Consisting of the Metropolitan and his four Auxiliary Bishops -- oversee the work of the clergy and the welfare of the laity.
The hierarchs are aided in their task of administration by joint bodies of clergy and laity:

The General Assembly , the largest legislative body of the Archdiocese, consists of all the pastors and representative(s) of every parish and mission, commensurate with its size. It meets in convention every other summer. The 2001 Convention will be held in Los Angeles, CA.

The Archdiocesan Board of Trustees , consisting of fifty clergy and lay persons, elected or appointed during the biannual Archdiocesan Convention; and the Metropolitan's Advisory Council , consisting of clergy and lay representatives from each parish and mission, both meet regularly with the hierarchs.

The Clergy -- consisting of nearly four-hundred priests and deacons -- minister to the spiritual needs of the at the local level. Following the completion of their undergraduate studies, candidates for ordination to the holy priesthood receive their theological education at one of the Orthodox seminaries to which they are assigned by the Archdiocese. Their program is augmented by specialized courses offered annually by the Antiochian House of Studies, held for two weeks at the Heritage and Learning Center in Ligonier, PA, during the last week of August/first week in September. The Antiochian House of Studies also offers a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree Program in cooperation with Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. This program is oriented to those clergy who hold at least an M.Div. degree and have served in the ministry for no less than three years. Classes are held at the Heritage and Learning Center, and are offered on an intensive basis three times each year. A biennial Archdiocesan Clergy Symposium, under the auspices of the Antiochian House of Studies is convened for continuing education of all priests and deacons in the Archdiocese.