View source for Vitaly (Ustinov) of New York

His Eminence the Most Reverend '''Vitaly (Ustinov) of New York''' was the first hierarch of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] from 1986 to 2001.  His Eminence retired as First Hierarch in 2001, and lived at Holy Transfiguration Skete in Mansonville, Québec. His Eminence reposed in the Lord at the age of 97 in Mansonville on [[September 25]], 2006.<ref>[http://www.synod.com/synod/2006/9metvitaly.html Скончался Высокопреосвященнейший митрополит Виталий] 25 September 2006</ref>

== Life ==
Metropolitan Vitaly, born Rostislav Petrovich Oustinow (Ростислав Петрович Устинов) in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1910, was the son of an officer of the Black Sea Fleet, Peter Oustinow, and Lydia Andreevna, née Stopchansky, daughter of a gendarme general who served his whole life in the Caucasus.

In 1920, during the Civil War, Rostislav was sent to the military school founded in Feodosia by General Wrangel. When he joined the White Army and evacuated, the young Rostislav found himself in Constantinople. From there he traveled to Yugoslavia, where he studied in the Cadet Corps of the White Army.

In 1923, Rostislav's mother sponsored her son to come to Constantinople. From there, she moved with him to France,where he enrolled in St Louis College in Le Mans. Upon graduating, he joined his mother in Cannes.

In 1934, he was called upon to fulfill his military obligations in France. This he did by joining the 9th Cavalry Regiment, but the young Oustinow had no wish to remain in the world&mdash;his only desire was to withdraw to a [[monastery]].

In 1938, he entered the Monastery of St Job of Pochaev in the Carpathian mountains of Central Europe.

In 1939, trudnik<ref>"Trudnik" means "volunteer laborer" <sup>[http://www.synod.com/01newstucture/pagesen/articles/frvladimir.html]</sup> or "lay laborer" <sup>[http://www.synod.com/01newstucture/pagesen/news04/vladikayubiley.html]</sup>. </ref> Rostislav was [[tonsure]]d to a rassophore [[monk]] with the name 'Vitaly.' A year later he was [[tonsure]]d to the minor schema.

In 1941, in the city of Bratislava in Czechoslavia, Fr. Vitaly was [[ordination|ordained]] by [[Metropolitan]] Seraphim of Berlin and Germany to the rank of [[hieromonk]] and assigned to minister to two towns on the Polish border.

In 1944, during World War II the [[monasticism|monastic]] brotherhood of St Job's monastery was forced to flee from the approaching Red Army. Fr. Vitaly found himself in Berlin, where, together with [[Archimandrite]] Nathaniel, he developed a broad mission among the Russian refugees and prisoners of war. The second onslaught of the Reds, in early 1945, forced the two young [[clergy]] men to move to Hamburg, where another field of activity opened up for them: to save thousands of refugees from forced repatriation to the USSR. A good knowledge of various languages, especially of English, along with tireless energy, allowed Fr. Vitaly and Fr. Nathaniel to save the lives of many Russians.

Settling in Hamburg, [[Hegumen]] Vitaly established church life at the Displaced Persons camp Fischbeck. A barracks [[church]] was immediately set up with a daily round of services, [[psalm]]-reading courses and even a year-long theological course for 12 youths. At the same time, Hegumen Vitaly gathered together a small monastic group, that began to publish church service books and a newsletter, ''Pochaevskije listki''. In 1947, he moved to London, Great Britain.

From 1947 to 1951, Archimandrite Vitaly was the [[rector]] of the London [[parish]]. In 1951, on the [[feast day]] of Ss [[Apostle Peter|Peter]] and [[Apostle Paul|Paul]], he was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] [[bishop]] and sent to Brazil as Bishop of Montevideo. Soon the young bishop opened his own print shop and established a small orphanage for boys where they taught them the [[daily cycle]] of services.

