St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church, Las Vegas, Nevada

Special Diocesan Assembly Elects Bishop BENJAMIN
by Fr. Andrew Jacobs

At 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2007, following the Mission Deanery Retreat, a Diocesan Assembly was held to elect the next ruling hierarch of the Diocese of the West after His Grace, Bishop TIKHON’s retirement. The assembly was gathered at the direction of His Beatitude, the Most Blessed HERMAN, Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of all America and Canada. His Grace, the Right Reverend SERAPHIM (now Archbishop SERAPHIM) presided over the convocation. His Grace began the day by leading a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Paul Church in Las Vegas, where the convocation was to be held.

Following a brunch at the church dining hall, clergy and lay delegates met in the church to pick up their ballots and participate in a moleben led by His Grace. Secretaries for the convocation, Fr. David Brum, Rector of SS. Peter and Paul Church in Phoenix, AZ, and Ms. Nadine Wood, of St. Paul Orthodox Church in Las Vegas, affirmed that there were 50 lay delegates and 50 clergy delegates present. Bishop SERAPHIM then read the voting procedures, and delegates and clergy filled out their ballots and dropped them into the election box at the center of the church. Following this, the ballots were taken into the altar area, counted and tallied by Fr. Eric Tosi and two assistants, confirming that His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN of Berkeley (now Bishop BENJAMIN of San Francisco and the West) had been elected unanimously as the candidate for the Episcopal See of San Francisco, Los Angeles and the West.

The results were announced to all present, and His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN was asked to come into the church. The Very Rev. Joseph Hirsch, Dean of Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Denver, CO, then revealed the results of the voting to His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN, and the proceedings were closed with a moleben of thanksgiving.

The results of the voting were sent to the Holy Synod of Bishops of the OCA, who were to elect a ruling bishop for the Diocese of the West in their spring session in March. As we now know, on March 20, His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN was elected by the Holy Synod to be our ruling bishop, to our great joy. Also, the Holy Synod elevated His Grace, Bishop SERAPHIM to the rank of Archbishop.

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