Changes

Jump to: navigation, search

Leonty (Turkevich) of New York

6,476 bytes added, 00:42, March 17, 2012
m
cat.
[[Image:Leonty.jpg|thumb|right|Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) of New York]]His Eminence the Most Reverend Metropolitan '''Leonty (Turkevich) of ChicagoNew York''' succeeded [[Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of San Francisco|Metr. Theophilus ]] as [[Metropolitan ]] of the [[OCA|North American Diocese of the Church in Russia ]] upon his death. Metr. Leonty brought extensive experience since the early years of the North American mission. This experience proved to be most valuable as he guided the American [[Diocese]]. Under his leadership the first ‘Statutes’ ‘Statutes' were enacted that regularized the organization of hierarchy and [[parish]]es of the diocese, and the core was established of a permanent central church administration. As Fr. [[Alexander Schmemann ]] noted at the time of Metr. Leonty’s Leonty's death “… "… the church was equipped with a coherent administrative structure, with institutions making it possible for her to grow and to develop." (p231, Tarasar) ==Life==Leonid Ieronimovich Turkevich was born in 1876 in Kremenets, Volhynia, at that time in western Imperial Russia. His father was a [[priest]]. His education followed the classic route of the day, first at the Volhynia [[Seminary]] and then on to higher education at the [[Kiev Theological Academy]]. Upon his graduation from the academy he began a teaching career as a layman in ecclesiastical schools. This followed with his teaching at a series of seminaries, including Kursk in Central Russia and Ekaterinoslav in Ukraine. In 1905, he married Anna Chervinsky which set the stage for his [[ordination]] first as [[deacon]] and then priest. His ordination to the priesthood was at the [[Pochaev Lavra of the Dormition of the Theotokos|monastery of Pochaiv]].  He initially succeeded his father as priest of the church in Kremenets but he began thoughts of becoming a [[missionary]], first to the new mission of Urmia in Persia, but then for America. In 1906, the young and dynamic [[Tikhon of Moscow|Bp. Tikhon]] of the North American diocese found him a suitable candidate for the [[Rector]] of the new seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He and his family arrived in the United States in October 1906, and he quickly assumed the position of rector of the Minneapolis seminary where he began the tradition for Orthodox pastoral education in America. He was editor of the ''[[Russian Orthodox American Messenger|Russian-American Orthodox Messenger]]'' from 1914 to 1930. He was the dean of [[St. Nicholas Cathedral (New York, New York)|St. Nicholas Cathedral]] in New York where he was the main advisor of the ruling bishops. Fr. Leonid, with Fr. Alexander Kukulevsky, represented the American diocese at the [[All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918|Council of 1917-1918]] in Moscow, Russia. The many church dissensions he experienced during his journey back to the United States through Siberia and Japan were those that he would combat through the remaining decades of his career. Fr. Leonid's experience at the Moscow [[Sobor]] placed him a leadership position at the [[All-American Sobor#Fourth All-American Sobor|1924 Council]] in Detroit as he pursued a course for American autonomy based upon the decisions of the Moscow Sobor. He was saddened by the repose of his wife in 1925,  However, this loss permitted his election and [[consecration of a bishop|consecration]] as Bishop of Chicago in 1933. He was given the name Leonty during his [[tonsure]] as a monastic. Bp. Leonty had, since his arrival in the United States, been in the center of the life of the American church and was thus the best, if not the only, candidate for election as the new Metropolitan upon the death of Metr. Theophilus in 1950. Having aided in the adoption of the first Parish Statute at the [[All-American Sobor#First All-American Sobor|first Sobor]] in Mayfield, Pennsylvania, in 1907 Bp. Leonty was greatly interested in establishing a firm organizational basis for the Church. In 1937, he led in the adoption of a constitution for the Church organized as a Metropolitan District with a Metropolitan, a Bishop's Council, and a Metropolitan Council. While progress, these organizational efforts were inadequate given the immaturity of intra-church relationships.  Bp. Leonty was elected the new [[Metropolitan]] by acclamation during the [[All-American Sobor#Eighth All-American Sobor|Eighth All American Sobor]] in December 1950 as the delegates knew him to be one of the builders of the American church. During the following years Metr. Leonty guided the Church in the establishment of solid [[canonical]] and institutional foundation. Through the three Sobors held under Metr. Leonty's leadership, the Statutes of the Church were adopted and refined. A central administration was formed, matured, and placed on a permanent and stable footing. An administration structure was developed that consisted of the Synod of Bishops and a Metropolitan Council, that was patterned after the model of the Diocesan Council established by the 1917/18 Moscow Sobor and consisted of both clerical and lay representatives elected by All-American Sobors. At first, Metr. Leonty had a ‘central' administration that handled daily tasks that was filled by volunteer parish priests and dedicated laymen. The [[All-American Sobor#Eleventh All-American Sobor|Eleventh All-American Sobor]] held in New York in 1963 gave final shape to the central organization by establishing three national officers of [[Chancellor]], Secretary, and Treasurer who would be appointed by the Synod of Bishops upon nomination by the Metropolitan Council. Thus, a solid administrative structure for the American Church was in place by time time of Metr. Leonty's death on [[May 14]], 1965. A structure that could provide for the growth of the Church. Metr. Leonty was buried at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]]. His papers have been deposited in the Library of Congress. In its 2008 Fall Session, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, after receiving the report of the Canonization Commission and several letters of request, blessed the Canonization Commission to make its investigation of the requests to consider the holiness of Metropolitan Leonty. == Sources==* ''Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America'', C. J. Tarasar, Gen. Ed. 1975, The Orthodox Church in America, Syosett, New York==External links==*[http://www.schmemann.org/byhim/leonty.html Metropolitan Leonty] - Protopresbyter [[Alexander Schmemann]]*[http://www.oca.org/HSbioleonty.asp?SID=7 Biography of His Eminence, Metropolitan Leonty] - OCA archivist Alexis Liberovsky  {{start box}} {{succession|before=[[Paul (Gavrilov) of Chicago|Paul (Gavrilov)]]|title= Archbishop of Chicago|years=1933-1950|after=[[John (Garklavs) of Chicago|John (Garklavs)]]|}}{{succession|before= [[Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of San Francisco|Theophilus (Pashkovsky)]]|title=Primate of the Russian Metropolia|years=1950-1965|after=[[Ireney (Bekish) of New York|Ireney (Bekish)]]}}{{end box}}  [[Category:Bishops]][[Category:20th-century bishops]][[Category:Bishops of New York]][[Category:Bishops of Chicago]][[Category:Metropolitans of the OCA]][[Category:Missionaries]][[Category:Kiev Academy Graduates]]
8,921
edits

Navigation menu