OrthodoxWiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:Apostolos

2006-09-07T09:18:44Z

Vandal 149: Talk:Apostolos moved to Talk:Apostolos :)

Is there a compelling reason to list all of the epistles here in addition to the listing [[Holy_Scripture#The_New_Testament_Canon|here]]? [[User:Magda|{{User:Magda/sig}}]] 14:44, 6 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Apostolos

2006-09-07T09:18:44Z

Vandal 149: Apostolos moved to Apostolos :)

{{liturgy}}
An '''apostolos''' or '''epistle''' is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons, usually a letter and a very formal, often didactic and elegant one. The letters from [[Apostles]] to Christians in the [[New Testament]] are often referred to as epistles.

In the context of the [[Divine Liturgy]] or other liturgical service, ''epistle'' may refer more specifically to a particular passage from a New Testament epistle that is scheduled to be read on a certain day or at a certain occasion, and the ''Apostolos'' is the liturgical book containing the various epistle readings as they appointed by the [[lectionary]].

== [[Apostle Paul|Pauline]] Epistles ==
*[[Book of Romans|The Epistle of Paul to the Romans]]
*[[I Corinthians|The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians]]
*[[II Corinthians|The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians]]
*[[Galatians|The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians]]
*[[Ephesians|The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians]]
*[[Philippians|The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians]]
*[[Colossians|The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians]]
*[[I Thessalonians|The First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians]]
*[[II Thessalonians|The Second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians]]
*[[I Timothy|The First Epistle of Paul to Timothy]]
*[[II Timothy|The Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy]]
*[[Book of Titus|The Epistle of Paul to Titus]]
*[[Book of Philemon|The Epistle of Paul to Philemon]]
*[[Book of Hebrews|The Epistle to the Hebrews]][[#Notes|1]]

== General Epistles ==

*[[Book of James|The General Epistle of James]]
*[[I Peter|The First Epistle of Peter]]
*[[II Peter|The Second Epistle of Peter]]
*[[I John|The First Epistle of John]]
*[[II John|The Second Epistle of John]]
*[[III John|The Third Epistle of John]]
*[[Book of Jude|The Epistle of Jude]]

== Apocalyptic Epistle ==
*[[Book of Revelation|The Book of Revelation]] (or The Apocalypse of [[Apostle John|John]])

==See also==
*[[Gospels]]
*[[Holy Scripture]]

== Notes ==
¹ See note on the [[Apostle Paul]] page with regard to authorship of the epistles.

==External links==
*[http://www.ctosonline.org/liturgical/EL.html The Epistle Lectionary] - The Apostolos of the Greek Orthodox Church According to the King James Version
*[http://www.orthodox.net/ustav/lectionary-explained.html Orthodox Christian Scripture Lectionary] - An Examination of how the Gospel and Apostolos Lectionary is used throughout the year

[[Category:Scripture]]
[[Category:Texts]]
[[Category:New Testament]]

Talk:Fourth Ecumenical Council

2006-09-07T09:18:44Z

Vandal 149: Talk:Fourth Ecumenical Council moved to Talk:Fourth Ecumenical Council :)

== Coptic POV ==

[[Fourth Ecumenical Council: Coptic Point of View]]

Fourth Ecumenical Council

2006-09-07T09:18:44Z

Vandal 149: Fourth Ecumenical Council moved to Fourth Ecumenical Council :)

The '''Fourth Ecumenical Council''' took place in Chalcedon in 451 AD, and is also known as the '''Council of Chalcedon.'''

The Fourth of the [[Ecumenical Councils|seven Ecumenical Councils]] Dealt with the following:
*Christ's nature and personhood
*The visible organization of the Church

In AD 449, between the [[Third Ecumenical Council|third]] and fourth Councils, another council was held in which St. [[Cyril of Alexandria|Cyril]]'s successor, Dioscorus of Alexandria, "insisted that there is in Christ only one nature (physis)". It is a position commonly called [[Monophysitism|Monophysite]], and it states that the Savior "is from two natures, but after His Incarnation there is only 'one incarnate nature of God the Word'." St. Cyril himself had used those words, but Dioscorus omitted many of the balancing statements that St. Cyril had made. And so, only two years later, Emperor Marcian called a new gathering of Bishops to decide the matter. This gathering, in AD 451 is what is considered the fourth great Council.

Concerning Christ's nature and personhood, the Council rejected Dioscorus' position, and proclaimed that:

:''...while Christ is a single, undivided person, He is not only from two natures but in two natures. The bishops acclaimed the Tome of St. Leo the Great, [[Pope]] of Rome (died 461), in which the distinction between the two natures is clearly stated, although the unity of Christ's person is also emphasized. In their proclamation of faith they stated their belief in 'one and the same son, perfect in Godhead and perfect in humanity, truly God and truly human... acknowledged in two natures unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the difference between the natures is in no way removed because of the union, but rather the peculiar property of each nature is preserved, and both combine in one person and in on hypostasis.''

This definition, where the distinction between Christ's two natures and the unity of His personhood are both emphasized, was aimed not only at the Monophysites, but also the followers of [[Nestorianism|Nestorius]].

Concerning the visible organization of the Church, Canon 28 confirmed Canon 3 of the [[Second Ecumenical Council|Second Council]] and left the assignment of Constantinople, or New Rome, second in honor after 'old' Rome. This was a blow to the Alexandrians and their desire to "rule supreme" in the east. Leo of Rome rejected this canon, but the east has always recognized its validity. The Council also freed Jerusalem from the jurisdiction of Ceasarea and gave it fifth place among honor, thus creating what is know by the Orthodox as the '[[Pentarchy]]'. This Pentarchy settled the order of precedence. In order of rank:
#Rome
#Constantinople
#Alexandria
#Antioch
#Jerusalem

All five sees claimed [[Apostles|Apostolic]] foundation. The first four were the most important cities in the empire, and Jerusalem was added because it is where Christ suffered and rose from the dead. Also, it was during this council that the bishops in each city received the title "Patriarch." The Patriarchates then divided the whole of the known world into spheres of jurisdiction, except for Cyprus, which had been granted independence by the third Council and remains self-governing to this day.

There are two misunderstandings of this Pentarchy that must be avoided:
*the system of patriarchs and metropolitans is based on ecclesiastical structure
*the Bishop of Rome (Pope) has supremacy over the other bishops

Regarding the first misunderstanding, the Orthodox do not view the Church from the standpoint of ecclesiastical order, but from the perspective of divine right. They see all bishops as essentially equal, regardless of the prominence of the city which they oversee. They are all divinely appointed teachers of the faith, they all share in Apostolic succession and they all have sacramental powers. If a dispute arises, it is not enough for any one bishop to express his opinion; all diocesan bishops have the right to attend a general council, express their opinion and cast a vote. The system of the Pentarchy does not impair the essential quality of each bishop nor does it strip the local community of the significance Ignatius assigned it.

Regarding the second misunderstanding, the Orthodox do not accept the doctrine of Papal authority as established in 1870 by the Vatican Council and taught in the Roman Catholic Church today. But neither do they deny Rome its place of primacy, as she is first among honor as set up by the second Council. It was Rome, after all, who stayed most true to the faith during many of the [[heresy|heresies]] over the centuries. Where the Orthodox see Rome going wrong is when they turned this place of 'primacy' in love (as St. Ignatius called it) into a place of supremacy of external jurisdiction and power. And so the primacy assigned to Rome does not overthrow the essential quality of all bishops. The Pope may be the 'first Bishop in the Church,' but he is first among equals.

== Source ==
*''The Orthodox Church'', Bishop [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia]]

== See also ==
* [[:Category:Coptic interpretations of the Fourth Ecumenical Council]]
** [[The Chalcedon Crisis and Monophysitism]]
** [[Agreed Official Statements on Christology with the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches]]
** [[Pastoral Agreement between the Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Patriarchates of Alexandria (2001)]]
** [[Article by Fr. John S. Romanides]]
** [[Chalcedon (An Analysis)]]
** [[After Chalcedon - Orthodoxy in the 5th/6th Centuries]]
** [[Pope Saint Dioscorus I of Alexandria (Coptic POV)]]
** [[The Orthodox Christology of St. Severus of Antioch]]
** [[Problems with the Chalcedonian Formula]]
** [[The Humanity of Christ (What Oriental Orthodox Believe)]]
** [[The One Will and the One Act]] - By HH Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria
** [[Additional/Miscellaneous Notes]]

== External Links ==
*[http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0835/_INDEX.HTM Canons of the seven ecumenical councils]

[[Category:Church History]]
[[Category:Councils]]
[[Category:Ecumenical Councils]]

Talk:Paschal greeting

2006-09-07T09:18:43Z

Vandal 149: Talk:Paschal greeting moved to Talk:Paschal greeting :)

''Paschal'' already indicates that the greeting is related to ''Pascha''. It seems to me it would make more sense (in terms of a good sentence structure) simply to link ''Paschal'' to the [[Pascha]] article. Or is there a wikipedia thing against that? --[[User:Basil|Basil]] 11:04, 19 Jan 2005 (CST)

: I don't think there's a "thing" against it, but in terms of form, it doesn't quite seem right for the main "title phrase" (so to speak) of an article to link to another article. At least, it's not what I've seen elsewhere. (You know, wikipedic oral tradition.) :) I'll futz with the sentence to make it prettier, though. --[[User:ASDamick|Rdr. Andrew]] 11:59, 19 Jan 2005 (CST)

== Downloadable Greetings ==
Through the years, many churches have put together nicely formatted sets of greetings for use in the Paschal services. Maybe somebody could upload and post them here, or else we could link to some externally.

Paschal greeting

2006-09-07T09:18:43Z

Vandal 149: Paschal greeting moved to Paschal greeting :)

[[Image:Pascha.jpg|right|frame|The Resurrection of Christ]]
The '''Paschal greeting''' is a custom among Orthodox Christians, consisting of a greeting and response. Instead of "hello" or its equivalent, one is to greet another person with "Christ is Risen!" The response is "Indeed, He is Risen!" (or "Truly, He is risen!"). This greeting is used during liturgical services and informally at other times, starting with the [[feast]] of [[Pascha]] and lasting until [[Ascension]], the period known as ''Paschaltide''.

In practice, this custom is usually restricted in use with people that one already knows are Orthodox. In some cultures (e.g., in Russia), it was also customary to exchange a triple kiss after the greeting. It is not uncommon for Orthodox Christians to compile lists of the greeting as it is used around the world, as an act of Orthodox unity across languages and cultures.

