Beloved St. Vladimir’s Seminary alumnus and faculty member Archimandrite Vasily (Permiakov) has joined the ranks of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). His Grace Bishop Vasily was ordained to the episcopacy Saturday, August 16, 2025, with His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon presiding over the hierarchical Divine Liturgy and episcopal ordination rites at San Francisco’s historic Holy Trinity Cathedral.
The Holy Synod had elected then-Archimandrite Vasily as Bishop of San Francisco and the West during a special session convened at the 21st All-American Council on July 16, 2025, following his nomination by the Diocese of the West.
“Today, as we celebrate the feast of the holy image of Edessa, the holy icon of Christ Not-Made-by-Hands, I remind and exhort you that the bishop is called to present an icon of Christ to his flock—not an icon of wood and paint, but a living icon,” said His Beatitude to Bishop Vasily on Saturday. “As an overseer and archpastor of the Church, the bishop must be the first to show forth Christ in his words and actions, through his entire way of life. You must emulate, incarnate, and become the Good Shepherd who today calls you to episcopal service.”
Read the full text of His Beatitude’s Exhortation
Hierarchs of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, representatives from other Churches, and many clergy, faithful, and guests, gathered for the joyful event. Members of the St. Vladimir’s Seminary community including Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, faculty members, seminarians, and alumni traveled to San Francisco to attend the ordination.
The newly ordained Bishop Vasily (center) with members of the Seminary family who traveled to the ordination: (from left) Dr. Alexander Lingas, Fr. Alexander Rentel, Dn. Harrison Basil Russin, Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, and Fr. Bogdan Bucur.
During the Liturgy Saturday, as his first episcopal act Bishop Vasily ordained Subdeacon Serge Liberovsky to the Holy Diaconate. The next day, Bishop Vasily celebrated his first hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Born to a Russian-speaking family in Riga, Latvia, the Right Rev. Vasily relocated to the United States in 1999 after completing his undergraduate studies. He entered St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary with the blessing of late Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas (+2011). After finishing seminary in 2004, Bishop Vasily enrolled in a doctoral program in Liturgical Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where in 2012 he defended his dissertation on the history and origins of the Byzantine rite for the consecration of churches. His Grace taught at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, NY) from 2011 to 2020, and joined the full-time faculty at St. Vladimir's Seminary in August 2020. He served as Assistant Professor of Liturgical Theology until May 2025.
By the grace of God, Bishop Vasily becomes the 51st alumnus of the Seminary to have been ordained to the episcopacy.
“His Grace Bishop Vasily’s outstanding scholarship, teaching ability, and prayerful presence will be greatly missed as a member of full-time faculty on campus, though we are pleased he will remain a part-time faculty member with St. Vladimir's Seminary,” said Dr. Tudorie. “His devotion to Christ and unique abilities have been called upon by the Church, so we lovingly remember His Grace in our prayers as he begins his episcopal ministry in the OCA Diocese of the West.”
Bishop Vasily was honored by the Seminary community at a going-away luncheon June 8, following Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Pentecost.
May God grant the newly ordained Bishop Vasily many years!
Axios, Axios, Axios!
View Photos from the Ordination
Headline Photo Courtesy of OCA.org
