Childhood in Russia Born on October 19, 1906 in
Kazan, he was the only and beloved son of Pavel Sergeyevich and Maria Vladimirovna Taushev, a noblepeople from the
Simbirsk Governorate. His father, a graduate of the
Military Law Academy, served in the military judicial department before the
1917 revolution. Subsequently, Archbishop Averky recalled this period of his life as follows: "The nature of my father's service was the reason that we constantly had to travel around Russia. And I thank God that I nevertheless saw it and deeply imprinted her in my childish heart. These memories of our travels in Russia seem like a kind of dream to me, and they will never be erased from my memory until my death. It is unforgettable for me to visit the holy
Kremlin, in the heart of Russia — the Mother See of
Moscow, with its shrines, starting with the
Assumption Cathedral, where our Sovereigns were crowned and the Primates of the Russian Church were enthroned. The
Trinity-Sergius Lavra with the holy relics of the "mourner of the Russian Land", St.
Sergius,
Kiev Caves Lavra,
Alexander Nevsky Lavra,
Peter and Paul,
St. Isaac's and
Kazan Cathedrals and the
Savior on Blood in
St. Petersburg. I do not want to believe that now these are only "museum" values, that the church and national life that used to be there will not be revived". He loved to read when he was a kid. After reading all the children's books in home library, including
Pushkin,
Gogol,
Lermontov, he began to read books of spiritual content that his father had. "I was most interested in the items in my father's huge closet in his office. I liked to climb there when my father went to work, and I was especially fond of reading the
large Bible in Russian with numerous illustrations by
Gustave Doré, which made a great impression on me. Then I enthusiastically read the "Guide to the
Holy Land" and the "Guide to
Mount Athos". My parents were not particularly "churchpeople," but they were deeply religious people, and my father was very fond of and subscribed to books of spiritual content published by
St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos. When I got to these books, they especially struck me not only with their content, but also with the special spiritual fragrance that emanated from them. Reading these books, I just reveled in this wonderful fragrance, and I was sorry to part with these books, having put them back in the closet on the shelf. That's how I gradually got acquainted with the book "
Invisible Warfare," which made a deep impression on me, and then with the book "The spiritual life: and how to be attuned to it" by Bishop
Theophan the Recluse and with collections of his Letters. I was constantly walking around under the impression of what I had read, and somehow I began to become more and more alienated from the ordinary social life around me. But in those early years, I did not feel a special attraction to the God's shrine, I did not know and did not understand our wonderful, incomparable worship even then. It came later, gradually. In my soul, even then, at the age of 7-8, I subconsciously had a desire to lead a monastic life, detached from ordinary secular life, in which I saw nothing attractive". In January 1920, the Taushev family left their homeland after many wanderings: "I remember with what sorrow my heart was squeezed when we left the Russian land… With bated breath, we watched the last Russian lights on the horizon disappear. Goodbye, our poor long-suffering Homeland! And is it really forever?".
Life in Bulgaria At the end of January 1920, the steamer carrying the Taushev family stopped at the Bulgarian port of
Varna. The city authorities accommodated the newly arrived refugees in dormitories. At first, they "enjoyed a quiet, peaceful life here, from which they managed to wean themselves in Russia during the terrible years of the revolution of the 1917-1920s. The Bulgarians welcomed us cordially and kindly". In the same year, a Russian gymnasium was launched in Varna, which enrolled 25 students, including Alexander Taushev. According to his memoirs, "I loved studying very much, and for me it was a real pleasure when we started studying some new subject. I especially loved
history and
geography, as well as the history of
Russian literature. At one time he was fond of the
Latin language". During his high school years, Alexander Taushev was strongly influenced by the , which was given to the
Russian community, and its rector, Archpriest John Slunin. According to the memoirs of those who knew him in Bulgaria, at that time Taushev always looked solemn, sedated in his movements and conversation. He also was somewhat detached because he was a little deaf. in 1910s In the summer of 1925, Archbishop
