Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) (1876-1965)

Leonty may be spelt Leontiy, Leontios, Leontius.

Turkevich may be spelt Tourkevich, Tourkevitch, Turkevitch.

Early life of Leonid Ieronimovich Turkevich

Leonid Ieronimovich Turkevich was born in 1876 in Kremenets, in the Volhynian Governorate, which that time was in the Imperial Russia. Kremenets is not far from Pochaiv and the Dormition Pochaiv Lavra, and they all came to be part of the Ternopil Oblast of the region known as Western Ukraine in independent Ukraine. His father, the Archpriest Jerome (Ieronim) Iosifovich Turkevich was a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, the rector of the Kremenets Saint Nicholas Cathedral. He also served for a very long time as an assistant inspector of the Volyn Theological Seminary in Kremenets.

The Turkevich family had a long history in this region. The wife of Father Ieronim was Anna Antonovna Ivanitskaya, the daughter of a priest, and from a strongly Orthodox family of Volhynia. Three sons were given by the Lord to the couple : Benedict (Venedikt), Leonid and Ilarion (Benjamin).

Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Kremenets

Matushka Anna was diagnosed as suffering from cancer, and she reposed in the Lord in 1879. Just before her repose, her child Leonid had come to her room because he was upset about some matter. She took him up to her bed to comfort him. It was while he was in her arms that she fell asleep in the Lord.

All 3 sons were brought up under the strict supervision of their father, and they received an advanced spiritual education. They all followed their father in the service of the Church, and they eventually became the seventh generation of priests in the Turkevich clan.

Leonid Ieronimovich's primary and secondary education were in Kremenets.

From his early years, since the Turkevich and Hotovitsky families were close and friendly, he became friends with the older Alexander Hotovitzky (Khotovitsky).

Higher education

Leonid Ieronimovich's higher education followed the standard route of the time : first at the Volhynia Seminary (he graduated in 1895) ; and then, in 1896, on to higher education at the Kyiv Theological Academy. Its full title is the "Kievo-Mogilianskaya Akademia". At that time, one of the teachers was Archimandrite Platon (Rozhdestvensky). The title of his thesis was : "The Book of the Prophet Avvakum : Introduction and Exegesis". In 1900, Leonid Ieronimovich graduated from the Kyiv Academy with the degree Candidate of Theology. (Graduation from the academy implies having received the equivalent of a Ph.D.).

Because he had received a state scholarship for his education, he was required to work for 6 years in the education system of the Russian Orthodox Church. Therefore, upon his graduation from the academy, he began to serve as a teacher in ecclesiastical schools. This was followed by his teaching at a series of seminaries, including the seminary in Kursk in Central Russia.

Meanwhile, his brother Benedict Ieronimovich had entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1898. In that same year, he travelled to the USA. There, he served as a missionary and as a reader and leader of the choir in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Chicago, Illinois, under the leadership of Father John Kochurov. His younger brother Ilarion (Benjamin) studied at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. He then was sent to Bejing in China to serve as a Psalmist (a sort of cantor) under Bishop Innocent (Figurovsky), the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing. He joined the missionary work either before the time of the catastrophic Boxer Rebellion, or soon afterwards for the work of its reconstruction.

On 5 October, 1900, Leonid Ieronimovich was assigned to serve as the assistant inspector of the Ekaterinoslav Theological Seminary in Ekaterinoslav (later, Dnepropetrovsk, then Dnipro) in Ukraine.

On 4 July, 1902, he was assigned to teach at the Oboyan Theological School, where he also served as an administrator.

In 1903, Leonid Ieronimovich was again admitted to the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy. There, under the tutelage of Professor Akim Olesnitskii, he re-worked his earlier thesis about the Prophet Avvakum (Habakkuk) into a Master's Degree thesis. This publication had a far-reaching influence.

At the time when Leonid Ieronimovich was studying at the Kyiv Academy, Bishop Sylvestr (Malevanskii) was the rector, and other professors included Archimandrite Dimitrii (Kova'nitskii) and Professor Afanasii I Bulgakov.

In 1904, Leonid's brother Ilarion (Benjamin) contracted an illness in China, where he then reposed in Christ.

In 1905, Leonid was elevated to the status of Titular Councillor.

In 1905, his father, the Archpriest Jerome Turkevich, fell asleep in the Lord in Kremenets.

Marriage, 1905

In 1905, Leonid Ieronimovich was married to Anna Olympievna Chervinskaya, the daughter of a priest.

Diaconal ordination, 1905

On 26 September, 1905, Leonid Ieronimovich Turkevich was ordained to the Holy Diaconate.

Presbyteral ordination, 1905

On 28 September, 1905, Leonid Ieronimovich Turkevich was ordained to the Holy Presbyterate at the Dormition Monastery of Pochaiv, which is 23 km (15 mi) southwest of Kremenets.

Dormition Lavra, Pochaiv

Presbyteral service

The Priest Leonid Turkevich was initially assigned to serve as second priest at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Kremenets, where he was also assigned to teach catechism in the city's schools. However, he had also begun to think about becoming a missionary. First, he considered going to the new mission of Urmia in Persia (now called Iran). However, his attention was soon taken by North America.

Transfer to North America ; pastoral service, 1906

By 1906, the young and dynamic Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) of the North American diocese had already known about Father Leonid. When he visited at Kremenets, Vladyka had met him, and found him to be a suitable candidate to become the rector of the new seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thus, Father Leonid Turkevich and his family arrived in the USA in 1906, and Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) of the Aleutians and North America assigned him to be the rector of the newly-opened theological seminary.

Minneapolis Seminary and Saint Mary's Temple

Vladyka Tikhon also assigned him to serve as the rector of Saint Mary’s Church (Protection of the Theotokos) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he served until 1912. This parish had been brought from Uniatism into the Orthodox Christian Faith some 15 years earlier by Father Alexis Toth.

