Read what we have to say about our beloved Archbishop JOB:

His Eminence Archbishop Job will be greatly missed by most of us. I have been blessed with knowing him as a friend. I first met him at St. Vladimir's Seminary on Education Day when he was the bishop of New England. He was the spiritual father of my friend and co-subdeacon Larry.

At the 1986 All American Council I was one of the two subdeacons serving for him at the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy on Thursday morning. As he was vesting he shared with us a story about the hotel where he was staying and where the All American Council took place. The evening before he received a confirmation call and the person on the other end addressed him as "Mr. Job" as in work, not as the prophet. We all thought that this was funny.

When I was at the seminary he would come there once a semester and take out to dinner all his students and he always included me with them. He had a favorite Chinese restaurant where we would go. I had to decline once because I had another commitment. I don't remember what it was. But we always had a good time. At one of the dinners, one of the students had to go to the restroom and somebody told him that he had to get a blessing from the bishop to go. The student took him seriously. But somebody else stopped him before he got to the bishop. Archbishop Job used to share with us what not to do to a bishop. It was always funny except for the person on whom he was demonstrating. He was also loved by the kids. He would have a youth camp every year and he would be there. Once he started a marshmellow fight. But when he said, "stop," it ended immediately because the kids love and respect him so much. After every camp he would send the kids a personal hand-written thank you note. If he would see the kid, he would hand deliver the note himself and draw a stamp on the envelope.

By the way, if you have a case of appendicitis, never be in the same room with him and Archbishop Seraphim. The two together would keep you in stitches the whole time. They just feed on each other.

I also heard that he used to do a fantastic imitation of Archbishop Peter. Once he was doing it and Archbishop Peter him and demanded an apology. He did so by imitating him. I cannot verify this.

I once asked him, "Your Eminence, if a deacon goes down on one knee and a priest goes down on two knees, what does a bishop go down on?" He stopped to think for a moment and replied, "The only thing that I remember is that somebody was pounding the Gospel book on my head."

When Fr. Mark Hodges was ordained a priest, near the end of the dinner a woman fell over. I do not remember whether she had a heart attack or what. Archbishop Job was right there ministering to her. One could not miss the pastoral love and care that he had for his flock.

I'm sure that there are many out there who will have some wonderful stories to share about Archbishop Job.

Deacon Michael

At Pascha in Boston, he instituted a new tradition -- for the agape meal, everyone brought baskets and different people would have different specialties that they'd share with others -- so it was part ndividual meals an part common meal. But the bishop's basket was special -- it was a huge, empty laundry basket carried by his subdeacons, and as he went up and down the rows blessing the baskets, they would follow behind wielding knives and filling it up with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Rebecca

This is indeed sad news.  Only recently I heard of his compassionate support of an injured person who is involved in the life of the Church and has been living under very difficult circumstances.  Other bishops ignored this person as a nuisance.  I am very sad because I knew his Grace when he was Bishop of New England and the good times we had at youth retreats.  Oh Lord, where have all the good ones gone???   Rich

A native female starosta in Alaska wrote: "Did I tell you of my 'special' rememberance(s) of +Job? When he came to Holy Resurrection some few years ago and con-celebrated Liturgy with our clergy, I think Fr. John Dunlop was priest then.. Being Starosta, I helped usher parishioners up to venerate St. Herman's cross, held by +Job, intending everyone present should have his Blessings after Liturgy.. I went last. He put St. Herman's cross on my head, said a special blessing and ended with, 'And the last shall be first'....I will never forget the feeling I had, and still get that little 'chill' when I recall that moment. Memory Eternal!" "The words are yours but I'm insignificant.  It comes from the praise I've witnessed others give him over the years." Ann Yuschak, now living in Uzbekistan Mark Stokoe (+Job dies unexpectedly) remembers the archbishop: "as a gentle teacher of the spiritual freedom the true life in Christ brings. Little of what has been accomplished in the OCA in the last four years would have been possible but for the late Archbishop's courage and steadfastness in the face of constant opposition."   Bishop Job, Chicago, fell asleep in the Lord, Friday, December 18 th .  He was loved by many.  A humble Bishop and took joy in the writing of icons.  MEMORY ETERNAL!  +,+,+

Fr. Ted Bobosh writes:

"I, like many, was stunned and saddened to learn today of the death of our Archbishop Job. The scandalous problems of the OCA in recent years had worn him down and he looked with greatest hope toward his impending retirement and turning his attention to Church music and iconography — things he really loved about the Church. He has entered into his rest.

