Metropolitan Victor (Abou-Assaley)

Metropolitan Victor (Abou-Assaley) (1888-1934)

Victor may be spelt Viktor.

Abou may be spelt Abo, Abu (meaning "father of").

Assaley may be spelt Assaly, Assali.

Early life of Victor (Abou-Assaley)

Very little is known about the early life of Metropolitan Victor.

It is known, however, through oral transmission, that he was born in Aita El Foukhar, in the Bekaa Valley of what is present-day Lebanon. There is an estimate that he was born in about 1888. Before 1918, it was part of the Ottoman Empire). Nevertheless, it is clear that he grew up as an Orthodox Christian within the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

With regard to the family name "Abou-Assaley", this is how it is dealt with outside an Arabic-speaking culture. However, in such countries, "Abou" means "father of" and usually it refers to the name of the eldest son. Sometimes the father himself is not addressed by his own name in informal address. This is a variant in reverse on the use of the patronymic.

Higher education ; ordinations

Although it is not known at this time where he was educated or where and when he was ordained either to the Holy Diaconate or the Holy Priesthood, it is reasonable to believe that he had received a good education, probably abroad.

The study abroad (characteristic of the formation of many clergy at that time) was largely because of the concern of Patriarch Gregory IV (Haddad), who was patriarch from 1906, that the clergy have a good education that would support adequately their pastoral service and responsibilities. Besides the usual study at the Balamand Monastery, many were sent to Halki, Greece and to one of several schools in Russia for higher education before they were ordained to pastoral oversight.

It is also reported that this future bishop was a man who showed love towards everyone, and that he was very kind. This was certainly an imitation of the way of life of his patriarch, Patriarch Gregory IV (Haddad).

The patriarch was able to do such things because of substantial support which had been given to the patriarchate by the Russian Orthodox Church since the latter part of the 19th century. However, as a consequence of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, by the end of War I, the Church of Antioch was desperately in need of financial assistance.

Conditional assistance offered from the USA, 1922

After the end of World War I, a delegation led by the Rev'd William Chauncey Emhardt of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA (PECUSA) was sent to investigate the status of its missionary activities in Syria. It was there that Mr Emhardt established contact with Patriarch Gregory IV (Haddad). In the Orthodox Diocesan Office in Beirut, a meeting was held between Metropolitan Gerasim (Messara) and Mr Emhardt, and Hierodeacon Antony (Bashir) acted as translator. Mr Emhardt offered to help the Church of Antioch, provided that the Patriarch would acknowledge the validity of the sacraments of the Episcopal Church. Because of this, the Episcopal Church would do everything possible to ease the financial burden of the Church of Antioch. Obviously, this condition was rejected by the Patriarch. However, during the conversation, Mr Emhardt did mention that in September, 1922, there would be a general meeting of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Portland, Oregon. The Patriarch considered the possibility of sending a delegation to this convention in order to state the position of the Church of Antioch. He therefore decided to send a delegation that consisted of Metropolitan Gerasimos (Messara), Archimandrite Victor (Abou-Assaley) and Hierodeacon Antony (Bashir).

Archdeacon Antony (Bashir), Metropolitan Gerasimos (Messara), and Archimandrite Victor (Abou-Assaley) upon their arrival in America in 1922

Transfer to North America, 1922

In addition to the financial concern in Syria, by 1922, the Patriarch of Antioch had become concerned about the disorder that had developed in North America following the breakdown of the Russian North American diocese as a consequence of the Bolshevik Revolution.

Therefore, when he sent Metropolitan Gerasimos (Messara) to the USA to seek financial assistance, Metropolitan Gerasimos was asked also to assess the situation and to report about it.

After having met with participants in the Convention of the Episcopal Church, Metropolitan Gerasimos and Archdeacon Antony began to travel about in the USA, in Mexico, and in Cuba, and they requested of those they visited financial help for Saint George’s Hospital and for the Beirut Peace School. At the same time, they also visited the Antiochian Orthodox parishes, which had been or still were under the jurisdiction of the North American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Establishment of the Antiochian Archdiocese, 1924

The activities of Metropolitan Gerasimos, Archimandrite Victor and Deacon Antony made it possible to prepare for the creation of a diocese of the Antioch Orthodox Church in North America. Patriarch Gregory IV of Antioch, having blessed the establishment of this diocese in 1924, chose Archimandrite Victor (Abou-Assaley) to be its first bishop.

Episcopal ordination, 1924

On 11 September, 1924 (another source gives 8 November, 1924), Archimandrite Victor (Abou-Assaley) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate in the Dormition of the Theotokos Albanian Orthodox Church in Worcester, Massachusetts. The ordination was led by Metropolitan Zachariah (Avran), together with Metropolitan Panteleimon (Athanasiadis) of Nablus (Neapolis) in Palestine (who had arrived in the USA from the Church of Jerusalem in order to collect donations, but who remained until 1931).

