Apostolic Succession
from St. Stachys, Apostle of the Seventy, through the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, to the present time
in the line of
The Most ReverendGarland F. Byers, Jr., J.D., D.D.
Bishop to the Nations, under Apostolic Commission
1.Saint Stachys, Apostle of the SeventyC Osent by Christ among the Seventy about A.D. 30 (Luke 10:1)
named in Scripture: greeted by St. Paul as “Stachys my beloved” (Romans 16:9)
first bishop of Byzantium, A.D. 38
This line of apostolic succession extends from the Apostle Stachys, about A.D. 30, to the present day, a span of 1,996 years as of 2026.
The succession from St. Stachys to Germanus V, Ecumenical Patriarch, follows the list of bishops and patriarchs kept by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople: the same list by which the Ecumenical Patriarchate traces its own apostolic succession to St. Andrew, the First-Called.
St. Stachys, whom St. Paul greets as “Stachys my beloved” (Romans 16:9), is honored as an apostle of the Seventy by the Eastern Orthodox Church, which keeps his feast on October 31, with the Apostles Amplias and Urban, and numbers him among the Seventy Apostles honored together on January 4. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople holds him as the first bishop of Byzantium, set over that church by St. Andrew, and places him at the head of its list of bishops.
Consecrations to the office of bishop were made, one to the next, through the churches named below.
Some bishops in this line are also honored as saints. The marks beside their names concern holiness of life only. They do not bear on the validity of any consecration: every bishop listed holds his place in the succession equally, whether or not he is honored as a saint.
- St.
- Saint: one whom a Church publicly honors as having lived a life of heroic holiness and as now being with God, and whose memory it keeps in its calendar. In the early Church saints were recognized by the acclaim of the faithful and their bishops; later, by formal canonization in the Roman Catholic Church and glorification in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
- Bl.
- Blessed: in the Roman Catholic Church, one who has been beatified, the formal step that precedes canonization as a saint.
- C
- Honored as a saint or blessed by the Roman Catholic Church.
- O
- Honored as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church.
- C O
- Honored as a saint by both the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
- Red
- Martyr: one who gave his life for the faith.
The Churches do not always agree on who is a saint. One may honor a person whom another does not, and the marks show which Church honors each.
Constantinople
The see of Byzantium, later Constantinople, which holds St. Andrew the First-Called as its founder. The bishops and patriarchs from St. Onesimus, who succeeded St. Stachys, to Germanus V, in whose patriarchate Kristofor Kisi was consecrated a bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1916.
- 2.Onesimus54
- 3.Polycarp I69
- 4.Plutarch89
- 5.Sedecion105
- 6.Diogenes114
- 7.Eleutherius129
- 8.Felix136
- 9.Polycarp II141
- 10.Athenodorus144
- 11.Euzois148
- 12.Laurence154
- 13.Alypius166
- 14.Pertinax169
- 15.Olympianus187
- 16.Mark I198
- 17.Philadelphus211
- 18.Cyriacus I214
- 19.Castinus230
- 20.Eugenius I237
- 21.Titus242
- 22.Dometius272
