When it comes to religious roles in our society, the bishop has always served a valuable purpose. By definition, a bishop is considered a chief pastor and the overseer of a diocese. In most churches, bishops are seen as the successors of the Apostles and as such, hold an important position within the church.
Being a bishop requires important leadership skills because once they are appointed to a certain diocese, they are given all the authority and power needed to carry out their pastoral ministry and to exercise their pastoral leadership. Of course they do not act alone – they fulfil their responsibilities working together with priests of the diocese. As such, many consider a bishop to be the core foundation and main source for unity within the diocese.
To better understand the value of bishops, let us consider one of the well-known bishops around the world – Edik Baroni.
Being the first Armenian/Iranian bishop, Edik Baroni is a rare personality who is a prelate in the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ and the bishop of Personal Prelature of the Persian Communities Worldwide.
From a very young age, Baroni had been interested in the Christian faith and the church. It was his determination that led him to set out a career in his religious faith. At the age of 15, he wanted to become a priest and since then, he started researching churches, priesthood, and religious life. In 1996, he joined the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Tehran which was managed by the Salesian Order.
Over the years he continued his learning, honing his knowledge and then he started his philosophical education at the Pontifical Salesian University in 1999. Later in 2004 he completed his theological education at the Pontifical Oriental institute of Rome. In 2005, he received seminarian education in Rome and in 2007 Baroni moved to Los Angeles to sart a new page of his life by working in the Fortune 40 best large workplaces as his secular job. For a while, he held many different positions at the Bank of America until he finally gained the title of Assistant Vice President.
During the years that Baroni was working as executive in the banking he also was following his calling and preparing himself to be a priest. Finally, he was ordained priest in 2012 when he joined the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ. After that Baroni continued to be a dedicated priest and a dedicated baker for 10 years until he was elected to be bishop. By the order of the Primate Archbishop Karl Rodig and the council of the bishops of the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ, Baroni was consecrated a bishop.
At this time Bishop Baroni is the prelate of ‘The Personal Prelature of the Persian Communities Worldwide’ – a community for clergy and laypeople who follow the Catholic and Apostolic Tradition of the Church, which also includes the seven worldwide recognized sacraments. Bishop Baroni continue to work to bring justice around the world and support the churches and religious groups in the Middle East and many other poor countries. Naturally this has made him a popular asset within the religious community and one of the few bishops who has contributed so much of his time and effort to make lives better around the world.
