from "Christ the Eternal Tao" book courtesy of Hieromonk Damascene.
Surname, name, patronymic: Du, Fyodor
Rank: Bishop
Church Affiliation: Russian Orthodox Church
Born on February 11, 1886 in China in the family of a church reader. His ancestors were Russian Cossacks-Albazinians, who settled in Beijing in 1865.
In 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, his father was killed, but he and his other close relatives miraculously escaped death.
In 1904 after completing theological seminary courses at the Orthodox Mission in Beijing, he served as a reader and catechist for several years.
At 22 years of age, in 1908 Bishop Innokenty (Figurovsky) ordained him to the diaconate and appointed him to the Annunciation Church at the Mission's metochion in Harbin, where, in addition to serving as deacon, he acted as missionary, treasurer, and office manager.
In 1919 he labored considerably in publishing Russian textbooks for Harbin schools.
In subsequent years, he did missionary work in many cities of China, Shanghai, Hankou, Haimin, Kaifeng, Zhangde, Weihou, Baodingfu, Kalgan, Mukden, Qiqihar and at Manzhouli stations. From 1932 he lived in Tianjin, where in 1934 he was elevated to the rank of protodeacon, and on September 16, 1941 ordained to the priesthood and appointed priest-in-charge of the Saint Innocent Mission Church. He remained at this post until the time of his consecration as bishop.
In 1943 he was elevated to the rank of archpriest; awarded a "palitza" in 1945.
Received monastic tonsure on July 23, 1950.
Elevated to the rank of archimandrite on July 25, 1950.
On July 30, 1950, he was consecrated bishop of Tianjin. The consecration took place in Moscow in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Annunciation. Participants in the consecration: Alexii, the Most Holy Patriarch of Russia; Nikolai, Metropolitan of Krutisk and Kolomna; Elevferii, Metropolitan of Prague and all Czechoslovakia; Viktor, Archbishop of Beijing and China; Flavian, bishop of Orlov and Briansk, and Gavriil, Bishop of Vologda and Cherepvetsk.
From September 26, 1950 he was bishop of Shanghai.
In the early part of 1950, he accompanied Patriarch Alexii to Tblisi to an international conference of the Russian, Georgian and Armenian Churches.
Reposed in the Lord on March 3, 1965.[1]
Archpriest Feodor "Kitajskij Blagovestnik" (Aug-Sep 1947 issue, pg 26, in Russian)
from the book "Beiguan" courtesy of the author Boris Alexandrov
Shanghai, 1953 photo from Met. HILARION, First Hierarch, ROCOR
Fr Ioann Du & Bp Simeon (Du) from DECR Archive in Moscow
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