During a meeting of the Synod of Bishops, held on Tuesday, December 9, the archpastors discussed the matter of filling the ranks of the episcopacy. The Synod resolved:

• to appoint Bishop Theodosius of Seattle as a vicar of the Eastern American Diocese with the title "Bishop of Manhattan" and
• to consider Archpriest Michael Crowley (dean of New England and rector of St. Xenia Church in Methuen, MA) as Bishop-elect of Boston, vicar of the Eastern American Diocese.

The Synod likewise elected Canadian Diocesan cleric Hieromonk Spyridon (Gusakov) Bishop of Toronto, and Western American Diocesan cleric Hieromonk Peter (Karakozoff) Bishop of Seattle.

In accordance with the Act of Canonical Communion, the Synod submitted a corresponding appeal to ratify these elections to His Holiness Kyrill, Patriarch of Moscow & All Russia, and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On Friday, December 26, participants of the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church heard a report by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, on the decisions of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops. The Holy Synod ratified the decision of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops regarding the election of the new vicars.

The last Bishop of Manhattan was the current Metropolitan Nicholas, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. The last Bishop of Boston was Bishop Mitrophan (Znosko-Borovsky; +2002).

With the blessing of Metropolitan Nicholas and in keeping with traditional ROCOR practice, Bishop Theodosius is to be commemorated only in the Synodal churches in New York City and at Holy Fathers Church in Manhattan, as well as wherever he is present at the divine services.

The clergy and faithful of the Eastern American Diocese warmly welcome Bishop Theodosius as the newest diocesan vicar. Fr. Michael’s hierarchal consecration will be held on February 15, 2026 at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.

Biographies

His Grace, Bishop Theodosius, was born Yevgeny Sergeyevich Ivashchenko on June 8, 1964 in Kiev. He studied at the Kiev Institute of Technology before attending Kiev Seminary, becoming a monk, and being ordained hieromonk. He served a parish near Chernobyl for two years before being transferred to the Holy Land, where he served at monasteries on the Mount of Olives and in Hebron. After moving to the U.S. and living in a monastery in Minnesota for several years, he came to San Francisco and was assigned to serve at St. Tikhon Church. Fr. Theodosius was also a teacher at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Russian School and at St. John of San Francisco Academy from 2001 to 2008.

He was elected Bishop of Seattle in May 2008, and this election was confirmed by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on Monday, June 23.

His hierarchal consecration was held on September 7, 2008, at the Cathedral of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" in San Francisco. Officiating were Their Eminences Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York; Mark, Archbishop of Berlin, Germany & Great Britain; and Kyrill, Archbishop of San Francisco & Western America; Their Graces, Bishops Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, Michael of Geneva & Western Europe, Peter of Cleveland, and John of Caracas.

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Archpriest Michael was born Timothy Crowley on April 19, 1949, to Charles and Marguerite Crowley in Westerly, RI. He received his degree in English Language & Literature from Boston University in 1971, and his Master of Theological Studies from Bangor Seminary in 1994.

On April 18, 1979, he married Nancy Nixon, his future Matushka Anna. The couple had five daughters. They lived and worked at the Raphael House Family Shelter in San Francisco before moving to Indianapolis, where they became the leaders of a large Christian community. Eventually, their entire community converted to the Orthodox Faith.

In 1990, they moved to South Portland, ME, and took over the pastoring of the small mission parish dedicated to Christ’s Nativity. They were received into ROCOR in 1994. Fr. Michael was ordained to the diaconate on September 21, 1994 – the great feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God – and to the priesthood the following day. Both ordinations were performed by then-Bishop Hilarion (Kapral; +2022) of Manhattan, later Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York. In 2002, Fr. Michael was transferred to St. Xenia Church in Methuen. On July 15, 2015, Fr. Michael was appointed dean of New England.

After a lengthy battle with cancer, Matushka Anna reposed in the Lord on March 5, 2021.