Diocese of Warsaw-Bielsk

The Diocese of Warsaw-Bielsk is a diocese under the jurisdiction of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Poland. The diocese is the seat of the metropolitan of the Church of Poland. The territory of the diocese extends in a belt from the middle of Poland, including the capital, Warsaw, to the eastern border.

History

Christianity came to areas within the Warsaw-Bielsk region in the eleventh century. Through the centuries the politics in region caused frequent changes that affected the organization of the Orthodox faithful. The eastern parts of the present diocese were in particular affected by the Union of Brest. The present diocese of Warsaw came into being during the founding the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Poland following World War I and was established with its present with its present territories in 1952.

Organization

The diocese consists of 69 parishes, organized into six deaneries:

• Warsaw
• Bielsk Podlaski
• Hajnowka
• Narew
• Siemiatycze
• Kleszczele

The diocese is home to the Monastery of the Holy Mountain of Grabarka for women and of a male monastery at Saki dedicated to St. Dimitrius of Thessalonica.

Ruling bishops

The ruling bishop of the diocese, titled Archbishop of Warsaw and Metropolitan of All Poland, is the presiding hierarch of the Synod of bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

• Sawa (Hrycuniak) 1998 - Present
• Basil (Doroszkiewicz) 1970 - 1998
• Stefan (Rudyk) 1965 - 1970
• Tymoteusz (Szretter) 1961- 1962
• Vacant-Locum Tenens 1959 - 1961
• Makary (Oksijuk) 1951 - 1959
• Vacant-Locum Tenens 1948 - 1951
• Dionysius Waledynski 1923 - 1948(Moscow)/1960(Constantinople)
• George (Jaroszewski) 1921 - 1923

Sources

• Orthodoxy in Poland
• The Orthodox Church of Poland
• The Orthodox Church in Poland