by Archbishop Vincent Waterman with St. Philip’s African Orthodox Church in Whitney Pier has been elevated to the role of Patriarch.
The move makes Waterman the head of the African Orthodox Unity Network that represents 5,000 members worldwide.
A special mass was held at St. Philip’s yesterday to mark Waterman’s appointment as Patriarch Vincent I.
The congregation at St. Philip’s is the only remaining African Orthodox church in Canada.
As patriarch of a church organization with congregations across the United States and in Africa and the Caribbean, 89 year-old Waterman will not have to travel.
Instead, he says he’ll delegate tasks.
And next Sunday, parishioner Phyllis Marsh will be ordained as a priest at St. Philip’s, which will help take some of the pressure off Waterman, who’s been searching for a successor for years.