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The future Archbishop Benjamin was born Basil Basalyga on [[January 11]], 1887 in Olyphant, a borough in the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania where many emigrants from the Galician and Carpatho-Russian areas of central Europe had come to work in the coal mines. As a youth he was very active in the life of the church. When the first [[missionary]] school of the Russian mission was opened in Minneapolis in 1897, young Basil was among its first students, graduating in 1902. Upon graduation, he was given a position as instructor of the school’s school's preparatory class. After moving back to Pennsylvania, he served a choir director and parish teacher in Charleroi and Pittsburgh until 1905. Then, with the opening of the new [[seminary]] in Minneapolis in 1905, he returned to Minnesota as a student.

In 1910, Basil became seriously sick, and upon recovering, he entered [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)| St. Tikhon's Monastery]] in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. In 1911, he was [[tonsure]]d a [[monk]] and given the name Benjamin. On [[April 2]], 1911 he was [[ordination|ordained]] [[deacon]] in Brooklyn, New York by [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York |Abp. Platon]] and then, on [[April 9]], 1911, the archbishop ordained him a [[priest]] at St. Tikhon’s Tikhon's Monastery.

After his ordination, Fr. Benjamin became a sort of traveling priest, serving for short times at many [[parish]]es throughout the United States. These included parishes in Chicago, Illinois; [[Ss. Cyril and Methodius Church (Hartshorne, Oklahoma)|Hartshorne, Oklahoma]]; Pueblo, Colorado; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition, he helped organize parishes in Akron, Ohio; Spring Valley, New York; and Bellaire, Ohio. In 1919, Fr. Benjamin was raised in rank to [[igumen]] and appointed dean of the Scranton, Pennsylvania area. The next year, Fr, Benjamin was elevated to [[archimandrite]] and appointed administrator of the parishes in Canada.

On [[September 9]], 1933, [[Hieromonk]] Benjamin was elected bishop by the [[Holy Synod]] of Bishops of the [[Metropolia]], and on [[September 10]], he was consecrated to the [[episcopate ]] at the [[Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral]] in New York City, thus becoming the first bishop of the Orthodox Church born in America. He was then assigned as Bishop of [[Diocese of Western Pennsylvania (OCA)|Pittsburgh and West Virginia]]. In 1938, Bp. Benjamin was sent as a delegate from the Metropolia to the All-Russian Sobor of the Church outside of Russia at a Sremski-Karlovtsy, Yugoslavia. In 1946, having been raised to the dignity of Archbishop, Abp. Benjamin was assigned to lead the Church in Japan, which had been placed under the protection of the American Metropolia after the Japanese surrender in World War II. In this position he led the [[Church of Japan]] in its recovery from the devastation from the war. In 1953, he was succeeded by [[Ireney (Bekish) of New York|Bp. Ireney]] and returned to his Pittsburgh diocese. On [[October 22]], 1961, during the celebration of his fiftieth anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, Abp. Benjamin ordained the monk [[Theodosius (Lazor) of Washington|Theodosius (Lazar) ]] to the priesthood. Fr. Theodosius would in time succeed to his see as Bishop of Pittsburgh.

Abp. Benjamin died on [[November 15]], 1963 in New York City during the sessions of the Eleventh [[All -American Sobor]]. He was buried at the cemetery of St. Tikhon’s Tikhon's Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

after=?[[Dionysius (Diachenko) of Pittsburgh|Dionysius (Diachenko)]]}}

before= ?Dionysius (Diachenko)|

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