July 18, His Grace, Bishop Daniel, was newly elected by the Holy Synod as Bishop of Chicago and the Diocese of the Midwest. He is worthy and then some. He is kind, very knowledgeable, and blessed with the ability to know when to move forward and when to pull back. I am a huge fan of Bishop Daniel’s and am incredibly happy for him. AXIOS!!!
The Right Reverend Daniel
Bishop of Chicago and the Midwest
In 1992, he was asked by his bishop to pursue further studies and, in 1995, he completed the academic work and received a degree in canon law (JCL) from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. His relationship with Orthodoxy continued as he continued research within the context of the Orthodox Church councils. During this time, he seriously contemplated conversion to Orthodox Christianity—a difficult decision given his background and ties. Ultimately, it was his study of canon law that impelled him to respond to the call to embrace Orthodox Christianity.
After completing his course of studies in canon law, he returned to his diocese and was assigned to the Diocesan Tribunal, as well as to a small mission parish in a rural setting. During this period, his feelings and perceptions about Catholicism, based upon years of personal experience and reinforced through informal and formal study, were confirmed, while his growing love and appreciation for the Orthodox Church were increasingly confirmed and strengthened.
He petitioned to be received into the Orthodox Church in America in 1997 and was vested as an Orthodox priest by His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco and the West at the Monastery of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco on the Saturday of the Praises of the Theotokos the same year, after which he served briefly at Saint Nicholas Church, Saratoga, CA before his assignment to Saint Paul the Apostle Church, Las Vegas, NV. In August 1998, he was transferred to the omophorion of His Eminence, Archbishop Peter and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey and assigned Rector of Saint Gregory Palamas Mission, Flemington, NJ, where he gained a new appreciation for the hard work and special challenges faced by mission priests. In 2000, he was appointed Secretary to His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius and, later, to His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman. He also served on several Church committees and commissions, including the Canons and Statute Commission, the Statute Revision Task Force, the Legal Advisory Board, and the Canonization Commission, and in numerous other capacities.
In December 2005, he expressed his desire to return to parish ministry and, in July of the following year, he was transferred to the Diocese of San Francisco and the West and appointed Rector of Saints Peter and Paul Church, Phoenix, AZ, which he continues to serve. In October 2006, he was elected as a member of the Diocesan Council.
On October 21, 2014, the Holy Synod elected him to serve as auxiliary to His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West as Bishop of Santa Rosa, CA. He was consecrated to the episcopacy on January 24, 2015.
On July 18, 2022, he was canonically elected by the Holy Synod of Bishops as Bishop of Chicago and the Diocese of the Midwest.
Axios!
His interview with Fr. Soroka on AFR last evening was very good. Clearly he is bright and articulate. My hope is his actions and leadership are strong and steady, that he pushes back when pushed – if you know what I mean. He gave evidence of that in the interview.
May God bless his ministry and guide him in all His Wisdom and strength.
Fr. Soroka is a very solid priest.
Axios
First the election of Bishop Alexis and now Bishop Daniel, the OCA has been making some top-notch choices for bishops lately.
Don’t forget Bishop Gerasim.
There was a day when these fine bishops were persecuted by the left but God wins!
How could I forget Bishop Gerasim!
I credit meeting him as a big reason why I converted to Orthodoxy.
Really? You never told us that. That’s wonderful!
Yep! He was the first Orthodox priest I ever met with. My bad, thought I had mentioned it in passing but could be wrong lol.
I was meant to meet with Fr. John at the cathedral but happened to run into Bishop Gerasim on the way in. Ironically he had just returned from a pastoral visit to my small hometown in a completely different state, which I took as Divine Providence.
He took me into the cathedral and sat me down and we talked for a good long while and he answered all my questions. Between sitting in the beautiful cathedral and talking to him I knew I had to be Orthodox.
Yep! He was the first Orthodox priest I ever met with. My bad, thought I had mentioned it in passing but could be wrong lol.