==The Paschal greeting around the world==
*Indo-European languages
**Germanic languages
***West Germanic languages
****Anglic languages
*****English - Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!
******Old English (Anglo-Saxon) - Crist aras! Crist sodhlice aras! (Lit: Christ arose! Christ surely arose!)
******Middle English - Crist is arisen! Arisen he sothe!
*****Iyaric Patwa - Krestos a uprisin! Seen, him a uprisin fe tru!
****Frisian - Kristus is opstien! Wis is er opstien!
****High German
*****German - Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!
*****Yiddish - Der Meschiache undzer iz geshtanen! Avade er iz ufgeshtanen!
****Low German
*****Dutch - Christus is opgestaan! Hij is waarlijk opgestaan!
*****Afrikaans - Kristus het opgestaan! Hom het waarlik opgestaan!
***North Germanic languages
****Danish - Kristus er opstanden! Sandelig Han er Opstanden!
****Icelandic - Kristur er upprisinn! Hann er vissulega upprisinn!
****Norwegian - Kristus er oppstanden! Han er sannelig oppstanden!
****Swedish - Kristus är uppstånden! Ja, Han är verkligen uppstånden!
**Italic languages
***Latin - Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere!
***Romance languages
****Italian - Cristo è risorto! È veramente risorto!
****Catalan - Crist ha ressuscitat! Veritablement ha ressuscitat!
****French - Le Christ est ressuscité! Vraiment Il est ressuscité!
****Portuguese - Cristo ressuscitou! Verdadeiramente ressuscitou!
****Romanian - Hristos a înviat! Adevărat a înviat!
****Spanish - Cristo ha resucitado! Verdaderamente, ha resucitado!
**Slavic languages
***Church Slavonic - (Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!)
***East
****Russian - Христос Воскресе! Воистину Воскресе! (Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!)
****Belarusian - Хрыстос уваскрос! Сапраўды ўваскрос! (Khrystos Uvaskros! Saprawdy Wvaskros!)
****Ukrainian - Христос Воскрес! Воістину Воскрес! (Christos Voskres! Voistinu Voskres!)
***South
****Bulgarian - Христос Возкресе! Воистина Возкресе! (Christos Vozkrese! Voistina Vozkrese!)
****Serbian - Христос Воскресе! Ваистину Воскресе! (Christos Voskrese! Vaistinu Voskrese!)
***West
****Czech - Kristus Vstal A Mrtvych! Opravdi Vstoupil!
****Slovak - Kristus vstal zmŕtvych! Skutočne vstal!
****Polish - Chrystus Zmartwychwstał! Zaprawdę Zmartwychwstał!
**Baltic languages
***Lithuanian - Kristus prisikėlė! Tikrai prisikėlė!
**Celtic languages
***Goidelic languages
****Old Irish - Asréracht Críst! Asréracht Hé-som co dearb!
****Irish - Tá Críost éirithe! Go deimhin, tá sé éirithe!
****Manx - Taw Creest Ereen! Taw Shay Ereen Guhdyne!
****Scots Gaelic - Tha Crìosd air èiridh! Gu dearbh, tha e air èiridh!
***Brythonic languages
****Breton - Dassoret eo Krist! E wirionez dassoret eo!
****Welsh - Atgyfododd Crist! Yn wir atgyfododd!
**Indo-Iranian languages
***Indic languages
****Sanskrit - (Kristo'pastitaha! Satvam Upastitaha!)
****Southern Zone
*****Marathi - (Yeshu Khrist uthla ahe! Kharokhar uthla ahe!)
**Albanian (Tosk) - Krishti u ngjall! Vërtet u ngjall!
**Armenian - Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց՜ Օրհնեալ է յայտնութիւնն Քրիստոսի՜ (Christos harjav i merelotz! Orhniale harutjun Christosi! -- Christ is risen! Blessed is the resurrection of Christ!)
**Greek - Χριστός Ανέστη! Αληθώς Ανέστη! (Christos Anesti! Aleithos Anesti!)
*Altaic languages
**Turkish - Hristós diril-Dí! Hakíkatén diril-Dí!
*Austronesian languages
**Malayo-Polynesian
***Western
****Chamorro - La'la'i i Kristo! Magahet na luma'la' i Kristo!
****Filipino (Tagalog) - Si Cristo ay nabuhay! Siya nga ay nabuhay!
****Indonesian - Kr

Talk:Islam

2006-09-07T09:18:42Z

Vandal 149: Talk:Islam moved to Talk:Islam :)

I've reverted the working of the first paragraph because it conforms better to N.P.O.V. The content is basically the same. No doubt, there are many serious things to discuss here, but let's allow the facts to speak for themselves. [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

:Is NPOV really what we're striving for? I thought that we had a definite and distinct point of view. Of course, this is not to say that we ought to be uncharitable in expressing it.[[User:Dogface|Dogface]] 10:33, March 1, 2006 (CST)

::Hi Dogface (how can I not smile when writing that?!) - Our definition of NPOV is different from Wikipedia's, since we enshrine "A mainstream Chalcedonian bias" as the basis of neutrality. (This is a recognition that there is no true "neutral", but our understanding of truth comes ultimately through revelation.)
::All that said, if I remember the issue, I think I was saying that we should generally let the facts speak for themeselves rather simply resorting to invective. [[User:FrJohn|Fr. John]]

== Islam equal to religion of Pharisees ==

I added a small change that Islam is the religion of the Pharisees. It wants to enslave everyone under Arabic worship rites. Quite similar to the now defunct School of Shammai, an ultra-nationalist Jewish group in Palestine in the time of our Lord that seeked an earthly conquering Messiah who was violent. Any comments from others? Do you think this is reasonable to add? [[User:Mikail Abdul Rahman|Mikail Abdul Rahman]] 04:12, March 10, 2006 (CST)

::Hi Mikhail. thanks for your contribution. I think, though, that the connection to Pharisees is too speculative to include here - it is making a broad generalization based on religious typologies. It may be instructive in some respects, but I don't think should be categorized as the Orthodox view. Yours in Christ, {{User:FrJohn/sig}}

== Purpose of Article ==

Mmatga2me99's last edit makes a good point - this purpose of this article, in my perspective, isn't to document every crime or act of persecution perpetrated against Orthodox Christians by Muslims, or even to spend much time introducing Islam to this audience (this is important, but better done elsewhere). Instead, I think the purpose here would be to outline to scope of Muslim-Orthodox interaction. History, classical apologetics (e.g. John of Damascus) and discussion of important theological similarities and differences, martyred saints, and the Coptic situation all deserve mention, as would, IMHO, mention of Islamic approaches to other religions, especially "people of the book." {{User:FrJohn/sig}}

Islam

2006-09-07T09:18:42Z

Vandal 149: Islam moved to Islam :)

'''Islam''' is one of the major world religions with an estimated 1.3 billion followers worldwide [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html]. Islam teaches that [[God]] (in Arabic, ''All

Monastery of the Transfiguration (Ellwood City, Pennsylvania)

2006-09-07T09:18:41Z

Vandal 149: Monastery of the Transfiguration (Ellwood City, Pennsylvania) moved to Monastery of the Transfiguration :)

'''Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration''' is a [[monastic]] community for women in the Romanian Episcopate of the [[Orthodox Church in America]]. It is located in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania.

The community was founded in 1967 under the omophorion of His Eminence Archbishop [[Valerian (Trifa) of Detroit|Valerian]], Archbishop of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate with Mother [[Alexandra (Issarescu)|Alexandra]], formerly Princess Ileana of Romania, as the first abbess. Mother Alexandra put into formation her dream of a monastic community in English for Americans. In 1987, then-Abbess Benedicta left the Transfiguration Monastery to begin the [[Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Rives Junction, Michigan)|Dormition of the Mother of God Orthodox Monastery]] with two other nuns from this monastery.

The community consists of women living the monastic tradition of a Christ-centered prayer life for the monastic members.


{{monastery|
name=Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration|
jurisdiction=[[Romanian Episcopate of America (OCA)|ROEA]], [[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]|
type=Female Monastery|
founded=1968|
superior=Abbess [[Christophora (Matychak)]]|
size=9-11 nuns|
hq=Ellwood City, Pennsylvania|
language=English|
music=[[Romanian Chant]]|
feasts=[[August 6|6 Aug]]|
calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]]|
website=[http://www.oca.org/DIRlisting.asp?SID=9&KEY=OCA-RO-ELCHXC OCA Listing]
}}

==Daily Life==
Sunday: 8:30am - Akathist and Hours
::9:15am - Divine Liturgy
::5:00pm - Ninth Hour, Vespers, Compline
Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri: 6:30am - Matins, Hours, Typica
::::5:00pm - Ninth Hour, Vespers, Compline
Wed: 7:30am - Matins, Hours
:9:00am - Divine Liturgy
Sat: 7:30am - Matins, Hours
:9:00am - Divine Liturgy
:6:00pm - Vigil

==Structures==
*St. Macrina's guest house, for lay pilgrims (with kitchen)
*St. Bridget's guest house, for clergy and their families (with kitchen)

==Abbesses==
*Mother [[Alexandra (Issarescu)|Alexandra]], abbess 1967-1978.
*Mother [[Benedicta (Braga)|Benedicta]], abbess 1978-1987.
*Mother [[Christophora (Matychak)|Christophora]], abbess 1987-present.

==Links==
===Monastery===
*[http://www.oca.org/DIRlisting.asp?SID=9&KEY=OCA-RO-ELCHXC OCA Listing of the Monastery]
*[http://www.stnina.org/journal/art/3.4.8 Letter from a Sister to Her Family Announcing Her Tonsure].
*[http://www.stnina.org/journal/art/3.4.2 On Behalf of All and For All], an article by the Monastery.

===Mother Christophora===
*[http://www.stnina.org/test/journal/art/3.4.6 Interview with Mother Christofora]
*[http://www.stnina.org/test/node/16 Picture of Mother Christofora]

===Mother Alexandra===
*[[wikipedia:Princess Ileana of Romania|Wikipedia article about Princess Ileana of Romania]] before she became Mother Alexandra.
*[http://www.stnina.org/node/470 Picture of Mother Alexandra] as a young nun.
*[http://www.stnina.org/node/6 Picture of Mother Alexandra], the first abbess.
*''[http://www.stnina.org/journal/art/3.4.5 The Call]'', an article by Mother Alexandra, 1991.
*[http://www.stnina.org/node/14 Picture of Mother Alexandra's grave]
*[http://www.stnina.org/journal/art/3.4.3 Trust and Serenity], a tribute to Mother Alexandra by Demetra Velisarios Jaquet

[[Category:American Monasteries]]
[[Category:Monasteries]]
[[Category:OCA Monasteries]]

Seraphim of Sarov

2006-09-07T09:18:40Z

Vandal 149: Seraphim of Sarov moved to Seraphim of Sarov :)

[[Image:Seraphim of Sarov.jpg|right|frame|St. Seraphim of Sarov]]
Our venerable father saints '''Seraphim of Sarov''' was a Russian [[ascetic]] who lived at the Sarov Monastery in the 18th century, and is considered a [[wonder-worker]]. The Church commemorates St. Seraphim on [[January 2]], and the opening of his [[relics]] on [[July 19]].

==Life==
St. Seraphim was born on [[July 19]], 1754. His parents, Isidore and Agathia Moshnin, lived in Kursk, Russia; Isidore was a merchant. At the age of 10, Seraphim became seriously ill. During the course of his illness, he saw the [[Mother of God]] in his sleep, who promised to heal him. Several days later there was a religious procession in Kursk with the locally revered [[miracle]]-working [[icon]] of the Mother of God. Due to bad weather, the procession took an abbreviated route past the house of the Moshnin family. After his mother put Seraphim up to the miracle-working image, he recovered rapidly. While at a young age, he needed to help his parents with their shop, but business had little appeal for him. Young Seraphim loved to read the [[hagiography|lives of the saints]], to attend church, and to withdraw into seclusion for [[prayer]].

At the age of 18, Seraphim firmly decided to become a [[monk]]. His mother blessed him with a large copper [[crucifix]], which he wore over his clothing all his life. After this, he entered the Sarov [[monastery]] as a [[novice]].

===Monastic Life===
From day one in the monastery, exceptional abstinence from food and slumber were the distinguishing features of his life. He ate once a day, and little. On Wednesdays and Fridays he ate nothing. After asking the blessing of his [[starets]], i.e., a spiritual elder, he began to withdraw often into the forest for prayer and religious contemplation. He became severely ill again soon after, and was forced to spend most of the course of the next three years lying down.

St. Seraphim was once again healed by the Most Holy Virgin Mary, who appeared to him accompanied by several saints. Pointing to the [[venerable]] Seraphim, the Holy Virgin said to the [[Apostle]] [[John the Theologian]]: "He is of our lineage." Then, by touching his side with her staff, she healed him.

