Michael (Filimon) of Australia and New Zealand
His Grace Michael (Filimon), also Mihail (Filimon), vicar of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, is the ruling hierarch of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Australia and New Zealand. Bp. Michael is the first bishop of the episcopate that was formed in 2008.
Life
Maricel Michael Filimon was born on January 25, 1964 into the Orthodox family of John and Ileana Filimon in the County of Galati in Eastern Romania. After completing his basic education through high school, Maricel Michael entered the monastery of Cemica of the Archdiocese of Bucharest in October 1984. On January 7, 1986, Maricel Michael was tonsured and given the name Michael. During the summer of 1986, he transferred to the Monastery of Curtea de Arges. While at the monastery, Michael was ordained a deacon on April 18,1987 and the priest on September 11, 1988.
In 1987, Fr. Michael was accepted by the graduate theological institute in Sibiu, Transylvania, graduating in 1991. On November 8, 1991, Fr. Michael was elevated to protosyngelos. Also in the autumn 1991, Fr. Michael began doctoral studies under the guidance of Fr. Professor Ioan Ica. During this period, Fr. Michael also was appointed Professor of Old and New Testaments at the theological seminary in Pitesti. In February 1993, he was accepted for postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Philology of the Aristotle University of Thessalonica. Then, on June 9, 1993, he was accepted by the Faculty of Theology where he developed his thesis on "Orthodox Catholic Church's Catechetical Ministry in Romania in the Twentieth Century".
Fr. Michael was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite on January 22, 1995. On October 1, 1999, Fr. Michael was appointed lecturer at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Pitesti. Then, on April 23, 2003, Archimandrite Michael joined the monastic community of the Holy Ascension Monastery in Detroit, Michigan in the United States of America.
On July 8, 2003, Fr. Michael was elected as the new abbot of the monastery. His election was confirmed and blessed by Abp. Nathaniel (Popp) of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America on July 24, 2003. It was during the leadership of Abbot Michael that the monastery acquired property from the St. Andrew Center for Christian Studies in 2005 for the monastery brotherhood.
On January 1, 2008, Archim. Michael was called by Patriarch Daniel of Romania to return to Bucharest to be an Administrative Assistant to the Archdiocese of Bucharest. This was at the time the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate established for the Romanian community of Australia an eparchy of the territory of Australia and New Zealand. The Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand was formally founded with the election on March 5, 2008 of Archimandrite Michael (Filimon) as the first ruling bishop.
Fr. Michael (Filimon) was consecrated during the Holy Liturgy celebrated by Abp. Niphon of Targoviste, Patriarchal exarch, with other hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest on April 20, 2008. He was enthroned in Melbourne, Australia on June 29, 2008 during the Holy Liturgy in an enthronement ceremony celebrated by Bp. Laurentiu Streza, Metropolitan of Transylvania, the representative of Patriarch Daniel, assisted by Bp. Ambrozie of Giurgiu and other clergy of the Orthodox Churches of Australia and New Zealand.
| Michael (Filimon) of Australia and New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: — |
Bishop of Australia and New Zealand (Romanian) 2008-Present |
Succeeded by: — |
Sources
- The Bishop of the Romanian Episcopate of Australia and New Zealand Has Been Enthroned in Melbourne
- Web cite of the Holy AscensionRomanian Orthodox Monastery
- Romanians create Eparchy
- Web cite of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Australia and New Zealand In Romanian
