BISHOP OF FLANDERS

​On 24 October 2015 in Mechelen, Belgium, we were privileged to consecrate our priest Dr. Roger Martin, Hon. Ambassador of Belgium, to the episcopate. Dr. Martin, was consecrated, and installed as Bishop of Flanders for the Autocephalous Catholic Church of Antioch, in the 13th century (1223) chapel of St. Julianus in Keizerstraat, Mechelen.

Archbishop Leon Roger Hunt, the principal consecrator, was assisted by Bishop Mark Elliott Newman, Presiding Bishop of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch, and by Bishop Linda Rounds-Nichols, bishop of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch and Dean of the Sophia Divinity School. Both Bishop Mark and Bishop Linda had traveled to Belgium specifically to take part in Dr. Martin's consecration. ​

The Eastern Orthodox Old Calendarist Archbishop of Prague, + Gavrilo, was among the guests, and in a spirit of ecumenism he and Archbishop Leon transmitted their orders, each to the other, prior to the consecration ceremony. The apostolic lines of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia (ROCOR) and the Old Calendarist succession were united with our own lineage by imposition of hands, invocation of the Holy Spirit, prayer and intention.

​The new bishop Dr. Martin has served as Belgian Ambassador to Athens, Teheran, Rome and to other places. He has enjoyed a distinguished diplomatic and legal career and is a distinguished student of Christian spirituality and mysticism. We are privileged to have him as a friend and co-worker in Christ.

Dr. Martin was elevated to the rank of Archbishop when the Diocese of Flanders became an archbishopric. He has now retired, but remains an active participant in church affairs. Currently, he is Grand Chaplain of the Religious and Chivalric Order of Saint Philip of Hierapolis. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the Ecumenical Center for Pilgrims and Biblical Studies, E.C.P.B.S. (Bethlehem, Holy Land).

Before his retirement, the archbishop consecrated several bishops, among whom was the Most Reverend Theres Cool, a worthy cleric who has since become Archbishop of Flanders, in succession to Dr. Martin.

The Most Reverend Dr. Roger Martin may be contacted through the church at antioch@talktalk.com