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His Beatitude the Most Reverend Metropolitan '''Ireney (Bekish) of New York''' succeeded Metr. Leonty as [[Metropolitanprimate]] of the North Russian-American Diocese of the [[Church of RussiaOCA|Metropolia]] upon his death. Under his leadership the central administration continued to mature and negotiations actively began with Patriarch of Moscow to resolve the ill feelings that had developed since the Bolshevik Revolution, and which resolved into the granting of [[autocephaly ]] to the Metropolia as the [[Orthodox Church in America]].
==Life==
John Bekish was born on [[October 2]], 1892 in Mezhirech in Lublin province, which today is in southeast Poland, but then was part of the Russian Empire. He attended the Kholm [[Seminary]], graduating in 1914. During the next two years he married and was employed as a [[reader]], until 1916 when he entered the [[clergy]]. After ordination as a [[deacon]], he was ordained a [[priest]] by [[Bishop]] Seraphim of Belsk on [[August 1]], 1916. During the next several years Fr. John served successively at a number of [[parish]]es including Guscha in the Lublin region, Lishnevka in the Kovel region, Belskoye in the Sarnen region, and Poliza also in the Sarnen region. Then, in 1934, Fr. John was appointed rector of the parish in Kamen-Kashirsk and was advanced to the rank of [[Archpriest]].
On [[January 1]], 1935 he was appointed to the Consistory of the [[Church of Poland|Polish Orthodox Church]], and then a year later was appointed assistant rector of the Cathedral in Pinsk. Eleven months before the Nazi and Soviets invaded Poland he was appointed chairman of the Luninetz Missionary Committee. In July 1944 as the Soviet army, now fighting the Nazis, approached, Fr. John evacuated with his family to Germany where he ministered to Orthodox faithful in the displaced persons’ persons' camps until after the end of World War II. In October 1947, Fr. John was raised in rank to [[MitredArchpriest]] Archpriest and was moved to Belgium where he was assigned rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Charleroi, Belgium.
On [[March 20]], 1952, Fr. John arrived with his family in the United States and was assigned as the [[priest]] of Holy Trinity Church in McAdoo, Pennsylvania. On [[March 31]], 1953 his wife Xenia died and was buried in the Holy Trinity cemetery in MacAdoo.
After being elected Bishop of Tokyo, then a [[diocese]] in the [[Metropolia]], Fr. John was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]] on [[May 28]], 1953 and given the name of Ireney. He was also raised to the rank of [[Archimandritearchimandrite]]. His consecration as Bishop of Tokyo was conducted by Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich) on [[June 7]], 1953 with other hierarchs in the Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in New York City. As Bishop bishop of Tokyo, Bp. Ireney continued to lead the Japanese Church in its recovery from World War II. He reopened the Seminary at [[Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Tokyo, Japan)|Nicolai-do Cathedral]] and brought back [[Victor Pokrovsky]] as the choir director for the cathedral. On [[May 9]], 1957, Bp. Ireney was raised to the rank of Archbishoparchbishop.
Transferred back to the United States on [[June 14]], 1960, Abp. Ireney was appointed Archbishop of Boston and of the Diocese of New England. He was also made a special assistant to Metr. Leonty who was aging and ailing. With Metr. Leonty’s death on [[May 14]], 1965, Abp. Ireney was elected [[Locum Tenens]] by the Great Council of Bishops pending the election of a new Metropolitan. At the 12th [[All-American Sobor]] on [[September 23]], 1965, Abp. Ireney was elected and installed as Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all America and Canada.
Beginning [[October 20]], 1970, Metr. Ireney presided over a meeting of the Church that would be the 14th and last All-American Sobor and the first [[All-American Council]] of the Orthodox Church in America. Over next several years Metr. Ireney led the administration in the adjustments needed to that of the new status of the Church.
By 1974, age began to take its toll on Metr. Ireney. In early 1974, Metr. Ireney requested that the Holy Synod elect a temporary Administrator for the day-to-day business of the Church. On [[May 15]], 1974, Archbishop Sylvester (Harums) of Montreal and Canada assumed this position, working with Metr. Ireney who would approve all important actions and decisions. As his health deteriorated, Metr. Ireney announced on [[March 9]], 1977 that he intended to retire on [[October 25]], 1977, the opening day of the 5th All-American Council. With the election of Bishop Theodosius (Lazor) as the new Metropolitan, Metr. Ireney retired to live in the [[SSSs. Cosmos Cosmas and Damian Adult Home (New York, New York)|Ss. Cosmas and Damian Adult Home]] on Staten Island, New York, an institution that he was instrumental in founding.
Metr. Ireney died on [[March 18]], 1981 and was buried at the [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania) ]].
{{succession|
before= [[Leonty (Turkevich) of New York|[Leonty (Turkevich)]]|
title=Primate of the Metropolia/Orthodox Church in America|years=1965-1970/1970-1977|after=[[Theodosius (Lazor) of New YorkWashington|Theodosius (Lazor))]]}}
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[[Category: Bishops]]