I was meant to meet with Fr. John at the cathedral but happened to run into Bishop Gerasim on the way in. Ironically he had just returned from a pastoral visit to my small hometown in a completely different state, which I took as Divine Providence.
He took me into the cathedral and sat me down and we talked for a good long while and he answered all my questions. Between sitting in the beautiful cathedral and talking to him I knew I had to be Orthodox.
Yep, that’s the way it goes. Then Abbot Gerasim married us in that cathedral with Bishop Alexander’s blessing. The first time I saw it I whispered to George, “This is beautiful! I want to be married here.” – God is good.
That is a sweet story <3 Glory to God!
Yes, I agree…AXIOS! I’ve already dealt with Bishop Daniel as our new diocesan hierarch, and find him to be a fine spiritual man.
The only bishop I’ve ever met that wore a collared shirt and blue jeans. :/
Well, he’s been living in AZ. That’s pretty common there.
So, not a modernist?
If I had to guess, I would say no. I’ve always been a fan. I really like the guy.
A priest, at least, should wear black jeans… 🙂
Germanus,
Take a listen. I think you’ll be pleased.
https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/aftodaylive/being_a_bishop_history_duties_authority
Since Bishop Daniel has a long history with Catholic Church, do you know anything about his approach to the problem of ecumenism in the Orthodox Church? Thank you!
https://orthochristian.com/147929.html
Now along with the laypeople in Greece there is a disciple of St. Paisios, Elder Gabriel, calling for the blockade of the layman Dumenko from visiting Greece.
When Ireonemos & Bartholomew concelebrate with Dumenko, because they will ignore the warning, then they should be anathematized.
From the Athonite elders:
Agreed.
You know, in the political sphere, they talk about “the curse of Zelensky.” So far, every political who has sided with him has had their career destroyed.
Perhaps there’s a “curse of Dumenko” as well?
If there is a curse of Dumenko it sure does move slower then the Elensky version.
The good news is, even though Bartholomew is still on the throne, he has all but lost any spiritual or moral authority he might have once held. From my understanding he is also very unpopular among Greeks in Greece itself.
What he has accomplished is causing the Church to ask itself “do we actually need an Ecumenical Patriarch.”
His successor, should it actually be someone who is “orthodox,” is going to have a mighty hard time re-convincing the rest of the Church of its relevance and necessity.
Well, if it’s Emmanuelle…?
All bets are off. I think the bishops are probably looking at this whole thing because I can’t see it getting any better. If they don’t do something soon, the Orthodox Church in our part of the world is going to slip into the abyss and then will all leave. (So says, Gailina, the Monomakhos Prophetess.)
At least the Greeks are serious about their Faith still:
If only American Greeks cared this much
I think it won’t completely die, people will just flock to ROCOR like they’re already doing.
I will say a spot of good news though, I was visiting a city here in the Southeast over the wknd and went to liturgy at an OCA parish, it was packed to the brims, more than I’ve ever seen it.
All I would say at that point is what St Maximos the Confessor said when he was told that “everybody is adhering to the Monothelite heresy, even the Pope, the Patriarch, and the Emperor: ‘Then I am the Church.'”
Amen!
My wife and I were fortunate late last November to visit SS. Peter & Paul in Phoenix, where Bp. Daniel served the liturgy and gave a first-class homily. The Diocese of Chicago will be blessed by his leadership, to be sure.
“[D]o we actually need an Ecumenical Patriarch?”
Sure we do, just like we need a theological school at Halki, or a monastery with an abbot and no monks, or metropolitans of non-existant places.
Ridiculous, isn’t it? It’s not what it used to be and the Ecumenical Patriarchate has become a serious liability to the Church.
Thank you for this. After listening to the podcast interview with Fr. Tom, I am very encouraged and have to agree this headline seems apt.
It seems to me we lost a good Bishop, but have been very blessed with our new Bishop. This is something I do not take for granted. May God grant Bp. Daniel many years, and may the Lord raise up more such faithful men to serve in this capacity in our tumultuous times!