The relics of Saint E Premte are now available for veneration by the faithful in Cleveland. His Grace was blessed to receive some relics of saints and is distributing out to the parishes of the Archdiocese, once the community has prepared a place of honor for them to be venerated.
=/images/2024-Cleveland-July-visit/cle-01.jpg; "Click to view")
On the weekend of July 27-28, His Grace Bishop Nikodhim traveled to Cleveland to celebrate with the Faithful of St E Premte Church. He arrived at the parish on Saturday, serving the evening Vespers. On Sunday morning, they celebrated the Divine Liturgy in honor of their patron saint, and then shared a wonderful meal together in the parish hall.
Saint E Premte (also known in Greek as Paraskevi) was born in the Illyrian Province of the Roman Empire in 140AD; her parents named her "Friday" for the day that she was born. Upon the death of her parents, she donated all of her wealth to the poor along with all of her possessions. Shortly after this she traveled to Jerusalem to be close to the Holy Land, and then returned later to what ispresent day Albania. While there she remained devoted to Christ and his Church until her death. Read more about her life and witness by clicking here.
.
(14 images)
On Saturday, June 29, and the following Sunday, His Grace visited the Faithful of SS Peter and Paul Church in Philadelphia to celebrate the glorious work of the Apostles Peter and Paul.
Christ Himself names the disciple Simon "Peter" [Petra means stone, as in cornerstone], upon his confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” by saying, “Blessed art thou, Simon ... I tell thee, that thou art Peter [Petrus], and on this stone [petra] I build My Church” (Mt.16:16-18). Paul, originally Saul, began as a devout Pharisee, who was persecuting the Faithful until Christ Himself, after His death, resurrection and ascention, met him on the road and announced, "this one is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9: 11, 15, 18). Both saints proclaimed the Gospel and both suffered a martyrs death for their Faith in Christ. Read more about their works here.
Around the world, the Church honors these two saints on June 29; many prepare for the feast by fasting from the eighth day following Pentecost until the feast day.
=/images/2024-Crossroads-Boston-visit/53816382121_4402ef038d_c.jpg; "Click to view")
The Crossroads New England Summer program visited historical St George Cathedral in South Boston. Among their many programs for youth and young adults, the Crossroads Institute offers summer educational (and fun) programs for Orthodox high school 11th and 12 graders in various areas around the country. On the evening of Tuesday, June 25, they stopped by to visit His Grace, Father Mark, and the home of Albanian Orthodoxy in America.
To learn more about the wonderful work being done by Crossroads for youth, young adults, their parents, clergy and youth workers, please visit their website: https://crossroadinstitute.org
(8 images)
Christ is risen! Krishti u ngjall!
His Grace Bishop Nikodhim asks for your fervent prayers at this time for the newly-departed servant of God, the ever-memorable Archpriest John Scollard, and for Prifteresha Diane who is grieving. Fr. John, long serving pastor of St John the Baptist Albanian Church in Boston, fell asleep in the Lord Friday May 31, 2024. Click onto the following link to view an In Memoriam.
May Fr. John, our brother and concelebrant in the Holy Things of Christ our God, rest with the just, and may his memory be eternal! I perjetshem kujtimi!
=/images/2024-Film-Festival/film-Festival-02.jpg; "Click to view")
During the weekend of May 31- June 2, historic Saint George Cathedral in South Boston played host to the Noli Film Festival. The festival, a collaboration between SojliArt Production, 90 Production, Fan S. Noli Library & Cultural Center, and Albanians Fighting Cancer, featured seventeen incredible Albanian language (English subtitled) movies over three action-packed days. From edge-of-your-seat full-length features to eye-opening documentaries, heart-pounding shorts, and mesmerizing animations, there was something for everyone! Friends and visitors from far and wide traveled to South Boston for the event, including the current Boston city councilor for South Boston, the District Attorney for Suffolk County, the current Albanian ambassador to the US, a former Boston mayor and US ambassador to the Vatican, and a veritable who's who of Albanian actors, directors and entertainment professionals. Find out more about the festival at their website: https://nolifilmfestival.com/
(20 images)
=/images/2024-Juxhin-graduation/JG-01.jpg; "Click to view")
On Saturday May 18, His Grace joined Metropolitan Tikhon and the faculty and staff of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary for the Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2024. Among the graduates is the Archdiocese’s own Deacon Juxhin Shkurti. In addition to His Grace, Deacon Juxhin and Livia's families traveled from Albania, and clergy and faithful from around the Archdiocese, to celebrate the day with our newest clergy family. With his studies complete, Deacon Juxhin and Livia will be moving to Boston for a year-long pastoral internship at the Cathedral before their official parish assignment. May God grant Deacon Juxhin and Livia many years!
If you, your children/grandchildren, or friends are interested in the possibility of a pastoral or liturgical arts leadership role in the Archdiocese, you/they should reach out to the Archdiocese’s Student Fund Committee to discuss the steps necessary to start the process. If you would like to contribute to the Fund to help students defry the costs of education, please visit the Student Fund website.
