Andrey was born on 3/16 May 1923 in Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey, where his parents - Ivan Y. Musatov, Lieutenant in the "White Army", and Tatiana (nee Bourda) came after their evacuation with Denikin's army from Crimea in 1920. He was raised in France and Czechoslovakia and was adopted by his stepfather Pavel Somow. He began serving as an altar boy at 7 in Bratislava, under Hegumen Nikon (de Greve), in 1930. He received his second, ary education at the Russian Residential High School in Moravska Tshebova and Prague (1933 - 1941) where he continued to serve in the church as an Acolyte and worked his way up, becoming in 1939 a "pososhnik", the staff holder to Bishop Sergius (Korolyov) of Prague.
During the war he studied Engineering, Architecture and Town Planning at the Technical University in Bratislava (1942 - 1944) and after that in Brno and again in Bratislava (1945 - 1950). The Communist putsch in 1948 and the totalitarian regime established subsequently in Czechoslovakia prevented any religious aspirations of the young architect. Following his graduation, he worked as a professional architect until 1968, when Czechoslovakia was occupied by the Red Army and its allies in August 1968. Immediately thereupon, he fled the country with his wife and children, leaving all their belongings behind and claiming political asylum in neighboring Austria. As refugees, the Somows were granted "landed immigrant" status by the Canadian Embassy in Vienna and arrived in Canada on October 6, 1968, where they settled in Ottawa.
Andrey worked as a technologist for the University of Ottawa in its Planning and Design Department for the next two years, and afterwards he became an employee of the Federal Government, within the Department of Indian Affairs, as an Architect. In Ottawa, the Somows attended church services at Holy Trinity Bukowinian Sobor. From the beginning, Andrey was deeply involved in the church life, and became a reader, as well as a teacher of Sunday School under Archpriest George Pokrowsky. After a rather long consideration and under strong influence from Fr. George, he humbly submitted himself for ordination to the Holy Diaconate. He was 50 years old when he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Sylvester in Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Montreal, on March 3, 1974, on the Day of Orthodoxy.
Deacon Andrey was transferred to Vancouver, British Columbia by the Federal Government in June, 1974. Together with his family, he arrived here on the 1st of August and was attached to Holy Resurrection Church by the then, ruling Bishop of the Canadian Archdiocese. As a Deacon he served regularly throughout the years, assisting Bishop Joasaph, Hegumen Cyril and other clergy serving in Holy Resurrection Church. He also accompanied Bishop Joasaph on his trips to Alberta, served with other bishops in St. Spiridon's Church in Seattle, and in other cities. He also conducted services at Holy Resurrection in the absence of a priest from June, 1987, until April 1, 1988. Deacon Andrew was elevated to the rank of Protodeacon in 1989. He retired from active duties in January, 1992, due to deterioration of his health.
After a yearlong recovery, Protodeacon Andrey returned to active duties. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 26, 1992 and made a supply priest for the B.C. Deanery. He was assigned as temporary rector to Holy Resurrection Church in Vancouver on August 1, 1993, and was appointed Rector in 1994. Fr. Andrey served at Holy Resurrection till December 1999.
Now Fr. Andrew is retired and attached to our church. We are happy to see him praying for us.