Protopriest Michael Artzimovich

 ТWe Are One Church, One BodyУ

 On 24 December 2003, one of the most senior clergymen of the Diocese of Western Europe, Protopriest Michael Artzimovich, former rector of Holy Resurrection parish in the city of Medon, near Paris, departed to the Lord.
 
Late in the year 2001, the editors of the magazine ТRussian PastorУ put a number of questions to Fr. Michael. Throughout his life he was loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and regularly assisted many hierarchs during the divine services, among them the wonderworker Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco. We offer our readers excerpts from several of Fr. Michael’s answers.
 
Fr. Michael, tell us a little about yourself.
 
I was born in 1922, in Berlin. When I was four years old, my family moved to Paris. I received my elementary education at home--various instructors would come to our house to teach me; and later I enrolled in the fourth class at the Russian high school in Paris. I completed my studies there in 1940, but, unfortunately, because of the War, I was unable to receive a higher education, since I had to go to work. My grandfather was governor in many provinces in Russia, and was a senator and an equerry at the Imperial Palace. My father was a member of the Corps of Pages until 1917, and entered the military only because of the War (he enrolled in His Highness’ Ulansky Life Guard Regiment). By the time the Revolution began, my father was in Kiev, and from there was evacuated with the Germans to Berlin for further assignment to the White Army in southern Russia. But the Germans did not permit the Russians any farther than Berlin, and for this reason my father found work in the Russian Red Cross, and later worked as a taxi driver.
 
My father made the acquaintance of his future wife in Berlin. She was a widow with three children, aged from 10 to 15. The Bolsheviks had executed her husband by firing squad in Kiev, in 1919, and she was evacuated by the Germans to Germany. My parents were married inBerlin, and I was the only child of this marriage.
 
Later, my father became warden of the Russian church, and my half-brothers were altar-boys for Bishop Tikhon of Berlin. Our family was churchly and profoundly principled. With respect to Metropolitan Evlogy, our family took the position of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Antony, for which they called us Тblatant Antonians.У After our move to France, we continued to take the position of the Synodal Church (the followers of Metropolitans Antony and Anastasy). Throughout our entire life we knew and remained loyal only to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
 
When did you begin to relate to the life of the Church, the spiritual life, consciously?
 
I mentioned before that my elder brothers were subdeacons in church. After my first confession at the age of seven, I also began to serve in the sanctuary. It was accepted at that time that a boy was not to serve before the age of seven. I gradually passed all the Тstages of altar serving--first, I lit the censer; then I carried the candle out; for a long time I was a staff-bearer; then I carried the ripidion; then I was a book-holder for a long time; and finally, I began to serve as a subdeacon.
 
In this I continued right up to the time of my priestly ordination, that is, for fifty-two years. I was not an ostentatiously Тpious ladУ--serving was a normal part of my life. It did not interfere with my other occupations: working with the youth (in the national organization ТVityaziУ), civil service, political interests, participation in the theater, and
personal and social life. All of this blended together in my mind, in my life, and did
no harm to my spiritual life. I always loved to socialize with people, to listen to them, to learn and gain experience from them. By God’s mercy, I was able to meet exceptional hierarchs, theologians, and they imparted a great deal to me. Glory to God, I was able to preserve in my memory and in my heart their words, instructions, their spirit. All of this was stored as if under a bushel, so that later I might bring it to light in my pastoral ministry.
 
What are your clearest recollections of church life when you reached the age of reason?
 
I have a particularly vivid recollection of Pascha night with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Anastasy (Gribanovsky) in the city of Fussen, Germany, in 1945. I will never forget the two or three times I served as subdeacon for Saint John (Maximovich), and also my participation in the celebration of the Millennial Anniversary of the Conversion of Russia, in Paris, with the ever-memorable Archbishop Antony of Geneva andWestern Europe.
 
You served as subdeacon for many years. With which bishops did you serve, and what were the particularities of these archpastors?
 
When I was a child, I envied my elder brothers and wished to be as they were. When I reached the age of reason I began to be very much attracted by the concept of ТHoly RussiaУ--the harmony between Church and State. Even now I consider this concept a correct and ideal one. Regarding your question as to what bishops I served with, I can say that I served as subdeacon for more than forty hierarchs. And some of them I served ТconstantlyУ: Metropolitan Seraphim (Lukianov), Metropolitan Anastasy, Archbishops Panteleimon, Joasaph, Afanasy, Filofei, Paul and Antony. Other bishops I only served for once or twice. Each bishop I served for had his own peculiarities, his own habits, his own demands, his own ТstyleУ...All of them, however, were bishops by the mercy of God, Тprinces of the Church,У successors of the apostles. One of the principal tasks of a subdeacon is to make sure that the bishop thinks only about the divine service as it is being performed, and that tranquility reign within the sanctuary. The experienced subdeacon possesses sufficient sensitivity to know beforehand what the bishop needs, and, as far as possible, to carry out his desires without fanfare. Altar servers are not lackeys or servants, but must be like angels helping the bishop perform his great work without unnecessary disturbances and cares.
 