In 1954, Bp. Vitaly moved to Canada where he was appointed as the Bishop of Edmonton and Western Canada. In 1957, he was appointed Bishop of Montreal and Canada. As Bishop of Montreal, Bp. Vitaly established a [[skete]] in Mansonville, Quebec. While in Montreal, Bp. Vitaly acquired and refurbished the large St Nicholas Cathedral that was not far from the Synodal [[podvorie]].

In retrospect there was no place where Bp. Vitaly settled that he did not organize a small monastic brotherhood and active publishing concern.

The Council of Bishops in 1986 chose Bp. Vitaly as the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia succeeding Metr. [[Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York|Philaret (Voznesensky)]].

Suffering from memory loss,<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/metropolitan-vitaly-ustinov-417796.html The Independent, Obituary: Metropolitan Vitaly Ustinov], 28 September 2006</ref> Metropolitan Vitaly retired in 2001, and [[Laurus (Skurla) of New York|Metropolitan Laurus]] became the first hierarch of ROCOR,<ref>[http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/english/pages/history/election.html Council of Bishops of 2001 and the Election of the New First Hierarch], Official History of the Council, ROCOR Official Web site, February 23, 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/english/pages/poslania/addresstopeople.html Address of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to Its Flock--October, 2001]</ref> but "within weeks he regretted the move, publicly attacking his successor.... Vitaly led his faithful followers into schism."<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/metropolitan-vitaly-ustinov-417796.html The Independent, Obituary: Metropolitan Vitaly Ustinov], 28 September 2006</ref><ref>http://www.rocor-v.com/rocor/epistlemet24.html</ref>, and went on to head of the [[Russian Orthodox Church in Exile]]. 

Felix Corley, of [[w:The Independent|The Independent]] observed: "Vitaly's final years were marred by murky goings-on at his monastery, with allegations that his entourage was holding him hostage and faking his signature on church decisions. Like many splinter religious communities, his church came to fight not so much to preserve the purity of its faith as to engage in bitter infighting."<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/metropolitan-vitaly-ustinov-417796.html The Independent, Obituary: Metropolitan Vitaly Ustinov], 28 September 2006</ref>

On September 25, 2006, Metropolitan Vitaly reposed in Mansonville, Canada. <ref>[http://www.pokrov.org.uk/News/Vladyka_Vitaly.html Repose of Metropolitan Vitaly], December 25, 2007</ref>

==Notes==
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{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=''[[see]] created''|
title=Bishop of Montevideo<br>([[ROCOR]])|
years=1951-1954|
after=''see dissolved''}}
{{succession|
before=[[Athanasy (Martos) of Buenos Aires|Athanasy (Martos)]]|
title=Bishop of Edmonton and Western Canada<br>([[ROCOR]])|
years=1954-1957|
after=[[Sava (Saračević) of Edmonton|Sava (Saračević)]]}}
{{succession|
before=[[Panteleimon (Rudyk) of Montreal|Panteleimon (Rudyk)]]|
title=Archbishop of Montreal and Canada<br>([[ROCOR]])|
years=1957-1986|
after=[[Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Manhattan|Gabriel (Chemodakov)]]}}
{{succession|
before=[[Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York|Philaret (Voznesensky)]]|
title=Metropolitan of [[Diocese of Eastern American and New York (ROCOR)|Eastern America and New York]]<br>([[ROCOR]])|
years=1986-2001|
after=[[Laurus (Škurla) of New York|Laurus (Škurla)]]}}
{{succession|
before=[[Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York|Philaret (Voznesensky)]]|
title=First Hierarch of ROCOR|
years=1986-2001|
after=[[Laurus (Škurla) of New York|Laurus (Škurla)]]}}
{{end box}}

==Source==
*[http://www.stvladimirs.ca/library/metropolitan-vitaly-biography.html His Eminence, Metropolitan Vitaly]



[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Montevideo]]
[[Category:Bishops of Edmonton]]
[[Category:Bishops of Montreal]]
[[Category:Bishops of New York]]
[[Category:20th-21st-century bishops]]
[[Category:First Hierarchs of the ROCOR]]