San Francisco, July 13, 2021
Bp. Gideon (left), with Bp. Theosory (center) and Bp. James (right). Photo: desyatynniy.com
Last weekend, a hierarch of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church visited San Francisco, where he concelebrated with hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Orthodox Church in America.
With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, His Grace Bishop Gideon of Makarov took part in the feast of St. John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco at the ROCOR Holy Virgin Cathedral “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” reports the Tithes Monastery in Kiev, of which Bp. Gideon is the abbot.
St. John reposed on July 2, and by local tradition, his feast is transferred to the nearest Saturday to allow more faithful to attend the celebrations. Bp. Gideon concelebrated the feast with His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America, His Grace Bishop Theodosy of Seattle, and His Grace Bishop James of Sonora.
Bp. Gideon (right) with Abp. Benjamin (left). Photo: spzh.news
The next day, Bp. Gideon served with His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West at the OCA Cathedral of the Holy Trinity for the feast of All Saints of America.
At the end of the Liturgy, Abp. Benjamin presented the Ukrainian hierarch with an icon of St. Sebastian (Dabovich) of San Francisco.
***
Bp. Gideon was last in America in February 2019, to speak with Congressmen about the persecution the canonical Ukrainian Church was facing under Poroshenko’s rule. Upon returning to Kiev, His Grace was stripped of his passport and Ukrainian citizenship, which only served to prove the persecution against the UOC. He was forced to spend a year abroad, including several months in California, before the courts ordered that his citizenship be returned to him.
Vladyka was a cleric of the Orthodox Church in America in the 1990s, during which time he received American citizenship.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
