Assembly of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Fast Questions and Fast Answers about American Orthodox Bishops By Alexei Krindatch (akrindatch@aol.com), Research Coordinator Here are the questions that are answered on the following pages: 1. How many active (not retired) Orthodox bishops are there in the USA? To which Orthodox Churches do they belong and what are their roles/status? p. 2 2. Where do American Orthodox bishops reside? Is there anything noteworthy about their geographic distribution throughout the United States? p. 3 3. What is the age of American Orthodox bishops? Who are the oldest among currently active (not retired) US Orthodox bishops? And who are the most senior hierarchs by number of years of being a bishop? p. 3 4. Who are the youngest US Orthodox bishops? Among current American hierarchs, who became a bishop at the youngest age? p. 4 5. Where were most American Orthodox bishops born: in the United States or abroad? p. 4 6. Were all American Orthodox bishops born and raised in the Orthodox Church? p. 4 7. How educated are American Orthodox bishops? In addition to their theological and pastoral education, do any of them have any other graduate or post graduate degrees? p. 5 8. Prior to becoming a bishop (or a clergyman), have any of the American Orthodox hierarchs worked in secular job positions? p. 6 9. How many Bishops have also served as a full time parish priest or lived in a monastery? 10. Are all American Orthodox bishops monastics, i.e. have all of them taken monastic vows? p. 7 11. Being a bishop means first of all being the leader of the Church and spiritual father of many local Christian communities (parishes). But bishops are also normal people who have different hobbies, interests and talents that may or may not be related to the Orthodox Church. Can you give a few examples of our bishops hobbies, talents and interests? p. 7 12. Is being a bishop a difficult job? What are the everyday challenges that American Orthodox hierarchs face? p. 8 13. Where can I find more information about US Orthodox bishops? p. 10
1. How many active (not retired) Orthodox bishops are there in the USA? To which Orthodox Churches do they belong and what their roles/status are? Currently, there are 49 active Orthodox Christian bishops in the United States, and they represent 12 jurisdictions. These bishops can be divided into 3 categories: Primates (heads) of the national Orthodox Church jurisdictions; ruling diocesan bishops; and the auxiliary bishops who either assist ruling diocesan bishops or work in some special church positions. Table 1 shows the number of bishops who belong to each American Orthodox Church jurisdiction and for each jurisdiction the number of bishops in each category. Table 1. The Active (not retired) Orthodox Bishops in the United States of America Orthodox Church Jurisdictions that Are Part of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA (in alphabetical order) Number of bishops Out of total number of bishops: Primates/Diocesan/Auxiliary Albanian Orthodox Diocese 1 1/0/0 American Carpatho Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA 1 1/0/0 Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America 7 1/0/6 Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia 1 1/0/0 Georgian Orthodox Church 1 1/0/0 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America 14 1/8/5 (*) Orthodox Church in America 11 1/9/1 Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas 1 1/0/0 Russian Orthodox Church (Patriarchal Parishes) 1 0/0/1 Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia 6 1/2/3 Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America 3 0/3/0 Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA 2 1/1/0 (*) this number includes Metropolitan Nikitas of the Dardanelles who is an auxiliary bishop directly under Ecumenical Patriarchate to which Greek Orthodox Archdiocese belongs
2. Where do American Orthodox bishops reside? Is there anything noteworthy about their geographic distribution throughout the United States? Map 1 at the end of this report shows places of the official residences of the American Orthodox bishops, their affiliation with various Orthodox Church jurisdictions and their status (i.e. Primate, ruling diocesan, or auxiliary bishop). The names of the bishops indicated on this map are abbreviated by three letters. Their full names can be found in the table with abbreviation codes that accompanies this map. For each US county, this map also shows the total number of the Orthodox parishes situated there (parishes of all jurisdictions combined). One can see that most US Orthodox bishops reside in areas of high concentration of Orthodox parishes. Overall, American Orthodox bishops live in 14 states. The states with the most residing bishops are New York (10 bishops live there), California (8), Pennsylvania (5), Illinois (5) and Michigan (4). For decades, many have commented about the abnormal situation in the United States when several ruling diocesan bishops have their official residences in the same city which generally violates the established practice of the Orthodox Church. There are 4 cities in the United States where this is the case: Chicago (4 ruling Orthodox bishops reside there), New York (3), San Francisco (2), and Boston (2). 3. What is the age of American Orthodox bishops? Who are the oldest among currently active (not retired) US Orthodox bishops? And who are the most senior hierarchs by number of years of being a bishop? The median age of active US Orthodox bishops is 63 years old: that is, half of them are younger and half of them are older than 63. The oldest hierarchs are Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (90 years old), Metropolitan Isaiah of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (87) and Bishop Ilia of the Albanian Diocese (81). The most senior hierarchs if measuring by number of years of being a bishop are Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (he has been a bishop for 51 years), Metropolitan Joseph of the Bulgarian Diocese (38) and Metropolitan Nathaniel of the Orthodox Church in America (38).
