Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America

{{short description|Ethnic diocese of the Orthodox Church of America}}

{{Infobox diocese

| jurisdiction =

| name = Albanian Archdiocese in America

| border = orthodox

| image = File:Cathedral of St. George Historic District South Boston MA.jpg

| image_size = 200px

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| country = United States

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| headquarters = Boston, Massachusetts

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| denomination =Eastern Orthodox

| rite = Byzantine Rite

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| language =English, Albanian

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| parent_church = Orthodox Church in America

| governance =

| bishop = Nikodhim (Preston)

| bishop_title = Archbishop

| map = File:Map of USA highlighting OCA Albanian Archdiocese.svg

| map_size = 300px

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| map_caption = The states in which the Albanian Archdiocese has jurisdiction.

| website = {{URL|https://albanianarchdiocese.org/}}

|metropolitan=Tikhon (Mollard)}}

The Albanian Archdiocese, also known as the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America ({{langx|sq|Kryedioqeza Orthodokse Shqiptare në Amerikë}}), is one of three ethnic dioceses of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Its territory includes parishes, and missions located in seven states in the United States – California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.[http://www.oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-AL&SID=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE&x=22&y=8 Info from Official site] The current bishop of the archdiocese is Nikodhim (Preston).{{Cite web |title=The Holy Synod: The Right Reverend Nikodhim |url=https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/bishops/the-right-reverend-nikodhim |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=www.oca.org}}

History

The earliest organized Albanian dioceses were set up under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America (now Orthodox Church in America), because the Church of Constantinople would not allow the rise of any Albanian Orthodox Church and officially opposed the use of the Albanian language in churches until 1937 when the Autocephalic Orthodox Church of Albania was recognized by Constantinople.{{citation| title=La Civiltà Cattolica, Issues 3727-3732|journal = La Civiltà Cattolica: Pubblicazione Periodica per Tutta l'Italia| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rS0TAQAAMAAJ&q=visarion+xhuvani&pg=PA343| page=343|issue=3730|date=Nov 19, 2005|volume=IV| issn=0009-8167}}{{cite book |title=Orthodox America, 1794-1976: development of the Orthodox Church in America |last=Tarasar |first=Constance J. |year=1975 |location= Bavarian State Library |page=309 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ftCAAAAIAAJ&q=kristaq+dishnica+boston |access-date=2010-06-14 }}{{cite web | url=http://www.saintgeorgecathedral.com/history.html | title=The 90th Anniversary Historical Trilogy by Denise Lymperis | publisher=Saint George Cathedral | access-date=2014-01-24 | archive-date=2011-07-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715224704/http://www.saintgeorgecathedral.com/history.html | url-status=dead }}

On March 18, 1908, as a result of the Hudson Incident, Fan Noli was ordained as a priest by Metropolitan Platon in the United States.{{cite web | url=http://www.oca.org/MVorthchristiansnamerica.asp?SID=1&Chap=CH4 | title=Orthodox Christians in North America 1794 - 1994 | publisher=Orthodox Church of America}} In March 1908, Noli thus led the first time in Albanian the Orthodox liturgy for the Albanian-American community.

After political dislocations following the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, all ties with the Russian Orthodox church were severed, and the Albanian churches under Noli became independent.{{cite book|title=Handbook of Denominations in the United States|author=Frank S. Mead|publisher=Abingdon Press|year=1975|edition=6|isbn=0-687-16569-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/handbookofdenomi00mead_2/page/120 120–121]}}

After World War II, following the controversies about Noli's status, and the political divergences of Albanian-Americans with the rise of Communism in Albania, Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras, to send a canonical bishop, Mark (Lipa), who organized the diocese in 1949–1950 and accepted into it the considerable community in Chicago and an older parish, the first of three Albanian Orthodox parishes to locate in South Boston.

Ten other Albanian Orthodox parishes incorporated under Bishop Theofan's archdiocese and two parishes persisted in an "independent" status.

By October 1971, with the acceptance of Bishop Stephen and the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America as a constituent diocese of the OCA, the canonical controversy was ended. Meanwhile, the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America founded by Lipa continued under the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople affiliate with the Greek Orthodox Church in America.

Bishops

The bishop of the archdiocese from 2005 - 2019 was Nikon (Liolin), who was elected to the position of Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese on October 22, 2003. He was later installed as Bishop of Boston, New England, and the Albanian Archdiocese on December 18, 2005, reflecting his election by the Holy Synod to simultaneously head the OCA's Diocese of New England which is based in Hartford, Connecticut. Archbishop Nikon died on September 1, 2019.{{Cite web |last=Southbridge |first=M. A. |date=September 2019 |title=In Memoriam: His Eminence, Archbishop Nikon |url=https://www.oca.org/in-memoriam/his-eminence-archbishop-nikon |access-date=2019-09-01 |website=www.oca.org}} On September 10, 2019, the OCA announced that Metropolitan Tikhon (Mollard) would be the locum tenens for the diocese until a successor was found.{{Cite web |last=Syosset |first=Ny |date=10 September 2019 |title=Locum Tenens announced for the Diocese of New England and the Albanian Archdiocese |url=https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/locum-tenens-announced-for-the-diocese-of-new-england-and-the-albanian-archdiocese |access-date=2019-09-10 |website=www.oca.org}}

The current bishop of the archdiocese is Nikodhim (Preston). Bishop Nikodhim was ordained to the episcopacy and enthroned as Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese on September 16, 2023, at the Cathedral of St. George in Boston.

Annual Convention

The Annual Convention is the supreme legislative and administrative authority in all secular matters of the archdiocese. It is composed of the bishop, the clergy of the archdiocese, and lay delegates representing each parish within the jurisdiction of the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America.

Deaneries

The diocese is grouped geographically into three deaneries, each consisting of a number of parishes. Each deanery is headed by a parish priest, known as a dean. The deans coordinate activities in their area's parishes, and report to the diocesan bishop. The current deaneries of the Albanian Archdiocese and their territories are:

Great Lakes Deanery – Michigan, New York, and Ohio
Massachusetts Deanery – California and Massachusetts
Mid-Atlantic Deanery – Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania

References

Notes and references

[https://albanianarchdiocese.org/ Official site of the Albanian Archdiocese in America]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110607095825/http://www.oca.org/HSbionikon.asp?SID=7 Biography on oca.org]
[http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/31/new_orthodox_bishop_sets_his_goals/ 2005 interview with Bishop Nikon]

Category:Albanian-American history

Albanian

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in California

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Connecticut

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Massachusetts

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Michigan

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in New York (state)

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Ohio

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Pennsylvania

Category:Organizations based in Boston

Category:Christianity in Boston

Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Albania