John (Abdalah) of Worcester
His Grace the Right Reverend Bishop John (Abdalah) of Worcester and New England is an auxiliary bishop of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, overseeing the Diocese of Worcester and New England.
Life
Early years
Bishop John was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. His home parish was St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. From an early age, he had a desire to serve Christ through the holy priesthood and so, after college, he attended St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary near New York City. While in seminary, he became engaged to Joanne Josephs to whom he was married in August 1978. He was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood shortly afterwards.
Fr. John and Kh. Joanne are the parents of three children, Gregory, Joseph, and Maria.
Unfortunately, on May 25, 2008, after a long battle with cancer, Kh. Joanne reposed.
Priesthood
After his ordination, Fr. John was assigned to the Antiochian parish in Little Falls, New Jersey, where he served for a year, after which point he was transferred to New Kensington, Pennsylvania, where he served for sixteen years, and then to the St. George Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he served for another sixteen years.
For the last fourteen years, he has been the editor of The Word magazine. Bp. John has also served as advisor to Antiochian Women and the Fellowship of St. John the Divine. He has also taught Antiochian seminarians at the annual Antiochian House of Studies and is seen as a mentor to seminarians, bringing with him the wisdom of long pastoral experience and practice.
After his wife's repose, Fr. John was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip (Saliba).
Episcopacy
In 2011, at the convention of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Fr. John was elected as one of three new auxiliary bishops, and assigned to the Diocese of Worcester and New England.
After this decision was accepted by the Holy Synod of Antioch, Fr. John and the other two bishops-elect, Fr. Anthony Michaels and Fr. Nicholas Ozone, were consecrated at the Balamand Monastery on December 11, 2011.
External links
- [1] (official biography)
- Diocese of the Worcester and New England (Archdiocese site)
| John (Abdalah) of Worcester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: — |
Bishop of Worcester and New England (Antiochian) 2011-present |
Succeeded by: — |