His taking of the monastic vows occurred in 1786, when he was 27 years old. He was given the name Seraphim, which in Hebrew means "fiery," or "burning." He was soon made a [[hierodeacon]]. He justified his name by his extraordinarily burning prayer. He spent all of his time, save for the very shortest of rests, in church. Through such prayer and the labors of religious services, Seraphim became worthy to see [[angel]]s, both serving and singing in church. During the [[Liturgy]] on [[Holy Thursday]], he saw the Lord [[Jesus Christ]] Himself, in the form of the Son of man, proceeding into the Church with the Heavenly host and blessing those praying. The saint could not speak for a long time after being struck by this vision.

===Hermit===
In 1793, St. Seraphim was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[hieromonk]], after which he served every day and received [[Holy Communion]] for a year. St. Seraphim then began to withdraw into his "farther [[hermitage]]"—the forest wilderness about five km from Sarov Monastery. He achieved great perfection at this time. Wild animals—bears, rabbits, wolves, foxes and others—came to the hut of the ascetic. The staritsa, i.e., eldress, of the Diveevo monastery, Matrona Plescheeva, witnessed how St. Seraphim fed a bear that had come to him out of his hand: "The face of the great starets was particularly miraculous. It was joyous and bright, as that of an angel," she described. While living in this little hermitage of his, St. Seraphim once suffered greatly at the hands of robbers. Although he was physically very strong and was holding an axe at the time, St. Seraphim did not resist them. In answer to their threats and their demands for money, he lay his axe down on the ground, crossed his arms on his chest and obediently gave himself up to them. They began to beat him on the head with the handle of his own axe. Blood began to pour out of his mouth and ears, and he fell unconscious. After that they began to hit him with a log, trampled him under foot, and dragged him along the ground. They stopped beating him only when they had decided that he had died. The only treasure which the robbers found in his cell was the icon of the Mother of God of Deep Emotion (Ymileniye), before which he always prayed. When, after some time, the robbers were caught and brought to justice, the holy monk interceded on their behalf before the judge. After the beating, St. Seraphim remained hunched over for the rest of his life.

Soon after this began the "[[stylite|pillar]]" period of the life of St. Seraphim, when he spent his days on a rock near his little hermitage, and nights in the thick of the forest. He prayed with his arms raised to heaven, almost without respite. This feat of his continued for a thousand days.

Because of a special vision of the Mother of God he was given toward the end of his life, St. Seraphim took upon himself the feat of becoming an elder. He began to admit everyone who came to him for advice and direction. Many thousands of people from all walks of life and conditions began to visit the elder now, who enriched them from his spiritual treasures, which he had acquired by many years of efforts. Everyone saw St. Seraphim as meek, joyful, pensively sincere. He greeted all with the words: "My joy!" To many he advised: "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved." No matter who came to him, the starets bowed to the ground before all, and, in blessing, kissed their hands. He did not need the visitors to tell about themselves, as he could see what each had on their soul. He also said, "Cheerfulness is not a sin. It drives away weariness, for from weariness there is sometimes dejection, and there is nothing worse than that."

"Oh, if you only knew," he once said to a monk, "what joy, what sweetness awaits a righteous soul in [[Heaven]]! You would decide in this mortal life to bear any sorrows, persecutions and slander with gratitude. If this very cell of ours was filled with worms, and these worms were to eat our flesh for our entire life on earth, we should agree to it with total desire, in order not to lose, by any chance, that heavenly joy which God has prepared for those who love Him."

===Motovilov===
The miraculous transfiguration of the starets' face was described by a close admirer and follower of St. Seraphim: Motovilov. This happened during the winter, on a cloudy day. Motovilov was sitting on a stump in the woods; St. Seraphim was squatting across from him and telling his pupil the meaning of a Christian life, explaining for what we Christians live on earth.

"It is necessary that the [[Holy Spirit]] enter our heart. Everything good that we do, that we do for Christ, is given to us by the Holy Spirit, but prayer most of all, which is always available to us," he said.

"Father," answered Motovilov, "how can I see the grace of the Holy Spirit? How can I know if He is with me or not?"

St. Seraphim began to give him examples from the lives of the saints and apostles, but Motovilov still did not understand. The elder then firmly took him by the shoulder and said to him, "We are both now, my dear fellow, in the Holy Spirit." It was as if Motovilov’s eyes had been opened, for he saw that the face of the elder was brighter than the sun. In his heart Motovilov felt joy and peace, in his body a warmth as if it were summer, and a fragrance began to spread around them. Motovilov was terrified by the unusual change, but especially by the fact that the face of the starets shone like the sun. But St. Seraphim said to him, "Do not fear, dear fellow. You would not even be able to see me if you yourself were not in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Thank the Lord for His mercy toward us."

Thus Motovilov understood, in mind and heart, what the descent of the Holy Spirit and His transfiguration of a person meant.

==Quotes==
"The reading of the word of God should be performed in solitude, in order that the whole mind of the reader might be plunged into the truths of the [[Holy Scripture]], and that from this he might receive warmth, which in solitude produces tears; from these a man is wholy warmed and is filled with spiritual gifts, which rejoice the mind and heart more than any word."

"God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil—for the devil is cold—let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance."

"The body is a slave, the soul a sovereign, and therefore it is due to Divine mercy when the body is worn out by illness: for thereby the passions are weakened, and a man comes to himself; indeed, bodily illness itself is sometimes caused by the passions." -- ''Spiritual Instructions''.

"Those who have truly decided to serve the Lord God should practice the remembrance of God and uninterrupted prayer to Jesus Christ, mentally saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

"When despondency seizes us, let us not give in to it. Rather, fortified and protected by the light of faith, let us with great courage say to the spirit of evil: "What are you to us, you who are cut off from God, a fugitive for Heaven, and a slave of evil? You dare not do anything to us: Christ, the Son of God, has dominion over us and over all. Leave us, you thing of bane. We are made steadfast by the uprightness of His Cross. Serpent, we trample on your head."

== Hymns ==
[[Troparion]] (Tone 4)
:Thou didst love Christ from thy youth, O blessed one,
:and longing to work for Him alone thou didst struggle in the wilderness with constant prayer and labor.
:With penitent heart and great love for Christ thou wast favored by the Mother of God.
:Wherefore we cry to thee:
:Save us by thy prayers, O Seraphim our [[righteous]] Father.

[[Kontakion]] (Tone 2)
:Having left the beauty of the world and what is corrupt in it, O saint,
:thou didst settle in Sarov Monastery.
:And having lived there an angelic life,
:thou wast for many the way to salvation.
:Wherefore Christ has glorified thee, O Father Seraphim,
:and has enriched thee with the gift of healing and miracles.
:And so we cry to thee:
:Rejoice, O Seraphim, our righteous Father.

==Source==
*[http://www.russian-orthodox-church.org.uk/WHO%20IS%20ST.%20SERAPHIM.htm St. Seraphim of Sarov: Life and Teachings] by Bishop Alexander (Mileant), translated by Nicholas and Natalia Semyanko

==External links==
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100008 Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov] ([[OCA]])
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=102053 Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov] (OCA)
*[http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=102122 Icon of the Mother of God "of Tenderness" from Seraphim-Diveyevo] which belonged to St. Seraphim (OCA)
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=366 Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov] ([[GOARCH]])
*[http://goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=696 Translation of the Holy Relics of Righteous Seraphim of Sarov]] (GOARCH)
*Icons of St. Seraphim at Come and See Icons: [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/svp01.htm], [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/inp100.htm], and [http://www.comeandseeicons.com/phn53.htm] (the latter two by the hand of Nicholas Papas)

[[Category:Featured Articles]]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Russian Saints]]
[[Category:Saints]]

Church of Alexandria (Coptic)

2006-09-07T09:18:40Z

Vandal 149: Church of Alexandria (Coptic) moved to Church of Alexandria (Coptic) :)

[[Image:ChristCopticArt.jpg|frame|Coptic icon of Christ]]
The '''Coptic Orthodox Church''' is the portion of the [[Church of Alexandria]] which broke from the Byzantine churches in the wake of the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]] in Chalcedon in 451. Sharing a common heritage before with the Chalcedonian Church of Alexandria, it traces its origins to the [[Apostle Mark]]. The church is one of the [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] churches. Its leader is the Coptic Pope of Alexandria, currently [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|Pope Shenouda III]]. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria cares for about 18 million Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt and abroad, besides being the Mother Church of both the Ethiopian and [[Church of Eritrea|Eritrean]] Orthodox Churches. More than 95% of the Christians of Egypt are Coptic Orthodox, but other "Patriarchates/Patriarchs of Alexandria" also exist (Coptic Catholic, Greek/Latin Catholic and Greek Orthodox - see 'Coptic Christianity Today' below), as well as small Protestant and Anglican denominations.
{{orientalchurches}}

The Coptic Church regards itself as having never believed in [[monophysitism]] the way it was portrayed in the Council of Chalcedon, but rather as having always believed in [[miaphysitism]] (a doctrine that [[Oriental Orthodox]] Churches regard as correct and orthodox). In that council, monophysitism meant believing in one nature of Jesus Christ. Copts believe that the Lord is perfect in his divinity, and he is perfect in his humanity, but his divinity and His humanity were united in one nature called "the nature of the incarnate Word," which was articulated by St. [[Cyril of Alexandria]]. Copts thus believe in two natures "human" and "divine" that are united in one "without mingling, without confusion, and without alteration" (from the declaration of faith at the end of the Coptic divine liturgy). These two natures "did not separate for a moment or the twinkling of an eye" (also from the declaration of faith at the end of the Coptic divine liturgy).

==History==
[[Image:CopticAltar.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A Coptic altar in Jerusalem]]
Egypt is often identified as the place of refuge that the [[The Holy Family in Egypt|Holy Family]] sought in its flight from Judea: "When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ''Out of Egypt I called My Son''" ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 2:12-23). The Egyptian Church, which is now more than nineteen centuries old, was the subject of many prophecies in the [[Old Testament]]. [[Isaiah]] the prophet, in Chapter 19, Verse 19 says "In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border."

The first Christians in Egypt were mainly Alexandrian Jews such as Theophilus, whom the [[Apostle Luke]] addresses in the introductory chapter of his [[Gospel of Luke|gospel]]. When the church was founded by [[Apostle Mark|Mark]] during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero, a great multitude of native Egyptians (as opposed to Greeks or Jews) embraced the Christian faith. Christianity spread throughout Egypt within half a century of Mark's arrival in Alexandria as is clear from the [[New Testament]] writings found in Bahnasa, in Middle Egypt, which date around the year 200 AD, and a fragment of the [[Gospel of John]], written in Coptic, which was found in Upper Egypt and can be dated to the first half of the second century. In the second century Christianity began to spread to the rural areas, and scriptures were translated into the local language, namely Coptic.

=== The Catechetical School of Alexandria ===
The Catechetical School of Alexandria is the oldest catechetical school in the world. Founded around 190 by the scholar Pantanaeus, the school of Alexandria became an important institution of religious learning, where students were taught by scholars such as [[Athenagoras of Athens|Athenagoras]], [[Clement of Alexandria|Clement]], [[Didymus the Blind|Didymus]], and the great [[Origen]], who was considered the father of theology and who was also active in the field of commentary and comparative Biblical studies. Origen wrote over 6,000 commentaries of the [[Bible]] in addition to his famous ''[[Hexapla]]''. Many scholars such as St. [[Jerome]] visited the school of Alexandria to exchange ideas and to communicate directly with its scholars. The scope of this school was not limited to theological subjects; science, mathematics and humanities were also taught there. The question and answer method of commentary began there, and 15 centuries before Braille, wood-carving techniques were in use there by blind scholars to read and write.

