Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko)

Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) (1884-1947)

Antony may also be spelt Antonii, Antoniy, Anthony.

Tereshchenko may also be spelt Tereschenko.

Early life of A Tereshchenko

On 29 November, 1884, the future bishop was born in the Kursk Governorate of the Russian Empire.

He was raised as an Orthodox Christian within the Russian Orthodox Church.

It was in Kursk that he took his primary and secondary education.

Monastic tonsure, 1911

In 1911, he was tonsured to be a monk, and he was given the name Antony, in the city of Belgorod, in what is now the neighbouring Belgorod province to the south of Kursk.

There, he studied at the Belgorod Orthodox Theological Seminary, a branch of the Kursk Orthodox Theological Seminary. The historical root of both seminaries was in Belgorod, from which the Kursk seminary grew and became dominant. They were both closed after the coming Bolshevik Revolution.

At that time, Bishop Ioanniki (Efremov) was the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese. On 4 September, 1911, thanks greatly to the labours of Vladyka Ionnniki, Saint Joasaph of Belgorod was glorified as a saint by the Most Holy Synod of the Church of Moscow.

Higher education

After his theological studies in Belgorod, Monk Antony (Tereschnko) travelled to Moscow to study in the Moscow Synodal School of Ecclesiastical Singing. There, he studied under such teachers and composers as Alexander D Kastal’skiy, and the Archpriest Dmitry Allemanov and others.

Diaconal ordination, 1912

In 1912, Monk Antony was ordained to the Holy Diaconate.

Presbyteral ordination, 1913

In 1913, Hierodeacon Antony (Tereshchenko) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in the Kursk Monastery of the Sign of the Theotokos by Bishop Ioanniki (Efremov) in Kursk.

Pastoral service ; World War I (1914-1918) ; revolution (1917)

The Hieromonk Antony's huge understanding of the breadth of the character of people and countries was developed from the military experience he gained after he enlisted in the Russian Royal Navy, in which he served as a chaplain on various ships.

He travelled from Odessa to Vladivostok via the Suez Canal, India, Indo-China, and the East China Sea. He cared for the soldiers being transported, and he served the Divine Liturgy and other services for them on the decks of the ships. Such a voyage would take them over the seas of Africa, India, and the Far East.

The young hieromonk gained a considerable and deep understanding of people in preparation for his future missionary life.

Exile ; transfer to Canada, 1920

The Lord led him out of the very hard situation of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing Russian Civil War (1918-1923) to the different, yet definitely difficult situation in “cold” Canada, and the Diocese of Canada (which still includes the whole country).

He was received into the North American Diocese (the former "Russian Mission") by Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky), and he was assigned to serve in the Diocese of Canada.

The pre- and post-war situation in Canada

The situation which he met upon arrival was a continuation of what had begun 20 years earlier. During the 1890s, immigrants began to arrive in Canada, who emigrated from Eastern Europe. These were people of several nationalities who were searching for a better life in Canada. They included people from Greece, Syria, Serbia, and from some areas of the Russian Empire. However, the majority of the newcomers were arriving from the areas of Galicia (Halychyna) and Bukovina in what had been at that time the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many were working for the railways, in coal mines and in the lumbering industry. Sometimes the associated work was in the large eastern Canadian cities. However, the majority of the people were preparing to settle on the land as farmers.

The next large influx of refugees (which included himself) began to arrive from the territories of the former Russian Empire after 1918 as a consequence of the Bolshevik Revolution. Some came from territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire as a result of the war. Their arrival had presented to the Church in North America a great challenge. Not only did the bishops in particular have the responsibility to care for all these Orthodox Christians who suddenly arrived, but they also had to face another sort of difficulty which developed at the same time. Until the 1917 revolution, the Church in North America was almost completely one diocese. With the arrival of a large number of newcomers, there also came the division of the Church in North America into many dioceses. This division reduced the original diocese to one of many, each with a direct connexion to one or another patriarch, metropolitan or archbishop in Europe or the Middle-East. This development was much more pronounced after 1922, when communication between the original North American Diocese (the former "Russian Mission") and the Russian Orthodox Church became nearly impossible. In particular, there was a great shortage of clergy, and an even greater shortage of money.

