Our leadership

Guiding the church's spiritual and pastoral life following Archbishop Ambrose. Archbishop Michael has an Assyrian background and speaks nine languages. He attended the Ancient Assyrian Church of the East. He holds degrees in classical languages and medieval history from the University of Chicago and attended Yale University. He studied philosophy at the Pontifical Major Roman Seminary at the Pontifical Lateran University and theology at the Pontifical Lateran University.

According to our jurisdiction's account, Archbishop +Amvrosij received Michael Wiest through conditional rites as subdeacon, deacon, priest, and later chorbishop. He undertook these rites to address questions about Michael's prior orders as he entered our jurisdiction.

Before Michael's consecration as bishop, Archbishop Metropolitan +Michael Kirkland also performed conditional rites through the orders. Three additional bishops participated as co-consecrators in the Divine Liturgy and episcopal consecration.

Serving the church's leadership and administration. Bishop Anthony studied at Loyola University and was ordained to the priesthood in 2008.

According to our jurisdiction's account, Archbishop +Amvrosij received Bishop Anthony Leonardo through conditional rites as subdeacon, deacon, priest, and later chorbishop. He undertook these rites to address questions about Anthony's prior orders as he entered our jurisdiction.

Before Anthony's consecration as bishop, Archbishop Metropolitan +Michael Kirkland also performed conditional rites through the orders. Three additional bishops participated as co-consecrators in the Divine Liturgy and episcopal consecration.

Joel Cycenas was ordained a deacon by Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Ratzinger, at the Basilica of St. Peter in October of 1999. After completing his studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (the Angelicum), he returned to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and was ordained a priest in May of 2000 by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn.

After serving in the Archdiocese as pastor, associate pastor, chaplain to a high school, and various other assignments, Joel asked to leave ministry to pursue marriage, which was granted to him, and he remains in good standing with the Church. Joel is now married with two children and lives in St. Paul, MN.

Bishop Joel's marriage and family are part of the life he brings to pastoral service in our independent jurisdiction. Our jurisdiction has received his ministry as a married man. We value the daily responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood as a perspective that can deepen pastoral attention to children, families, and people seeking a stable spiritual home.

In 2019 His Beatitude met Joel and validated him as a Byzantine Catholic married priest with bi-ritual faculties, giving him the privilege to offer both the Roman Rite and Eastern Rite liturgies. In 2021 Father Cycenas was elevated to Archpriest. Then, in January of 2024, His Beatitude Metropolitan Archbishop +Amvrosij consecrated Father Cycenas to the episcopate, elevating him to the rank of Bishop, with Bishop +Edward Joseph serving as co-consecrator.

Bishop +Cycenas serves as Vicar General and Chancellor of the Institute for Eastern Christian Studies, an apostolate of this jurisdiction. The Institute's sole purpose is to help East and West unite by assisting, behind the scenes, the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.