Metropolitan Vitaly Ustinov

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Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov) (Russian: Митрополит Виталий, в миру - Ростислав Петрович Устинов (Secular Name: Rostislav Petrovich Ustinov)), (18 March 1910, St Petersburg - 25 September 2006, Magog, Canada) was a First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia from 1985 to 2001.

[edit] Biography

Rostislav Petrovich Ustinov was born to naval officer Peter Ustinov and Lydia Andreevna née Stopchanskaya, daughter of the General of Police in the Caucasus.

In 1920, during the Civil War in Russia, Rostislav Ustinov with his family moved to Crimea, and enlisted into a cadet corps military school established by General Pyotr Wrangel. At the end of the year he and his corps numbering 650 cadets, evacuated to Constantinople (Istanbul), and thence to Yugoslavia.

In 1923, his mother recalled him to Constantinople, after which she moved to Paris and placed him in the French college of Saint Louis in city of Le Маns. After completing his studies, Rostislav lived with mother in Cannes.

In 1934, he was called to serve in the army and was enlisted in the Ninth Cuirassier (cavalry) Regiment. Having served up to the grade of foreman, he refused to continue military career as an officer, deciding to leave the world and to enter a monastery.

In 1938, he arrived in the Monastery of Saint Job in Ladomirova in the Carpathian mountains (at the time, the territory of Czechoslovakia). In 1939, Rostislav Ustinov was professed a monk with the name of Vitaly, and received the Little Schema a year later.

In 1941, in the city of Bratislava, the monk Vitaly has been imposed by archbishop Serafim of Berlin and Germany.

The Second World War forced the monastic brotherhood to leave Ladomirova and to evacuate to Germany. Hieromonk Vitaly appeared in Berlin where, together with archimandrite Nafanail (L'vov), he engaged in wide missionary activity amongst the Russian refugees and prisoners of war. Nafanail and Vitaly then relocated to Hamburg where they concentrated on the work of preventing thousand of refugees from being compulsorily repatriated to the USSR.

In Hamburg, hegumen Vitaly began active church life at Camp Fischbeck. In the barrack-type church, the daily circle of divine services were conducted. Simultaneously, hegumen Vitaly began a small monastic brotherhood, and established a printing house which began to print badly-needed anthologies from the church service-books for all the camp churches of Germany.

From 1947 to 1951, Archimandrite Vitaly was Prior of the London parish, where Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh serially served in one church. On 12 July 1951, on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Vitaly was consecrated Bishop of Sao Paulo, vicar of the Brazilian diocese. There the young bishop opened a printing house and arranged a small shelter for boys who were trained as acolytes for the cycle of divine services.

In 1955, Bishop Vitaly with his brotherhood was transferred to Edmonton, Canada. 75 miles from the city, he erected the Dormition monastery. Soon appointed ruling bishop of Montreal and Canada, Bishop Vitaly erected a monastery (skete) in Mansonville, Quebec.

In Montreal, Bishop Vitaly built and magnificently equipped a large cathedral. The fine house of his(its) monastic farmstead and a residence is near to a cathedral. In this farmstead, a printing house operated, publishing service-books and the periodical "The Orthodox Bulletin"

The death of Metropolitan Filaret in 1985 necessitated the election of a new Metropolitan. On 22 January 1986, Vitaly was elected Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, also retaining management of the Canadian diocese.

After a accident in 2000, Metropolitan Vitaly retired, and in July 2001, transferred his powers to his assistant, Archbishop Laurus.

Metropolitan spent the last years of the life in the Transfiguration monastery in Mansonville, where he officiated at services and received visitors. He would give simple lectures about prayer and shared memories, keeping active till his death.