Archbishop Job of Chicago

Today marks the second anniversary of the repose of Archbishop Job (Osacky) of Chicago of blessed memory. More on his life can be found here. May his memory be eternal!

Holy Friday

I know I wasn't going to post anything during Holy Week, but after singing the fifteenth antiphon during Holy Friday Matins earlier tonight I couldn't help but think of this rendition of the antiphon in a mixture of English, Greek, and Slavonic by Archbishop Job of blessed memory.

"Today He Who hung the earth upon the waters is hung on the Tree,
The King of the Angels is decked with a crown of thorns.
He Who wraps the heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery.
He Who freed Adam in the Jordan is slapped on the face.
The Bridegroom of the Church is affixed to the Cross with nails.
The Son of the Virgin is pierced by a spear.
We worship Your Passion, O Christ!
Show us also Your glorious Resurrection!"

Former ROEA Clergyman Sues Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit

Fr. Vasile Susan, a former priest of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate in America (ROEA) of the American Orthodox Church, is suing Archbishop Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit and the ROEA over his removal from his former parish in the Chicago area. I don't know the circumstances surrounding the case personally, but reviewing the background materials posted here I'm struck by the oddness of Fr. Vasile's correspondence style and in particular the supposed record of his meeting with Archbishop Job (Osacky) of Chicago. Perhaps the record is a valid one, but some of the phrasing simply does not sound like Vladyka Job - it'd be nice to know whether the meeting was actually recorded on audio and whether the original document's signatures have been properly analyzed. Regardless, please keep Vladica Nathaniel, Fr. Vasile, and the ROEA as a whole in your prayers as this lawsuit goes forward.

Moscow Memorial for Archbishop Job of Chicago

On 29 January the American Orthodox representation in Moscow, St. Catherine's Church 'in the Fields,' held a memorial for Archbishop Job (Osacky) of Chicago on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of his consecration to the episcopacy. More here. May his memory be eternal! Вечная память!

Pictured are Archimandrite Zacchaeus (Wood) and the other clergymen who concelebrated the memorial for Vladyka Job at St. Catherine's.

Midwestern Diocese Designates February "Diocesan Mission Month"

The Midwestern American Diocese of the American Orthodox Church is designating this February as "Diocesan Mission Month" in memory of Archbishop Job (Osacky) of Chicago of thrice blessed memory. The Diocese is sponsoring a mission trip to Project Mexico in July in Vladyka Job's memory and will take special collections this coming month to support the trip. More here.

Vladyka Job's Memorial in Black Lick

Vladyka Job finally has a tombstone at his grave in Black Lick. Pictures from the one year memorial served at the Black Lick parish by Bishop Melchisedek (Pleska) of Pittsburgh and clergy of the Western Pennsylvanian and Midwestern American Dioceses of the American Orthodox Church can be found here.

Also pictured is St. John's, the parish in Black Lick. Vladyka Job is buried outside the altar to the east of the church.

In Memoriam: Vladyka Job

It's been a year since Vladyka Job's death and it's still hard to believe what happened. I still feel that if I went to Chicago I could just give him a call and meet up with him at Christ the Savior or Holy Trinity or have dinner with him at his apartment near the Moody Bible Institute. He was such an incredible, loving man. I had met bishops before I moved to the Midwest and found myself in the American Orthodox Church's Midwestern American Diocese, but for me he exemplified what a bishop was supposed to be. He was truly Christ's icon in our midst.

I remember waking up in Addis Abeba not feeling well and finding out later that morning that Vladyka had died. I was unable to go to his funeral because of being out of the country, but when I returned to the States I made a pilgrimage to his grave in Black Lick. I do not know what his fate was, but because of changes in certain issues in my life that I brought to him and the continuing strengthening of our Diocese of Chicago I feel that he is still with us, praying for us. May his memory be eternal! Fr. John Matusiak has posted a lovely tribute to Vladyka Job on the website of the Midwestern American Diocese here.

Upcoming Anniversary of Vladyka Job's Repose

This Saturday, 18 December, will be the first anniversary of the repose of Archbishop Job (Osacky) of Chicago of thrice blessed memory. Please remember him in your prayers wherever you are.

Shepherd and Flock?

A large Ukrainian Orthodox parish in the Midwest just received its first hierarchical visit in twenty years. It's roughly five hours away from its diocesan see and is part of a diocese that comprises only twenty-five communities. It's also by no means the most geographically isolated of those communities - the local parish here in Portland, for example, definitely has it beat. And to be clear, we're talking about a visit from the diocesan bishop, not the First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA or anything like that.

My question is this: Is this the average experience of Orthodox parishes in North America? Our parish was rather spoiled under Archbishop Job (Osacky) of thrice blessed memory as we got yearly visits from him, but I know he had a rotation set up to ensure that he visited all the communities in his diocese at least once every two (or three?) years. The Midwestern American Diocese currently consists of eighty-two communities, so that's quite a lot of travel considering that such visits usually last a couple of days. Was his emphasis on knowing his diocese an exception to the rule though? How sad if it was :-/.