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..The
American Archdiocese -- Structure
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Structure
of the American Archdiocese
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Structure The Hierarchy -- consisting of Metropolitan PHILIP and his six Diocesan Bishops -- oversee the work of the clergy and the welfare of the laity. The Metropolitan is a member of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Antioch and of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (S.C.O.B.A.) Bishop ANTOUN (Khouri) was consecrated January 9, 1983, at Brooklyn's St. Nicholas Cathedral. Bishop JOSEPH (Zehlaoui) was consecrated May 8, 1991, at Damascus' St. Mary Cathedral. Bishop BASIL (Essey) was consecrated May 31, 1992, at Wichita's St. George Cathedral. Bishop ALEXANDER (Mufarrij) was consecrated the weekend of December 3rd through 5th, 2004, at Damascus's Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition. Bishop MARK (Maymon) was consecrated the weekend of December 3rd through 5th, 2004, at Damascus's Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition. Bishop THOMAS (Joseph) was consecrated the weekend of December 3rd through 5th, 2004, at Damascus's Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition.
The one, united Archdiocese is administered from six Diocesan Chanceries The Metropolitan's Residence and Offices: Metropolitan
PHILIP and Bishop ANTOUN Phone:
201-871-1355
Phone:
419-535-1390
Phone:
316-687-3169
Phone:
323-934-3131 The
Montreal Chancery: Bishop ALEXANDER Phone:
514-388-4344 Oakland
PA Chancery: Bishop THOMAS Phone:
724-238-3677 The hierarchs are aided in their task of administration by joint bodies of clergy and laity:
The General Assembly: the largest legislative body of the Archdiocese, consists of all the pastors and representative(s) of every parish and mission, commensurate with its size. It meets in convention every other summer. The Archdiocesan Board of Trustees: consisting of fifty clergy and lay persons, elected or appointed during the biannual Archdiocesan Convention; and the Metropolitan's Advisory Council , consisting of clergy and lay representatives from each parish and mission, both meet regularly with the hierarchs.
Dioceses
The one, united Archdiocese of North America has 9 Dioceses: The
Diocese of New York and Washington D.C.
Hierarchy of the North American Archdiocese
Metropolitan PHILIP (Saliba)
Educated: Balamand
Orthodox Theological Seminary, Deacon,
August 6, 1949 Secretary
to Patriarch Alexander III (1949-53) Gillquist,
Peter E., Metropolitan Philip: his life and his dreams (Nashville,
TN : Thomas Nelson, 1991).
Bishop ANTOUN (Khouri) Born: Damascus, Syria, January 17, 1931. Educated: St.
Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, NY (M.Div.,
1962) Deacon,
October 28, 1951, by Patriarch Alexander III Diocesan
Bishop, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
(Jan. 9, 1983- 2004 ); assigned by Metropolitan Philip to Engwood
Chancery.
Bishop JOSEPH (Zehlaoui) Born: Damascus, Syria, November 2, 1950, to Georgi and Mathil (Baghdan) Al-Zehlaoui. Educated: St.
John of Damascus and al-Assiyeh Schools, Damascus, Syria Deacon,
November 1976 Dean,
St. Mary Cathedral, Damascus, Syria; Overseer, Holy Cross Church,
and other parishes in suburbs of Damascus (1980-91)
Born: Monessen, PA, November 26, 1948. Educated: California
State University, California, PA (B.A., 1970) Reader,
October 27, 1964, by Metropolitan Antony Director,
Department of Youth, 1975 The
Liturgikon: the book of Divine Services for the priest and deacon
California
State University, California, PA (B.A., 1970) Reader,
October 27, 1964, by Metropolitan Antony Director,
Department of Youth, 1975 The
Liturgikon: the book of Divine Services for the priest and deacon
Bishop ALEXANDER (Mufarrij) was born into an Orthodox Christian family in 1956, he spent his childhood and young adulthood in North Lebanon where he attended Tripoli Boys’ School. After having passed the Lebanese Baccalaureates I and II, he enrolled at the American University of Beirut but was unable to continue due to the fighting that plagued Lebanon at the time. In 1976 the University of North Texas, known then as North Texas State University, accepted his application for an undergraduate degree and so he left his birth country and a widowed mother for the purpose of education in the USA. At North Texas State he studied Biology with the intention of becoming a dentist, but the slim chances of studying dentistry for a non-resident soon revealed themselves when Dental schools began to inform him that their priorities were for state residents. Having completed his Bachelor of Art degree in December of 1978 without any immediate prospect of admission into a dental school, he enrolled himself the following January and at the same university, in a Master of Business Administration program with emphasis on Administrative Management. This program was designed for students coming from a non-business background and therefore took longer to complete. Two years later he graduated the MBA program and headed back to war-stricken Lebanon to live and work. Living in what was designated as West Beirut between 1981 and 1985 was a continuous challenge. Amidst anarchy and violence one could only rely on God for safety and survival. Those were the years when he began to grow spiritually and emotionally. During those four years, he worked for a company that imported raw materials for a number of factories in both Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. In October of 1985, he returned to the USA for a