OCA Diocese of Dallas Assembly to Nominate Bishop Postponed

Archbishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston, locum tenens of the Diocese of Dallas and the South of the American Orthodox Church (OCA), has postponed the special diocesan assembly scheduled for later this month to nominate the next Bishop of Dallas. The most popular candidate currently under consideration in the Diocese, Archimandrite Gerasim (Eliel), is slated for a second vetting by the Holy Synod of the OCA due to the change in the composition of its membership since his fist vetting in 2009. More here.

New Cathedral Consecrated in Tirana

Archbishop Anastasius (Yannoulatos) of the Albanian Orthodox Church has consecrated the new national Cathedral of the Resurrection in the Albanian capital, Tirana. The new cathedral is a symbol of the resurrection of the Church of Albania, whose institutions were completely destroyed by the Albanian Communist regime during the Cold War era. More in Romanian here.

The consecration took place as part of a celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the Albanian Orthodox Church's revival under Archbishop Anastasius. Archbishops Demetrius (Trakatellis) of New York of the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church and Nicon (Liolin) of Boston and the Albanians of the American Orthodox Church participated in the celebration alongside the members of the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church. More here.

OCA Dallas Cathedral Holds Town Hall Meeting with Bishop Nikon

Bishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston and the Albanians, locum tenens of the American Orthodox Diocese of Dallas and Southeastern America, has held a town hall meeting at St. Seraphim's Cathedral in Dallas to discuss the rather numerous concerns of the cathedral parish regarding its future, the future of the Diocese of Dallas, and the place of Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington in the American Orthodox Church. More here.

OCA Diocese of Dallas to Nominate New Bishop

Bishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston, locum tenens of the Diocese of Dallas and Southeastern America of the American Orthodox Church (OCA), has called on the Diocese to prepare for a special diocesan assembly this spring or summer to nominate a candidate for election by the Holy Synod to the diocesan cathedra, which has been vacant since the retirement of Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) in early 2009.

The candidates under consideration by the Diocese's search committee include Bishop Mark (Maymon) of Baltimore, who currently serves as the Diocese's administrator; Archimandrite Alexander (Golitzin), who is also being considered by the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of North America; Archimandrite Gerasim (Eliel), who is expected to be nominated for the vacant Sitka cathedra this August; Archpriest Paul Gassios, also currently under consideration by the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese; and Archpriest David Mahaffey.

More here.

OCA Metropolitan Seeks Removal of Interim Chancellor

Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington has announced that he is removing Bishop Melchisedek (Pleska) of Pittsburgh as interim chancellor of the American Orthodox Church and resuming the duties of locum tenens of the Diocese of Dallas and Southeastern America, which the Holy Synod of the OCA had transferred to Bishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston. As both the appointment of an interim chancellor and of Bishop Nikon as locum tenens of the Dallas cathedra were decisions of the Holy Synod it remains to be seen whether Metropolitan Jonah's decisions will be taken as binding or not. More here.

Update (3/5/2011): The Holy Synod has rejected Metropolitan Jonah's unilateral attempt to resume his former position as locum tenens of the Diocese of Dallas and confirmed Bishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston as its locum tenens. More here.

Lenten Epistle of Bishop Nicon of Boston

The Lenten epistle of Bishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston and the Albanians of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) is worth a read given the assorted culture war articles and conspiracy theories being pushed online by people claiming to support Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington. It's sad that all of this has become such a big deal...