Renewal and development of the Kyiv Patriarchate in Volyn – these were the tasks received by the thirty-eight-year-old hierarch on May 31, 2004, when His Holiness Patriarch Filaret, while in Lutsk on the occasion of the patronal feast of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, solemnly presented the new ruling bishop of the Volyn Eparchy.
Analyzing his archpastoral activity over the year since his appointment, His Grace noted that on the whole he is satisfied with the results of the work. It was possible to significantly enliven the church life of Volyn residents, achieve positive changes in the organization and development of the eparchy, establish church discipline, and carry out various measures that gave impetus to various spheres of ministry.
In particular, it was emphasized at the press conference that during the year of Bishop Mykhail's presence at the Volyn cathedra: - about 20 statutes of religious communities were registered; - 15 clergymen were ordained and 4 monks were tonsured; - 8 newly built churches and chapels were consecrated; - 6 cornerstones and crosses were consecrated at the sites of construction of new churches; - eparchial symbols were introduced – a coat of arms and a flag; - new subdivisions of the Volyn Eparchy Administration were created: a press service, a chaplaincy service, and a pilgrimage service; - the eparchial periodical "Volyn Eparchial Gazette" was founded; - meetings of deans and priests of all districts of the region were held; - the statute of the youth Orthodox brotherhood of St. Nicholas, Prince of Lutsk, was approved; - a complex of works was carried out on the improvement of the territory of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the construction of a water-blessing chapel, and the repair of the premises of the eparchial administration and the Volyn Theological Seminary; - the traditions of annual pilgrimage to the wonderworking image of the Kholm Mother of God and the Jordan water blessing on the Styr River in Lutsk were restored; - mass pilgrimages were organized to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Bethlehem infant martyrs. - on the occasion of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the completion of the construction of the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the 125th anniversary of its consecration as an Orthodox church, the year 2005 was declared the year of the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the work of an organizing committee was organized to worthily mark the date; - for the first time in Lutsk, a citywide Passionate cross procession of Good Friday was held. - cooperation agreements were signed with the regional hospital and several city polyclinics and hospitals.