Mitred Archpriest John and Matushka Anna Vasil

Mitred Archpriest John Vasil

Archpriest John Vasil (1900-1974)

and

Mattushka Anna Vasil

John may be spelt Ioann, Ivan.

Vasil may be spelt Wasil, Wasel, Vasel.

Early life of Ioann Vasil

On 25 September, 1900, Ioann Vasil was born in the Suchá village, south-east of Prague, in the Vysočina/ Jihlav County, near the Bohemia/Moravia border, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Raised as a Christian, Ioann received his primary and secondary education in Sukha. In the time of his childhood, this region was generally Roman Catholic or Protestant, Orthodox Christianity had been absorbed into the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. Only where there was a Serbian presence was there a presence of the Orthodox Christian Church.

Nevertheless, the region southeast of Brno includes the 9th century site of the original Mission to Moravia of Saints Cyril and Methodius. This was part of the region of the birth of Ioann Vasil.

Higher education

Ioann Vasil received a theological education in a seminary for readers and singers in the region.

World War I (1914-1918)

Near the end of World War I, Ioann Vasil was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army.

After the end of World War I, it became possible for the Orthodox Christian Church to become visible in the homeland of Ioann.

Priest Matthias Pavlik (Bishop Gorazd (Pavlik))

According to “Orthodoxwiki” (with focus on Bishop (Saint) Gorazd (Pavlik)),

 After the legal restraints to Orthodoxy were removed with the end of World War I, many people left 
 the Roman Catholic Church.  Many looked to the Serbian Orthodox Church as parts of the Serbian
 Church had been within the pre-war union. Among those seeking the Orthodox Church was a 
 Roman Catholic priest, Matthias Pavlik, who
  had been interested in Orthodox Christianity for years.  
 The  Church of Serbia thus consented to consecrate Fr. Matthias as a bishop of the Orthodox Church with 
 the name Gorazd.  

Father Matthias was received into the Orthodox Church, tonsured to be a monk with the name Gorazd, and he was ordained to the Holy Episcopate on 25 September, 1921 in Belgrade, Serbia, by Patriarch Dimitri. It was he that led the rapid development of the Orthodox Christian Faith in Bohemia, Moravia, and Sloviakia. He was perceived as a successor to Saints Cyril and Methodius, who had first established a mission to the Slavs in Moravia in the mid-9th century. Bishop Gorazd (Pavlik) had been named for one of the disciples of Saint Methodius. Ioann Vasil was amongst those who embraced the Orthodox Christian Faith during that time.

Emigration to Canada

During the 1920s, Ioann Vasil emigrated to Canada. He settled in Montreal, Quebec.

Marriage

At a date and place unknown, Ioann Vasil was married to Anna (family name unknown).

Diaconal ordination

On 14 June, 1928, Ioann Vasil was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in the Temple of Saint John the Baptist in Lachine, Quebec, by Bishop Arseniy (Chahovtsov).

Diaconal service

Deacon John Vasil was assigned to serve as deacon in several parishes in the Diocese of Canada. The most notable of them was Holy Trinity Bukowinian Orthodox Church in Ottawa, Ontario.

Soon, Bishop Arseny understood and decided that Deacon John was ready for pastoral service.

Presbyteral ordination

On 25 March, 1931, Deacon John Wasil was ordained to the Holy Priesthood at Saints Peter and Paul Temple in Montreal by Bishop Arseniy (Chahovtsov).

Presbyteral service

After the usual month of frequent serving at the cathedral in Montreal, Priest John Vasil was given his first pastoral assignment.

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Priest John Vasil was assigned at first to serve at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In this parish (and in every parish he served thereafter), Father John strengthened the liturgical singing.

Oshawa, Ontario

Next, he was assigned to serve the parish of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin in Oshawa, Ontario.

Edmonton, Alberta

Following this, in 1937, Priest John Wasil was assigned to serve the parish of Saint Barbara in Edmonton, Alberta.

Juneau. Alaska

In about 1947, Archpriest John Wasil was transferred, and he was assigned to sere in the parish of Saint Nicholas, at Juneau, Alaska, USA.

