Archbishop Kiprian (

secular name A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of Civil registry, registration of the birth ...

Boris Pavlovich Borisevich, , ; August 15, 1903 - December 14, 1980) was bishop of the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In ...

, archbishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania since 1964.

Life

Boris Borisevich was born on 15 August 1903, in Kholm,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(now

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

). He attended school in

Kremenets Kremenets (, ; ; ) is a city in Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kremenets Raion, and lies north-east of the Pochaiv Lavra. The city is situated in the historic region of Volhynia and features the 12th-c ...

, graduating in 1916. He then pursued studies at the Theological Seminary in Volyn, in then eastern Poland, from which he graduated in 1925. After graduating from the seminary, Boris continued his education, studying at the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

.''Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America''. Constance J. Tarasar and

John H. Erickson John H. Erickson is an Eastern Orthodox American scholar, with specialization in the areas of Orthodox canon law and church history. From 2002 until 2007, he served as the Dean of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in the United Sta ...

, eds. Syosett, New York: The Orthodox Church in America, Dept. of History and Archives, 1975. Boris married in 1927. 12 February 1928 he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

, three days later he ordained priest by Bishop Simon (Ivanovsky) of Kremenets and being appointed to a parish in the village of Lopusho, diocese of Volyn.Year Book and Church Directory. Metropolitan Council Publications Committee, 1961. page 148 In 1929 Father Borisevich graduated from the Theological Department (Faculty) in Warsaw, and in 1931 upon completion of his thesis on "St. Kiprian, his life and his works," he received the degree of

Master of Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

. In November 1929, Fr. Boris was appointed Supervisor of Religious Education (законоучитель) in the Secondary Schools in

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

, which position he held until March 1939. During this period he also held the positions of Diocesan missioner and sacristan of the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

. In March 1939, he was transferred to

Vilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

as Supervisor of Religious Education and held that position until May 1940, when by the decree of the government the

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; ; ), also known as Soviet Lithuania or simply Lithuania, was ''de facto'' one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944 ...

religious training in public schools was abolished. In 1942, he was appointed Sacristan of the Cathedral in

Kovno Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

and held that position to the time of his evacuation to

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

in July 1944 with his wife. In Austria, Fr. Boris organized a parish in the town of

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. In 1945, he evacuated to

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

and organized a parish in

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

. He was pastor of the parish until 1949. During this time in Bavaria he was also a member of the Bishop's Council, having been elected by the Diocesan Assembly; he was also president of the Eparchial Missionary Committee and Vice President of the Building Committee for the restoration church in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. Fr. Boris and his wife arrived in the United States in July 1949, and he began serving parishes of the Metropolia (now

). The first assignment of Fr. Boris in the United States was the Holy Trinity parish in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

(1950-1953). From 1953 to 1959 he was pastor of Saint Andrew Church in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, and at the same time Dean of the

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

District. In September 1959, he was appointed to Holy Assumption Church in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

.The 32nd Anniversary of the Repose of Archbishop Kiprian
// oca.org, December 14, 2012 He was also appointed to the Metropolitan Board of Censors, and to be the compiler and editor of the Church Calendar with the liturgical rubrics, and also he became the editor of the Russian American Orthodox Messenger, the official organ of the Metropolia On June 23, 1961, Fr. Boris became a widower. On October 6 of same year took the monastic vows and was tonsured by the name of Kiprian by Archbishop

Irenaeus (Bekish) Metropolitan Irenaeus (Ireney, , secular name John Bekish, born Ivan Dmitriyevich Bekish, , ; 2 October 1892, Międzyrzec Podlaski, Mezhirech, Lublin Province (now Poland) – 18 March 1981, Staten Island, New York (state), New York) was the prima ...

of Boston and New England The Sobor of Bishops elected him Bishop of Washington, D.C. and suffragan to the Metropolitan with residence in St. Tikhon's Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania. Bishop Kiprian was also Rector of St. Tikhon's Seminary in South Canaan. Subsequently, in 1964 Bp. Kiprian was elected Bishop of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. In 1970, Bp. Kiprian was elevated to Archbishop and served as a member of the Lesser

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

of Bishops and as chairman of the Department of External Affairs. In 1970, he was elevated to the dignity of

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

and served as a member of the Lesser Synod of Bishops and Chairman of the Department of External Affairs. On

December 14 Events Pre-1600 * 557 – Constantinople is severely damaged by an earthquake, which cracks the dome of Hagia Sophia. * 835 – Sweet Dew Incident: Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dynasty conspires to kill the powerful eunuchs of the ...

, 1980, he reposed in the Lord. He was buried at St. Tikhon's Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

Sources

{{authority control Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America 1903 births 1980 deaths University of Warsaw alumni Russian emigrants to the United States 20th-century American clergy