Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America

The Albanian Archdiocese, also known as the

Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America
(Albanian: 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.[1]

Establishment The states in which the Albanian Archdiocese has

jurisdiction.
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.[2][3][4]

On March 18, 1908, as a result of the Hudson Incident, Fan Noli was ordained as a priest by a Russian
bishop in the United States.[3][4][5] 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.[6]

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.

Bishop
The last bishop of the archdiocese 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.[7] On September 10, 2019, the OCA announced that
Metropolitan Tikhon (Mollard) will be the locum tenens for the diocese until a successor is found.[8]

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

See also
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America
Albanian Orthodox Church

References
1. Info from Official site (http://www.oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-AL&SI
D=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE&x=22&y=8)
2. "La Civiltà Cattolica, Issues 3727-3732" (https://books.google.com/books?id=rS0TAQAAMA
AJ&q=visarion+xhuvani&pg=PA343), La Civiltà Cattolica: Pubblicazione Periodica per Tutta
l'Italia, IV (3730): 343, Nov 19, 2005, ISSN 0009-8167 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0009-8
167)
3. Tarasar, Constance J. (1975). Orthodox America, 1794-1976: development of the Orthodox
Church in America (https://books.google.com/books?id=-ftCAAAAIAAJ&q=kristaq+dishnica+
boston). Bavarian State Library. p. 309. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
4. "The 90th Anniversary Historical Trilogy by Denise Lymperis" (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0110715224704/http://www.saintgeorgecathedral.com/history.html). Saint George Cathedral.
Archived from the original (http://www.saintgeorgecathedral.com/history.html) on 2011-07-
15. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
5. "Orthodox Christians in North America 1794 - 1994" (http://www.oca.org/MVorthchristiansna
merica.asp?SID=1&Chap=CH4). Orthodox Church of America.
6. Frank S. Mead (1975). Handbook of Denominations in the United States (6 ed.). Abingdon
Press. pp. 120–121 (https://archive.org/details/handbookofdenomi00mead_2/page/120).
ISBN 0-687-16569-5.
7. Southbridge, M. A. (September 2019). "In Memoriam: His Eminence, Archbishop Nikon" (http
s://www.oca.org/in-memoriam/his-eminence-archbishop-nikon). www.oca.org. Retrieved
 2019-09-01.
8. Syosset, Ny (10 September 2019). "Locum Tenens announced for the Diocese of New
England and the Albanian Archdiocese" (https://www.oca.org/news/headline-news/locum-te
nens-announced-for-the-diocese-of-new-england-and-the-albanian-archdiocese).
www.oca.org. Retrieved 2019-09-10.

Notes and references

Official site of the Diocese of New England (http://www.dneoca.org/)
Biography on oca.org (https://web.archive.org/web/20110607095825/http://www.oca.org/HS
bionikon.asp?SID=7)
2005 interview with Bishop Nikon (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/article
s/2005/12/31/new_orthodox_bishop_sets_his_goals/)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Albanian_Orthodox_Archdiocese_in_America&oldid=1175001336"