In addition to the clergy shortage, there is the fact that before the war, large numbers of the clergy were clearly missionaries, and they perceived themselves to be so. After their period of service in North America, they would usually return to their homeland and take up another responsibility.

Under these new, post-revolution circumstances, clergy who arrived in Canada were themselves refugees in exile from their homeland. Some of them were quite able to take up the work of a missionary, but others did not have this gift. It presented a challenge to the bishops (some of them also in exile) to discern who was best suited to which responsibility.

Assignment to Canada, 1920

By 1920, under the blessing of Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky), Hieromonk Antony (Tereshchenko) had already engaged in missionary work in Canada, where no such missionary work had actually yet begun. Archimandrite Arseny (Chahovtsov) had worked hard in the same region during his first period of service (1902-1910), but this was more focussed on organising the immigrating faithful and educating them, than it was on doing actual missionary work as such. Nevertheless, it must be kept in mind that his work amongst the Ukrainian Catholics was a particular sort of missionary work, since he enabled the return of many of them to the Orthodox Christian Faith. Their ancestors in Eastern Europe, originally Orthodox Christians, had been forcibly taken into union with the Pope of Rome after the Union of Brest-Litovsk in 1596. Such a return to the Orthodox Christian Faith in Europe had been very difficult (if not impossible) because of the policies of various governments.

Pastoral service in Canada

Assignment to Winnipeg, 1922

In 1922, the Hieromonk Antony (Tereshchenko) was assigned to be the rector of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he served as such until 1927. Despite his personal virtues, a group of parishioners decided to leave at this time, in order to become a part of the recently-established Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada (UGOCC), and to form the parish of Saint Mary the Protectress nearby.

Holy Trinity Cathedral, Winnipeg, Manitoba

During the time of his pastorate, misunderstandings were cleared away, and conditions in the parish changed greatly for the better. The remaining parishioners, under his leadership, made every effort to co-operate, and all their efforts were bent on promoting the well-being of the Temple and the congregation. His pastoral labours in Christ were very fruitful.

In 1924, Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) awarded him with the right to wear a Jewelled Cross, and he elevated him to the dignity of igumen.

In 1926, with the blessing of Metropolitan Platon, Bishop Arseny (Chahovtsov) elevated him to the dignity of archimandrite.

By stages, Archimandrite Antony served the parishes (both older and newer) in and around Canora in Saskatchewan, Edmonton in Alberta, and Winnipeg in Manitoba. During this time, in addition to his administrative responsibilities in supervising pastoral activities in western Canada, he paid close attention to developing the best possible singing in services. He was lovingly remembered in Edmonton and Winnipeg by those who sang and who were taught by him, and particularly in Winnipeg's Holy Trinity Sobor.

Assignment to Edmonton, 1927

In the autumn of 1927, Archimandrite Antony was transferred and assigned to serve in Saint Barbara's Church in Edmonton, Alberta.

Saint Barbara's Church, Edmonton, Alberta (until 1955)

Assignment to Winnipeg, 1935

In September, 1935, Archimandrite Antony (Tereshchenko) was re-assigned to Holy Trinity Cathedral in Winnipeg, Manitoba. During his second term at the cathedral, he vigorously took up the matter of paying off the mortgage on the property that had burdened the parishioners. With God's help, and the co-operation of the people, this was accomplished. The warmth and energy of his personality and the clarity of his speech resulted in his being well-known and his general popularity. One consequence of this was his appointment to be Dean of Manitoba in the Diocese of Canada.

Assignment to Montréal, 1941

In June, 1941, yielding to persistent requests from the Saints Peter and Paul parish in Montréal, and obeying the order of Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky), Archimandrite Antony (Tereshchenko) arrived in Montréal, Québec, after having been transferred there from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was assigned to be the Rector of the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal, and also the Dean of Québec.