4. Who are the youngest US Orthodox bishops? Among current American hierarchs, who became a bishop at the youngest age? The youngest among current US Orthodox bishops are Bishop Saba of the Georgian Orthodox Church (37 years old), Metropolitan Nathanael of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (40) and Bishop Irenei of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (40). The hierarchs who were the youngest at the time of their consecration as bishops are Bishop Longin of the Serbian Orthodox Church (he was only 30 years old when he became a bishop), Bishop Saba of the Georgian Orthodox Church (33) and Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Archdiocese (35). The hierarchs who were the youngest at the time of their ordination as priests are Bishop Longin of the Serbian Orthodox Church (he was 20 years old at time of his priestly ordination), Bishop Sevastianos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (22) and Archbishop Michael of the Orthodox Church in America (23). 5. Where were most American Orthodox bishops born: in the United States or abroad? Out of the 49 American Orthodox hierarchs, 31 were born either in the USA itself or in US territories (e.g., a US military base abroad). 18 bishops were born in 11 other countries, including: Greece (5 bishops were born there), former USSR (3), former Yugoslavia (2), Syria (2), Bulgaria (1), Canada (1), Cyprus (1), Georgia (1), Lebanon (1), and Romania (1). 6. Were all American Orthodox bishops born and raised in the Orthodox Church? The answer to this question is no. Out of 49, 8 bishops grew up as non Orthodox Christians, including: Byzantine Rite Roman Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches; Episcopal, Methodist, and some other Protestant Churches. In fact, prior to becoming Orthodox, 3 of them served as clergy in various Christian Churches. Metropolitan Nathaniel of the OCA was a Byzantine Rite Catholic priest. Bishop Daniel of the OCA was a Roman Catholic priest. Bishop David of the OCA was filling in for his Methodist pastor during his pastor s summer vacations from fifteen years of age and he served later as a lay minister in different Methodist congregations.
7. How educated are American Orthodox bishops? In addition to their theological and pastoral education, do any of them have any other graduate or post graduate degrees? Out of 49 US Orthodox bishops, the highest level of education completed is: Bachelor level: 5 bishops Master s: 30 bishops Doctorate: 14 bishops The chairman of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, has two Doctoral degrees: a Ph.D. from the School of Art and Sciences of Harvard University and Th.D. from the University of Athens (Greece). In addition, several hierarchs have also various honorary doctorates. Most American Orthodox bishops have graduate level education only in theology or church related fields. 7 of them also have Master s or Doctoral degrees in areas other than theology: Metropolitan Gerasimos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has a Ph.D. from Boston College in the field of Counseling and School Psychology. Bishop Thomas of the Antiochian Archdiocese has a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from California Coast University (accredited online university). Bishop Paul of the Orthodox Church in America earned a Master of Social Work degree from Wayne State University (Detroit, MI). Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia has MA in Slavic Studies and Russian Literature from the Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY). Bishop Alexander of the Antiochian Archdiocese earned his MBA from the University of North Texas (Denton, TX). Bishop Nicholas of the Antiochian Archdiocese was awarded the MS in computer engineering from the Northeastern University (Boston, MA). Metropolitan Gregory, the Primate of the Carpatho Russian Orthodox Diocese, has an MS in biology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC.
