[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 3849] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING THE VERY REVEREND VENSESLAV DIMITROFF ______ HON. MARCY KAPTUR of ohio in the house of representatives Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Very Reverend Father Venseslav Dimitroff of Toledo, Ohio. The Very Reverend Father Venseslav Dimitroff, a wise and faithful servant who shepherded his family and his community around the world, departed this life on Wednesday, February 27, 2008. A beacon of hope and service to his Toledo community, he will be sincerely missed by all. He was born on July 12, 1923, in Bourgas, Bulgaria. He spent his early childhood in Edirne, Turkey where his late father, the Very Reverend Mihail Dimitroff was the principal of the former ``Peter Beron'' Bulgarian high school and his mother, the late Ekaterina, a teacher. His family moved to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, when he was 7 years old and he stayed there until 1944, few days before the Communist takeover of the country. He had to leave his homeland again and move to Istanbul, Turkey. He served in the Turkish Military for 4 years. He married Marina Veneziani on November 7, 1955, at Sveti Stefan Bulgarian Church where his father had become an Orthodox priest. He was ordained to the priesthood himself in March of 1961 by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople. He was elevated to Cross-bearing Archpriest in May of 1973 by the Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria. He served at St. John of Rila Church in the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul until July of 1975. At the invitation of the late Archbishop Kyrill Yonchev and the late Mrs. Pena Evanoff, one of the founders of the St. George Bulgarian Church in Toledo, Ohio, he immigrated to the United States in August of 1975. He served the small immigrant church community until his retirement in August of 1995. Father Dimitroff was a very friendly person who enjoyed talking to people from all walks of life. He loved reading, especially Balkan history and politics, and was an avid soccer fan who loved watching all kinds of sports on television. He beautified his home and community by being a masterful gardener. His church housed a lush gorgeous garden full of flowers, especially tulips and roses. In the summer of 1992 he fulfilled a dream to return to Bulgaria for a visit to his brother after a 48-year separation. Four years later, in 1996, through the generous hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. George Lutikoff, he was able to revisit his family in his beloved Istanbul to spend a wonderful vacation among the members of the Bulgarian community residing there. It is with the deepest appreciation that I pay tribute to the long life of a good, patient and kind man, the Very Reverend Father Venseslav Dimitroff. He lived his years in service to his family, friends, and our Toledo community. May God welcome ``Ven'' home; a good and faithful servant. May He shower him royally with blessings into eternity and bestow upon him a loving peace. ____________________