Gross-Hessen diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in the time of archbishop Filofei (Narko), 1946–1949

Abstract

The article studies the creation and development of the Gross-Hessen Diocese of Vicar of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR) in the years of 1946-1949. It is noted that at the end of the 2nd World War on the territory of Western zones of occupation in Germany, thousands of Orthodox refugees were in need of pastoral and spiritual care and guidance. Synod of ROCOR decided to form a set of vicar’s dioceses, so that in the region of Gross-Hessen, the one was established and was headed by the bishop of the Belarusian Autonomous Orthodox Church by Archbishop Philofei (Narko). Contrary to financial and other social difficulties, the Vicar managed to organize regular liturgical life and largely unite different Orthodox parishes of the Displaced Persons. Some organizational decisions made by Archbishop Philofei are analyzed. In particular, the decision was made to hold regular meetings of the clergy, to form an advisory body under the Vicar Bishop (Vicarian Council in Wiesbaden). The Archbishop organized with success distribution of food assistance to parishes of his diocese in the economically difficult 1949.Based on original documents preserved in the Archives of the German Diocese of the ROCOR, the author provides statistics on the number of parishes, specific names of the clergy who developed parishes in Wiesbaden, where the residence and the Cathedral of Vicar was established, in Darmstadt, Frankfurt, Menhegoff, Furstenwald, Gudensberg and in other places were discovered. The problems that prevented a successful development of the liturgical and out-service life of the Vicar’s diocese are studied, namely: lack of clergy after mass departure of priests and parishioners from Germany to countries of the Western Hemisphere in 1947-1949; conflict over activities of the Orthodox Missionary Group of Hessen-Nassau; problem of the development of Belarusian parishes due to desire of part of the Belarusian political emigration to strengthen the autocephalous movement. Comparative analysis of the activities of the Vicar’s bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, activities of the North German Bishop Afanasy (Martos) and the Grossen-Hessen’s Archbishop Philofei (Narko) is carried out.