Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (in the world Andrei Borisovich Bloom, Bloom) was born on June 19, 1914 in Lausanne (Switzerland) in the family of an employee of the Russian diplomatic service. After the revolution of 1917, the family found themselves in exile and, after several years of wandering around Europe, settled in France in 1923. The future metropolitan spent his youth here. After high school, Andrei Bloom graduated from the biological and medical faculties of the Sorbonne University in Paris.
In 1931, he was ordained as a surplice to serve in the church of the Three Hierarchs Metochion, the then only church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris. On September 10, 1939, before leaving for the front as a surgeon in the French army, he secretly took monastic vows. Andrei Bloom was tonsured into a mantle with the name Anthony (in honor of St. Anthony of Kiev-Pechersk) on April 16, 1943. After the war he continued to practice medicine until 1948. On October 27, 1948, Monk Anthony was ordained a hierodeacon, and on November 14 a hieromonk.
Since September 1, 1950, Hieromonk Anthony has been rector of the churches of St. ap. Philip and Rev. Sergius in London. In January 1953, Fr. Anthony was awarded the rank of abbot, and by Easter 1956 - the rank of archimandrite.
On November 30, 1957, Archimandrite Anthony was consecrated Bishop of Sergius, Vicar Exarch of the Patriarch of Moscow in Western Europe. In October 1962, Bishop Anthony was appointed to the newly formed Diocese of Sourozh in the British Isles, within the framework of the Western European Exarchate, with elevation to the rank of archbishop.
In November 2002, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of his episcopal consecration and “in consideration of his outstanding merits in the spiritual and educational field,” Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, by decree of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, was awarded the Order of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, II degree.
Books (14)
Talks on the Gospel of Mark
“One might ask why I chose this particular Gospel. I chose it for a very personal reason. I became a believer after encountering this Gospel; and this is no coincidence.
If I had taken to reading the Gospel of Matthew, which was addressed to the Jews, the Jewish believers of that time, or the Gospel of John, which is very deep in both philosophical and theological thought, I probably would not have understood them when I was fourteen years.
The Gospel of Mark was written by the disciple of the Apostle Peter precisely for such young people, young savages as I was at that time, written in order to give an idea of the teachings of Christ and of His person to those young people who needed it most. And that is why I have chosen this Gospel now. It is written briefly, powerfully and, I hope, will reach the souls of other people, just as it turned my soul and transformed my life.” Metropolitan Anthony.
I will enter Your house. Conversations about faith and the Church
Metropolitan Anthony was known back in the days of the Soviet Union, before the publications of recent years; each of his infrequent visits became an event, a meeting with him turned for many into a turning point in life.
His word is modern without “modernism”, deeply rooted in the patristic tradition - without stylization as piety; it is convincing in its merciless simplicity and integrity. This is the speech of a person whose word and thought do not diverge from feeling and life.
Life, Disease, Death
For many years, Metropolitan Anthony led seminars organized by the London Medical Group on issues of Christian values and ethics in medicine, Christian attitude towards the sick, towards the dying person.
According to the Bishop himself, in his approach to these issues he “cannot separate within himself a person, a Christian, a bishop, a doctor.” His scientific and medical education and experience, combined with fifty years of pastoral ministry, allow him to assert that “the soul of man, the spirit of man and the flesh constitute one mysterious whole.”
This holistic approach to issues of life and death - questions that every person inevitably thinks about - makes the proposed conversations valuable not only for the pastor-priest, but also for a wide range of readers, and first of all, for doctors.
Prayer and life
From the experience of human relationships, we all know that love and friendship are deep when we can remain silent with each other.
If we need to talk to maintain contact, we must admit with confidence and sadness that the relationship is still superficial; therefore, if we want to prayerfully worship God, we must first of all learn to experience the joy of silent abiding with Him. It's easier than it might seem at first; it takes a little time, a little trust and determination to start.
About a meeting
including: About faith, education, creativity About some categories of our created existence About the vocation of man About freedom and heroism How to live with yourself About meeting About worship and the style of Christian life Spirituality and clergy Thoughts on the religious education of children
About hearing and doing
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel is read in church at almost every service; At every service we stand before the word of God and think that by this we become the people of God. But much more is required of us if we want to be such a people of God, a people who can say that the Divine word belongs to them.
steps
What does it mean to be a Christian? How to remain a Christian in the modern world?
Being a Christian is, in some ways, very simple. A Christian is a disciple and friend of Christ. These concepts are related, but there is a difference between them. On the one hand, we are disciples of Christ, His followers, and we must learn from Him through the Gospel what He believes, what He teaches.
Sacrament of love
Marriage is a miracle on earth. In a world where everything and everyone is in disarray, marriage is a place where two people, thanks to the fact that they love each other, become united, a place where discord ends, where the realization of a single life begins. And this is the greatest miracle of human relationships: two people suddenly become one person, two persons suddenly, because they loved each other and accepted each other to the end, completely, turn out to be something more than a two, than just two people - they turn out to be a unity.
Proceedings
This book is the most complete collection of conversations, sermons and dialogues of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh ever published.
Metropolitan Anthony, a doctor by profession, is one of the most authoritative Orthodox theologians in the world, head of the diocese of the Russian Church in Great Britain. A significant part of the texts is published for the first time.
Man before God
The book “Man Before God” is compiled from the oral speeches of Metropolitan Anthony and covers the period from 1969 to 1991.