The Theological college of the catechetical school of Alexandria was re-established in 1893. The new school currently has campuses in Alexandria, Cairo, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, where Coptic priests-to-be and other qualified men and women are taught among other subjects Christian theology, history, Coptic language and art—including chanting, music, [[iconography]], and tapestry.

=== Monasticism and missionary work ===
In the third century, during the persecution of Decius, some Christians fled to the desert, and remained there to pray after the persecutions abated. This was the beginning of the [[monasticism|monastic movement]], which was reorganized by the saints [[Anthony the Great]] and [[Pachomius the Great|Pachomius]] in the 4th century. By the end of the century, there were hundreds of monasteries, and thousands of cells and caves scattered throughout the Egyptian hills. A number of these monasteries are still flourishing and have new vocations till this day.

Egyptian monasticism attracted the attention of Christians in other parts of the world, who visited Egypt, many bringing monastic ideas home with them, and spreading monasticism through the Christian world. St. [[Basil the Great]], organizer of the monastic movement in Asia Minor visited Egypt around AD 357 and his rule is followed by the eastern churches; St. Jerome, en route to Jerusalem, stopped in Egypt and left details of his experiences in his letters; St. [[Benedict of Nursia]] founded monasteries in the 6th century on the model of Pachomius, but in a stricter form.

===Council of Chalcedon===
[[Image:StMarkCathAlex.jpg|thumb|St Mark Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria]]
{{oriental}}

By the time the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]] was called, politics had already started to intermingle with Church affairs. When the Emperor Marcianus interfered with matters of faith in the Church, the response of [[Pope Saint Dioscorus I of Alexandria (Coptic POV)|Dioscorus of Alexandria]] (the Pope of Alexandria who was later to be exiled) to this interference was clear: "You have nothing to do with the Church." It was at Chalcedon that the emperor would take his revenge for the Pope's frankness.

The Council of Chalcedon abandoned Cyrillian terminology and declared that Christ was one hypostasis in two natures. However, in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, "Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary," thus the foundation according to non-Chalcedonians is made clear. In terms of Christology the Oriental understanding is that Christ is "One Nature--the Logos Incarnate," ''of'' the full humanity and full divinity. The Byzantine understanding is that Christ is ''in'' two natures, full humanity and full divinity. (Just as all of us are of our mother and father and not in our mother and father, so too is the nature of Christ. If Christ is in full humanity and in full divinity, then He is separate in two persons as the [[Nestorianism|Nestorians]] teach. Imagine your nature in your mother and your father; you are then two different people. If however your nature is of your mother and your father, then you are one person [http://www.geocities.com/mfignatius/others/byzantine01.html].) This is the linguistic difference which separated the Orientals from the Byzantines.

The Council's finding were rejected by many of the Christians on the fringes of the Byzantine Empire: Egyptians, Syrians, Armenians, and others. From that point onward, Alexandria would have two patriarchs: the "[[Melkite]]" or Imperial Patriarch, now officially known by the Egyptian State as the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa [http://www.greekorthodox-alexandria.org/], and the non-Chalcedonian national Egyptian one, now known as the Coptic Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and Apostolic See of St. Mark. Almost the entire Egyptian population rejected the terms of the Council of Chalcedon and remained faithful to the national Egyptian Church (now known as the Coptic Church). Those who supported the Chalcedonian definition remained in [[full communion|communion]] with the other leading churches of the Roman Empire. The non-Chalcedonian party became what is today called the [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Church]].

The Coptic Church regards herself as having been misunderstood at the Council of Chalcedon. Some Copts believe that perhaps the Council understood the Church correctly, but wanted to exile the Church, to isolate her and to abolish the Egyptian, independent Pope, who maintained that Church and State should remain separate. The Coptic Church regarded that the ousting of Pope Dioscorus of Alexandria in the council of Chalcedon was in part due to the rivalry between the Bishops of Alexandria and Rome. The Tome of Pope Leo of Rome was considered influenced by Nestorian philosophy. It is important to note that Pope Dioscorus of Alexandria was never labeled as heretic by the council's canons. Copts also believe that the Pope of Alexandria was forcibly prevented from attending the third congregation of the council in which he was ousted, which apparently was a result of the conspiracy tailored by the Roman delegates. For further info, please refer to [http://www.romanity.org/htm/rom.06.en.orthodox_and_oriental_orthodox_consultation.htm this key paper] on the subject by Professor Fr. [[John S. Romanides]], a prominent Greek Orthodox scholar.

Before the current positive era of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox dialogues, Chalcedonians sometimes used to call the non-Chalcedonians "[[Monophysitism|monophysites]]", though the Coptic Church denies that she teaches monophysitism, which she has always regarded as a heresy. They have sometimes called the Chalcedonian group "[[Dyophysitism|dyophysites]]". A term that comes closer to Coptic doctrine is "[[Miaphysitism|miaphysite]]" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miaphysitism], which refers to a conjoined nature for Christ, both human and divine, united indivisibly in the Incarnate Logos. The Coptic Church believes that Christ is perfect in His divinity, and He is perfect in His humanity, but His divinity and His humanity were united in one nature called "the nature of the incarnate word", which was reiterated by [[Cyril of Alexandria|Saint Cyril of Alexandria]]. Copts, thus, believe in two natures "human" and "divine" that are united in one hypostasis ''without mingling, without confusion, and without alteration''. These two natures ''did not separate for a moment or the twinkling of an eye'' (Coptic Liturgy of Saint Basil of Caesarea).

Copts suffered under the rule of the Byzantine [[Eastern Roman Empire]]. The Melkite Patriarchs, appointed by the emperors as both spiritual leaders and civil governors, massacred the Egyptian population whom they considered heretics. Many Egyptians were tortured and martyred to accept the terms of Chalcedon, but Egyptians remained loyal to the faith of their fathers and to the Cyrillian view of [[Christology]]. One of the most renowned Egyptian saints of that period is Saint [[Samuel the Confessor]].

===The Arab conquest of Egypt===
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_early_Arab_Egypt#The_Arab_Conquest_of_Egypt Arab conquest of Egypt] took place in AD 641. Although the Imperial forces resisted the Arab army under Amr ibn al-As, the majority of the civilian population, having suffered persecution for the differing Christian beliefs, were less hostile; in some cases they welcomed their new masters. Considered "People of the Book", Christians were allowed to practice their religion, under the restrictions of the [[Islam]]ic Shari'a law. This protection stemmed in part from a Hadith of Muhammad (whose Egyptian wife had been the only one to bear a male child) that advised "When you conquer Egypt, be kind to the Copts for they are your proteges and kith and kin" and in part from a need to have capable administrators.

Despite the political upheaval, Egypt remained a predominently Christian land, although gradual conversions to Islam over the centuries had the effect of changing Egypt from a predominantly Christian to a predominantly Muslim country by the end of the 12th century. This process was sped along by persecutions during and following the reign of the mad Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (reigned AD 996-1021) and the Crusades, and also by the acceptance of Arabic as a liturgical language by the Pope of Alexandria, Gabriel ibn-Turaik.

===From the 19th century to the 1952 revolution===
The position of the Copts began to improve early in the 19th century under the stability and tolerance of Muhammad Ali's dynasty. The Coptic community ceased to be regarded by the state as an administrative unit and, by 1855, the main mark of Copts' inferiority, the ''Jizya'' tax, was lifted. Shortly thereafter, Christians started to serve in the Egyptian army. The 1919 revolution in Egypt, the first grassroots display of Egyptian identity in centuries, stands as a witness to the homogeneity of Egypt's modern society with both its Muslim and Christian components.

==Coptic Christianity today==
[[Image:Coptic festival.jpg|thumb|450px|left|Coptic Festival in Upper Egypt.]]
The current Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria is Pope [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|Shenouda III]]. There is a small [[Coptic Catholic Church]] ([[Eastern Rite Catholic]]) established in the 19th century and headed by a Patriarch of Alexandria in communion with the Pope of Rome. The [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church]] has little presence in Egypt, but is headed by a Patriarch of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem.

By some accounts there are about 60 million Coptic Orthodox Christians in the world: they are found primarily in Egypt (roughly 15 million), Ethiopia (roughly 38 million [http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/pr-05-55.html]), and Eritrea (roughly 2 million), but there are significant numbers in North America, Europe, Australia, Sudan and Israel, and in diaspora throughout the world making approximately another 3 to 4 million. However, as applied to the [[Church of Ethiopia|Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia]], which in 1959 was granted her first own Patriarch by Coptic Pope [[Cyril VI (Atta) of Alexandria|Cyril VI of Alexandria]], the word ''Coptic'' can be considered a misnomer because it means ''Egyptian''. The [[Church of Eritrea|Eritrean Orthodox Church]] similarly became independent of the Tewahedo Church during the 1990s. These three churches remain in [[full communion]] with each other and with the other [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] churches.

Since the 1980s theologians from the the Oriental Orthodox and Chalcedonian Orthodox churches have been meeting in a bid to resolve the theological differences, and have concluded that many of the differences are caused by the two groups using different terminology to describe the same thing (see [[Agreed Official Statements on Christology with the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches]]). In the summer of 2001, the Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Patriarchates of Alexandria [[Pastoral Agreement between the Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Patriarchates of Alexandria (2001)|agreed]] to mutually recognize baptisms performed in each other's churches, making rebaptisms unnecessary, and to recognize the sacrament of marriage as celebrated by the other. Previously, if a Coptic and Greek wanted to marry, the marriage had to be performed twice, once in each church, for it to be recognized by both. Now it can be done in only one church and be recognized by both.

In the Coptic Church only men may be ordained, and they must be married before they are ordained, if they wish to be married. In this respect they follow the same practices as does the [[Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Church]].

Traditionally, the Coptic language [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptic_language] was used in church services, and the scriptures were written in the Coptic alphabet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptic_alphabet]. However, due to the Arabisation of Egypt, service in churches started to witness increased use of Arabic, while preaching is done entirely in Arabic. Native languages are used, in conjunction with Coptic, during services outside of Egypt.

The Coptic Orthodox Church has her own, unique purely religious/liturgical music and chants [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptic_music], [http://tasbeha.org/mp3.html], [http://www.saintmina-holmdel.org/Multimedia/index.php], [http://www.coptichymns.org/index.php?module=hymns&func=catview] (some are also used by Coptic Catholics).

Following their own church calendar ([[Coptic Calendar]]), Coptic Christians celebrate [[Christmas]] on the [[January 7|7th of January]] which, since 2002, is an official national holiday in Egypt. The Coptic calendar is the calendar of martyrs. Coptic years are counted from 284 AD, the year Diocletian became Roman Emperor, whose reign was marked by tortures and mass executions of Christians, especially in Egypt. Hence, the Coptic year is identified by the abbreviation AM (for ''Anno Martyrum'' or "Year of the Martyrs").

The Coptic Orthodox Church also has her own distinguished Coptic art [http://www.coptic.net/articles/CopticArtOfEgypt.txt], [http://www.copticmuseum.gov.eg/English/internal/gallery.asp]; iconography [http://www.coptic.net/articles/CopticIcons.txt], [http://www.theotokos.org/CopticIcons/IconGallery.htm], [http://www.copticmuseum.gov.eg/English/internal/gallery_pieces.asp?section_id=1]; and architecture [http://www.copticarchitecture.com/], [http://www.coptic.net/articles/OldCairoCopticChurches.txt].

==Some Coptic saints==
'''''Note:''' Some of these are not saints on the Chalcedonian calendar.''

