Theodosius (Putilin) of Sydney

His Eminence the Most Reverend Archbishop Theodosius (Putilin) was Archbishop of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia from 1970 to 1980.

Life

The future Archbishop Theodosius was born into a family of a priest and received his religious education in pre-Bolshevik Russia. However, he did not enter the clergy as the bishop to whom he applied for ordination refused at the time, saying, "If it pleases the Lord to call you to His service, He will call you at the appropriate time. But do not ignore His call."

His calling to the priesthood came when he was living in Germany after World War II. After preparation under the tutelage of Protopriest Adrian Rymarenko and Archimandrite Dimitri (Biakay), he was ordained to the diaconate and then to the priesthood.

Emigrating to Australia in 1951, Fr. Theodosius was assigned to Western Australia to serve the Church in the city of Perth with zeal and love for many years. The community of the parish came to endear him as it grew into the magnificent Church of SS Peter and Paul that they built.

In 1969, Bp. Theodosius, with a sense of unworthiness, was consecrated a vicar bishop and was assigned to serve in Melbourne, Australia. On November 25, 1970, Bp. Theodosius was elevate to be the ruling bishop of the Diocese of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand. In 1971, he was elevated to archbishop. This assignment came during a period of ecclesiastical conflict in Sydney. With patience, love, and mainly wisdom, Abp. Theodosius set to resolving the conflicts. With God's help, Abp. Theodosius was able to bring his seemingly hopeless task to the desired result. By 1977, the parish and large Cathedral of Ss Peter and Paul in Sydney returned to ROCOR.

The effort made by Abp. Theodosius to settle the conflict caused a great deal of strain on his health. On August 13, 1980, at the age of 83, Abp. Theodosius reposed, having built, on the foundation of the work by Abps. Feodor and Savva, an Orthodox community that had a system of parish schools, a hospital for the chronically ill, a nursing home, the Russian Benevolent Society and other charitable organizations, and its own publishing arm which printed the diocesan journal.

Bp. Paul (Pavlov) of Stuttgart officiated at the funeral for Abp. Theodosius, held at the Cathedral of Ss Peter and Paul in Sydney. His body was interred in the church cemetery of his first parish in Perth following wishes of the Abp. Theodosius and of his family.

Succession box: Theodosius (Putilin) of Sydney
Preceded by: Anthony (Medvedev)	Bishop of Melbourne (ROCOR) 1969-1970	Succeeded by: ?
Preceded by: Sava (Rayevsky)	Archbishop of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR) 1970-1980	Succeeded by: Paul (Pavlov)

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External link

• Biography of Archbishop Theodosius at the 25th anniversay of his repose.