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{{orthodoxyinjapan}}
The Protopresbyter '''Simeon Michiro Mii''' was an early [[convert]] and [[disciple]] of St. [[Nicholas of Japan]]. He became an Orthodox Christian as a 15-year-old teenager. He was an early graduate of the Tokyo Orthodox schools and [[Tokyo Orthodox Seminary (Tokyo, Japan)|Theological Seminary]] and was the first Japanese to pursue advanced studies in Russia, at the [[Kiev Theological Academy]]. In view of his intellect and knowledge of languages, Fr. Simeon became key assistant to Abp. Nicholas and later to Metr. [[Sergius (Tikhomirov) of Japan|Sergius]]. He attended the [[All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918|1917 Moscow Sobor]] as the representative from the Japanese [[Diocese]] and was instrumental in the re-building of [[Nikolai-do]] and the Tokyo church headquarters after the destruction of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923.
==Life==
For his first [[parish]] Bp. Nicholas assigned Fr. Simeon to the church in Kyoto, an important Japanese cultural center and former imperial capital, with additional duties of making periodic pastoral visits to missions in western Honshu. As his parish grew he found a need for a larger church building. Receiving Bp. Nicholas' approval he managed the construction of the Church of the Annunciation as a building worthy of the cultural importance of its location in Kyoto. Construction of the church began in late 1898 and was [[consecration of a church|consecrated]] in May 1903. The [[iconostasis]] and bell were donated by Russian citizens. Also, presented to the new church was a [[Gospel]] inscribed with a greeting by Fr. [[John of Kronstadt]].
The onset of the Russo-Japanese war 1904 brought Fr. Simeon more work. Although Bp. Nicholas refrained from active affairs in the Japanese Church, he asked that Fr. Simeon administer to the Russian prisoners of war. With his thorough knowledge of the Russian language, Fr. Simeon spent the war years serving the internment camps around Kyoto and Nagoya in addition to his own parish duties. In 1906, Fr. Simeon was awarded a gold commemorative [[pectoral cross ]] by Czar Nicholas II in honor of Bp. Nicholas' elevation to [[Archbishop]] and the established of the Japanese mission as an independent archdiocese of the [[Church of Russia]] as well as for Fr.Simeon's efforts on behalf of the Russian prisoners held in Japan.
With the arrival of Bp. Sergius in 1908 as Bishop of Kyoto, Fr. Simeon began a long time association with him. Fr. Simeon became Bp. Sergius' chief assistant when Bp. Sergius succeeded Abp. Nicholas in 1912 following his death. Abp. Sergius, who had been Dean of the St Petersburg Theological Academy, and Fr. Simeon, who alone among the Japanese priests had studied in Russia and knew Russian well, proved to be compatible. Fr. Simeon moved to Tokyo in July 1912, to take up residence at the [[Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Tokyo, Japan)|Kanda Surugadai]] property. In April 1917, Fr. Simeon was raised to the rank of [[protopresbyter]] by the [[Holy Synod]] of Russia.
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Japan]]
[[Category:Kiev Academy Graduates|Simeon]]
[[Category:Converts to Orthodox Christianity|Michiro Mii]]
