After brief periods living in Connecticut, France, and Missouri, he and his family settled in Reading, PA, where he graduated from Wyomissing High School in 1984. In 1988, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Sociology from Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, after which he moved to Chicago.

In 1989, he was received into the Orthodox Church from Episcopalianism and, in the fall of the same year, he began studies at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA. One year later, he entered the monastic community at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery as a novice.

He was awarded the Master of Divinity degree from Saint Tikhon’s Seminary in 1993, after which he was appointed Instructor in Old Testament and subsequently Senior Lecturer in Old Testament, teaching Master level courses in the Prophets and the Psalms and Wisdom Literature. He also served as an Instructor in the seminary’s Extension Studies program, offering courses in the lives of the Old Testament saints, the liturgical use of the Old Testament, and the Old Testament in patristic literature.

He collaborated with Igumen Alexander [Golitzin] – now Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese of the Orthodox Church in America – in the publication of “The Living Witness of the Holy Mountain” by Saint Tikhon’s Seminary Press.

In December 2002, he was named Deputy Abbot of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery. After his election to the episcopacy by the Holy Synod of Bishops in October 2003, he was consecrated on February 14, 2004 at Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery Church as the first Bishop of South Canaan, auxiliary for the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania.

Following his nomination as ruling hierarch by a diocesan assembly and subsequent canonical election by the Holy Synod on May 27, 2005, he was installed as Bishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania on October 29, 2005. From 2005 to 2012, he also served as Rector of Saint Tikhon’s Seminary. He was elevated to the dignity of Archbishop on May 9, 2012.

On November 13, 2012, Archbishop Tikhon was elected Primate of the Orthodox Church in America at the 17th All-American Council.

In addition to his primatial duties along with archpastoral oversight of the Archdiocese of Washington and Stavropegial Institutions, he served as Locum Tenens of the Diocese of the South from March 2015 to March 2016.

On September 14, 2015, Metropolitan Tikhon was honored by St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary with the bestowal of a Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa.

A prolific musician, he served as choirmaster at parishes in Detroit, Michigan, and Los Angeles and as chairman of the Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Liturgical Music. He was ordained to the Holy Diaconate on November 15, 1987 by Bishop Tikhon at his home parish, which he served for 10 years as deacon and youth and education director. The following year he was tonsured a riasophore monk by Bishop Tikhon and further tonsured to the lesser schema by His Eminence, Archbishop [later Metropolitan] Herman at Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania. In 1991 he was elevated to the rank of archdeacon.

On July 19, 1997, he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Bishop Tikhon. In 1999, Igumen Benjamin was transferred to the Diocese of Alaska. In addition to other responsibilities, he served as dean of Saint Innocent Cathedral and later as administrative dean of Saint Herman Seminary, Kodiak, Alaska. He was elevated to the rank of archimandrite in 2002. In January 2004 he was reassigned to Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral, Los Angeles, and appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of the West.

Upon his consecration to the episcopacy, Bishop Benjamin began to serve as Auxiliary to His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco, and served as Diocesan Chancellor.

The Holy Synod of Bishops, in their 2007 spring session, elected His Grace Bishop Benjamin to be the reigning hierarch of The Diocese of the West. He was installed as ruling bishop on October 2, 2007. At the 2012 spring session, the Holy Synod elevated the bishop to the dignity of Archbishop.

Holy Trinity Cathedral, the site of His Eminence’s consecration and installation, is the oldest Orthodox community in the contiguous United States.

Archbishop Benjamin Speaking with Parishioners

Holy Trinity Cathedral, San Francisco

Father Alexander is the founding Rector of Saint Tikhon Mission in Parker, Colorado. He has faithfully served the parish, driving the long distance from Broomfield to Parker several times a week. Over the years, Father Alexander has led the mission spiritually and in its growth.

Father Alexander holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and completed a Master of Divinity in Theology from Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in 2005.

Prior to his appointment as Rector of Saint Tikhon mission, Father Alexander served at Holy Transfiguration of Christ Cathedral in Denver where he grew up.

In recognition of his accomplishments at Saint Tikhon Mission, he was appointed as Priest in Charge (Rector) of Holy Wisdom Parish in Grand Junction, Colorado on July 14, 2023.

Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is the only Priest, Pastor, and Teacher of the Orthodox Christian Church. He alone guides and rules His people. He alone forgives sins and only through Him are we united with God: the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is our faith as Orthodox Christians.

