True Vestige of the Antiochian Orthodox Church: Election of new Metropolitan Archbishop of North America
The Election of Metropolitan Mark Anthony as the VI Archbishop of North America and Most Honorable Exarch of Africa of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Antioch held on Saturday July 22, 2023 on the feast of Hieromartyr Pancratius, Bishop of Taorminia in Sicily (1st Century). July 10, 7531 Church Calendar
Metropolitan Mark Anthony was recently formally ‘Elected’ by Genuine Antiochian Orthodox Synod to be the 6th Archbishop of North America. The election endorses the Reposed Metropolitan Stephen’s nomination of Bishop Mark as the new Archbishop, in a ceremony that has been part of the statutory process for appointing senior bishops in the Church of North America since 1958.
The Election ceremony was held at St Cyprian Monastery, Sharon PA with Seven Bishops present and 2 joined via video conference while one sent his vote due to distance.
As required by the 1958 Appointment of Bishops Act, the proclamation below, issued by His Eminence, Archbishop Timotheus, as the Vice President of the Holy Synod, was published at the end of the Election ceremony to announce the result.
“In the name of the Holy Synod, We, Archbishop Timotheus, being the Hegumen of the Monastery of Saint Cyprian and Vicar General of the Primate and the Vice President of the Holy Synod of the Genuine Orthodox Church of Antioch in America.
“Being required publicly to notify and declare that the See of the Archbishopric of North America having been for some time vacant by the repose of the Most Reverend Stephen Thomas last Archbishop thereof.
“We, the said Holy Synod of this Autocephalous Church (in pursuance of and proceeding according to the bull of Ecclesia establishment by His Holiness Ignatius Peter III, Patriarch of Antioch) have this day Elected the Most Reverend + Mark Anthony Metropolitan of Harrisburg and the Archbishop of Nigeria to be our Archbishop and Metropolitan in this Autocephalous Archiepiscopal See of North America whom God long preserve.
“Read in the Holy Monastery of Saint Cyprian, Sharon PA the twenty third day of July in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-three, By us, Hegumen of St Cyprian Monastery and Archbishop of Pennsylvania.”
Archbishop Mark’s appointment as Archbishop will be completed in the Confirmation of Election ceremony to be held on Seventh Sunday of Saint Matthew 24th at 10:30am in a Divine Liturgy, the feast of The Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos of Pochaev, Icon of the Mother of God (July 11, 7531 Church Calendar) that will be broadcast entirely via video conference. The service will be available on the Church website at www.genuineorthodoxchurch.org and on the Church YouTube channel. Arrangements for Metropolitan Mark’s enthronement service at Saint Cyprian Monastery will be announced later in the year.