As was previously mentioned, Father Leonid's elder brother, Priest Benedict (Venedikt) Turkevich, had preceded him in North America :

 On 21 February, 1900, Benedict had married Theodora Antonovka Putkovskaya.  In the same year, 
 they moved to New York City, where Benedict Ieronimovich  served for some time as a reader in the 
 Saint Nicholas Cathedral.  Here, he was ordained by Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) to the Holy Diaconate on 
 29 March, 1902.  On the next day, Bishop Tikhon ordained him to the Holy Priesthood.  From 1902 to 1904, 
 Father Benedict Turkevich served as the rector of the Temple of the Holy Spirit in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  
 After this, in 1904, he was transferred and assigned to serve as the first rector of the new 
 Temple of the Holy Trinity in Yonkers, New York, where he served until 1914, when he returned to his 
 homeland.  
 
 During his stay in the USA, Father Benedict was the main publisher of the newspaper 'Svit' ('The Light'), 
 the official newspaper of the Russian Orthodox Mutual Aid Society, and he served as the chairman of this society.   
 He was also the publisher of the annual reference books of the North American Diocese.  Thanks to numerous 
 articles in the newspapers 'Svit' and the 'Russian-American Messenger', he was known throughout the missionary 
 diocese as a writer and preacher.  While in the USA, Father and Matushka Turkevich received from the Lord 8 children.

Priest Benedict Turkevich, Holy Trinity Church, Yonkers

Priest Leonid Turkevich, Rector of the North American Seminary

At the Minneapolis seminary, Father Leonid laid the foundation of the tradition for Orthodox pastoral education in North America. As one of Saint Tikhon’s closest advisors, he was elected chairman of the 1st All-American Sobor (Council), held in Mayfield, Pennsylvania in 1907. This was only 6 months after Father Leonid had taken up his new responsibilities.

First All-American Sobor, Mayfield, Pennsylvania, 1907

At this and subsequent assemblies, his leadership guided the continuing formulation of the Church’s developing missionary vision in North America. Thus, at this Sobor there was adopted the first Parish Statute (constitution).

At the conclusion of this sobor, Father Leonid said :

 May the Lord God, who is glorified in the Holy Trinity, be praised for deigning this ! May He be praised for
 allowing us to come together at this Council, to get to know one another ; and by the measure of our strength
 and discernment to come to the needed decisions.  Any betterment of these decisions, to strengthen them, will be
 worked on by our future Orthodox Councils, which, as all of us can see, are a necessity to meet at regular 
 intervals again and again.

His concluding words at the Sobor were :

 Renewed in spirit, with faith and hope in God, may our Church grow and be courageous, pure, loving, and strong in
 her unity ; may she draw into her bosom not only the Uniates, who are our brothers by blood, but advancing beyond
 the Russian race, may all those who live in America be drawn to the Holy Apostolic Church, so that there would be
 one flock and one Shepherd, Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and majesty with the Father and the Holy Spirit unto 
 ages of ages.

Minneapolis seminary and missionary school

Minneapolis seminarians ; Priests Alexander Kukulevsky, Leonid Turkevich, Professor Basil Bensin

Transfer to New Jersey, 1912

In 1912, when the seminary was relocated to Tenafly, New Jersey, Father Leonid moved east, and he continued his work at the seminary there.

Seminarians and teachers at Saint Platon's Seminary, Tenafly

Archpriest B Turkevich and his family | Archpriest L Turkevich and his family

As previously mentioned, in 1914, Father Benedict Turkevich and his family returned to Russia. Upon his return, he was assigned to serve as a military priest. This means that he served as a chaplain in the Imperial Army, and particularly during World War I.

Dean of Saint Nicholas Cathedral, New York City, 1914

In 1914, Father Leonid Turkevich succeeded the Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky as Dean of the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in New York City, and also as editor of the “Russian-American Orthodox Messenger”, the Church’s official periodical.

Saint Nicholas Cathedral, New York City

All-Russian Sobor (Assembly, Council), Moscow, 1917-1918

Father Leonid Turkevich, together with Father Alexander Kukulevsky, accompanied Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky) to represent the North American diocese at the All-Russian Sobor of 1917-1918 in Moscow, Russia. Father Benedict Turkevich was also a delegate at this sobor, as a representative of the Diocese of Volyn. This assembly of 564 delegates convened on 15 August, 1917, and the plenary meetings were at first in the Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. The chairman was Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin).

At the Sobor, Father Leonid championed the restoration of the patriarchal system of Church governance that had been abolished by Tsar Peter I 2 centuries earlier, in 1721. The debate about this fundamental concern lasted until 28 October, 1917. By that time, the Bolshevik Revolution of 25 October had occurred. On 28 October, it was decided and decreed that

 the Russian Orthodox Church's administration is to be headed by a patriarch, who is to be considered 
 the 'first among equal bishops' and who is subordinate and accountable to a national Sobor which 
 retained supreme legislative, administrative, judicial and inspection power in the Church.

In this decision, the Council restored the patriarchate, and it also defined the authority and limitations of the patriarchate. Then followed debate on the manner of choosing the patriarch, and on 5 November, 1917, the voting procedure took place. Father Leonid Turkevich was given the blessing to be a nominator of Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) for this responsibility. He later expressed gratitude to God that he had had this blessing. It had been decided that the choice amongst the 3 candidates with the most votes would be by lot. Shortly thereafter, a starets (elder) extracted the name of the new patriarch from the chalice : Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) of Moscow, who became Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia. On 21 November, 1917, Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) was installed as the first patriarch of the Church of Russia since the early 18th century. The enthronement took place in the Kremlin's Dormition Cathedral (historically the cathedral Temple of the City of Moscow).

