Difference between revisions of "Ambrose Vretta"

From OrthodoxWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(note about Vretta's death)
m (grammar)
Line 11: Line 11:
 
In November 1895 Fr. Vretta was transferred to Seattle, where he oversaw the founding of St. Spiridon Church and became that parish's first resident priest. He succeeded Fr. [[Sebastian Dabovich]], who had been conducting services in Seattle on Saturdays before Fr. Vretta's arrival. In 1896, Fr. Vretta visited Montana, where he celebrated the first Orthodox services in that state.
 
In November 1895 Fr. Vretta was transferred to Seattle, where he oversaw the founding of St. Spiridon Church and became that parish's first resident priest. He succeeded Fr. [[Sebastian Dabovich]], who had been conducting services in Seattle on Saturdays before Fr. Vretta's arrival. In 1896, Fr. Vretta visited Montana, where he celebrated the first Orthodox services in that state.
  
Vretta was transferred out of St. Spiridon in December 1896. He returned to Russia, and died soon thereafter.
+
Vretta was transferred from St. Spiridon in December 1896. He returned to Russia, and died soon thereafter.
  
 
==Sources==
 
==Sources==

Revision as of 00:17, August 15, 2011

This article forms part of the series
Orthodoxy in America
Orthodox us.gif
History
American Orthodox Timeline
American Orthodox Bibliography
Byzantines on OCA autocephaly
Ligonier Meeting
ROCOR and OCA
People
Saints - Bishops - Writers
Jurisdictions
Antiochian - Bulgarian
OCA - Romanian - Moscow
ROCOR - Serbian

Ecumenical Patriarchate:
Albanian - Carpatho-Russian
Greek - Ukrainian
Palestinian/Jordanian

Monasteries
Seminaries
Christ the Saviour
Holy Cross
Holy Trinity
St. Herman's
St. Tikhon's
St. Sava's
St. Sophia's
St. Vladimir's
Organizations
Assembly of Bishops
AOI - EOCS - IOCC - OCEC
OCF - OCL - OCMC - OCPM - OCLife
OISM - OTSA - SCOBA - SOCHA
Groups
Amer. Orthodox Catholic Church
Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black
Evangelical Orthodox Church
Holy Order of MANS/CSB
Society of Clerks Secular of St. Basil
Edit this box

Rev. Ambrose Vretta (also Amvrosy or Ambrosius Wretta) was a priest in the Russian Mission in America in the 1890s. He was the first pastor of St. Nicholas Church (later St. Vladimir's Church and now Holy Trinity Cathedral) in Chicago, Illinois, and of St. Spiridon Church in Seattle, Washington.

Life

Ambrose Vretta was born in Macedonia in 1859. He attended the Imperial Medical College in Constantinople (now Istanbul), then toured Europe and studied in Rome. He returned for a time to his homeland, but soon left due to ill treatment by the Turkish government. He moved to Russia, where he became acquianted with the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg. It is possible that he was ordained a priest during his time in Russia.

In 1892, Fr. Vretta, by this time a priest, arrived in America with the newly-appointed Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov). On May 17, 1892, he oversaw the founding of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Chicago, becoming its first pastor. Shortly after this, he also assumed pastoral responsibility for a new parish in Streator, Illinois.

During his time in Chicago, Fr. Vretta had a friendly relationship with the local Greek priest, Fr. Panagiotis (Peter) Phiambolis, concelebrating with him on numerous occasions in both the Greek and Russian parishes.

In November 1895 Fr. Vretta was transferred to Seattle, where he oversaw the founding of St. Spiridon Church and became that parish's first resident priest. He succeeded Fr. Sebastian Dabovich, who had been conducting services in Seattle on Saturdays before Fr. Vretta's arrival. In 1896, Fr. Vretta visited Montana, where he celebrated the first Orthodox services in that state.

Vretta was transferred from St. Spiridon in December 1896. He returned to Russia, and died soon thereafter.

Sources