His Grace the Right Reverend John (Abdalah)
His Grace the Right Reverend John Bishop of Worcester and New England Auxiliary Bishop of the Antiochian Archdiocese
His Grace Bishop John (Abdalah) was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended St. George Church of Boston (West Roxbury). After high school, he earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Suffolk University in Boston.
From an early age, Bishop John had a desire to serve Christ through the holy priesthood and so, after college, he attended St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. While in seminary, he became engaged to Joanne Josephs and the couple was married in August of 1978. Not long after the wedding, he was ordained to the holy diaconate and the holy priesthood.
Following his ordination, Fr. John and Kh. Joanne first served at St. George Church in Little Falls, N.J. for a year before being assigned to St. George Church in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. After 16 years in New Kensington, the Abdalahs were transferred to St. George Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where Fr. John served for 17 years. Fr. John also held the position of Dean of the Western Pennsylvania Deanery from 1987 until 2011.
During his time in Western Pennsylvania, Fr. John studied pastoral care at the Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute, earning clinical membership in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. After this, he earned a doctor of ministry (D.Min.) degree in pastoral care from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. For 25 years, Fr. John facilitated a local support group for widows and widowers called THEOS (They Help Each Other Spiritually) as well as serving for some time on their National Board. Joanne earned a MSW from University of Pittsburgh and together they led many clergy ministries.
On May 27, 2008, Fr. John’s beloved wife Kh. Joanne fell asleep in the Lord after a battle with ovarian cancer. After her repose, in October of 2008, His Eminence Metropolitan Philip elevated Fr. John to the dignity of Archimandrite. In July of 2011 at the Antiochian Archdiocese’s biennial convention in Chicago, Ill., Archimandrite John was elected as the bishop for the Diocese of Worcester and New England. He was consecrated to the holy episcopacy by His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV with 12 bishops participating on December 11, 2011 at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand in Lebanon.
Over the years, Bishop John had been the spiritual advisor to Archdiocese ministries, including the Fellowship of St. John the Divine (now Young Adult Ministry, nine years), and then for the North American Board (NAB) of the Antiochian Women (since 1997). He has taught classes in priestly formation at the Antiochian House of Studies (AHOS) and worked as a mentor to AHOS seminarians from 1986-2013, sharing his pastoral experience and practice. He has also taught in the graduate program at the University of Balamand’s St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology in Lebanon. He is presently Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at St. Vladimir’s Seminary teaching in the Mdiv. And Dmin. Programs.
In 1997, His Grace became editor of The WORD Magazine, a position he still holds today. Bishop John also currently serves on the Canonical Regional Planning Committee and Theological Committee of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the USA, and chairs the Assembly’s Committee on Clergy Matters. He chaired the Task Force on Mental Health until it became a Ministry of the Assembly. Bishop John has also serves on the Advisory Board of the Orthodox Association of Medicine, Psychology and Religion (since 2013).
In addition to assisting Metropolitan Saba in caring for the parishes of New England, Bishop John also serves as the auxiliary bishop for all of the parishes in the Western Rite Vicariate.
His Grace is the co-author of Building an Orthodox Marriage: A Practical Commentary on the Eastern Orthodox Marriage Rite and has written several introductions to theological books and papers.