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.' 'Blessed indeed,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!' " (Revelation 14:13 RSV)

For me he represented a hope that the OCA could actually be what it had been gifted to be — Orthodoxy in and for Americans rather than an eternal diaspora of foreigners in a foreign land."
Fr. Ted's blog article and blog are at: http://frted.wordpress.com

12.19.09 From The Chicago Tribune

Orthodox Archbishop Job of Chicago dies

Archbishop Job, the head of the Orthodox Church of America in Chicago and the Midwest, died unexpectedly Friday morning, according to a church official. He was 63.

The archbishop rose to national prominence in recent years as he took a stance against alleged financial mismanagement and corruption among the church's national leaders. One church leader called for his discipline simply because he asked for an investigation into wrongdoing.
A probe was conducted that led to the resignations of several church officials from the national governing board.

"He truly believed what he preached. He believed in honesty and integrity," said Fr. John Adamcio, rector at Holy Trinity, the seat of the Chicago diocese. "These things he did were indeed noble and honorable."

Still, those efforts took a great toll on Archbishop Job, and he planned to retire next year to southwestern Pennsylvania, Adamcio said, "in his own words, to look after the salvation of his own soul."

He was found unconscious behind the wheel of his car in the parking lot of a hotel in Maumee, Ohio, at about 10:30 a.m. Friday. Archbishop Job was in the area speaking with clergy members about what to expect when he retired, Adamcio said. His car was packed up and he was about to head back to Chicago.

The archbishop had been suffering a bad cough and shortness of breath in the weeks before his death, and was scheduled to see a doctor this morning, Adamcio said.

Archbishop Job was born Richard John Osacky in Chicago and studied at Northern Illinois University and St. Tikhon Seminary in South Canaan, Penn., according to a statement on the church's Web site. He was ordained in 1973.

About 10 years later he was elected bishop of Hartford and New England, and a decade after that he became the bishop of Chicago.

According to the Web site, several memorial services have been scheduled for next week.
-- Manya A. Brachear and Andrew L. Wang

Cathy's passing on of the Chicago obituary leads me to want to share my experiences of Archbishop Job.

When I first considered possibly traveling to Mt Athos, my then priest, Dennis Swencki, urged me to go visit his friend Father John Osacky in Black Lick. I drove out through a snow storm and stayed with him for several days. He shared his slides of Athos. He took me to see the new Church he had designed. He took me out in a heavy snowstorm to visit parishioners, and one, a choir director named George, made us an exquisite tea that rather than heated water used heated whiskey!!

I remember Father John putting coal into the furnace of his refectory, then skillfully banking it when we were either going out, or going to sleep.

We ate dinner at my expense) in a nice restaurant in Indiana, PA (hometime of the actor Jimmy Stewart), at whose university he also served as chaplain.

I am very grateful that he is being buried in his old parish, rather than at St. Tikhon's. Nothing against NE Pennsylvania, and in my days in ORthodoxy I spent many important and rewarding times at St. Tikhon's, which was also gracious enough to let me stay in a room and eat for free at a time when I didn't have much money.

Fr. John already demonstrated the largeness of his heart and the firmness of his spine when he was a priest. I do not know of a time since he was elevated to bishop where I could see that he ever strayed.

I remember a sermon he preached at an All American Council, I forget which, in which he - himself an iconographer - talked about the iconography of the Holy Trinity, so often represented by Abraham and three angels who spoke with one voice, such as in the famous Rublve icon. Job noted that an important part of such an icon was the space that was framed, which was in the shape of a chalice.

As a musician (something I shared with him, and those in the choir will remember that the repertoire includes at least one of his musical works, if my memory has not failed me after almost 2 decades since I left Orthodoxy), I know how important silence is. In painting, the empty space is also important. Bp. Job noted that the space invited us in. I do not remember the entirety of that address, but remember that the words spoken at the morning liturgy were the most profound I heard during the entire AAC.

His death is a great loss. We were almost exact age contemporaries. And his quiet love and open heart were an important part of my own experience of Orthodoxy.

I am of an age - 64 in May - when people important in my life are passing away more rapidly. Some were my teachers, some were my contemporaries. I have even lost students.

I have found that what keeps me from too much sadness is to remember what I learned from others, to try to live that in their honor.

So it should be with John/Job.

Peace.

Ken Bernstein