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Dionysius (Waledyński) of Warsaw

73 bytes added, 12:26, February 7, 2013
Recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate
In 1890, Constantine was awarded the right to enroll in the Vladimir Theological Seminary without examinations based on his school record in the Murom school. His education at the Vladimir Seminary was interrupted by an attempted assassination of the school's inspector that caused the closing of the [[seminary]]. Constantine transferred to the Ufa Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1896. After graduating from the Ufa Seminary, Constantine entered the [[Kazan Theological Academy]]. On [[September 14]], 1897 while a second year student, Constantine made his [[monasticism|monastic]] vows and received the name Dionysius. Soon thereafter he was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[deacon]], and, in 1899, to the [[priest]]hood. In 1900, Fr. Dionysius graduated from Kazan Academy with honors and the degree of candidate of theology. He was recognized for his excellence in teaching and joined the Cathedral Academy in the Department of the Kalmyk language.
In 1901, Fr. Dionysius was appointed professor of biblical and church history at the Tauride Theological Seminary in Simferopol, but was soon transferred in to Kholm Theological Seminary as inspector. In 1902, he was elevated to the rank of [[archimandrite]] and was appointed rector of Kholm Seminary in Poland. In 1911, Archimandrite Dionysios was assigned as rector of Russian embassy church in Rome.
In 1913, the [[Apostolic Governing Synod|Holy Synod]] of the [[Church of Russia]] elected Archim. Dionysius [[auxiliary bishop]] of Kremenets and Volhynia. He was[[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] on [[April 21]], 1913 in the [[church]] of the Great Lavra of the [[Pochaev Lavra of the Dormition of the Theotokos|Pochaev]] Monastery by a large number of [[bishop]]s headed by the [[Patriarch]] of Antioch, [[Gregory IV (Haddad)of Antioch|Gregory IV]], who was on an official visit in Russia.
In 1917-1918, Bp. Dionysius participated in the [[All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918|Local Church Council]] in Moscow, where he came under strong pressure to join in a declaration to make the Ukrainian church autocephalous. Leaving the council, Bp. Dionysius returned to Kremenets, to his [[see]] in Volhynia. In a decree of August 1918 by Patriarch [[Tikhon of Moscow|Tikhon]], Bp. Dionysius was directed to organize the newly formed Diocese of Polesie[[Wikipedia:Polesia]] with its see in the city of Pinsk.
In 1919, the sovereign state of Poland was established under the Versailles Treaty. In 1921, Bp. Dionysius successfully opposed the convening of a congress of representatives of Orthodox parishes in Poland, which was to discuss the legal situation of the Orthodox structures in the country. Bp. Dionysius argued that the state authorities at the Congress would be non-canonical and not authorized to make decisions on key ecclesiastical organizational issues, especially as the Church, as situated in Poland, continued to be eparchies of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]]. Bp. Dionysius forbade the clergy and [[laity]] of his [[eparchy]] to send representatives to the congress. The congress did not take place.
In the meantime, the Polish Archbishop George (Yaroshevsky), returned from exile in Italy. As the senior [[hierarch]] in Poland, Abp. George was appointed by Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow as the Patriarchal Exarch of the Orthodox Church in the Poland with the title of Archbishop of Warsaw and from September 1921 with the addition to the title of Metropolitan of All Poland. In 1921, he received Polish citizenship.
On [[January 24]], 1922, Bp. Dionysius participated in a council of Orthodox bishops in Poland that was called by Metr. George. This council, which did not include those who opposed a request to the [[Church of Constantinople]] for [[autocephaly]], discussed and approved the contents of the Interim Government's regulations concerning the Orthodox Church in Poland. Also, during 1922, Bp. Dionysius was installed as Archbishop of Volhynia and Kremenets.
At a council meeting on [[May 30]], 1922, Abp. Dionysius joined in signing with Metr. George a resolution declaring the Church of Poland independent from the Church of Russia as those bishops opposed to the resolution absented themselves from the meeting. At a follow-on meeting of the council on [[June 14]], 1922, that constituted itself as the [[Holy Synod]], Abp. Dionysius supported the request to the Patriarch of Constantinople for a grant of [[autocephaly]]. The [[synod]] of bishops was then consisted as of Metr. George. , Abp. Dionysius, and Bp. Alexander (Inoziemcow), as Bps. Eleuteriusza and Vladimir protested the resolution and did not attend.
On [[February 8]], 1923, Metr. George was assassinated at his residence by Archimandrite Smaragd, an opponent of autocephaly for the Church in Poland. As senior bishop in Poland, Abp. Dionysius was declared [[locum tenens]] and then . Then on [[February 27]], 1923 , he was elected Metropolitan of Warsaw and Volhynia and all the Orthodox Church in Poland. Metr. Dionysius was [[enthronement|enthroned]] on [[April 29]], 1923 in the [[Cathedral of Mary Magdalen Equal to the Apostles (Warsaw)|Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene]] in Warsaw. Metr. Dionysius continued the effort to obtain autocephaly.
Although efforts to obtain autocephaly began during the time of Patr. [[Meletius IV (Metaxakis) of Constantinople|Meletius IV]], it wasn't until the patriarchal synod of Constantinople under Patr. [[Gregory VII of Constantinople|Gregory VII]] that a decision was affirmed on [[November 11]], 1924. Patr. Gregory signed the [[tomos]] of autocephaly on [[November 13]], 1924. Autocephaly was formally announced at a council in Warsaw on [[September 17]], 1925.
In 1925, Metr. Dionysius blessed the opening of the School of Orthodox Theology at the University of Warsaw, where he taught. He also established seminaries in Kremenets and Vilnius
During the following two decades, Metr. Dionysius was constantly confronted with the task of defending the Orthodox Church and its faithful from the actions of the government that supported the [[Roman Catholic Church]] in a series of law suits to recover the property held by the Orthodox Church as well as actions to destroy Orthodox churches. Appeals to the government were without success.
During this period, Metr. Dionysius was also confronted with efforts by Ukrainian nationalists in the Volhynia region to establish a Ukrainian presence in the Church of Poland. HIs situation was aggravated during the German occupation of Poland during World War II with a movement by Ukrainian nationalists to establish an independent Ukrainian [[church]].
title=Archbishop of Kremenets and Volhynia|
years=1922-1923|
after=?Alexis (Gromadsky)}}
{{succession|
before=George (Yaroshevsky)|
title=[[List of Metropolitans of Poland|Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland]]|
years=1923-19601948|after=Tymoteusz - Church of Constantinople<br> Makary - Church of RussiaTimothy (Szretter)}}{{end box}}
==Sources==
[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:20th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Bishops of Warsaw]]
[[Category:Metropolitans of Poland]]

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