visit. When hopes for peace in Lebanon at the time faded, he resolved to remain in the USA and through the help of a gracious relative he was able to find employment in the Washington DC area. The hospital that employed him as a supply manager also sponsored his application for US residency. His employment at Prince George’s Hospital lasted for eight years after which he worked for a local company that exported medical supplies to the Middle East. In 1995 he was hired by Féderàted Stores to work as a sales associate for Bloomingdale’s in Rockville, Maryland. While at Bloomingdale’s, he wrote His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip requesting his blessing to enter seminary. His positive response came back in May of 1997 directing him to attend St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York. During his last semester at the seminary he was ordained to the Diaconate on January 9, 2000 and to the priesthood on April 9, 2000. After graduation from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in May of 2000, he was assigned to the pastorate of St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Hunt Valley, Maryland. All through his life he has loved the church and had an affinity for the priesthood. Given this, one would expect that he would have started to prepare for the priesthood upon reaching adulthood. Instead, he went through life tossing and turning allowing himself time to mature and his faith time to grow until God’s calling became too loud to ignore. His entering the ministry came after a long time of prayer and self-examination. It stems from a faith deeply rooted in God and a close relationship with His son, Jesus Christ. Upon celebrating his first Liturgy, he felt that his entire life had fallen into place. Bishop ALEXANDER was nominated to the sacred episcopacy at a Special Convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese held in Pittsburgh, PA in July, 2004, and was elected to the episcopacy by the Local Synod of Bishops in October, 2004. He was consecrated as a bishop at the hand of His Beatitude IGNATIUS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and All The East at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus Syria on December 5, 2004. Bishop ALEXANDER was enthroned as the first Diocesan Bishop of Ottawa, Eastern Canada, and Upstate New York at St. Elias Cathedral in Ottawa, on Sunday June 1, 2005. Born: North Lebanon. Educated: North
Lebanon. Diaconate
on January 9 2000 St.
Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Hunt Valley, Maryland
2000-2004
Bishop MARK (Maymon) Bishop MARK was born on June 22, 1958 to John L Maymon and Catherine Hoffman at St Edward’s Hospital in New Albany, Indiana. He is the fifth of eight children. Bishop MARK was baptized in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church in 1958, and confirmed when he was nine. After attending elementary school (grades 1-8) at our Lady of Perpetual Help, he began attending New Albany High School, graduating in 1976. The following fall he began studies at Indiana University South East, later completing undergraduate studies at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree Majoring in Biblical Literature with an emphasis in Old Testament, and with a Minor in Business Administration, graduating Summa Cum Laude in May of 1985. In 1987, he completed the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Biblical Literature with the emphasis in Old Testament at Oral Roberts University. He graduated with Honors and was named Old Testament Student of the Year. Upon graduating from the Seminary, Bishop MARK was offered, and accepted the position of Adjunct Professor of Old Testament at Oral Roberts University. His responsibilities included teaching Old Testament and New Testament Survey for all incoming freshman, as well as Biblical Hebrew I & II, Hebrew Prophets, Old Testament Introduction, The History of Israel, Wisdom Literature, Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations and Old Testament Theology. He was also responsible for the oversight of fourteen graduate fellows and co-taught Teaching Methodologies. During his studies at Oral Roberts University, Bishop MARK was introduced to the Orthodox Church in his Church History class, by the V. Rev. George Eber, pastor of St. Antony in Tulsa, OK. Through contact with the Orthodox Church, he saw the Scripture less and less as the book of the university and more and more the Book of the Church. Fr. George invited him to ‘come to the Church that gave us the Bible.’ Listening to the wonderful hymnology of the Orthodox Church at Great Vespers, Matins and Divine Liturgy, the Scriptures were opened in an entirely different way. Additionally, the Orthodox presented God as a loving Father and Shepherd who comes searching for those who are lost. Many personal struggles, unconquered through the academic study of the Scripture, began to dissipate as he learned how to struggle more effectually through the School of Repentance during Great Lent. On Great and Holy Wednesday in 1989, he was officially received into the Orthodox Church through Holy Chrisimation. Being newly Chrismated, already 31 years of age, he requested Metropolitan PHILIP’s blessing to attend St Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary. With the blessing of His Eminence, Bishop MARK completed the degree requirements for the Master of Divinity Degree at St Vladimir’s in 1991 and spent an additional year studying Church History and Patristics, under the direction of Fr. John Meyendorff. During the summers of 1991 and 1992, Bishop MARK worked at the Antiochian