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Montréal, Québec

During all his service and many travels across Canada, he had always been very much concerned about the activities of the Ukrainian political nationalists of his time, the sectarians, the Baptists, the Presbyterians (who still had an active "mission" to convert the Orthodox), the "self-ordainers", and also those who were attempting to destroy the Orthodox Christian Church (which they wrongly perceived not to be Christian). Archimandrite Antony actively engaged such persons in debates and arguments in order to show the way of truth, and he never became weary doing so. This was always his character. What he, himself, wrote about (Saint) Archbishop Arseny (Chahovtsov), his contemporary, co-worker and superior could be written about Vladyka Antony just as well, since they both struggled in the same environment :

 A whole book could be written, outlining in it all that Vladyka Arseny suffered in Canada after 
 his return, but it would be a catalogue of horrors. His Eminence had to wage war against the ‘ill 
 weeds’ on several fronts. 
 – ‘Archbishop Arseny : a Vita’, p. 42.

Now, in Montréal, he was established in what was, in fact, the economic and financial capital of Canada at that time. When Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) appointed him to be the Dean of Québec, this responsibility included Newfoundland, the Maritime Provinces and Ontario as well. On this territory, he worked hard, and the parishioners trusted and respected him.

He made a report at the 9-12 November, 1944 Assembly of the Second Congress of the Russian Canadian Federation in Toronto, Ontario.

In November 1946, as a representative from Montréal, Father Antony took part in the 7th All-American Sobor in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, the result of which was again the separation between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) and the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America (“Metropolia”, ROGCCNA).

Archimandrite Antony and the Montréal Sisterhood, 1947

Election to become a bishop, 1946

On 19 December, 1946, the Great Council of Bishops, which was meeting in Chicago, Illinois, elected him to be the Bishop of Montréal, Québec, with the see at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

The purpose of this ordination was to enable him to provide the needed spiritual care to the whole of Eastern Canada. This was the very turn of events which Father Antony had been trying long to avoid. He had always called attention to his health concerns, which were real, and which he felt would limit his service. Nevertheless, he understood that obedience is greater than these concerns.

Episcopal ordination, 1947

On 29 and 30 March, 1947, Archimandrite Antony (Tereshchenko) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate by Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) and Archbishop Leonty (Turkevich) of Chicago, at the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in New York City.

Episcopal service

At his ordination, Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) was assigned to serve as the Bishop of Montréal and Eastern Canada.

The official enthronement of Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) took place in Montréal on 4 May, 1947, at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

Archbishop Leonty (Turkevich) of Chicago, Illinois, who wrote many details about him in the “American Orthodox Messenger”, commented pointedly that, during the service of Vladyka Antony’s ordination to the Holy Episcopate, when the people heard his voice, and when he was speaking to them, they could feel in their hearts the sincerity of this man. It was as though he were making his personal confession. He also said that during this service, besides the usual Slavonic, Greek and English were also used, and that the choir sang beautifully. All those who were present said afterwards that this experience was so powerful that it would be etched in the memory of their hearts. Canada was at this moment very dear to the hearts of the clergy and people of the USA, and it was understood how important was this moment for the future of the life of the Church in Canada. On this day, people were present not only from Canada (and in particular Montréal), but also from Paris, France.

When Bishop Antony was enthroned, he was entrusted also with the parishes of the Diocese of Western Canada until some future time when a candidate for the episcopate could be found.

August, 1947, meeting with Metropolitan Gregory (Chukov)

In August of 1947, Bishop Antony was assigned to represent the “Metropolia” in a pivotal meeting with Metropolitan Gregory (Chukov) of Leningrad and Novgorod in New York City.

Metropolitan Gregory had travelled to the USA in an attempt to resolve the separation of the “Metropolia” from the Moscow Patriarchate. At this meeting, Bishop Antony (with others) presented the “Metropolia’s” proposals regarding its autonomy, proposals which the Patriarchate subsequently rejected. As a consequence, the estrangement between the “Metropolia” and the Moscow Patriarchate continued for another 2 decades before there was any real progress, until just before the official granting of autocephaly in 1970.

There had been a plan to divide Canada into 3 parts, and Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) had been ordained and assigned as the first step in that direction. However, the situation changed suddenly and drastically.

After only 6 months of episcopal service, Vladyka Antony suddenly became ill, after having suffered a stroke.

