Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington

Metr. Jonah at his election as metropolitan

His Eminence, the Most Reverend Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington was the primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) until the Holy Synod of Bishops requested and accepted His Eminence's resignation on July 7, 2012. He was elected as metropolitan on November 12, 2008, and was formally enthroned on December 28, 2008, in Washington, D.C. Metr. Jonah is also the first convert to the Orthodox faith to be elected as the OCA's primate.

Life

James Paffhausen was born in Chicago, Illinois, and baptized into the Episcopal Church. His family later moved to La Jolla, California, near San Diego. In 1978, he was received into the Orthodox Church at Our Lady of Kazan Church (Moscow Patriarchate) while studying at the University of California - San Diego. James later transferred to UC - Santa Cruz and helped to establish an OCF chapter there.

After graduation from UCSC, James went on to study at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, graduating in 1985 with an M.Div. and again in 1988 with an M.Th. in Dogmatic Theology. In 1989, he began doctoral studies at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, but interrupted his studies to spend a year in Russia, working for Russkiy Palomnik in the publishing arm of the Moscow Patriarchate. During his time in Russia, he was introduced to Russian spirituality and its particular form of monastic life.

He eventually joined Valaam Monastery as a novice, coming under the spiritual direction of Archimandrite Pankratiy, the monastery's abbot. Fr. Pankratiy's spiritual father, Elder Kyrill of Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, later blessed James to become a hieromonk.

In 1994, James was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood, and then in the following year, he was tonsured a monastic at St. Tikhon's Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, receiving the name Jonah.

Hmk. Jonah returned to his home state of California, serving a number of mission parishes there and later given the obedience to establish a monastery. In 1996, St. John of San Francisco Monastery was founded in Point Reyes, California (later moving to Manton). During his tenure as abbot, Fr. Jonah grew the monastic community to more than fifteen members. In 1995, as a new priest, he was initially assigned to the existing Saint Mary Magdalene mission parish in Merced, CA by Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald). He later worked to establish Californian missions in Sonora, Chico, Eureka, Redding, and Susanville, among others, and in Kona, Hawaii.

In 2008, Fr. Jonah was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and was then sent from the monastery to take on the duties of being an auxiliary bishop for the OCA's Diocese of the South. In September of that year, he was officially elected to that position, and then on November 1 consecrated in Dallas as Bishop of Fort Worth, led by Abp. Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas, then locum tenens of the OCA's metropolitan see.

Eleven days later, on November 12, Bishop Jonah was elected Metropolitan of the OCA at the 15th All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America in Pittsburgh. His formal enthronement in Washington, D.C., was on December 28, 2008, at St. Nicholas Cathedral.

After an episcopate that became increasingly controversial, Metr. Jonah submitted a resignation as the first hierarch of the OCA on July 6, 2012. On July 16, 2012, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the OCA issued a "Statement from the Holy Synod Regarding the Resignation of Metropolitan Jonah". In 2015, Metropolitan Jonah was granted a release into ROCOR.

Succession box: Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington
Preceded by: founding abbot	Abbot of the Monastery of St. John of San Francisco 1996-2008	Succeeded by: Meletios (Webber)
Preceded by: new creation	Bishop of Fort Worth (OCA) 2008	Succeeded by: —
Preceded by: Herman (Swaiko)	Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada (OCA) 2008-2009	Succeeded by: Michael (Dahulich) Bishop of New York and New Jersey
Preceded by: —	Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada (OCA) 2009-2012	Succeeded by: Tikhon (Mollard)

Help with box

Sources

• "Archimandrite Jonah (Paffhausen) consecrated Bishop of Fort Worth and Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of the South", OCA News & Events
• "Bishop Jonah of Fort Worth Elected Metropolitan of All America and Canada"

External links

• Official biography, from the OCA website
• Consecration of Bishop Jonah (photographs)
• Monastery of St. John of San Francisco, where Metr. Jonah was abbot for 12 years
• Orthodox Church in America selects new Metropolitan (video), from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Written works

• Official statements, speeches, etc., from the OCA website
• Writings and Talks, from St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco Monastery
• Five Good Reasons NOT to Visit a Monastery, from Again magazine
• Perspectives on Orthodoxy in America (editorials from Divine Ascent)
• The Eternal Liturgy: Worship in the Orthodox Tradition, from re:generation Quarterly
• The Doors of Repentance: The Journey of the Holy Order of MANS/Christ the Saviour Brotherhood and the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood into the Canonical Orthodox Church, from Again magazine
• Episcopacy, Primacy and the Mother Churches: A Monastic Perspective] (from a meeting of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius) (2008)
• Acceptance speech, at his election as auxiliary bishop of Fort Worth

Audio recordings

• "The Path to Prayer": Part 1, Part 2: "Do Not React," Q&A, Part 3: "Do Not Resent", Part 4: "Keep Inner Stillness", Part 5: "Keep Inner Stillness" (cont'd), Q&A (February 2008)
• From Ancient Faith Radio
  • Interview on the Jesus Prayer: Part 1, Part 2 (2007)
  • Interview on Monasticism (2007)
  • Interview on the Healing of the Human Person: Part 1, Part 2 (2007)
  • Interview on Why Be a Monk (2007)
  • Episcopacy, Primacy and the Mother Churches: A Monastic Perspective] (from a meeting of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius) (2008)
  • From the 15th All-American Council (2008)
    • Remarks, addressing moving forward after the OCA scandals (the night before his election)
    • Interview after election as metropolitan
    • Vision for the Future
• From Psychology to Spirituality (CD set)