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Metropolitan John built our Church from a small collection of individual parishes into a thriving force in service to our Lord. He was finally successful in 1950 in uniting the two separate Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in the USA into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, which continued to grow. In cooperation with Archbishop Mstyslav Skrypnyk, our Metropolia Center was established and became known throughout the world as the Ukrainian Jerusalem, where the treasury of Ukrainian Orthodoxy was preserved, protected against unending soviet aggression against the Ukrainian Orthodox faithful, destruction of thousands of ancient Ukrainian Orthodox parish churches and horrific genocide – much like what we see being repeated today in Ukraine.
Metropolitan Antony declared that Metropolitan John was the driving force behind all the growth and development of our church throughout the critical decades of his leadership. We must never forget him or his life-long commitment to God in the Holy Trinity and to God’s people wherever he found them. He was the founder of many new parishes throughout the midwestern states and was well known in ecumenical circles throughout the United States and Canada because he taught himself the English language from the day he arrived in the USA and was able to communicate easily with the nation he believed was his own.
Mr. Prosen and Ms. Robbins were guests for a coffee hour at the Seminary following the Memorial Service and they were able to share with the gathered bishops, clergy, seminarians and faithful their personal memories of “Grandpa”. This was a very moving and interesting gathering. My His Beatitude rest peacefully awaiting the Last Day and the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He left to all of us a spiritual legacy worthy of emulation and prais