8. Prior to becoming a bishop (or a clergyman), have any of the American Orthodox hierarchs worked in secular job positions? Because of their education and personal life experiences, many of the hierarchs taught theology, church history, religious studies, etc., in public universities and colleges. For example, Bishop Irenei of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia held the position of Chair of Religious Studies at Leeds Trinity University (United Kingdom). Archbishop Alexander of the Orthodox Church in America taught Theology and Patristics for over 20 years at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. Bishop Irinej of Serbian Orthodox Church spent most of his early career lecturing at Loyola University in Chicago, IL. At the same time, 13 future American Orthodox hierarchs have extensive work experiences that are not related to teaching theology or church related matters. Here are some interesting examples: Bishop David of the Orthodox Church in America was once a heavy equipment operator. Archbishop Melchisedek of the Orthodox Church in America worked for a number of years in the business world: first in a stock brokerage and later in real estate. Metropolitan Gerasimos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese was a staff member of the outpatient clinic of the VA Medical Center in Boston. Bishop Nicholas of the Antiochian Archdiocese pursued for two decades a successful career as a computer engineer in electronics design automation industry, achieving high ranks of the Lead Software Architect, Principal Software Engineer, and Software Engineering Manager. Both Metropolitan Nicholas of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and Bishop Paul of the Orthodox Church in America were once social workers: the first being employed by St. Anthony Hospital in Denver, CO and the second being a child care worker with emotionally and physically abused children. Bishop Alexander of the Antiochian Archdiocese was part of the business world for nearly twenty years. He worked first in Lebanon in a company that imported raw materials for factories, and then in America as a supply manager at Prince George s Hospital in Washington, DC, and, later, as sales associate for Bloomingdale s. Metropolitan Gregory, the Primate of the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, had an impressive career in the cardiovascular research (with more than 100 authored and co-authored publications) at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.
9. How many Bishops have also served as a full time parish priest or lived in a monastery? As far as bishops official biographies reveal, out of 49, 39 (more than three quarters) have served as fulltime clergy in local parishes. 16 of them spent significant time living in monasteries. 12 American Orthodox bishops have had both of these experiences, while 6 of them had neither. In the case of the latter group, prior to their consecration as bishops, these hierarchs either held various teaching positions in academia and theological schools or worked in church administration. 10. Are all American Orthodox bishops monastics, i.e. have all of them taken monastic vows? Most of them are monastics, but some are not. For instance, out of 7 US bishops who belong to Antiochian Archdiocese, only 1 (Bishop Basil) is a monk. The requirement of becoming a monk prior to becoming a bishop is, in fact, not mandatory in all Orthodox Churches. The universal rule is that any candidate to episcopacy must be celibate and either unmarried or no longer living with his wife by the time of consecration. 5 American Orthodox bishops were widowers when they were consecrated to the episcopacy (some of them taking monastic vows and some not). 11. Being a bishop means first of all being the leader of the Church and spiritual father of many local Christian communities (parishes). But bishops are also normal people who have different hobbies, interests and talents that may or may not be related to the Orthodox Church. Can you give a few examples of our bishops hobbies, talents and interests? A number of American Orthodox bishops have personal interests which are related to the Orthodox Church: e.g., icon painting, liturgical music, etc. But the hobbies and talents of our hierarchs are not limited to church arts. Here are a few examples. In the 1990s, already having been ordained a priest, future Bishop Anthony of the Antiochian Archdiocese performed for a number of years in the Orthodox folk music group called Kerygma along with Fr. Patrick Kindler and Fr. Michael Shanbour. As an undergraduate at Colby College (Waterville, ME), future Metropolitan Savas of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese was lead singer for the band, Mick and the Malignants. Today, he still likes to play music (sometimes with his brother), but His Eminence is also known as a devoted cinema enthusiast.
