Archbishop Dmitri

Archbishop Dmitri (’47), Dallas ::The archbishop, who attended North Texas as Robert Royster, converted to Orthodox Christianity in 1941 and adopted the name Dmitri. He served in the U.S. Army as a Japanese interpreter during World War II with the rank of second lieutenant. He later taught Spanish at Southern Methodist University and Fordham University while remaining active in missionary work. In 1954, he was ordained to the priesthood and founded St. Seraphim Church in Dallas. He was elected the first ruling bishop of the Diocese of Dallas and the South and helped it develop into more than 60 parishes and missions, spanning from New Mexico to Florida and north to Virginia. He was elevated to archbishop in the 1980s and retired from active duty in 2009.

Archbishop Dmitri (’47), Dallas ::The archbishop, who attended North Texas as Robert Royster, converted to Orthodox Christianity in 1941 and adopted the name Dmitri. He served in the U.S. Army as a Japanese interpreter during World War II with the rank of second lieutenant. He later taught Spanish at Southern Methodist University and Fordham University while remaining active in missionary work. In 1954, he was ordained to the priesthood and founded St. Seraphim Church in Dallas. He was elected the first ruling bishop of the Diocese of Dallas and the South and helped it develop into more than 60 parishes and missions, spanning from New Mexico to Florida and north to Virginia. He was elevated to archbishop in the 1980s and retired from active duty in 2009.