Anastasius Gribanovsky

At his ordination, he pronounced a remarkable homily "The True Way of Christ's Pastoral Work", in which he prophesied the upcoming turmoil and persecutions.

In the position of vicar of the Moscow diocese, Bishop Anastasy's responsibilities included daily services in the Moscow Kremlin's Dormition Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and other Muscovite churches and monasteries, as well as visitations to parishes, direction of institutions of theological learning, and direction of a committee to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino and the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.

In 1921, by decree of the Temporary Higher Church Administration Abroad, he visited Mount Athos and the Holy Land, in order to be acquainted with the state of Russian monasteries in those locations.

He then participated in the first All-Diaspora Council of the ROCOR in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia, as administrator of Russian parishes in the Constantinapolitan district.

The Congress made decisions about adopting the new calendar, allowing remarriage for clergy and married bishops, shortening services, eliminating fasts, and simplifying ecclesiastic robes.

In 1935, Archbishop Anastasy participated in a council called by Serbian Patriarch Varnava with the aim of restoring unity in the Russian Orthodox Church abroad.

With the beginning of World War II, Metropolitan Anastasy found himself once again in the zone of hostilities as German forces bombed and then occupied Belgrade in 1941.

The invasion of the Soviet Union in June, 1941, prompted Joseph Stalin to reconsider state policies vis-a-vis the Russian Church.

With his permission, hierarchs in the Soviet Union elected Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) as Patriarch of Moscow on September 8, 1943.

With the approach of the Soviet army on Belgrade in September, 1944, the Synod of Bishops relocated to Vienna and then, in the summer of 1945, to Munich, Germany.

This prompted many to call for the Synod to relocate across the Atlantic, especially given the events of the 1946 at the All-American Council of Cleveland, where the North American Metropolia voted to break ties with the ROCOR.

Metropolitan Anastasy tenure saw the blossoming of ROCOR in North America with the opening of about 100 new parishes and the consecration six new bishops: Anthony (Sinkevich) of Los Angeles, Averky (Taushev) of Syracuse and Holy Trinity, Sabbas (Rayevsky) of Sydney, Anthony (Medvedev) of San Francisco, Sava (Sarachevich) of Edmonton, and Nectarius (Kontzevich) of Seattle.