Theophilus Pashkovsky

Theophilus (Pashkovsky), born Feodor Nikolaevich Pashkovsky (Russian: Фёдор Николаевич Пашковский) and commonly known as Metropolitan Theophilus (February 6, 1874, in Kiev, Russian Empire – June 27, 1950, in San Francisco, United States), was the Orthodox primate of the North American metropolia, Archbishop of San Francisco and Metropolitan of All America and Canada.

He attended the Kiev Theological Academy Preparatory School where he was noted as a disciplined and hard working student.

After doctors believed that the infection was not curable, prayers for Theodore by the already famous priest John of Kronstadt, when he visited the school, resulted in a complete healing.

When Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) of the North American diocese visited the Lavra to recruit workers for his mission, Theodore was invited to America.

On June 20, 1900, his wife delivered him a son, Boris, who would be remembered during World War II as Colonel Boris Pash, the leader of the Alsos Mission in Europe under the Manhattan Project and as the Foreign Liaison Officer under General Douglas MacArthur during negotiations on the future of the Japanese Orthodox Church in 1945–1947.

As the chaos of the Bolshevik regime settled over the Church, he met often with and was advised and instructed by Patriarch Tikhon on the future of the North American diocese.

Attention was given to improving church education programs, including establishing Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary.

On 26–29 November 1946, Cleveland Council adopted a resolution to quit over the Synod of Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.