1,264
edits
Changes
→Diocesan bishops
[[Image:Alaska.png|thumb|right|Visual representation of the Diocese of Alaska]]
The '''Diocese of Alaska (OCA)'''—in full, the '''Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska'''—is a [[diocese]] of the [[Orthodox Church in America]]. It is currently under the administration of [[Bishop ]] [[Benjamin (Peterson) of San Francisco]] as ''[[locum tenens]]''. Its territory includes the American state of [[Alaska]].
The diocese has, since 2007, been struggling with a crisis regarding the leadership of its [[bishop]], including allegations of abuse against both the bishop and the diocesan [[chancellor]], Archimandrite Isidore (Brittain). His Grace, the Right Reverend [[Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka|Nikolai (Soraich)]], the diocesan bishop, was placed on a leave of absence beginning [[March 4]], 2008, which was rescinded shortly thereafter and then reinstated on [[April 17]], 2008. The leave became voluntarily permanent in May 2008, followed by his official retirement.
{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
==History==
The territory of what is now the Diocese of [[Alaska ]] was the beginning of the presence of Orthodox Christianity in the Western Hemisphere when Russian [[monk]]s arrived as [[missionary|missionaries]] to preach the [[Gospel]] of [[Jesus Christ]] to the indigenous peoples in the 1790s. This mission expanded into the formation of a series of dioceses and [[vicar]] [[see]]s that became the Archdiocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America during the first decade of the twentieth century with the territory of Alaska served by an assistant/vicar bishop.
With the establishment of the diocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America, the position of an auxiliary/vicar [[bishop]] was established for Alaska, first held by Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky). When the [[Church of Russia]] granted autocephaly to the [[Metropolia]], the successor organization to the Archdiocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America, the territory of Alaska was organized as a [[diocese]] of of the new [[Orthodox Church in America]], with a diocesan bishop.
==Diocesan bishops==; Alaska Vicariate of the North American Diocese* [[Innocent (Pustynsky) of Alaska|Innocent (Pustynsky)]] (1904 - 1909)* [[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of Brussels|Alexander (Nemolovsky)]] (1909 - 1916)* [[Philip (Stavitsky) of Alaska|Philip (Stavitsky)]] (1916 - 1917)* [[Anthony (Dashkevich) of Alaska|Anthony (Dashkevich)]] (1921-1922)*Vacant 2008 [[Amphilochius (Vakulsky) of Alaska|Amphilochius (Vakulsky)]] (1923 - 1931)* [[Antoninus (Pokrovsky) of Alaska|Antoninus (Pokrovsky)]] (1931 - Present1934) ; Diocese of Alaska*[[Nikolai Alexis (SoraichPanteleyev) of SitkaOmsk|Nikolai Alexis (Panteleev)]] (1934 - 1944)* [[John (SoraichZlobin) of Sitka and AnchorageAlaska|John (Zlobin)]], 2002(1945-20081952)*[[Gregory Amvrossy (AfonskyMerejko) of SitkaPittsburgh|Ambrose (Merejko)]], 1973 1955-1967* Theodosius (Lazor) (1967 -19951970) ; OCA*[[Theodosius (Lazor) of Washington|Theodosius (Lazor)]] (1970 - 1972)* [[Gregory (Afonsky) of Sitka|Gregory (Afonsky)]] (1973-1995)* [[Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka and Alaska |Nicholas (OCASoraich)]] 1970 (2002-2008)* Vacant (2008 - 1972Present)
<!-- ==Diocesan Council==
