Metropolitan Herman (born Joseph Swaiko, 1 February 1932 – 6 September 2022)
was the
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
of the
Orthodox Church in America
The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian church based in North America. The OCA is partly recognized as Autocephaly, autocephalous and consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, commun ...
(OCA). As the head of the OCA, he was the Archbishop of Washington and New York, and
Metropolitan of All America and Canada. He was elected Metropolitan on , replacing Metropolitan
Theodosius (Lazor)
Metropolitan Theodosius (secular name Frank Lazor; , Canonsburg, Pennsylvania) was the primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) from 1977 until his retirement in 2002. On , Metropolitan Theodosius (who had suffered a series of strokes) s ...
, who retired due to health problems related to a series of
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
s.
Biography
Joseph Swaiko was born in
Bairdford,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, to Wasil and Helen Heridish Swaiko. He had nine siblings, all born between 1919 and 1933.
He completed his primary and secondary education in the
West Deer Township school system, and enrolled in
Robert Morris College
Robert Morris University Illinois, formerly Robert Morris College, was a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1965 but its oldest ancestor was the Moser School founded in 1913. It changed its name to ...
. He graduated from Robert Morris with an
associate degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
in secretarial science. Upon graduation, he served as a company clerk in the
United States Army Adjutant General's Corps
The Adjutant General's Corps, formerly the Adjutant General's Department, is a branch of the United States Army first established in 1775. This branch provides personnel service support by manning the force, providing human resources services, c ...
, and was stationed in
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
.
After his honorable discharge from the army in 1959, he enrolled at
Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary
Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (russian: Свято-Тихоновская духовная семинария) is an Orthodox Christian seminary located in South Canaan Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. It is one of three semin ...
. There, in 1961, he was appointed personal secretary to bishop
Kiprian (Borisevich).
In March 1964, he was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
as a
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
and, on , was ordained a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
. Subsequently, he served on the seminary's administrative staff and was an instructor of
Church Slavonic
Church Slavonic (, , literally "Church-Slavonic language"), also known as Church Slavic, New Church Slavonic or New Church Slavic, is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzeg ...
. He also served as
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of St. John the Baptist Church in Dundaff and Sts. Peter and Paul Church in
Union Dale, Pennsylvania
Union Dale is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough was incorporated in 1885. Union Dale's population was 267 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Union Dale is located at (41.715974, -75.486995).
According to the ...
.
He was
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...
d as a
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
on , and received the name Herman in recognition of St.
Herman of Alaska
Herman of Alaska ( rus, Преподобный Ге́рман Аляскинский, r=Prepodobny German Alaskinsky; 1756 – November 15, 1837) was a Russian Orthodox monk and missionary to Alaska, which was then part of Russian America. His g ...
. On , Herman was elevated to the rank of
Igumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...
and was named Deputy
Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
of St.
Tikhon of Zadonsk
Tikhon of Zadonsk (secular name Timofey Savelyevich Sokolov, russian: Тимофей Савельевич Соколов; 1724–1783) was an 18th century Russian Orthodox bishop and spiritual writer whom the Eastern Orthodox Church glorified ( ...
Orthodox Monastery. In , Herman was raised to the rank of
Archimandrite
The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...
.
On , he was consecrated Bishop of
Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the secon ...
in his Cathedral Church of the Holy Resurrection and assigned as auxiliary bishop of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Archdiocese.
After the death of Archbishop Kiprian (Borisevich), Herman was elected Bishop of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
on , and Rector of Saint Tikhon's Seminary in . In 1994, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. From May to September 2001, Archbishop Herman served as the temporary administrator of the OCA, while Metropolitan Theodosius was on a medical leave of absence.
Election to Metropolitan
On , Metropolitan Theodosius (who had suffered a series of strokes) submitted a petition to the
Holy Synod
In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...
of the OCA requesting his
retirement
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
. The Holy Synod granted his request and announced an election for his replacement to be held on July 22, at the OCA's Thirteenth All-American Council in
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...
.
No candidate received the required two-thirds majority during the first round of voting, which necessitated a second round. During the second round, Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and Canada received the majority of votes, but again not the required two-thirds. Subsequently, the Holy Synod decided to elect Archbishop Herman (Metropolitan Theodosius was selected in a similar manner in 1977, having not received a two-thirds majority of votes).
Archbishop Herman was enthroned on , at a ceremony in St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
After numerous complaints of financial improprieties were lodged with the Holy Synod of the OCA, a Special Investigating Committee was established in under the chairmanship of Bishop Benjamin of the West. (see ''
Financial scandal in the Orthodox Church in America
The financial scandal in the Orthodox Church in America was a significant crisis of governance that shook the leadership of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) from 2005 to 2008.
Misuse of Church donations
In the autumn of 2005, the OCA administr ...
''). The final report was issued in November 2008. It detailed numerous dubious transactions and poor accounting practices. It recommended the replacement of Metropolitan Herman. Aware of this coming recommendation, Metropolitan Herman retired in September 2008.
Later life and death
Following his retirement Herman lived in a small residence on the grounds of St. Tikhon's Monastery in Pennsylvania where he died on 6 September 2022 aged 90 following a long illness.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swaiko, Herman
1932 births
2022 deaths
20th-century American clergy
20th-century Christian monks
20th-century Eastern Orthodox clergy
21st-century American clergy
21st-century Eastern Orthodox archbishops
Military personnel from Pennsylvania
People from West Deer Township, Pennsylvania
Primates of the Orthodox Church in America
Religious leaders from Pennsylvania