The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia - Hieromonk Stefan (Sabelnik) Has Been Consecrated as Bishop of Trenton and North-America for the ROCOR

North American Diocese The Right Reverend STEFAN, Bishop of Trenton and North America Member of Synod of Bishops of the Russian True Orthodox Church

Link: http://rocor-trenton.info/en/pages/show/184/

Hieromonk Stefan (Sabelnik) Has Been Consecrated as Bishop of Trenton and North-America for the ROCOR

In accordance with the decision of the meeting of the ROCOR clergy and laity of North-America (United States and Canada), held on November 16^th, 2007 in the city of Trenton (New Jersey, USA), Hieromonk Stefan (Sabelnik), pastor of the Church of the Holy Assumption in Trenton, was consecrated to the episcopacy for the North-American Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. The consecration was held at the Church of the Cathedral of St. John of Kronstadt (in the city of Odessa) in the Odessa-Kharkov Eparchy of the Russian True-Orthodox Church, following the decision of the ROCOR clergy of North-America under the hierarchy of the Synod of the RTOC.

The consecration of Hieromonk Stefan was performed by the president of the Synod of the RTOC, Archbishop Tikhon of Omsk and Siberia, and by Bishop Germogen of Chernigov and Gomel.

In the evening of Sunday, December 17^th, in the presence of Archbishop Tikhon, the deputy of the synod Archbishop Veniamin, and Bishop Germogen, the establishment of Hieromonk Stefan to Bishop of Trenton took place, and in the morning of December 18^th was the consecration during the Divine Liturgy.

Clergy from the Eparchies of Odessa-Kharkov and Kuban and the Black Sea concelebrated. At the Divine Liturgy, in addition to monastics and parishoners of Odessa, were guests from Kharkov, Chernigov, Donetsk, and representatives of the women’s Lesna Convent in France. The consecration took place in the presence of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, which belongs to the Russian True-Orthodox Church.

As it was agreed during the meeting of the clergy and laity of ROCOR of North-America, the title for the first bishop to be ordained after the union of ROCOR (L) with the MP would be Bishop of Trenton and North-America of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.

Most notably, the candidacy of Bp. Stefan for the episcopacy was first put forth by the First-Hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan St. Philaret (Voznesensky) as well as by Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) of San-Francisco and was approved by the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR.

Vladyka Stefan, one of the longest-serving priests of ROCOR, has served as pastor of the Church of the Holy Assumption in Trenton for over 30 years. Born on September 28^th, 1947, he altar served with Archbishop Averky (Taushev) when he was seven years old, and later became a subdeacon for the same bishop at the Holy Trinity Monastery at Jordanville. In 1966, he enrolled in the Holy Trinity Theological Seminary. On April 27^th, 1967, he was tonsured a reader by Archbishop Averky, and on June 13^th, 1971, he graduated from the seminary with a BS in Theology. While studying at the seminary, every year for five years Bp. Stefan traveled to San-Francisco with his mentor, the iconographer Archimandrite Kyprian (Pyzhevy), to help paint the Holy Virgin Cathedral, built by St. John (Maximovitch). During the summer of 1971, he visited Mount Athos and the Holy Land. On January 6^th, 1973, he was ordained a deacon at the Holy-Trinity Monastery. On June 23^rd, 1975, he was ordained to the priesthood. On August 24, 1975, he was appointed by Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky) to be the prior of the Church of the Holy Assumption in Trenton, NJ. On September 3^rd, 1978, he was awarded the nabedrennik by the First-Hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky). In 1988, on the day of the celebration of the 1000-year anniversary of the baptism of Russia, Metropolitan Vitaly, the First-Hierarch of ROCOR, awarded Fr. Stefan Sabelnik the gold cross in the Church of St. Vladimir. On the 30^th anniversary his ordination to the priesthood, Fr. Stefan was awarded a jeweled cross.

Bishop Stefan’s parents, who came from the Kharkov region in Ukraine, left Russia during World War II. The catacomb priest Fr. Paul Volodin (1870-1954) came from the Kharkov region as well, and was canonized by the Russian Church Abroad as being among the New-Martyrs of Russia.

Bp. Stefan was born in Germany and was baptized in the ROCOR, and has devoted his entire life to pastoral ministry of the Church.