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Template:Orthodoxyinamerica

2009-08-10T08:04:57Z

Ephraem: cl, add Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black to Organizations list

{| class="toccolours" cellspacing="0" style="float: right; clear: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; text-align:center;"
| colspan="2" |This article forms part of the series [[Orthodoxy in America]]
|-
| colspan="2"|[[Image:Orthodox us.gif|145px|]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 95%; background:#ccf"|'''History'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 90%;"|[[Timeline of Orthodoxy in America|American Orthodox Timeline]] [[Bibliography of Orthodoxy in America|American Orthodox Bibliography]] [[Byzantine response to OCA autocephaly|Byzantines on OCA autocephaly]] [[Ligonier Meeting]] [[ROCOR and OCA]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 95%; background:#ccf"|'''People'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 90%;"|[[List of American saints|Saints]] - [[List of American bishops|Bishops]] - [[List of American writers|Writers]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 95%; background:#ccf"|'''Jurisdictions'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 90%;"|[[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian]] - [[Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia|Bulgarian]] [[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]] - [[Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada|Romanian]] - [[Russian Orthodox Church in the USA|Moscow]] [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia|ROCOR]] - [[Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada|Serbian]] 
[[Ecumenical Patriarchate in America|Ecumenical Patriarchate]]: 
[[Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America|Albanian]] - [[American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese|Carpatho-Russian]] [[Belarusian Council of Orthodox Churches in North America|Belarusian]] - [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|Greek]] - [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA|Ukrainian]] [[Vicariate for Palestinian-Jordanian Communities in the USA|Palestinian/Jordanian]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 95%; background:#ccf"|'''[[List of American monasteries|Monasteries]]'''
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;"|
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 95%; background:#ccf"|'''Seminaries'''
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;"|[[Christ the Saviour Seminary (Johnstown, Pennsylvania)|Christ the Saviour]] [[Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, Massachusetts)|Holy Cross]] [[Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity]] [[St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Kodiak, Alaska)|St. Herman's]]
| style="font-size: 90%;"|[[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's]] [[St. Sava's Serbian Orthodox Seminary (Libertyville, Illinois)|St. Sava's]] [[St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Bound Brook, New Jersey)|St. Sophia's]] [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 95%; background:#ccf"|'''Organizations'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 90%;"|[[American Orthodox Institute|AOI]] - [[Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting|EOCS]] - [[International Orthodox Christian Charities|IOCC]] - [[Orthodox Christian Education Commission|OCEC]] [[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]] [[Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 95%; background:#ccf"|'''Groups'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 90%;"|[[American Orthodox Catholic Church|Amer. Orthodox Catholic Church]] [[Evangelical Orthodox Church]] [[Holy Order of MANS|Holy Order of MANS/CSB]] [[St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute (Paris, France)|Paris School]] [[Society of Clerks Secular of St. Basil|Society of Clerks Secular of St. Basil]]
|-
|style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc"|
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Template:Orthodoxyinamerica&action=edit Edit this box]
|}
<includeonly>[[Category:Orthodoxy in America]]</includeonly>
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Orthodox Church in America

2009-08-10T07:48:13Z

Ephraem: add Irinee (Rochon) to Auxiliary Bishops list

The '''Orthodox Church in America''' (OCA) is an [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] church with parishes mainly in the United States and Canada (though it has some parishes in Australia and elsewhere). The OCA was formerly known as the '''Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America''', or more informally, the '''Metropolia'''. Previous to that, it was the North American Diocese of the [[Church of Russia]]. The OCA's autocephaly is not currently recognized by most of the other autocephalous Orthodox churches.

On [[November 12]], 2008, after financial scandals, the OCA's All-American Council and Holy Synod elected [[auxiliary bishop]] [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington and New York|Jonah (Paffhausen)]] as its new metropolitan. He was formally installed on [[December 28]], 2008 at the primate's [[cathedral]] St. [[St. Nicholas Cathedral (Washington, D.C.)|Nicholas Cathedral]] in Washington, D.C..

{{church|
name=Orthodox Church in America[[Image:OCA 1.jpg|center|The Orthodox Church in America]]|
founder=Ss. [[Herman of Alaska]], [[Innocent of Alaska]], [[Alexis of Wilkes-Barre]]|
independence=1970 ("temporary self-government" in 1924)|
recognition=1970 by [[Church of Russia]] |
primate=[[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington|Jonah (Paffhausen)]]|
hq=[[Chancery office of the Orthodox Church in America|Syosset, New York]]|
territory=United States and Canada|
possessions=USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia|
language=English, [[Church Slavonic]], Spanish|
music=[[Russian Chant]], [[Byzantine Chant]] (in some ethnic dioceses)|
calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]], [[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
population=30,000 to 1,000,000|
website=[http://www.oca.org/ Orthodox Church in America]
}}
== History ==
''Main Article: [[History of the OCA]]''

The OCA began with the missionary work of the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands by eight Orthodox monks who arrived in Alaska in 1794. They were part of the centuries-old missionary heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church that brought the Orthodox Church, by the monks Hourg and Barsanuphii, to the Mongol peoples. And monk St Stephen of Perm (1340-96) who would in turn journey beyond Kazan, across the Ural mountain, into the forests of Siberia to bring Orthodoxy to the pagan Zyrians. And the Russian monks who brought the Church even more eastward, eventually establishing a network of missions across Siberia and along the entire Pacific Rim: in China (1686), Alaska (1794), Japan (1861), and Korea (1898).