Theophan (Bystrov) arrived in Varna, who had a great influence on the young Alexander Taushev: "I was deeply struck by his extraordinary appearance, unlike other bishops I had seen before, his prayerful ministry and wonderful sermon, which inspired me with the spirit of ancient patristic writings, which I was fond of reading. And suddenly I found out that he had been hired for the whole summer a summer cottage five kilometers from the city, where he would live every summer, coming from
Sofia, where he settled in the building of the Bulgarian Holy Synod. A particularly exalted spiritual joy seized my heart in the hope that I would often be able to see this genuine saint of God, who struck me so much with his spirituality, and perhaps even converse with him. I immediately came up with the audacious idea of asking him to be my "
elder" — a spiritual father in monasticism, which I resolutely decided to accept after seeing in Vladyka Theophan the ideal of a monk and a saint. It is difficult for me to express in words what I felt on my first meeting with this great saint. He breathed upon me an extraordinary peace of mind and such a fragrance of genuine holiness, which I have never had to meet anywhere else, neither before nor after". After that, 19-year-old Alexander Taushev decided "firmly, without the slightest doubt or hesitation" to become a
monk. Alexander Taushev often visited the cottage where Archbishop Theophan lived, got acquainted with his cell-attendants and became one of them. When Archbishop Theophan was outside of Bulgaria, Alexander Taushev corresponded with him. In 1926 he graduated from the Russian gymnasium with a gold medal. After that, with the blessing of Archbishop Theophan, he entered the Faculty of Theology at
Sofia University. On June 3, 1930, he successfully passed the exam with a total score of
5 points. After graduating with honors from Sofia University, Alexander Taushev had the opportunity to get a place in the
Bulgarian Orthodox Church, but he decided "to serve as the leader of the Russian Church, to work in the spiritual field of our Russian people." He decides to go to serve in Carpathian Rus (now the
Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine). "I regularly received the newspaper
Orthodox Carpathian Rus, and so I had the intention to go to
Subcarpathian Rus — then it was
Czecho-Slovakia — where there was at that time a spontaneous return of the masses of the enslaved and oppressed for centuries of the
Russian people, people torn from Mother Russia for centuries; [return] from the
union with Papal Rome, forcibly imposed on them by the enemies to their native paternal Eastern Orthodox faith". Alexander sent the petition and received a response from Bishop Joseph (Cvijović) that he might be offered the position of assistant secretary of the Diocesan Administration in the city of
Khust. He received a blessing for this from Archbishop Theophan (Bystrov), who also gave him money for travel, since his parents did not have the means to buy a train ticket. He left Bulgaria with mixed feelings: "On the one hand, the sorrow of separation from my
Abba, (Archbishop Theophan) and with my parents, whom I loved very much, on the other hand, I am glad that one way or another, with the blessing of my Abba, I am approaching the realization of my cherished dream — to become a monk, and at the same time on the territory of the
Ruthenian land, which even officially bore the name "Subcarpathian Rus" that attracted me. I was glad to think that I would devote myself to such a lofty cause, missionary service for the return of our deceived and oppressed brothers in faith and blood to their native fatherly faith."
Ministry in the Carpathian region On April 23, 1931, Alexander Taushev arrived in Transcarpathia, and on May 1 of the same year he was enlisted in the service of a junior official of the diocesan administration. He remained in this position until June 1, 1932. On May 6, 1931, on the feast of the Great Martyr George, he was ordained a
reader by Bishop Joseph in the church of the village of Čumalovo. On May 17, 1931, at the St Nicholas Monastery in the village of
Iza, Khust district, he was tonsured into a mantle with the name Averky in honor of Equal-to-the-Apostles
Abercius, Bishop of Hierapolis. The next day, he was ordained a
hierodeacon, remaining in the service of the diocesan chancery and performing deaconal duties at the bishop. On April 7, 1932, on the feast of the
Annunciation of the
Most Holy Theotokos, he was ordained a
hieromonk by Bishop of
Mukačevo and
Prešov in a monastery in the village of
Domboky. On April 18, 1932, the secretary of the Diocesan Administration, Sergei Ryasnyansky, informed the rector of the Orthodox church in
