Macarius (Ilyinsky) of New York

His Eminence the Most Reverend Metropolitan Macarius (Ilyinsky) of New York was a hierarch of the Russian Metropolia and later of the Russian Exarchate of North America.

Life

Born Michael Ivanovich Ilyinsky (Михаил Иванович Ильинский) on October 27, 1866, Fr. Michael was a member of the faculty of St. Platon's Seminary in Tenafly, New Jersey, at its founding and became its rector prior to its closing in 1923. (Tarasar, 134, 334).

While an archpriest, in 1934 in the midst of the reaffirmation of "temporary self-government" by the Metropolia at its 5th All-American Sobor, Fr Michael suggested that a delegation be sent to Moscow to explain this status, though his suggestion met with no support.

On October 13, 1935, Fr. Michael was consecrated Bishop of Boston under the monastic name Macarius. In 1937, Bp. Macarius was appointed Bishop of Brooklyn and was also named rector of the newly established St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York. (ibid., 334)

In 1937 at the Metropolia's 6th All-American Sobor in New York City, where a decision was made to renew relations with the ROCOR (See: ROCOR and OCA), Bishop Macarius "gave as his opinion that the commitment to the agreement was more in the nature of a moral than an administrative agreement" (Surrency, 46).

In January of 1946, along with Bishop Alexey of Alaska, Macarius broke from the Metropolia and was united to the Church of Russia as a result of the Metropolia's continued support of the ROCOR and its distancing of itself from Moscow (ibid., 54). Macarius' act was met with an anathema by the Metropolia, which Moscow called on the Metropolia to withdraw in 1947 as it named Macarius as Archbishop of New York and Patriarchal Exarch of All America and Canada (ibid., 58).

Macarius was raised to the rank of metropolitan by Moscow on August 5, 1952, and reposed in the Lord on November 12, 1953.

Succession box: Macarius (Ilyinsky) of New York
Preceded by: —	Bishop of Boston (Metropolia) 1935-1937	Succeeded by: Dimitry (Magan)
Preceded by: Emmanuel (Abo-Hatab)	Bishop of Brooklyn (Metropolia) 1937-1946	Succeeded by: John (Shahovskoy)
Preceded by: Benjamin (Fedchenkov)	Patriarchal Exarch of All America and Canada (Russian) 1947-1953	Succeeded by: Germogen (Kozhin)

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Sources

• Surrency, Archim. Serafim. The Quest for Orthodox Church Unity in America (1973), pp. 5, 7, 44, 46, 54, 58-59, 121
• Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America, C. J. Tarasar, Gen. Ed. 1975, The Orthodox Church in America, Syosett, New York