The conversations of Anthony of Sourozh are united by the general mood of standing before God. This book requires inner silence and slow reading: similar to the pauses that the Bishop himself made during conversations in his community.
Reader comments
Lyudmila/ 01/14/2017 Roman, you said it, you are responsible for these words. Vladyka Anthony, a faithful servant of God, converted many people to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and continues to this day through his books and sermons. Through his personal service he still inspires Christians to exploits. Eternal memory to Vladyka Anthony! +++
Tatiana/ 10/22/2015 Father Anthony, a kind man, he endured so much in life, not a single sane person would believe that Father was for murder. Don’t philosophize, dear Roman: where there is simplicity there are a hundred angels, where there is more than one in wisdom. Love Love our Lord in every person, live by your conscience and your mind.
Love/ 09/05/2015 Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh is the greatest, outstanding Christian preacher of recent times. His sermons in simple words convey the Truth of God in freedom of thought, purity and depth with love. Being a doctor with extensive experience in saving lives in the Second World War, he knew the Price of Life firsthand, so his dedication of his life to the cause of Christ, to the cause of the Salvation of man, was a conscious, deep spiritual dedication. And no one’s speculations are able to cast a shadow of ignorance on this Light that this servant of God radiated. His entire conscious life is God’s spotlight, and where there is Light, there is no darkness. “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all,” says Scripture. Confirmation of the faithful pious service of Metropolitan Anthony is his word, which was captured by grateful listeners and which became the Russian spiritual heritage to all generations.
Svetlana/ 09/05/2014 1. “...there are mothers who want a child so much that they are ready to give birth to a child who will obviously suffer physically or mentally all his life just because they want to have a child...”
I understand these words not as an impetus for abortion, but as careful reflection about the child, about responsibility for his life - before conceiving. Perhaps it is better to use protection than to conceive, knowing in advance that it is a freak. Perhaps it is better not to enter into a marriage relationship at all in this case. He meant it.
Where did they get the idea that AC was talking about abortion? How can this be seen?
2. “Prot. Sergius Gakkel: Nevertheless, the freak is still a person. A complete person. However, the rule was stated that a person should not be killed. How then should we approach this issue?
Sergius Gakkel asked several topics in one question. Which one does the Metropolitan answer and what exactly does he answer? He says: “To be honest, I don’t know how to approach him.” Here is his main answer. And then he says: “I think...” That is, he thinks, he just thinks, he doesn’t impose it on anyone. Does not present it as teaching or truth. He thinks, trying on himself both the state of the freak’s mother and the state of the freak. He doesn’t look from the sidelines, but stands in their place.
Here is his summary: “...you don’t change the canons, but you have to think...” He thinks, and invites you to think, and take the place of the one to whom you impute something.
Svetlana/ 09/05/2014 I read the articles of the “denigrators” of Metropolitan AS, they were very caught up in the word about abortion. They twisted the words of Anthony of Sourozh after his death in such a way as to denigrate him. The text contains more words from the commentator than A.S.’s own words. Firstly, “for medical reasons” can refer to the condition of the mother - why do they think it’s a child? The mother may risk her life, and she will need to be saved in this way... Or maybe the words also apply to the child if he soon begins to decompose in the womb - after all, removing a corpse from the womb is also an abortion? And then, what hypocrisy is it to say that you can’t use protection. After all, these are just words, for which no one takes responsibility, and they themselves do not do it. The Metropolitan did not want to throw around empty words; he tried on every situation for himself. In addition, he did not impose unbearable burdens on people. And he was strict and responsible towards himself even in words, not only in deeds. It is irresponsible to blurt out at every step - don’t do this, don’t do that, or do this, that. And don’t touch it yourself. It is precisely because of this rigor and responsibility that he still has so many enemies. We looked through his books, oh, this is too much for us, oh, we can’t do this, oh, that means the priest was worthless, we can’t rise to his level, let’s humiliate him.
Guest/ 10/8/2013 Larisa
I completely agree with Irina.
Sergey/ 09/16/2013 Roman, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh was a categorical opponent of abortion. He spoke about the possibility of interrupting the life of a fetus in the womb only in absolutely exceptional cases!!! - when the condition of the fetus is so flawed that it absolutely does not allow it to lead in the future
Roman, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh was an absolute and categorical opponent of abortion. He spoke very carefully about the possible termination of pregnancy only in exceptional cases, when the condition of the fetus is such that it condemns the future person to unconditional and considerable suffering at birth. These are completely different things, and there is no talk of any encouragement of abortion. Give at least one example of such encouragement as an excuse for promiscuity. And also - what, specifically, do you see, as you put it, adogmatism in the sermons of Bishop Anthony? Indicate at least one violated dogma of the Orthodox faith and in what way it was violated.
Guest/ 08/05/2013 novel I didn’t notice that he approves of abortion, but for beginners he very gently explains the path to faith and to God, because God is love, a very wise man and a great preacher
Vyacheslav/ 03.23.2013 Perhaps one of the few who are truly close to the teaching. The Orthodox and their pharisaism have long been outdated and therefore they do not like, to put it mildly, real preachers like A. Men. So someone Roman has already inherited...
Faith/ 03/22/2013 Yesterday I just read a little from his book, which is not here, but it is very interesting. "Learn to Pray"
Today I watched videos of his sermons and a film about him. My opinion, although I do not consider myself Orthodox, he was an extraordinary, holy man. He learned love himself and taught it to his flock.