Užhorod, Archpriest Mikhail Meygesh, that the ruling bishop, "in view of the need to support and strengthen Orthodoxy in Užhorod," was sending Hieromonk Averky (Taushev) to his disposal. The duties of the young missionary included serving and preaching on the eve of the Easter holidays, helping in the confession of believers. On June 1, 1932, Hieromonk Averky was transferred to St. Nicholas Monastery to serve as an assistant rector and to serve parishes in the villages of
Nankovo and
Boroniava. On August 20, 1932, the secretary informed the Parish Committee that the bishop had decided to appoint Hieromonk Averky as assistant rector and asked for decent living conditions in the city. On September 9, 1932, at the request of believers in Užhorod, he was appointed assistant rector of the Intercession Church. On November 12, 1932, Hieromonk Averky sent Bishop Damascene a letter and the first issue of the
Parish Bulletin, which he planned to publish in order to inform members of the Orthodox community. On the reverse side we find a positive resolution of the bishop. On July 2, 1933, the First Congress of Carpatho-Russian Youth was held in Užhorod. Six priests attended the meeting: Archimandrite
Alexius (Kabalyuk), Archpriest Iriney Khanat, Hieromonks Sabbas (Struve), Innocent (Chopik),
Philip (Gardner) and Averky (Taushev). After the festive liturgy, 40 people, mostly young people, applied to leave the union for Orthodox Church. On August 7, 1933, Hieromonk Averky was appointed acting rector, and on August 23, 1934, he was appointed permanent administrator of the Užhorod parish. On July 1, 1935, Hieromonk Averky was appointed rector of the parish in Užhorod with the right to receive a state fee (
Congrua portio). On August 7, 1935, he became the publisher-editor of the diocesan magazine
Orthodox Carpatho-Russian Bulletin. On September 1, 1935, he was awarded the right to wear a
Nabedrennik. By decree of December 4, Hieromonk Averky was appointed a full-time teacher of the
Law of God at the state Realgymnasium, in Russian and Czech civil and public schools in Užhorod. By decree of December 12, 1936, he was appointed a member of the Supreme Ecclesiastical Court of the Orthodox Diocese of Mukačevo and Prešov. By decree of December 31, 1936, he was appointed head of the educational unit (inspector) and teacher of liturgy at the pastoral and theological courses at the Diocesan Administration. On May 2, 1937, on Easter Day, Hieromonk Averky was elevated to the rank of
hegumen in the memorial church to Russian soldiers with the laying of a golden pectoral cross and a
palitsa by Bishop Damascene (Grdanički). By decree of July 5, 1937, Hegumen Averky was appointed a member of the examination committee for the position of parish priest and at the same time a member of the examination committee for the title of "Professor of the gymnasium on the subject of the Law of God". On January 22, 1937, Averky and Chairman of the Church Council Ilarion Curkanovič informed the Diocesan Administration of the need to erect a church house ("fara") and a hotel attached to it. The document notes that due to the lack of premises, the parish has been left without its own spiritual and cultural center for meetings, readings, lectures, talks, and singing. Hieromonk Averky suggested contacting the
Ministry of Schools and Public Education through the leadership of the diocese, as well as the clergy throughout Subcarpathian Rus. On November 18, 1938, he was transferred to the episcopal residence in Mukačevo with appointment to the post of rector of the parish. After the
Vienna Arbitration, part of Transcarpathia was ceded to
Kingdom of Hungary, and therefore the diocese Mukačevo and Prešov was divided by state borders. By decree of December 24, 1938, Hegumen Averky was appointed administrator of part the diocese of Mukačevo and Prešov, which was located on the territory of the Kingdom of Hungary, with the right to directly represent the interests of the Orthodox Church in Hungary before the state authorities in
Budapest. In connection with the move of the diocesan bishop to the Czech territory, the management of the diocesan house in Mukačevo falls on him. However, the following year, the bishop returned to Mukačevo and by decree of April 27, 1939, Hegumen Averky was appointed the first referent of the Diocesan Administration, leaving the post of rector of the parish and teacher of the Law of God at the state gymnasium. By the decision of the
Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church dated June 21, 1939, in the Assumption Church of the monastery in the village of Domboki, on July 2, 1939, Bishop
Vladimir (Rajić) of Mukačevo and Prešov, Hegumen Averky was elevated to the rank of
protosyncellus.
