Quick Facts
Biography
Bishop Andriy is titular bishop of Krateia, Auxiliary or Assistant Bishop to Metropolitan Yurij (Kalistchuk) of Winnipeg and Administrator of the Eastern Eparchy of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada.
Youth and education
Bishop Andriy (secular name Bohdan Peshko, Ukrainian: Богдан Пешко) was born on April 27, 1972 in Ukraine. In 1979, he entered elementary school and received his Certificate of Secondary Education in 1989.
In 1989, he enrolled into the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1993.
From 1994 to 1995, he studied at Christ the Savior Theological Seminary of the American Carpatho-Rusyn Orthodox Diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Johnstown, Pennsylvania under the omophorion of His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas (Smisko) of Amissos.
From 1995-1999 he completed the full course of the Kyiv Theological Academy. On December 25, 2000, the Academic Council of the Kyiv Theological Academy awarded him the Candidate (degree) in Theology – after the defense of his dissertation titled: “Historical–Liturgical Research of the Rites of Installation and Ordination in the Orthodox Church”.
Ordination and episcopacy
On April 8, 2001, he was ordained Deacon by His Eminence, Archbishop Vsevolod (Maidansky) of Scopelos at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, in Chicago.
On September 29, 2003 he was elevated to a rank of Protodeacon.
On September 21, 2005 with the blessing of Archbishop Vsevolod, he was tonsured a monk and given the name of Andriy (in honour of St. Andrew the First-Called) at St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Chicago.
On September 25, 2005 he was ordained to the rank of Hieromonk and was promoted to a rank of Hegumen by His Eminence, Archbishop Vsevolod. On October 21, 2005, in the Holy Transfiguration of the Lord Cathedral in London (England) he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite.
On November 22, 2005, His All Holiness Bartholomew I of Constantinople and the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople unanimously elected him as Bishop for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Europe and the Diaspora with the title ‘Bishop of Krateia’.
On December 13, 2005, at St. Volodymyr Cathedral in Chicago, he was consecrated Bishop by Archbishop Vsevolod (Maidansky) of Skopelos, Metropolitan Nicholas (Smisko) of Amissos, Metropolitan Constantine of Irinoupolis (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA), Archbishop Nicholaj (Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Canada), Archbishop Job (Osacky) of Chicago (Orthodox Church in America), Archbishop Antony (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA), Archbishop Yurij (Kalistchuk) (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada).
From August 20-24, 2008, at the Extraordinary Sobor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC), held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he was chosen Bishop-elect of Saskatoon, Vicar of the Central Eparchy of the UOCC.
On February 1, 2011 he assumed the responsibilities of Bishop of the Eastern Eparchy of the UOCC.
Name day: November 30/December 13