Village, under the direction of Fr. Paul Finley and Fr. George Alberts. He also developed the curriculum for the Christian Education programs for the summer camp programs (1991-1993). After working at the Antiochian Village Camp and Conference Center, as weekend manager from 1992 to 1993, he moved to New Kensington, PA. There he assisted Fr. John Abdalah with services, taught Bible studies, enquirer classes and served on the parish council. He also began working as a counselor in mental health, dealing with dual diagnosis patients, i.e., those with both mental illness and substance abuse issues. In the summer of 1997, Bishop MARK yearned to offer himself to the work of our Lord more fully and petitioned for Ordination to the priesthood, asking to serve, St. John the Evangelist Church in Beaver Falls, PA. On August 17,1997, he was ordained by the hand of His Grace Bishop ANTOUN at St Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Wilkes Barre, PA and to the Holy Priesthood at St George in Pittsburgh, PA. on September 07, 1997. He was assigned to St John the Evangelist in Beaver Falls, PA from September 1997 through December 31, 2000. In January of 2001, he was assigned to assist Fr. John Estephan at St. George in Grand Rapids, MI, until Fr. John’s retirement in December of 2002. Upon Fr. John’s retirement, Bishop MARK assumed all the responsibilities for the pastorate of St George. Bishop MARK was nominated to the sacred episcopacy at a Special Convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese held in Pittsburgh, PA in July, 2004, and was elected to the episcopacy by the Local Synod of Bishops in October, 2004. He was consecrated as a bishop at the hand of His Beatitude IGNATIUS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and All The East at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus Syria on December 5, 2004. Bishop
MARK was enthroned at St. George Cathedral, Toledo, OH on Thursday,
August 25, 2005.
Bishop THOMAS (Joseph) Bishop THOMAS (Joseph) was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1953, attended John F. Kennedy High School and graduated in 1970. He was baptized and was raised in St.George’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Paterson (Now Little Falls), New Jersey. Following high school he enrolled in William Paterson College where he graduated in 1974. After college Bishop THOMAS was employed by the City of Paterson to work in the Department of Community Improvements. After a short time, Bishop THOMAS was promoted to an instructional position with the Paterson Board of Education. When Antiochian Village children’s summer camp opened, Father John Namie placed Bishop THOMAS on staff from 1979 to 1982. In the fall of 1979, Bishop THOMAS began theological studies on a part-time basis at St. Vladimir Seminary. In July 1982, His Eminence Metropolitan Philip Saliba ordained Bishop THOMAS subdeacon. Bishop THOMAS continued his studies until the spring of 1983, when he was assigned to the Virgin Mary Church in Yonkers, New York. In 1984, Bishop THOMAS was assigned to St.George in Houston, Texas. In this parish he served as director of Christian Education and Youth Services. During his stay in Texas, the Archdiocese directed him to oversee Christian Education and later teen activities for the churches in the Southwest Region. In July 1988 Bishop THOMAS was elevated to the Diaconate by His Eminence the late Archbishop MICHAEL (Shaheen). On the most blessed day of August 28, 1994, Bishop THOMAS was elevated to the Holy Priesthood by His Grace Bishop ANTOUN (Khouri). Bishop THOMAS served as assistant pastor of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of St.George. Houston, Texas from August 1994 to August 1996. On August 16, 1996, Bishop THOMAS was appointed pastor of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of St.Nicholas in Pinellas Park, Florida. Since 1996, Bishop THOMAS has served in various capacities in addition to his full-time clergy duties. He was appointed to the Archdiocese Youth Department Board; Spiritual Advisor to the Teen SOYO Southeastern Region, Director of St.Thelka’s Camp, Spiritual Advisor to St. John the Divine, Chairperson of the Tampa Bay Orthodox Clergy Association, Director of Programs in Pastoral Bioethics for the International Academy of Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine in the United States; Speaker at Braunels, Germany and University of Hong Kong on Bioethics; published articles on Christian Bioethics; speaker at Antiochian Village and third session camp priest for the last three years; past President and current Vice President of the Tampa Bay Council of Orthodox Churches; and currently a graduate student at California Coast University seeking a doctorate in education. In July, 2002 Bishop THOMAS earned a Master of Arts degree in Applied Orthodox Theology from the Antiochian House of Studies and The University of Balamand - St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology. Bishop THOMAS was nominated to the sacred episcopacy at a Special Convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese held in Pittsburgh, PA in July, 2004, and was elected to the episcopacy by the Local Synod of Bishops in October, 2004. He was consecrated as a bishop at the hand of His Beatitude IGNATIUS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and All The East at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus Syria on December 5, 2004. On
May 6, 2005 he was enthroned as the first Diocesan Bishop of
Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic.
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