Life in Yugoslavia and Germany On July 5, 1940, having received canonical release from Bishop Vladimir (Rajić) to transfer to the jurisdiction of the
Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, he went in early 1941 from Užhorod to
Belgrade and was appointed second priest and
sacristan of the
Russian Holy Trinity Church in Belgrade. He served under Metropolitan Anastasius (Gribanovsky), taught
pastoral theology and
homiletics at missionary and pastoral courses, gave a systematic course of lectures on spiritual topics at the Russian House, was chairman of the educational department of the Belgrade Parish Council and organized religious and educational meetings. After the death of Archbishop Theophan (Gavrilov) in June 1943, he was the guardian of the miraculous
Kursk-Root Icon of the Sign, with which he fearlessly visited the homes of Russian Belgraders and served prayer services during the bombing. On September 28, 1944, he was elevated to the rank of
Archimandrite. On November 10, 1944, employees and members of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops moved from
Vienna to Karlsbad (now
Karlovy Vary). In connection with the new approach of
Red Army, Metropolitan Anastasius and the staff of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops, with the assistance of General
Andrey Vlasov in mid-April 1945 left Carlsbad for
Bavaria, where they were caught by the end of the war. At that time, he traveled a lot, caring for Russian people who found themselves in a foreign land. One of Archimandrite Averky's main concerns was to save Orthodox Russian youth from the influence of "corrupting fashion." In order to preserve selfesteem, inner peace and love for Russia, he began to create St. Vladimir's youth societies. By decree of November 17, 1945, he was appointed rector of the Synodal House Church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir in
Munich. After living in Munich for six years, Archimandrite Averky was a law teacher at the Merciful Samaritan Gymnasium in Munich and the Gymnasium of people without nationality in the
displaced persons camp in the
Schutzstaffel barracks, as well as at the
Sisters of Mercy courses at the Merciful Samaritan House. He visited refugee camps in Germany with the Kursk-Root Icon, and he actively attended most of the Russian gymnasiums in both the
British and
American zones. He was in contact with many leaders of the youth movement of Russian emigration, and repeatedly gave lectures on spiritual topics in youth circles and
camps for displaced persons. He became a full member of the Peter and Paul Brotherhood, established on July 11, 1948 in Germany to preach Eastern Orthodoxy to native peoples of Europe. When the chairman of the brotherhood, Bishop
John (Garklavs), went to serve in America in July 1949, Archimandrite Averky was appointed chairman. In addition to chairing the Peter and Paul Brotherhood, Archimandrite Averky assumed the responsibility of censoring all literature produced by the brotherhood. Archimandrite Averky visited the camps of
Big and Small Schleißheim every time, accompanying the Kursk-Root Icon and Metropolitan Anastasius (Gribanovsky). Archimandrite Averky maintained a spiritual and prayerful relationship with many of the camp residents even after moving to the
United States. Former Schleißheim inhabitants later remembered Archimandrite Averky with love, noting that he was a spiritual, kind, attentive pastor. While living in the United States, Archbishop Averky, in his sermons and articles, repeatedly referred to the period of his ministry in the camps of displaced persons, trying to comprehend this time as favorable for the salvation of the Christian soul.
Activities in the United States In 1948, the mass migration of Russian emigrants from Europe to the
New World began. On November 24, 1950, the First Hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan Anastasius (Gribanovsky), arrived in the United States for permanent residence, thus moving the administrative center of ROCOR there. In 1950, Archimandrite Averky was appointed by the ROCOR Synod of Bishops to the post of chairman of the Missionary and Educational Committee at the Synod of Bishops. On January 23 of the same year, he flew on a
Flying Tiger plane to
Idlewild Airport, near New York, delivering the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God to American land. On February 5, 1951, he was appointed a teacher at
Holy Trinity Theological Seminary in
Jordanville, New York. On February 17, 1952, Archimandrite Averky was confirmed by the Synod as Rector of the seminary, where he remained until his death. He lectured on the
New Testament,
liturgics, and
homiletics. Since there were no special manuals on these subjects, he prepared lectures by typing them on a
typewriter. Then they were multiplied on a
rotator, after which the students received printed lectures. During his leadership, this educational institution was accredited by the
University of the State of New York. On May 23, 1953, he was elected
titular bishop of
Syracuse, vicar of the
Diocese of Eastern America. On May 24, 1953, his consecration took place, which was made by the first hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan Anastasius (Gribanovsky), Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko), Bishop Nikon (Rklitsky), Bishop Seraphim (Ivanov), Bishop James (Toombs) On May 12, 1960, forty days after the death of Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko), Bishop Averky was elected rector of Holy Trinity Monastery at a general monastic meeting. On August 17, 1961, his title was changed to "of Syracuse and Holy Trinity," and Bishop Averky was elevated to the rank of
archbishop. From 1951 to 1988, his sermons, polemical and historical articles were actively published in the magazine
Orthodox Russia. In 1958, the heading "Questions and Answers" appeared in the
Orthodox Russia, which was led by bishop Averky. His articles were also published in the yearbook
The Orthodox Way. Since 1964, he has been a permanent member of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops. He was chairman of the St. John of Kronstadt Charitable Foundation. Russian Russian Orthodox Church is the spiritual leader of the St. Vladimir Youth movement, created with the aim of "helping our Russian youth develop a correct Orthodox and national-Russian worldview, so that it becomes the guiding principle of life." In the last years of his life, he was ill a lot and was in the hospital for a long time, but "the source of his sadness was not illness or human adversity, but a deep experience from the progressive
apostasy in Christianity". The consolation for him were those days when he could write sermons for the magazine
Orthodox Russia with inspiration. He died on April 10, 1976 at St. Luke's Hospital in
Utica as a result of a stroke. He was buried in the crypt of the Trinity Cathedral of Holy Trinity Monastery in
Jordanville. == Basic ideas ==