​RIVES JUNCTION, MI -Our Diocesan Clergy gathered at Holy Dormition Monastery in Rives Junction, Michigan from June 23-25, 2026.

This three day retreat began with a Vigil for the feast of  the Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John. During the retreat His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander, met with the spiritual council to discuss the ongoing needs of the Bulgarian Diocese. While the original speaker was unable to attend, Fr. Gabriel Bilas spoke with the group about the importance of ongoing communication. 

This annual retreat allows our priests and deacons time to rest, recharge and join with one another in prayer, worship and fellowship without the day-to-day rigors of parish life.

The serene and tranquil grounds of the Monastery offer an oasis of peace amidst the chaos of the world. This refuge allowed our clergy to rediscover peace and brotherhood.

We are thankful for the sisterhood at Holy Dormition Monastery for their hospitality. Thank God for all of their efforts and prayer!

​RIVES JUNCTION, MI -The diocesan spiritual council met under the presidency of His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 during the annual clergy retreat at Holy Dormition Monastery, Rives Junction, MI.
The council heard from Father Gabriel Bilas proposing the establishment of a mission station. The council also discussed matters pertaining to the formation of catechumens, particularly referring them to online homilies and talks by Archbishop Alexander.

​The meeting took place following the Divine Liturgy for the nativity of the holy prophet, forerunner, and Baptist John.  In addition to Archbishop Alexander, the full membership of the spiritual council was present which includes Archimandrite Arkady (Migunov), Mitred Archpriest Don Anthony Freude, Archpriest Paul G. Monkowski, Archpriest Matthew-Peter Butrie, and Priest Martin Watt.

Archbishop and father, Dedo Vladyka Kyrill (Yonchev), fell alsep in the Lord in the eighty-eighth year of his age on Sunday, 17 June 2007. He is the first bishop of our God-saved Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo, OCA.

Abp. Kyrill was born Ilia Yonchev on February 26, 1920, in Panaguriste, Bulgaria, the son of Mancho and Anna Yonchev. He attended the St.John of Rila Theological Seminary in Sofia, Bulgaria, graduating in 1940.
​
​​He was tonsured to monastic orders on January 19, 1941, and given the name Kyrill. On the next day he was ordained a deacon. He was ordained to the priesthood in April 1943.

Fr. Kyrill attended the St. Clement of Ochrid School of Theology. After graduating in 1944, he was appointed instructor of theology in the seminary in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and also was appointed abbot of the Bachkovo Monastery. As the abbot, he participated with other Bulgarian leaders helping protect the Jewish population of Bulgaria from actions of the Nazi occupation against the Jews during World War II.

Following World War II, Fr. Kyrill attended advanced studies in theology and philosophy in Bern, Switzerland. With the communist takeover of Bulgaria, Fr. Kyrill, in 1950, immigrated to the United States where he was soon assigned as pastor of St. George Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Toledo, Ohio, as part of the Bulgarian Eastern Diocese of North and South America and Australia. Fr. Kyrill was elevated to the rank of archimandrite on December 6, 1959.

In 1964, Metr. Andrei of the Bulgarian Diocese petitioned the Holy Synod of the Church of Bulgaria for his return to the Bulgarian episcopacy and to continue to lead the diocese in America. With the return of Metr. Andrei and his diocese to the Church of Bulgaria, a group under Fr. Kyrill broke with Metr. Andrei and joined the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) as the Bulgarian Diocese in Exile.

On August 9, 1964, Kyrill was consecrated by ROCOR as Bishop of Toledo and Toronto of the Bulgarian Diocese in Exile. On December 20, 1976, Bp. Kyrill and his diocese broke from the ROCOR and joined the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), with Kyrill appointed as the ruling bishop of a Bulgarian diocese under the OCA. In October 1977, Bp. Kyrill was appointed locum tenens of the Diocese of Western Pennsylvania. In 1978, Bp. Kyrill was elected the ruling bishop of the Pittsburgh diocese, which he led for the next 29 years. He also continued to lead the OCA's Bulgarian Diocese. In 1992, he was raised to the dignity of archbishop.

During his tenure as head of the Pittsburgh diocese, Abp. Kyrill served as a member of the OCA Lesser Synod of Bishops, the Canonization Commission, and the Board of Theological Education. He was also a trustee of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary.

Abp. Kyrill reposed on June 17, 2007, after a period of failing health. His funeral services were conducted on June 21 and 22, 2007, at the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Allison Park, Pennsylvania. At the time of his death Abp. Kyrill was the longest-serving Orthodox hierarch in America.

Source: ​The Orthodox Church, Vol 43/No 3, Summer 2007, p. 30.​Archbishop and father, Dedo Vladyka Kyrill (Yonchev), fell alsep in the Lord in the eighty-eighth year of his age on Sunday, 17 June 2007. He is the first bishop of our God-saved Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo, OCA.

Abp. Kyrill was born Ilia Yonchev on February 26, 1920, in Panaguriste, Bulgaria, the son of Mancho and Anna Yonchev. He attended the St.John of Rila Theological Seminary in Sofia, Bulgaria, graduating in 1940. 

​TOLEDO, OH [BDOCA] – 8 JUNE 2026 - His Eminence Archbishop Alexander has sent a communique to V. Rev. Stephen Duesenberry, rector of St. Nikolai parish in Alliance, Ohio. 

The letter reads, “Given that Saint Nikolai Mission is fully self-supporting, sustaining a full cycle of services, and having a resident priest, by this letter Saint Nikolai Mission is now Saint Nikolai Church, a full parish of the Bulgarian Diocese.”

May God continue to bless Fr. Stephen, Popadia Sharon and all of the faithful of Saint Nikolai Church! Many Years!

TOLEDO, OH [BDOCA] – 2 JUNE 2026 - His Eminence Archbishop Alexander has appointed Rebekah Humphreys the new communications coordinator of the Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo, OCA. 

In a communique to Diocesan Clergy the Archbishop highlights the need for effective two-way communication and highlights the efforts of the Diocean Leadership in moving forward with new strategies. “Communication is perhaps the most important component of any organization - Churches and Dioceses are no exception”

Among the new communication strategies His Eminence announces the launch of a new periodic newsletter as well as the use of the digital communication platform “Our Diocese” an app for parishes, laity and clergy alike. He anticipates that Clergy, Monastics and the Faithful will come together to be a part of the process and work together in developing our Diocesan community.

The Archbishop finishes by saying, “If you were at our most recent Diocesan Conference, you saw some of the work Rebekah has already done for us, and the work she will be doing reflects an effort by Diocesan leadership to enhance the life of each parish as well as the ministry of each parish priest.”