This September marks twenty-five years since the blessed repose of the beloved archpastor, Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of Western America and San Francisco. For more than three decades, from 1968 until his passing on September 23, 2000, Vladyka Anthony ministered to his flock with a gentle spirit, deep humility, and unwavering devotion. His memory is sacredly honored not only by those who knew him personally but by the entire diocese, which he painstakingly united and expanded, leaving behind an enduring legacy of peace and spiritual fatherhood.

Born in 1908 as Artemy Medvedev, his path to San Francisco was one of trials and faith, leading from the cadet corps in Poltava through evacuation to Serbia, where he was tonsured a monk. A true connoisseur of the liturgical life of the Church, he was known for his profound knowledge of the Typikon, and he was entrusted with composing services to many saints. Perhaps his most monumental contribution was his tireless work on the glorification of his great predecessor, Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco—a task he undertook with deep personal conviction, overseeing every step, from the uncovering of the relics to the composition of the service text.

Although historical records speak of an archbishop who more than doubled the number of parishes in his diocese, the true measure of Vladyka Anthony’s character was revealed in quiet moments of pastoral care and profound spiritual insight. Many who knew him saw in him the qualities of a true, though uncanonized, saint—a man of foresight and deep humility, whose virtues were often hidden from outside view. As we commemorate this anniversary, we are honored to share the personal recollections of Archpriest Sergei Kotar, who worked closely with the archbishop. His words paint a vivid portrait of a man whom many hope to one day see glorified by the Church.

“When Metropolitan Tichon’s book, Every Day Saints, which talked about amazing Church people in Russia who were not as yet glorified, appeared in print, we all read it with great enjoyment and benefit. Well, here in the diaspora, we could also collect remembrances of many such unglorified saints in our own Church. One such person is without doubt, Archbishop Anthony Medvedev. Many of those who knew and worked with him, I think, would not argue against what I am saying. Among my many very special memories of Archbishop Anthony,  I want to share with you about two types of spiritual virtues, which clearly reveal his sanctity.

The first virtue is clairvoyance. Archbishop Anthony possessed it but did his best hide it out of humility. This even glorified saints always tried to do. As noted by Metropolitan Anastasy, our second first hierarch,  Archbishop Anthony was truly an angel of peace (which is also a great virtue).  He never saw anything bad about anyone. But when a missionary priest came to San Francisco and I invited him, as well as Archbishop Antony along with several other persons, to dinner at my house, I became very confused by the way Vladika was acting. Instead of exhibiting his usual warmth and gracious manner, he remained very quiet and distant. When I walked him home after dinner, I asked him why he was so reserved when meeting someone I considered to be a special person, but he did not reply. The very next day, however, very early in the morning he called me and apologized, stating that I was right, that the missionary was a special and good man. Time, however, revealed that he foresaw who this missionary truly was, as he abandoned his mission, his priesthood, as well as his wife and family.

A second similar case also involves a priest. Archbishop Anthony never confessed anyone. Therefore, we were very confused when he started to confess one priest. This priest also had the spiritual joy to personally witness another case of the Vladika’s clairvoyance. One Sunday morning, he felt a serious need to go to confession but was hesitating because it was a Sunday morning, and he did not want to disturb the Vladika when he was preparing for the liturgy. As he was debating with himself whether or not to call, his phone rang. It was Vladika calling him. Despite such extraordinary attention and care from his hierarch, this priest left our church and went into schism. I then understood why Vladika started to confess and show him such special care. Foreseeing the great moral damage that this priest would do, he was hoping that through his personal love and care, he would be able to convince him not to damage himself in such a deadly manner.

The second great virtue that Archbishop Anthony possessed is great humility.  A powerful example of this is as follows. One of the major parishes in the archdiocese never paid any of the dues that all the parishes are required to pay in support of the diocese, as well as eleven charities that the diocese collects for. I was the diocesan treasurer and was most displeased. Therefore, when one day the Vladika called me and instructed me to make a large payment to that church for a need that they had but did not had the funds for. I vociferously started to protest. This incident happened toward the end of the Vladika’s life when he was beginning to get very sick. In response to my protests, he just deeply sighed and hung up the phone.  I realized how rude I was since it was the archbishop, not I, who was really in charge of how the diocese funds are used.  I decided to go to church that evening and humbly on my knees ask him for forgiveness. As I walked into church that evening, before I could say or do anything, Vladika ran up to me and started to apologize to me, promising to never act like that again. 

There are so many more wonderful memories that I have but are unable to share at this time. Therefore, in closing, I ask everyone to keep the archbishop in your prayers. Maybe, if we all do, that will move God to change Archbishop Anthony’s status in the Church from unglorified to glorified”.