On December 1, 2017, the monastic funeral of the newly-reposed Schema-Archdeacon Amvrossy was served at Holy Trinity Monastery.  Fr. Amvrossy reposed on November 26 in San Francisco where he had served for 34 years in the Cathedral of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow.

Fr. Amvrossy, in the world, Alexei Mikhailovich Taratuchin, was born in England, the son of a Cossack ataman.  His mother was born Princess Sviatopolk-Mirsky, a well-known aristocratic Russian family.  Alexei came to Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville at the early age of 16, in 1977, to study and graduated in 1982. In 1983 he was invited to go to the Cathedral of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow in San Francisco, where he served first as a canonarch and then as a deacon up until his untimely death.  Fr. Amvrossy suffered many years from the complications of diabetes.  

His funeral was served by the superior of the monastery, Archimandrite Luke, along with many other clergy, including his younger brother, Archpriest Michael Taratuchin, the priest in our parish in Utica.  At the end of the funeral, several speeches were given by those close to him, including Fr. Michael, in which the virtues of Fr. Amvrossy were mentioned, including his humility, his love and zeal of the church services and also his lack of a judgmental character.  Many, including the older fathers who remembered him from his years in seminary, can attest to his beautiful tenor voice and his good and kind nature.

At the end of the funeral and the last kiss, Fr. Amvrossy’s remains were buried in the monastery cemetery, near the grave of his abba, the ever-memorable Archbishop Anthony of San Francisco, whom he served for many years.  Everyone was then invited by Fr. Michael to a commemorative repast in the monastery refectory.  

We believe and pray that the Lord will have mercy on the soul of dear Fr. Amvrossy for his dedication to the Church and its divine services, for his humble and kind nature, and for his uncomplaining bearing of his many years of illness.

For a detailed account of his life, see the website of the Western-American diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, www.wadiocese.org.