* [[Abanoub]]
* [[Abdel Messih El-Makari]]
* [[Abraam Bishop of Fayoum]] الأنبا إبرآم أسقف الفيوم
* [[Andrews (Ibrahim) the Samuelite]]
* [[Anthony the Great]] القديس الأنبا أنطونيوس أب الرهبان
* [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius the Apostolic]] البابا أثناسيوس الرسولي
* [[Bishoy]]
* [[Bishoy Kamel]]
* [[Cyril of Alexandria]] القديس البابا كيرلس السكندري عامود الدين
* [[Cyril VI (Atta) of Alexandria]] قداسة البابا كيرلس السادس
* [[Demiana]] الشهيدة دميانة
* [[Didymus]] القديس ديديموس الضرير
* [[Pope Saint Dioscorus I of Alexandria (Coptic POV)|Dioscorus I]] البابا ديسقوروس
* [[Macarius the Great]]
* [[Mary of Egypt]] القديسة مريم المصرية
* [[Maurice]] القديس موريس قائد الكتيبة الطيبية
* [[Mikhail Ibrahim]]
* [[Menas|Mina]] الشهيد مارمينا العجايبي
*[[Moses the Black]] القديس موسى الأسود
* [[Mina (Rizk) AvaMina]]
* [[Pachomius the Father of Coenobitic Monasticism|Pakhom]] القديس باخوم أب الشركة
* [[Barsoum El-Erian|Parsoma (Barsoum El-Erian)]] الأنبا برسوم العريان
* [[Paulus the First Hermit|Paul the Anchorite]]
* [[Philopatyr Mercurius]]
*[[Samuel the Confessor]]
*[[Shenouda the Archimandrite|Shenoute the Archimandrite]]
*[[Simon the Shoemaker]]
*[[Takla Haymanot of Ethiopia|Takla Haymanot]] القديس الأنبا تكلا هيمانوت الحبشي القس
*[[Tigy]]
*[[Verena]] القديسة فيرينا

==See also==
*[[List of Coptic Popes]]
*[[:Category:Coptic interpretations of the Fourth Ecumenical Council]]
*[[Heritage of the Coptic Orthodox Church]]

==Source==
* Portions of this article taken from [[Wikipedia:Coptic Christianity]]

==External links==
* '''Video - Christianity in Egypt and the History of Coptic Monasticism:'''
**[http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/Christianity%20in%20Egypt.avi Christianity in Egypt];
**[http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/Types%20of%20Monasteries.avi Three Kinds of Monasticism];
**The Monastery of El-Moharrak: [http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/Egypt%20General%20Stills.avi Vol.1], [http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/El%20Maharek.avi Vol.2], [http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/Pope.avi Vol.3];
**The History of Monasticism (St. Anthony): [http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/St%20Anthony.avi Vol.1], [http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/St%20Anthony's%20Cave.avi Vol.2];
**[http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/St%20Bishoy.avi St. Bishoy's Monastery];
**[http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/St%20Makarious.avi St. Makarious' Monastery];
**[http://www.copticchurch.org/Video/CopticHistory/St%20Mina.avi St. Mina's Monastery]
* [http://www.CopticPope.org Official Website of HH Pope Shenouda III]
* [http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/copticchristians.htm An Overview of the Coptic Christians of Egypt by Lara Iskander and Jimmy Dunn]
* [http://www.coptichymns.net coptichymns.net] ''The hub of the Coptic Media Network''
* [http://www.copticheritage.org copticheritage.org] ''The Official Website of the Heritage of the Coptic Orthodox Church''
* [http://st-takla.org/Links/Coptic-links-1.html Links to ALL Coptic sites]
* [http://www.zeitun-eg.org Holy Virgin Mary Apparitions over the domes of Her Coptic Orthodox Church in Zeitun, Cairo, Egypt, 1968 - seen by millions]
* [http://www.zeitun-eg.net/stcyril6/ The late Pope Kyrillos VI (Cyril the Sixth), 116th Pope of Alexandria and See of St. Mark (Coptic Orthodox Patriarch, 1959-1971)]
* [http://www.stmina-monastery.org St. Mina (Menas) Coptic Orthodox Monastery in Mariut, near Alexandria, Egypt]
* [http://www.coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica/ Encyclopedia Coptica: The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church Of Egypt]
* [http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/pope/ HH Pope Shenouda III: Biography and Writings]
* [http://st-takla.org/Coptic-church-1.html Coptic Church History at www.St-Takla.org]
* [http://www.copticchurch.net More Information on the Coptic Church, its Beliefs, Practices, and Liturgical Life]
* [http://www.coptic.net CoptNet - The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church Of Egypt]
* [http://www.france-copte.net Réseau des Coptes en France]
* [http://tasbeha.org Ancient Hymns of the Coptic Orthodox Church]
* [http://www.coptichymns.net Coptic Hymns]
* [http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/AHPG856/coptic_mq.html The MA Program in Coptic Studies at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia]
* [http://www.france-copte.net France-copte.net Coptic Website in France, Autor Mikhail David]

==Bibliography==
* [http://aucpress.com/cgi-aucpress/auc02/pager.cgi?catno=757_4 ''Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity'' by Dr. Otto F. A. Meinardus (368 pages - Cairo: AUC Press, 2002)]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0965239608/002-6112676-3430426 ''Traditional Egyptian Christianity: A History of the Coptic Orthodox Church'' by Rev. Fr. Prof. Theodore H. Partrick (226 pages - Fisher Park Press, 1996)]
* [http://www.stmina-monastery.org/ButcherEL/ ''Story of the Church of Egypt'' - by Edith L Butcher (1897)]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arbible/message/25832 Selected Bibliography about Coptic Christianity]

[[Category:Oriental Orthodox|Alexandria]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions|Alexandria (Coptic)]]

Diocese of Washington and New York (OCA)

2006-09-07T09:18:39Z

Vandal 149: Diocese of Washington and New York (OCA) moved to Diocese of Washington and :)

{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
The '''Diocese of Washington and New York''' is the reemergence with a new name of the original [[Diocese of New York and New Jersey (OCA)|Diocese of New York and New Jersey]] after it had been split to form the [[Diocese of Washington (OCA)|Diocese of Washington]] as a separate diocese. The Diocese of Washington and New York was formed when the two [[diocese]]s were re-merged in 2005.

== History ==
The history of the diocese as the see of the ruling hierarch of the Orthodox Church in America begins with the efforts of the first missionary in New York City. First presence of Orthodoxy in New York City's can be traced to 1870, when Fr. [[Nicholas Bjerring]], a convert from Denmark, was directed by Metropolitan Isidore of St. Petersburg to open the first Orthodox Church in New York City. Services for the congregation were held in a [[chapel]] within Fr. Nicholas' house. In 1885 the Russian government withdrew its support of the [[parish]] due to the small membership.

The oldest parish within the diocese that still functions is SS Peter and Paul Church is Buffalo, NY (founded April, 1894). Among the early missionary priests to serve the parish were Fr. John Nedzelnitsky, the Dean of Eastern States, and Fr. [[John Kochurov]] ([[Glorification|glorified]] in 1994 by the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]]). In 1895, a second mission in New York City was established called The Russian Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, that began to flourish under the direction of its second pastor, Fr. [[Alexander Hotovitzky]] (also recently [[Glorification|glorified]] by the Russian Orthodox Church).

[[Image:Ocadowany.png|thumb|Visual representation of the Diocese of Washington and New York]]

===Hierarchical See===
In 1901, Bp. [[Tikhon of Moscow|Tikhon]] (later Patr. Tikhon) laid the cornerstone for the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, which was completed in 1904, and from which he directed the Russian Mission in America until he was called back to Russia in 1907.

The [[cathedral]] served the needs of Orthodox Christians in New York and throughout the country until 1926. As a fallout of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the cathedral was declared the legal property of American representatives of the "[[Living Church]]". The head of the Russian Mission, Metropolitan [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon]] was restrained from further use of archdiocesan property. Temporary facilities were used as the diocesan cathedral until 1943 when a former Episcopalian church at 59 East Second Street in lower Manhattan was purchased and renovated. The new cathedral was dedicated to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Over the next 30 some years, the cathedral on 2nd Street served as the headquarters of the mission in America, housing offices of the chancery and related national organizations until the late 1960s when many of activities were moved to the Syosset property. Until then the 2nd Street cathedral was used for convening meetings of the Metropolitan Council, the [[Holy Synod]] of Bishops (known until [[autocephaly]] as the "Great Council of Bishops"), and several [[All-American Sobor]]s. For many years most episcopal consecrations and ordinations to the [[diaconate]] and [[priest]]hood also took place in the lower Manhattan cathedral.

===Diocese of the Ruling Hierarch===
Orthodoxy in America began with the arrival from Russia of Orthodox missionaries at Kodiak Island in 1794. The administrative center of the mission in America, with the eventual sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867, moved from Sitka to San Francisco in 1872. By the time that Bp. Tikhon arrived to administer the mission in 1898 and had made several extended pastoral journeys in North America, it was obvious to him that the concentration of parishes and faithful was in the eastern United States. He recommended that the official name of the mission be changed to the "Diocese of the Aleutians and North America" and suggested that the diocesan [[see]] be transferred to New York. This occurred in 1905. From that time until 1980 the parishes in the New York-New Jersey geographic area, and later those in the Washington, DC area, were officially under the auspices of the ruling hierarch of what is now the Orthodox Church in America ([[OCA]]).

The formal establishment of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey occurred after the grant of autocephaly in 1970. As the diocese was the see of the ruling [[hierarch]] of the mission, and later of the autocephalous church, it supported the national Church's administration. The administrative offices were located, first, in New York City at the Holy Protection Cathedral and later, since about 1967, in Oyster Bay Cove/Syosset, NY. The location of the national administration in the Diocese as well as the presence of [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's Seminary]] allowed the Diocese to benefit from the leadership of the Church in America.

At the 6th All-American Council, [[Holy Synod]] of Bishops decided to form a new Diocese of Washington, DC by splitting off the Washington area of the diocese. The new diocese in the nation's capital city began functioning in 1981 as the see of the [[Primate]] of the Orthodox Church in America. However, the national administrative offices remained at Syosset, within the Diocese of New York and New Jersey.

In 1981, the Diocese of New York and New Jersey became one of the local dioceses under its own hierarch, Bp. [[Peter (L'Huillier) of New York|Peter]] with his see at the Holy Protection Cathedral.
[[Image:St Nicholas Wash DC1.jpg|thumb|left|200pxl|St. Nicholas Cathedral, Washington, DC]]
The formation of the Diocese of Washington included the areas of the Capital proper (District of Columbia), Maryland, southern Delaware, and northern Virginia. The [[St. Nicholas Cathedral (Washington, D.C.)|St. Nicholas Cathedral]] in Washington was the see for the Metropolitan. At its inception the new diocese included only a few parishes, those in the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas. During the following two decades after formation of the diocese a number of new parishes formed as the population of the diocese increased.

In 2005, after the election of Metr. Herman as the ruling hierarch of the OCA and with the retirement of Abp. Peter, the Holy Synod of the OCA remerged the dioceses of New York and New Jersey and Washington as the Diocese of Washington and New York. St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington was designated the see of the ruling hierarch.