On 7 December, 1917, a new Holy Synod of Bishops was established. It was to consist of 12 members. The Patriarch of Moscow would be chairman "ex officio", and the Metropolitan of Kyiv would have a permanent seat on this synod, "ex officio". Other members were to be chosen for terms of 1 to 3 years. Further decisions were taken with regard to the organisation of the government of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In Red Square : procession passing the Iveron Chapel towards the Resurrection Gates

This assembly met under extremely adverse and dangerous circumstances, especially after the October Revolution of 1917. By 2 November, there was shooting and constant artillery fire, and commotion everywhere day and night. A house near where Father Leonid stayed was on fire. Despite the danger, and having to dodge bullets while walking, as many delegates as possible continued to meet. There was considerable uncertainty and confusion. It seemed to many that society was in danger of descending to anarchy. It was in such an environment that the patriarchal election took place 3 days later.

Session of the All-Russian Sobor

Characteristically for Father Leonid (as he did throughout his whole life), he wrote very many poems that expressed his feelings and his perception of the events through which he lived. He was constantly missing his family and he was torn as to whether he should return home or remain to the end of the meetings. At the same time, he did not have money to enable a premature departure. Throughout, he maintained a good relationship with Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky). During this time, the Temples and palaces in the Kremlin were badly damaged by the revolutionaries, and the German Army was advancing towards Moscow. Meetings were held at Christ the Saviour Sobor near the Kremlin.

Dormition Cathedral, Moscow Kremlin Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Moscow

The meetings continued until 20 September, 1918, when financial resources for the meetings were depleted. At the end of the sobor, Father Benedict Turkevich moved to Warsaw, Poland, where he served the Church for the rest of his life.

Return to North America via Siberia

However, because his family was suffering from poverty and illness, Father Leonid decided to try to return home. He took the blessing to do so, and he was able to leave Moscow in March, 1918. However, because of the revolution and the war, Father Leonid was unable to return to the USA by the usual route. He had hoped perhaps to depart by Arkhangelsk, but this route proved not to be possible. His only route home was by travelling eastwards.

In the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution, during his journey back to the USA (through Siberia and Japan), he witnessed along the way the horrors which the newly-established Bolshevik regime was inflicting on the Church and her Faithful. In fact, the trans-Siberian route would have been a somewhat safer route by which to return to North America at that time, in part because the White Army was present in this region. Nevertheless, it took him a year to arrive at Irkutsk, and once he arrived at Vladivostok, he had to wait there a long time. He sailed by ship across the Pacific Ocean, and he arrived on the West Coast of the USA only in the summer of 1919.

Through the remaining decades of his service, Father Leonid was required to face the many consequences of that revolution. Father Leonid’s experiences at the Moscow Sobor (council) clearly filled him with a vision and model for subsequent All-American sobors in North America, and for the development of Church life.

In 1924, at the 4th All-American Sobor in Detroit, he thus came to be in a leadership position. This assembly had been convoked by Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky). During the sobor, Father Leonid promoted a course for American autonomy based upon the decisions of the Moscow Sobor. It was at that sobor in Detroit that a temporary autonomy was declared. From that time, this temporarily autonomous Church began to be known as "The Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America" (ROGCCNA), and it began to be known familiarly as "The Metropolia".

Widowhood, 1925

The repose of his wife in 1925 caused him great sorrow. It came in the context of the take-over of Saint Nicholas’ Cathedral in New York by the “Living Church”, and the expulsion of Father Leonid and his family onto the street.

After the death of Matushka Anna, that he be elevated to the Holy Episcopate was proposed to Father Leonid almost immediately. However, he initially rejected this, out of concern for the continued raising of his 5 children.

It is the opinion of some that his active opposition to Renovationism caused the early failure of this Soviet entity in the USA.

Monastic tonsure, 1933

In 1933, he accepted nomination, and he was tonsured to be a monk. He was given the name Leonty.

The Hieromonk Leonty (Turkevich) was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite.

Episcopal ordination, 1933

On 10 July, 1933, the Archimandrite Leonty (Turkevich) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate by Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky), Bishop Theophilus (Pashkovsky) and Bishop Alexei (Panteleev).

Episcopal service : Bishop of Chicago, 1933

On 10 July, 1933, Bishop Leonty (Turkevich) was assigned to be the Bishop of Chicago.

Bishop Leonty (Turkevich)

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Fifth All-American Sobor, 1934

Although he had been a hierarch (bishop) for scarcely more than a year when the 5th All-American Sobor was convened in 1934, in order to choose a successor to the late Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky), many considered Bishop Leonty (Turkevich) to be the most viable candidate. However, when the sobor’s delegates debated the proper procedure for electing a Primate, Bishop Leonty suggested that they simply acknowledge the senior hierarch, Archbishop Theophilus (Pashkovsky), to be the Primate. To this suggestion, the delegates responded with a resounding cry of “Axios” (worthy), and thus, they chose Archbishop Theophilus (Feofil) to be the Metropolitan of All-America and Canada. While he served in this capacity, he kept his title of Archbishop of San Francisco.

Bishop Leonty was blessed with the gift of making peace and bridging misunderstandings. He maintained a friendly relationship with Metropolitan Anastasy (Gribanovsky).

In 1936, when he learnt of the repose of Metropolitan Antony (Khrapovitsky), he sent a very touching letter of condolence to the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in Serbia. He recalled the fact that, when his own father had reposed in Christ, Vladyka Antony had taken him "under his wing" as a second father.

In 1937, Bishop Leonty (Turkevich) led in the adoption of a constitution for the Church, organised as a Metropolitan District with a Metropolitan, a Bishops’ Council, and a Metropolitan Council. Although this was progress, these organisational efforts have been considered by some to be inadequate, given the immaturity of intra-Church relationships at the time.

In 1938, through his efforts, 2 theological seminaries were founded : Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York City, and Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. They became the main centres of Orthodox education in North America. In both of them, Vladyka Leonty subsequently served as rector. Thanks to his concern for spiritual education, such eminent theologians as Protopresbyter A D Schmemann, Professor S S Verhovskoy, Professor A A Bogolepov, Protopresbyter J F Meyendorff and others eventually emigrated from Europe to the USA in order to teach and write.

