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Miron Chodakowski
- October 21, 1957
- April 10, 2010
- 52 years
About Miron Chodakowski
*Miron Chodakowski, 52, Orthodox prelate, archbishop of military ordinariate of Poland (since 1998).
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Full Biography
|Archbishop Miron (Secular name: Mirosław Chodakowski) (b. 21 October 1957 – d. 10 April 2010) was an Archbishop in the Polish Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Ordinary of the Polish Army.
Life
Childhood
Chodakowski was born in Bialystok. The future hierarch's grandparents were deeply religious and he even learned Church Slavonic from his grandmother. When Chodakowski was seven years old, his father was killed in an accident. During his childhood and early youth, he was an altar boy at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Białystok. There he met the Archbishop Nikanor of Bialystok and Gdansk, who directed him to be educated at the seminary.
Theological studies
In 1972, he entered the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Warsaw, from which he graduated with a high school diploma in 1976.[citation needed] As a student at the seminary, he sang in the choir of the St. Mary Magdalene Cathedral in Warsaw and was a subdeacon of Metropolitan Basil (Doroszkiewicz) of Warsaw and All Poland.[citation needed] He continued his studies at the Higher Orthodox Theological Seminary at St. Onufry's Monastery in Jableczna, from which he graduated in 1978.[citation needed]
Monastic life and priestly ministry
On 17 December 1978 he was tonsured a ryassophore. On 25 December 1978 he was ordained to the holy deaconate on, and to the holy priesthood on 15 February 1979. In November 1979 he was also tonsured a monk. From 1979 to 1984 he was the superior of the Monastery of St. Onufry in Jabłeczna. At the same time, he worked in the upper classes of the Orthodox seminary located in the monastery as a lecturer in systematic theology.
On 15 June 1984 he was sent to work in the newly established parish of the Annunciation of the Mother of God and St John the Theologian in Supraśl, but on November 25 of the same year he was raised to the dignity of hegumen, and appointed as the superior of the Monastery of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God. In the monastery he carried out thorough renovation works, significantly contributing to its reconstruction after the destruction of the WWII and to the full reactivation of the Supraśl monastic community in its original form.
On 7 April 1990 he was raised to the dignity of Archimandrite.
Episcopacy
He was consecrated a bishop on 10 May 1998, becoming a Vicar Bishop of the Diocese of Warsaw-Bielsk with the title Bishop of Hajnówka. He received the gold Order of Merit for the Defence of the Country on 5 February 1999. He was conferred the rank of General Brigadier of the Polish Army by president Aleksander Kwaśniewski.
Death
He died in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash on 10 April 2010, with the Polish President and other Polish dignitaries. They were travelling to take part in the commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. Chodakowski was posthumously appointed a Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He was also posthumously promoted to the rank of Major General by Bronisław Komorowski.
Exhumation
In 2017, it was revealed that when the Polish state reopened the investigation into the crash and exhumed victim's bodies, testing revealed that Chodakowski's coffin contained his body from the waist up and the body of general Tadeusz Ploski from the waist down.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miron_Chodakowski
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Miron Chodakowski's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the birth name of Archbishop Miron?
- A.Tadeusz Chodakowski
- B.Nikanor Chodakowski
- C.Mirosław Chodakowskicorrect
- D.Basil Chodakowski
The biography explicitly identifies Archbishop Miron's secular name as Mirosław Chodakowski.
Source: biography header
2.In which city was Miron Chodakowski born?
- A.Jableczna
- B.Supraśl
- C.Bialystokcorrect
- D.Warsaw
The text states that Miron Chodakowski was born in Bialystok.
Source: childhood section
3.At what age did Miron Chodakowski lose his father?
- A.Sevencorrect
- B.Five
- C.Twelve
- D.Ten
Miron Chodakowski's father was killed in an accident when Miron Chodakowski was seven years old.
Source: childhood section
4.Where did Miron Chodakowski serve as an altar boy during his youth?
