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Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America

140 bytes added, 21:56, December 16, 2012
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With the disintegration of the American diocese following the Bolshevik coup in 1917 the diocese was unable to consecrate Archimandrite Mardarije (Uskokovic) as bishop for the Serbian parishes, in 1919, and the mission diocese requested his consecration by the new Serbian Patriarch Dimitriye. But, Pat. Dimitriye made Mardary head of the Rakovitsa Monastery instead. The American Serbians then asked the Patriarch to sent Bp. Nicolai (Velimirovich), which he did, with Archimandrite Mardary as his deputy. Serving as a parish priest in Chicago, Fr. Mardary did much of the organizational work for the diocese, including purchasing with his own funds the St Sava Monastery site in Libertyville, Illinois.
Archimandrite Mardary was called back to Belgrade and consecrated by the Serbian Patriarch Dimitriye in April 1926 as head of the ''Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada'', After his consecration, Bp. Mardary returned to the United States on [[May 8]], 1927. He convened the first Church Assembly in Chicago [[May 29]]-30, 1927. Against various problems Bp. Mardary continued organizing the diocese, although an advancing case of tuberculosis began to take its toll, resulting in his death on [[December 12]], 1935 at the age of 46. In 1940, Bishop [[Dionisije (Milivojevich) of United States and Canada|Dionisije]] was assigned to the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of America and Canada in the United States with Hieromonk [[Fermilian (Ocokoljich) of Midwestern America|Firmilian]] as his assistant.
When World War II enveloped the Serbian Patriarchate in 1941 with disruptions of peaceful life, first by the Nazis and then by the Communists, disorder came to the American diocese. Yet the need was evident that the size of the North American diocese prevented the ruling bishop from having close association with the far flung parishes. In 1963, The Holy Assembly of Bishops, at the request of the diocesan bishop, Bp. Dionisije, created three new dioceses and elected bishops to rule the diocese. However, this action also resulted in the [[deposition]] of Bp. Dionisije and a split among the Serbian Orthodox in America and litigation. Eventually, the reorganization was accomplished.
==Reference==
*Constance J. Tarasar, ''Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America'', Syosett, New York, The Orthodox Church in America, 1975
*[http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/stnikolai.aspx Life of St. Nikolai Velimirovich]
==Sources==
16,951
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