Distinctly Montana Magazine

20 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 3 The current Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Christian Church was built in 1965 and continues to thrive. The interior walls, ceil- ings, and domes of the church are covered with a stunning fresco of Serbian iconography, and the church is truly one of Butte's most beautiful and mystical treasures. If you've never seen it, you should stop the next time you visit. Fr. Russell Radoicich is a fantastic tour guide with a wealth of historical information about the church and Butte. In early twentieth-century Montana, only one Orthodox Christian priest covered the vast expanse of the entire state. The priest would ride out to where parishioners were, from Kalispell to Miles City, on stagecoach, train, and later automobile to per- form baptisms, weddings, and other church mysteries. Today, the seeds St. Sebastian sowed across the United States continue to bloom. When Fr. Russell became the priest in Butte fifteen years ago, he was the only Orthodox priest in Montana. Now, there are six, and soon to be seven. He says the Butte parish is growing at about 20% per year. St. Sebastian never had a missionary budget or even a salary. He accumulated an astounding list of accomplishments with- out any funding whatsoever. Before he died, he had crossed the Atlantic thirteen times, writing many books and other texts cherished by Orthodox Christians all over the planet to this day. His wider ministry stretched from the Aleutian Peninsula to Russia and Japan, and to small Balkan towns on the Black and Adriatic Seas coasts. He crisscrossed the United States on foot, stagecoach, train, and automobile (once invented). He founded nine Orthodox Christian churches across the United States and served in many others. Compressing such an exceptional life into such a short form is impossible. Fr. Russell offered a story during our interview that seems emblematic of what made St. Sebastian so special. While visiting Chicago, St. Sebastian met a Serbian bishop named Ni- kolai Velimirovich (now a canonized saint). The two got deep into conversation, and Fr. Nikolai invited Fr. Sebastian to lunch. Fr. Sebastian informed Fr. Nikolai that he would have to buy lunch because he had just spent his last nickel on a loaf of bread. bastian told the bishop about his plans for opening parishes across the United States, some Serbian, some Greek, some Russian, and so on. Fr. Sebastian said he needed to go overseas to acquire more priests to fill all the parishes he planned to build, and he presented a complex (and expensive) vision for his plan to baptize America. At the end of their talk, the bishop said, "Fr. Sebastian, how do you plan to do that when you just spent your last nickel on a loaf of bread?" Fr. Sebastian looked the bishop in the eye and asked, "Don't you trust in God?" Montana was one tiny fraction of St. Se- bastian's incredible life. Learn more by visiting sebastianpress.org or holytrinitybutte.org. OPEN APRIL OCTOBER rough (OPEN IN NOVEMBER WEATHER PERMITTING) OPEN PURCHASE TICKETS AT WWW.MININGMUSEUM.ORG 155 MUSEUM WAY BUTTE, MT 59701 406-723-7211 TAKE AN UNDERGROUND TOUR IN THE ORPHAN GIRL MINE AND EXPLORE THE STREETS OF HELL ROARIN' GULCH B E S T M U S E U M B E S T C U LT U R A L M U S E U M B E S T H I S T O R Y M U S E U M Featuring 35 dealers and 10,000 square feet of traditional and eclectic antiques. Offering an excellent selection of antiques, jewelry, clothing, glassware, collectibles, furniture, art, bottles, books, vintage items and much more! Antiques Interiors & Open year-round, 11 am - 5 pm, Thursday through Monday Black Dog Antiques 1200 E. Park Avenue Anaconda, MT 406-563-0478 blackdogantique.com BEST Antique Store Best Shop Dog Father Russell Radoicich, Presbyter of Holy Trinity Since 2008 Photo courtesy Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Christian Church

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