The Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia ( bg, Българска източноправославна епархия в САЩ, Канада и Австралия) is one of fifteen dioceses of the

Church of Bulgaria The Bulgarian Orthodox Church ( bg, Българска православна църква, translit=Balgarska pravoslavna tsarkva), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria ( bg, Българска патриаршия, links=no, translit=Balgarsk ...

. The

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

is led by Metropolitan Joseph (Bosakov).

History

Saints Kyril & Metodi Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Cathedral 02

The Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia had its origins before World War II as the ''Bulgarian Diocese of North and South America and Australia''. However, a result of the establishment of a Communist government in Bulgaria after the war, relations of the diocese with the Church of Bulgaria were disrupted. Under Metropolitan Andrew (Petkov), the diocese attempted, in the late 1950s, to join the Metropolia but was unsuccessful. In 1964, Metropolitan Andrew petitioned the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...

of the Church of Bulgaria for his return to the Bulgarian episcopacy and to continue to lead the diocese in America. With the return of Metropolitan Andrew and his diocese to the Church of Bulgaria, a group under Archimandrite

Kyrill (Yonchev) The Most Reverend Kyrill (secular name Ilia Manchov Yonchev, bg, Илия Манчов Йончев; February 26, 1920, Panagyurishte, Bulgaria – June 17, 2007, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was the archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America' ...

broke with Andrew and joined the

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (russian: Ру́сская Правосла́вная Це́рковь Заграни́цей, lit=Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, translit=Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov' Zagranitsey), also called Ru ...

(ROCOR) as the Bulgarian Diocese in Exile. The ROCOR bishops

consecrate Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

d him

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. The Metropolitan Andrew's diocese is currently led by Metropolitan Joseph (Bosakov) with

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es in the United States, Canada, and Australia as an overseas diocese of the Church of Bulgaria under

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

Neophyte A neophyte is a recent Initiation, initiate or Religious conversion, convert to a subject or belief. Neophyte may also refer to: Science * Neophyte (botany), a plant species recently introduced to an area As a proper noun Arts and entertainme ...

and the Bulgarian Synod of Bishops. The diocesan

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

is Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Cathedral in New York, USA. The Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia was a member of the

Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) was an organization of bishops from Eastern Orthodox Christian jurisdictions in the Americas. It acted as a clearinghouse for educational, charitable, and missionary ...

until its replacement by the

Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America (formerly the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America and later the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America) is an organization of churc ...

, where it is now a member.

List of Parishes

''Source''
Official site of the Diocese

External links

Bulgarian Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia

Sources

OrthodoxWiki Source for Article

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese Of The Usa, Canada And Australia Eastern Orthodoxy in the United States Bulgarian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox dioceses in Canada Bulgarian-American history Bulgarian Canadian European-Australian culture Eastern Orthodoxy in Australia

History

List of Parishes

See also

External links

Sources

References