Metropolitan of the UOC (MP) passed away to the Lord
On September 23, 2017, at 17.35 at the age of 55 years of life after a long and debilitating illness, Metropolitan Iryney (Semko) of Nizhyn and Pryluky UOC-MP completed his earthly journey. This is reported by the official site of the UOC-MP.
Metropolitan Iryney (secular name Valentin Anatolievich Semko) was born on June 11, 1963 in the village ofRopotukha, Uman district of Cherkasy region.
In 1981 he entered the preparatory department of Kyiv Engineering and Construction Institute, where he studied until 1983.
Two years later, having felt the call to service to God, he abandoned his studies at the institute and entered the Moscow Theological Seminary.
In autumn 1984, Valentyn Semko, according to his request, was enrolled in the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra. On February 26, 1985, the abbot of the Lavra, Archimandrite Alexey (Kutiepov) (now Metropolitan of Tula and Biliv) in the Trinity Cathedral in front of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh, performed his tonsure with the monastic name of Iryney in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons.
On April 6, 1985, monk Iryney was ordained a dean by Archbishop Serapion (Fadeev) of Vladimir and Suzdal (+1999) in the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir cityr, and on November 30, 1986, at the Lavra Refectory Church, Archbishop Varnava (Kedrovy) of Cheboksary and Chuvash he ordained him to the holy priesthood.
In 1987, after graduation from the seminary, the Academic Committee at the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church assigned hieromonk Iryney to the Holy Assumption Pochayiv Lavra.
In the spring of 1991, he was transferred to the Holy Assumption Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The next year, Iryney graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy and was appointed a teacher of the Kyiv Theological Seminary. In 1993 - 1994 he performed obedience of the KSA inspector, and in April 1994 he was promoted to the rank of archimandrite.
Since September 1996 Archimandrite Iryney was appointed to perform obedience as the dean of Lavra.
On December 26, 2006, Archimandrite Iryney defended his Ph.D. thesis themed “History of the Orthodox Women's Monasticism in Ukraine in the 20th Century”. The next year he was awarded the academic title of assistant professor.
By resolution of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Archimandrite Iryney was elevated to the bishop's throne to head the newly formed Nizhyn See in the ancient Chernihiv land.
On June 10, 2007, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Archimandrite Irynei (Semko) was consecrated as the Bishop of Nizhyn and Baturyn by the Primate of the UOC MP, Metropolitan Volodymyr.
In 2014, at the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bishop Iryney was promoted to the rank of Archbishop, and recently, on the day of the baptism of Kyivan Rus by the decree of the Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and all Ukraine, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.