- A.St. Nicholas Cathedralcorrect
- B.St. Mary Magdalene Cathedral
- C.Annunciation Monastery
- D.St. Onufry's Monastery
During his childhood, Miron Chodakowski was an altar boy at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Białystok.
Source: childhood section
5.In what year did Miron Chodakowski graduate from the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Warsaw?
- A.1976correct
- B.1978
- C.1974
- D.1972
Miron Chodakowski entered the seminary in 1972 and graduated with a high school diploma in 1976.
Source: theological studies section
6.Where did Miron Chodakowski continue his studies after leaving Warsaw?
- A.St. Onufry's Monasterycorrect
- B.St. Nicholas Cathedral
- C.Supraśl Monastery
- D.St. Mary Magdalene Cathedral
Miron Chodakowski continued his studies at the Higher Orthodox Theological Seminary at St. Onufry's Monastery in Jableczna.
Source: theological studies section
7.On what date was Miron Chodakowski ordained to the holy priesthood?
- A.17 December 1978
- B.15 June 1984
- C.25 December 1978
- D.15 February 1979correct
The text records that Miron Chodakowski was ordained to the holy priesthood on 15 February 1979.
Source: monastic life and priestly ministry section
8.What role did Miron Chodakowski hold from 1979 to 1984?
- A.Bishop of Hajnówka
- B.Superior of the Monastery of St. Onufrycorrect
- C.Archbishop of Warsaw
- D.General Brigadier
Miron Chodakowski served as the superior of the Monastery of St. Onufry in Jabłeczna from 1979 to 1984.
Source: monastic life and priestly ministry section
9.Which monastery did Miron Chodakowski help reconstruct and reactivate?
- A.St. Nicholas Cathedral
- B.Warsaw Orthodox Seminary
- C.Supraśl Monasterycorrect
- D.St. Onufry's Monastery
Miron Chodakowski contributed significantly to the reconstruction and reactivation of the Supraśl monastic community.
Source: monastic life and priestly ministry section
10.On what date was Miron Chodakowski consecrated as a bishop?
- A.10 April 2010
- B.10 May 1998correct
- C.7 April 1990
- D.5 February 1999
Miron Chodakowski was consecrated as a bishop on 10 May 1998.
Source: episcopacy section
11.Which official conferred the rank of General Brigadier upon Miron Chodakowski?
- A.Nikanor of Bialystok
- B.Basil of Warsaw
- C.Bronisław Komorowski
- D.Aleksander Kwaśniewskicorrect
Miron Chodakowski was conferred the rank of General Brigadier of the Polish Army by President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.
Source: episcopacy section
12.Where was Miron Chodakowski traveling when he died in the 2010 plane crash?
- A.Warsaw
- B.Katyncorrect
- C.Hajnówka
- D.Bialystok
Miron Chodakowski died while traveling to take part in the commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.
Source: death section
13.What rank was Miron Chodakowski posthumously promoted to by Bronisław Komorowski?
- A.Archimandrite
- B.General Brigadier
- C.Hegumen
- D.Major Generalcorrect
Following his death, Miron Chodakowski was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major General by Bronisław Komorowski.
Source: death section
14.Which award was Miron Chodakowski posthumously appointed as a Commander of?
- A.Order of Merit for the Defence of the Country
- B.Order of St. Nicholas
- C.Order of the Mother of God
- D.Order of Polonia Restitutacorrect
Miron Chodakowski was posthumously appointed as a Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Source: death section
15.When were the remains of Miron Chodakowski exhumed?
- A.2010
- B.2019
- C.2015
- D.2017correct
The investigation into the crash led to the exhumation of Miron Chodakowski's body in 2017.
Source: exhumation section
16.Whose body was Miron Chodakowski's remains found mixed with during the 2017 exhumation?
- A.Aleksander Kwaśniewski
- B.Nikanor of Bialystok
- C.Basil of Warsaw
- D.Tadeusz Ploskicorrect
Testing revealed that Miron Chodakowski's coffin contained his body from the waist up and the body of general Tadeusz Ploski from the waist down.
Source: exhumation section
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