With great joy, the Albanian Orthodox faithful of the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area entered into Holy Week, celebrating Palm Sunday as a community. Bishop Nikodhim and a delegation from Boston and Worcester offered services on Sunday morning at Café Amore in Richardson, TX, where all were warmly welcomed and hosted by its owner. Following the Divine Liturgy and blessing of Palms, the gathered community shared lunch and discussed plans for future events and religious services. In the unity of their prayers, they asked the Almighty to guide, strengthen, and bless them as they work toward establishing a lasting presence and place of faith for all. 

The faithful of St. Mary's Parish in Worcester welcomed His Grace, Nikodhim, on the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt. In this pastoral visit, His Grace was proud to award Fr. Mark Doku the Jewelled Cross in recognition of his service to the Church and to honor three new recipients of the archdiocesan Heralds of Sts. Constantine and Helena medal, Tina Thamel, Carol Laska, and Bob Laska. At the conclusion of the service, His Grace blessed a new ark containing the relics of St. Mary of Egypt, praying that these holy things be a source of grace and inspiration for the faithful.

For the second year, the communities of the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese proudly celebrated Heritage Sunday. This annual commemoration occurs on the Sunday before the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) and incorporates two important events in the life of our Church: the repose of our founding bishop, Metropolitan Theofan Noli, on March 13, 1965 and an initial milestone in his missionary career, the first celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Albanian Tongue on March 22, 1908 in Boston, Massachusetts. 

March 13, 2025 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the falling asleep of the ever-memorable servant of God, Metropolitan Theofan Noli, patriot, poet, a father of both the Albanian Church and Nation.

For sixty years, we have lived without his immediate voice to guide us, yet his wisdom and care for the faithful of this archdiocese endure. His vision and example of service to God and to one another persists, and it is with this legacy as our guide and our strength that we walk confidently into the future. May we always care for each other and for this whole world as he cared for us, and may his memory be eternal! I përjetshëm kujtimi!

On Wednesday evening, following the celebration of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, His Grace Nikodhim and our chancellor, Archpriest Mark Doku, offered memorial prayers at St. Mary’s Church in Worcester. The following day, His Grace visited Noli’s resting place in Forest Hills Cemetery, praying there and blessing the graves of Metropolitan Theofan, Bishop Stefan, Fr. Arthur Liolin, and the other luminaries and founders there at rest.

Bishop Nikodhim and the V. Rev. Mark Doku, chancellor, were joined by lay representatives of the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese, lay vice-chair Matthew Sotir and trustee Lou Foundos, as they united their prayers with others from around the world at the funeral services of the ever-memorable Archbishop Anastasios of Albania. Amidst an atmosphere of both profound loss yet sincere hope and faith in Christ’s promise of resurrection, the clergy and faithful of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania grieved as delegates representing churchly, civic, political, and interfaith interests raised their voices to honor the work and profound primatial ministry of this pastor. Thereafter, His Grace Nikodhim and other members of the delegation were pleased to travel briefly in Albania and to serve on the Feast of the Lord’s Meeting at the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Tirana, renewing relationships there as with brothers and standing with them in these days of hope and challenge. 

Krishti U Lind! Lavderojeni!
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Sunday December 15, on the feast day of St Eleftherios of Vlora, the faithful of Saint George Cathedral had the blessing to have with them his Holy Relics (lipsan) in our church. We had a special procession around the church singing his troparion in English and Albanian and the faithful of St George , had the blessing to venerate the Icon with the holy relic and receive a sanctified cotton touched by St Eleftherios's Holy Relic.
May St. Eleftherios intercede for us.

On November 28, 1443, the national hero of Albania, a prince known as Skanderbeg (George Kastrioti), raised his flag over the fortress of Krujë in defiance of the Turks who ruled the country. Nearly 500 years later, Albanians revived his flag as a national rallying point for Albanians at home and abroad, leading to independence from Ottoman rule being proclaimed on November 28, 1912. 

On Sunday, November 24, parishes around the archdiocese honor their Albanian ancestry by praying and giving thanks to God by hold a special prayer service in their communities. 

Saturday, November 16, saw the first in-person meeting of the newly formed Archdiocesan Archives Committee at St. George Cathedral in South Boston. Participants toured the diocesan archives, met with Neka Doko, longtime librarian of the Noli library, and shared lunch with representatives of the Cathedral and the Noli Cultural Center. Though there is much to be done to preserve this trove of important documents and artefacts, all involved in this first meeting expressed their enthusiasm at ensuring that these things may continue to be passed down for the benefit of future generations of the Archdiocesan faithful and the Albanian people. 

