Fr. Nikon was consecrated bishop of the Belgian diocese by Metr. Evlogy in 1946. Then, after Abp. Alexander returned to Belgium, Bp. Nikon departed Europe to join the American [[Metropolia]]. Upon his arrival in the United States on [[September 19]], 1947, he was appointed rector of [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Seminary]] in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. He was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia in 1948 and served in that position until 1952. Bp. Nikon was then transferred to Canada as Bishop of Toronto to serve there until 1958. With the return of Abp. Ireney to the United States from Japan, Bp. Nikon was elevated to Archbishop and elected in 1959 to serve as Archbishop of Tokyo and All Japan. There he continued the restoration of the Japanese church from the disastrous years of World War II. He returned to the United States in 1963 to serve as assistant to Metr. Leonty. Upon the death of Metr. Leonty in 1965, Abp. Nikon was named Archbishop of Brooklyn.