 Kuchmiak was born in Obertyn, Ukraine.The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and Pope John Paul II appointed Kuchmiak as auxiliary bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia on 8 March 1988.He received his episcopal ordination on 27 April 1988, with Stephen Sulyk, Archeparch of Philadelphia, as his principal consecrator and Maxim Hermaniuk and Innocent Lotocky as co-consecrators.