Very
rarely do I discuss hierarchs and the church politics. However, two huge announcements
have taken place recently that reserve their own right to have an entire
article written about them. The later of which, has more recently taken place
and therefore needs to be discussed first. I am of course discussing the recent
repose of Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia. I would like to give a background of Metropolitan Hilarion and his episcopacy
and in turn give a tribute to a man who has guided ROCOR for 38 years.
Like many of the people he served in the Orthodox Church,
he himself was from outside of Russia.
He was born in Canada and given the name Igor. His parents were Alexei and Euphrosynia Kapral. He
grew up in Alberta, which is not a huge hotbed for Orthodoxy, but does have a
large Orthodox presence. The early stages of his life, by all accounts were one
of piety and love for God. He spent many hours in the church and was drawn to
the services and drawn to serving God. Igor grew in statue before the Lord, and
while that may be a common phrase, it is definitely how Igor was and is viewed
by the Church. It was during this time that the Bishop of Edmonton, Sava, took
Igor under his wing and convinced the future Metropolitan of ROCOR to attend
seminary. He became a novice under Jordanville in 1972, and was given the name
Hilarion in 1974, upon tonsure. The then Father Hilarion, was ordained a hierodeacon
in 1975, and on Lazarus Saturday 1976 (the day before Palm Sunday for my
western and non-orthodox readers) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. After
this he was sent around the country to parishes to fill in as priest,
especially in places like Cleveland and Pennsylvania.
In 1984, less than ten
years after being ordained, and around ten years after being tonsured as a
monk, Hilarion was given the great honor of being called to the episcopacy. He was appointed to the see of Manhattan and
given charge over churches in Pennsylvania. Though retaining his residence in
New York City, he was appointed to the See of Washington and eventually to the
Diocese of Australia and New Zealand. While I do not know if he lived there during
the time of his appointment, he was given charge to rectify the situation that
had occurred and the struggles that the diocese was experiencing.
From there he was eventually
elected as the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia
in 2008. This was met with the Moscow Patriarchate elevating him to the
position of primate in the church. On
May 14, 2008 the Act of Canonical Union between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside
of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church was approved, allowing for over 100
years of schism between the two churches to be healed. With ROCOR becoming an
established member of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was enthroned on May 18th and
has worked tirelessly to continue his goal of promoting Orthodoxy in America
and abroad.
Metropolitan Hilarion and the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside of Russia, did a wonderful job keeping the faith alive by ministering
to the faithful during the dark years of communism in Russia. Without being in
communion with their mother church it
must have been and was a difficult task as it meant that they were outside of
communion with everyone in the Orthodox world. That does not mean that they do
not have a strong history or have not had many saints, as St. John of Shanghai
and San Francisco was the bishop in San Francisco during the ROCOR era. Metropolitan
Hilarion was able to heal the rift that Metropolitan Sergius had instigated
when he was appointed by the communists to become the head of Russian Orthodoxy. He brought ROCOR back within the Russian church
and led the church with dignity and grace.
I cannot say much on the man personally, I am neither a parishioner of a
ROCOR church, nor have I met the man in person. However, what I see from ROCOR
is a strong foundation of maintaining the faith as it was, as it is, and what
it will be throughout all ages. Protecting Orthodoxy during the communism
period must have been very difficult, especially for those who had fled Russia
to practice their faith in peace. May his memory be eternal and may God place
him in a place of repose with the righteous without sighing or suffering.
Amen.
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