Maksim Vasiljević ( sr-cyr, Максим Васиљевић; born 27 June 1968 as Milan Vasiljević) is the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Eparchy of Western America of the

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...

Academic education and ecclesiastical career

He earned his doctorate from the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...

in the field of dogmatics and

patristics Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics e ...

in 1999 and was tonsured a monk at the

Tvrdoš Monastery The Tvrdoš Monastery () is a 15th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery near the city of Trebinje, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 4th-century foundations of the first Roman church on the site are still visible. The monastery, which ...

in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously, he had occupied the throne of the

vicar bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of Hum, in the

Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia The Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia () is a Metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolis of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Episcopal see, seated in Sarajevo. Since 2017, Metropolitan of Dabar and Bosnia is Hrizosto ...

. He entertained a one-year post-doctoral course on Byzantine History and Theology at the Sorbonne in Paris from 2003-4. At the same time, as a visiting professor at the French Academy of Fine Arts (Beaux-arts) in Paris, he dealt with the theory and practice of painting. He used to lecture at the Orthodox Theological Faculty in

Foča Foča ( sr-Cyrl, Фоча, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in the south-east on the banks of Drina river. As of 2013, the town has a population of 12,234 inhabitants, while the municipality has 1 ...

. He taught

Patristics Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics e ...

for thirteen years at the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

's School of Orthodox Theology. He is currently teaching at the

Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (HCHC) is a private Orthodox Christian liberal arts college and seminary in Brookline, Massachusetts. Its mission is to educate individuals for life and service in the Orthodox Ch ...

. He was enthroned by Bishop Longin of the New Gračanica Metropolitanate, in the Cathedral of St. Stefan the First-Crowned in

Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from "Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately east from the downtown Los Angeles civic center. It was incorporated on July 11, 190 ...

. He also succeeded Bishop Longin, who previously served as the Administrator of the diocese. Bishop Maksim was elected to the see of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America at the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, held sometime in May 2006. He has taught numerous courses on the writings of the Church Fathers and published widely in the field of patristics, hagiography, church history, and iconography. From 2005 to 2010, he was the editor of the Theology magazine, the official journal of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. He is the founder and editor of the publishing house Sevastijan Press, which has published about 200 books on theology, history, philosophy, and art (among others, by

Justin Popović Justin Popović ( sr-cyr, Јустин Поповић, , secular name Blagoje Popović, sr-cyr, Благоје Поповић; 6 April 1894 – 7 April 1979) was a Serbian Orthodox theologian, archimandrite of the Ćelije Monastery, Dostoyevs ...

Atanasije Jevtić Atanasije Jevtić (Serbian Cyrillic: Атанасије Јевтић; 8 January 1938 – 4 March 2021) was a Serbian Orthodox prelate who served as the bishop of Banat from 1991 until 1992, and the bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina from 1992 ...

John Zizioulas John Zizioulas (; ; 10 January 1931 – 2 February 2023) was a Greek Orthodox bishop who served as the Metropolitan of Pergamon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople from 1986 until his death in 2023. He was one of the most influent ...

Stamatis Skliris Stamatis () is a given name and surname of Greek origin, a diminutive of Stamatios (Σταμάτιος). Notable people with the name Stamatis include: Given name *Stamatis Benas (born 1985), Greek basketball player * Stamatis Kalamiotis (born 199 ...

, etc.). He is the founder and editor of the Serbica Americana foundation and website; he founded and edits the website Holy Ico

as well as the website and electronic magazine The Poetics of the Ico

dedicated to contemporary iconography, as well as the website of Bishop Athanasiu

He launched with a group of developers OrthoPrax (OrthoPrax) - the leading and most complete Orthodox iPhone and Android application in the world. He is the official representative of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Diaspora Assembly and Commission for Faith and Order of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

(Faith and Order WCC). He is the secretary of the Episcopal Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America. In addition to pastoral and academic work, he is engaged in painting. His paintings have been exhibited in Athens, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Belgrade, etc. His interest in Dostoevsky's characters resulted in a series of painting exhibitions with the group Ochra from Athen

He is the director and teacher of the Diocesan iconographic school inspired by Byzantine paintings and icons of Stamatis Skliris. He is the honorary president of the "Serbian Treasure" foundation. He is the editor of the Yearbook of the Diocese of Western America. He is one of the founders of the student magazine Logos (1991) and a long-time member of the editorial board of the magazine Vidoslov of the Diocese of Zahumlje and Herzegovina (1994–2003). He is the president of the Committee for Theological Education of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA and the spiritual father of the Orthodox Inter Seminary Movement (OISM).

Selected works

* * History, Truth, Holiness (Los Angeles, Sebastian Press: 2011) * Diary of the Council (Los Angeles-Crete 2016) * Holiness: Divine and Human (Belgrade: 2010, in Serbian) * Theology as a Surprise (New York, St. Vladimir Seminary Press: 2018) * Wonder as the Beginning of Faith (Brookline, Holy Cross Orthodox Press: 2022) * Saved by Beauty: Dostoevsky and America (Los Angeles, Sebastian Press 2022)

References

External links

Official website of the Serbian Diocese of Western America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasiljevic, Maksim 1968 births Living people People from Foča Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States Eastern Orthodox bishops in the United States Eastern Orthodox Christians from Bosnia and Herzegovina Academic staff of the University of Belgrade