St. Athanasius
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church
7921 Cottonwood Ln, Sacramento, CA 95828
Father Philip McClanahan

Fr. Philip was born and raised in New Mexico. From 2003-2008, he served in the Middle East as an Evangelical missionary. He was received into the Orthodox Church in 2010. In 2015, Fr. Philip obtained a Master of Theological Studies, with a concentration in Biblical Studies, from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana . Discerning a call to the Holy Priesthood, he studied at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, New York, receiving a Master of Divinity in 2021. In 2022, he was ordained a deacon by His Grace Bishop Basil, and he and his family served as Orthodox missionaries in the Asia/Pacific region that year. Fr. Philip was ordained a priest by His Grace Bishop John in 2023, and began serving as pastor of St. Athanasius Orthodox Church soon afterwards. He enjoys reading, hiking, and kayaking. Fr. Philip and Kh. Kristiana have three children.

Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

His Eminence, the Most Reverend SABA Isper is the Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East and the Holy Synod of Antioch elected His Eminence to lead the Archdiocese during its extraordinary session on Feb. 23, 2023, in Balamand, Lebanon.

His Eminence will lead and oversee the Archdiocese's parishes, missions, departments, institutions and organizations in the United States and Canada from the headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey. The auxiliary bishops aid him in his administration across the continent.

Read his Biography here.

Patriarch of Antioch and all the East

His Beatitude JOHN X was born in the city of Latakia, Syria, in the year 1955. He was raised in a home known for education, virtue and faith. His father, Manah Yazigi, a Syrian, was a teacher of Arabic and a poet. His mother, Rozah Moussi, is of Lebanese origin. His Beatitude has three siblings, one of whom is a Metropolitan and another a nun. 

His Beatitude was ordained deacon in 1979 and then priest in 1983 in the Archdiocese of Latakia by His Eminence Metropolitan Youhanna Mansour. His Beatitude was elected by the Holy Antiochian Synod Bishop of Al Husun, Wadi Al-Nadarah in the Archdiocese of Akkar in the year 1995. He served in this position until 2008, when the Holy Synod elected him Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Europe.

His Beatitude is famed for the clarity of his views and his strict adherence to all that is true and just in human relations. He has excelled in bringing people together, through dialogue and conciliatory approaches to people of differing views. He is known for his compassion, friendliness, generosity, social concern and, last but not least, readiness both to listen and to offer help.

Read his entire biography HERE.