Metropolitan Theophilus, First Bishop of Chicago, Anniversary of Repose

CHICAGO, IL [DOM] – On June 27, 1950, Metropolitan Theophilus, the first Bishop of Chicago, reposed in the Lord. His Eminence served as the ruling hierarch of Chicago from 1922-1931. He remained in Chicago until he was transferred in 1931, to become Bishop of San Francisco. After Metropolitan Platon’s death in 1934, Bishop Theophilus was elected jointly by the council of assembled bishops and the full Council as the new metropolitan by the Fifth All-American Sobor that convened in Cleveland, OH, on November 20, 1934.

A memorial service will be held at the Diocesan Cathedral, Holy Trinity Cathedral praying for the reposed hierarch. May Metropolitan Theophilus’ memory be eternal.

Theodore Nikolayevich Pashkovsky was born on February 6, 1874 in the village of Belichi, near Kyiv, where his father was the priest.  He pursued seminary studies in Kyiv at an early age.  Due to his reserved, gentle, humble and prayerful demeanor, he was nicknamed “the monk” by his fellow students.  In 1892, while playing sports, Theodore sustained a leg injury, which led to a painful lingering bone disease, deemed incurable by doctors.  When Saint John of Kronstadt visited Kyiv in 1893, Theodore…