On the morning of Sunday, March 29, the Church of Saint Mary in Santa Clarita, located in the northwest region of Los Angeles, California, celebrated the inauguration of its new building prior to the start of the Divine Liturgy. The ceremony was led by His Grace Bishop Serapion, the Bishop of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii, alongside other esteemed bishops, including Bishop Abraham and Bishop Kirillos, as well as the church’s priests.

During the service, new altar vessels were consecrated, and following the prayer of reconciliation, the bishops performed the ordination ceremony for Priest Zosima Kinber, promoting him to the rank of Archpriest. After the Divine Liturgy, the bishops joined the congregation and priests in celebrating both the opening of the new church and the elevation of Priest Zosima in the church hall.

It is noteworthy that Priest Zosima was born in Cairo in 1958 and graduated from Ain Shams University’s Faculty of Medicine in 1981. He emigrated to the United States in 1998 and began serving in the Sunday School at the Church of the Virgin Mary and Saint Bishoy in Los Angeles. He was ordained as a priest in 2003 by His Grace Bishop Serapion to serve at the Church of Saint Mary before its relocation to its new site three months ago in December 2025.