Activities of the North German vicariate of Russian Orthodox Church abroad in time of bishop Afanasy’s (Martos) office (1946–1950)
This article studies the administration of the North German Vicariate in the time of bishop Afanasy (Martos). It examines main directions of his activity, i.e. missionary work, meetings with the clergy, organisation of a theological school in Hamburg. It is shown that his missionary work was directe...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Russian |
| Published: |
St. Tikhon's Orthodox University
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Svâto-Tihonovskogo Gumanitarnogo Universiteta: Seriâ II. Istoriâ, Istoriâ Russkoj Pravoslavnoj Cerkvi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://periodical.pstgu.ru/ru/pdf/article/6895 |
| Summary: | This article studies the administration of the North German Vicariate in the time of bishop Afanasy (Martos). It examines main directions of his activity, i.e. missionary work, meetings with the clergy, organisation of a theological school in Hamburg. It is shown that his missionary work was directed towards educating members of parishes, while the aim of conventions and meetings was to increase education and competence of parish priests. The article also studies bishop Afanasy’s relations with the clergy and church organisations that were under the infl uence of Nafanail (L’vov), bishop of Brussels and Western Europe. Particular attention is paid to bishop Afanasy’s personality, as well as the tasks that he set himself during his administration of the vicariate. The article draws on the documents kept at the Archive of the German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Development of the vicariate made it possible to arrange into parishes those groups of Orthodox people who survived persecutions of atheist authorities and World War II. Parish groups not only did survive, but also preserved their Orthodox identity and traditions of the Orthodox way of life. Clergy and laymen who had to go though the North German “school of education” managed to adjust the experience of church life of the vicariate to conditions of life in new countries of residence. In countries of North and South America, North Africa and Australia they made use of their ability to conduct missionary work, to employ the art of discussing theological issues, preserved their desire to discern God’s providence in everyday life.
Development of the vicariate helped to organize parishes consisting of the Orthodox people who experienced and persecution from the atheist regime and who survived the World War in 1939–1945. These parishes did not only survive but they also preserved Orthodox Christian identity and tradition of the Orthodox way of life. Clergy and fl ock went through the Northern Germany’s “school of education” and managed to adapt the experience of church life in the vicariate to the conditions of life in new countries of living. In the countries of Northern and Southern America, Northern Africa and Australia they used skill to carry out missionary work, the art to discuss theological issues, aspiration to see God’s Providence in everyday life. |
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| ISSN: | 1991-6434 2409-4811 |