The New Testament of the Holy Bible also clearly states that Jesus Christ “set aside” and ordered His Apostles to “Go ... and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The Apostles, in turn, “laid hands” on men to be “episkopoi” (overseers, bishops) and “presbyters” (elders, priests) as we read, for instance in Titus 1:5 and 1:7. They likewise “laid hands” on men to be “diakonoi” (deacons) as rerecorded in Acts 6:1-6.

The exact same three “orders” of clergy – bishops, priests, and deacons – continue to exist in the Orthodox Church in an unbroken succession directly to the Apostles and Christ Himself.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has never abandoned His people, and remains present and active with His Church as its living and unique Head through the Holy Spirit. This is also our faith as Orthodox Christians.

The New Testament of the Holy Bible clearly records the “confession of faith” by Saint Peter the Apostle, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Then Jesus Christ confirmed this confession saying, “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

Orthodox Christianity proclaims that “the gates of Hades” have never, and will never, prevail against the unbroken and unchanged faith in Jesus Christ. Nor can they prevail against Him and His Body, the Church.

The principal task of Orthodox clergy is to preserve intact and maintain unchanged the faith once delivered by Christ to the Apostles and preached throughout the world by the Apostles and their successor bishops for 2,000 continuous and unbroken years.

The objective guarantee of the perpetual presence of Christ with His people exists in the three “Holy Orders” of the Episcopacy (bishops), the Presbytery (priests) and the Diaconate (deacons). They are Sacramentally “ordained” by the Holy Spirit in the “Holy Mystery of Ordination.”

This Mystery (Sacrament) is also referred to as “Holy Orders,” from the fact that the bishops, priests and deacons give order to the Church. They guarantee the continuity and unity of the Church from age to age, and have no other function or service than to manifest the presence and action of Christ in the Holy Spirit to His people. As the Apostles received the special gift of God to go forth and to make Christ present to men, they “laid hands” on their successors as overseers (bishops), presbyters (priests), and deacons to manifest Christ’s presence and action in the Churches.

Each Eucharistic community, which today we refer to as a “parish,” is under the direct Apostolic oversight and administration of a bishop. A bishop may have few or many parishes under his Apostolic authority. The bishop assigns a priest to a parish as an extension of his priestly ministry, and may also assign a deacon to carry his administrative role.

The bishop is the first and highest degree of the clergy in the Orthodox Church (επίσκοπος or episkopos in Greek, which means “overseer”). A bishop is the direct successor to the Apostles in the service and government of the Church. The bishop thus serves εἰς τόπον καὶ τύπον Χριστοῦ ([in place and as a type of Christ{) in the Church. No bishop in Orthodoxy is considered infallible. None has any authority over or apart from his priests, deacons, and people or the other bishops. They have the responsibility of maintaining the unity of the Church throughout the world by insuring the truth and unity of the faith and practice of their diocese.

The bishop represents his particular diocese to the other churches or dioceses, and represents the Universal Church to his own particular priests, deacons, and people.

In the Orthodox Church, from about the sixth century, it has been the rule that bishops are single men or widowers. Bishops are also usually in at least the first degree of monastic orders.

It is the belief of Orthodoxy that Christ is the only priest, pastor, and teacher of the Christian Church. He alone forgives sins and offers communion with God, his Father. Christ alone guides and rules his people. Christ remains with his Church as its living and unique head. Christ remains present and active in the Church through the Holy Spirit.

Through the sacrament of holy orders bishops give order to the Church. Bishops guarantee the continuity and unity of the Church from age to age and from place to place, that is, from the time of Christ and the apostles until the establishment of God’s Kingdom in eternity. Bishops receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to manifest Christ in the Spirit to men. Bishops are neither vicars, substitutes, nor representatives of Christ. It is Christ, through his chosen ministers, who acts as teacher, good shepherd, forgiver, and healer. It is Christ remitting sins, and curing the physical, mental, and spiritual ills of mankind.

This is a mystery of the Church.

The ruling bishop or diocesan bishop is responsible for and the head of all the parishes located in his a particular geographical territory, called a diocese or archdiocese. All authority of the lower orders of clergy is derived from the bishop. No divine services may be served in any Orthodox temple without the authorization of a bishop. Saint Ignatius the God-bearer of Antioch went so far as to state that “he who acts without the bishop’s knowledge is in the devil’s service.”

Sacramentally, all bishops are equal. Nevertheless, there are distinctions of administrative rank among bishops.

Patriarch: This title is reserved for the primate of certain of the autocephalous Orthodox churches. The first hierarch of the other autocephalous churches are styled metropolitan or archbishop or archbishop.

The primate of the Church of Constantinople assumed the title Ecumenical Patriarch. The primate of the Church of Alexandria was granted the title Pope and Patriarch. The primate of the Church of Georgia amended his title from Catholicos to Catholicos-Patriarch.