In 1944, Bishop Leonty (Turkevich) headed the commemorative committee celebrating the 150th anniversary of Orthodoxy in North America.

In November, 1945, Bishop Leonty (Turkevich) was elevated to the dignity of archbishop.

In 1946, he became one of the contributors to the decisions of the 7th All-American Sobor in Cleveland, Ohio, which appealed to the Moscow Patriarchate with a request to restore relations on the condition of maintaining broad autonomy (in fact, autocephaly) of the American flock. Since this petition was not accepted, Vladyka Leonty (Turkevich) rose up against the rapprochement of the American Metropolia with both the Moscow Patriarchate and the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). A division between the Metropolia and the ROCOR had arisen, since the ROCOR did not agree with approaching the Church of Russia, because of the atheist Communist government in the USSR and its pressures on the Church. At that time, the new (1944) Patriarch of Moscow was Patriarch Alexei I (Simansky).

In response, by a resolution of 12 December, 1947, by the Patriarch and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, a ban was imposed on Metropolitan Leonty, and he was brought to court there (in absentia) by the Holy Synod of Russia. He was banned for "resistance to reunification with the Mother Church and the illegal anathematisation of Archbishop Macarius (Ilyinsky)", who had been reunited with Moscow Patriarchate. The Church of Russia responded in this manner because of pressure from the Soviet authorities, whose attempt had been thwarted to bring the "Metropolia" under their influence. Despite the ban, occasional communication between the 2 entities did occur subsequently.

On 29-30 March, 1947, Archbishop Leonty (Turkevich) participated with Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) in the ordination to the Holy Episcopate of Bishop Anthony (Tereshchenko) at the Holy Virgin Protection Church in New York. He was to become the Bishop of Montréal and Eastern Canada, as part of a hoped-for development of the Canadian archdiocese into 3 districts. He also wrote many articles in the “American Orthodox Messenger” with regard to the positive characteristics of the new bishop.

In 1950, Metropolitan Anastasy (Gribanovsky) of the ROCOR had been forced to leave Serbia and to live in Austria for a time. From there, he hoped to be able to emigrate to the USA, but there was negative publicity about him and his relationship with the German government during World War II which posed obstacles. Nevertheless, Bishop Leonty wrote a character reference for him to the government of the USA, and this seems to have helped to open the door for his entrance to the USA.

Until 1950, Bishop Leonty had continued to shepherd his Midwest flock, while he served as the foremost assistant to Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) in guiding the Church through World War II. There had been until 1946 a decade-long period of ecclesiastical synergy and peace with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the reopening in 1938 of theological seminaries in North America, and (as mentioned previously) a failed attempt in 1946 to end the several decades of estrangement from the Church in Russia.

Since his arrival in the USA, Bishop Leonty (Turkevich) had been in the centre of the life of the North American Church, and he was thus the best (perhaps the only) candidate to be the new metropolitan upon the repose of Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) in 1950. Upon the repose of Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky), Archbishop Leonty (Turkevich) of Chicago and Minneapolis was assigned by the Council of Bishops to serve as the locum tenens of the Diocese of New York and of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America.

Eighth All-American Sobor : Metropolitan of All America and Canada, 1950

Therefore, during the 8th All-American Sobor (5-8 December, 1950), Archbishop Leonty (Turkevich) was chosen almost by acclamation to be the new Metropolitan of All America and Canada. The delegates understood that he was one of the true builders of the North American Church.

The enthronement took place at the time of this sobor in the Holy Protection Cathedral in New York City.

Bishop Leonty (Turkevich) was immediately elevated to the dignity of metropolitan.

Holy Protection Cathedral, New York

Vladyka Leonty was succeeded in Chicago by Bishop Dionysius (Dyachenko).

The period of his service as metropolitan was marked by steady growth in the Metropolia, and its rooting more deeply in North America.

Metropolitan Leonty kept his special love for the seminaries, and he constantly sent gifts and offerings to them. He also remained a theologian, a graduate of the academy. Until the end of his days, he continued to refine his great work about the Prophet Ezekiel.

During the following years, Metropolitan Leonty was given the responsibility more than once to serve as "locum tenens" for the Diocese of Canada when there was no diocesan bishop available to serve in Canada. One of these times, when he served as the Locum Tenens of the Diocese of Montréal and Canada, had been in 1951-1952. It fell to him to bless what was necessary for the continuing life of the parishes in Canada, and to pray for and search for suitable candidates to take leadership responsibilities, and perhaps to be ordained. During this period, it was not so easy to find viable candidates to serve as priests in Canada, and harder yet to find a viable candidate to serve as its bishop. In 1951, Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) tried to further the previous plan of triple administration in Canada, and in 1951, Bishop Nikon (de Grève) was assigned to Toronto, Ontario, to be the bishop for Canada.

In 1953, Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) was awarded the honourary degree of Doctor of Theology by the Saint Sergius Institute in Paris, France.

Serving in San Francisco, 1954

On 11 July, 1954, the Great Sanctification of the new Temple of the Holy Resurrection in Vancouver, British Columbia, was conducted by Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich), assisted by Bishop Nikon (de Grève) of Toronto, Bishop John (Shahovskoy) of San Francisco, and Bishop John (Zlobin) of Alaska.

Holy Resurrection Temple, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1954

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) guided the Church in the establishment of a solid canonical and institutional foundation. Structure was given to the Church through the adoption of a governing Statute in 1955, at the 9th All-American Sobor on 8-10 November, in New York City.

