SAN FRANCISCO: September 8, 2008
The First Hierarch Grants the Episcopal Staff to Bishop Theodosius of Seattle

On Sunday, September 7, 2008, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in San Francisco along with His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany; His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America; His Grace Bishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada; His Grace Bishop Michael of Geneva and Western Europe; His Grace Bishop Peter of Cleveland, and His Grace Bishop John of Caracas. During the minor entrance, His Eminence granted the following awards: Protopriest Sergei Kotar with the ornamented cross; Hieromonk Nectarius, the right to wear a gold pectoral cross given by the Synod of Bishops and an elevation to the rank of hegumen; Priest Seraphim Bell, chairman of the newly-formed Synodal Missionary Department, was awarded the purple skufia; and Deacon Dimitry Jakimowicz was elevated to the rank of protodeacon. During “Holy God,” Metropolitan Hilarion and the other bishops consecrated Archimandrite Theodosius as Bishop of Seattle. At the appropriate point of the Liturgy, the newly-consecrated Bishop Theodosius ordained Subdeacon Philip Plowman as to the deaconate.