Kyiv, Ukraine - June 17, 2005. Father Charles Smollen [pictured above with Bishop Ioan] was ordained to Minor Orders and to the Subdiaconate by Bishop Ioan and was subsequently ordained to the Diaconate and Priesthood at the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God. Father Charles is attached to the US Army Base in Mannheim, Germany and will remain incardinated in the Archdiocese of the United States during his stay in Germany.

Burlington, WI - May 28, 2005. Bishop Ioan ordained to the Diaconate Fr. Hierodeacon Marian Bellin. Fr. Deacon Marian has been a monk for 17 years and has served in various parishes in Wisconsin and Colorado. The photos below show the (1) laying-on of hands by Bishop Ioan on Fr. Hierodeacon Marian, (2) Fr. Hierodeacon Marian, Vladyka Ioan and Fr. Archdeacon Sergiy (Chancellor of the Archdiocese of the United States), after the Divine Liturgy and ordination, (3) old friends Fr. Stephen Hrycyniak of the Orthodox Church of America, Fr. Hierodeacon Marian and Vladyka Ioan.

Welcome to Rt. Rev. Dr. Christopher Eriksson M.A, PhD, S.T

ARCHPRIEST CHRISTOPHER ERIKSSON was born into a British-South African musical family with English and Swedish grandparents. He grew up in Sussex England then lived in Sweden where he got married, before moving to South Africa and then Montreal. His mother was an opera singer and his father a clarinetist and Beethoven devotee.

Educated at Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine in London, he received an honors degree in Physics and a PhD for medical and dental research. Dr. Eriksson has been a researcher and professor at various universities including The Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, University of Pretoria, South Africa, and McGill University in Montreal. His research findings have been published in Nature, Clinical Orthopedics & Related Research, The Journal of Individual Psychology, and other scientific, medical, and dental journals. Additional post-graduate training led to the award of an M.A in Adlerian lifestyle counseling in Chicago. He is a member of The North American Society of Adlerian Psychology.

Following Orthodox theological training, and being attached to the Monastery of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Michigan under Abbot-Bishop Martin, Dr. Eriksson recently became a pastor in “The Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America” and serves for the Diocese of the Midwest as pastor of its mission in Southern Ontario, Canada. Last year he did an on-line TV interview on the subject of “Healthy Living and Successful Aging”, and represented The Orthodox Church in a T.V panel discussion on “Seniors and Retirement” from a faith perspective. His core message is that it is never too late to adopt a healthier lifestyle which is now well documented. This is because as we age to become seniors, the less important to our health become the human genes we carry, while our lifestyle and environment assume greater importance. Dr. Eriksson advocates tax and other meaningful incentives and rewards from government and corporations to help individuals, families, and employees take charge of their health.

Father Christopher has two lovely daughters and four adorable grandchildren living in Ontario and Arizona. He loves classical music, the singing of Andrea Bocelli in particular, and, of course, the music of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Kyiv, Ukraine - December 11, 2004. Bishop Ioan was ordained a Bishop on December 11, 2004, at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, in Kyiv, Ukraine, by Primate Metropolitan Archbishop Moisey assisted by Archbishop Spyridon Babsky and was enthroned as the first Bishop of the Diocese of the Midwest. As such, Bishop Ioan is the first American-born Bishop of Ukrainian descent ordained for our Metropolia. We wish our new Bishop MANY HAPPY YEARS.

Milwaukee, WI - December 19, 2004. Vladyka Ioan ordained Monk Sergiy Larin to the Holy Diaconate, blessed him as an Archdeacon and appointed him Chancellor of the Diocese of tMilwaukee and the Midwest. Archdeacon Sergiy, a Ukrainian-born monk fluent in Ukrainian, Russian and English, is charged with forming a monastic parish in Milwaukee, WI. Archdeacon Sergiy has also been appointed Secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops. Let us unite in prayer for FATHER ARCHDEACON SERGIY as he begins his new ministry of love and service to the People of God and the Church.

Benet Lake, WI - November 7, 2004. Monk Sergiy Larin shortly before his ordination to the Holy Diaconate (left), during a visit with our dear friend, Abbot Andrew, OSB, (right) retired Abbot of the Roman Catholic Abbey of St. Benedict, Benet Lake, Wisconsin, in early November 2004.

+Ioan, Prime Bishop
Metropolitan
Archbishop of the United States

“Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.” [1 Peter 5:2-4]

“Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Letter to the Colossians 3:12-21)