Metropolitan Anthony UOC of the USA celebrates his 70th anniversary
On January 30, Metropolitan Anthony - the fourth Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA - celebrates his saint patron’s day (St. Anthony the Great) and the seventieth birthday anniversary.
The clergy, the Metropolitan Council, the Consistory and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA and Diaspora welcomed the hierarch. “May the Lord bless that the other people, seeing his example of service based on love and sacrifice, respond and follow his example, and follow Thee having taken Your Cross; we pray unto You, hear us and have mercy,” the greeting says.
Metropolitan Anthony (secular name - John Scherba) was born in 1947 in Sharon (Pennsylvania, USA). He studied theology at the having taken Your Cross seminary of St. Andrew in Winnipeg and sociology at the University of the same city. Initially he performed his ministry in the Ukrainian metropolis in the United States, which has originated from two structures that emerged in 1921 and 1942 in Ukraine. In 1995 this church community passed under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople as an autonomous metropolis. The majority of the clergy of the Ukrainian metropolis were ordained anew without undue publicity involving the episcopate of the Church of Constantinople because of the uncertainty of the canonical status of the clergy.
The future Metropolitan Anthony was ordained to the diaconate on October 1, 1972, and to the priesthood on November 26, 1972. For several years he served in Ambridge (Pennsylvania) and Hammond (Indiana). Following his ordination, he studied at the Theological Faculty of the University of Loyola in Chicago and the University of Purdue (Indiana). He took monastic vows in 1982, receiving the name of Anthony. He was ordained a bishop in 1985 and was appointed rector and administrator of St. Sophia Seminary, and performed this obedience until 1989, when was assigned to Australia, where he remained at the head of Ukrainian Diocese until 1997, and he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. In 1998, he was assigned to lead the project of the new complex, which includes the center of archives and research of the seminary library and the Ukrainian Museum in New Jersey. In 2010, Archbishop Anthony was elected treasurer of the Assembly of Canonical Bishops in North America and put in charge of the financial committee.
Metropolitan Anthony was elected Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the United States at the extraordinary Council of October 6, 2012 in metropolitan center of South Bound Brook. The Council took place after on May 21, 2012, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Metropolitan Constantine (Bagan), who led this Church from 1993, died at the age of 76. The Council’s choice was confirmed by the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and on October 21, 2012 Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew met with Metropolitan Anthony of which he reported.
On January 26, 2013, in the Cathedral of St. Andrew at Silver Springs (MD), Metropolitan Anthony (Scherba) was enthroned. The ceremony of enthronement of the newly elected head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA was attended by over 500 faithful and 70 priests of the metropolis, as well as many visitors from other Orthodox and Catholic Churches. This was reported by the official site of the UOC of the USA.
On January 27, 2013, Metropolitan Anthony celebrated his first Liturgy as head of the UOC of the USA.
Metropolitan Anthony (Scherba) is engaged in patriotic activities. Thus, during a meeting with Petro Poroshenko, held on February 17, 2015 as part of meeting of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which was attended by hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops Outside Ukraine, Metropolitan Anthony said that the President and all those attending should know that overseas, the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA also feel deep concern about the events in Ukraine. He also assured the President that the faithful of the UOC in the USA pray for Ukraine during each Liturgy.
The UOC of the USA is known for active humanitarian efforts to support our soldiers and refugees in the ATO of Donbass. Thus, in June 2015 at the initiative of the UOC in the USA in remote areas of Central and Eastern Ukraine, humanitarian aid was delivered to Lviv hospital which treats wounded soldiers, and refugees and children of Donbas.
