Peter (L'Huillier) of New York

The Most Reverend Peter (L'Huillier) of New York (December 3, 1926 – November 19, 2007) was the Archbishop of New York and New Jersey in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

Life

Archbishop Peter was born as Paul L'Huillier on December 3, 1926, in Paris, France. He embraced the Orthodox faith in 1945 while enrolled at the St. Denys Institute in Paris. His Eminence also did graduate work at the University of Paris and received a Licentiate of Theology from the Moscow Theological Academy in 1962 and a Doctorate of Canon Law degree in 1985.

The Archbishop began his ecclesiastical life on August 30, 1954, when he was tonsured Monk Peter. On September 4 and 5, 1954, he was ordained hierodeacon and hieromonk by Abp. Boris, Exarch of the Russian Patriarchate in Europe. His priestly work took place at two Orthodox churches in Paris, Three Hierarchs and the Church of our Lady the Joy of Those who Sorrow. In 1960, Abp. Peter was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. On September 12, 1968, the feast of St. Alexander Nevsky at the former St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery (Lavra) in St. Petersburg (then called Leningrad), Abp. Peter was consecrated Bishop of Chersonese. Participating at that consecration were the Metropolitan of Leningrad, Nikodim (Rotov) and Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh.

As bishop, he was a member of the mother Church which granted autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in America. In 1979, he was invited to come to the young autocephalous church by His Beatitude Metropolitan Theodosius. He was designated as an auxiliary bishop to the Metropolitan, with the title of "Bishop of Brooklyn" until 1981.

In 1981, when the Holy Synod of Bishops established the new diocese of Washington, DC, for the seat of the Primate, he was installed as the Bishop of the remaining part of the Metropolitan's former local diocese with the title "Bishop of New York and New Jersey." In 1990, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America bestowed on him the title of Archbishop of New York and New Jersey.

Archbishop Peter's linguistic fluency (in four languages), his formal degree in the Orthodox canonical traditions, his familiarity with varieties of ethnic and national Orthodox customs, would seem to make him one of the most qualified and astute Orthodox hierarchs worldwide. He chaired the External Affairs Department for many years. However, after his retirement from active ministry, it became known that he had presided over a diocesan administration characterized by fiscal scandal and the silencing of priests who sought an investigation into missing monies from the diocesan treasury over a long period of time.

In the formal academic world, he lectured at the Institute of St. Denys, Paris, France, from 1949 to 1950. From 1952 to 1962, he taught at the Three Hierarchs Seminary in Villemoisson, France. He was a Professor at the Catholic University in Paris from 1966 to 1978. He was Adjunct Professor of Canon Law at St. Vladimir's Seminary, Crestwood, New York, since 1979. As a specialist in Orthodox Canon Law, Archbishop Peter occupied prominent positions, yet his publications were of uneven quality. His final book, published by St. Vladimir's Press, urged the abandonment of the Orthodox Paschalia [Easter cycle] on the absence of extant evidence from the Nicene Council of A.D. 325. This book was widely dismissed by scholars.

After more than thirty years as a hierarch, the members of the Holy Synod of the OCA accepted Archbishop Peter's request for retirement in March, 2005. He was on a leave of absence since the spring 2004 session of the Holy Synod. His retirement became effective April 30, 2005.

In light of Archbishop Peter's retirement, the members of the Holy Synod decided to establish the new Diocese of Washington and New York, composed of the former Diocese of New York and New Jersey and the Diocese of Washington, effective April 30, 2005. The move was a return to the diocesan boundaries and structure that had existed until 1981, when the Diocese of Washington was created as the seat of the OCA Primate.

Abp. Peter reposed on November 19, 2007. In 2010, the OCA Synod of Bishops abolished the merged diocese, returned the Metropolitan see to Washington, D.C., and reestablished the Diocese of New York and New Jersey. Bishop Michael [Dahulich] was appointed leader of the revitalized diocese in May, 2010.

Articles

His doctoral dissertation was published as (The Church of the Ancient Councils: The Disciplinary Work of the First Four Ecumenical Councils, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1996). [1] ISBN 0881410071

Source

• Jacob's Well, Newspaper of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, Orthodox Church in America, Fall/Winter 98-99, pp. 4-6

External links

• In Memoriam
• Links to articles by Archbishop Peter
• His Eminence Peter, Archbishop of New York and New Jersey at the Orthodox Research Institute

Succession box: Peter (L'Huillier) of New York
Preceded by: ?	Bishop of Chersonese 1968-1979	Succeeded by: ?
Preceded by: John (Shahovskoy)	Bishop of Brooklyn 1979-1981	Succeeded by: vacant
Preceded by: Theodosius (Lazor)	Archbishop of New York and New Jersey 1981-2005	Succeeded by: Herman (Swaiko)

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