Diocese of Western America

Eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North America

The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America or Western American Diocese is a Serbian Orthodox Church diocese located in the United States. Its headquarters are in Alhambra, California. The primary mission of the Diocese of Western America is to preserve and foster the faith, heritage, traditions, and culture, and religious and national values of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and to provide spiritual guidance to more than 600,000 Serbian-Americans in almost 50 churches, parishes, monasteries and children's summer camps in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

Bishop

Bishop Maxim (Vasiljević) was elected Bishop of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South American at the regular assembly of the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, Serbia in 2006. Bishop Maxim is professor of Patristics at the Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade, and was teaching Christian Anthropology and Sociology at the University of East Sarajevo and Patrology at the St. Sava School of Theology in Libertyville, Illinois. Bishop Maxim graduated from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade, in 1993. He completed his Masters of Theology at the University of Athens in 1996, and then three years later, in 1999, at the same university, he defended his doctorate in the field of Dogmatics and Patristics. He worked for one year on his post-doctorate in Paris and the Sorbonne in 2003-04, in the field of Byzantine History and Hagiography. During this time, he also delved in the theory and practical application of painting at the French Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. Bishop Maxim speaks Greek, French, Russian and English. He was the editor of “Theology” – Journal of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Belgrade. He also leads the Diocesan iconographical school inspired by Byzantine and Serbian medieval fresco painting and by Fr. Stamatis Skliris. Bishop Maxim’s scholarly books, studies, and articles include essays on Holy Fathers and Saints; he has also written on the hagiographical and iconographical themes.

External links

• Diocese of Western America