Alexei (Trader)


Alexei

The Right Reverend
Bishop of Sitka and Alaska
ArchdioceseOrthodox Church in America Diocese of Alaska
SeeAlaska
InstalledMarch 15, 2022
Term endedIncumbent
PredecessorDavid (Mahaffey)
Other post(s)Bishop of Bethesda
Orders
Ordination1996 (diaconate)
2001 (priesthood)
ConsecrationJanuary 25, 2020
Personal details
BornFebruary 24, 1965
DenominationEastern Orthodox
ResidenceSaint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary
Alma materFranklin & Marshall College
University of Chicago
Monastary of Saint Tikhon
University of Thessaloniki

Alexei (Trader)[1][2], or Alexis,[3] is the current Bishop of the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of Alaska.[4]

Early life and education

Alexei was born on February 24, 1965, to a pious Christian household and attended a Roman Catholic parochial school as a child. He attended Franklin & Marshall College and the University of Chicago where he obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a masters in religion, respectively. He also obtained a masters of divinity at Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary and a doctorate in patristic studies and psychology from the University of Thessaloniki.[4][5]


In 1990, Alexei began his monastic life as a rasophore at Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery where he also taught courses. In 1995, he went to Greece in Mount Athos to Karakallou Monastery. In 1996, he was ordained to the diaconate, to the priesthood in 2001, and to the episcopate on January 25, 2020.[5]

Priesthood

In 2018, Alexei was called back from Greece on invitation from Metropolitan Tikhon in order to serve as bishop. On November 12, 2019, he was elected Bishop of Bethesda. He was elected Bishop of Sitka and Alaska on March 15, 2022, and enthroned on March 27, 2022, at Saint Innocent Cathedral in Anchorage.[3][4][5]

References