His Holiness Patriarch Philaret

The Most Holy Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine Philaret Denysenko was born on January 23, 1929 in the village of Blagodatnyi of the Amvrosiy district of Donetsk.  In 1946, after graduating from high school, he entered the 3rd class of the Odessa Theological Seminary and graduated with honors.  In the same year he entered the Moscow Theological Academy. On January 1, 1950, he received monastic vows with the name of Philaret.

On May 14, 1966, Bishop Philaret was promoted to the rank of Archbishop and appointed Exarch of Ukraine, Archbishop of Kiev and Halytsky, a permanent member of the Holy Synod.

In October 1995, at the All-Ukrainian Local Council, Metropolitan Philaret was elected Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine. He is working to build local Orthodox churches in Ukraine and unite Ukrainian Orthodox believers within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate.

Bishop Luke

Bishop of Philadelphia, Vicar of the Kyiv Diocese Luke (Zhoba) was born Bohdan Zhoba on May 24, 1976, in the town of Obertyn, Ukraine.  After graduating high school in 1993, Bishop Luke entered Volyn Orthodox Seminary.  He was ordained a Deacon and Priest in 1995 on the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas.  Bishop Luke continued his studies at the Kyiv Orthodox Academy where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Theology.  He became an Honorary Chaplain in Sumy, Ukraine, in 2001 and then Dean of Christ Is Risen Cathedral in Sumy, Ukraine in December 2003.

In January 2004, Bishop Luke emigrated to the United States.  His first American parish was Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyivan Patriarchate, in North Royalton, Ohio, where he was Rector.  At the same time, he served as Patriarch Philaret’s Secretary, Vicariate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the United States and Canada.  During this time he was also Dean of the Ohio, Michigan and Indiana Deanery.  

Bishop Luke left Ohio in 2011 to serve at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, Kyivan Patriarchate, in Cooper City, Florida.  

In December 2016, Bishop Luke became Officiating Priest at St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church in Philadelphia.  He was officially proclaimed permanent Rector by Patriarch Philaret on June 27, 2017.

Since arriving at St. Nicholas Church in 2016, Bishop Luke has officiated at many of life’s memorable events:  baptisms, marriages, birthdays and other joyous occasions, and he has comforted his parishioners in times of bereavement.

2018 was a momentous year for Bishop Luke.  He became a citizen of the United States on December 17, 2018.  He also inspired the development of a charitable foundation, Theological Institute Philadelphia (“TIP”), dedicated to educating, enlightening and engaging society in the pan-Orthodox faith and theology.  He is currently TIP’s Executive Director.

More blessed events followed in 2021.  On February 2, 2021, Patriarch Philaret decreed the immediate appointment of Bishop Luke as the new Secretary of the Vicariate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyivan Patriarchate, in the USA and Canada.  

Later that year, on October 29, 2021, with the blessing of Patriarch Philaret, Bishop Luke received monastic vows and the name of Luke in monasticism, in honor of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. The consecration ceremony was performed in Kyiv by Archbishop Andriy of Pereyaslav and Bila Tserkva in the house church of the Kyiv Patriarchate in honor of Righteous Philaret the Merciful.

Most recently, on Monday, December 13, 2021, on the eve of the Feast Day of RIghteous Philaret the Merciful, Hieromonk Luke was ordained Bishop of Philadelphia, Vicar of the Kyiv Diocese, by the decision of the Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate earlier that day. The episcopal ordination of the Bishop of Philadelphia, Vicar of the Kyiv Diocese Luke (Zhoba) took place on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, on the Feast Day of Righteous Philaret the Merciful at Divine Liturgy in St. Volodymyr Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv and was broadcast live on YouTube. 

Bishop Luke remains Rector of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral.

Church Leadership

The members of our current church committee include:

President: Thomas Hanney

Vice President: Susan Guz

Treasurer: Ellen Hanavin

Secretary: Frank Borriello