New Skete Monastics at Ordination of Bishop Alexis

By Sister Cecelia

In January, Brother Christopher and I were invited to attend the ordination of the newly elected auxiliary bishop for Metropolitan Tikhon, Father Alexis (Trader), in Washington, D.C., at St Nicholas Cathedral. Bishop Alexis will help the Metropolitan with all the duties connected with Stavropegial institutions and monasteries in the OCA. While most of the monasteries in the OCA are directly under the bishop of the diocese, about six or seven, including New Skete, are directly under the Metropolitan. 

Despite the unpredictable effect of winter weather on travel, we decided to fly, and fortunately everything worked out without a hitch. When we arrived at our hotel in the early afternoon, Br Christopher was able to get in his exercise regimen, and I enjoyed a few hours of quiet meditation before we walked to St Nicholas for the special Vesper service on the eve of the ordination. For many of us it was the first time we had seen Father Alexis. To help us know him better, the chancery had posted an enlightening autobiographical essay several weeks prior to the ordination. That gave us some perspective on his life.  At Vespers, Father Alexis gave a talk on why he chose to accept the privilege but also the responsibilities of being a bishop, and he asked for guidance from the Holy Spirit to enable him to both be faithful to the traditions of the Church and also have the flexibility needed in today’s culture in his ministry.

The next morning we walked again to the cathedral, arriving about an hour before the beginning of the ordination. That gave me plenty of time to walk slowly around the cathedral and take in its great beauty. The icons are especially meaningful for me, and I was delighted to see a banner of our Lady of the Sign on one side of the altar area.  I tried discreetly to take a few pictures of the stained glass windows, as they too were quite impressive. I already had copies of the icons in the cathedral, which Br. Luke had sent me earlier when they were done. Father George, the pastor, was very gracious and welcoming, as were several of the parishioners we know from their visits to New Skete.  

In addition to the Metropolitan, there were five concelebrating hierarchs, and Br Christopher was invited to serve along with a number of other priests.  The entrance of the bishops from the back of the cathedral was quite impressive, and then Metropolitan Tikhon proceeded to be vested. The ordination then took place. Since a video was made of the ceremony, which can be seen on the OCA website, I won’t describe the rest of the ordination and the Divine Liturgy.  Suffice it to say that the cathedral was filled with Bishop Alexis’ family and friends, as well as many loyal parishioners, and the service itself was quite beautiful. At its conclusion, a banquet was hosted by Saint Tikhon’s Monastery at the nearby hall of St Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral, which gave some of the attendees a chance to converse with the hierarchs as well as the many friends who attended the occasion. Claire Nobles graciously gave me a ride to the hotel so I could pick up something there and then to the banquet, so I got to see a little more of Washington as we skirted around the different buildings. After the banquet Brother Christopher and I took an Uber to the airport and flew back home on an early evening flight. We returned with a very positive feeling and looking forward to seeing Bishop Alexis again.