Archbishop or Metropolitan: These titles may be granted to a senior bishop, usually one who is in charge of a large ecclesiastical jurisdiction. He may or may not have provincial oversight of suffragan bishops. He may or may not have auxiliary bishops assisting him.

In the Slavic and Antiochian traditions, a metropolitan outranks an archbishop. The reverse is the situation in the Greek tradition. The Antiochian tradition also uses the style metropolitan archbishop to differentiate from metropolitan bishops in the Greek tradition.

The change in the Greek tradition came about in later Greek history, because the diocesan bishops of ancient sees (which in the Greek diaspora include most) came to be styled metropolitans, short for “metropolitan bishops.”

The Slavic and Antiochian churches continue to follow the older tradition, where an archbishop is a senior bishop in charge of a major see, and a metropolitan is a bishop in charge of a province which may include a number of minor and/or major sees.

In the Greek tradition, all diocesan bishops of autocephalous churches such as the Church of Greece (the bishop of Patras being Metropolitan) are now metropolitans, and an archbishop holds his title as an indication of greater importance for whatever reason.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the notable exception in the Greek practice where diocesan bishops carry the title of metropolitan. In other churches under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate such as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia the ruling bishop is the archbishop while the other bishops are auxiliary bishops with titles of the ancient sees.

Non-Ruling Bishops: A bishop who does not rule his own diocese is either a Patriarchal Vicar or an Auxiliary Bishop.

Patriarchal Vicars: In the Church of Antioch, a bishop who is in charge of a newly-created diocese on behalf of, and under the supervision of, the Patriarch of Antioch is called a Patriarchal Vicar. The diocese is usually kept under the direct control of the patriarch until it becomes self-supporting. Patriarchal Vicars are not members of the Holy Synod, and do not answer to the Holy Synod. When a diocese becomes self-supporting, it is usually granted a ruling bishop who becomes a member of the Holy Synod The equivalent title in some Orthodox jurisdictions is Exarch.

Auxiliary Bishops: Most Orthodox Churches allow themselves the capacity to appoint auxiliary bishops to assist ruling bishops within their own dioceses or archdioceses. Auxiliary bishops do not govern in their own right but only act as directed by their diocesan bishop.

Titular Bishops: Bishops who are assigned a title of ancient dioceses that no longer function are called titular bishops. The Diocese of Sourozh, the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in Great Britain and Ireland, is an example. However, generally, titular bishops are auxiliary bishops.

The Presbyter is the second degree of the major orders of clergy in the Orthodox Church, along with that of the bishop and deacon.

The word “presbyter” is, in the Bible, a synonym for bishop (Greek: επίσκοπος - episkopos), referring to a leader in local Church congregations. However, since at least the second century, it has been understood as distinct from bishop and synonymous with priest. Its literal meaning in Greek (Gr: πρεσβύτερος - presbyteros) is “elder.”

Through the sacrament of holy orders, an ordination of a deacon to the priesthood is performed by the bishop. This is done during the Divine Liturgy, immediately following the Great Entrance, showing that the newly-ordained priest is to be involved in the consecration. The congregation will acclaim his ordination by shouting “Axios” (“he is worthy”).

A priest always ministers to the people of God in the stead of the bishop. This includes:

Usually a priest will also hear confessions. In some jurisdictions, this is allowable immediately after seminary and ordination, but in other jurisdictions the bishop will specifically indicate when a priest may begin hearing confessions.

A principle of Orthodox theology is that a priest’s personal conduct does not inhibit the grace of God acting through them. Christ is the One Who gives grace, merely using His ministers as “conduits” to the people.

In addition, to complete his duties, the priest is permitted to touch the Table of Oblation, the Altar, and to move through the Royal Doors.

Since the presbyters are assigned by the bishop and belong to the specific congregations they have no authority or services to perform apart from their bishop and their own particular parish community. On the altar table of each parish, there is the cloth called the antiménsion signed by the bishop, which is the permission to the community to gather and to act as the Church. Without the antimension, the priest and his people cannot function legitimately.

The earliest organization of the Christian churches in Palestine was similar to that of Jewish synagogues, who were governed by a council of elders (presbyteroi). In Acts 11:30 and 15:22, this collegiate system of government in Jerusalem is described, and in Acts 14:23, the Apostle Paul ordains elders in the churches he founded. Initially, these presbyters were apparently identical with the overseers (epískopoi, i.e., bishops), as Acts 20:17 and Titus 1:5,7 indicate, and the terms were interchangeable.