- 23.Rufinus I284
- 24.Probus293
- 25.St. MetrophanesC O306
- 26.St. AlexanderC O314
- 27.St. Paul IC O Martyr337
- 28.Eusebius339
- 29.Macedonius I342
- 30.Eudoxius360
- 31.Evagrius370
- 32.Demophilus370
- 33.St. Gregory of NazianzusC O379
- 34.St. NectariusC O381
- 35.St. John ChrysostomC O398
- 36.Arsacius404
- 37.St. AtticusC O406
- 38.Sisinnius I426
- 39.Nestorius428
- 40.Maximian431
- 41.St. ProclusC O434
- 42.St. FlavianC O Martyr446
- 43.St. AnatoliusC O449
- 44.St. Gennadius IC O458
- 45.Acacius472
- 46.Fravitta489
- 47.Euphemius490
- 48.Macedonius II496
- 49.Timothy I511
- 50.John II518
- 51.Epiphanius520
- 52.Anthimus I535
- 53.St. MenasC O536
- 54.St. EutychiusC O552
- 55.John III565
- 56.St. John IVC O582
- 57.Cyriacus II596
- 58.Thomas I607
- 59.Sergius I610
- 60.Pyrrhus638
- 61.Paul II641
- 62.Peter654
- 63.Thomas II667
- 64.John V669
- 65.Constantine I675
- 66.Theodore I677
- 67.George I679
- 68.Paul III688
- 69.Callinicus I693
- 70.Cyrus706
- 71.John VI712
- 72.St. Germanus IC O715
- 73.Anastasius730
- 74.Constantine II754
- 75.Nicetas I766
- 76.St. Paul IVC O780
- 77.St. TarasiusC O784
- 78.St. Nicephorus IC O806
- 79.Theodotus I815
- 80.Anthony I821
- 81.John VII837
- 82.St. Methodius IC O843
- 83.St. IgnatiusC O847
- 84.St. PhotiusO858
- 85.Stephen I886
- 86.Anthony II893
- 87.St. Nicholas IC O901
- 88.Euthymius I907
- 89.Stephen II925
- 90.Tryphon928
- 91.Theophylact933
- 92.Polyeuctus956
- 93.Basil I970
- 94.Anthony III974
- 95.Nicholas II984
- 96.Sisinnius II996
- 97.St. Sergius IIC O1001
- 98.St. EustathiusC O1019
- 99.Alexius Stoudites1025
- 100.Michael I Cerularius1043
- 101.St. Constantine IIIO1059
- 102.St. John VIII XiphilinosO1064
- 103.St. Cosmas IO1075
- 104.Eustratius Garidas1081
- 105.Nicholas III Grammatikos1084
- 106.John IX1111
- 107.St. LeoO1134
- 108.St. Michael IIO1143
- 109.Cosmas II1146
- 110.Nicholas IV1147
- 111.Theodotus II1151
- 112.Neophytus I1154
- 113.Constantine IV1154
- 114.Luke Chrysoberges1157
- 115.Michael III1170
- 116.Chariton1178
- 117.Theodosius I1179
- 118.Basil II Kamateros1183
- 119.Nicetas II Mountanes1186
- 120.Dositheus1189
- 121.Leontius1189
- 122.George II Xiphilinos1191
- 123.John X Kamateros1198
- 124.Michael IV Autoreianos1208
- 125.Theodore II1213
- 126.Maximus II1216
- 127.Manuel I1217
- 128.Germanus II1223
- 129.Methodius II1240
- 130.Manuel II1243
- 131.St. ArseniusO1254
- 132.Nicephorus II1260
- 133.Germanus III1265
- 134.St. Joseph IO1266
- 135.John XI1275
- 136.Gregory II1283
- 137.St. Athanasius IO1289
- 138.John XII1294
- 139.Nephon I1310
- 140.John XIII1315
- 141.Gerasimus I1320
- 142.Isaias1323
- 143.John XIV1334
- 144.Isidore I1347
- 145.St. Callistus IO1350
- 146.Philotheus1353
- 147.Macarius1377
- 148.Nilus1380
- 149.Antony IV1389
- 150.St. Callistus IIO1397
- 151.Matthew I1397
- 152.Euthymius II1410
- 153.Joseph II1416
- 154.Metrophanes II1440
- 155.Gregory III1445
- 156.Athanasius II1450
- 157.Gennadius II Scholarios1454
- 158.Isidore II1456
- 159.Joasaph I1462
- 160.Mark II1466
- 161.Symeon I1466
- 162.St. Dionysius IO1466
- 163.Raphael I1475
- 164.St. Maximus IIIO1476
- 165.St. Nephon IIO1486
- 166.Maximus IV1491
- 167.Joachim I1498
- 168.Pachomius I1503
- 169.Theoleptus I1513
- 170.St. Jeremias IO1522
- 171.Joannicius I1524
- 172.Dionysius II1546
- 173.Joasaph II1556
- 174.Metrophanes III1565
- 175.Jeremias II1572
- 176.Pachomius II1584