Smoky Lake, Alberta

In 1949, Archpriest John Wasil was transferred again, and he was assigned to serve the parish of Holy Trinity at Smoky Lake, Alberta. In this parish, he followed Hieromonk Methodiy (Osadchuk), who had previously organised a youth choir. With his small portable organ, he organised weekly choir-rehearsals.

In addition to the Parish of the Holy Dormition at Shandro, Father John served a group of other rural parishes in the region.

One of the parishes he served during his pastorate in Alberta was the Nativity of the Theotokos at Kysylew, near Andrew, Alberta. This parish had suffered from a fire in 1949, and they rebuilt their Temple in 1950. Afterwards, they saw to the iconography of the interior, most of which was done by Father John. As was reported by the Alberta Register of Historic Places :

 The work of Father John Wasil, who painted most of the icons in 
 the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church of Kysylew, 
 is representative of the continuing post-World War II tradition 
 of religious art in Eastern Rite churches in Alberta.  The icon 
 of Saint Nicholas is noteworthy for its inscription in 
 Old Church Slavonic and Hungarian.

30 years of pastoral service, 1960

In 1960, the completion of 30 years of pastoral service of Archpriest John Wasil was marked by the Archdiocese of Canada, along with 2 other priests who had served together with him in the diocese during the same decades. These priests were Archpriest John Diachina and Archpriest John Kowalchuk. All 3 had served in western Canadian parishes, although Father John Diachina had been assigned later to serve at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Toronto, Ontario.

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) presented to each priest a blessed gramota that conveyed the gratitude and blessings of the metropolitan and the Holy Synod of Bishops.

Shandro, Alberta

In 1967, Mitred Archpriest John Wasil was assigned by Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) to serve the parish of the Holy Dormition at Shandro, Alberta.

Dean of Alberta

In addition to his pastoral duties, Mitred Archpriest John Wasil was assigned by Archbishop Sylvester to serve as Dean of Alberta. He took up this responsibility, together with the Shandro pastorate, after the untimely repose of his co-worker, the previous dean, Archpriest John Kowalchuk. Father Kowalchuk had served in the Shandro parish (together with a circuit of about 10 other parishes) since 1936. He had served also as dean of the province of Alberta for many years.

However, by this time, Father John was aware that his health was in decline. He petitioned Archbishop Sylvester several times that he be released from his pastoral responsibilities. However, this was a time of extreme shortage of priests within the Archdiocese of Canada, and there was no-one who was properly prepared and available to replace him. Therefore, against his own conscience, Archbishop Sylvester did not give the blessing for retirement for the sake of nourishing the spiritual sheep. Dutifully, Father John “stayed at his appointed post until he was presented to the Lord”.

Despite his failing health, Father John Wasil continued to be productive in his artistic activities. Throughout the rural parishes (and some urban parishes) may be found icons painted by him. He did woodwork to some extent, as seen in the various processional Crosses that are the work of his hands (many of them painted with the Body of Christ)sss. He was a competent maker of mitres for bishops and clergy, and he did some ecclesiastical tailoring as well. However, one of his most lasting legacies seems to be his work in writing out by hand, Slavonic music for 4-part singing (chiefly for the Divine Liturgy). In addition, of course, is the inherited understanding of the correct manner of singing, and love for worshipping the Lord liturgically which he instilled in the parishioners. Moreover, another lasting legacy is his iconography, which remains in the 21st century in many rural parishes. He prepared many Processional Crosses which in 2023 are present visibly in both rural and urban Temples.

As was written later in his obituary, he continued to do all this until the end of his days in this life, a total of 43 years of devoted missionary pastoral service.

Repose

On 10 August, 1974, Mitred Archpriest John Vasil fell asleep in the Lord at Shandro, Alberta.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Priest were led by Bishop Joasaph (Antoniuk) of Edmonton at Holy Dormition Temple at Shandro, Alberta.

Following the conclusion of the funeral obsequies, the body of Archpriest John Vasil was transferred to Czechoslovakia for interment.

References

The Orthodox Church in Canada Orthodox Calendar (Montreal-Toronto : Diocesan Council of the Orthodox Church in Canada, 1975), vol. 24, p. 213.

Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Cathedral Newsletter (Montreal : Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, 1974), August, no. 5 (65), p. 13.

Orthodox Church Newspaper (Syosset, New York : Orthodox Church in America, 1974) October.

Additional information :

Wikipedia article about the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia