Archbishop Dmitri Royster was the first and only ruling bishop of the Diocese of the South from 1978 until his retirement on March 31, 2009. Archbishop Nikon of Boston, New England, and the Albanian Archdiocese initially served as locum tenens. As of March 21, 2015, Metropolitan Tikhon Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All American and Canada served as locum tenens with Bishop Gerasim (Eliel) of Ft. Worth as the Diocesan Administrator.[1][2] As of March 29, 2016, Bishop Alexander (Golitzin) current ruling bishop of the Bulgarian Diocese, has been elected by the Holy Synod to be the ruling bishop of the Diocese of the South, in addition to his current diocese.
Deaneries
The diocese is grouped geographically into six deaneries, each consisting of a number of parishes. Each deanery is headed by a parish priest, known as a dean. The deans coordinate activities in their area's parishes, and report to the diocesan bishop. The current deaneries of the Diocese of the South and their territories are:
Appalachian Deanery – Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia
Carolina Deanery – North Carolina and South Carolina
Central Florida Deanery – Florida
Southcentral Deanery – Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas