28
edits
Changes
small clarifications to titles and the reduction of the number of parishes and missions.
The '''Albanian Archdiocese''' of the [[Orthodox Church in America]] is one of the three [[Ethnic diocese|ethnic diocese dioceses]] within the OCA. Its origin is traced back to the start of the autocephalous [[Church of Albania]] as both had a common beginning in the United States in the early twentieth century.
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After about six months in office as Prime Minister he was forced to flee due to a coup led by future king Ahmed Bey Zogu and take up residence in Germany. Metr. Noli eventually returned to the United States in 1932 as a permanent resident and reassumed leadership of the American [[diocese]], the number of parishes having grown by 67% in his absence. He directed the activities of diocese through World War II. As early as the 1930s the diocese and Metr. Theofan recognized the need to serve the young English speaking generation. As he had done with Albanian translations, he produced translations of the services into English to support introduction of English into the parishes.
In the United States he led in discussions with Metr. [[Leonty (Turkevich) of New York|Leonty]] of the Metropolia on the need for a single Orthodox jurisdiction in America. It was left, however, to his successor to fulfill the idea of joining into a single jurisdiction. After Metr. Noli’s death on [[March 13]], 1965, without a diocesan nomination, Fr. Steven [[Stephen (Lasko ) of Boston|Stephen Lasko]] was consecrated bishop for the Albanian diocese by the communist-influenced Synod of the Church of Albania. The Church of Albania had never claimed any jurisdiction in North America.
In Albania, the communist party that controlled the country since the end of World War II became more oppressive until by 1967 the Orthodox Church functioned in Albania only in clandestine services. The diocese, formed by Bp. Noli and now struggling with the consecration of Bp. Stephen, petitioned the newly autocephalous [[Orthodox Church in America]] for canonical recognition as the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America.
On [[October 14]], 1971, Bp. Steven Stephen led most of the Albanian parishes into the OCA. Two parishes, which in 1949 had the formed the [[Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America]] under the [[Omophorion]] of the [[Church of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarch]] did not follow.
The former Fr. Nicholas Liolin was consecrated Bishop [[Nikon (Liolin) of Boston|Nikon]] of Baltimore, an [[auxiliary bishop]], as administrator of the Albanian diocese on [[May 25]], 2002. Bishop Nikon, upon nomination by the archdiocesan assembly, was elected by the Synod of Bishops of the OCA as Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese on [[October 22]], 2003. In October 2005, he was also elected by the [[Holy Synod]] as the ruling bishop of the Diocese of New England (see of Hartford) and was installed on [[December 17]], 2005 with the new title of Bishop of Boston, New England and the Albanian Archdiocese. He was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop.
==Organization==
The diocese is currently was under the leadership of His GraceEminence, the Right Most Reverend Nikon (Liolin), who reposed on [[September 1]], 2019. On September 10, 2019, the OCA announced that Metropolitan [[Tikhon (Mollard) of Washington|Tikhon (Mollard)]] will be the [[locum tenens]] for the diocese until a successor is found. The diocesan [[see]] is St. George Cathedral in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Albanian archdiocese in the United States has always been small in number. Its parishes are concentrated in the northeastern United States.
== Deaneries ==
There are thirteen eleven [[parish]]es and a mission in the [[diocese]]: five four in Massachusetts, two each in New York and Pennsylvania, and one each in California, Connecticut, Michigan, and Ohio. The parishes are organized into three [[Deanery|deaneries]] with the following territories:
* Great Lakes Deanery – Michigan, Northern New York, and Ohio