View source for Theophanes (Kim) of Kyzyl

'''Theophanes (Kim)''' is the Bishop of Kyzyl and Tyva in central Siberia, under the [[jurisdiction]] of the [[Church of Russia]]. He is the first [[bishop]] of Korean ancestry of the Church of Russia.

==Life==
'''Alexei Illarionovich Kim''' (Алексей Илларионович Ким) was born on [[January 19]], 1976 in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. He attended school in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, graduating from the Vostochny Lyceum in 1993. Alexei continued his education at the South Sakhalin branch of the Moscow Commercial University, graduating in 1997.

In May 1995 he was baptized and since that time he sang in the choir in the church of St. Innocent of Irkutsk, and then the Resurrection Cathedral in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

August 14, 1997 he was tonsured a monk by Bishop Ionafan of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the Kuril Islands with the name Feofan in honor of St. [[Theophanes the Confessor]], Bishop of [[Nicea]]

After deciding on a religious education, Alexei entered the Smolensk [[Seminary]] from which he graduated in 2000. In 2010 and 2011, he continued his studies at the [[Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary|Moscow Theological Academy]].  

On [[August 14]], 1997, Alexei was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]] by Bishop Ionafan of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the Kuril Islands with the name Theophanes (Feofan) in honor of St. [[Theophanes the Confessor]], Bishop of [[Nicea]].

On [[August 17]], 1997, Mnk. Feofan was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[hierodeacon]] by Bishop Ionafan, who then, ordained Dcn. Feofan a [[hieromonk]] on [[August 19]].

During 1997 and 1998, Fr. Feofan was a [[priest]] at the Resurrection Cathedral in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, while serving as director of the cathedral choir and editor of the diocesan newspaper. In 1998, Fr. Feofan returned to study at the [[Smolensk Theological Seminary]]. During this period he was assigned to the Smolensk Cathedral. In 2000, Fr. Feofan was assigned as a priest to the Diocese of Abakan and Kyzyl in central Siberia.

In September 2000, with the blessing of [[Metropolitan]] [[Kyrill I (Gundyayev) of Moscow|Kyrill (Gundyayev)]] of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Fr. Feofan was assigned to serve as pastor to Russian-speaking citizens who were residing in the Republic of Korea.

On [[May 16]], 2001, he was awarded a [[pectoral cross]] at the request of Metr. Kyrill. On [[May 6]], 2006, Fr. Feofan was named an Honorary Citizen of Seoul. 

On [[June 6]], 2006, Fr. Feofan was elevated to the rank of [[igumen]] by Metr. Kyrill.

In April 2011, he was given, as an awarded, the right to wear a [[Clergy awards|palitza]].

On [[October 6]], 2011, Fr. Feofan was elected by the [[Holy Synod]] of the Church of Russia [[bishop]] of the newly established Diocese of Kyzyl and Tyva in central Siberia.

October 30th, 2011 at the Assumption Church in Troitse-Lykovo he was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] to the rank of Bishop of Kyzyl and Tyva. Consecration was performed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Metropolitan of Korea [[Ambrose (Zografos)]] (Constantinople Orthodox Church), Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna [[Juvenal (Poyarkov) of Krutitsy|Juvenal (Poyarkov)]], Metropolitan of Saransk and Mordovia [[Varsonofy (Sudakov)]], Archbishop of Istra [[Arseny (Yepifanov)]], Archbishop of Abakan and Khakassia [[Jonathan (Tsvetkov)]], Archbishop of Yegoryevsk [[Mark (Golovkov) of Yegoryevsk|Mark (Golovkov)]], Bishop of Solnechnogorsk [[Sergius (Chashin)]], Bishop of Voskresensk [[Sawa (Mikheev)]].

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before=see created|
title=Bishop of Kyzyl|
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==Sources==
*[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OrthodoxNews/message/15409  Archimandrite Feofan (Kim) will be the first Korean bishop of the RO]
*[http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2011/10/archimandrite-feofan-kim-will-be-the-first-korean-bishop-of-the-roc/  Archimandrite Feofan (Kim) will be the first Korean bishop of the ROC]
*[http://www.orthodox.cn/news/20111006korea_en.htm  Archimandrite Feofan (Kim)]

[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:21st-century bishops]]
[[Category: Bishops of Kyzyl]]