30 Years Later

by Dr. Paul Meyendorff

It has been 30 years since Fr. Alexander passed away after a long struggle with cancer. Many, possibly a majority, of the people in our parishes were not alive in 1983, much less had the opportunity to meet him in person or to hear him preach or give talks. For the rest of us, he has become a distant memory. Yet his legacy remains alive and well in our churches. And even far beyond them.

Our parishes celebrate the Divine Liturgy in a language that people can understand. The so-called “secret prayers” are in many places read aloud, giving everyone the opportunity regularly to experience what is deepest in the Church’s theology. Many of the faithful receive Communion weekly, something that was not possible before, when one had to go to sacramental confession each time before receiving Communion. Communion, no longer understood as simply an act of individual, personal piety, is now experienced by many as an ecclesial act, as a common experience of the entire assembly affirming its identity as the Body of Christ. As a pastor and a teacher, Fr. Alexander exuded an infectious joy, particular through his experience of the Liturgy, and this sense has been passed on to us by his many students at the seminary who now serve as parish priests throughout America.

Father Schmemann’s legacy extends far beyond our shores. Through his many books and recorded lectures, the eucharistic revival he led here is being experienced in many parts of the Orthodox world – in Russia, In Serbia, in Greece…His books have been and continue to be translated into dozens of languages. His memoirs have become a best-seller in Russia, where people are amazed to see an Orthodox priest who is open to and able to engage the contemporary world, its culture, its literature, its poetry, its politics, in a positive and non-defensive way. For he truly loved the world, despite its obvious imperfections — and to this world he always sought to bring the joy of the Gospel!