===Diocese===
The diocese includes parishes within the states of New York, New Jersey, southern Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and northern Virginia as of 2006:

*New York: 33
*New Jersey: 23
*Delaware: 1
*Maryland: 4
*District of Columbia: 2
*Virginia: 3

==External link==
*[http://www.oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-WA&x=31&y=15&SID=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE Diocese of Washington and New York]

[[Category:Dioceses]]
[[Category:OCA Dioceses]]

Gregoriou Monastery (Athos)

2006-09-07T09:18:38Z

Vandal 149: Grigoriou Monastery (Athos) moved to Grigoriou Monastery (Athos) :)

{{Athonitemonastery|
name=Holy Monastery of Gregoriou |
rank=Seventeenth|
type=Cenobitic Monastery|
founded=14th Century by St. Gregory the Younger|
superior=''unknown''|
size=''unknown''|
location=Southwest|
language=Greek|
music=[[Byzantine chant]]|
feasts=[[December 6|Nicholas of Myra]]|
}}
The '''Gregoriou Monastery''' is situated on the southwest side of the Athos Peninsula in northern Greece, between the monasteries of Dionysiou and Simonopetra. Gregoriou originally was dedicated to the [[Nicholas of Myra|St. Nicholas]] but later was renamed in honor of its founder, Gregory. It is ranked seventeenth in the hierarchical order of the twenty monasteries located on the [[Mount Athos]] peninsula. Gregoriou is reputed to be one of the most well-organized and strict coenobitic monasteries on the Mount Athos peninsula.

==History==
The [[monastery]] was founded by St. Gregory of Mount Athos (Younger) in the fourteenth century when he came to Mount Athos to pursue asceticism. Over the next several centuries little is known about the monastery other than that it suffered serious damage from raiders and in 1761 from a fire. Barsky, an eighteenth century Russian visitor, observed that restoration work had been done in 1500, and also noted that the fire of 1761 had destroyed many of the heirlooms and documents then held by the monastery. Additional damage was incurred during the Greek revolution against the Turkish sultan in 1821. Restoration work at Gregoriou monastery that had been accomplished over the years was supported by various benefactors including the princes of Moldavia, Phanariotes, archbishops of Hungro-Wallachia. Even a few Turkish sultans provided aid.

The [[katholikon]], dedicated to St. Nicholas, was built in 1768 and follows the Athonite style. The frescos in the katholikon were done in 1779 by the [[monk]]s Gabriel and Gregory from Kastoria. The frescos present scenes from the Old Testement. A [[narthex]] was added to the katholikon in 1846, under the direction of Neofitos, the [[abbot]]. The monastery also contains ten [[chapel]]s as well as four cells in the administrative center [[Karyes (Athos)|Karyes]].

==Treasury==
As noted above much of the older treasures of the monastery were lost in the fires of 1761 and the warfare of 1821. Those treasures that the monastery now holds are kept in the katholikon. These treasures include [[icon]]s of the Virgin Galatotrophousa and Virgin Pantanassa, [[relics]] of [[saint]]s (the relics of St, Gregory were believed taken by some Serbian monks), and various [[liturgical objects]].

The monastery library holds 297 manuscripts, many other documents, and some 4,000 books. These include the only existing manuscript copy of the ''Shepherd of Hermas'' a work that dates back to the first century.

==External links==
*[http://www.hri.org/MPA/other/Agio_Oros/monasteries/grigoriou.html Gregoriou Monastery]
*[http://inathos.gr/athos/en/ Mount Athos]

[[Category:Monasteries]]
[[Category:Greek Monasteries]]
[[Category:Athonite Monasteries]]

June 30

2006-09-07T09:18:37Z

Vandal 149: June 30 moved to June 30 :)

==Feasts==
{{June 30}}

[[Category:Calendar days]]

American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

2006-09-07T09:18:36Z

Vandal 149: American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese moved to American Carpatho-Russian :)

{{diocese|
name=American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese|
jurisdiction=[[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]]|
type=Diocese|
founded=1938|
bishop=[[Nicholas (Smisko) of Amissos|Metr. Nicholas]]|
see=Amissos|
hq=Johnstown, Pennsylvania|
territory=United States, Canada|
language=English, [[Church Slavonic]]|
music=[[Prostopinije]]|
calendar=[[Julian Calendar|Julian]], [[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]]|
population=50,000[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=41&IndexView=toc]|
website=[http://www.acrod.org/ ACROD]
}}

The '''American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese''' (ACROD) is a [[diocese]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]] with about 75 [[parish]]es in the United States and Canada, led by Metropolitan [[Nicholas (Smisko) of Amissos]]. Though the diocese is directly responsible to the Patriarchate, it is under the spiritual supervision of the [[primate]] of the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]]. Its full name is the '''American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese'''.

==History==
The diocese was founded in 1938 when a group of 37 Carpatho-Russian [[Uniate]] parishes were received into the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, having the year before officially renounced the Unia with Rome, primarily in protest over [[Latinization]]s occurring in their church life, particularly a 1929 papal decree mandating that Eastern Rite [[clergy]] in the US were to be celibate.

This move marked the second group of Carpatho-Russian parishes to return to Orthodoxy, the first having been led by St. [[Alexis of Wilkes-Barre]] into the jurisdiction of the [[OCA|Russian Metropolia]] in the 1890s. This second return to Orthodoxy by Carpatho-Russians in America, under the spiritual leadership of Fr. (later [[Metropolitan]]) [[Orestes (Chornock) of Agathoniketa|Orestes Chornock]], was directed toward Constantinople rather than to the Russian presence in America primarily because of concerns about [[Russification]] which had occurred with the previous move. As such, rather than being absorbed into the body of the Russian churches in America, the ACROD was permitted by Constantinople to keep its distinctive practices while removing Latinizations such as the [[Filioque]] from the recitation of the [[Nicene Creed]].

==The ACROD today==
Besides its 75 parishes, the ACROD has one [[seminary]] located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, [[Christ the Saviour Seminary (Johnstown, Pennsylvania)|Christ the Saviour Seminary]]. The bulk of the diocese's parishes are in the United States, with one in Canada, and nearly half are located in Pennsylvania. There was formerly a diocesan [[monastery]], the [[Monastery of the Annunciation (Tuxedo Park, New York)|Monastery of the Annunciation]] in Tuxedo Park, New York, but it was closed in the early 1990s.

The diocese has 14 deaneries:

*Canadian - Rev. Fr. Maxym Lysack
*Chicago - Rev. Fr. Samuel Sherry
*Florida - Rev. Fr. Michael Shuster
*Johnstown - Very Rev. Fr. David Cochran
*Mid-Atlantic - Very Rev. Protopresbyter Robert Rebeck
*New England - Very Rev. Fr. Luke Mihaly
*New Jersey - Very Rev. Protopresbyter Michael Rosco
*New York - Very Rev. Fr. John J. Beskid
*Pittsburgh - Very Rev. Protopresbyter John P. Gido
*Pocono - Very Rev. Protopresbyter Lawrence Barriger
*Southern Tier - Very Rev. Protopresbyter James Dutko
*Tri-State - Very Rev. Fr. James A. Gleason, Jr.
*Washington, D.C. - Rev. Fr. Miles Zdinak
*Youngstown - Very Rev. Fr. Kenneth Bachofsky

The diocese is also a member of [[SCOBA]].

== External links ==
*[http://www.acrod.org/ Official Website of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese]
*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=41&IndexView=toc Eastern Christian Churches: American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar

[[Category:Dioceses]]
[[Category:Ecumenical Patriarchate Dioceses]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in America]]

September 8

2006-09-07T09:18:36Z

Vandal 149: September 8 moved to September 8 :)

==Feasts==
{{September 8}}

[[Category:Calendar days]]

Voronet Monastery (Bucovina, Romania)

2006-09-07T09:18:35Z

Vandal 149: Voronet Monastery (Bucovina, Romania) moved to Voronet Monastery (Bucovina, Romania) :)

'''Voroneţ''' is a monastery for women built by the Voievod of Moldova, St. [[Stephen the Great]] in 1488. The building took 3 months and 21 days to complete. It is one of the famous Painted Monasteries of Bucovina (all these monasteries are frescoed on the outside as well as internally) and is situated within a short distance of the town of Gura Humorului.

The monastery was built to fulfill a promise to Stephen's spiritual father and advisor St. [[Daniel the Hermit]], who had lived in a cell in the area, after a victory in battle over the Ottoman Turks. Upon his death, St. Daniel was buried in the monastery church with the exception of his right index finger which was encased in silver and sent to [[Putna Monastery (Bucovina, Romania)|Putna Monastery]].

== Frescoes ==
The frescoes were painted during the reign of one of Stephen's successors, Petru Rareş, between 1534 and 1535 at the request of the Metropolitan of Moldova, Grigore Roşca. The names of the artists are unknown except for one master painter, Marcu, but the term ''Voronet Blue'', a pigment created using ''lapis lazuli'', has entered the artistic lexicon alongside ''Titian Red''. Probably the most accomplished painting at Voroneţ and indeed in all of Moldova is that of the ''Last Judgement'' on one end wall of the monastery church. Another famous painting is that of ''Jesse's Tree'', showing the genealogy of [[Jesus Christ]]. Due to the high quality of the frescoes at Voroneţ, the church, dedicated to St. [[George the Trophy-bearer]] has become known as the ''Sistine Chapel of the East''.

== External links ==
* [http://www.romanianmonasteries.org/images/voronet/voronet.html Information, Pictures and Drawings about Voronet]
* [http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Icons_and_Frescoes/Frescoes/Voronet_Monastery/index.shtml orthodoxphotos.com: Gorgeous images of the Voronet Monastery frescoes]
*[http://www.geocities.com/ghedani1/voronet/voroneeg.htm Voroneţ Monastery]

[[Category:Monasteries]]
[[Category:Painted Monasteries of Bucovina]]
[[Category:Romanian Monasteries]]

Talk:Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand

2006-09-07T09:18:33Z

Vandal 149: Talk:Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand moved to Talk:Macedonian Orthodox :)

==Parish Listing==
I'm unconvinced of the need for a diocese-specific parish listing on OrthodoxWiki in general, as these are usually available on an external source; but I certainly think that, if present, it should be on a seperate page. Thoughts? — edited by [[User:Pistevo|Pι]][[Special:Listusers/sysop|s]][[User talk:Pistevo|τ]][[Special:Contributions/Pistevo|é]][[User:Pistevo|vο]] at 06:48, July 4, 2006 (CDT) 
As a general rule, I agree parish directories are best found off-wiki. But in this case they do not have their own website and I am unaware of the listing being available on any other internet site. In addition, it gives some idea of the size of the Macedonian presence in Australia, both diocesan and community. In those cities where two parishes have the same name and are right next to each other, one must be the original community and the other the bishop's parallel version. In the absence of a digest showing numbers of community and diocesan by state, the total listing is better than nothing. A separate page might be good. chrisg 2006-07-04-2307 EAST

Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand

2006-09-07T09:18:33Z

Vandal 149: Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand moved to Macedonian Orthodox :)

{{diocese|
name=Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand|
jurisdiction=[[Macedonian Orthodox Church]]|
type=Diocese|
founded=''unknown''|
bishop=Metr. Petar, administrator|
see=''not applicable''|
hq=Bitola, Macedonia|
territory=Australia, New Zealand|
language=Slavonic|
music=[[Byzantine Chant]]|
calendar=[[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
population=''unknown''|
website=''none''
}}
The '''Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand''' is a [[diocese]] of the [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]]. It is currently administered by Metropolitan Petar of Prespa and Pelagonia, who resides in Bitola, Macedonia, and is in Australia for approximately one month each year.

==History==
Originally, the Macedonian Orthodox began community churches, and so began to pray to God in a foreign land. A diocese was later established for Australia and New Zealand, but - as is common - the bishops had difficulty in convincing the trustees of the community properties to hand over these properties to the care of the bishop.

