Metropolitan of Los Angeles
His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion is the first hierarch and bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii. He was born in Assiut, Egypt. Following his graduation from the Faculty of Medicine at Assiut in 1975, he practiced medicine in Aswan before becoming a monk. He joined the Monastery of Saint Pishoy on April 8, 1979.
He was tonsured a monk on August 6, 1979, and ordained a priest on July 18, 1981, at El-Sourian Monastery. On December 23, 1982, he was assigned to serve the Coptic congregations in Zurich, Lausanne, and Geneva, Switzerland.
On June 2, 1985, he was ordained Bishop for the Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical, and Social Services at St. Mark Cathedral in Cairo, becoming a member of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. During his tenure in this capacity, he established three major departments designed for:
Training centers were created to educate and train 300 workers every year in various trades, which helped improve their standard of living. Numerous projects were started that employed a large number of those workers. Services extended to Coptic families in rural areas and small villages, where spiritual guidance, medical services, housing, and financial assistance were offered.
Bishop Serapion has represented the Coptic Orthodox Church at the International Council of Churches and has established long-term relationships with other churches in the United States, Canada, and Italy. He was the first Coptic bishop invited to attend the annual conference of the Church of Scotland.
On November 14, 1995, at Saint Mark’s Cathedral at Anba Roweiss, Abbassia, Egypt, Pope Shenouda III consecrated Serapion as Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii.
On December 23, 1995, he was enthroned by Bishops Sarabamon, Hedra, Roweiss, Mittaous, Youssef, and Karas as Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii at Holy Virgin Mary Church in Los Angeles.
On February 28, 2016, at Anba Roweiss, Abbassia, Egypt, Pope Tawadros II elevated Bishop Serapion to the episcopal dignity of Metropolitan. Pope Tawadros II also called Bishops Abraham and Kyrillos to assist Metropolitan Serapion.