I can assume that in the world where he is now, he continues the work of Christ, the work of bringing love into human souls.
Anna/ 07/22/2012 Roman, is this your personal opinion about Metropolitan Anthony or the opinion of A. Osipov?..
Irina/ 01/06/2012 The best theologian, in my opinion. One must begin the path to God with his books!
Elena/ 12/11/2011 Amazing books!
Novel/ 04/05/2011 Metropolitan Anthony professed not the Orthodox Faith of Christ, but his own teaching, based on adogmatism and, as a consequence, immoralism (encouraging abortion).
In the beginning, the word appeared... And it is the word that becomes for every believer the force that leads to God, opens hearts to love and kindness, care and creation. Sermons and conversations convert even those who consider themselves atheists to Christ.
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh is rightfully considered the voice of Orthodoxy in the twentieth century. It was his conversations that opened for many their path to Christ, into the bosom of the Orthodox Church.
Vladyka, in the world Andrei Bloom, was born in 1914 in Lausanne into a prosperous family of hereditary diplomats. For some time they lived in Persia, but after the Bolsheviks came to power in their native country, they wandered around the world until they settled in Paris. The reverend had a difficult childhood in exile. At the workers' school where he studied, he was severely beaten by his peers.
Metropolitan's appeal to God
In his youth, Andrei, who had just turned 14 years old, listened to lectures by his father Sergius Bulgakov. The boy felt deep disagreement, deciding to sincerely fight such “nonsense as Christianity.” The future Bishop Anthony of Sourozh, whose biography from that moment began to take a different direction, decided to pay attention to the primary source - the Gospel. As he read, the young man felt the invisible presence of the one he was reading about...
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh was a surgical doctor, which was the reason for his participation in the French Resistance. At the end of the war, he decided to become a priest and, by God's providence, went to England. It is in this country that the monk experiences one of the significant events of his life.
Having poor command of English, Father Anthony gave a lecture from a piece of paper, which turned out to be very gray and boring. He was given advice to improvise more. Then the priest objected that it would be funny. “That’s very good, people will listen,” was the answer. It was from that memorable day that he always delivered sermons and lectures himself, without a previously prepared text. The teachings and instructions became a truly precious legacy of Anthony of Sourozh. He spoke sincerely, deeply and vividly, which helped convey the Orthodox faith to modern people in all its patristic purity, while preserving the depth and simplicity of the Gospel.
The word of the lord
After some time, Father Anatoly becomes the primate of the Sourozh diocese. At first it was a small parish, open to a group of Russian emigrants. Under the leadership of the bishop, it became an exemplary, multinational community.
The word of the saint spread much further than the English believers, showing the richness of Orthodoxy to many Western Christians. In addition, his audio recordings, samizdat books, conversations and live sermons brought many Russians back to the path of God. This is exactly how the Monk Anthony of Sourozh remained in the memory of believers. The Metropolitan’s biography ended in 2003; he died in London.
The shortest sermon
Bishop Anthony of Sourozh decided to talk about how he went to preach at one of the services. The Father said: “Just yesterday a woman came to the evening service with a baby. But she was dressed in jeans and did not have a scarf on her head. I don’t know who exactly reprimanded her, but I order this parishioner to pray for this woman and child until the end of her days, so that the Lord will save them. Because of you, she may never come to church.” Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh turned around and left. This was his shortest sermon.
Works of the Reverend
Anthony of Sourozh, whose works were never distinguished by pure orthodox theology, is known in many countries. His sermons and conversations always contain the unique Orthodox word of God. In the formation of such thinking, the Metropolitan played a significant role. First of all, he was interested in the doctrine of the opposition of personality and individuality, of being as a certain I-Thou relationship.
Features of theology
Three features can be distinguished in the mature, deep theology of Metropolitan Anthony.
- Evangelism. This distinctive feature of his edifications is that formally and stylistically, the metropolitan’s sermons, teachings, and conversations are structured in such a way as to be a strong link between the Gospel and ordinary listeners. They seem to shorten the distance that separates modern people from the living Christ. Every believer becomes a participant in the Gospel story; the life of Anthony of Sourozh is proof of this.
- Liturgicality. With the help of the theology of the monk, the predominantly silent Sacrament of the Church takes on verbal form. This difference is inherent not only in any part of the rite or sacrament, but also in the totality of church communion. His word sounds like a sacrament and brings every believer into the church. The conversations of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh were always perceived by people with a special sense of grace and closeness to God.
- Anthropological. The Bishop himself noted this feature of his lectures. His words are deliberately aimed at instilling true self-confidence in a frightened and deafened modern life. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh reveals the immeasurable depth of each individual person, its value for God and the always present possibility of communication between Christ and man.
Such communication is, in a sense, equal. People can turn to Christ by building their relationship to faith as one of love and friendship, rather than slavery and domination. It is precisely as a personal, unique and unique communication with the Lord that the Metropolitan understands prayer and describes this in his writings.
Everyone perceived the bishop’s word addressed to the crowd of parishioners as a personal appeal. Thanks to the focus on the individual in the fullness of his being, the sermons of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh to this day call on every believer to have a personal dialogue with God.
Father loved to repeat that the feeling of the Lord’s presence should be immediate, like a toothache. This also applies to the reverend himself. Anyone who personally saw him alone or in a crowded church will never forget that the special warmth of a true believer emanated from him.