Shortly after the New Testament period, with the death of the Apostles, there was a differentiation in the usage of the synonymous terms, giving rise to the appearance of two distinct offices, bishop and presbyter. The bishop was understood mainly as the president of the council of presbyters, and so the bishop came to be distinguished both in honor and in prerogative from the presbyters, who were seen as deriving their authority by means of delegation from the bishop. The distinction between presbyter and bishop is made fairly soon after the Apostolic period, as is seen in the 2nd century writings of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who uses the terms consistently and clearly to refer to two different offices (along with that of a deacon).

Initially, each local congregation in the Church had its own bishop. Eventually, as the Church grew, individual congregations no longer were served directly by a bishop. The bishop in a large city would appoint a presbyter to pastor the flock in each congregation, acting as his delegate.

Orthodox priests may be married clergy or monastic clergy. In the Orthodox Church a married man may be ordained to the priesthood. His marriage, however, must be the first for both him and his wife. He may not remarry, and he must continue in his ministry even if his wife should die.

If a single man is ordained, he must remain celibate to retain his service. This is often done alongside the candidate taking monastic vows. A monastic priest is referred to as a hieromonk or priest-monk.

The Orthodox Church often refers to presbyters in English as priests (priest is etymologically derived from the Greek presbyteros via the Latin presbyter). This usage is seen by some Protestant Christians as stripping the laity of its rightful priestly status, while those who use the term defend its usage by saying that, while they do believe in the priesthood of all believers, they do not believe in the eldership of all believers.

Presbyters are often referred to as Father (Fr.), though this is not an official title. Rather, it is a term of affection used by Christians for their ordained elders. In this context, a priest’s first name is generally used after the word Father.

Priests are often styled as the Reverend (Rev.) and therefore referred to as the Reverend Father (Rev. Fr.). Higher in bestowed honor and responsibility, Archpriests and Protopresbyters are styled as the Very Reverend (V. Rev.), while Archimandrites can be styled as the Very Reverend (V. Rev.) or as the Right Reverend (Rt. Rev.). It is also appropriate and traditional to refer to a clergyman as “the Priest [Name]” or “Archpriest [Name]”. This latter practice is especially prominent in Churches with Slavic roots, such as the Church of Russia and the Orthodox Church in America.

The wife of a priest will also have a special title, usually in the language of the jurisdiction of her husband, such as “presvytéra” or “mátushka”.

Sacramentally, all priests are equal. However, they are ranked and serve by seniority according to the date of their ordination.

Just as with bishops and deacons, there are distinctions of administrative rank among priests. A non-monastic priest can be bestowed the honor of Sakellários, Ekonómos, Archpriest, or Protopresbyter, while a monastic priest can be given the honor of Archimandrite or, in the Slavic traditions, Igumen. In the Russian Orthodox Church, an archpriest can be awarded the mitre, making him a Mitred Archpriest.

The full vestments of the priest are the stichárion, epitrachílion (stole), zóni (belt), epimaníkia (cuffs), and phelónion. When not serving at Liturgy, a priest may wear fewer vestments, but at least his stole.

The Stichárion is a long-sleeved tunic, worn by all degrees of clergy, that reaches all the way to the ground. It reminds the wearer that the grace of the Holy Spirit covers him as with a garment of salvation and joy. The stichárion of a priest has sleeves that are designed to be tucked under the cuffs, unlike those of deacons (and minor orders) which are heavier and designed to be worn over the cuffs.

The epitrachílion (stole; literally “around the neck”) is the principal vestment of a priest, and without it he cannot serve.

The epimaníkia (cuffs) are worn around the wrists, tied by a long cord, and are also worn by bishops and deacons. They serve the practical purpose of keeping the inner garments out of the way during the services. They also remind the wearer that he serves not by his own strength but with the help of God.

During the Liturgy (and when preparing to celebrate the Liturgy), the priest is vested in his full liturgical vestments. During services of the daily cycle, the priest is vested in an exórason (or ryássa) and stole, and tradition varies as to whether he additionally vests with cuffs, and at what point in a service he wears the phelónion.

The priest is permitted to wear a cassock (zóstiko, anterí) as a sign of his suppression of his own tastes, will and desires, and of his canonical obedience to God, his bishop, and the liturgical and canonical norms of the Church. Priests are also permitted to wear the exórason (or ryássa). In jurisdictions that utilise clergy shirts, priests generally wear a clergy shirt with collar.

In the Russian tradition, all priests wear the pectoral cross. In other traditions, a pectoral cross is given by the bishop in recognition of faithful service after a number of years. Similarly, in the Russian tradition priests may wear the black kamilávki (kalimafhi) in services, and the bishop may designate various colors of these for faithful service.