Why and when did you decide to become a priest? What inspired you to undertake this ministry?
 
My decision to become a priest had several causes. Firstly, from childhood I had served in the sanctuary, and more and more the desire grew within me to dedicate myself more fully to the service of God, to the service of the Church. Secondly, in high school I shared a desk with the future Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. We were altar-boys in different jurisdictions, but tried hard to be with each other. The future Fr. Alexander, being a talented man, had a good influence on me. Moreover, he never urged me to go over to the ТEvlogians.У And so, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, we decided to become priests. Through Fr. Alexander Schmemann I learned a great deal and became acquainted with a number of prominent theologians. Thirdly, after finishing high school, I attached myself to a certain Тgroup.У This was a union of persons who were like-minded about things ecclesiastical and political. Our ТsocietyУ was not an official organization--we were all bound together by friendship and an important idea, and this idea was the following: the restoration of Holy Russia. We believed that the restoration of Holy Russia was possible only through the restoration of the harmony between the Church and the State. This harmony was clearly lost during the reign of Peter I, and it was the loss of this harmony that drew our homeland into revolution. All of us like-minded individuals decided to dedicate ourselves to the task of restoring this harmony through ninistry. This ministry could be realized in two ways: either by more secular, more political means (those who chose this path we called ТsuitsУ), or by spiritual means, that is, through the priesthood.
 
And so, in particular, we propagated the idea of the restoration of a genuine harmony in the midst of the fold of the Church. We did not call ourselves an organization or a society, but simply a Тgroup.У There were no membership dues, there were no leaders or followers. Everything was based on personal relationships, on friendship, on oneness of mind. Today, only two remain from this group: one ТsuitУ in Argentina, and one priest--myself.
 
Among the clergy who joined the ТgroupУ were Archbishops Antony (Bartoshevich) and Nafanail (L’vov), Archpriests Georgy Romanov, Sergy Chertkov, Igor Troyanov and Alexander Trubachov. All without exception belonged by conviction to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
 
You received the priesthood as a man of mature years. What did you find most difficult when you began your priestly labors?
 
I was ordained to the priesthood at the age of sixty. This, one must admit, is rather late in life. I had earlier not agreed to accept ordination for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons was that I had to see that my three children were well set up in life. I had to work (parishes in Europe and South America, for example, did not provide for their priests), so as to provide for my children1s education. I consider that a priest must give himself wholly to the Church and the parish. Priests who hold down secular jobs in addition to overseeing their parishes must be the exception, not the rule. A parish must provide for the rector, so that he may be free to give himself over entirely to the service of God and the people. Funds, when there is the need and the desire, will be found.
 
What difficulties did I initially encounter? There were all kinds of difficulties, but I understood that a priest requires tact and patience. There is no need to change everything and do everything one's own way immediately. Any changes must be implemented gradually, taking into account the habits (even those which are far from good) of the parishioners. One should change things in a way so that no one notices that a change has been made. The priest must be a real master, and not simply a hired hand. He must resolve not only spiritual questions, but also, in concord with the warden and the parish council, practical and financial questions.
 
When I experienced difficulties in resolving spiritual questions, I benefited greatly from the advice of experienced priests. I found it personally very difficult to hear the people’s confessions. I was terrified that I would in some way drive someone from the Church, and terrified also not to admit someone to Communion. If I were to refuse to permit someone to approach the Chalice, and something happened to that person, he would be without Communion. This thought tormented, and continues to torment, me.
 
It is always difficult in the priesthood to set an example, to be a model pastor; but it is precisely this that gives a priest authority. Authority cannot simply be assumed; the priest must act with great prudence, and authority must be won through love.
 
What helped you from your experience in life (in the Church and in the world)?
 
I was helped greatly by having assisted many hierarchs and priests as an altar-server. I saw many different customs, traditions and beautiful things, and heard countless sermons and instructions. Thanks to serving as an acolyte I knew what the external aspect of parish life--the adornment of the church, the singing, the order and cleanliness of the sanctuary--consisted of. It seemed to me that it is a good thing for a priest to serve frequently, yet he ought not to tire his parishioners out, for they have to work, to travel long distances. One should set up the schedule of divine services keeping this in mind. The hours of the divine services and their length also ought to reflect what the parishioners are capable of. Our ever-memorable Vladyka Antony of Geneva said that one may abbreviate the services, but it should be done rationally. A parish is not a monastery.
 
