OUR CLERGY
"The work of the priesthood is done on earth, but it is ranked among heavenly ordinances. And this is only right, for no man, no angel, no archangel, no other created power, but the Paraclete Himself ordained this succession, and persuaded men, while still remaining in the flesh to represent the ministry of angels."
– St. John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood
His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef
His Grace Bishop Youssef entered the monastic life in 1986 at St. Mary El-Souryan Monastery in the Wilderness of Scetis in Egypt. He was ordained to the priesthood rank in 1988. In 1989 under the auspices of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of Thrice-Blessed Memory, the 117th Pope of the See of St. Mark, he was appointed a resident priest to serve the Coptic Orthodox congregation of St. Mary's Church in Dallas/Fort Worth. In 1992, His Grace was ordained as General Bishop, and in 1993, His Grace was appointed to oversee the Southern Coptic Orthodox Diocese. In 1995, His Grace was enthroned as the first Bishop in the U.S. for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. On Sunday, November 20, 2022, His Grace Bishop Youssef was elevated to the Metropolitan rank by His Holiness Pope Tawardrous II. More about His Eminence >>
His Grace Bishop Basil
His Grace Bishop Basil was born and raised in New Jersey until our Lord Jesus Christ called him to enter the monastic life in 2008 at St. Mary & St. Moses Abbey in Sandia, Texas. He was consecrated a monk in 2009 and ordained to the priesthood rank in 2011. In 2016, His Grace Bishop Youssef appointed him Episcopal Vicar for the state of Florida. In 2018, His Grace was elevated to Hegumen, and later that same year he was ordained as a General Bishop serving under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Youssef in the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, overseeing the Florida region. More about His Grace >>
Hegumen Father Gerges Gerges of Blessed Memory
Hegumen Fr. Gerges Gerges was ordained on November 17, 2002, by H.G. Bishop Youssef as presbyter to serve St. Mary & St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Tallahassee, FL. On April 27, 2009, H.G. Bishop Youssef ordained Fr. Gerges to the hegumen rank. His reverence departed to the Lord on Sunday, April 12, 2020, on the Feast of the Entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem (Hosanna Sunday).
Hegumen Father Ibrahim Girgis
Fr. Ibrahim Girgis was ordained to the priesthood rank on February 15, 2004, by H.G. Bishop Paula. Fr. Ibrahim served in Egypt until April 8, 2008, when H.G. Bishop Youssef asked him to be the priest for St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church located in Atlanta, GA. Fr. Ibrahim served the congregation of St. Paul from 2008 until 2012. In 2015, Fr. Ibrahim served as a general priest, serving St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church in Chattanooga, TN, and the monastic community of Nuns at St. Mary & St. Demiana Convent in Dawsonville, GA, from 2017 until 2022. In June 2022, H.G. Bishop Youssef asked Fr. Ibrahim to be the permanent priest for the parish of St. Mary & St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Tallahassee. On May 14, 2024, H.E. Metropolitan Youssef elevated Fr. Ibrahim to the hegumen rank of priesthood, at the annual Diocese Clergy Conference, in the presence of H.G. Bishop Raphael - General Bishop of Downtown Cairo Churches, H.G. Bishop Basil - Auxiliary Bishop of SUS, and H.G. Bishop Gregory - Auxiliary Bishop of SUS.
Father Jerome Maximous
Fr. Jerome Maximous was ordained to the priesthood rank on March 20, 2016, by H.G. Bishop Youssef with the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion of the Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii. Fr. Jerome is auxiliary priest in the Southern Coptic Orthodox Diocese, serving the congregation of St. Mary & St. George and the Tallahassee campus ministries at Florida State University (FSU), Florida A&M University (FAMU), and Tallahassee Technical College (TCC). Fr. Jerome also serves the parish of St. Mary Magdalene Coptic Orthodox Church in Gainesville, as well as the campus ministry of the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville. If you would like to contact Fr. Jerome, he may be reached by email at frjerome[at]suscopts.org. To schedule confession, you may book an appointment online.