The "Fond du Lac Circus"

It's awesome to me that two great Russian saints, Saint TIKHON of Moscow and Saint John Kochurov, were actually in Wisconsin at one time in history. OK, so they weren't in Madison (where I live) and I wasn't born yet for a very long time to come, but still, the thought is exciting to me.

Ss. Tikhon and John, and one other Russian Orthodox priest, were invited to an Episcopal church in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin for the ordination of an episcopalian Bishop in 1900. A whole flock of traditionally vested, high church, Episcopal bishops and one bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church (an Old Catholic splinter group) were present. When the service was over, they had this wonderful group photo taken, which, apparently was the first time that high church Episcopalian bishops were photographed in their full vestments. Well, this photo caused a huge stir among low church episcopalians, who considered these vestments "popish". The photo (or the event; I'm not sure which) came to be known as the "Fond du Lac Circus". I sure would like to see it in color.

This historic photo was taken on November 18, 1900 at St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral in Fond du Lac, WI at the consecration of Reginald Weller as Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac.

Pictured above (seated l to r) are: The Rt. Rev. Isaac Lea Nicholson, Episcopal Bishop of Milwaukee; the Rt. Rev. Charles Chapman Grafton, Episcopal Bishop of Fond du Lac; and the Rt. Rev. Charles P. Anderson, Episcopal Bishop Coadjutor of Chicago.

Standing (l to r) are: the Rt. Rev. Anthony Kozlowski of the Polish National Catholic Church ; the Rt. Rev. G. M. Williams, Episcopal Bishop of Marquette (now Northern Michigan); Bishop Weller, the Rt. Rev. Joseph M. Francis, Episcopal Bishop of Indianapolis, the Rt. Rev. William E. McLaren, Episcopal Bishop of Chicago; the Rt. Rev. Arthur L. Williams, Bishop Coadjutor of Nebraska; St. John (Kochurov) of Chicago--protomartyr of the Bolshevik Revolution, Fr. Sebastian Dabitovich, chaplains to the Russian Bishop--St. Tikhon, then Orthodox Bishop of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

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