San Francisco, May 21, 2025
Photo: dowoca.org
The Diocesan Council and Nominating Committee of the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the West announced earlier this month one candidate to replace His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin, who is retiring this summer.
Abp. Benjamin, 70, who has served as a hierarch since 2004, announced in 2021 that he is suffering from Parkinson’s. In December of last year, the OCA Holy Synod accepted His Eminence’s retirement, which will take effect on July 15. According to the announcement published on May 1, he will live at the diocese’s Home of Mercy charity, located next to the St. Seraphim Cathedral in Santa Rosa, CA.
In regards to choosing a successor, a Nominating Assembly will be held on July 16, during the upcoming OCA All-American Council, to be followed by a Diocesan Assembly on July 18. The consecration or installation of the next bishop will take place on Saturday, August 16, in San Francisco.
At the same time, it seems the Nominating Assembly will be essentially a formality, as only one viable candidate has been put forth for nomination—Fr. Vasily (Permiakov), known as Fr. Vitaly before his recent monastic tonsure.
Fr. Vasily, who has been on the faculty at both ROCOR’s Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, and the OCA’s St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, NY, enjoys the full support of both Abp. Benjamin and the OCA primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada.
Photo: dowoca.org
The statement explains:
While it may seem counterintuitive to only have one vetted candidate available for our consideration, the Diocesan Council, meeting at its regular meeting on April 30 at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, has decided to write this letter to the entire Diocese of the West to express our considered thoughts, as your representatives, on this momentous duty to nominate a bishop. Having witnessed his humility, pastoral sensitivity, theological depth, and love for Christ and His Holy Church, the Diocesan Council, in unity and with sincere conviction, wholeheartedly endorses the nomination of Archimandrite Vasily.
Accordingly, we warmly and respectfully encourage the clergy and lay delegates of the Diocese to prayerfully consider, and to submit the name of Archimandrite Vasily for nomination at the Special Assembly.
Though change can be difficult, “we do believe that Fr. Vasily’s humble and unassuming nature is of utmost importance for a man who must ‘rightly divide the word of God’s truth,’” the statement continues. “Having a true theologian, one steeped in the knowledge and love of the Divine Services, will benefit this Diocese which has forged a reputation for liturgical excellence and vitality.”
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Read Fr. Vasily’s autobiography on the site of the Diocese of the West.
A timeline from his biography:
Early Life and Education
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Born in Riga, Latvia (then part of USSR) in a family of Russian and Ukrainian origin
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Late 1980s: Became interested in religion during Soviet reforms and Latvia’s independence movement
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September 20, 1991: Baptized at age 14 in the Dormition Cathedral in Riga
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Mid-1990s: Studied at Latvian Academy of Culture, focusing on Russian culture, religion, and philosophy
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October 14, 1996: First conscious attendance at Orthodox Liturgy
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2000-2001: Studied in M.A. program in humanities at University of Texas at Dallas
Seminary Education and Academic Career
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2001-2004: Studied at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary
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Fall 2004: Admitted to doctoral program in theology at University of Notre Dame
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2012: Completed dissertation on Byzantine rite for church consecration
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2011-2020: Taught Comparative Theology and Apologetics at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY
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August 2020-Present: Teaches Liturgical Theology, Liturgical Studies, and Practical Liturgics
Ordinations and Monastic Tonsure
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Spring 2002: Tonsured a reader in the Orthodox Church in America
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March 25, 2021: Ordained to the subdiaconate by Bishop Andrei
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September 14, 2021: Ordained to the diaconate by Metropolitan Tikhon
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September 14, 2024: Ordained to the holy priesthood by Metropolitan Tikhon
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January 17, 2025: Tonsured into small schema by Abbot Sergius of St. Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, PA, receiving the name Vasily
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Lazarus Saturday 2025: Elevated to the rank of archimandrite by decision of the Holy Synod
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