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[[File:Иоасаф (Скородумов)-1.jpg|right|thumb|Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodumov), the Enlightener of Canada.]]His Grace Bishop Eminence Archbishop '''Joasaph (Skorodumov), the Enlightener of Canada''' (1888-1955) , was [[Bishop|bishop]] of Canada, and later of Argentina for the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia]] until his repose . The ministry of the Very Most Reverend Vladyka Joasaph in 1955Canada continued for two decades, from 1930 to 1950, during which time he founded forty parishes and two monastic sketes.

Our holy Father Joasaph was born Ioann Skorodumov (“Quick thinker”) on [[January 14]], 1888, the son of a village [[priest ]] in [[Novgorod]]. His mother died when he was six years old. At the age of ten his father brought him to [[Theotokos of Tikhvin|Tikhvin]], which housed the famous wonder-working [[icon ]] of the [[Mother of God]]. There he completed the [[seminary ]] preparatory school, after which he entered [[List_of_seminaries_and_theological_schools#Russia|Novgorod theological seminary]].

The boy was much influenced by the Church-centred life of Imperial Russia with its abundance of [[Monasticism|monasteries]], [[Hermitage|hermitages]] and [[Skete|sketes]] in towns, lakes and forests, the wonder-working [[Iconography|icons]], the hermits unknown to the world, the wanderers and pilgrims, the religious processions with many choruses singing and the bell ringing – all this left a deep impression on the young [[Asceticism|ascetic]]. In summer, Vanya (diminutive form of Ioann-John) and his elder brother would go fishing and stay outdoors overnight, talking and reading about the great ascetics of old and the lives of the [[Saint|saints]]. On the way back they would perform the “podvig” of carrying a pail of fish on one shoulder without changing for miles, all the way home. At times their shoulders would be bleeding, and although such “podvigs” were discouraged at home by their elder sister, who acted as a mother for them, still the boys would be elated at having endured suffering. They also walked some distance barefoot in the snow, unseen by anyone.

In 1908, having brilliantly completed his seminary studies, Vanya entered the [[St. Petersburg Theological Academy]], where he became the devoted disciple of its holy Rector, Bishop Theophan (Bystrov). Vladyka Theophan was a deeply learned theologian and a great expert on the [[Jesus Prayer]]; to him even the fate of the dead was revealed to a certain degree. Under his influence the young Vanya Skorodumov was introduced into the art of arts, which he practised so well that for the rest of his life he was always seen to be in a joyful state. Vanya’s academy thesis was called ''“Monasticism according to St. [[John Chrysostom]]”'', and this [[saint ]] had a deep and permanent influence on the spiritual life of the future archpastor. It was on the feast of St. John Chrysostom that he was tonsured [[tonsure]]d into [[monasticism]], and it was on the same day that he died.

Vanya was tonsured into monasticism with the name Joasaph after the recently canonized St. [[Joasaph of Belgorod]]. At first he was sent to teach in a seminary in Northern Russia, but then he was transferred to Archbishop Theophan’s see of Poltava, where he served as an army chaplain. In 1920 he was evacuated to [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] together with Archbishop Theophan, and taught there for a while before moving to Yugoslavia, where he taught in several seminaries and was known to serve [[Vespers]] and [[Matins|Mattins]] daily, a practice that he continued for the rest of his life.

A friend of his, a former pilgrim who roamed through many places of Old Holy Russia, was now in Canada. He wrote from there to Fr. Joasaph that the [[American Orthodox Catholic Church|schism of Metropolitan Platon in 1926]] left no legitimate Orthodox [[clergy ]] in Canada, yet the land was so reminiscent of Russia and was fertile ground for the seed of the Word of God. ''“Do you want to move?”'' he concluded. ''“I do!”'' was the reply, although Fr. Joasaph was quite aware of the hardships that awaited him.

