New OCA bishop elected

(Directions to Orthodoxy) - Compilation of Orthodox Church in America news and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Holy Synod of Bishops of The Orthodox Church in America, meeting at the OCA Chancery in Oyster Bay Cove, NY, April 2, 2009, has elected Archimandrite Melchisedek (Pleska), as Bishop of Pittsburgh and the Diocese of Western Pennsylvania.

The bishop-elect said in a Facebook posting that he "has finished waiting and has started packing for Pittsburgh."

The Orthodox Church in America is a self-governing, multi-ethnic daughter of the Russian Orthodox Church. Its membership is disputed, but Metropolitan Jonah has said he believes it has about 100,000 active members, with 10,000 in the Pittsburgh archdiocese.

"This is an incredibly important day for the archdiocese. It's a new start after two years of waiting," said the Rev. William Evansky, pastor of the Church of the Holy Ghost, Ambridge, and secretary of the Archdiocesan Council.

"I really do hope he will be able to reinvigorate both the clergy and the laity, to get some sense of unity and a sense of moving forward."

The bishop-elect was born Thomas Pleska in Canton, Ohio, to Orthodox parents. But the nearest Orthodox church was so far away that he had little exposure to the faith until he was a young adult. He has written that he views himself in many respects as a convert.

A graduate of Miami University of Ohio, he had a career as a broker and real estate appraiser before entering seminary. He was ordained in the Orthodox Church in America in 1986 and served churches in Eastern Pennsylvania and Connecticut before moving to Greece in 1998.

When he came for interviews prior to his nomination, the bishop-elect had a binder of notes on each parish, which he had gathered from the Internet and from other contacts, Father Carpenter said.

He had a vision for "an expanded diocese with an emphasis on youth ministry, particularly college ministry, and on caring for our elderly, as well as for evangelism," he said.

He expects the bishop-elect to arrive in the U.S. next week, but probably not in Pittsburgh until the following week, which is Orthodox Holy Week. His consecration will occur at a later date, which has not been set.

The Synod of Bishops of The Orthodox Church in America, also, elected Archimandrite Irinee (Rochon), as Bishop of Quebec City, Auxiliary to His Eminence, Archbishop SERAPHIM."