Abel (Poplavsky) of Lublin
His Eminence, Archbishop Abel (Poplavsky) is the ruling hierarch of the Diocese of Lublin-Chełm of the Church of Poland. He has been instrumental in the reestablishment of Orthodox Church life in the southeastern areas of Poland.
Life
Born Andrei Constantinovich Poplavsky on April 8, 1958 in Nareva in the Bialo province of Poland, Andrei attended the Warsaw Orthodox Theological Seminary from 1973 to 1977. He continued his education at the Higher Orthodox Theological Seminary in the St. Onuphrios Monastery in Jablechna. While studying at the seminary at the monastery he became a novice.
In 1979, he took his monastic vows and was tonsured a monk with the name Abel. He was also ordained a deacon in the same year. In 1981, he was ordained a hieromonk and began to serve in the villages of Polyana, Komancha, and Zindranova in the area of Lemkovshina. Then, for the two years of 1985 to 1987, Fr. Abel served among Ukrainian Orthodox in Germany.
In 1987, he returned to Poland and was appointed the father superior of the Jablechna Monastery.
On March 25, 1989 after his election, Fr. Abel was consecrated Bishop of Lublin and Kholm. As bishop of an area that had been greatly affected by population "management" and deportation of the Orthodox population as an aftermath of World War II, Bp. Abel began reestablishment of Orthodox Church life in the southeastern areas of Poland. Along with these efforts Bp. Abel established a diocesan commission to study and record the history of Orthodoxy and Ukrainian culture in the Kholm area. In 1994, he sponsored the establishment of the Museum of the Orthodox Diocese of the Lublin and Kholm.
| Abel (Poplavsky) of Lublin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Diocese established |
Archbishop of Lublin and Kholm 1989-present |
Succeeded by: — |