Early in 1930, promoted to the rank of [[Archimandritearchimandrite]], he arrived in Montreal, and six months later, on [[October 12]], he was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated ]] Bishop of Montreal in Belgrade by Metropolitan [[Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev|Anthony (Khrapovitsky)]] and ROCOR bishops[[bishop]]s. On handing him his archpastoral staff, Metropolitan Anthony reminded him of the nature of the world-view he would meet in Canada:

On arriving in Canada and discovering that there were very few Russians in the East, Vladyka decided to move to the West, where there were more. Moreover, there were many Ukrainians, Galicians, Carpatho-Russians and Bukovinians. So he moved his see to Edmonton, where he soon acquired a [[church]].

Vladyka was an [[Saint titles|unmercenary]], and came to Canada almost penniless. He lived and travelled entirely on the donations of his poor compatriots. At times, while going round his [[diocese]], he would have hardly enough to pay the fare to the next village [[parish]]. For the first ten years of his service in Canada, he endured not only poverty and cold, but also much sorrow thanks to the rivalry of various church jurisdictions that had separated themselves from the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church]]. But by the end of the decade this penniless but always cheerful bishop had a [[cathedral ]] church in Edmonton with living quarters for several clergy, forty parishes, a monastery at Whitefish Lake and the Holy Protection Skete in Bluffton, Alberta, where his friend V. Konovalov, who had called him to Canada and given up his house and all that he had to pay for the trip, became the abbot under the name of Archimandrite Ambrose.

On November 25 / December 8, 1951, just after recovering from a serious illness, Vladyka was raised to the rank of [[Bishop|Archbishop]] and transferred to Argentina. Here he soon became deeply loved by all. During his first visitation of his diocese, which included Paraguay, he visited a sick woman who had lain paralyzed in a hospital for a long time. She asked for his prayers, to which he at once agreed, but he asked her whether she had faith in God and His ability to heal her. She said “yes”. Whereupon he prayed and gave his [[panagia ]] to her to kiss. She was immediately healed. Again, the mother of Fr. V. Drobov had a severe headache when Vladyka visited them. As he was about to leave, he hit her with his fist right on the place of the aching teeth, and said: “That’s nothing, it will go away.” And at once the pain stopped.

:''“Once when it was already dusk, I noticed that in the [[chapel ]] they had forgotten to turn off the electric light, and I went there. Before I had reached it, my attention was attracted by a powerful light at the left side of the chapel. But when I came closer, I saw that on the grave of your archpastor there was such an enormous light. At first I was frightened, but then I thought: what can the dead one do to me? And I decided to come closer. There was not chance that it could be a reflection from the vigil light on the grace, since the light was blue like moonlight. It was something enormous (fue algo enorme). Although I am an atheist, I was terrified…”''

''Holy Father ==Celebrations in honour of Archbishop Joasaphin Quebec==From October 15th-17th, pray 2010, in the parishes of the Canadian Diocese that are situated in the province of Quebec, and first of all in St. Nicholas Cathedral in Montreal, celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the consecration to the episcopate of Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodoumov), who is justly called the enlightener of Canada, took place. The ever-memorable Archbishop Joasaph, by the mercy of God for us!'', was the founder of the Canadian Diocese of the Church Abroad. The Very Most Reverend Metropolitan [[Hilarion (Kapral) of New York|Hilarion]], First Hierarch of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|Russian Orthodox Church Abroad]], along with many guests from various places in Canada and USA, attended the solemnities.

* ''[http://www.roca.org/OA/33/33e.htm Enlightener of Canada – Archbishop Ioasaph].'' '''The Orthodox Word''', March-April, 1968.* ''[http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/42479.htm Celebrations in honour of Archbishop Joasaph in Quebec].'' '''Pravoslavie.ru'''. 28 October 2010.* {{ru icon}} Russian Wikipedia: [http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BE%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B0%D1%84_%28%D0%A1%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B2%29 Иоасаф (Скородумов)].

[[Category:Bishops|Joasaph (Skorodumov)]][[Category:20th-century bishops|Joasaph (Skorodumov)]][[Category:Bishops of Montreal|Joasaph (Skorodumov)]][[Category:Bishops of Edmonton|Joasaph (Skorodumov)]][[Category:Missionaries|Joasaph (Skorodumov)]]