His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae was born in the city of Constanţa on April 15, 1967, to his parents Nicolae and Victoria, both now asleep in the Lord. He attended elementary school in his native city between 1973 and 1981. He attended the first two years of high school at the Mathematics & Physics High School in Constanţa, after which he transferred to the Meteorology High School in Bucharest, where he obtained his baccalaureate in 1985.

After he graduated from high school, he did his mandatory military service in 1985-1986. Feeling the call toward the priesthood and the monastic vocation growing stronger and stronger, he decided to answer this call and follow this vocation. In 1988 he was admitted to the Andrei Şaguna Orthodox Faculty of Theology in Sibiu, which at that time was the only school to admit high school graduates. After four successful years he defended his degree in theology with the dissertation, “The Eucharistic Ecclesiology of Metropolitan John Zizioulas.” Starting in May 1993, having successfully passed the doctoral entrance examination, Fr. Nicolae attended doctoral classes until 1994 under the supervision of his adviser, the V. Rev. Fr. Prof. Dr. Ilie Moldovan; during that time, he wrote the following seminar papers:

1. The Collective Unconscious in C.G. Jung’s Works, Seen from the Point of View of Orthodox Moral Theology.
2. Self-Cognition according to the Ladder of St. John of Sinai.
3. The Sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the faithful according to St. Cyril of Alexandria.

Between 1992 and 1994 he taught Religion in Bucharest, where he had moved after high school. In 1994 he received a scholarship to the Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg, where he attended the Faculty of Catholic Theology and finished a  graduate degree in June 1995. Between 1995 and 2001 he attended doctoral classes at the same Faculty where, on November 10, 2001, he defended his Ph.D. dissertation entitled “Matters of Psychology in the Works of Evagrius Ponticus” and obtained the degree of Doctor in Theology.

During his years of study, in order to combine theory and practice, study and priestly ministry, he decided to enter the clergy and was ordained in the spring of 1997 first as a deacon, then as a celibate priest, by His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim of Germany and Central Europe, with whose benediction he then established and served the parish of the Nativity of the Lord in Stuttgart, Germany. Thus, his missionary activity among Romanians from Stuttgart and its environs combined serving God with serving people. In the same time period, Fr. Nicolae was the representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Dialogue Committee for European Integration of the Conference of European Churches (Brussels).

After receiving the prestigious academic title at the end of his graduate studies, Fr. Nicolae returned to Romania where, on December 18, 2001, he took his monastic vows at the Radu Vodă Monastery in Bucharest. From then until he came to America he was patriarchal secretary.

The priests and lay delegates of the Special Electoral Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada, convened on March 9, 2002, at the Holy Trinity parish in Troy, Michigan, elected Fr. Nicolae Condrea for the vacant throne of Archbishop. Thus ended a process which had lasted many years, having begun with the retirement and then the falling asleep of His Eminence Archbishop Victorin. His Eminence Teofan, Metropolitan of Oltenia, and then His Eminence Iosif, of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe, had in turn been locum tenens of the Archbishop’s throne. The Special Electoral Committee proposed two names, the V. Rev. Protosyngellos Nicolae Condrea, and the Rev. Hieromonk loan Casian Tunaru, to the Eparchial Council assembled in September 2001, and the Council approved the work of the Committee and recommended the convocation of the Special Electoral Congress for the election of the Archbishop. The Congress was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif. At its meeting of March 13, 2002, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church unanimously validated the election, and conferred on Father Nicolae the rank of Archimandrite.

The ordination and enthronement of the new Archbishop-Elect took place at the 71st Annual Congress of the Archdiocese, hosted by St. John the Baptist parish in Montreal, Canada, July 12 – 14, 2002. His Beatitude Patriarch Teoctist, accompanied by an important delegation of hierarchs, priests, deacons and media representatives, presided over the ceremonies. Among the concelebrating hierarchs who were present at the ordination were: HE Metropolitan Sotirios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Canada, HE Metropolitan Theodosius of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), HE Metropolitan Teofan of Oltenia, HE Metropolitan Serafim of Germany, Central and Northern Europe, HE Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe, HE Archbishop Nathaniel of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate under the jurisdiction of the OCA, HG Bishop Nicholas of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Detroit, HG Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa (OCA), and HG Bishop Ioan of Covasna and Harghita. Joining the hierarchs were the clergy of the Archdiocese, as well as guest priests and deacons from Romania, alongside representatives of other Orthodox Jurisdictions in the US. The presence of His Beatitude, Patriarch Teoctist, as well as that of the hierarchs, members of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church and sister Orthodox Churches highlighted the importance of this event, which marked a turning point in the history of the Archdiocese.