On Friday, 20 September 2024, clergy and lay delegates elected by parishes of the Archdiocese gathered together at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Philadelphia for the Archdiocesan Assembly. The Diocesan Assembly is the highest legislative and administrative authority within the Diocese, and assists the Diocesan Bishop in its governance. The Assembly brings together the various elements of the Diocese to bear witness to her identity, unity, and mission. As in previous years, in addition to the business meeting, the 3-day event will host a gathering of the clergy with His Grace, a formal banquet, and a hierarchal liturgy for all of the faithful to celebrate together. There will also be break out sessions entitled "Sharing Our Strengths: Working Together Towards Christ's Kingdom" and "Religious Education: Awakening the Faith of Young and Old," as well as presentation by our special guest, Father Grigori Pelushi, priest of the Orthodox Church of Albania and Chair of Radio Ngjallja. For more details, please see the Schedule of Events.

The opening paraklesis on Friday morning included the monastic tonsure of Father Dennis Rhodes.  Now known as Hieromonk Danaks (honoring the 2nd century Albanian martyr), Father served our communities of St Nicholas in Jamaica Estates and St John Chrysostom in Philadelphia, and St George in Trumbull since his priestly ordination over 45 years ago. Though he was granted retirement from parish pastorship in 2018, he continues to serve our communities. In addition to celebrating the divine services for vacationing priests or at parishes currently without an assigned priest, he has been elected to serve the Archdiocese at large as the General Secretary of the diocese. A recording of the service is availabe for viewing on the parish's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@sspeterpaulorthodoxchurcho1810).

Following prayers in the church, the officers and delegates moved upstairs to conduct the legislative portion of the Assembly. At the conclusion of the "business" session, Father Grigori Pelushi addressed the full body, and then the bishop took the parish council chairs to discuss Sharing Our Strengths: Working Together Towards Christ's Kingdom, while the rest stayed with Father Mark and Grigori to talk about Religious Education: Awakening the Faith of Young and Old. That evening, delegates, observers and the local community gathered together in fellowship at the evening banquet.

On Saturday morning, during the 10am Hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Grace and clergy of the diocese, Deacon Juxhin was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. Deacon Juxhin, with the help of the Archdiocese's Theological Student Fund, came to the United States from Albania a few years ago to study at St Vladimir's Theological Seminary near New York City. Upon completion of his studies, he, and his wife Livia, have moved to Boston to complete an additional year-long pastoral internship at the Cathedral before being placed in parish assignment. Please join us live (or watch later) on the parish's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@sspeterpaulorthodoxchurcho1810).

Following the Divine Liturgy, His Grace prayed the memorial service for reposed clergy, Priftereshe's, and laypeople who have served God's Faithful throughout the Archdiocese's history. He then honored James Liolin for 55 years (and counting) of service on the Archdiocese's Theological Student Fund by bestowing upon him the Knight of Saint George medal.  Before departing for their home parishes, the visiting delegates were treated once again to a wonderful meal by the hosts, the faithful of Ss Peter and Paul.

Among the Albanian saints, there are special patrons of animals. Sts. Florus and Laurus were early Christian martyrs and missionaries. These twin brothers met their end in Illyricum, probably south of the modern city of Prishtina, Kosova. It is said that the return of their relics to Constantinople coincided with the end of a plague which was sickening horses throughout the empire. Thereafter, they became patron saints of those creatures God has provided to live in community with mankind. The feast of Sts. Florus and Laurus is celebrated each August 18.

At St. George Cathedral, they honored these saints in their prayers in August. His Grace, Nikodhim, brought the relics of these martyrs to be venerated, and after the Divine Liturgy, both the faithful of the community and their friends and neighbors were invited to the meditation garden, where all the animals (and their families) were blessed with holy water.

On this sacred occasion of the Assumption of St. Mary (August 15), the faithful of the Worcester area gathered together to honor and commemorate the blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. His Grace Nikodhim traveled from South Boston to consecrate the Sts. Peter and Paul chapel, placing relics within the altar, and signing and consecrating new Antimensia for the churches in the Albanian Archdiocese. Once complete, His Eminence and the clergy and faithful celebrated the Divine Liturgy upon the newly consecrated chapel altar.