In Memoriam: Father John Bohush

The clergy and faithful of our Diocese were shocked and saddened to hear the news on September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, of the sudden falling-asleep in the Lord of the Reverend Presbyter + John Bohush. Father John served at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Endicott, NY, where parish Rector, Fr. Alexey Karlgut, refers to himself and his fellow clergy with humor as “simple village priests”.

Father John’s dedication to the priesthood was, indeed, simple: he did not seek awards or accolades, position or prestige. He sought only to serve, to preach, to teach, to heal – to share the joy and warmth he found in his faith and his family, with the people in the parishes he was sent to serve. Father John accomplished those things at home in Endicott ... and on lengthy assignments at St. George Church in Buffalo and at SS. Peter and Paul in East Herkimer, during difficult times when those parishes were without full time priests. Together with his beloved Matushka Joanna, Fr. John drove the many miles to those churches for weekends and feasts, commuting back and forth from his pastoral assignments to his professional commitments in Binghamton as a highly sought after computer software developer.

Father John was a joy and a delight to all who knew him. His spirit, personality, and good humor allowed him to be one of those very “lovable” priests. He never had a bad word to say about anyone; he never participated in gossip or criticism. He combatted harsh words with gentleness, opposition with tolerance, anger with love. He was, in the words of the Scripture, a “genuine Israelite in whom there is no guile.”

At Fr. John’s funeral, His Grace, Bishop Michael, urged Matushka Joanna and their children John and Tatiana to share the story of Fr. John -- as devoted husband, loving father, faithful Christian, and doting new grandfather -- with granddaughter Natalia and the next generation of lives whom his warmth and comassion were just beginning to touch. More than fifty priests, deacons, sub-deacons and servers, together with hundreds of parishioners, colleagues, and loved ones, joined together at the services memorializing Fr. John, bearing witness to the impact of the love of this “simple village priest” on their lives.

Grant rest eternal in blessed repose with the Saints, O Lord, unto Thy newly departed servant, the ever-memorable Presbyter John, who is fallen asleep; and make his memory to be eternal! “Vechnaya Pamyat!”