The power of the pastoral word
Metropolitan Anthony is not a teacher, but a shepherd. He talks to everyone about what exactly a person needs at this moment. Personal communication with the monk helped many believers realize the fullness of the phrase “God is love.” He accepted each person, regardless of his own employment, ill health, exhaustion, as a lost son returned by a miracle of God.
Starce accepts and understands all the people who came to him for help and advice in a variety of situations. This may be a dead end of mental search, the last extreme of life. The Metropolitan carried his faith to everyone: Orthodox and non-Orthodox, non-Russian and Russian, atheists and Christians. It is as if he places on his shoulders a burden taken from every hesitant and exhausted person. In return, the monk bestows a little of his unique freedom, which manifests itself in small things: freedom from hypocrisy, bureaucracy, and narrowness. It helps you live freely in God.
Theological conversations
Conversations by Anthony of Sourozh are devoted to the main issues of Christian life and faith. Filled with understanding and love, the pastoral word has more than once become a real salvation for people who faced insurmountable stumbling blocks and insoluble contradictions. The monk knew how to heal with the wisdom and depth of his conversations.
The main questions that the clergyman covered answered what it means to be a Christian and how to stay with God in the modern world. The Metropolitan emphasized that man is a friend and disciple of Christ. This means believing in the people themselves, starting, first of all, with yourself, continuing with all others: strangers and neighbors. Every person contains a piece of the Lord’s light, and it always remains in him even in the most pitch darkness.
Metropolitan about love
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh's sermons were also dedicated to love. “Love one another as I have loved you...” - this is exactly what one of God’s commandments sounds like. These words should reach our hearts and delight our souls, but how difficult it is to bring them to life.
The Metropolitan noted that love for each person is revealed in several planes: this is the experience of ordinary, simple love between members of the same family, children for parents and vice versa; this is a joyful, bright feeling that arises between the bride and groom and permeates all the darkness. But even here you can encounter fragility and imperfection.
Anthony of Sourozh said that Christ calls us to love each other, he makes no distinctions. This suggests that every believer must love absolutely every person he meets, unfamiliar, attractive and not so attractive. He wants to say that each of us is an individual with an eternal destiny, created by God from nothingness to make a unique contribution to the life of humanity.
Each of us is called and placed by the Lord into this world to accomplish what others are unable to do; this is our uniqueness. “We must love any of our neighbors, as God loved us all, otherwise we reject Christ himself,” - this is exactly what Anthony of Sourozh believed. He always spoke about love as a special feeling that should be directed towards the whole world, towards God and towards himself.
About prayer...
The monk noted that for him the Lord’s Prayer was one of the most difficult for years. It is quite logical that each individual sentence is accessible and, most importantly, understandable to everyone within the framework of their experience, spiritual growth, and depth of faith. “In general, many cannot find the most important key, because turning to God is the whole path of spiritual life,” said Anthony of Sourozh. He spoke long and thoughtfully about prayer, helping believers to realize the full power and meaning of our word addressed to Christ.
You can perceive any prayer in two parts. The first is the call: “Our Father.” Next are three petitions. These are the son’s prayer lines, because we are all children of our heavenly father. Then there are petitions that can serve as a guiding light to truly discover the depth of your own faith. The Heavenly Father is the source of our life, a teacher who acts on the power of boundless love for us. We are all brothers and sisters of Christ in humanity.
When praying, according to the monk, there is often a feeling as if we are calling on the Lord to do something. We pray as beggars extend their hand. And the Lord sent each of us into the world in order to build the Kingdom of God, the city of God, which should be together with the city of man. Therefore, in prayer we must ask to become faithful builders of this Kingdom.
The Lord will never forget us, he will give us material, material bread. Believers must seek in God a meeting with him, as with the word that is sent in the Gospel. It is there that the Lord shows us the way, the path to it and to the Kingdom of God.
Anthony of Sourozh spoke with all completeness and sincerity about friendship and the personality of man in God.
"Learn to be"
Discussion of the spiritual aspects of old age is a very important issue, as Anthony of Sourozh mentioned more than once. “Learn to Be” is a special sermon that reveals for believers the concepts of old age and the problems that are inherent in this age.
The Metropolitan noted that in old age or old age, those problems that were hidden in the past, are present in the present and, perhaps, will appear in the future, begin to come to light. We must not close our eyes to our past; we must have the courage to face it. Painful, ugly, wrong situations help us gain inner maturity and finally resolve, unravel these issues and become truly free.
Old age and solving problems of the past
Every elderly or old person must deal with the problem of the past, if there really is faith that God is the God of the living, that we are all alive in Him and exist for Him and for Him. It is impossible to simply say that there has been reconciliation with the evil that was caused to others, it is necessary to come to terms with the circumstances...
There is also the problem of the present. When time brings old age and takes away everything that constituted youth, people always face certain problems. Physical strength is weakening, and mental abilities are no longer the same... Most people try to kindle coals in a dying flame, wanting to become the same as before. But this is the main mistake, and the artificially fanned coals quickly turn into ashes, and the internal pain only becomes stronger.
Instead of completion
It is difficult to describe all the beneficial influence of the Metropolitan’s sermons on the modern world. First of all, this is the true, pure influence of the shepherd, who, with the power of words, influences the inner world of people and their cultural activities. The conversations of Anthony of Sourozh inspire hope, faith and love in souls and hearts to this day. Many Christians perceive the deceased metropolitan as a saint.
