My Reminiscences about Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev)

Metropolitan LAURUS

In connection with the upcoming anniversary of the repose of Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of San Francisco and Western America of blessed memory I would like to note some of the characteristics of this very good-hearted and cordial archpastor.

My first meeting with the future Archbishop Anthony took place in Ladomirovo [present day Slovakia]. Vladyka Anthony was tonsured as a monk at the Milkovo Monastery in Yugoslavia, the very same monastery where two of his predecessors on the cathedra of the Western American Diocese—Archbishop Tikhon and Saint John (Maksimovich)—were also tonsured. At the time of his tonsure, the Milkovo Monastery was under the direction of Schema-archimandrite Amvrossy. When Father Amvrossy fell seriously ill, he assigned Hieromonk Anthony to Archbishop Vitaliy (Maksimenko) for spiritual guidance. Father Anthony, who was still a hierodeacon, had met the latter at the time of his elevation to the episcopacy and immediately liked him. After the repose of Schema-archimandrite Amvrossy, Hieromonk Anthony moved to our monastery in Ladomirovo in order to be closer to his spiritual father.

During the [Second World] War, our brotherhood had to be evacuated to Geneva, and there we continued our monastic struggles while awaiting permission to move to the United States. The chief obediences assigned to Father Anthony were the kliros (reading, chanting, and singing at services) and editing the calendar of services. He was an excellent expert on ustav (rules for the church services) and, one might say, lived for the church services. I still remember how he endeavored to introduce Valaam chants, which he had mastered in Milkovo, into our kliros singing.

With the blessing of hieromonk Leontiy (Bartoshevich), the rector of the Cathedral of the Elevation of the Holy Cross in Geneva, Father Anthony also participated in pastoral activities, hearing parishioners’ confessions and providing them with spiritual guidance. I remember one family in which husband and wife disagreed about church matters. Father Anthony was greatly concerned about this dispute between husband and wife and began visiting this family and engaging in spiritual talks with the couple. Thanks to his compassionate pastoral love, he was able to guide the wife to a higher spiritual level and thereby bring peace into that family.

The future Archbishop Anthony was very close in spirit to the Bartoshevich brothers, Father Leontiy and Father Anthony, both of whom he had gotten to know while still in Yugoslavia. In Geneva, his spiritual mentor was the Valaam hegumen Filimon. He was also very close to the future Archimandrite Nektariy, the spiritual father of the Gethsemane Convent. During the Second World War, hieromonk Anthony ministered to the soldiers of the Russian Liberation Army (Vlasov army). His closest assistant was his reader, the future Father Nektariy. The friendship between Vladyka Anthony and Father Nektariy was bound with very strong spiritual ties that lasted to the end of their lives.

In November 1946, our brotherhood arrived in the United States and settled in Jordanville, New York. At the monastery, besides carrying out his kliros obedience, Father Anthony milked cows, very often falling asleep under them. As the feast of the Nativity of Christ neared, Archbishop Vitaliy, knowing well the pastoral talents of Father Anthony, sent him to serve in Lakewood[, New Jersey,] and at the “St. Vladimir Hill” [Memorial Church in Jackson, New Jersey]. Subsequently, Father Anthony established and served parishes in Lincoln, Nebraska; Cleveland; and Milwaukee.

The elevation of Archimandrite Anthony to Bishop of Melbourne took place in 1956 in the Ascension Cathedral in the Bronx[, New York]. At that time, I was a hieromonk. I remember how I approached Metropolitan Anastasiy then, and how he affectionately told me: “Learn, learn …” I also remember that just before he was elevated to the rank of bishop, Archimandrite Anthony showed me his speech and asked, “What do you think of it?” At that time, he greatly appreciated all advice and, even afterwards, as a church hierarch, continued to value good counsel.

It was Archbishop Anthony who, having talked it over with Bishop Averky, put forward my candidacy to the rank of bishop and as Secretary of the Synod of Bishops. After my elevation to the rank of bishop, and until his death in 2000, both of us were members of the Synod of Bishops and worked together. He was always cordial and sincere and never did anything for his own good, but only for the good of the Church and the glory of God. He did not have a private life: His life was entirely in the Church, with Christ.

Occasionally it happened that Archbishop Anthony saw some disturbing developments in the Synod. Usually he would share his concerns about such matters and write letters, but always using very mild language in all sincerity, revealing his heartache about what was happening. When the question of the glorification of the New Martyrs—especially the Royal Martyrs—was raised, there was no unity among the episcopate. Vladyka Anthony then acted as peacemaker and always strove to achieve a peaceful solution to all problems.

I remember that Archbishop Anthony of Geneva was dissatisfied with the service dedicated to the Royal Passion Bearers. He considered that the texts of the stikhira were too long and that the canon of the service itself was not directed to the Tsar-Martyr but was actually a penitential prayer to God Himself. Vladyka Anthony shared his misgivings about this with Archbishop Anthony of the Western American Diocese in the hope that the latter would rework the service in question. And, as it turned out, Vladyka Anthony (of San Francisco) responded by composing an excellent common service for all the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

Archbishop Anthony of blessed memory held a very catholic view, similar to the views of Metropolitan Anthony [Krapovitsky] and Saint John (Maximovich), of the Orthodox Church as a whole. All three hierarchs were very much concerned about all the Local Churches, about the persecuted Orthodox Christians, and about divisions within the Russian Church. At the meetings of the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Anthony always defended the Serbian Orthodox Church. In this cause, he was supported especially by Archbishop Seraphim of Chicago, Archbishop Nikon of Washington, and Archbishop Anthony of Geneva. Vladyka Anthony did not approve of some of the deviations by the Local Churches, especially by the Church of Constantinople, but at the same time believed that all Orthodox should live in peace and unity.

In San Francisco, Vladyka Anthony lived alone: He cooked for himself and cleaned his apartment by himself. As a monk, he embodied the ideals of the ancient Russian school of monasticism, as he had been guided by Schema-archimandrite Amvrossy of Milkovo, and remained a representative of that school until his last breath. I repeat—he never did anything for himself, but worked only for God and for the good of the Church.

Vladyka Anthony is buried in the Holy Trinity Monastery [in Jordanville], in the burial vault behind the church. We miss him in our episcopate, but I believe that he prays for us and is concerned about us.

†Metropolitan LAURUS
2005