Phoenix, Arizona, July 17, 2025
Photo: oca.org
On Wednesday, July 16, 2025, during the 21st All-American Council in Phoenix, Arizona, the Diocese of the West convened a Special Diocesan Assembly under the presidency of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Locum Tenens of the Diocese, to consider the nomination of a new bishop following the retirement of His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin on July 15, reports the website of the Orthodox Church of America (OCA).
The Assembly nominated the Very Reverend Archimandrite Vasily (Permiakov) as their candidate for Bishop of San Francisco and the West. That same day, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, meeting in a Special Summer Session under the presidency of Metropolitan Tikhon, canonically elected Archimandrite Vasily as Bishop of San Francisco and the West.
The episcopal ordination and enthronement of Bishop-elect Vasily is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, CA.
Further details regarding the ordination services will be announced by the Diocese in the coming weeks.
Photo: Facebook
Archimandrite Vasily was the sole candidate for the diocese of San Francisco and the West of the OCA, after the retirement of Bishop Benjamin. For more information on Bishop-elect Vasily, please read his biography here.
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