(“Sourozhsky” indicates a title indicating that Metropolitan Anthony headed the Orthodox parishes of the Russian Church in England and Western Europe)
On June 6, 1914, Andrei Borisovich Bloom was born in Lausanne, into the family of an employee of the Russian diplomatic service. The ancestors of his father, Boris Eduardovich Bloom, being Scots, settled in Russia in the times of Peter the Great. Mother - Ksenia Nikolaevna Scryabina - is the sister of composer Alexander Scriabin, but the bishop preferred not to talk about this with others.
Emigration
Andrey spent his childhood in Iran, where his father worked as a consul, and in Russia. But after the revolution of 1917, the family had to leave for Europe, sharing the emigrant fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian families thrown out of Russia by the new government.
After several years of wandering, they settled in France in 1923, where he graduated from a workers' school on the outskirts of Paris. "Why? It was the cheapest, firstly, then, the only one at that time around Paris and in Paris itself, where I could live.”
So that children do not lose touch with Russia and do not forget the language and culture of the country, various organizations were created for boys and girls in Paris and other cities of France. So, for example, at the age of 9, Andrei ended up in a scout camp of an organization called “Young Russia”.
There the boys were taught courage, endurance and readiness for exploits and the rules of the Russian language and grammar. After the collapse of Young Russia, there was an organization of “knights”, which then began to form within the Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM). The differences between the RSHD and the previous organization were the high cultural level and religiosity - during the organization there was a priest and a church in the camp.
At the age of 14, Andrei Bloom, being an atheist, suddenly involuntarily heard a sermon by a Russian Orthodox priest (Father Sergius Bulgakov), who came to the RSHD summer camp to meet with young people. What the young man heard was disgusting to his own convictions: meekness, humility, obedience - slavish feelings.
To make sure that he was right once and for all, he decided to read the Gospel, choosing the shortest one that was at home. This is how Metropolitan Anthony Bloom himself recalls that moment:
“And so I sat down to read; and here you may take my word for it, because you can’t prove it. ... I was sitting, reading, and between the beginning of the first and the beginning of the third chapter of the Gospel of Mark, which I read slowly because the language was unusual, I suddenly felt that on the other side of the table, here, stood Christ.”
The Path of Church Service
The first introduction to church activities occurred in 1931, when the future Bishop Anthony was ordained a surplice to serve in the church of the Three Hierarchs' Metochion, and from these early years he invariably remained faithful to the Russian Church.
After graduating from school, I entered the Sorbonne and graduated from two faculties - biology and medicine.
On September 10, 1939, having secretly taken monastic vows, he went to the front as an army surgeon. Then - the occupation and three years of work as a doctor in the French Resistance. And although in April 1943 Andrei Bloom was tonsured into a mantle with the name Anthony (in honor of St. Anthony of the Kiev-Pechersk), he continued to work as a doctor until October 1948, when Metropolitan Seraphim ordained him as a hierodeacon.
ordination by Metropolitan Seraphim as hieromonk and departure to Great Britain as the spiritual leader of the Anglo-Orthodox Commonwealth of St. Albanius and St. Sergius
Since September 1, 1950 - rector of the Patriarchal Church of the Holy Apostle Philip and St. Sergius in London.
January 7, 1954 – elevation to the rank of abbot. May 9 - elevation to the rank of archimandrite. December of the same year - appointment as rector of the Patriarchal Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God and All Saints in London. And he remained in the position of rector of this temple, later the cathedral, until his death.
On November 29, 1957 - he was named, and on November 30, 1957 in London he was consecrated Bishop of Sergievsky, vicar of the Western European Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate with residence in London.
1962 - elevation to the rank of archbishop with the responsibility of caring for Russian Orthodox parishes in Great Britain and Ireland at the head of the Sourozh diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) established on October 10, 1962 in Great Britain.
December 3, 1965 - elevation to the rank of metropolitan and appointment as Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe.
Russia
From an early age, Anthony of Sourozhsky (even after leaving the country in 1917) retained a tender, reverent attitude towards Russia as his Motherland: “I am Russian myself, Russian culture, Russian beliefs, I feel that Russia is my Motherland.”
He never stopped praying for her, her well-being. Even the flock of the Diocese of Sourozh, which the Metropolitan founded in 1962, consisted mainly of those Russian emigrants who did not want to lose their Russian roots, their connection with Russia, where the church was in isolation.
Since 1960, the Metropolitan had the opportunity to come to the Soviet Union, conduct services, read sermons, and speak to students of the Theological Academy. But the most remarkable and memorable were the informal meetings in apartments (the so-called “kvartirniki”), chock-full of people eager to hear the word of God expressed in simple, accessible and understandable language.
Here is what Archpriest Nikolai Vedernikov, one of the organizers of the “apartments”, says about such conversations:
“He was the only person of such talent, sent by God’s providence to our world, to our country... He introduced us all to his highest spiritual experience. This communion was carried out through the simplest words.”
What is Anthony of Sourozhsky remembered for?
The individuality of the Vladyka’s works lies in the fact that he did not write anything: Anthony of Sourozh’s sermons appeared as an oral appeal to the listener - not to the faceless mass, but to every person in need of a living word about God, to every heart.
