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(TEXT BELOW IS FOR GOOGLE TRANSLATION OF THE APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION)

​THE GIFT OF APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION OF HIS EMINENCE
METROPOLITAN +MICHAEL

Receiving All Apostolic Authority as Successor of Saint Peter and the Apostles
from Our Blessed Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ
In 1593 the Great Church of Constantinople Confirmed the Patriarchate of Moscow;

The Holy Synod, including the Metropolitans of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv elected the former ruling Archbishop in North America, +TIKHON (Bellavin), as Patriarch of Moscow;

The Holy Synod of Moscow and +TIKHON (Bellavin) elected Abdulla +AFTIMIOS (Ofiesh) to serve in America, who on 31 May 1917 at St. Nicholas Russian Cathedral in New York City had been consecrated by +EVDOKIM (Mischersky), +ALEXANDROVICH (Nemolovsky) and +STEPHEN (Dzubai) for the Syrian Greek Orthodox Catholic Mission in North America;

Who on 26 May 1928 at St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York with +EMMANUEL (Abo-Hatab) and +ELIAS of Tyre consecrated +SOPHRONIOS (Bashira) for the Greek Diocese of Los Angeles;

Who on 10 February 1934 at Sts. Constantine & Helen G.O. Church in New York City with +THEOPHANIES (Noli) consecrated +CHRISTOPHOROS (Contogeorge) for Philadelphia and in 1947 made Exarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria in the United States;

Who on 3 November 1935 at St. Nicholas Cathedral with +AMBROSIUS of Aman, Jordan
consecrated +NICHOLAS (Kedroffsky) for the Russian Diocese and the Aleutian Islands;

Who in 1935 at St. Nicholas Russian Cathedral with +ARSENIOS (Saltas) and +BENJAMIN (Fedchenkoff) consecrated +JOSEPH (Klymowycz) for the Russian Diocese of New York;

Who on 15 October 1950 at Sts. Peter & Paul R.O. Church in Springfield, Massachusetts with +KONSTANTIN (Jaroshevich), +JOSEPH (Zielonka) and +NICHOLAS (Bohatyretz) consecrated +PETER Andreas (Zhurawetzky) for the Ukrainian Orthodox Diocese of New Jersey;

Who on 20 September 1986 at St. Ignatius Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Orlando, Florida with +NIKOLAUS (Ilnyckyj) and +DAVID (Baxter), during the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and in the presence of 350 Devoted Faithful, did consecrate the Servant of God +MICHAEL Dwight Peter (Kirkland) for the Orthodox Church of America - UAOC;

In 1994 he became Moderator for the Standing Episcopal Conference of Orthodox Bishops;
On 15 November 1997 +MICHAEL was invited by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese             
and was received by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch +BARTHOLOMEUS I in Pittsburgh;

On 21 August 2002 the President of the Holy Governing Synod of the Ukrainian      
Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the United States confirmed the Canonicity
of the Episcopal Consecration of +MICHAEL and inclusion in the Diptychs of the UAOC;

On 15 April 2024 His Beatitude +AMVROSIJ (Dolgorouky), Metropolitan Archbishop and
Canonical Successor of Metropolitan +HRYHORIJ (Ohijchuk) and Metropolitan +CHRISTOPHOROS (Contogeorge) and Primate of the Joint Synod of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
in the United States and former Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and confirmed that Metropolitan +MICHAEL (Kirkland) is listed in the Dyptychs.

​
​There is no doubt regarding the validity of these consecrations:  On 1 March 1945 a letter was issued by +ATHENAGORAS (Spyrou) Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarch confirming validity of the acts of +CHRISTOPHOROS (Contogeorge). +ATHENAGORAS became Ecumenical Patriarch in 1948.