Biographies of the Newly-Consecrated Bishops

His Grace VICTOR (in the world Alexander Henry Parbus) was born on March 9/22 of 1972 in the city of Lomonosov (formerly Oranienbaum, St Petersburg province). He finished school and the technical college specializing in communal-living-quarters construction. In 1990 his father Henry Emmanuel, a German by nationality, was able to move to and live permanently in Germany. The entire family left Russia, but a year later (1991) Alexander returned. In January, 1996 he was baptized in the former podvorie (a church/chapel/mission associated with a monastery but located far away from the latter-trans) of the St Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery in old Peterhof (Moscow Patriarchate). In March of the same year he joined the Holy Trinity monastery (Alatyr, Chuvashia) where he was tonsured a novice on July 12.

In January, 2000 he came under the omophorion of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and joined the Theophany monastery (Vyshgorod, Pskov region). In July of the same year he went to the Stephan-Afanasiev monastery (Votcha, Komi republic). In 2002 hieromonk Stephan (Babayev) tonsured him a full monk with the name of Victor in honor of Clergy New-Martyr VICTOR, Bishop of VOTCHINA and GLAZOV.

In 2003, he was ordained a hieromonk by the former ROCOR Archbishop Varnava (Prokofiev) in the All Russian Saints Church (Paris, France). In the same year he was sent to the Holy Transfiguration skete (Mansonville, Canada) to serve with the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, the Most Blessed Metropolitan VITALII. He served in the Holy Transfiguration skete, with a short break in 2003, until Great Lent of 2006. After this he was again sent to the Votchina monastery where he lived until August, 2006. In connection with the schism initiated by Archbishop Anthony (Orloff) and Bishop Victor (Pivovarov) he was forced to leave the monastery and go to the skete of the Stephan-Afanasiev monastery, located in the village of Ust-Berdysh (Komi republic), today called the Andronikov skete.

On 10/23 November, 2008 he was consecrated as bishop of Paris and Western Europe by their Graces: VLADIMIR, Bishop of San Francisco and Western America and ANASTASSY, Bishop of Vladivostok and the Far East.

Bishop ALEXEI (in the world Eugene Leonidovitch Pergamantsev) was born on June 11/24, 1947 in the city of Kiev (Ukraine), baptized at the age of 4 in one of the churches of the city. Finished high school in 1965. From 1966 to 1968 he was in the armed services. In 1973 he graduated from the Kiev State Institute majoring in physical education and sports.

From 1992 to 1994 he was a novice in the Holy-Dormition Kiev-Caves Lavra (Moscow Patriarchate). Before entering the monastery in 1990, by mutual agreement on both sides, the civil marriage with his wife Irene was officially annulled; she entered the Gethsemane convent in the Holy Land as a novice where she is to this day.

On March 19/ April 1, 1995 he was accepted under the omophorion of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad by the former ROCA bishop Evtikhii (Kurochkin) and tonsured a monk with the name Alexei, in honor of Venerable ALEXEI, Man of God.

From April, 1995 to February, 1996 he was at the Holy Forefathers monastery in Hebron (Holy Land). Upon returning to Kiev he was spiritually nourished in the parishes of priests Nicholas Furtatenko and Valery Kovalchuk.

On the June 8/21, 1998 he was ordained a priest-monk by the former ROCA bishop Agathangel (Pashkovsky) and appointed rector of the newly-formed Saint John's monastery and its parish named for Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco, the Wonderworker. On January 11/24, 2001 by directive (ukase) of the above mentioned bishop, hieromonk Alexei was named dean of the Kiev deanery.

On August 25/ September 7, 2008 by directive of His Grace Anastassy, Bishop of Vladivostok and the Far East he was awarded the nabedrennik (a rectangular shaped vestment that hangs by the priest's right thigh-trans)

On November 13/26, 2008 he was was consecrated Bishop of Saltanova, assistant bishop of the Moldovian diocese by their Graces: VLADIMIR, Bishop of San Francisco and Western America; ANASTASSY, Bishop of Vladivostok and the Far East; VICTOR, Bishop of Paris and Western Europe.