(17 images)
=/images/2024-May-Farmington-Hills-visit/FHT-01.jpg; "Click to view")
On Sunday, May 12, His Grace joined the faithful of St Thomas Parish in Farmington Hills, MI, for their altar feast. In addition to the celebration of St Thomas Sunday, the first Sunday following Holy Pashka, the community "kicked off" the festivities leading up to their 95th Anniversary celebration in the Fall. Following the Divine Liturgy, His Grace awarded the Herald of Sts Constantine and Helen to three parishioners, Niko Bulka, Carolyn Margaret Vasili, and Thomas Adams for their years of service to the parish. Additionally, following the week long celebration of the Lord's Resurrection from the Dead, His Grace and the faithful continued the Orthodox practice of sharing the joy of Pashka with their dead by holding a memorial, both in the church and at the cemetery.
(10 images)
=/images/2024-STM-Unction-liturgy/STM-unction-1.jpg; "Click to view")
His Grace Bishop Nikodhim joins Metropolitan Tikhon and the other OCA bishops at St Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery in South Canaan, PA, for the blessing of the Holy Chrism of the Orthodox Church in America. Chrism is the holy oil used specifically when someone is baptized or "chrismated" into the Orthodox Faith as a symbol of unity of the whole Church. More than simply oil, the bishops and clergy from around North America traveled to northeastern Pennsylvania this week to spend several days perparing the ancient recipe of oil and spices on behalf os the whole OCA. Given the arduous preparation by all of the bishops, this service is performed as needed, usually once every couple of years.
To learn more, or see pictures or videos, please visit the Monastery's website: https://sttikhonsmonastery.org or Facebook page.
(4 images)
=/images/2024-Apr-Worcester-Lenten-Akathist/wla-01.jpg; "Click to view")
Faithful from the four parishes in Massachusetts and beyond gathered together the evening of Friday April 19, 2024 at Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church in Worcester. His Grace Bishop Nikodhim, along with Father Mark Doku and Father John Daly, led the faithful in this prayer of protection and thanksgiving which dates back to the 7th century. At the conclusion of the service, His Grace offered a few words before everyone went to the hall for a wonderful meal hosted by the parish.
(10 images)
Each March we mark two important occasions in the history of our diocese, days of note drawn from our spiritual ancestry: 13 March 1965 as the date of repose, the falling asleep in the Lord, of our first hierarch, the ever-memorable Theophan (Noli) and 22 March 1908 as the Sunday on which the first ever Divine Liturgy was offered in the Albanian tongue, intoned and prayed in Boston, Massachusetts by Noli and by the faithful founders of what would become this archdiocese.
With our prayers, we take up each this profound responsibility of bearing the history of our people, their struggles and sacrifices, our inheritance. With our prayers, we turn our faces now toward the future, bound together and purposed toward a common cause, which is that Christ’s freedom and victory, His holiness mystically shared with us, be not ours alone but ours together, entrusted to us that we may bring this to others.
His Grace celebrates the Canon of Saint Andrew in the St John the Baptist Chapel at St George Cathedral. Around the world, Orthodox faithful gather together the first days of Lent to read the Canon of Saint Andrew.
=/images/2024-Feb-SJC-visit/SJC-01.JPG; "Click to view")
On the weekend of February 24-25, 2024, His Grace Bishop Nikodhim visited the faithful of St John Chrysostom parish in Philadelphia. On Saturday evening, they prayed the Vespers service together, followed by a light repass. The next morning, His Grace celebrated the Divine Liturgy with Father Kai, rector of the community, and Father Dennis, Secretary of the Archdiocese. During the service, His Grace ordained David Brook to the minor order of Reader, and at the conclusion of the service, awarded the Archdiocesan medal of Herald of Constantine and Helen to both Susan and Vladimir Melnik.
(32 images)
On January 30, His Grace, Bishop Nikodhim joined His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and the newly ordained Bishop Benedict of Hartford and New England at Saint Vladimir's Seminary to celebrate the Feast of the Synaxis of the Three Holy Hierarchs, the seminary's chapel feastday. In the evening of the same day, the Mid-Year Commencement and 41st Annual Fr Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture took place.
See the photo gallery and watch the lecture recording on the seminary's website.
In his recent pastoral letter to the faithful of the Archdiocese, His Grace asks each community to honor the Albanian tradition of Konizmat, or "Icon Sunday," in their parishes in remembrance of the ransoming of the churches and the icon auctions in the past.
The practice stems from a time when Albania and the Orthodox Church were under Ottoman (Turkish) suzerainty (1468-1912). Sometime in the period between the 17th and 19th century the local pasha came up with a particularly oppressive means to tax the local parish. When parishes could not (or would not) pay the yearly tax, the pasha, or his minions, took whatever items were in the church and held them for ransom from the faithful. Items ranged from the sacred vessels to the icons.