 It was only at the 1955 Sobor that, after much heated debate, the North American Church was finally able to adopt 
 a definitive and extensive Statute which clearly outlined the structure of her existence and incorporated the 
 particularities of church life in North America while fully conforming to canon law and the Holy Tradition of 
 the universal Orthodox Church. (A P Liberovsky)

Through the Sobors held under Metropolitan Leonty’s leadership, the Statutes (Constitution) of the Church were adopted and refined. A central administration was formed, matured, and placed on a permanent and stable footing. An administrative structure was refined. It consisted of a Synod of Bishops and a Metropolitan Council. This time, the structure functioned better. The Metropolitan Council was patterned after the model of the Diocesan Council which was established by the 1917-1918 Moscow Sobor, and it consisted of both clerical and lay representatives elected by the All-American Sobors.

At first, Metropolitan Leonty had a “central administration” that handled daily tasks. Those who did this work were volunteer parish priests and dedicated lay-persons. The lively family spirit of those days is still fondly remembered by some of the senior clergy and lay-perons who did this work or experienced the work in progress. The 11th All-American Sobor held in New York in 1963 gave final shape to the central organisation (later called the Central Administration) by establishing the 3 officers : Chancellor, Secretary and Treasurer, who would be appointed by the Synod of Bishops upon nomination by the Metropolitan Council.

With his blessing, the first English-language parishes were established. Various pan-Orthodox initiatives were undertaken in which he participated, including the founding of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, and the Orthodox Christian Education Commission. Preliminary steps were taken to heal the rift with the Church in Russia, which ultimately paved the way for autocephaly for The Orthodox Church in America.

Purchase of the Westwood Estate near Syosset, Long Island, 1957

In the mid-1950s, an estate at Oyster Bay Cove, Long Island, with its large house built in 1914, was to be sold by the widow of the original owner, Mr. Lewis Cass Ledyard, Jr. After various considerations and consultations, it was determined that the main part of this estate would be sold to a not-for-profit entity, the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America. Thus, on 31 December, 1957, for the nominal sum of $1.00 (plus closing costs), the Church acquired the 15-acre Westwood property at Oyster Bay. The Church was unable to purchase any additional acreage that was being offered for sale because of inadequate funds. Thus, the house and surrounding land were in fact a gift to the Church from Mrs. Ruth Griswold. Although it is officially in Oyster Bay Cove township, because of its proximity to the hamlet Syosset, and the fact that this is the postal-address of the estate, the residence came to be known popularly as "Syosset".

New residence of Metropolitan Leonty, future chancellory offices

Within a short time, the necessary renovations of the building were completed, and a chapel was established in the former library. On 1 July, 1958, the house was blessed, and it was formally presented to Metropolitan Leonty as his residence. On 11 October, 1958, the Saturday following the old calendar Feast-day of Saint Sergius, the solemn dedication of Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel took place. Several hierarchs as well as clergy and laity from New York area parishes attended both these events. Very soon, a community of Faithful came into existence, which made the chapel their church home. The offices of the administration of the Church naturally began slowly to develop on this site.

Metropolitan Leonty visits Washington, DC, 1958

For many years he continued to teach pastoral theology at both seminaries, and he regretted that his infirmities did not allow him, because of waning strength, to teach the Hebrew language. Vladyka's theological sermons were always distinguished by vividness ; they expressed his poetic nature, which also found expression in about 2,000 poems contained in his personal archives.

Besides all these things, Metropolitan Leonty, truly a man of balance in Christ, was known to be a man of prayer, an ascetic, and a lover-of-the-poor. He was always ready and prepared to give alms to the needy. He also gave shelter to some of them. We are told that Metropolitan Leonty very often went on foot in New York City, even in the neighbouring Bowery (at that time a very depressed area). It is often spoken of him that, because of his Christ-like behaviour, and his fair treatment of all human beings, the members of the motor-cycle gangs that used to be neighbours to the Protection Cathedral added their protection to this cathedral and to its parishioners and clergy.

Man of peace : “receive them with love”

True to his vision of the future of the Orthodox Christian Faith in North America, Vladyka Leonty did not have hostility towards the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and he repeatedly visited and received Metropolitan Anastasy (Gribanovsky) of the ROCOR. He likewise did not have hostility towards the Church of Russia in his homeland, especially because she was so hard-pressed by the Communists. He kept the doors open, as it were, to a possible reconciliation, and he showed himself open to the resumption of negotiations with the Moscow Patriarchate.

1963 visit of Archbishop Nikodim (Rotov)

In this vein, in 1963, he received Archbishop Nikodim (Rotov) of Yaroslavl for a visit. This visit came about when Archbishop Nikodim asked Father Alexander Schmemann at Saint Vladimir's Seminary, through Dr. Paul Anderson, whether he might visit the seminary. Father Alexander described the encounter :

One rainy evening, in March of 1963, Dr. Paul Anderson, an old friend of Orthodoxy, called me at St. Vladimir's
Seminary and informed me that Archbishop Nikodim, head of a delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate visiting the
United States, had expressed a desire to visit the Seminary, and that he and his companions were to arrive in about
two hours. I told Dr. Anderson that I must ask permission to receive the delegation and would call Metropolitan
Leonty. I still remember the weak and soft voice of the old Metropolitan who, after listening to me, said : 'he who
comes to me I will not cast out (John 6:37). Receive them with love'. And thus one hour later a bus stopped at the
doorstep of the Seminary, and some fifteen Russian hierarchs, priests and laymen entered the building. The seminarians
were already at Vespers in the Chapel. So having welcomed our guests in the name of the Metropolitan, I invited them
to the Chapel.
They prayed with us, praised the student choir, and then, at a rapidly organised reception, Archbishop Nikodim took me
aside and said that, in his opinion, the time was ripe for 'resolving our misunderstandings'. Were we ready to discuss
them ? My answer was that all I could do was to inform the Metropolitan and try to arrange a personal encounter between
him and Archbishop Nikodim. This was done, and a few days later, Archbishop Nikodim came to the Metropolitan's residence
at Syosset, Long Island.
I will never forget the nearly ninety-year-old Metropolitan as he slowly came down the stairs to meet his guests, dressed
as usual in his white riason, so majestic, so sure of himself, and yet so simple and joyful, so obviously the head of the
Church to which he had given his entire life. At the end of the dinner, he made a speech in which, after having expressed
his joy to see representatives of the Mother Church after so many years of mutual alienation, he spoke of his participation
at the Moscow Sobor of 1917-1918, of his experiences in Russia afire with revolutionary chaos, of the path followed by the
Metropolia.
It was the speech of someone who knows where he stands and who, because he knows it and carries upon himself the ultimate
responsibility, knows what to expect from the future.

