Archbishop of Ternopil-Zboriv (Ukrainian)
Metropolitan Teodor Martyniuk, Metropolitan of Ternopil-Zboriv. Born on February 1, 1974, in the village of Dora (Nadvirna Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast). Ordained a priest on January 20, 2000, by Bishop Julian Gbur, Eparch of Stryi. Consecrated a bishop on May 22, 2015, at the Marian Spiritual Center in Zarvanytsia (Ternopil Oblast). Enthroned on December 8, 2024, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ternopil. Childhood and Family: Taras (the Bishop’s baptismal name), son of Mykhailo and Maria, was born on February 1, 1974, in the village of Dora—now part of the city of Yaremche (Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast)—where there were several centers of the underground Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He received his religious upbringing, as well as the sacraments of First Confession and First Holy Communion, in his grandmother’s private home, where Liturgies were celebrated. Young Taras’s first spiritual director was Fr. Porfyriy (Pavlo) Chuchman. Education: From 1981 to 1989, Taras attended Yaremche Eight-Year School No. 1. In 1989, he enrolled in the T. Shevchenko Kremenets Pedagogical College (Kremenets, Ternopil Oblast) in the Department of Labor and Technical Drawing; he graduated in 1993 qualified as a teacher of labor and technical drawing, as well as an instructor for decorative and applied arts clubs. Priestly Ministry: On July 7, 1993, he entered the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra (Studite Rule). He received his initial monastic tonsure on January 2, 1994. Bishop Teodor himself comments on the emergence of his monastic vocation as follows: "I was connected with Studite monasticism from childhood." I was born in Dora, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, where an underground monastery existed. I received my first confession and First Holy Communion within the underground Church; this took place during the blessing of my grandparents' home. My religious upbringing was influenced by Hieromonk Porfyriy (later Schema-monk Pavlo) Chuchman, who had been imprisoned twice for refusing to sign a declaration converting to Orthodoxy... Even in early childhood, I witnessed underground monastic life and was captivated by the idea of becoming a monk. From that moment on, I began to reflect on the nature of a vocation and how to realize it. Eventually, I decided to enter the monastery. Initially, while I was still in school, this surprised my parents; however, when I entered the monastery after finishing college, they blessed and supported my decision. I received my philosophical and theological training at the Catholic University of Lublin in Poland. In 1995 and 1996, I studied at the Summer School of Theology in Univ. On August 28, 1997, I received the Lesser Schema; subsequently, on July 28, 1999, I was ordained a hierodeacon by Bishop Yulian Voronovsky, and on January 20, 2000, a hieromonk by Bishop Yulian Gbur. In 2001, I defended my master's thesis at the Catholic University of Lublin. From 1999 to 2001, I participated in preparing documentation for the beatification of the martyrs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. From 2001 to 2003, I served as the bursar of the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra, and from 2003 to 2005, I was the superior of the St. Michael Monastery (Studite Rule) in Lviv. In 2005, he began his studies in Eastern canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome (Italy). During the summers of 2006 and 2007, he studied French at the Institut Catholique in Paris, and in the summer of 2008, at the École Privée de Français pour l’International in Paris. In 2008, he obtained his licentiate degree in Eastern canon law from the Pontifical Oriental Institute. From 2008 to 2009, he studied jurisprudence at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, earning a diploma—*Specializzazione in Giurisprudenza*. On February 1, 2010, he defended his doctoral dissertation in Eastern canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. His time studying abroad provided the bishop with invaluable experience: "In 1994, I was sent to the Lublin Theological Seminary, which is part of the Faculty of Theology at the Catholic University of Lublin. That was my first step into serious Western-style academic study, given that I had previously been educated in Soviet schools and colleges under Soviet educational standards. What impressed me most positively about the Western university was the teaching style, the freedom of thought and choice, and the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge and select a specific area of specialization. I came to appreciate this even more later while studying canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and the Gregorian University in Rome. Another benefit of studying in the West is the opportunity to learn about the cultures and traditions of many peoples through the study of foreign languages. Studying in Poland, Italy, and France was a great treasure for me." In 2010, he was elected Hegumen of the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra for a five-year term. Since 2011, he has been a lecturer in Eastern canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. He served as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Major Superiors of Male Institutes of Consecrated Life of the UGCC and is a member of the Society of Ukrainian Canonists of the UGCC. Regarding his episcopal ministry: on March 12, 2015, the Holy Father Francis gave his consent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC of the Very Reverend Fr. Teodor Martyniuk, a Studite monk, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy of the UGCC, assigning him the titular see of Mopta. On May 21–22, 2015, the episcopal ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Teodor Martyniuk took place at the Marian Spiritual Center in Zarvanytsia. The rite was performed by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, concelebrating with the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Ternopil-Zboriv, Vasyl Semeniuk, and the Auxiliary Bishop of the Lviv Archeparchy, Venedykt Aleksiychuk. In addition to his native Ukrainian, he is proficient in Russian, Polish, Italian, and French. On October 17, 2024, in the Vatican, Bishop Teodor Martyniuk—who had previously served as Auxiliary Bishop—was announced as the new Archbishop and Metropolitan of Ternopil-Zboriv. This appointment followed the resignation of the incumbent Archbishop and Metropolitan, Bishop Vasyl Semeniuk, upon reaching the age of 75, and the acceptance of that resignation by the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, with the consent of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC. The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, featuring the rite of enthronement for the new Archbishop and Metropolitan of Ternopil-Zboriv, took place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Ternopil on December 8, 2024. Attendees included the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) from Ukraine and abroad, the Apostolic Visitor for Slovak Greek Catholics in Western Europe, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Eparchy, Latin-rite bishops, and representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The Liturgy and the rite of installation were presided over by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. "It is important for every Christian to fulfill God's will, for it is the best and most right path. Moreover, the primary function of a bishop is to seek God's will and to carry it out. I therefore consider this my most important task, as a bishop is called to seek God's will not only for his own life and ministry but also for the entire People of God entrusted to his care," said Bishop Teodor, commenting on this new stage of his service to the Church.