Raphael of Brooklyn
Saint
Raphael of Brooklyn (
November 20,
1860 -
February 27,
1915) born as Raphael Hawaweeny in
Damascus,
Syria. He was educated at the Patriarchal School in Damascus, the School of Orthodox Theology in Halki Island,
Turkey, and at the Theological Academy in
Kiev,
Russia. In
1904 he became the first Orthodox
bishop to be so ordained in
North America; the ordination was done by Archbishop (Saint) Tikhon and Bishop Innocent in
New York City. He served as Bishop of
Brooklyn until his death.
Bishop Raphael was glorified (numbered among the saints) by the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America in its March 2000 session. He is commemorated by the Orthodox Church in America on February 27, the anniversary of his death, and by the Antiochian Orthodox Church on the first Saturday of November.