Archbishop Nikon of the Orthodox Church in America completed his elementary and secondary studies in New York City. While there, he developed an abiding interest in theatre arts and even secured several leading roles in high school performances. Archbishop Nathaniel of the Orthodox Church in America used to be an avid tennis player. Today, his major interests include visiting art museums and collecting antique furniture and old books. Metropolitan Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church spends his free time reading biographies. He is also a faithful fan of two ice hockey teams: the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks. Metropolitan Gregory of the Carpatho Russian Diocese is a lifelong baseball fan, especially of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Classical music and traveling especially, to Italy and Scotland are among major personal interests of Archbishop Benjamin of the Orthodox Church in America. Bishop Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church loves to paint, including unique techniques such as Japanese Sumi (the art of ink painting). And Bishop Maxim of the Serbian Orthodox Church has pursued talents and interests that lead him to study the theory and practical application of painting at the French Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. 12. Is being a bishop a difficult job? What are the everyday challenges that American Orthodox hierarchs face? In 2013, the Committee of Canonical Regional Planning of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA conducted a survey of all of the members of the Assembly of Bishops. One of the questions in this survey asked: ʺAs a hierarch, how much of a challenge do you face dealing with each of the following?ʺ The bishops were given the list of 14 possible challenges to consider. With regard to each item on this list, they could respond: ʺa great deal of a challenge,ʺ ʺquite a bit of a challenge,ʺ ʺsome challenge,ʺ or ʺlittle challenge.ʺ Fig. 1 on the next page shows the answers of US hierarchs to this question. To simplify the visual presentation we combined the answers ʺgreat deal of a challengeʺ and ʺquite a bit of a challengeʺ into one single category. One can see that the two by far greatest difficulties that US bishops face are ʺInsufficient support staffʺ and ʺFinding a balance between Orthodox Church traditions and requirements and realities of life in todayʹs American society.ʺ Nearly half of American Orthodox hierarchs feel that dealing with these two issues presents ʺquite a bit of a challengeʺ or ʺgreat challenge.ʺ
Fig. 1 As a hierarch, how much of a challenge do you face dealing with each of the following? % of bishops responding: Quite a bit of a challenge / Great deal of a challenge Some challenge Little challenge 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Insufiicient support staff 50% 33% 17% Finding balance between Orthodox Churchʹs traditions/requirements and realities of life in todayʹs 46% 39% 15% American society Too much travel 37% 52% 11% Making the church appear relevant to faithful 37% 43% 20% Relating to youth and young adults 37% 39% 24% Developing and promoting a vision for the Churchʹs future 37% 28% 35% Dealing with Church finances 35% 43% 22% Formulating Church policies and position on various issues in wider American society 35% 30% 35% Dealing with conflicts and disagreements in the Church 28% 52% 20% Keeping up with current issues in society 28% 31% 41% Disciplining clergy 21% 46% 33% Keeping up with realities of local parish life 17% 63% 20% Guiding clergy 17% 48% 35% Keeping up with current issues in theology 15% 39% 46%
13. Where can I find more information about US Orthodox bishops? Let the Bishops speak about themselves. The Assembly of Bishops conducted series of interviews with American Orthodox hierarchs titled Conversations with our Bishops. Thirty Bishops participated in this project. Their personal interviews are posted on the Assembly s website at: http://www.assemblyofbishops.org/multimedia/conversations/
Bishops* and Parishes of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States: Total Number of Parishes in Each County (as of July 1, 2018) For the areas of high concentration (New York, Boston, Chicago, etc.) see additional inset maps on the next page. For full names of bishops abbreviated on the map, see attached page. WA ME MT ND MN OR VT NH ID Boston WI SD MI San Francisco BIE MNK NV Chicago Denver UT IL MIS CA MNI ANA BAN BLO APE IA Detroit Pittsburgh WY NE ) Wichita Los Angeles MD DE WV BTH VA KY BBA BIL PA MO NC TN BMX AZ BDL OK AR NM Atlanta MAL MS TX AL SC GA LA FL AK BDV ) ( * Primate (head) of the national Orthodox jurisdiction Ruling diocesan bishop Auxiliary/vicar bishop Copyright by Alexei Krindatch Author: (akrindatch@aol.com) *The locations of bishops are shown as places of their offices (chanceries) or residences. Metropolitan Athenagoras, Bishop Pankratij (both Metropolis of Mexico), Bishop Alexander (Antiochian Archdiocese) and Bishop John (ROCOR) reside outside of US. 1 BNI HI Status of Bishops AMA AMC BSB MEV NJ AMEBGR OH IN CO KS New York MAMMT RI CT NY Patriarchate of Georgia Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese Metropolia of Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Americas Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese in the USA Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Orthodox Church in America Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America )Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America Orthodox Church Jurisdiction Number of Parishes per County No parishes 1 parish 2-4 parishes 5-9 parishes 10-15 parishes More than 15 parishes
