Orthodox bishop of New England (born 1947)
Benedict Churchill (born April 19, 1947) is the bishop of the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of New England since 2023.[1]
Early life and education
Benedict was born as William Churchill on April 19, 1947, the eldest of six in an Irish Roman Catholic household in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.[1] He was baptized in St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Locust Gap, Pennsylvania. He briefly became a benedictine monk while studying Byzantine and medieval history at St. John's University of Minnesota in 1969, where he received a Bachelors of Arts. He also obtained a licentiate of Mediaeval Studies from the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto in 1975, a Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in 1979, and a Masters in Divination from St Vladimir's Seminary in Yonkers, New York in 2010.[2]
Benedict became interested in Eastern Orthodoxy during his studies as a student. He was received into the Orthodox Church on September 17, 1983 at St Mary's Orthodox Church in Stamford, Connecticut after the insistence of an orthodox friend.[1]
Before becoming a priest, Benedict worked as an adjunct at Fordham University and New York University, and for Xerox Corporation from 1983 to 2006.[3]
Bishop
Benedict was elected Bishop of Boston and New England on November 7, 2023, four years since the death of its previous bishop. He was consecrated on December 2, 2023.[1][4]
References
