The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

WASHINGTON, DC: January 29, 2013
Bishop George of Mayfield Participates in the Enthronement of the Newly-Elected Primate of the Orthodox Church in America

On Sunday, January 27, 2013, His Beatitude, the Most Blessed Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, was enthroned at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, DC. He is the sixth Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, elected on November 13, 2012, during the 17th All-American Council in Parma, OH.

During Divine Liturgy which included the Rite of Enthronement, His Beatitude was joined by other bishops of the OCA as well as His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Brooklyn (Antiochian Patriarchate), His Eminence Archbishop Justinian of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Grace Bishop George of Mayfield of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and His Eminence Archbishop Dimitri, Metropolitan of Batumi and Lazeti of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

At the end of the service, Bishop George read a congratulatory message from His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and gave him a gift of a holy panaghia and a copy of the Myrrh-streaming “Hawaiian” Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.

Born Marc R Mollard in Boston, MA, on July 15, 1966, Metropolitan Tikhon was the eldest of three children born to Francois and Elizabeth Mollard. In 1988 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Sociology from Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, after which he moved to Chicago.

In 1989 he was received into the Orthodox Church from Episcopalianism and, in the fall of the same year, he began studies at St Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA. One year later he entered the monastic community at St Tikhon’s Monastery as a novice. He was awarded the Master of Divinity degree from St Tikhon’s Seminary in 1993, after which he was appointed Instructor in Old Testament and subsequently Senior Lecturer in Old Testament, teaching Master level courses in the Prophets and the Psalms and Wisdom Literature.

In 1995, he was tonsured to the Lesser Schema with the name Tikhon, in honor of Saint Patriarch Tikhon, Enlightener of North America. Later that year, he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate and holy priesthood at St Tikhon’s Monastery. In 1998 he was elevated to the rank of hegumen, and in 2000, to the rank of archimandrite.

In December, 2002, he was named Deputy Abbot of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery. Two years later—on February 14, 2004—he was consecrated to the episcopacy at St Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery Church. On May 9, 2012, he was elevated to the dignity of Archbishop.