In the parish the parishioners must feel themselves to be one family, and the father of this family is the rector, who bears responsibility for it. The main thing that the parish must have is love. Love for God, for the Church, for one another. Parishioners help the rector to lead the parish in love and serenity. It is this harmony between rector and parishioners that must be attained. Unfortunately, not every priest succeeds in this.
 
Do you conceive of service to the Church as separate from service to Russia?
 
For me, as also for any (it seems to me) priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, service apart from Russia is not possible. Of course, within the bosom of the church Abroad there are now many non-Russians who have converted to Orthodoxy, and they, perhaps, would not answer this question as I have. And the Decree of His Holiness, Patriarch Tikhon may not be entirely comprehensible to them.
 
In parish life in Medon, we try to adhere to a middle path--on the one hand, we serve the needs of the Russian immigrants, pray for Russia, try to help it; and on the other hand, we engage in missionary activity, deal with the fact that for many parishioners France has become their de facto homeland, and French their first language. In all our divine services, the epistle and Gospel are read in two languages (Church Slavonic and French), as well as one litany; and once a month the vigil and Liturgy are celebrated entirely in French. It is difficult to say what awaits us in the future.
 
The Russian language is being forgotten by the youth, yet at the same time the ranks of parishioners are being augmented by people who have arrived recently from Russia, and also by French people who have recently converted.
 
What brings you particular joy and consolation in our parish life?
 
The children. Children especially bring me joy and comfort. We have a great many children in the parish, and I myself have baptized almost all of them. This is my greatest joy. I am comforted by the love and good relations toward me of my parishioners, in particular when, because of age, it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to carry out my pastoral duties. I hope and pray that the Lord will send me an assistant who will ultimately replace me. I am ready to be a second priest.
 
What periods in our Church’s life do you consider the most difficult?
 
I consider the present time to be one that is very difficult in our Church’s life. It is difficult not only because several bishops have started a Тrebellion,У but also, it seems to me, because after eighty years of our Church’s existence in opposition to godlessness, in opposition to various anti-Church trends, an internal schism has developed in our midst. On the one hand, some in the former Soviet Union have taken advantage of our Church in their disagreement with their leadership in the Moscow Patriarchate; but on the other hand, there are few of us in the diaspora who know, remember and understand the significance of Saint Tikhon the Patriarch1s Decree No. 362, and few who want to understand its meaning. There are priests from Russia who sometimes come over to us, desiring to live in the West in peace and be provided for materially. Several priests see us as the preservers of Russian Orthodoxy, but many parishioners are already fully living the life of that country in which they find themselves, and the question of Decree No. 362 is either unknown or of no interest to them. They are interested--glory to God!--in traditional Orthodoxy, and that is a good thing.
 
I think that our supreme ecclesiastical authority must not forget Decree No. 362 of His Holiness, Patriarch Tikhon, must remember that in that Decree the temporary character of the Russian Church Abroad is enunciated. In that Decree it is stated clearly that we must return to the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church (and not to the Moscow Patriarchate) when conditions are favorable for this. At the present time these conditions do not exist, and there can be no talk of ТreunificationУ or anything of the like; but there can be dialogue, a discussion can be begun. It is understood that any discussion, any conversation, must be voluntary and sincere; it must not be false. The element of falsity still exists everywhere--read, for example, the recent ТFraternal EpistleУ of the Moscow Patriarchate. One would have to be either naive or blind to take that Epistle seriously.
 
God grant that our archpastors find a way out of the present situation, so that in our ranks order may be introduced and oneness of mind may exist. We all want there to be one genuine Russian Orthodox Church--not the Moscow Patriarchate, not the Russian Church Abroad, but a single Russian Orthodox Church.
 
Reviewing your life’s path as we have followed it, what gives you the hope and strength to continue your ministry, to keep from falling into despondency?
 
Faith, first of all, gives me the hope and strength to continue my pastoral ministry--faith in God, that He knows what we need; and that must be only in accordance with His will. Secondly, joy gives me hope and strength--joy and gratitude to God that we Orthodox have the possibility of glorifying Him and holding to the right Faith. And thirdly, what gives me hope and strength is the awareness that I belong to the great Russian people, that I am Russian.
 
Moreover, in our priestly ministry there is no time to fall into despondency.
 
And lastly, what do you have to say to our readers?
 
We pastors must sense our closeness, must share with one another. We cannot hide in our parishes or our own dioceses exclusively. We are one Church, one Body; and we must know one another and bear one another1s burdens.
 
Thank you!
 
Russian Pastor, #41 (2002)
San Francisco