- 177.Theoleptus II1585
- 178.Matthew II1596
- 179.Gabriel I1596
- 180.Theophanes I1596
- 181.Meletius I1597
- 182.Neophytus II1602
- 183.Raphael II1603
- 184.Cyril I Lucaris1612
- 185.Timothy II1612
- 186.Gregory IV1623
- 187.Anthimus II1623
- 188.Cyril II Kontares1633
- 189.Athanasius III Patelaros1634
- 190.Neophytus III1636
- 191.Parthenius I1639
- 192.Parthenius II1644
- 193.Joannicius II1646
- 194.Cyril III1652
- 195.Paisius I1652
- 196.St. Parthenius IIIO Martyr1656
- 197.Gabriel II1657
- 198.Parthenius IV1657
- 199.Dionysius III1662
- 200.Clement1667
- 201.Methodius III1668
- 202.Dionysius IV1671
- 203.Gerasimus II1673
- 204.Athanasius IV1679
- 205.James1679
- 206.Callinicus II1688
- 207.Neophytus IV1688
- 208.Gabriel III1702
- 209.Neophytus V1707
- 210.Cyprianus1707
- 211.Athanasius V1709
- 212.Cyril IV1711
- 213.Cosmas III1714
- 214.Jeremias III1716
- 215.Callinicus III1726
- 216.Paisius II1726
- 217.Seraphim I1733
- 218.Neophytus VI1734
- 219.Cyril V1748
- 220.Callinicus IV1757
- 221.Seraphim II1757
- 222.Joannicius III1761
- 223.Samuel1763
- 224.Meletius II1768
- 225.Theodosius II1769
- 226.Sophronius II1774
- 227.Gabriel IV1780
- 228.Procopius1785
- 229.Neophytus VII1789
- 230.Gerasimus III1794
- 231.St. Gregory VO Martyr1797
- 232.Callinicus V1801
- 233.Jeremias IV1809
- 234.Cyril VI1813
- 235.Eugenius II1821
- 236.Anthimus III1822
- 237.Chrysanthus1824
- 238.Agathangelus1826
- 239.Constantius I1830
- 240.Constantius II1834
- 241.Gregory VI1835
- 242.Anthimus IV1840
- 243.Anthimus V1841
- 244.Germanus IV1842
- 245.Meletius III1845
- 246.Anthimus VI1845
- 247.Cyril VII1855
- 248.Joachim II1860
- 249.Sophronius III1863
- 250.Joachim III1878
- 251.Joachim IV1884
- 252.Dionysius V1887
- 253.Neophytus VIII1891
- 254.Anthimus VII1895
- 255.Constantine V1897
- 256.Germanus V1913
Albania and America
From Kristofor Kisi, consecrated at Constantinople in 1916 and later Archbishop of Albania, each bishop consecrated by the one listed before him. With Bishop Hierotheos, exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Kisi consecrated Theofan (Fan) Noli at Korçë in 1923.
- 257.Kristofor Kisi1916
- 258.Theofan (Fan) Noli1923
- 259.William Henry Francis Brothers1934
- 260.Joseph John Skureth1966
- 261.Nils Bertil Alexander Persson1989
- 262.Samuel Guido, Jr.2004
263.Garland F. Byers, Jr.2013
Holy Orders
- Ordination
- August 17, 2008, by the laying on of hands, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Orthodox Chapel, Palmerton, Pennsylvania.
- Consecration to the Holy Order of Bishop
- April 20, 2013, by the laying on of hands during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Orthodox Chapel, meeting that day at American Legion Post 16, Slatington, Pennsylvania.
- Principal consecrator
- The Most Reverend Samuel Guido, Jr.
- Co-consecrators
- Bishop Bradley A. Varvil
Bishop Michael Byus
Bishop James Thompson
The certificates of ordination and consecration, with photographs of the consecration, are presented on the About the Bishop page.
Service
Consecrated to the Holy Order of Bishop on April 20, 2013, within the Lutheran Orthodox Church, Inc., in which he subsequently served as Archbishop of the Diocese of Western North Carolina. Bishop Byers is no longer affiliated with that body.
Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa), conferred by the Lutheran Orthodox Church, Inc., April 20, 2013.
