Dmitri Royster

Archbishop Dmitri

Archbishop Dmitri (November 2, 1923 – August 28, 2011) was a hierarch of the Orthodox Church in America. He served as archbishop of the church's Diocese of the South from 1978 to 2009 and was the ruling bishop of the Mexican Exarchate from 1972 to 2008. The territory of the diocese covered fourteen states in the United States – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Birth

Archbishop Dmitri was born as Robert Royster in Teague, Texas on November 2, 1923 and was raised as a Southern Baptist, converting to Orthodoxy in 1941.

Priesthood and episcopacy

He entered North Texas State University but left in 1943 to join the Army. While in the Army he served as a Japanese language interpreter on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines and Japan.

After leaving the Army he resumed his studies, eventually becoming a Spanish language instructor at Southern Methodist University. He received his Master of Arts in Spanish and became a Spanish literature professor.^[1]

In 1954, Abp. Royster was ordained to the priesthood, and served as the rector of St. Seraphim Orthodox Church in Dallas from then until 1969.^[1] On June 29, 1969, he was consecrated as Bishop of Berkeley (the Diocese of San Francisco and the West), making him the first Orthodox convert to be consecrated in America.^{[citation needed]} In 1970, Bp. Dmitri was assigned as Bishop of Washington, auxiliary bishop to Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish). On October 19, 1971, Bp. Dmitri was elected Bishop of Hartford and New England.

In 1978, Bp. Dmitri became the first ruling bishop of the newly created Diocese of the South. He was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1993. Being a senior bishop in his church, Dmitri was the locum tenens of the Metropolitan's see and temporary head of the OCA from September 4, 2008 until the election of a new primate, Metropolitan Jonah on November 12, 2008. On March 31, 2009 the then 85-year old archbishop was granted retirement from active pastoral duties by the Holy Synod of the OCA. During his last two years he remained the same loving bishop he had always been and although was no longer locum tenens, he was the rock of the church until his death.

Death

Archbishop Dmitri died in Dallas on August 28, 2011, on the Julian calendar feast of the Dormition, which was his favorite feast day.

Bibliography

• The Parables (1996). St. Vladimir's Seminary Press. ISBN 0-88141-067-5.
• The Miracles of Christ (1999). St. Vladimir's Seminary Press. ISBN 0881411930.
• The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary (2003). St. Vladimir's Seminary Press. ISBN 0-88141-247-3.

Episcopal succession

Preceded by Diocese created	Archbishop of Dallas and the South 1978–2009	Succeeded by Metropolitan Jonah as locum tenens
Preceded by Exarchate created	Exarch of Mexico 1972-2008	Succeeded by Exarchate Elevated to Diocese under Bishop Alejo (Pacheco y Vera)

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Archbishop to visit St. Anne Orthodox Church". The Oak Ridger. http://www.oakridger.com/stories/070403/rel_20030703014.html. Retrieved 2006-12-28. ^{[dead link]}

Persondata
Name	Archbishop Dmitri
Alternative names	Royster, Robert (birthname)
Short description	Eastern Orthodox archbishop
Date of birth	November 2, 1923
Place of birth	Teague, Texas, U.S.
Date of death	August 28, 2011
Place of death	Dallas, Texas, U.S.

This article about an Eastern Orthodox bishop is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: 1923 births 2011 deaths People from Freestone County, Texas American military personnel of World War II Eastern Orthodox archbishops Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America Eastern Orthodox Christians from the United States Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Protestantism Eastern Orthodox bishop stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Dmitriy Sabin Dmitry Abakumov Look at other dictionaries: Dmitri (Royster) — Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) (b. Robert Royster on November 2, 1923) is the current Locum tenens of the Orthodox Church in America and the archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America s Diocese of the South and ruling bishop of the Mexican… …   Wikipedia Dmitri (Erzbischof) — Erzbischof Dmitri (2007) Dmitri (* als Robert Royster am 2. November 1923 in Teague, Texas; † 28. August 2011 in Dallas) war ein US amerikanischer Geistlicher der Orthodoxen Kirche in Amerika und von 1978 bis 2009 Erzbischof der „Süddiöz …   Deutsch Wikipedia Ligonier Meeting — The Ligonier Meeting was a meeting of twenty eight or twenty nine Orthodox Christian hierarchs in North America, specifically those affiliated with SCOBA, held November 30 to December 2, 1994, at the Antiochian Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.… …   Wikipedia Jonah (Paffhausen) — Jonah Archbishop of Washington Enthroned December 28, 2008 Predecessor Metropolitan H …   Wikipedia Marriage at Cana — by Giotto, 14th century In Christianity, the transformation of water into wine at the Marriage at Cana or Wedding at Cana is the first miracle of Jesus in the Gospel of John.[1] …   Wikipedia Intinction — is the Eucharistic practice of partly dipping the consecrated bread, or host , into the consecrated wine before distributing it to the communicant.Western ChristianityIt is one of the four ways approved in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic… …   Wikipedia Ministry of Jesus — Jesus commissioning the twelve Apostles depicted by Ghirlandaio, 1481. In the Christian gospels, the Ministry of Jesus begins with his Baptism in the countryside of Judea, near the River Jordan and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Su …   Wikipedia Orthodox Church in America Diocese of the South — The Orthodox Church in America Diocese of the South is a diocese of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Its territory includes parishes, monasteries, and missions located in fourteen states in the Southern and Southwestern United States –… …   Wikipedia Orthodox Church in America Exarchate of Mexico — The Orthodox Church in America Exarchate of Mexico is a missionary diocese of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Its territory includes parishes, monasteries, and missions located in four …   Wikipedia Timeline of Eastern Orthodoxy in America — The History of Orthodoxy in America is complex and resists any easy categorizations or explanations. Early Visits and Missions (1700 1900) * 1741 Divine Liturgy celebrated on a Russian ship off the coast of Alaska. * 1767 A community of Orthodox… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”