William Edward Moran

Archbishop Ambrose (William E. Moran-Dolgorouky)

January 3, 1949 – April 12, 2026

Passed away due to Natural Causes according to the Maricopa ME.

William E. Moran-Dolgorouky following completion of studies in philosophy and in theology as required by the Holy Canons, was tonsured, received Minor Orders, Subdeacon, Deacon (1973) and on May 19, 1974, Priesthood Ordination by +Nicholas of Alexandria, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchate. Father Moran-Dolgorouky was then elevated to Archimandrite on Easter Sunday, 1975, at the Maronite Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lebanon, NY. At the conferences for Ukrainian Church Unity between Patriarch Josyf Cardinal Slipyj and Ukrainian Orthodox bishops and priests, Cardinal Slipyj presented +Ambrose (William Moran[1]Dolgorouky) and announced that he, Cardinal Slipyj, had Consecrated him bishop in Rome, July, 1976 and elevated him to Metropolitan Archbishop Coadjutor with jurisdiction over the Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchal parishes as well as over Latin-Rite traditional Catholic parishes and schools. With the permission and blessings of Cardinal Slipyj, the Ukrainian bishops who united with

him, along with three Melkite bishops invited for the purpose, later publicly Consecrated

+Ambrose as Metropolitan Archbishop and their primate in Holy Protection Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois on September of 1976. This is attested to by the bishops and priests who attended the conferences and the Consecration, both Catholic and those remaining Orthodox. The necessary documents exist in the archives of Holy Protection Cathedral in Chicago and in New York City. Metropolitan Mystyslav (Skripnik) of Bound Brook, NJ, who left the conference remaining Orthodox and later first Orthodox Patriarchate of Kiev subsequently recognized Metropolitan Archbishop +Ambrose as successor of Patriarch Josyf Cardinal Slipyj and of Metropolitan Archbishop Hryhorij of Chicago.

By being consecrated by Metropolitan +HRYHORIJ, Metropolitan Archbishop +Ambrose, is in the APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION FROM St. Peter and the Patriarchate of Antioch. By having +NIKOLAUS Ilnyckyj as one of the consecrators, he is in APOSTOLIC Succession of the Orthodox Church of America…being the true American Orthodox Church…from the original Russian Mission. By having Archbishop +NICHOLAS Pelesh as another consecrator, Archbishop +Ambrose succeeded Archbishop +CHRISTOPHOROS Conto George and Archbishop +ARSENIOS Saltas. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

Patriarch +MSTYSLAV recognized Archbishop +Ambrose as successor of +HRYHORIJ and

+CHRISTOPHOROS. Archbishop +Ambrose served as representative in the Americas for the Patriarchate of Alexandria and for the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He actually succeeded +PETER Zhurawetsky and +NIKOLAUS Ilnyckyj. In Him, Archbishop +Ambrose, is united the Orthodox Church of America, i.e. the American Orthodox Church, which is the original Russian Mission to America AND the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Both are recognized as canonical by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople AND is Roman Catholic through the consecration of Josyf Cardinal Slipyj.

Three of the bishops who consecrated Archbishop +Ambrose are the three bishops who consecrated Archbishop +DIONYSIOS Makrokambrakis, the last Exarch of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in the Americas and in communion with his Synod. +DMITRI, Vicar Bishop of

Patriarch +MAXIMUS V Hakim for the Melkite Greek Catholics, was one of our Consecrators in

Rome, Chicago and New York and remained Secretary of the Synod of +HRYHORIJ and then of Archbishop +Ambrose from 1976 until his death in 2010.

The Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria was granted autocephaly by Patriarch Nicholas VI. Archbishop Ambrose was in that Synod and they were in communion with our UAOC (Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) Synod. Being in the Apostolic Succession from St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Andrew, St. Mark, St. James, first bishop of Jerusalem, His Beatitude +AMBROSE, Metropolitan and Archbishop, will be succeeded by Chorbishop +MICHAEL Wiest per the request of His Beatitude Metropolitan Archbishop +AMBROSE.The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) is part of the historical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, begun in Ukraine in 1921. Our first Hierarchs for the UAOC were consecrated in 1942, with the help of the Polish Orthodox Church and authorized by a Patriarchal Bull of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinop Among those consecrated in 1942, was Metropolitan +HRIJHORIJ (Ohijchuk), who led the SOBORNOPRAVNA (Council-Ruled) Church in Europe and later in the United States. He succeeded by Metropolitan +AMVROSIJ. His Eminence +MICHAEL (Kirkland) is recognized by Metropolitan +AMVROSIJ and included in the Diptychs of the Joint Synod of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and former Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. On 2 November 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarchate declared that it recognized the sacraments as performed by the UAOC (Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) as valid. When Cardinal Slipyj presented +Ambrose (William Moran-Dolgorouky) and announced that he, Cardinal Slipyj, had Consecrated him bishop in Rome, July, 1976 and elevated him to Metropolitan Archbishop Coadjutor with jurisdiction over the Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchal parishes as well as over Latin-Rite traditional Catholic parishes and schools, it was his command that Archbishop +Ambrose continues the good work of uniting both East and West with his experience of already a united East and West.

It was the Cardinal’s strategy that if a bishop would be consecrated with Catholic and Orthodox bishops that this one jurisdiction will be united and will be able to be an example on how to unite East and West. It was His Beatitude, Metropolitan Archbishop +Ambrose, who carried this jurisdiction for the last 50 years to make unity possible for East and West because this jurisdiction is united. Patriarch Josyf Cardinal Slipyj desired that the Church would unite so “that they all may be One” (John 17) and he accomplished this through the unified jurisdiction and long-term ministry of Archbishop +Ambrose.

The way Archbishop +Ambrose continued to unite the Church throughout the last 50 years is by promoting the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Catholic Church and the Institution for Eastern Christian Studies. The Autocephalous Church is a united Catholic and Orthodox Church that has the Divine Liturgy which both East and West have been offering since the time of the Apostles. We are living proof that the Roman Catholic Church and Greek Orthodox Church can unite because we are united. The Institute for Eastern Christian Studies is the educational force in teaching people how to accept the traditions of both East and West and to honor both. May His Beatitude, Metropolitan Archbishop +Amvrosi rest in peace