The practice was carried over into the United States as a means of challenging the faithful by the words of the Gospel: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” For more, please visit here.
On Sunday, January 14, His Grace joined the faithful of St George Church in Trumbull to celebrate the Divine Liturgy honoring the Leavetaking of the Theophany of our Lord. At the conclusion of the service, long-time servant of God, Bill Kovachi, was awarded the Knight of Saint George for his many years of service to both the parish and the Archdiocese.
His Grace joins the faithful of St George Cathedral to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord.
May the Lord bless and keep you during this blessed season.
Krishti u lind! Christ is Born!
On Wednesday December 6, we honor St Nicholas of Myra in the Church. His Grace Bishop Nikodhim is celebrating St Nicholas three times this.
In addition to the day itself at the Cathedral, he traveled to Long Island on Sunday December 3 to serve the faithful of St Nicholas Church in Jamaica Estates. See all of the photos on the parish's Facebook page.
Coming up on Sunday December 10, he will travel to Southbridge to serve with the faithful of St Nicholas Church there.
=/images/DNE-Ordination/DNE-ord-01.jpg; "Click to view")
In addition to his very busy parish visitation schedule, His Grace Bishop Nikodhim participated in the ordination of the next Bishop of New England. On Friday evening December 2 and Saturday morning December 3, he joined Metropolitan Tikhon and three other ruling bishops of the OCA (Archbishop Benjamin of the Diocese of the West, Archbishop Melchisedek of the Diocese of Western PA, and Archbishop Michael of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey) to ordain Archimandrite Benedict (Churchill) to the episcopacy and install him as the Bishop of Hartford and the Diocese of New England. The Holy Synod members were joined by Bishop John of Diocese of Worcester and New England of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Bishop Irijej of the Eastern Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Bishop Andrei of Cleveland and Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth. Additionally, Archpriest Mark Doku, Chancellor of the Archdiocese, concelebrated with Chancellors of the OCA, the Diocese of New England and the Diocese of the South.
Resuming his very busy schedule, His Grace left immediately following the Divine Liturgy to drive to St Nicholas Church on Long Island to celebrate St Nicholas Day with the Faithful there on Sunday.
(8 images)
His Grace Bishop Nikodhim joined the faithful of St. George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral in South Boston celebrating Flag Day. On Sunday November 26, St George hosted a luncheon and special program in the Auditorium in honor of Albanian Flag Day, celebrated annually around the world on November 28.
Watch the video of the day's celebration on the parish's Facebook page.
St. George is extremely saddened to learn of the repose of Prifteresha Elisabeth (Lisa) Bouteneff, beloved wife of Fr. Sergei Bouteneff, on Saturday, November 25th. Their ministry together faithfully served our parish of Saint George beginning in 1989 for 21 years, and most recently over the past 5 years in their retirement, filling in during our parish priest vacancy.
We extend our deepest condolences to the Bouteneff family. Click onto the following link to view an In Memoriam. May her memory be eternal! I përjetshëm kujtimi!
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is with sadness yet with hope in the Resurrection that we announce the falling asleep in the Lord of the Very Reverend Protopresbyter Arthur E. Liolin. Fr. Arthur passed away peacefully on September 28 surrounded by his loving family, having received the sacraments of Holy Unction and Holy Communion the day prior.
Father was born on June 19, 1943 in New York City. Ordained a priest in September of 1970, he served as pastor and rector of St. George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral for over fifty years, offering his skills, his diligence, and his love as chancellor of the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America for most of these five decades. Through all the years of his service, he was a faithful pastor, priest, teacher, and preacher of Christ’s Holy Gospel to countless faithful, not only those of St. George Cathedral, but to the faithful of every community of this archdiocese, to those pining for freedom from within the borders of a captive Albania, and to a new generation of Albanian Christians in Shqipëria and as immigrants here in America. For the many clergy who serve and have served the Albanian Archdiocese, he was a leader, a brother, a fellow faithful servant in the trenches of ministry; he remains an inspiration.
We take confidence now even in our grief in the words of our Savior Christ, Who greets those who so multiply their talents in faith, saying “Well done good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Lord!” (Matthew 25:23)
In your kindness, please remember Priftëresha Margaret and the whole Liolin family in your prayers at this time and offer petitions of thanksgiving and memory for our father, the ever-memorable Protopresbyter Arthur.
May his memory be eternal! I përjetshëm kujtimi!
On Saturday September 16, 2023, in historic Saint George Cathedral, Metropolotian Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington and All America and Canada, along with six other ruling diocesan bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, ordained Archimandrite Nikodhim to the episcopacy with the words of the Holy Gospel and the Apostolic Succession of laying on of hands. Read more
Holy Synod elects Archimandrite Nikodhim as Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese
On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, meeting under the presidency of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, canonically elected the Very Reverend Archimandrite Nikodhim the Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese. May God grant Archimandrite Nikodhim many years.
