Bishop will visit St. Mark Orthodox

LIBERTY -- Bishop Mark Maymon is making his arch pastoral visit to St. Mark Orthodox Church today and Sunday.
Born in Indiana and raised a Roman Catholic, Bishop Maymon is the first convert to be elevated to the rank of bishop in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. He oversees the diocese's 50 parishes in 10 states.
Bishop Maymon, of Toledo and the Midwest Diocese, who was consecrated in a ceremony in December 2004 in Damascus, Syria, by Patriarch Ignatius IV, now oversees one of the oldest dioceses in the United States.
He attended Indiana University South East, then transferred and graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., where he received a bachelor of arts degree in biblical literature with a minor in business administration in 1985 and a master's degree in biblical literature with honors and the distinction of Old Testament Student of the Year.
It was during his studies that he became interested in Eastern Orthodoxy and converted from Catholicism after joining the faculty at Oral Roberts.
Bishop Maymon will visit members of St. Mark's parish board and the various lay organizations today. Tonight, he will celebrate at 6 p.m. Great Vespers with visiting priests, followed by a parish dinner. Sunday, the Feast Day of the Apostle James, the Hierarchical Matins and Liturgy will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by a parish brunch in the church hall.