Joasaph (McLellan)
Encyclopedia
Archimandrite Joasaph was Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
.
Born Francis R. McLellan Jr. in 1962, he attended the Boston public schools and Roxbury Latin, and graduated from Commonwealth School. He earned his B.Th from Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, New York
, where he was English-language valedictorian
. He received his M.A. and Ph.D degrees from Brown University
in Slavic Language and Literature. He taught Russian
at the University of Missouri
in Columbia, Missouri
and at Princeton University
.
At the request of the late Metropolitan Laurus (Škurla), Joasaph was tonsure
d at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York
, becoming a priest on December 7, 2008. He was elevated to the rank of archimandrite
shortly after being named Head of the Ecclesiastical Mission. As the head of the mission, Fr. Joasaph served at Ascension Convent on the Mount of Olives
and Gethsemane
Convent.
, aged 47, on December 18, 2009. He was survived by his stepmother and five siblings.
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia , also called the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, ROCA, or ROCOR) is a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church....
.
Born Francis R. McLellan Jr. in 1962, he attended the Boston public schools and Roxbury Latin, and graduated from Commonwealth School. He earned his B.Th from Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, New York
Jordanville, New York
Jordanville is a hamlet in the town of Warren, Herkimer County, New York. Jordanville is in the northwest part of Warren, at the intersection of Routes 18 and 155. The community was settled before 1791.-Gelston Castle:...
, where he was English-language valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
. He received his M.A. and Ph.D degrees from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in Slavic Language and Literature. He taught Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
and at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
At the request of the late Metropolitan Laurus (Škurla), Joasaph was tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
d at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York
Jordanville, New York
Jordanville is a hamlet in the town of Warren, Herkimer County, New York. Jordanville is in the northwest part of Warren, at the intersection of Routes 18 and 155. The community was settled before 1791.-Gelston Castle:...
, becoming a priest on December 7, 2008. He was elevated to the rank of archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
shortly after being named Head of the Ecclesiastical Mission. As the head of the mission, Fr. Joasaph served at Ascension Convent on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
and Gethsemane
Gethsemane
Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where, according to Biblical texts, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.- Etymology :...
Convent.
Death
He died at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston from cholangiocarcinomaCholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the bile ducts which drain bile from the liver into the small intestine. Other biliary tract cancers include pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, and cancer of the ampulla of Vater...
, aged 47, on December 18, 2009. He was survived by his stepmother and five siblings.
External links
- Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem website
- Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
- Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
- St. John Chrysostom Russian Orthodox Church, St. Louis, Missouri
- Obituary notice of Archimandrite Joasaph
- Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Epiphany
- Obituary for Archimandrite Joasaph