On March 20, 2026, after a prolonged illness, Archpriest Basil Micek—cleric of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA and rector of Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania—reposed in the Lord. He was 77 years old.
Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA and Canada, extends his deepest condolences to the family, loved ones, spiritual children, and parishioners of the newly-reposed. In consultation with Archpriest Basil’s family members and the parish council, the hierarch has given his blessing for the Funeral Service to be held on the evening of Friday, March 27, and for the Liturgy for the Departed and interment to take place on Saturday, March 28, in Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Scranton.
In the evening of March 20, following the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, Abbot Nicodemus (Balyasnikov; acting Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA) served a litia for the newly reposed Archpriest Basil in St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York City, attended by the cathedral’s clergy and parishioners.
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Archpriest Basil Micek was born on October 2, 1948, in Passaic, New Jersey, into a family of devout Catholics. As Archpriest Basil himself recalled: “After graduating from parochial school and college, I entered the Congregation of Marian Fathers—a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church—to prepare for ordination to the priesthood in the Byzantine Rite. I spent three years among the Marians; during this time, I completed two years of college coursework at Xaverian College in Silver Spring, Maryland. Having concluded, after much prayer and reflection, that a life bound by monastic vows was not my true calling, I left the congregation in the summer of 1969. It was at this time that I began attending divine services at Three Saints Church in Garfield, NJ. Desiring to gain a deeper understanding of Orthodoxy, I began receiving instruction in the faith from the church’s rector, Father Igor Burdikoff. After many months of study, prayer, and deep reflection—guided by the Holy Spirit—I embraced the Orthodox Faith on April 14, 1971; the very next day—on Great Thursday—I received Holy Communion for the first time, seeking strength in my faith. On March 3, 1973, at the Three Saints Church, I was joined in marriage to Pamela Paison.”
On October 7, 1973, in Three Saints Church, Basil was ordained a Reader and Subdeacon by Bishop Makary (Svistun), Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA; in December 1974, in that same church, he was ordained to the Diaconate. On July 30, 1978, at St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York City, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Iriney (Seredney), Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA.
In 1984, he was elevated to the rank of Archpriest by His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; in 1988, he was granted the right to wear the jeweled cross.
From 1978 to 1985, he served as rector of Three Saints Church in Garfield, NJ; from August 1, 1985, until the day of his repose, he served as rector of Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Scranton, PA.
In 2012, he was granted the right to wear the mitre by His Holiness Kyrill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; on March 6, 2026—in anticipation of the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Christ—he was granted the right to celebrate the Divine Liturgy with open Royal Doors through the singing of the Cherubic Hymn.
