Holy Trinity Cathedral at the eponymous monastery in Jordanville, NY has recently been witness to the consecration of two worthy archimandrites: on February 12, the feast of the Three Hierarchs, especially venerated at the monastery, Archimandrite Spyridon (Gusakov) was elevated to the episcopacy, and next Sunday, February 15, on the great feast of the Meeting of the Lord, Archimandrite Michael (Crowley) will be consecrated Bishop of Boston.

On Wednesday evening, February 11, Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York officiated the nomination of Fr. Spyridon as Bishop of Toronto, vicar of the Canadian Diocese. Serving alongside His Eminence were: Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada and Bishops Kliment of Levki (Bulgarian Orthodox Church) and Luke of Syracuse.

At his nomination, Archimandrite Spyridon noted in his speech, in part: " By the will of God and by the decision of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the rite of the nomination of my unworthiness to episcopal service is now being performed – so that I may be able to bend my shoulders beneath the good yoke of Christ and receive the most exalted and responsible lot of archpastoral grace… I understand that the episcopacy is, first and foremost and above all, not power or honor, but a work of labor and spiritual struggle…

" A bishop is the shepherd of his flock, their guardian and guide into the Kingdom of God… His way of life must be consistent with the doctrine he preaches, and his conscience must be clear of anything that might hinder God’s divine grace acting through him."

Archimandrite Spyridon was born in Russia, in the city of Kropotkin in the Krasnodar region; his father served in the military and his mother was an economist. As a child, he was baptized with the name Sergius and attended church in Kropotkin, which was later closed and destroyed. The family then moved to the village of Loza in the Sergiev Posad district of the Moscow Oblast, and from childhood, Sergius attended services at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra.

After graduating from maritime college, he worked for the Northern Shipping Company.

On September 7, 2001, Sergius immigrated to Canada, and his first church in Canada was ROCOR’s Holy Trinity Church in Vancouver. After moving to Canada, Sergius began to consider leaving worldly affairs and growing in the spiritual life. A particularly influential meeting with Archimandrite Naum (Baiborodin) in 2006 at the Lavra had a special impact on him. He became his spiritual mentor and blessed him for the path of monasticism and the priesthood.

Since 2008, Sergius has regularly attended services and helped in the altar of ROCOR’s St. Nicholas Cathedral in Montreal. In 2012, he enrolled in Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, graduating in 2016.

On November 20, 2016, he was elevated to the rank of deacon, and in December of that year, he was tonsured a monk (rassophore) with the name Spyridon, in honor of the Holy Hierarch Spyridon of Tremithus. His service as a hierodeacon was spent at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Montreal, under the omophorion of Archbishop Gabriel; he also assisted the hierarch on his travels and visits to parishes in the Canadian diocese.

On August 26, 2018, he was elevated to the rank of hieromonk and appointed rector of St. John of Shanghai & San Francisco Church in Calgary, AB.

During his ministry, the parish grew from 10 to 60-70 members, who regularly attend services. The parish became a spiritual and cultural center for Orthodox Christians living abroad, as well as for all Canadian citizens wishing to convert to Orthodoxy.

In the Orthodox Church, ordination to the holy orders (diaconate, priesthood, and episcopacy) always takes place during Divine Liturgy, but at different stages of the service. A bishop is ordained at Liturgy before a priest and deacon, indicating that the episcopacy is the highest and most ancient degree of priesthood.

On February 12, when the Church commemorates the Synaxis of Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, the episcopal consecration of Archimandrite Spyridon took place in the monastery’s Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Clergy from dioceses in America and Canada, local parishioners, and believers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and elsewhere gathered to participate in the service and episcopal consecration.

The services were held under the aegis of the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora – the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God.

The monastery choir, under the direction of Deacon Nicholas Kotar, sang magnificently. In keeping with tradition, the choir performed hymns in Greek during the services for the feast.

According to Canon 1 of the Holy Apostles, the consecration of a bishop must be performed by several bishops. A canonically valid consecration of a bishop requires the participation of at least two bishops, in addition to the one being consecrated. Those who participated in Fr. Spyridon’s consecration included Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York, Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal & Canada, and Bishops Kliment of Levki (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), Luke of Syracuse, and Jerome (Shaw).

