I feel as if I just lost a dear friend….perhaps a dear grandfather. Archbishop Job of Chicago, fell asleep in the Lord this morning.
I didn’t realize how dear this man was to me, but I feel as if a part of me has died with him. What a deep loss. He visited our parish just 10 months ago with all the Bishops of the OCA. Wyatt was able to serve with the Bishops, and I remember my heart just filled with joy upon seeing him here in Colorado at our parish. It was so good to visit with him afterward, and I felt as if it brought him joy to see us as well. I believe he made some kind comment about being glad we were happy in Colorado, but that it was a “loss to the Midwest”. I remember asking him to remember me and our family in his prayers, and he asked for us also to remember him in our prayers. What a joy and gift that day was to our family.
Archbishop Job was the first Orthodox clergy member I ever met, as he was teaching the catechism class at Holy Trinity Evangelical Orthodox Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. The parish in Indianapolis was moving as a church into the Canonical church and Bishop Job at the time was doing a mass catechism for the entire parish. I was in the midst of my own conversion as well, and remember sitting in the back on the side room off the sanctuary listening intently to this white haired man in a black robe. I don’t remember much about what he taught at that time, but I do remember thinking that this man, truly, was a Man of God.
Upon moving to Greenville and beginning our long journey into the Orthodox Church, Archbishop Job helped us even while in Greenville. I was able to connect an old professor at Greenville College with Bishop Job, and the future Greenville College Bible and Culture Trips started visiting the Orthodox Cathedral and Bishop Job on their trip to Chicago. Following one of these trips, Bishop Job came down to Greenville, and taught one of Prof. Rick McPeak’s Religion Classes one night, and discussed iconography. I remember it was right after the return of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, because Sdn. Joel Wilson was traveling with him at the time and brought the video to play for the class. Four students from that class as a result of their visit with Archbishop Job and his visit to the college, started attending the Readers services we held in our house during that time.
Over the course of the 7-8 years of knowing him, our face to face encounters were limited, but I had a deep connection with him…..and perhaps it wasn’t till today and hearing of his loss, that I realized how deep that connection really was. Sdn. Luke Beecham, whom spoke often with the Archbishop, would relay how the Archbishop would ask about our family, how we were doing, and assure us of his prayers. How the Archbishop remembered us, or even had the time to pray for us, I cannot fathom, but I am assured that it was through his prayers we were guided safely home.
What a great loss to our church. Selfishly…what a great loss to our family.
My busy and distracted life came to a screeching halt today. May we all be found sober and vigilant, ever expecting the coming of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord God strengthen our church, our clergy, and every one of us to pick up this great work of the Kingdom, for which the Archbishop so diligently gave his life.
Memory Eternal Archbishop Job!
