Alejo (Pacheco y Vera) of Mexico City

His Grace, the Right Reverend Bishop Alejo (Pacheco y Vera) of Mexico City is the bishop of the OCA’s Exarchate of Mexico. He succeeded Bishop Jose who reposed in the 1980s.

Life

The future Bishop Alejo was born in Mexico on September 6, 1954, the son of Eusebio Pacheco and Maria C. Cera-Villeda. He was received into the Orthodox faith on August 1, 1972. He pursued studies of Orthodox theology under programs offered by Metr. Antonio Chedraoui, the Antiochian Orthodox Bishop of Mexico City. which led him to enter the monastic community. On July 8, 1978, he was tonsured a monk by Bishop Jose of Mexico City with the name Alejo.

On January 14, 1979, he was ordained deacon and assigned to the Cathedral of the Ascension of Our Lord (Catedral de la Ascension del Senor) in Mexico City. He was ordained a priest on March 1, 1981. While continuing to serve at the cathedral, he served the many missions throughout the State of Chaipas.

In 2001, be was elevated to the monastic rank of igumen by the Synod of Bishops. Two years later he was elevated to archimandrite. On May 28, 2005, Archimandrite Alejo was consecrated Bishop of Mexico City, auxiliary to Metropolitan Herman, at St Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, following his election by the Synod of Bishops in March 2005.

Sources

• Archimandrite Alejo consecrated Bishop of Mexico City
• Various OCA news items