Bishop Vasily was born Vitaly Permiakov in Riga, Latvia, in 1977 in a family of a Russian and Ukrainian origin. His family was initially non-religious, but the influence of his parents and grandparents helped to cultivate respect for historical and religious traditions. At the age of 14, Vitaly was baptized into the Orthodox Christian Church in the Dormition basement chapel of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Riga, together with his father and his sister. By 1995-96 he was a regular churchgoer in Riga, attending Holy Ascension Latvian Orthodox parish. In late 1990s, his path was influenced by his acquaintance with the renowned priest, Archimandrite Victor (Mamontov) and his community in Karsava, Latvia.

Vitaly graduated from the Pushkin Lyceum in Riga in 1995, and studied at the Latvian Academy of Culture, majoring in Russian Culture, graduating in 1999. In late 1999 he entered the USA to be reunited with his family in Dallas, TX, and to study theology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. He began his studies at St. Vladimir’s in 2001, graduating with an M.Div. in 2004 with his thesis on Origen of Alexandria under Archpriest John Behr. In 2004, Vitaly was accepted into the Ph.D. program in theology (specializing in liturgical studies) at the University of Notre Dame, where he studied under Maxwell Johnson, Robin Darling Young, Brian Daley and others.

From 2011 to 2020, Vitaly Permiakov served on the faculty of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY. In 2020, Dr. Permiakov accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Liturgical Theology at St. Vladimir’s, where he taught courses in liturgics, liturgy of initiation, and advanced seminars.

In 2021, with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Dr. Permiakov petitioned to be ordained to the holy diaconate. He was ordained subdeacon on March 25, 2021, by Bishop Andrei of Cleveland, and to the holy diaconate on September 14, 2021, by Metropolitan Tikhon. Dn. Vitaly continued to serve as chapel ecclesiarch and seminary deacon, and was awarded the right to wear double orarion in May 2023.

Dn. Vitaly was ordained to the holy priesthood on September 14, 2024, by Metropolitan Tikhon, and was assigned to Three Hierarchs Chapel. On January 17, 2025, he was tonsured in monasticism at St Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery and given the name Vasily. On Lazarus Saturday 2025, following the decision of the Holy Synod, Bp. Vasily was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite.

Over the last couple of years, in a discernment process led by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, and His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin, Bp. Vasily was introduced to the Diocese of the West by giving retreats, serving in parishes, and visiting clergy and faithful. In April 2025, the Diocesan Council unanimously voted to encourage that Bp. Vasily be nominated for this high office. On July 16, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona, a nominating assembly chose then Fr. Archimandrite Vasily for the See of San Francisco and the Diocese of the West. That same evening, the Holy Synod of Bishops elected Bishop Vasily, and his episcopal ordination was on August 16, 2025 at the diocesan cathedral of the Holy Trinity in San Francisco.

The Rector of our parish is Father Philip Halliwell.

He was born in 1963, in Bonn, West Germany and was received into the Holy Orthodox Church on November 27th 1988 at the Cathedral of All Saints and the Dormition in London, UK. In the early 1990’s he spent three years in Russia, where he also met and married his wife Tatiana. He then served as a subdeacon and sang in the choir for 15 years at the Monastery of St John the Baptist, Essex, where they raised their family of four children. Whilst studying at St. Tikhon’s Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood at the Monastery Church on October 11th 2011. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the parish of St Nicholas of South Canaan, Billings Montana and then to Christ the Saviour Church, San Francisco from August 2013 to the present.

Father Philip has an MA in Education and worked as a Special Education teacher for 16 years in Essex UK. He completed his MDiv at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in 2013 with honors with his dissertation entitled “Christ’s Prayer in Gethsemane - the implications for the spiritual life as found in the teachings of Elder Sophrony”. Whilst at seminary he also served at Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery, Otego NY and worked for one summer as director of St. Andrew’s Orthodox Camp on Lake Oneida NY.

Apart from his parish work at Christ the Saviour on Anza St., Father Philip also sings in the Diakonia male voice choir, teaches at St. John’s Orthodox Academy, leads a young adult winter retreat at St. John of San Francisco Monastery Manton, helps out at St Eugene’s Orthodox Camp and takes an active part in the wider Orthodox community of the Bay Area.

Other fun facts from Fr Philip: I lived in West Germany until four years old as my father was the Anglican priest of English diplomatic community there. I was raised on the beautiful Island of Jersey in the Channel Islands together with my three sisters and brother. Our house and church were right on the coast of a bay where smugglers used to ply their trade and where I loved to ride our horse Boxer across the beach with our dog, Tosh running behind. I also liked spear fishing, surfing and swimming around the coast. Before college, I traveled around the world, to India, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong (I smuggled bibles into China), Hawaii, and North America. In my late teens I dreamt of being a rock star and studied Performing Arts at college, playing guitar, jazz piano, drums, trumpet and music composition.

We do miss the gentle beauty of the English countryside, the monastery in Essex and our friends and family but we are very happy to be here in the USA. We like the American sense of humour and the open friendliness, endless forest, beautiful lakes, wildlife, and the numerous Orthodox Churches.