Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo, The Orthodox Church in America

06/08/2026

Wishing Many Years to our parish of St. Saint Nikolai Orthodox Church

​TOLEDO, OH [BDOCA] – 8 JUNE 2026 - His Eminence Archbishop Alexander has sent a communique to V. Rev. Stephen Duesenberry, rector of St. Nikolai parish in Alliance, Ohio. The letter reads,...

06/02/2026

TOLEDO, OH [BDOCA] – 2 JUNE 2026 - His Eminence Archbishop Alexander has appointed Rebekah Humphreys the new communications coordinator of the Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo, OCA. In a communique to...

05/27/2026

May your 78th year be blessed Vladyka!

05/19/2026

St. Barnabas said this to the new Christians in Antioch, and he says it to us this morning. He knew that there are many who begin to walk on God’s road willingly and with excitement.  Yet as soon as the first obstacles appear, we often get discouraged and fall back into our old and sinful w

05/19/2026

Our Archbishop and Father Alexander was in Athens to speak at the International Theological Symposium dedicated to Elder Aimilianos. Geronda Aimilianos (1934-2019) who served as abbot of Simonos Petras Monastery on Mount Athos from 1973 to 2000. He tonsured our Archbishop Alexander into the lesser schema. Achbishop Alexander refers to the Elder as his father in God. Geronda Aimilianos stands as a figure of considerable significance in twentieth- and early twenty-first-century Orthodox Christianity. His life was marked by sustained ascetic discipline, a profound commitment to prayer, and devoted spiritual fatherhood. His theological discourse—deeply rooted in doxology and oriented toward the life of the Triune God—offers a vision of hope and transformation that remains formative for both monastics and the laity. The current abbot of Simonopetra, Elder Elisaios, and the abbot of Vatopedi Monastery, Elder Ephraim, invited Archbishop Alexander to speak at this three-day symposium which began on May 8 and concluded on May 10. May 9 marks the 6th anniversary of the falling asleep in the Lord of Elder Aimilianos. You may see details of the symposium at the website. The talks have been archived. https://geronaimilianos.org/en/

04/30/2026

Many years to the newly tonsured Reader, Augustine from St. Nikolai Mission in Alliance, Ohio
If you are a member of the Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo and would like to see more updates like this one, ask your priest about joining the Our Diocese App.

04/30/2026

CHRIST IS RISEN!

On St. Thomas Sunday 19 April 2026, His Eminence Archbishop Alexander visited the parish of Saint Nikolai Orthodox Mission of Alliance, Ohio. Together with V. Rev. Fr. Stephen Duesenberry Divine Liturgy was celebrated. This weekend also marked the occasion of breaking ground for the establishment of a new church building as well as burning the mortgage on the existing building. The parish also experienced the tonsuring of the new Reader Augustine. May it be blessed!
If you are a member of the Bulgarian Diocese of Toledo and would like to see more updates like this one, ask your priest about joining the Our Diocese App.

04/29/2026

Christ is Risen!
Eis pollá étē, Déspota!

SPRINGFIELD, VA — The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has formally accepted the retirement request of Abp. Alexander, bringing to a close nearly a decade of his leadership as Archbishop of Dallas and the South.

According to the Synod’s announcement, Abp. Alexander’s retirement from the Diocese of the South will take effect on July 23, 2026, following the conclusion of the Diocese’s regular Diocesan Assembly. "At that time, His Eminence will be relieved of his duties as diocesan bishop of the South," the release states. "He will, however, continue to serve as the ruling bishop of the Bulgarian Diocese."

LINK: https://uoj.news/news/87021-oca-holy-synod-accepts-abp-alexanders-retirement-from-diocese-of-the-south

04/10/2026

Christ is Risen!

Today the veil is torn, and the hidden glory is revealed.

The Light that once dwelt in shadow now shines openly from the empty tomb, calling all creation into the sanctuary not made with hands.

Let us ascend in heart to the true altar, where the Risen Christ leads His people—not in figure, but in truth—into the unending Pascha of the Kingdom.

The stone is rolled away not only from the sepulcher, but from the depths of the soul,that we might behold the divine Light which no darkness can overcome.

May this holy feast be for you an entrance into that mystery: from death into life, from earth into heaven, from the visible into the ineffable glory of God.

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Alexander, Archbishop of Toledo and Bulgarian Diocese

04/07/2026