Sergei Garklavs

V. Rev. Sergei Garklavs (20 December 1927-19 October 2015) was a priest in the Orthodox Church of America and served in the parishes of Protection of the Virgin Mary Church in Gary, Indiana, St. Panteleimon Church in Summit, Illinois, and then Holy Trinity Cathedral in Chicago, Illinois. He is the adopted son of Archbishop John (Garklavs) of Chicago, and assisted him in saving the Theotokos of Tikhvin icon from the hands of the Soviets and Nazis during World War II and its aftermath. After Archbishop John reposed in 1982, Fr. Sergei was the icon's caretaker until its return to Russia in 2004.

Sources

• Russian icon finally on way home Chicago Tribune article, 18 June 2004
• Heading Home, After 55 Years in America; Russian Icon Stopping in New York for 3 Days of Veneration New York Times article, 12 March 2004
• In Memoriam: Matushka Alexandra Garklavs OCA.org site
• Biography of Fr. Sergei Latvian Orthodox Church site (in Russian)
• Diocese of the Midwest notice

For Further Reading

• One of Fr. Sergei's visits to Latvia (2012) Latvian Orthodox Church site (in Latvian)
• Interview with Fr. Sergei