INSET MAPS: Bishops* and Parishes of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States: Total Number of Parishes in Each County (as of July 1, 2018) For full names of bishops abbreviated on the map, see attached page MNI BLO Boston Detroit ANA BJO ANKMMT BJN BANAAL Detroit-Toledo Chicago APE MJOBSE MJP Chicago BAD I New York MJP BJN MHI New York City New York Suburbs Pittsburgh MSA MEV Pittsburgh-Johnstown *The locations of bishops on this map are shown as places of their offices (chanceries) or residences. Status of Bishops ) ( * Primate (head) of the national Orthodox jurisdiction Ruling diocesan bishop Auxiliary/vicar bishop Author: Copyright by Alexei Krindatch (akrindatch@aol.com) Johnstown BGR ADA MAN Central New Jersey 1 AME BAD BII MTI MJP BJN Northern New Jersey MNK San Francisco Bay ADM AMC MJO BIE BTE MGE AKY BAP Massachusetts MNT BPL ABE BNC BDE MNC San Francisco MHI New York Orthodox Church Jurisdiction of Bishops Orthodox Archdiocese of America Greek Ecumenical Patriarchate Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America of Georgia Patriarchate Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese American Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese Metropolia ofin the Americas Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese in the USA Orthodox Church in America ) Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America Number of Parishes per County No parishes 1 parish 2-4 parishes 5-9 parishes 10-15 parishes More than 15 parishes
Key for Abbreviations of Bishops Names (in alphabetical order) Abbreviation on the map Bishops Names and their Orthodox Church Jurisdiction AAL Archbishop Alexander, Orthodox Church in America ABE Archbishop Benjamin, Orthodox Church in America ADA Archbishop Daniel, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA ADM Archbishop Demetrios, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America AKY Archbishop Kyrill, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia AMA Archbishop Mark, Orthodox Church in America AMC Archbishop Michael, Orthodox Church in America AME Archbishop Melchisedek, Orthodox Church in America ANA Archbishop Nathaniel, Orthodox Church in America ANK Archbishop Nikon, Orthodox Church in America APE Archbishop Peter, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia BAI Bishop Andonios, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America BAN Bishop Antony, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese BAP Bishops Apostolos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America BBA Bishop Basil, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese BDE Bishop Demetrios, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America BDL Bishop Daniel, Orthodox Church in America BDV Bishop David, Orthodox Church in America BGR Bishop Gregory, American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese BIE Bishop Irenei, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia BIL Bishop Ilia, Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America BJN Bishop John, Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA BJO Bishop John, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese BLO Bishop Longin, Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America BII Bishop Irinej, Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America BMX Bishop Maxim, Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America BNC Bishop Nicholas, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia BNI Bishop Nicholas, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese BPL Bishop Paul, Orthodox Church in America BSB Bishop Saba, Patriarchate of Georgia BSE Bishop Sevastianos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America BTE Bishop Theodosy, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia BTH Bishop Thomas, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese MAL Metropolitan Alexios, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America MAN Metropolitan Antony, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA MEV Metropolitan Evangelos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America MGE Metropolitan Gerasimos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America MHI Metropolitan Hillarion, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia MIS Metropolitan Isaiah, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America MJO Metropolitan Joseph, Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA MJP Metropolitan Joseph, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese MMT Metropolitan Methodios, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America MNC Metropolitan Nicolae, Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas MNI Metropolitan Nicholas, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America MNK Metropolitan Nikitas, Ecumenical Patriarchate MNT Metropolitan Nathaniel, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America MSA Metropolitan Savas, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America MTI Metropolitan Tikhon, Orthodox Church in America