One of the missionary and administrative priorities of the new Archbishop was to find a suitable Diocesan Center. This idea was already being discussed, given the inappropriate situation of the residence of His Eminence Archbishop Victorin of Detroit. After long and heated discussions, regarding the historical continuity and the vision for the future, the decision was made to move the Diocesan Center to Chicago. The most important considerations taken into account in making this decision were the spiritual and pastoral needs of the Romanian Orthodox faithful in Chicago, the easy access of all parts of the Archdiocese to this metropolis, the chance for a better organization of the mission and administration of the Archdiocese. Thus, besides the idea of establishing a new parish in Chicago, discussed by the Diocesan Council and Congress since 2001, the need for an administrative and missionary center of the Archdiocese was now being made clear.

The initial steps of this project meant finding a temporary place of service. Between December 2002 and June 2003, this place was the chapel of the Greek Holy Trinity Parish in Chicago. During this time, research continued to find a property suitable for fulfilling the pastoral, missionary and administrative vision of the Archdiocese. The February 2003 meeting of the Diocesan Council discussed and approved the start of negotiations for the purchase of the North Keeler Ave Presbyterian Church. As the purchase of this church was not completed, the search for another church continued. With the help of the Lord, the property was found on N. Newland Ave, then the Korean Presbyterian Church. The Congress of the Archdiocese in July 2003 decided to buy this property as the Diocesan Center and the new Cathedral of the Archdiocese.

This was followed by months of fundraising and a bank loan. The parishes of the Archdiocese and many believers were involved in this action. We must remember the important contribution of Dr. Constantin Izvănariu to the realization of this project. On December 9, 2003, the deeds of purchase of the property were signed, so that the community was able to celebrate the Christmas day of 2003 in its own place.

In the following years, the Cathedral was decorated according to the tradition of the Orthodox Church. An iconostasis made in Romania was installed, three stained glass windows were ordered and installed representing the patron saints, the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen, the Mother of God and the Holy Hierarch Nicolae, the balcony was decorated with the faces of Saints who hailed from Romanian lands. In the Diocesan Center Building, children's classrooms, offices, a conference room, a library and an archive were arranged. Efforts were made to have a large social hall for agape and other community events in Chicago and the Archdiocese.

The event of the consecration of the Cathedral was carefully prepared, with other necessary works being carried out. The consecration of the Cathedral of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen took place at the conclusion of the 76th Congress of the Archdiocese, on July 6, 2008. Among the concelebrating clergy were: HE Metropolitan Laurentiu of Ardeal, the delegate of His Beatitude, Patriarch Daniel, HE Metropolitan Christopher of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA, HE Metropolitan Nicholas of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit, HE Archbishop Nicolae, HG Vicar Bishop Irineu of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, as well as priests of the Archdiocese, the delegates to the Congress, Romanian Orthodox Christians from Chicago and other guests.

Among the pastoral-administrative events and achievements of the Primate of the Metropolia, it is worth mentioning first of all the ordination of His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian de Vicina, as Vicar Bishop of the Archdiocese at the July 2006 Congress. Another accomplishment was the project of revising the Archdiocese Statutes, which had been concern of the Diocesan Council for many years. Already at the 2003 Congress of the Archdiocese it was decided to set up a commission to work on a draft of the new Statute. The main person in charge of this project was V. Rev. Father Nicholas Apostola, who was the Eparchial Secretary for many years. The Archdiocese Statue that was in use at the time was the one adopted with the arrival of the first Romanian bishop in America, HG Policarp Morusca. Over the years, Policarp's Statute has been amended at several Congresses. It was absolutely necessary to draft a new Statute that would respect the spirit of the old one, but also reflect the missionary, pastoral and administrative needs of the Archdiocese of the 2000s.