Episcopal service

Metropolitan Victor (Abou-Assaley) was ordained to serve as the first Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, and it was his task to organise the Syrian parishes in North America into a single diocese for all.

Archimandrite Ananias (Kassab) was assigned to serve as the Vicar-general (Chancellor) of the diocese.

Metropolitan Victor began his pastoral efforts in order to fulfil his obedience. He found himself in a rather difficult situation, and he met with limited success, mostly because the Orthodox Christian presence in North America had become greatly chaotic as a consequence of the extended effects of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.

By the end of the 1920s, in North America, in addition to Metropolitan Victor, there were 3 other bishops who claimed to manage Antiochian Orthodox parishes. There were the Syrian parishes led by Bishop Aftimios (Ofiesh) within the Russian North American diocese. The majority of parishes stayed with him at that time. There was Metropolitan Germanos (Shehadi), who did not have the blessing to be in North America, but who had refused to return to Syria. There was Bishop Emmanuel (Abou-Hatab), a former assistant of Bishop Aftimios, who had become the bishop of parishes in the Russian North American Metropolia.

It was only in 1933 that Metropolitan Victor succeeded in uniting the Orthodox Christian Arabic-speakers in North America. It had been decided that Bishop Emmanuel (Abou-Hatab) would be transferred to the Patriarchate of Antioch, but he suddenly reposed in the Lord before this was accomplished. Archbishop Aftimios (Ofiesh) married someone, for which he was deprived of the episcopal dignity. Metropolitan Germanos (Shehadi) returned to Lebanon. Thus, with the environment greatly simplified and clarified, the Arabic-speaking Orthodox parishes came under the jurisdiction of the diocese of the Patriarchate of Antioch, led by Metropolitan Victor (Abou-Assaley).

Repose, 1934

However, Metropolitan Victor (Abou-Assaley) began to suffer from cancer, and he soon reposed in the Lord on 19 April, 1934. In accordance with his will, the funeral took place in Worcester, Massachusetts, and not in Brooklyn, New York, where his cathedral was located.

After the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Hierarch, his body was interred in Worcester, Massachusetts. His body was later transferred to the Antiochian Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

— Metropolitan of New York and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese 1924-1934. See was created. Succeeded by : Metropolitan Antony (Bashir).

Grave of Metropolitan Victor (Abou-Assaley) at Ligonier

Reflections

Lorraine Ferris, who knew Sayidna Victor, said : "When he died, everyone was devastated, because he was almost like a saint".

Metropolitan Victor (Abo-Assaley) of New York was the first primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of New York.

Immediately after his repose, the parishes that had been under his omophor were administered by Archimandrite Antony (Bashir), who had arrived in the USA independently in 1922 as a “missionary to the unchurched Syrians of America”.

After the repose of Metropolitan Victor, his memory remained in the shadow of his bright successors, beginning with Metropolitan Antony (Bashir). The fact that he served in North America in the midst of the chaos of various schisms that persisted for several decades is certainly a factor. For some reason also, it seems that historians and researchers have not paid much attention to the details of his life.

Even in 2021, very little information is available in English, a little more is available in Russian, and nothing at all seems to present itself in Arabic. Thus, no true biography of Metropolitan Victor has yet been published.

References

Boosahda, Elizabeth, “Arab-American Faces and Voices : The Origins of an Immigrant Community” (Austin, Texas : University of Texas Press, 2003). ISBN : 0-292-70919-6.

Tarasar, C J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976: Development of the Orthodox Church in America” (Syosett, New York : The Orthodox Church in America, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

Orthodoxwiki biography

Russian Wikipedia biography

Namee, Matthew, “Remembrances of Archbishop Victor Abo-Assaly”

Additional information :

Corey, George S, Gilquist, Peter E, Mackoul, Anne Glynn, Sam, Jean, Schneirla, Paul, eds., "The First One Hundred Years : A Centennial Anthology Celebrating Antiochian Orthodoxy in North America" (Englewood, NJ : Antakya Press, 1995). BX738.A753F57.

Morris, Archpriest John W, "The Historic Church: An Orthodox View of Christian History" (Author House, 2011).

Panchenko, Constantin A, “Arab Orthodox Christians under the Ottomans : 1516-1831”, translated by Samuel and Brittany Noble (Jordanville, NY : Holy Trinity Seminary Press, 2016). ISBN : 978-1-942699-08-8.

List of the Patriarchs of the Church of Antioch

"The Orthodox Church" by Thomas E Fitzgerald.

Orthodoxwiki article on American Orthodoxy

Saint Raphael (Hawaweeny)

Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky)

Archbishop Aftimios (Abdullah Ofiesh)

Bishop Emmanuel (Abou-Hatab)

Metropolitan Antony (Bashir)

Patriarch Gregory IV (Haddad)

Orthodoxwiki article about Patriarch Gregory IV (Haddad)

Wikipedia article about Patriarch Gregory IV (Haddad)

“The Life of Thrice Blessed Metropolitan Antony Bashir 1898-1966”