Distinctly Montana Magazine

19 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m The Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Christian Church was completed in the fall of 1904, and Fr. Sebastian served the first Divine Liturgy in the new church on August 28. When it came time to conse- crate the church, they encountered a small problem. Only an Orthodox Christian bishop can consecrate a church, and Orthodox bishops were rarer than hen's teeth in the wild American West of 1904. The simplest solution was to request help from a Russian bishop in the recently purchased Alaska Territory, where Or- thodoxy had been thriving since 1741 and where Fr. Sebastian had served after high school. When an Orthodox bishop consecrates a church, he must literally "bring the good news," so Bishop Tikhon brought a giant, twenty-pound bible written in Church Slavonic with a bronze cover. He traveled across the Bering Strait and down through Alaska to Butte, and on June 15, 1905, he consecrated the Holy Trinity Serbi- an Orthodox Christian Church. He was assisted by Fr. Sebastian and Fr. Jacob, who became the first permanent priest. The bible that Bishop Tikhon brought to Butte is on display at the church to this day. The original church thrived and grew for sixty years, enriching and enhancing the com- plex brocade of Butte's community, culture, and history. During World War II, the Allies desperately needed copper, and nonstandard mining practices were employed to extract it more quickly. Eventually, these nonstandard mines (gigantic caverns) began to cave in, and the surface above subsided. In 1959 there was an earthquake, and the original church was condemned. EVENT SCHEDULE Art in the Park 3rd full weekend in July annually (Washoe Park) Anaconda Wildlife Art Expo 4th full weekend in September annually (downtown Anaconda) Oktoberfest 1st Saturday of October in partnership with Discover Anaconda's golf tournament and brewfest. Ladies Night Out 1st Thursday of December. www.cvmac.org 401 E Commercial, Anaconda, Montana 59711 406-563-2422 LIST OF CHURCHES IN THE USA FOUNDED BY SAINT SEBASTIAN Saint Nicholas Church Portland, OR Saint Spyridon Cathedral: Seattle, WA Holy Trinity Church: Wilkeson, WA Saint Sava Church: Jackson, CA Holy Trinity Church: Butte, MT Saint Basil of Ostrog Church: Angels Camp, CA Holy Resurrection Cathedral: Chicago, IL Current Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Christian Church and interior (insets) Photos Courtesy of Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Christian Church

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