As a result of this, publications were printed from tape recordings (these included radio conversations in Russian BBC programs, and extra-liturgical conversations in Moscow apartments and in a London parish) and conveyed the sound of a living text. For the first time, his books about prayer and spiritual life were published in British back in the 1960s and translated into almost all languages of the world.
And during the lifetime of Vladika Anthony, the first work to be published was “Prayer and Life,” which touches on topics about whether a person can still pray in our time and how prayer differs from meditation.
In his books and sermons, Anthony of Sourozh touches not only on problems of spirituality and public morality, but also on the themes of fidelity, family and marriage, revealing in them the mystery of love. Every word of his, every letter written by him is deeply thought out, suffered through, and comes from a pure heart. Here are just a few of these statements:
About love
“Love always costs a lot; because to truly love means to treat another in such a way that your life is no longer dear to you - his life is dear, his soul is dear, his destiny is dear.”
“We all think we know what love is and know how to love. In fact, very often we only know how to feast on human relationships. We think that we love a person because we have an affectionate feeling towards him, because we feel good with him; but love is something much greater, more demanding and, at times, tragic.”
“The secret of love for a person begins at the moment when we look at him without the desire to possess him, without the desire to rule over him, without the desire to take advantage of his gifts or his personality in any way - we just look and are amazed at the beauty that we opened."
About marriage and family
“Marriage is a miracle on earth. In a world where everything and everyone is in disarray, marriage is a place where two people, thanks to the fact that they love each other, become united, a place where discord ends, where the realization of a single life begins. And this is the greatest miracle of human relations: two people suddenly become one person...”
“Many people view marriage from a purely social and state point of view. In this case, the family becomes nothing more than a piece, a very small piece of the national apparatus, which imposes a great burden on it, and this burden sometimes turns out to be unbearable.”
About miscellaneous
“Every person is an icon that needs to be restored in order to see the Face of God.”
“We don’t always trust that God believes in us; and therefore we are not always able to believe in ourselves.”
“When you are praised, you do two things. First: remember why you are praised, and try to become one. And secondly, never try to dissuade people, because the more you dissuade, the more people will see in you humility, which you don’t have at all...”
The biography of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh is unique; he is one of the most prominent personalities of the 20th century. His word is addressed to the very depths of the human soul, and at the same time, it is alive, understandable to one and all, open, and invariably resonates with readers, regardless of their convictions, beliefs, education and cultural roots.
45 years of serving God as a bishop Metropolitan Anthony died on August 4, 2003 in London, and the funeral service took place on August 13 at the London Cathedral of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and All Saints. Such a large difference between the date of death and funeral is common in the British.
On August 4, 2017, we celebrate 14 years since the death of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh.
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh - biography
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (in the world Andrei Borisovich Bloom), was born on June 19, 1914 in Lausanne, in the family of an employee of the Russian diplomatic service. After the revolution in Russia, the family found itself in exile and, after several years of wandering around Europe, settled in France in 1923. The boy grew up outside the Church, but one day as a teenager he heard a conversation about Christianity by a prominent theologian, who, however, did not know how to speak with boys, who valued courage and military order above all else.
After high school he graduated from the biological and medical faculties of the Sorbonne. In 1931, he was ordained as a surplice to serve in the church of the Three Hierarchs' Metochion, then the only church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris, and from these early years he invariably maintained canonical fidelity to the Russian Patriarchal Church.
On September 10, 1939, before leaving for the front as a surgeon in the French army, he secretly took monastic vows; he was tonsured into a mantle with the name Anthony (in honor of St. Anthony of Kiev-Pechersk) on April 16, 1943, on Lazarus Saturday; the tonsure was performed by the rector of the Metochion and the confessor of the person being tonsured, Archimandrite Afanasy (Nechaev).
During the German occupation he was a doctor in the anti-fascist underground. After the war, he continued his medical practice until 1948, when Metropolitan Seraphim (Lukyanov, then Exarch of the Moscow Patriarch) called him to the priesthood, ordained him and sent him to pastoral service in England, the spiritual director of the Orthodox Anglican Commonwealth of St. martyr Albania and Rev. Sergius. Since September 1950, he was rector of the churches of St. ap. Philip and Rev. Sergius in London. In 1957, he was consecrated Bishop of Sergius, Vicar of the Exarch of the Patriarch of Moscow in Western Europe, and in 1962 he was appointed to the newly formed Diocese of Sourozh in the British Isles, within the framework of the Western European Exarchate. In 1966, he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan and confirmed as Exarch in Western Europe.
Over the years of Vladyka Anthony's ministry in Great Britain, the only parish that united a small group of emigrants from Russia turned into a multinational diocese, canonically organized, with its own charter and diverse activities. Metropolitan Anthony became widely known not only in Great Britain, but throughout the world as a pastor-preacher; he is constantly invited to speak to a wide variety of audiences (including radio and television audiences) preaching the Gospel, the Orthodox gospel about the living spiritual experience of the Church.
The peculiarity of the Vladyka’s work was that he did not write anything, his word was born as an oral appeal to the listener - not to a faceless crowd, but to every person in need of a living word about the Living God. Therefore, everything published is printed from tape recordings and preserves the sound of this living word.
The first books about prayer and spiritual life were published in English back in the 1960s and translated into many languages of the world; One of them (“Prayer and Life”) was published in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate in 1968.
In Russia, the word of the Master has been heard for many decades thanks to religious broadcasts of the Russian BBC service; his visits to Russia became significant events; tape recordings and samizdat collections of his sermons (and conversations in a narrow circle of close people in private apartments), like ripples on water, spread far beyond the borders of Moscow.
