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On Sunday, February 15, 2026 the Honorable Judge E. Ray Lanier, retired General Counsel of the Orthodox Church in America, was presented the Assembly of Bishops’ Medal of Saint Theodora, “Restorer of Icons” and a patron saint of Orthodox Unity. The Medal of St. Theodora is an annual award given to one male and one female from among the laity who have made significant contributions to the work of the Assembly and to Orthodox Christian Unity. The award was presented to Judge Lanier at his home parish of St. Innocent Church in Macon, GA, by Archpriest Theophan Buck, with remarks delivered on behalf of the Assembly of Bishops by Bill Marianes, Esq.
Judge Ray Lanier has served as Municipal Court Judge in the Monticello and Norcross Municipal Courts in the State of Georgia. He has served as a Professor at the Georgia State Law School and the Georgia State University School of Business Administration. He has also served as President of the Georgia Council of Municipal Court Judges. He labored for many years as the legal counsel for the OCA and was one of the principal drafters of the revised Statute of the Orthodox Church in America. He served as a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat for service in Vietnam.
All the clergy and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America extends their congratulations to Judge Lanier. God grant him many years!