A result of the difficulties in handing over property is found in the extensive legal proceedings undertaken by the present administrator, Metropolitan Petar, in an effort to force the properties to be given over to the diocese. There are many community parishes who have not accepted this, forcing Metropolitan Petar to spend most of his time in Australia - usually approximately one month each year - involved in these court cases.

Worshipping Macedonians in New Zealand all attend churches of other jurisdictions.

==Internal links==
*[[List of Macedonian Orthodox parishes in Australia]] - also contains Macedonian Orthodox monasteries and centres.

[[Category:Dioceses]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Australia]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Macedonian Dioceses]]

Orthodoxy in America

2006-09-07T09:18:32Z

Vandal 149: Orthodoxy in America moved to Orthodoxy in America :)

{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
Despite its relatively young age, '''Orthodoxy in America''' has a complex history and a complicated present. This article seeks to be a clearinghouse of information and links regarding the history and state of Orthodox Christianity in America.

==History==
{{orthodoxyseries}}
*[[All-American Sobor]]
*[[Bibliography of Orthodoxy in America]]
*[[Byzantine response to OCA autocephaly]]
*[[Ligonier Meeting]]
*[[ROCOR and OCA]]
*[[Timeline of Orthodoxy in America]]

==People==
===[[List of American saints|Saints]]===
*[[Alexander Hotovitzky]]
*[[Alexis of Wilkes-Barre]]
*[[Herman of Alaska]]
*[[Innocent of Alaska]]
*[[Jacob Netsvetov]]
*[[John Kochurov]]
*[[John Maximovitch]]
*[[Juvenaly of Alaska]]
*[[Nikolai Velimirovic]]
*[[Peter the Aleut]]
*[[Raphael of Brooklyn]]
*[[Tikhon of Moscow]]

*Under consideration for [[glorification]]
**Abp. [[Arseny (Chagovtsov) of Winnipeg]]
** Bp. [[Gerasimos (Papadopoulos) of Abydos]]
**[[Olga Michael]]
**[[Seraphim Rose]]

===[[List of American bishops|Bishops]]===
: ''See: [[List of American bishops]]''

===Other major figures===
*[[Alexander Schmemann]]
*[[Frank Schaeffer]]
*[[Georges Florovsky]]
*[[Jaroslav Pelikan]]
*[[John Meyendorff]]
*[[Seraphim Rose]]
*[[Thomas Hopko]]

*[[List of American writers|Writers]]

==Jurisdictions==
===Current===
*[[Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America]]
*[[American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese]]
*[[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]]
*[[Belarusian Council of Orthodox Churches in North America]]
*[[Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia]]
*[[Ecumenical Patriarchate in America]]
*[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]]
*[[Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in North and South America]]
*[[Orthodox Church in America]]
*[[Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada]]
*[[Russian Orthodox Church in the USA]]
*[[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]]
*[[Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada]]
*[[Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA]]

====Non-Mainstream====
*[[Holy Orthodox Church in North America]] (HOCNA)
*[[Russian Orthodox Church in Exile]] (ROCE)

===Former===
*[[American Orthodox Catholic Church]]
*[[Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Toledo and Dependencies]]
*[[Autocephalous Greek Orthodox Metropolis of America and Canada]]
*[[Bulgarian Diocese in Exile]]
*[[Russian Exarchate of North America]]

===Directories===
*[[:Category:Parish Directory (USA)]]

==Seminaries and other education==
*[[Christ the Saviour Seminary (Johnstown, Pennsylvania)]]
*[[Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, Massachusetts)]]
*[[Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, New York)]]
*[[St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Kodiak, Alaska)]]
*[[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]]
*[[St. Sava's Serbian Orthodox Seminary (Libertyville, Illinois)]]
*[[St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Bound Brook, New Jersey)]]
*[[St. Stephen's Course in Orthodox Theology]]
*[[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)]]

==Monasteries==
*[[List of American monasteries]]

==Groups==
*[[Evangelical Orthodox Church]]
*[[Holy Order of MANS]] (later, Christ the Savior Brotherhood)
*[[Society of Clerks Secular of St. Basil]]

==Organizations==
===National===
*[[International Orthodox Christian Charities]] (IOCC)
*[[Orthodox Christian Fellowship]] (OCF)
*[[Orthodox Christian Laity]] (OCL)
*[[Orthodox Christian Mission Center]] (OCMC)
*[[Orthodox Christians for Life]] (OCLife)
*[[Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement]] (OISM)
*[[Orthodox Theological Society in America]] (OTSA)
*[[Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas]] (SCOBA)

===Regional===
*[[Council of Eastern Orthodox Churches of Central Massachusetts]] (CEOC)
*[[Fellowship of Orthodox Churches of Connecticut]] (FORCC)
*[[Rocky Mountain Orthodox Christian Charities and Missions]] (RMOCCM)

===Jurisdictional===
*[[Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America]] (FOCA), [[OCA]]

==External links==
*[http://www.orthodoxyinamerica.org/ Orthodoxy in America: An Online Directory of the Orthodox Church in North America]
*[http://www.fordhamfrc.org/chaplain/lectures.htm Orthodoxy in America Lecture Series], sponsored by Fordham University
*[http://www.izograph.com/kleima.htm Iconic History of Orthodoxy in America]

===Articles===
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/orth_amer.aspx Orthodoxy in America], by Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna
*[http://www.helleniccomserve.com/fordham1a.html The Dynamics of the Orthodox Faith in America], by Abp. [[Demetrios (Trakatellis) of America]]
*[http://ocl.org/MetIsaiahofDenverMar2001.htm The Dangers of Multiple Orthodox Jurisdictions in the United States], by Metr. [[Isaiah (Chronopoulos) of Denver]]
*[http://www.ocl.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=OrthodoxUnity.one&content_id=14248&CFID=25996465 Where Do We Go From Here?], by [[Abbot]] [[Jonah (Paffhausen)]] (requires free registration)
*[http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles4/KishkovskyDiaspora.shtml Orthodoxy in America: Diaspora or Church?], by Fr. Leonid Kishkovsky
*[http://www.ocl.org/project.htm The Project for Orthodox Renewal of the Orthodox Christian Laity: Seven Studies of Key Issues Facing Orthodox Christians in America], Steven J. Sfekas and George E. Matsoukas, eds. (1993)
*[https://www.trustedpartner.com/docs/library/000139/brochure.pdf An Orthodox Christian Church in the United States: Unified and Self-Governed], a pamphlet by [[Orthodox Christian Laity]]
*[http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/MetrakosAmericaOrt.php The Face of American Orthodoxy: A Forgotten Perspective], by Fr. Aris P. Metrakos
*[http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/MetrakosOrthodoxy.php The Next Triumph of Orthodoxy], by Fr. Aris P. Metrakos
*[http://www.svots.edu/Faculty/Paul-Meyendorff/Articles/liturgical-path.html The Liturgical Path of Orthodoxy in America], by [[Paul Meyendorff]]
*[http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/Orthodox_Church/orthodoxy_in_america.shtml Orthodoxy in America], from [http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/ OrthodoxPhotos.com]
*[http://www.jacwell.org/Archbishop%20Peter/1997_WINTER_reflecting_on_the_future_of_orth.htm Reflecting on the Future of Orthodoxy in America], by Archbishop [[Peter (L'Huillier) of New York]]
*[http://www.stxenia.org/frsrose/ortham.shtml Orthodoxy in America: Its Historical Past and Present], by Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]]
*[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/church_history/schmemann_orthodoxy_america.htm Orthodoxy and America], by Fr. [[Alexander Schmemann]]
*Problems of Orthodoxy in America series, by Fr. [[Alexander Schmemann]]
**[http://www.jacwell.org/Fall_Winter99/Fr_Schmemann_The_canonical_problem.htm I: The Canonical Problem]
**[http://www.jacwell.org/Fall_Winter99/Fr_Schmemann_The_liturgical_problem.htm II: The Liturgical Problem]
**[http://www.jacwell.org/Fall_Winter99/Fr_Schmemann_The%20_spiritual_problem.htm III: The Spiritual Problem]
*[http://directionstoorthodoxy.org/mod/news/view.php?article_id=7251 The American Orthodox Church], by Dr. George Strickland

===Link collections===
*[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/gen_america.aspx General Information: Orthodoxy in America]

[[Category:Church History]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions]]

Innocent of Alaska

2006-09-07T09:18:31Z

Vandal 149: Innocent of Alaska moved to Innocent of Alaska :)

[[Image:Innocent of Alaska.jpg|right|frame|St. Innocent of Alaska]]
Our father among the saints '''Innocent of Alaska''', [[Equal-to-the-Apostles]] and [[Enlightener]] of North America (1797-1879), was a Russian Orthodox [[priest]], [[bishop]], [[archbishop]], and [[Metropolitan]] of Moscow and all Russia. He is known for his missionary work, scholarship, and leadership in Alaska and the Russian Far East during the 1800s. He is known for his great zeal for his work as well as his great abilities as a scholar, linguist, and administrator. He was a missionary, later a bishop and archbishop in Alaska and the Russian Far East. He learned several native languages and was the author of many of the earliest scholarly works about the natives and their languages, as well as dictionaries and religious works in these languages. He also translated parts of the [[Bible]] into several native languages.

==Life==
St. Innocent, ''né'' '''Ivan (John) Evseyevich Popov-Veniaminov''', was born on [[August 26]], 1797, into the family of a church server in the village of Anginskoye, Verkholensk District, Irkutsk province, in Russia. His father died when John was six.

In 1807, John entered the Irkutsk Theological Seminary. In 1817 he married, and on [[May 18]], 1817 he was ordained [[deacon]] of the Church of the Annunciation in Irkutsk. He completed his studies in 1818. He was appointed a teacher in a parish school, and on [[May 18]], 1821 he was ordained [[priest]] to serve in the Church of the Annunciation.

At the beginning of 1823, Bishop Michael of Irkutsk received instructions to send a priest to the island of Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Father John Veniaminov volunteered to go, and on [[May 7]], 1823, he departed from Irkutsk, accompanied by his aging mother, his wife, his infant son Innocent, and his brother Stefan. After a difficult one-year journey, they arrived at Unalaska on [[July 29]], 1824.

{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
After John and his family built and moved into an earthen hut, he undertook the construction of a church on the island and set about studying the local languages and dialects. He trained some of his parishioners in construction techniques and with them undertook the construction of a church, which was finished the following July.

Father John's parish included the island of Unalaska and the neighboring Fox Islands and Pribilof Islands, whose inhabitants had been converted to Christianity before his arrival, but retained many of their pagan ways and customs. Father John often traveled between the islands in a canoe, battling the stormy Gulf of Alaska.

His travels over the islands greatly enhanced Father John Veniaminov's familiarity with the local dialects. In a short time he mastered six of the dialects. He devised an alphabet of Cyrillic letters for the most widespread dialect, the Unagan dialect of Aleut and, in 1828, translated portions of the Bible and other church material into that dialect. In 1829, he journeyed to the Bering Sea coast of the Alaskan mainland and preached to the people there.

In 1834, Father John was transferred to Sitka Island, to the town of Novoarkhangelsk, later called Sitka. He devoted himself the Tlingit people and studied their language and customs. His studies there produced the scholarly works ''Notes on the Kolushchan and Kodiak Tongues'' and ''Other Dialects of the Russo-American Territories, with a Russian-Kolushchan Glossary''.

In 1838, Father John journeyed to St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, and Kiev, Ukraine, to report on his activities and request an expansion of the Church's activities in Russian America. While he was there, he received notice that his wife had died. He requested permission to return to Sitka. Instead, it was suggested that he take vows as a monk. Father John at first ignored these suggestions, but, on [[November 29]], 1840, made his vows. He chose the name ''Innocent'' in honor of Bishop Innocent of Irkutsk.