In addition to the award from the University of Aberdeen (1973), Metropolitan Anthony is an honorary doctor of divinity from the faculties of Cambridge (1996), as well as the Moscow Theological Academy (1983 - for a set of scientific and theological preaching works). On September 24, 1999, the Kiev Theological Academy awarded Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh the degree of Doctor of Theology honoris causa.
Photos by Anthony of Sourozh
“Apostle of Love” – a film about Metropolitan Anthony
4 films from the “Apostle of Love” series about Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh.
They contain memories of people who knew the outstanding preacher closely.
Video recordings of the sermons of Anthony of Sourozh
How to learn to pray
Spirituality and clergy: report by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (in the world Andrei Borisovich Bloom) is one of the most famous Orthodox missionaries of the 20th century, who brought many residents of Western Europe to the Church by example of his life and radio sermons.
We present to our readers ten selected stories from the life of this Orthodox hierarch-missionary, who for a long time headed the Sourozh diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, which can serve as a good Christian example for all of us:
1. While still an abbot, the future ruler attended dinner in one house. After dinner, he offered to help the owners and washed the dishes.
Years passed, Abbot Anthony became metropolitan. One day he had dinner with the same family. And again after lunch he offered to wash the dishes. The hostess was embarrassed - after all, the metropolitan would wash the dishes for her - and violently protested.
“What, I didn’t wash well last time?” asked the bishop.
2. Once in his youth, the future Bishop Anthony returned home from his summer vacation. His father met him at home and said: “I was worried about you this summer.”
Andrei Bloom decided to joke and answered his father: “Were you afraid that I might break my leg or crash?”
But he objected: “No. It would be all the same. I was afraid that you might lose your honor. Remember: whether you are alive or dead - it should be completely indifferent to you, just as it should be indifferent to others; the only thing that matters is what you live for and what you are willing to die for.”
3. Once, in response to a question from one of his interlocutors about how one should combine spiritual life with love for people and the given example of the excessive zeal of new Christians, the bishop shared a personal memory:
“It usually happens that everyone in the house becomes a saint as soon as someone wants to climb to heaven, because everyone must endure, humble themselves, endure everything from the “ascetic.” I remember once I was praying in my room in the most elevated spiritual mood, and my grandmother opened the door and said: “Peel the carrots!” I jumped to my feet and said, “Grandma, can’t you see that I’ve been praying?” She replied: “I thought that praying meant being in communion with God and learning to love. Here's a carrot and a knife."
4. One day, Metropolitan Anthony had to stand waiting for a taxi near the Ukraine Hotel. Here a young man approached him and asked: “Judging by your dress, are you a believer, a priest?”
The Bishop answered: “Yes.” - “But I don’t believe in God...” The Metropolitan looked at him and said: “It’s a pity!” - “How will you prove God to me?” - “What kind of proof do you need?” - “But here: show me your God in the palm of your hand, and I will believe in Him...”
He extended his hand, and at that moment the bishop saw that he had a wedding ring and asked: “Are you married?” - “Married” - “Are there any children?” - “And there are children” - “Do you love your wife?” - “Well, I love you” - “Do you like children?” - “Yes” - “But I don’t believe in it!” - “What do you mean: I don’t believe it? I’m telling you...” - “Yes, but I still don’t believe it. Now put your love in my palm, I’ll look at it and believe it...”
He thought: “Yes, I didn’t look at love from this point of view!...”
5. Many people find it strange why Vladyka Anthony is called Sourozhsky. After all, Surozhye (now Sudak) is ancient Sugdeya, a Byzantine colony, in the Middle Ages - one of the first Christian cities in Crimea. Why Surozhsky?
When Bishop Anthony was appointed ruling archbishop of Great Britain, the title chosen was Bishop of Great Britain and Ireland. But the Anglicans already had their own London archbishop, and such a pompous title for a Russian newcomer would have aroused the hostility of the island Church.
Bishop Anthony turned to Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsay, his friend, for advice. He seemed to confirm the thoughts of Bishop Anthony: it is better for the title to be Russian. This is how Surozhye first appeared. After all, taking the name of a disappeared diocese is a way of restoring it.
But there was another reason why Bishop Anthony chose the Russian title. He considered himself a man of Russian culture, and Russia as his Motherland. Vladyka spoke mainly Russian, although during his ministry he learned several languages. He really wanted to have a Russian title.
The Bishop made a request to the Patriarchate, the request was granted. So the Archbishop of Great Britain and Ireland became Sourozh.
Here is what Bishop Anthony himself said about this: “In the Russian Church it is customary, when a new foreign diocese is created, to give the title to a diocese that existed in ancient times and became extinct. In view of this, they gave me the title of Surozhsky. It was gratifying to me to have the title of a purely Russian, ancient, but, in addition, missionary diocese, because I considered our role in the West as missionary.”
6. One day, Bishop Anthony was visited for the first time in his life by his future spiritual son Igor Petrovsky. Metropolitan Anthony held a conversation with parishioners in the cathedral. When the new man approached for the blessing, the bishop said: “I have a feeling that we need to talk,” and called him into his cell for a conversation.
When Igor was already leaving, the shepherd said to him goodbye: “I will pray for you as best I can. And let’s agree to meet in two months at four o’clock in the afternoon.”
