Biography of His Grace Bishop Kyrill (Dimitriev), Bishop of the Diocese of the Western Americas, & San-Francisco

     Bishop Kyrill was born in to an Orthodox family of Russian descent in San Francisco in 1954. In 1972, he was tonsured a reader by Archbishop Antony (Medvedev, +2000) of San Francico and Western America; he finished high school that same year. In 1976 he earned a bachelor's degree in theology in San Francisco, and went on to earn Master's Degree in theology from Saint Vladimir's Seminary in Crestwood, New York. From 1980 to 1982, he was at the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, and taught Russian and English at the Bethany school. He was tonsured ryassophore monk in Jerusalem, and tonsured to small schema in 1981.

    Meropolitan Philaret(Voznesensky, +1986) ordained Fr. Kirill a deacon and. Archbishop Antony ordained him a priest. He had to leave the Holy Land due to health concerns, and from 1982 to 1992 he served at the Holy Resurrection parish in San Francisco and taught catechism at Saints Kyrill and Methodius High School. He was director of the school from 1987. Also in 1987 he was elevated to igumen, and to an archimandrite in 1992.

    On 07 June 1992, the Synod of Bishops consecrated Father Kyrill to the episcopate, and he served as the Vicar of the Diocese of San Francisco and Western America. Archbishop Antony appointed Bishop Kyrill to oversee all the English language parishes in the Diocese. After the repose of Archbishop Antony in September of 2000, Bishop Kyrill was appointed Bishop of San Francisco and Western America.