Repose, 1947

Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) reposed in the Lord on Saturday, 27 September, 1947 (on the Feast-day of the Exaltation of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord), in a hospital in Montréal, Québec.

At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, 2 October, 1947, the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Hierarch took place at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Montréal. Archbishop Leonty (Turkevich) of Chicago, Illinois, and Bishop John (Shahovskoy) of Brooklyn, New York, presided at all the services. They were assisted by the Archimandrite Jonah (Stahlberg) and Archdeacon Vsevolod of the Holy Protection Cathedral in New York City. Present also were Orthodox clergy from Montréal, from other cities in Canada, and from elsewhere. In attendance were some representatives of the Anglican Church of Canada, and of the United Church of Canada.

After the conclusion of the funeral obsequies, the coffin of Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) was sent to the cemetery of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, where it was interred at the eastern wall of the Saint Platon Chapel (near that of Archbishop Arseny (Chahovtsov).

— Bishop of Montréal and Eastern Canada 1947. Preceded by : Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodumov). Succeeded by : Bishop Nikon (de Grève) (as Bishop of Toronto and Canada).

Saint Platon Chapel

Grave-marker at Saint Tikhon's Monastery Cemetery (3 views)

Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) and Archbishop Arseny (Chahovtsov) rest “around the corner” from each other, under the east and south walls of the Metropolitan Platon Chapel on the cemetery grounds. Having worked hard together in the Canadian field, the co-labourers for Christ now rest together. What is written for Bishop Antony can apply to Vladyka Arseny as well : "Here rests the great toiler of Canada, Right Reverend Antony (Tereshchenko)".

Reflections

Such a turn of events as this sudden death would cause any serious reader of North American Church history to sense an echo of the repose of the first hierarch sent to Alaska, Bishop Joasaph (Bolotov), whose ship sank very near the southwest coast of Alaska (not far from Kodiak Island) in 1799, just before he could even set foot on the continent. He had only just been ordained to be a bishop, and he was bringing with him not only material resources for the mission, but also additional clergy.

The unexpected and untimely departure of the beloved and competent Bishop Antony meant that the further development of the diocese by subdivision became impossible. Indeed, for many years following, it was not only difficult to find a bishop to serve the diocese, but clergy were also difficult to find to care for the rational sheep. The diocese could be said to have tried merely to survive as well as it could, and to maintain as much as possible what had existed until then.

The November meeting of the 7th All-American Sobor in Cleveland, Ohio, expressed by majority vote the desire to return to Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate (although this did not happen for another 2 decades). The Metropolia and the Moscow Patriarchate remained estranged. Nevertheless, this expressed desire to pursue such conversations in the future was an unacceptable position to the ROCOR for various reasons.

In the context of the estrangement from the Moscow Patriarchate and of the division with the ROCOR, together with the development of other ecclesiastical complications in the country, the following years were to be very difficult for the Archdiocese of Canada.

References

Archdiocese of Canada – Orthodox Church in America, “The Orthodox Church in Canada : A Chronology” (Ottawa : Archdiocese of Canada, 1988).

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America” (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

Drevo Encyclopaedia biography

Drevo Encyclopaedia biography (in Russian)

Russian Wikipedia biography

Russsian Wikipedia biography of Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) (in Russian)

Reference in "Russian Religious Personalities Abroad"

Additional information :

Sametz, William, “My father the priest : the life and times of the Very Reverend Dr. Peter Sametz : founding missionary priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada” (Toronto : Hypertex Plus, 2008). ISBN : 9780969670056.

“The Montreal Gazette” (4 May, 1947) Notice of Enthronement

Chronology of the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, Montreal

Obituary of Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko) was published in the “Montréal Gazette” on 29 September, 1947 on p. 15.

'U.S. Dignitaries to Act at Russian Bishop's Funeral' in the "Montreal Gazette", 2 October, 1947, p. 25

Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky)

Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky)

Metropolitan Gregory (Chukov)

Archbishop Leonty (Turkevich)

Bishop Arseny (Chahovtsov)

Archimandrite Jonah (Stahlberg)

Orthodoxwiki article about the Russian Orthodox Church

Wikipedia article about the Kursk oblast and city, Russia