN America, ana
wonderful service II was.
The Russian Ambassador, not being
able to come, sent his representative,
who sat at the right hand Of the new
Bishop at the banquet which followed.
As the only representative of America
and the Episcopal Church. ] was placed
at his left hand, opposite the conse-
Grating prelates, and was called on for
a sDcech after tne Ambassadors repre-
sentative had conveyed his formal mes
sage. ,
In course Of time Bishop Raphael
came to know many OF the Episcopal
clergy. and was highly erespected by
them. His later alienation from them
is regarded as having arisen under
misapprehension. By his own people
he was cherished as the man to wnom
thew owed their benefcent organiza-
tiors. The Young Turk element quar-
relied with him for reciting the formal
PRAYER Tor the Sultan, as the ruler or
Syria, in the services. and several at
tennis were made on his life. AT times
he was obliged to go about with a
Guard, and ! met him in the Syrian
restaurants dining with guard on
duty. But he lived down their enmity.
Bishop Raphael died, after an illness
Of three weeks, from dropsy, kidney
trouble and heart disease, worn and
gray as a man Of seventy with his tolls
and sufferings. :.
For week he lay in state in his
cathedral, and morning and evening
requiem services were held by the
Right Rev. Alexander, Bishop Of
Alaska, assisted by Russian and Syrian
clergy. A wonderful service, pictu-
rescue in setting.
Across the foot of the open coffin
was draped the purple episcopal man
tie. with its crimson and white rivers
of grace" and its crimson velvet tables
of the law" over the face lay a
sacramental veil of white and silver
brocade, embroidered with a gold cross.
AT the head of the coffin stood pom
tifcal candles. but no longer with their
tips approaching and lighted. as during
pontifcal service. They were tied with
black ribbons, so that their tips spread
abroad, reversed and unlighted. Be
tween them, leaning against the head
of the catafalque and the coffin rose
the crozier. Behind, on a folding lee
tern. lay purple velvet cushion, on
which were placed the orders and deco
rations which the Bishop had received,
many of them from Russia. The holy
doors in the centre of the ikonostasls,
with its many ikoni, were closed and
draped in black and gold, purple and
silver. All about the walls were more