Bulgarian Diocese names episcopal candidates

TOLEDO, OH (OCA) - In June 2010, the Bulgarian Diocese of the Orthodox Church in America initiated a search for a candidate to take on the ministry of diocesan bishop. The Bulgarian Diocese has been without a bishop since the repose of His Eminence, Archbishop Kyrill, in May 2007.

A Search Committee was formed consisting of the Diocesan Spiritual Council -- Archpriest Don A. Freude, Diocesan Chancellor; Archpriest James Jorgenson; Priest Matthew-Peter Butrie, Secretary and member of the Diocesan Board of Trustees; and Priest Paul G. Monkowski -- and members of the Diocesan Board of Trustees, Protodeacon Michael Myers; George Popoff, Treasurer; and Stanley Pentsos. The final member of the committee is search coordinator Archpriest Andrew Jarmus of Saint Nicholas Church, Fort Wayne, IN.

At the close of the first phase of the search in August 2010, the Search Committee reviewed the names of 22 possible episcopal candidates. These names came from diocesan members and from a list of names of potential candidates identified by the OCA’s Holy Synod of Bishops. Out of these 22 names, the Committee created a short list of eight names. After a second review, the list was further reduced to six names.

All six men were contacted and their suitability as candidates was further reviewed. Through this process, the Search Committee arrived at the two candidates for episcopal nominee that will be presented for election at a Diocesan Congress-Sobor to be held in July 2011 at Saint Nicholas Church, Fort Wayne, IN.

The two candidates are as follows.

• Archpriest Paul Gassios. Father Paul grew up in a Greek Orthodox family. In the 1980s, he received a Master of Social Work from Wayne State University. It was also in the mid-1980s that he became a member of the Orthodox Church in America, drawn by the OCA’s vision of a local Orthodox Church in North America. A 1994 graduate of Saint Vladimir's Seminary, Father Paul served as a priest in the OCA Diocese of the Midwest for 11 years in Kokomo, IN and an additional seven months in St. Louis, MO. During this time, he developed a relationship with Saint Gregory Palamas Monastery, Perrysville, OH. In 2007, he transferred into the Bulgarian Diocese and was assigned to Saint George Cathedral, Toledo, OH, where he serves today.
• Archimandrite Alexander Golitzin. A native of Saint Innocent Church, Tarzana, CA, Father Alexander received a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an M. Div. from Saint Vladimir's Seminary. He spent seven years pursuing doctoral studies at Oxford University in England under His Eminence, Metropolitan Kallistos [Ware]. During this time, he also spent two years in Greece, including one year at Simonos Petras Monastery on Mount Athos. After completing his doctoral studies, he returned to the US in 1980. He was ordained to the diaconate in January 1982 and to the priesthood two years later. In 1986, he was tonsured to monastic orders. He served OCA missions in northern California ahd headed the Diocese of the West's mission committee. In 1989, he took a teaching position at Milwaukee's Marquette University in the Theology Department, a position which he holds today.

“We are very confident in our selection of episcopal nominee candidates,” said Father Jarmus. “Both are very devout and capable men, each offering his own unique set of talents and experiences. In our interviews with the candidates, the search committee was impressed that both men, independently of one another, identified the building up of trust between the bishop and his diocesan membership as critical to building up a healthy, functional diocese.”

By early April, video interviews with both candidates will be posted on the Bulgarian Diocese's web site. After Pascha, the candidates will visit a selection of diocesan parishes and meet with diocesan clergy during a convocation at Holy Dormition Monastery, Rives Junction, MI, May 19 and 20, 2011.

“We are looking forward to our search process continuing and to gathering in July for the selection of our episcopal nominee,” Father Jarmus said. “We ask our diocesan membership to continue to pray for the Lord’s guidance in this critical work.”