On Sunday, December 11, at the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand in Lebanon, two of our alumni were among three ordained to the episcopacy in the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA). The three new hierarchs were ordained by His Beatitude, Ignatius IV, patriarch of the Great City of God, Antioch, and all the East; they will serve as auxiliaries to His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip, archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All America.
His Grace John (Abdalah), who earned a Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir's in 1984, has been named Auxiliary Bishop for Worcester and New England; and His Grace Anthony (Michaels) who earned a Master of Divinity degree from the seminary in 1982, has been named Auxiliary Bishop for Toledo and the Midwest. His Grace Nicholas (Ozone) was the third bishop ordained; he has been named Auxiliary Bishop for Brooklyn, and he will also assist Metropolitan Philip at the headquarters of AOCANA in Englewood, New Jersey.
Prior to his ordination to the episcopacy, Bishop John served as dean of St. George Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and as editor of The Word, the official magazine of AOCANA. Bishop Anthony served as pastor of St. John Chrysostom Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Reflecting upon his new office and responsibilities, and his alma mater, Bishop Anthony said, "Philosophy approaches truth as a concept, history records how it affected human events over time, science conducts experiments to justify it, and theology celebrates it in the Person of Christ and as a Person, giving us an encounter with Him. My professors at St. Vladimir’s and the entire family of the seminary showed how the beauty, harmony, and exalted elegance of the kingdom of God is here with us all the time; and how the world is a sacrament of His love, a beginning in time of the timeless relationship with Him in the never ending day of His kingdom.
"As a bishop, I would hope to hand down this vision of truth to other so that they can find themselves in Christ and enjoy their own Sabbath rest with God, persons to persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."
Read more about the consecrations of the new bishops, and view photos on the Antiochian Archdiocesan Website, here.