Father Schmemann commented that nothing serious was discussed at this time, but he was certain that this encounter made very clear that the past differences were now irrelevant. Because of the manifest love of Metropolitan Leonty for the Russian Church and his clarification of the nature of the Orthodox Church in North America, matters changed. He added that "It was an encounter in depth ; that which was not said was, in a way, more important than that which was said". Indeed, this encounter did lead to the dialogues and negotiations which culminated in the granting of autocephaly in 1970.

A solid administrative structure for the North American Church was, indeed, in place by the time of Metropolitan Leonty’s repose.

At Saint Sergius Chapel, Syosset

First steps towards an inter-jurisdictional assembly of bishops

In the late 1950s, in advance of the 1960 establishment of the "Standing Committee of Orthodox Bishops in the Americas", there was a meeting of the "Federated Orthodox Greek Catholic Primary Jurisdictions".

Meeting of the Federated Orthodox Greek Catholic Primary Jurisdictions

Of the 12 persons pictured, some are at present identified : 1. Bishop Germanos (Polyzoides) of Nyssa, Greek Archdiocese ; 2. Priest George Grabbe, ROCOR Chancellor ; 5. Bishop Demetrios (Makris) of Olympus, Greek Archdiocese Chancellor ; 6. Metropolitan Antony (Bashir), Antiochian Archdiocese ; 7. Archbishop Michael (Konstantinides), Greek Archdiocese ; 8. Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich), Russian Metropolia ; 9. Bishop Bohdan (Shpylka), Ukrainian Archdiocese.

Metropolitan Leonty in his prayer-corner

Repose, 1965

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) reposed in the Lord on 14 May, 1965, at his residence in Oyster Bay Cove, New York.

The preliminary services and the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Hierarch were offered at the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in New York. Many bishops, priests, deacons, and a large number of people participated in the funeral services.

After the funeral services, Metropolitan Leonty's body was then transferred to the cemetery at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, where it was interred immediately outside the Holy Altar (apse) of the Temple, at the southeast corner.

Funeral of Metropolitan Leonty, Holy Protection Cathedral, New York City

Grave of Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)

— Bishop of Chicago 1933-1945. Preceded by : Bishop Paul (Gavrilov).

— Archbishop of Chicago 1945-1950. Succeeded by : Archbishop Dimitry (Magan).

— Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada (Metropolia) 1950-1965. Preceded by : Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) (as Metropolitan of San Francisco). Succeeded by : Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish).

Sanctity

Since the time of his repose, there have been many persons who have considered that Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) is a holy man, and they have maintained a spiritual relationship with him that reflects this. These are people who knew him in this life. They saw his sufferings and his trust in Christ. They have had experience of the fruit of his intercessions.

Feast-day

Were he to be glorified, the Feast-day of the holy Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) would be 14 May, the day of his repose in the Lord.

Reflections

Those who were blessed to have known Metropolitan Leonty cherish his humility, prayerfulness, meekness, dignity, kindness, generosity, forbearance, thoughtfulness, sense of humour, vision, erudition and wisdom. Many who knew Metropolitan Leonty (and many who only know about him) consider him truly to be a saint. This consideration is not simply because of his prominent role in the history of The Orthodox Church in America. It is more because of the personal experience that very many had of him as he lived his life in Christ in a peaceful, hopeful, simple, loving, selfless, prayerful manner. Vladyka Metropolitan Leonty was truly a man of prayer, and his generosity and care for those in need was very well-known. He personally cared for the homeless and for the destitute. He ate little. He prayed much. There are anecdotes of various people having seen him on various occasions walking on the grounds of the chancery and praying. His feet, however, were not always walking on the ground.

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann wrote about him :

From the time of Archbishop Tikhon and for nearly half a century, he was at the center of the Church's life,
and his election as Metropolitan in 1950 was a natural crowning of that total commitment. The formula of
St. Cyprian of Carthage, 'the Church is in the Bishop and the Bishop is in the Church,' has seldom had a more
adequate proof of its veracity.

What, however, distinguished Metropolitan Leonty from many of his 'immigrant' contemporaries and colleagues,
was his vision of American Orthodoxy, of the particular destiny and vocation of the Orthodox Church in the
New World. He developed that vision long before the tragic events of 1917-1918 'forced it', so to speak,
on the Church, at a time when the very idea of the universal, transnational nature of Orthodoxy was virtually
absent from Orthodox consciousness not only here but everywhere. Already in 1916, in his article on
'The Tasks of Orthodoxy in North America', he affirmed his conviction that it is in America 'that the Orthodox Church
will manifest her universality in all her strength, reveal her creative ability organically to integrate all
elements composing her [...]' and spoke of the future autocephaly. At the same time, having witnessed the revolutionary
chaos in Russia and also the creative response to it of the Russian Church at her historic Moscow Sobor, he returned
to America a convinced partisan of the 'sobornost' [unity, community], the active participation in, and responsibility
for, the life of the Church of all her members, laity as well as clergy. He saw no contradiction between his
unfaltering loyalty to his Russian roots, to the ideals and inspiration of Russian Orthodoxy and his commitment
to a great and permanent and truly 'universal' Orthodox Church in America. The latter was for him the true goal
and the self-evident fulfillment of the Russian mission. If this vision made him eminently qualified to lead the Church
through a difficult time of transition, it is his truly unique charisma of pastoral patience and generosity that assured the
ultimate success of this transition, made it into an organic rather than critical process. His mere presence, quite often
silent and apparently 'non-committal,' had a deeply pacifying effect on the passions and controversies which were raging
around him. It is as if understanding all points of view, seeing the partial truth of each of them, he transcended all of them,
preserving within himself the unity and the 'wholeness' of the Church which so often were endangered by human passions. No one
who attended it will ever forget his funeral in May 1965, at the New York Cathedral and then St. Tikhon's Monastery. On that day
one almost physically felt a renewed gift of unity, a new and wonderful reality of the Church, which our old Father in Christ
left with us as he was called to God.