“And that’s it! Two months later at four o'clock in the afternoon! Like in the movies: “At six o’clock in the evening after the war.” I didn’t quite believe the seriousness of these words. He is the head of a huge diocese; hundreds of things to do, dozens of meetings, services, trips. In the whirlwind of these big questions, how can one remember, remember such a small meeting?
My surprise knew no bounds when two months later, approaching the Assumption Cathedral in London, I saw him sitting on a bench. He immediately stood up to meet me, hugged me and said: “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time”…”, the spiritual son shared his memories.
7. By the early sixties, Bishop Anthony’s ministry in England was fraught with enormous everyday difficulties. There was no church that would be considered “Russian” - but they managed to obtain a specially designed room for performing the Liturgy. It was the old Anglican church of St. Philip, the rent of which had to be paid a considerable sum.
We had to deal with fundraising, repairs, and clarification of administrative relations. Sometimes I had to preach in the streets.
Vladyka Anthony loved to preach sermons on the streets - it reminded him of apostolic times. Often among the listeners there were outsiders - hippies. In the memoirs there is a story about a young man with a huge dog who came to see Metropolitan Anthony preach. People were amazed when his dog, a black Newfoundland, literally rushed to the Bishop as soon as he saw him, lay down at his feet and began to listen carefully to what the Bishop was saying, as if he understood what he was talking about.
8. In 1956, the Church of England sold a small area to the city authorities. On the territory there was an old, almost destroyed Church of St. Philip, which the authorities offered to Metropolitan Anthony.
The condition for the community to receive the temple was that it be completely renovated. The renovation was to be carried out with community money and under the supervision of the Anglican diocesan architect. But it was still cheaper than renting.
20 years passed and suddenly everything changed. A Chinese restaurant that had become rich offered money to the authorities for this building, where it planned to place a dance floor, offices, kitchen, etc. Bishop Anthony was summoned by the Anglican authorities and set a condition: either the community would buy the temple, or it would be given to the Chinese. The Bishop firmly answered that he was “buying” the temple. The Vladyka had no money, and he did not hide it. But he repeated that he was buying, and the money would come. The authorities agreed to the deal.
Bishop Anthony gathered the parishioners and said: “We have been praying in this church for 23 or 24 years. In this church we buried our parents, we married you, we baptized you, we baptized your children, many of you became Orthodox here. Are we really going to give this temple over to a restaurant and dance?”
Of course, the temple must be redeemed. But the Vladyka, understanding all the subtleties of the matter, said: “We will buy the temple with our own money, obtained by our own labor. No sponsors, no benefactors. Because a benefactor can lay claim to this place, and then all the work will be lost.”
The collection of money has begun. And surprisingly, the small community was soon able to raise a significant amount - in a year and a half, 50,000 pounds were collected. This was almost half the amount.
The British decided to conduct a new check to assess the cost of the temple: what if it costs not a hundred thousand, but more? They invited an architect to carry out an examination, but the new price turned out to be 20 thousand less - in total, 80 thousand needed to be collected, so more than half of the required amount had already been collected. But the strength of the community was exhausted, every hundred pounds was given by enormous efforts. Doubts began...
Rumors about the heroic community spread throughout London in circles. One journalist from The Times, the most authoritative central newspaper, learned about the events at St. Philip's and wrote an article in which she compared the apathetic Anglican parishes with the living and developing Russian community. It seems that no one should have paid attention to this note. But a miracle happened.
Money began to come to the temple. Mostly these were small, two or three pounds, donations from the British and Russians: One old Englishman, a Catholic, to whom the books of Vladika Anthony helped the old man not to lose heart in a nursing home, sent Vladika Anthony three pounds, and said that that was all, that he has. He even sent his wedding ring along with the letter and three pounds. This ring became an engagement ring for a young couple who were still too poor to buy a ring; Bishop Anthony recorded his sermons on cassette tapes. Some of these tapes ended up in the hands of an old woman living in Switzerland and she donated her gold teeth to the temple...
By 1979, 80 thousand pounds had been collected and paid, and the temple remained with the community.
9. Irina von Schlippe’s story: “In some cases and when he had the opportunity, he invited the person to come to a long confession. Home or to temple. And there, not formally, but having thoroughly understood what you were repenting of and whether you were repenting, he accepted confession.
I myself never had such an opportunity, but I know people who spent the whole day with him, confessing with his help. To the question of what kind of confessor he was, I would answer this way: every face-to-face meeting with him was actually a confession. He said: “You and I will now enter eternity and see what happens.”
10. Told by Metropolitan Anthony himself:
“When I lived with my grandmother and mother, mice appeared in our apartment. They were running around in regiments, and we didn’t know how to get rid of them. We didn’t want to set mousetraps because we felt sorry for the mice.
I remembered that in the breviary there is an admonition from one of the saints to wild animals. It starts with lions, tigers and ends with bedbugs. And I decided to try. He sat down on his bed in front of the fireplace, put on his stole, took the book and said to this saint: “I don’t believe at all that anything will come of this, but since you wrote it, you believed it. I’ll say your words, maybe the mouse will believe it, and you pray that it will work out.”
I sat down. The mouse came out. I crossed her: “Sit and listen!” - and read a prayer. When I finished, I crossed her again: “Now go and tell others.” And after that we didn’t have a single mouse!”
Based on publications of various Orthodox resources. Compiled by Andrey Szegeda
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