Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil
Our Community
Our Ecclesiarch
His Beatitude, the Most Reverend
Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY
In June of 2014, His Beatitude Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY with Saint Thomas the Advocate for Christ to the Forgotten co-founded the Convergent Catholic Communion, a progressive network of ministers, ministries and churches and was elected to serve as their Presiding Minister in October 2016. In 2018, His Beatitude was elected the first Presiding Bishop of the Convergent Catholic Communion, and in 2021, by consent and vote of the people, he was elevated to Metropolitan and Primate.
His Beatitude, the Most Reverend Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY serves as Eparch of the Eparchial Connexion of Saint John Chrysostom. His Beatitude Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY also serves as Rector of the Cathedral Parish of Solomon's Porch PHX, well as the Ecclesiarch for the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil.
Our Protos
The Reverend Deacon Father Uriel Patrick-Joan, obf – Originally from the southern charm of Georgia State to the serene landscapes of the Pacific Northwest in 2013, his profound spiritual journey led him to embrace different traditions along the way.
In 2015, he found a spiritual home in the Anglican Communion, where he was baptized and confirmed at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, WA. Before his conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy, Fr. Uriel Patrick-Joan lived a devout life as a habited Religious Brother within a Franciscan in the Order of Saint Francis within the Anglican Communion.
A significant turning point occurred on the Feast of Saint Patrick in 2019 when F.r Patrick-Joan was chrismated into the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church in Toledo, OH, embracing the richness of Eastern Orthodoxy. Partnering with Fr. Christopher, he established the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil on the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles. Their shared vision was to continue their monastic callings and Religious Professions within the Eastern Christian Tradition. In a memorable ceremony at The Falls Retreat Center of Saint Miriam in May 2021, Fr. Uriel Patrick-Joan was ordained to the Minor Orders of Cleric, Doorkeeper, Reader, Exorcist, and Acolyte in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
A moment of great honor came in October of 2021, during the Hierarchical Visit of Metropolitan John Gregory. Both Fr. Uriel Patrick-Joan, obf and Fr. Christopher, obf were tonsured as Stavrophore/Life Professed Eastern monastics, solidifying their commitment to the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil.
The Commissioning to the Subdiaconate followed on March 20th, 2022, presided over by The Reverend Father Iakovos Athanasios in The Colony, Texas, reaffirming Fr. Uriel Patrick-Joan's dedication to his sacred duties and seminary studies with the Convergent Catholic Communion. He was ordained to the Diaconate on the Sunday of the Feast of the Holy Cross 2023 by His Beatitude, the Most Reverend Metropolitan JOHN GREGORY at the Cathedral Parish of Solomon's Porch in Phoenix, Arizona.
When not immersed in his spiritual pursuits, Fr. Uriel Patrick-Joan finds solace near water, indulges in the study of photography, mysticism, and relishes in all things music.
Our Oikonomos
The Reverend Hieromonk Seraphim Titus, PM, obf - Of South Carolina, serves as Oikonomos-Administrator and Ecumenical Relations Liaison for the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil, as the Director of Ecumenical Affairs for the the Convergent Catholic Communion, and also serves Associate Pastor of Saint Bonaventure Parish in Summerville, South Carolina.
Our Abbot-elect
The Reverend Heirodeacon Christopher Maximus, OCR, obf - Originally from Washington State, Fr. Christopher is devoted to the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, emphasizing the universal call to love God and our neighbors above all else.
During his youth he discovered God's grace and love in his local Eastern Christian Church. This experience led him to be baptized and chrismated in the Antiochian Orthodox Church, marking moments when he first felt a monastic and clerical calling. Unfortunately, due to his sexuality, Christopher faced rejection from the canonical Orthodox Church, which caused him to take a 10-year hiatus from organized religion.
Fr. Christopher found solace and acceptance in a local Episcopal parish known for its inclusiveness. He embraced the Anglican Communion, and during a private moment of prayer at his Episcopal parish, he made a vow to dedicate his life to the service of the Church if the compulsion to drink was lifted not knowing the path that would take him on. Fr. Christopher and his husband both were Franciscans with the Order of Saint Francis within the Anglican Communion.
In his pursuit of theological education, Fr. Christopher and his family were received into an autonomous Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction, and with training under his Hierarch, he was ordained to the Diaconate on the Feast of Saint Patrick the Enlightener of Ireland in 2019. Seeking further theological education, Father Christopher, his husband, and their family relocated from Seattle to Toledo, Ohio, where they also established the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil in the winter of 2020.
On October 2nd, 2021, during the Hierarchical Visit of His Beatitude, the Most Reverend Metropolitan John Gregory, tonsured Hierodeacon Christopher, obf and Fr. Uriel Patrick-Joan, obf as Stavrophore/Life Professed and Abbot-elect of the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil.
Fr. Christopher cherishes his vocation and faithfully serves the Church with dedication and love living each day by the Grace of God since October 23, 2012.
Our Diaspora
As a dispersed Religious Community, we are blessed to commission and establish local diaspora houses and hermitages connected through our fraternal Vows to the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil. Our diaspora currently includes:
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Mother of God, Our Lady of Wildflowers Monastery - Mother House of the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil, Phoenix, AZ
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Katholikon of Saint Dymphna - Monastery Chapel of the Eastern Order of the Protecting Veil, Phoenix, AZ
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Orthodox Hermitage of Saint Ioánna tis Loraínis, Pacific Northwest
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Protecting Veil of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Blessed Mary Hermitage, Lowcounty, SC