On 27th March 2016, the 2nd Sunday of Lent, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa officiated at Orthros, conducted the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy and during this he conducted the ordination of His Grace Nikodemos Bishop of Nitria at the Holy Patriarchal and Cathedral Church of St Savvas the Sanctified in Alexandria.
Participating at the Eucharistic gathering and the Ordination of His Grace were Their Eminences Elder Metropolitan Gabriel of Leontopolis, Patriarchal Vicar General of the Patriarchate, Metropolitan Andreas of Arkalohori from the Church of Crete, Metropolitan Damaskinos of Johannesburg, Metropolitan Nikodemos of Memphis, Metropolitan Niphon of Pilousion, Abbot of the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St George in Cairo, and His Grace Meletios Bishop of Naucratis Abbot of the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St Savvas in Alexandria.
Just before the ordination, the Elected Bishop Nikodemos wholeheartedly thanked the Alexandrian Primate and his Holy Synod for this designation and his promotion to Bishop and declared his lifelong obedience and dedication to His Beatitude the Patriarch and the Throne of the Apostle Mark,
His Beatitude then went on to speak in admonitory words regarding the great office of the Hierarchy as well as of the sacrificial disposition of the Shepherds of the Church, and with great emotion of the qualities of the Elected Bishop Nikodemos, saying that he is not new to the Church, but has served it for 37 years, of which 22 were spent in service to the Greeks of South Africa.
On the eve of his ordination, His Grace gave the Great Message in the Patriarchal Chapel of Ss Theodori in the Patriarchal Mansion, in the presence of His Beatitude and Hierarchs of the Throne, and after the Service His Beatitude welcomed His Eminence Andreas, Metropolitan of Arkalohori, praising him and his academic contribution and thanking him for his multifaceted help which he gives to the ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria and its Hierarchs.
CURRICULUM VITAE OF NIKODEMOS BISHOP OF NITRIA
His Grace Nikodemos Bishop of Nitria (born Nicholas Boulaxis) son of Ioannis and Irene, was born in Egares on the Island of Naxos on 30th January 1960. At the age of 14 he went to Jerusalem where he graduated from the Patriarchal Academy of Holy Zion. After his High School years and at age 17 he was tonsured a monk and renamed Nikodemos and was ordained Deacon of the Holy Sepulchre, by Venerable Order of the Late Patriarch Benedict I of Jerusalem, the late Metropolitan Germanos of Petra.
He served the late Patriarch with dedication for three consecutive years, u until his passing. He also served his successor the late Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem as Archdeacon, up until his ordination to the second rank of the Priesthood in 1982. From 1984 he studied Theology at the National Kapodistrian University in Athens, from where he graduated in 1988. In May of 1990 he went to the United States of America where he served for four years.
He arrived in South Africa in May 1994 serving as parish Priest at the Cathedral of Ss Constantine and Helen and in 1998, by Venerable Order of the late Patriarch Petros VII, he went to the Holy Metropolis of Good Hope, where he served as Parish Priest at the Holy Church of St George and as Hierarchal Vicar General up until September 2000. Returning to the Holy Metropolis of Johannesburg and Pretoria in 2000 he undertook duties as Parish Priest of the Holy Metropolitan Church of Pantanassa up till the present day.
By Venerable Order of His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa he took over the duties of Chief Secretary of the Holy Metropolis of Johannesburg and Pretoria in 2010. Proposed by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, the Holy Synod of the Ancient Patriarchate elected him Bishop of Nitria and Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria.