At the 2005 Boian/Edmonton Congress, Alberta, the new draft of the Statute was presented and discussed. The comments were taken into account and, at the next Congress in 2006, the draft was re-discussed chapter by chapter and approved. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church approved, in the meeting of February 13, 2007, the new Statute of the Archdiocese, now called "Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Americas". The change of name was justified by the need to specify the exact jurisdiction of the Archdiocese over the two American continents. The entire Statute uses the language according to the new pastoral-missionary realities and brings the necessary clarifications for the administrative organization of the Archdiocese.

The projects of the Archdiocese are carried out on several levels:

- pastoral–missionary
- administrative
- catechetical
- inter-Orthodox and ecumenical

The main aspect of the activity of the Archdiocese is the pastoral-missionary one. It refers to the organization of the mission to the Romanian Orthodox in America, to the descendants of the first Romanian immigrants more than 100 years ago, now in the 3rd or 4th generation and to all those who join our Archdiocese through marriage or conversion. In practical terms, this mission is fulfilled by continuing the mission of the old parishes and organizing new parishes for the Romanian immigrants who arrived in recent years on the North and South American continents. Pastoral visits by hierarchs include regular church services, as well as meetings with parish councils and other parish officials. The next level of organization is that of the Archdiocese. According to the new Statute, parish priests and delegates meet every two years in the Archdiocesan Assembly to discuss parish issues. The biannual congress is the supreme forum for discussion and decision-making regarding the missionary pastoral activity of the Archdiocese. At this missionary plan, we must mention an initiative at university level in recent years, namely the "Symposium of Orthodox Spirituality", addressed to non-Orthodox students and academics. It is the mission that we understand to fulfill in the American Universities by presenting Romanian Orthodox Traditions and Spirituality.

The administrative level refers to the good organization of the parishes and the auxiliary organizations. All parishes are working to verify the documents necessary for the proper functioning of the parish and to send these documents to the Eparchial Center.

The catechetical level refers to the catechesis of children and young people in particular, but also of adults in general. Each parish has a Sunday School for children, catechetical activities for young people, Bible study classes for adults. At the level of the Archdiocese, religious-themed camps are organized for children and young people.

The inter-Orthodox and ecumenical level refers to the presence of the Archdiocese in the various inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian bodies. Our Archdiocese is a founding member of the "Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of America" (SCOBA) since 1961. His Eminence Archbishop Nicolae and His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian are part of the "Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops." The two hierarchs are members of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, an organization that emerged from the decisions of the Fourth Pan-Orthodox Pre-Synodal Conference held at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambesy, Switzerland. June 6-12, 2009. His Eminence Archbishop and Metropolitan Nicolae is a member of the Dialogue Commission with Roman Catholic Bishops of Canada. This representation refers to the organization of meetings at the respective levels, but also to inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian activities.

The 80^th Archdiocesan Congress, held July 1-3, 2016 at the Holy Resurrection parish in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada adopted historical decisions for the ecclesiastical organization of the Romanian Orthodox in the Americas, as follows:

a. The proposal to establish The Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada, with its headquarters at St-Hubert/Montreal, Quebec, Canada;

b. The proposal to establish The Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, composed of two dioceses: The Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America, and The Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada;

c. The draft Statutes of The Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, composed in compliance with the canonical, statutory and regulatory provisions, as well as the specific American legislation;

d. The draft Statutes of The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Canada, drafted in compliance with canonical, statutory and regulatory provisions, as well as specific Canadian legislation;

e. The proposal to elevate the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of the Americas to the dignity of Metropolitan and the nomination of His Grace Vicar Bishop Ioan Casian de Vicina as Bishop of The Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada.

These decisions of the Congress were approved by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church at its meeting of October 28-29, 2016. The ceremony of elevation to the rank of Metropolitan took place on October 30, 2016 at the Patriarchal Cathedral. The Enthronement Ceremonies for the new Metropolitan and the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada took place on April 30, 2017, at Chicago, respectively May 7, 2017, at Montreal.

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