Archimandrite Spyridon swore an oath to strictly observe the canons of the Holy Apostles, the Ecumenical and Local Councils, and the canons of the Holy Fathers, to preserve Church traditions and statutes, to maintain ecclesiastical peace, to obey Church authorities, and to govern his flock in the fear of God.

In the altar, Metropolitan Nicholas blessed the head of the candidate three times, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," after which the open Gospel was placed, text-down, over his head. The bishops participating in the episcopal consecration held the Gospel with their left hands, placing their right hands on the head of the one being ordained. In the Bible, the laying on of hands is an ancient custom of conveying divine blessing and grace. The apostles also distributed the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.

Metropolitan Nicholas delivered an address to Bishop Spyridon, in which he spoke of the meaning of episcopal service and asked him to remember his predecessor bishops (text provided below).

His Eminence then presented the newly consecrated bishop with the hierarchal staff as a symbol of episcopal authority. Bishop Spyridon blessed the clergy and numerous faithful.

All of the participants in the service gathered for a reception hosted by the monks and their numerous assistants.

Address of Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, upon presenting the Hierarchal Staff to Bishop Spyridon of Toronto

Your Grace, Bishop Spyridon, beloved brother in the Lord!

God’s grace, which overshadowed you today in the Sacrament of hierarchal consecration, has placed you as bishop over the God-preserved city of Toronto. Through the laying on of hands and the prayers of the successors of the Apostles, you too have received the Apostolic gift.

Henceforth, you are called to administer the vicariate of the Canadian Diocese, to proclaim the Gospel, and through the prayer of the Church to call down God’s grace and blessing upon the faithful. You have received the right to attend to the salvation of the human race: to teach, to guide, and to spiritually nourish the clergy and confirm the laity in the Faith of Christ.

Throughout the course of many years, God’s most-wise Providence prepared you for this glorious event, trying the resolution of your faith and obedience during the time of your service as rector of the Church of the Holy Hierarch John, Archbishop of Shanghai and Wonderworker of San Francisco, in the city of Calgary. There you labored much for the glory of Christ the Savior, of Christ’s Holy Church, and for the sake of your flock: you served, preached, comforted, and spiritually guided, you led pilgrimages with your flock to the Orthodox churches and monasteries of America and to the holy places of Europe.

Saint John of Shanghai understood the episcopacy not as an honor, but as a difficult obedience to the Church and as a cross demanding total commitment. The holy hierarch himself was an example of ascetic endurance and a strict life, often spending entire nights in prayer.

For him, the episcopacy meant serving the people: in China, Europe, and America; it meant care for the spiritual condition of every one of his children, and not administrative authority. By his personal example, Saint John showed that the bishop is the “servant of all” and that his life must be entirely dedicated to God and man.

Understand you likewise the episcopacy that has been given to you. And He Who today gives you the obedience of archpastor will also unfailingly grant you the strength to fulfill it.

And remember: nothing is fearful for him puts his hope in God. Pray as though you are speaking directly to God, to the Most Holy Theotokos, to the angels and saints. In purity of heart, make your fervent prayer for the peace of the whole world and the good estate of the Holy Churches of God, and call on your flock to live in all piety and purity, to labor with love, humility, and spiritual joy, and to be an example to their neighbors.

Kindle the grace-filled gift you have received, perfecting yourself in love, which “suffereth long… is kind… envieth not… seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked… beareth all things… endureth all things” (I Cor. 13:4-5,7).

Let even that which seems trifling, yet concerns your service as a vicar bishop, escape not your archpastoral gaze. I sincerely hope to find in you a good and faithful fellow laborer in Canada.

Remember your predecessors in the Canadian Diocese: Bishop Alexander (Nemolovsky), who together with the great Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky) took part in the work of the 1923 Pan-Orthodox Congress, after which he moved to the Russian Skete of Saint Andrew on Mount Athos; Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodumov), who is honored in our Church as a great ascetic laborer and man of prayer in Canadian Rus’; Bishop Sava (Saračević), a fellow initiate and biographer of Saint John’s; Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov), who labored over the course of many years in that country; Archbishop Gabriel, who currently governs the diocese, as well as Metropolitan Hilarion, who was born in Canada not far from the place of your parochial service.

Embark now with spiritual joy on the labors in Christ’s Vineyard, where “the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

Receive this staff as a support in the archpastoral service entrusted to you, and bless God’s people, who have prayerfully taken part in your hierarchal consecration.