At the time of the funeral of Metropolitan Leonty, Archpriest Alexader Schememann said :

 It is [...] a glorious day.  So much love, so much light, so much holiness have been given to us by God !  
 And it depends on us to make them the foundation of our life, the starting point of a new era.  And as we 
 now, in faith and gratitude, take leave of our beloved Father, we can in joy and confidence address to him 
 the eternal words of the Paschal Liturgy : 'Christ is risen and no dead are in the grave ; Christ is Risen 
 and life triumphs'.  Through the prayers of our blessed Father, teacher, and Bishop Leonty, O Christ, 
 Son of God, help us to continue steadfast in the way that Thou has revealed in him.  Amen.
 (Archpriest Alexander Schmemann, funeral sermon, The Legacy of Metropolitan Leonty,  in 'The Orthodox Church',
 June-July, 1965 (Vol. 1, No. 6), p. 7).

It is not simply we who determine who is especially holy. The Lord reveals to us who is holy. It is He who gives indications about a person to whom He has given the blessing to intercede for us and for the world. In fact, there are very many persons throughout the world who are locally recognised as being holy persons, but whose names have not been added to more official calendars. There are also persons who are recognised by the Faithful as being holy, but whose names have not been recognised officially in any manner. Fundamentally, it may be said that everyone who is admitted by the Lord into the Kingdom of Heaven by definition becomes holy, by being fully in the Presence of the Lord, "before His Face", as members of the Body of Christ, and in harmony with the Lord's direction : “Be holy, for I am holy” (3 Moses 11:44, 45 ; 19:2 ; 1 Peter 1:16). We in this life come to know those particular persons whose intercession has been blessed by the Lord to be effective for our health and salvation.

At the time of the interment at Saint Tikhon's Monastery, Bishop Kiprian (Borisevich) eulogised him when the coffin arrived at the monastery. Amongst the words he spoke, he included these remarks addressed to the departed hierarch :

An entire era is passing away with you, our dear Vladiko and First Hierarch. I will not make a mistake
if I say that for one year short of sixty years you served the Lord God, serving Holy Orthodoxy here in
America. I was in charge, due to your wish, of going through your writings and your works. I happened
to get closely familiar with a number of your sermons, with your daily sermons that you preached during
morning prayers at the Seminary in Minneapolis and then in Tenafly, where you gave everything that your
soul was filled with, your heart was filled with, and all of what your great and rich mind had within. [...]

Here, at the entrance to our Temple, is an image of The Mother of God of Pochaev, before which you prayed
numerous times. And you described so beautifully, in your work about your childhood and teenage years in
the blessed Kremenets, the beauty of the Orthodox spirit of the Pochaev Cloister.

Come then, dear Vladiko and our Merciful Archpastor and Father, and be among the Orthodox missionaries,
who served Orthodoxy in America. Find for yourself here, among them, and next to one of the great missionaries,
the ever-memorable priest Aleksei Toft, the place of your eternal repose.

May the memory of you, your missionary works, and your pastoral and Archpastoral service live among the
Orthodox descendants forever. May this memory live not only among us, but also among those who will come
after us, and those who will come after them.

May the Lord remember your hierarchical service in His Kingdom always, now and forever. Amen.

Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko wrote about Metropolitan Leonty that he certainly lived up to the words of the Apostle Paul. He was "all things to all people", as was engraved on his grave-marker. This refers to what the Apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22 : "to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some". Father Hopko further wrote,

 If there ever was a description of the spirit and aim of the original Russian Orthodox Missionary Diocese 
 in North America that came to be The Orthodox Church in America (OCA), this is it, engraved on the tombstone
 and embodied in the person who was surely its longest, and most faithful, most fervent, and most humble and 
 memorable servant and leader.  How strange it is that today, 50 years after this man's death, this vision
 and aim would still have to be defended even in the Church to which he gave his entire life for over half
 a century. 
 
 And how strange it is as well, and how unfitting, that he is not yet numbered among the Church's canonised
 Saints who already include Fr. Jacob Netsvetov, Bishop Raphael Hawaweeny, and Fr. Alexis Toth [...].
 
 In my opinion, he deserves above all to be honoured as American Orthodoxy's preeminent 'protector', 
 'preserver', and guardian.

In 1990, Father Hoko wrote :

 Metropolitan Leonty’s meaning and message were simple and clear.  The Orthodox Church in North America must be 
 the Church and nothing but the Church.  It must serve God alone.  It must exist only for people’s salvation.  
 It must be contaminated by no political, ethnic, ecclesiastical or ideological causes of any sort.  It must have 
 the best educated and most devoted leadership.  It must be fully conciliar (sobornal) at every level of its life 
 and mission.  It must be free, joyful, open, honest, full of hope and fearlessly magnanimous to friend and foe 
 alike.  Its rhetoric and its reality must be one and the same.  It must be single-mindedly consecrated to serving 
 God and people of every nationality and race in the place where the Lord has put it. 
 (Archpriest Thomas Hopko, A Person of Authentic Piety and Prayer, in The Orthodox Church, May-June 1990 
 (Vol. 26, No. 5-6), p. 9).

