Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Western America

The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Western America or Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America (Serbian: Српска православна епархија западноамеричка) is a Serbian Orthodox Church diocese located in the western region of the United States. Its headquarters are in Alhambra, California. The stated primary mission of the Diocese of Western America is to preserve and foster the faith, heritage, traditions, and culture, and religious and national values of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and to provide spiritual guidance to more than 600,000 Serbian-Americans in almost 50 churches, parishes, monasteries and children's summer camps in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. It also covers the territory of Mexico.

Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Western America
Entrance to St. Steven's Cathedral, Alhambra
Location
Territory	western region of the United States
Headquarters	Alhambra, California
Information
Denomination	Eastern Orthodox
Sui iuris church	Serbian Orthodox Church
Established	1963
Cathedral	St. Steven's Cathedral, Alhambra
Language	Church Slavonic Serbian English
Current leadership
Bishop	Maksim Vasiljević
Map
Website
Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Western America

Bishop

Maksim Vasiljević was elected bishop of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South American at the regular assembly of the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, Serbia in 2006. Bishop Maksim is a professor of Patristics at the Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade and was teaching Christian Anthropology and Sociology at the University of East Sarajevo and Patrology at the St. Sava School of Theology in Libertyville, Illinois. Vasiljević graduated from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade, in 1993. He completed his master's of theology degree at the University of Athens in 1996, and then three years later, in 1999, at the same university, he defended his doctorate in the field of Dogmatics and Patristics. He worked in the field of Byzantine History and Hagiography as a post-graduate in Paris and the Sorbonne in 2003–04. During this time, he also delved into the theory and practical application of painting at the French Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. He speaks Serbian, Greek, French, Russian, and English. He was the editor of Theology – Journal of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade. He also leads the Diocesan iconographical school inspired by Byzantine and Serbian medieval fresco painting and by Fr. Stamatis Skliris. Bishop Maksim's scholarly books, studies, and articles include essays on Holy Fathers and Saints; he has also written on hagiographical and iconographical themes.

See also

The episcopal headquarters of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Western America are at Saint Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Alhambra, California, the monastic residence of bishop Maksim Vasiljević. Monasteries include:

• St. Nilus Island Skete
• St. Archangel Michael Skete
• Saint Herman of Alaska Monastery
• St. Xenia Serbian Orthodox Skete
• Monastery of the Meeting of the Lord (Escondido, California)
• Holy Resurrection (Fallbrook, California)
• Monastery of St. Paisius, Safford
• Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Latin America
• St. Sava Church (Douglas, Alaska)

Sources

• Vuković, Sava (1998). History of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada 1891–1941. Kragujevac: Kalenić.