“I am in terrible state.” Vladika John’s blessing
To Vladika Averky1
[1.] I am in terrible state.
[2.] Interview with Vladika Anthony—brief— ______?
[3.] We are horrified because in back of this event is a frightful lack of______: We think we
are still independent again, in monastic calling; and he thinks he has taken us over as Abbot.
[4.] Already on top of posting[?] he announced Ukase whereby he was Abbot (temp.) and tried to force priesthood on us as obedience—we were greatly disturbed but were calmed by thought that this was some purely formal temporary status.
[5.] Throughout these last months when thought of monasticism approached, our discussion with Vladika Anthony was much too indefinite and almost entirely oral (although he wrote to us discussing use of______?). Now we find that his idea is entirely different from ours.
[6.] We cannot operate within the idea blessed by Vladika John which we have pursued for 6 years, and which is now blessed as monastery by Synod (“to conduct in monastic calling the same missionary work….”) unless we are absolutely independent: in organization, in our life and work, able to make all decisions necessary for this life and work and organ, without dictation from without.
[7.] Since Vladika Anthony insists on giving outside direction, we must be free of him; stavropignialny [followed by 8 page letter in Russian by Fr. Herman]
Footnotes
-
Blessed Seraphim composed this as an outline for a letter in Russian, Spring 1971. ↩