Awards and Honours

• Nabedrennik (27 December, 1905)

• Skufia (5 April, 1906)

• Kamilavka (from the Holy Synod, 29 June, 1909)

• Order of Saint Anna, 2nd degree (highest degree, 6 May, 1912)

• Gold Missionary Cross (from the EIV Office)

• Honourary Doctor of Theology Degree from Saint Sergius Theological Institute, Paris, 1953

• The right to wear 2 Panagias (from the Great Council of Bishops of the Metropolia, 8 May, 1957)

• The bearing before him of the Processional Cross during the Divine Services (from the Great Council of Bishops of the Metropolia, 8 May, 1957)

Writings

• “The Book of Avvakum : Introduction and Exegesis”, Ph.D. thesis (1900).

• “Essays of Orthodox Theology” (New York, 1918).

• ‘Brief about Evlogij (Georgievskij)’ in “Church Herald of the Western European Diocese”, no. 8 (1934), pp. 8-10.

• “The Life and Works of His Eminence Metropolitan Leonty” (New York, 1969) – contains a rich collection of sermons, words, lectures, articles and poems of Vladyka.

• ‘Religious motifs in the works of A. S. Pushkin’ in “Collection of Articles by the Hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church on A S Pushkin” (Ed. AARDM, 1986)

• “The Face of Pushkin : Speeches delivered at a ceremonial Meeting of the Theological Institute in Paris”, 2nd ed. (Paris : YMCA-Press, 1977).

• ‘The Seven Gifts : Address on the occasion of the elevation to the rank of Archpriest of Fr Alexander Schmemann (1953)’ in “St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly”, vol. 28, no. 1 (1984), pp. 25-31.

• ‘Prayer for the Military’ in “Orthodox Herald” (May, 2003)

• “Guidelines for Readers and Others : Minneapolis Parish” (26 March, 1908), subjects : services, training of readers.

• “Essays on Orthodox Theology” (New York : 1918), unknown binding. ASIN : B0008CLLJY.

Partial bibliography of articles from various sources about the metropolitan :

• “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, no. 1 (1948), p. 11 ; no. 1 (1954), p. 18 ; no. 3 (1955), p. 74 and no. 4, pp. 15 & 18 ; 1957, no. 3 (1957) p. 26 and no. 6, p. 66 ; 1960, no. 2 (1960), p. 32 and no. 11, p. 17 and no. 12, p. 68.

• Schmemann, Protopresbyter Alexander, “To preserve and pass on : A Remembrance of Metropolitan Leonty”.

• “Russian Orthodox Churches”, p. 155.

• “Our Country” in “Buenos Aires”, no. 799 (18 May, 1965).

• “The New Russian Word”, no. 7419 (New York, 20 May, 1933).

• “Seeding”, no. 22 (Frankfurt am Main, 1965), p. 993.

• “Russia” (New York, 11 July, 1950).

• “Russian Thought”, no. 2312 (Paris, 25 May, 1965) ; no. 2332 (10 July, 1965) and no. 2780 (5 March, 1970).

• “Hourly”, no. 2780 (Paris, 5 March, 1970).

• “IKZ”, no. 41 (1951), p. 202 ; no. 55 (1965), p. 135.

• “Life and Works of His Eminence Metropolitan Leonty” (New York, 1969), pp. 9-26 ; pp. 227-234 ; p. 237, passim.

• “Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America” (New York, 1945), p. 155.

Synaxis of the Saints of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Chicago Blessed Leonty

References

Ford, David C, ed. "The Life and Work of Metropolitan Leonty 1876-1965" (Waymart, Pennsylvania : Saint Tikhon's Monastery Press, 2019). ISBN : 978-1-7328522-2-8.

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.

OCA biography by A P Liberovsky

Orthodoxwiki biography

Wikipedia biography

Drevo biography

Russian-speakers in Emigration biography

Additional information :

A I, "The Life and Works of His Eminence Metropolitan Leonty" (New York, 1969), pp. 9-26, 227-234, 237, passim. (in Russian) (excerpt in English)

Bezkorovainy, Anatoly, ed., "Around the Russian Orthodox Church of Chicago: 1892-1992" (Chicago : Holy Trinity, Russian Orthodox Cathedral, 1992), p. 71.

Chuvakov, V N, comp., "Unforgettable graves: Russian diaspora: Obituaries 1917-1997", 6 volumes, vol. 4 (Moscow, 2004), p. 128.

Firsov, Sergey Lvovich, "Time as Judge : Orthodox Churches of Russia and Constantinople in the 20th Century" (Moscow : Department of External Church Relations, 12 December 2018).

Kostur, Nikolaj L, "The Relationship between The Russian Orthodox Church in North America and The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad from 1920-1950" (Crestwood, New York : Saint Vladimir's Theological Seminary, 2009). (Master of Theology thesis)

Pospielovsky, Dimitry, 'The Renovationist Schism in the Russian Orthodox Church' in "Russian History", vol. 9, nos. 2/3 (1982), pp. 285-307. (Published online by Brill)

Pospielovsky, Dimitry, "The Russian Church under the Soviet Regime 1917-1982", vol. 2 (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1984), pp. 271ff, 288, 294, 297.

Schmemann, Protopresbyter Alexander, “To preserve and pass on : A Remembrance of Metropolitan Leonty”.

Seide, G, "Geschichte der ROK im Ausland", pp. 53, 58, 69, 95, 108, 199, 203, 349ff, 415.

Drevo biography of Benedict Ieronimovich Turkevich

The “Minneapolis Connection”

Saint Vladimir's Seminary history

“Metropolitan Leonty” on Saint Mary's web-site, Minneapolis

Orthodox History article of 15 May, 2012 : “Met. Leonty : a Life in Moments”

Article by Father Alexander Schmemann : “Metropolitan Leonty”

Schmemann, Protopresbyter Alexander, ‘Three Metropolitans’ in ”Jacob's Well” (Spring/Summer, 1999)

Orthodoxwiki article about the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918

Wikipedia article about the All-Russian Council of 1917-1918

Recollections from Metropolitan Leonty’s personal Aide (OCA Archives)