On [[December 15]], 1840, [[Archimandrite]] Innocent Veniaminov was consecrated Bishop of Kamchatka and Kuril Islands in Russia and the Aleutian Islands in Russian America. His see was located in Novoarkhangelsk, which he returned to in September 1841. He spent the next nine years in the administration of his see as well as on several long missionary journeys to its remote areas. On [[April 21]], 1850, Bishop lnnocent was elevated to Archbishop. In 1852, the Yakut area was admitted to the Kamchatka Diocese, and in September 1853, Archbishop Innocent took up permanent residence in the town of Yakutsk. Innocent took frequent trips throughout his enlarged diocese. He devoted much energy to the translation of the scriptures and service books into the Yakut (Sakha) language.

In April 1865, Archbishop Innocent was appointed a member of the Holy Governing Synod of the Church.

On [[November 19]], 1867, he was appointed the Metropolitan of Moscow, replacing his friend and mentor, Filaret, who had died. While there, he undertook revisions of many Church texts that contained errors, raised funds to improve the living conditions of priests and established a retirement home for priests.

Innocent died on [[March 31]], 1879. He was buried on [[April 5]], 1879, at [[Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra]].

==Glorification==
On [[October 6]], 1977, the [[Church of Russia]], acting on the official request of the [[Orthodox Church in America]], proclaimed Innocent a [[saint]]. His [[feast day]] is celebrated twice a year -- on [[October 6]] and [[March 31]].

In 1994, during excavations on the grounds near the Holy Ghost Church at the [[Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra]], St. Innocent's [[relics]] were discovered and are now [[veneration|venerated]] by the faithful both in Russia and America.

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Bishop of Kamachatka, the Kuril Aleutian Islands|
years=1840-1853|
after=[[Peter (Ekaterinovsky) of Novoarkhangelsk|Peter (Ekaterinovsky)]]|}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Bishop of Yakutsk|
years=1853-1867|
after=[[Peter (Ekaterinovsky) of Novoarkhangelsk|Peter (Ekaterinovsky)]]|}}
{{succession|
before=Filaret|
title=Metropolitan of Moscow|
years=1867-1879|
after=Macarius I|}}
{{end box}}

== Sources==
* ''Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America'', C. J. Tarasar, Gen. Ed. 1975, The Orthodox Church in America, Syosett, New York

==External links==
*[http://www.oca.org/HSbioinnocent.asp Biography of St. Innocent of Alaska] ([[OCA]] site)
*[http://www.ocadow.org/dow_events/book_offer.htm Portraits of American Saints] compiled and edited by George A. Gray, (c) 1994, 5th Reprint 2002. (ISBN 0-9715363-0-9)
*[http://www.asna.ca/alaska Alaskan Orthodox texts (Aleut, Tlingit)] by St. Innocent (Veniaminov)

[[Category:American Saints]]
[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]
[[Category:Patriarchs of Moscow]]
[[Category:Russian Saints]]
[[Category:Saints]]

List of parishes in the Northern Territory (Australia)

2006-09-07T09:18:30Z

Vandal 149: List of parishes in the Northern Territory moved to List of parishes in the Northern Territory :)

{{orthodoxyinaustralasiasmall}}
*Greek Orthodox Parish-Community of St. Nicholas, Darwin. Rector: Rev. Hmk. Joel. Language: Greek.
*Serbian Orthodox Mission of St. Sava, Darwin. Rector: Rev. Fr. Radomir Aleksic. Language: Serbian.
*Greek Orthodox Community in Alice Springs.
*Greek Orthodox Community in Tennant Creek.

==External Links==
*[http://home.it.com.au/~jgrapsas/pages/SA_Diocese.htm Third Archdiocesan District of South Australia and Northern Territory], parish listing (Northern Territory parishes are at the bottom)
*[http://www.beograd.com.au/phonelist/serbian_ortodox_church_in_aus_and_nz.htm Unofficial parish listing of Serbian Orthodox churches in Australia]

[[Category:Churches]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Australia]]

New Calendar

2006-09-07T09:18:29Z

Vandal 149: New Calendar moved to New Calendar :)

The term '''''New Calendar''''' may refer to one of two [[Church Calendar|calendars]] in the [[Orthodox Church]]:

*The '''[[Gregorian Calendar]]''', a calendar introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and used in the Churches of [[Church of Finland|Finland]] and [[Church of Estonia|Estonia]].
*The '''[[Revised Julian Calendar]]''', the calendar considered by a [[synod]] of Orthodox churches in 1923 in Constantinople. This is functionally identical to the Gregorian Calendar except for the [[Pascha]]l cycle (which is still [[Paschalion|reckoned]] according to the [[Julian Calendar|Julian]] timetables) and leap year calculation.

{{disambig}}

[[Category:Church History]]
[[Category:Liturgics]]

June 10

2006-09-07T09:18:29Z

Vandal 149: June 10 moved to June 10 :)

==Feasts==
{{June 10}}

[[Category:Calendar days]]

Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York

2006-09-07T09:18:28Z

Vandal 149: Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York moved to Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York :)

[[Image:Platon Rozhdestvensky.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Metr. Platon]]
His Eminence the Most Reverend Metropolitan '''Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York''' was [[primate]] of the [[OCA|Russian Metropolia]] (the former name of the OCA) twice, from 1907 to 1914 and then from 1921 to his death on [[April 20]], 1934. A controversial figure, he presided over the declaration of "temporary self-government" for the Metropolia in 1924 and over the creation of the short-lived [[American Orthodox Catholic Church]] in 1927.

{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
== Life ==
===Early years===
Platon was born Porphyry Theodorovich Rozhdestvensky on [[February 23]], 1866, the son of a [[parish]] [[priest]] in the Kursk Eparchy of Russia. He attended the Kursk Theological Seminary and married. He was [[ordination|ordained]] to the priesthood in 1887 and was assigned as a village priest in Lukashevsky. His wife soon gave birth to a daughter, but within five years he became a widower.

He then entered the Kiev Theological Academy, graduating in 1895. He took monastic vows in 1894, receiving the name Platon. He served as an assistant professor and instructor of Moral Theology while he continued his studies, and in 1898, he received a Master of Theology degree. [[Hieromonk]] Platon was named inspector at the Kiev Academy and was raised to the rank of [[archimandrite]]. He was named rector of the Kiev Academy in 1902 and was consecrated [[bishop]], serving as second [[auxiliary bishop|vicar]] of the Kiev diocese.

===First American term===
[[Image:Platon Rozhdestvensky2.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Metr. Platon during his first term in the US]]
In 1907, he was transferred to the North American diocese, arriving on [[September 5]], 1907. Reacting to the needs of the diocese he welcomed more Carpatho-Russian [[Uniate]]s back to Orthodoxy and addressed social services by founding the Russian Immigrants Home and an orphanage in New York City. He also transferred the Metropolia seminary from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Tenefly, New Jersey to bring it closer to main source of students and to the church administration.

In 1914, he was transferred to the [[diocese]] of Kishniece and Khotin, leaving America on [[May 20]], 1914, but shortly thereafter he became [[exarch]] of Georgia and a member of the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Church of Russia]]. He served in 1915 in the Second State Duma, and before the revolution of 1917, he was appointed Metropolitan of Kherson and Odessa. With the defeat of the White Army by the Bolsheviks he was forced to leave Odessa for Europe and eventually America.

===Second American term===
With Metr. Platon's return to the United States in 1921 and Abp. [[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of the Aleutians|Alexander]]'s return to Europe, the Third All-American Sobor (Council) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in September 1923 elected Metr. Platon as the ruling bishop of the North American diocese. Although this election was confirmed by the Russian Church, Metr. Platon would spend over the next decade great effort maintaining the unity of the diocese, particularly against attacks by the [[Living Church]], fending off financial crisis, and sporadic cooperation and disjunction with the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] (ROCOR). With the breakdown in communications with the Church in Russia, he felt compelled to declare the North American diocese temporarily autonomous. This was done by the Fourth All-American Sobor held in Detroit, Michigan in February 1924. At this council Metr. Platon also received the title ''Metropolitan of All America and Canada'', while simultaneously earning himself the indictment of the ROCOR, which came fully to a head two years later. In a ROCOR synod meeting in 1926 in Karlovtsy, Serbia, Platon was asked by his fellow hierarchs on the synod to renounce the "temporary self-government" which his jurisdiction had declared. When he refused, the ROCOR bishops condemned the Detroit sobor as "extremely dangerous and harmful for the interestes of the Russian Church in America."

In January of the following year, Platon convened another sobor in America, which labelled the ROCOR as "uncanonical." One Metropolia bishop dissented, Apollinary (Koshevoi), and he was subsequently expelled from the Metropolia. The ROCOR synod then deposed Platon as primate of the Metropolia and appointed Apollinary in his place, who had some success, persuading 62 parishes to accept his authority in the six years of his reign.

In 1927, Platon, free of the strictures of both the Moscow Patriarchate and the ROCOR synod, attempted to form an [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] Orthodox Church in North America by blessing the creation of the [[American Orthodox Catholic Church]], whose constitution gave it authority over all Orthodox Christians living on the continent and was led by [[Aftimios Ofiesh]], Archbishop of Brooklyn. The new [[jurisdiction]] collapsed on itself in a matter of six or seven years, however, as Platon soon withdrew his support in the wake of internal pressures and conflicts as well as external pressures from the [[Episcopal Church U.S.A.]], which felt that the new church constituted competition with it (the Episcopalians regarded themselves as the "senior Orthodox church" in the US). Additionally, when Aftimios chose to contract a civil marriage, all legitimacy which the new jurisdiction retained was erased in the eyes of mainstream Orthodoxy.

Platon announced in 1929 that he would be willing to accept ROCOR authority again if the synod would in return recognize him as Metropolia primate instead of Apollinary. When the synod denied his terms, Platon went on a legal campaign to seize parishes and properties throughout North America from Apollinary's authority. Most of the court cases he brought forward failed.

In 1933, Platon rejected the request by Metr. [[Sergius I (Stragorodsky) of Moscow|Sergius (Stragorodsky)]] (''[[locum tenens]]'' of the Moscow Patriarchate) to pledge "loyalty" to the Soviet regime (though that "loyalty" was mainly described by MP representatives in terms of not engaging in anti-Soviet political activism). In response, Moscow declared Platon to be in [[schism]], deposing him before an ecclesiastical court and forming the [[Russian Exarchate of North America]], whose bishop was regarded by Russia at that time as being the rightful canonical successor of Russian jurisdiction in America.

After his death in 1934, he was buried at the cemetery at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]], and the ROCOR lifted its ban against the Metropolia as a goodwill gesture, leading to renewal of relations in 1935 with Platon's successor, Metr. [[Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of San Francisco|Theophilus (Pashkovsky)]].

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Tikhon of Moscow|Tikhon (Belavin)]]|
title=Archbishop of the Aleutians|
years=1907-1914|
after=[[Evdokim (Meschersky) of the Aleutians|Evdokim (Meschersky)]]}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Archbishop of Kishniece & Khotin|
years=1914-?|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Metropolitan of Kherson & Odessa|
years=?-1921|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=[[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of the Aleutians|Alexander (Nemolovsky)]]|
title=Metropolitan of All America and Canada ([[OCA|Metropolia]])|
years=1923-1934|
after=[[Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of San Francisco|Theophilus (Pashkovsky)]]}}
{{end box}}

== Sources==
* ''Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America'', C. J. Tarasar, Gen. Ed. 1975, The Orthodox Church in America, Syosett, New York

==See also==
*[[American Orthodox Catholic Church]]
*[[ROCOR and OCA]]

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Featured Articles]]