December 2 marks the anniversary of the death of one of the bishops of the great South American Diocese: Bishop Nikondor (Paderin, 1927-1987).

The future Bishop Nikandor was born on 30 January 1927 in Harbin, China. There he completed elementary and high school, after which he enrolled in St Vladimir Theological Institute in 1948. His memoirs, On the Church Life of Harbin [O tserkovnoj zhizni Harbina] was later published by Samizdat in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 1967.

In 1953, he was ordained to the deaconate, and on 19 December of that year, to the priesthood. In 1956, soon after his arrival in Brazil, he was appointed Rector of St Zinaida Church in Rio-dei-Janeiro. His period of service there saw the parish flourish; the future bishop learned to speak Portuguese during this time. In 1960, he was transferred to Sao Paolo, where he was appointed Rector of Holy Virgin Protection Church in Villa Zenina and the house chapel dedicated to St Sergius of Radonezh in the suburb of Indianapolis.

On 4 October, 1967, he was tonsured a monk by Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky) and given the name Nikandor, and the following day, after vigil at St Nicholas Cathedral, he was nominated Bishop of Rio-dei-Janeiro, Vicar of the Brazil Diocese. The consecration was performed by Archbishop Theodosy (Samoilovich) of Sao Paolo and Brazil; Archbishop Ignaty (Ferzli) of the Antiochian Orthodox Church and Bishop Seraphim (Svezhevsky) of Caracas.

On 23 September, 1967, he was appointed Bishop of Rio-dei-Janeiro, Vicar of the Sao Paolo Diocese. In 1976, he was named Bishop of Sao Paolo and Brazil.

His memoirs can be read in Russian here.

Diocese of South America