The Deacon is the third degree of the major orders of clergy in the Orthodox Church, following the bishop and the presbyter. The word deacon (in Greek διάκονος) means “one who serves”.

The duty of a deacon is to serve the community and to lead prayers. He must have the blessing of the presiding priest or bishop to put on his vestments and serve. A deacon may not celebrate the sacraments by himself; he may not give blessings; he may not consecrate the Holy Gifts.

In the Orthodox Church, the diaconate is not just a step to priesthood and many deacons have no intention of ever becoming priests regarding the diaconate as a permanent office, as a position for full or part time service to the work of the Church.

Originally deacons of the Church assisted the bishops in good deeds and works of charity. But at some time in recent centuries the diaconate became an almost exclusive liturgical function where the deacons only assist at the celebration of the Church services, helping in other areas like any other knowledgeable member of the laity.

Sacramentally, all deacons are equal. However, they are ranked and serve by seniority according to the date of their ordination.

Just as with bishops and presbyters, there are distinctions of administrative rank among deacons. A senior deacon of a cathedral or principal church may be awarded the title protodeacon and claim precedence when serving with other deacons. The chief deacon who is attached to the person of a bishop is called an archdeacon. A deacon who is also a monastic is called a hierodeacon.

For formal occasions (for example, in the heading of a letter or when introducing a speaker), one would politely address or refer to a deacon as “The Rev. Deacon [John Smith].” Deacon is often abbreviated Dcn. or Dn. (though the second is also used as an abbreviation for dean).

In informal settings, for example, in normal conversation, it is appropriate to simply refer to a deacon as “Deacon [John]”, “Father [John]”, or “Father Deacon [John]”, depending on the tradition.

Deacons cannot bless, so it is inappropriate to ask a deacon for his blessing; blessings are given only by bishops and priests. In some traditions, however, such as in Greece, the deacon’s hand (as well as the hand of an abbess of a monastery or, occasionally, an unordained monastic) is sometimes kissed as a sign of respect for the Holy Spirit which operates through that person’s office. Neither kissing a deacon’s hand nor not kissing it is strictly “right” or “wrong.”

The vestments of the deacon are the stichárion, the orárion, and the epimaníkia.

All degrees of clergy wear the stichárion. The stichárion is a long-sleeved tunic that reaches all the way to the ground. It reminds the wearer that the grace of the Holy Spirit covers him as with a garment of salvation and joy. For deacons, the stichárion has wide sleeves and is made of a heavier fabric than that of the priest and bishop, who wear their sticharia under other vestments.

The second part of a deacon’s vestments is the orárion. The orárion is a narrow band of material that the deacon wears wrapped around his body and draped over his left shoulder. It represents the grace of the Holy Spirit that in ordination anoints the deacon like oil. It is the principal vestment of the deacon and without it he cannot serve. When the deacon leads the people in prayers or invites them to attention he holds one end of his orárion in his right hand and raises it. The priest’s epitrachelion and the bishop’s omophorion are specialized types of the orárion.

The final parts of a deacon’s vestments are the epimaníkia. The epimaníkia are cuffs that are worn around the wrists, tied by a long cord. These are also worn by the bishop and priest. They serve the practical purpose of keeping the inner garments out of the way during the services. They also remind the wearer that he serves not by his own strength but with the help of God.

Deacons are permitted to wear a cassock; this is done as a sign of his suppression of his own tastes, will and desires, and his canonical obedience to God, his bishop and the liturgical and canonical norms of the Church. Deacons are also permitted to wear the exóraso (or ryássa). In jurisdictions that utilize clergy shirts, deacons generally wear a clergy shirt with collar.

During services, the deacon is usually vested in a stichárion with an orárion that hangs over the left shoulder; with the exception of around the consecration of Communion, when the deacon will, for practicality, arrange his stichárion like a subdeacon.

The deacon ministers to, serves, the bishop and the priest in the divine services. This includes:

In some jurisdictions, a deacon may be blessed by his bishop and parish priest to distribute the Eucharist to the faithful, either from a second chalice at a regular liturgy where a priest is serving or in connection with a typika service that is celebrated when the priest is absent.

What a deacon does may depend on jurisdiction. In some cases the diaconate is a short interval before the priesthood. Where permanency or longevity in the diaconate is prized, deacons will often head educational programs and youth groups, perform hospital visitation, missionary work, and conduct social welfare projects.

In addition, to complete his duties, the deacon is permitted to touch the Table of Oblation, the Altar, and to move through the Royal Doors.