While the Church in Alaska was growing, immigrants were arriving in the rest of North America. In the 1860s a parish was established in San Francisco by Serbians, Russians and Greeks. Parishes were also established across the territory of the United States. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the headquarters of the North American Diocese was moved to San Francisco and then to New York. At this time there were great waves of Orthodox immigrants from Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, and the Middle East. A belief commonly held within OCA circles (and among some in other jurisdictions) is that they were all united in a single [[diocese]] or [[jurisdiction]], which was under the Russian Orthodox Church. (This view is disputed by a number of non-OCA church historians.) Although the Russians certainly were united, as were some parishes from other ethnic groups (especially those of Middle Eastern heritage), there were many others (most notably the overwhelming majority of the Greeks) who did not look to the Russian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America. Instead, they looked to their mother churches. In an attempt to address this problem, Archbishop Tikhon, later [[Tikhon of Moscow]], had advocated (in a 1905 report to the Holy Synod) for an American Orthodox Church with "greater autonomy," governed by a synod of bishops representing the various nationalities. Tikhon's proposal did not have the opportunity to succeed.

In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution brought communication between the churches in North America and Russia to an almost complete halt. In the early 1920s, Patriarch [[Tikhon of Moscow]] directed all Russian Orthodox churches outside of Russia to govern themselves autonomously until regular communication could be resumed. (He died in 1925, and was glorified as a [[saint]] by the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] in 1989.) Shortly thereafter, at a Council of all hierarchs and clergy and parish delegates, it was decided that the Church in North America could no longer maintain strict administrative ties with the Church in Russia, especially since Patriarch Tikhon had been arrested. Additionally, the loss of financial support from the fallen empire added to the diocese's problems.

At that time, some parishes which had been part of a single, multi-ethnic, North American [[diocese]] organized separate dioceses and placed themselves under various other [[mother church]]es, solidifying the current situation of multiple, ethnically-based, overlapping, jurisdictions in North America. Though the revolution in Russia helped to speed this fragmentation process along, it had already been occurring prior to 1917, as hundreds of Orthodox parishes in the US had been founded without any reference to the Russian presence, whose authority was not universally acknowledged.

From that point until the restoration of relations with Moscow in the 1960s, the Metropolia entered twice into union with the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] (see [[ROCOR and OCA]]), finally breaking with the latter body in 1946. Additionally, in 1927, the bishops of the Metropolia attempted to create an autocephalous body known as the [[American Orthodox Catholic Church]], which failed after only six years.

In the early 1960s, the Metropolia (as it was then known) resumed communication with the Patriarch of Moscow, and in 1970 full communion was restored. At that time, the Patriarch of Moscow officially granted the OCA [[autocephaly]], or self-governing administrative status. The OCA's autocephaly is not currently recognized by all autocephalous Orthodox Churches, including the [[Church of Constantinople]]. Churches that do recognize its autocephaly are mainly those in former Communist lands (most of which had thus come under the influence of the Church of Russia), including the [[Church of Russia]], the [[Church of Bulgaria]], the [[Church of Poland]], the [[Church of Georgia]], and the [[Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia]]. According to apologists for OCA autocephaly, it is common for recognition of autocephaly to be granted belatedly; however opponents regard the grant as not being within the purview of Moscow's [[presbeia|prerogatives]] (see [[Byzantine response to OCA autocephaly]]).

== The OCA today ==
[[Image:OCA chancery.jpg|right|350px|thumb|[[Chancery office of the Orthodox Church in America|The OCA chancery, Oyster Bay Cove (Syosset), New York]]]]
In the United States, there are 12 dioceses and 623 parishes, missions, and institutions (456 of which are parishes). The ethnic dioceses extend into Canada, which also has one non-ethnic archdiocese. Altogether there are 91 Canadian parishes. The OCA has a Mexican Exarchate with nine parishes and missions, and there are five parishes in South America. In addition, there are two [[Parishes in Australia (OCA)|parishes in Australia]] under the OCA's canonical protection, one in Queensland and one in New South Wales.

There are three ethnically defined dioceses in the OCA: the Albanian (13 parishes[http://oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-AL&x=24&y=12&SID=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE]), Bulgarian (20 parishes[http://oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-BU&x=24&y=13&SID=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE]) and Romanian (102 parishes[http://oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-RO&x=31&y=15&SID=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE]). These dioceses' geographic territory overlaps with the other dioceses of the OCA and they have under their care parishes with those ethnic associations. These dioceses are the result of smaller ethnic [[jurisdiction]]s joining the OCA at some point in its history, usually after having broken from other bodies.

The OCA also has 28 monastic communities[http://oca.org/DIRmonastics.asp?SID=9], six of which fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Metropolitan (i.e., are [[stavropigial]]). The largest of these monasteries are [[New Skete (Cambridge, New York)]] and [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]].

There are three [[seminary|seminaries]] operated by the OCA: [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] (founded 1937), [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] (founded 1938), and [[St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Kodiak, Alaska)|St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] (founded 1973). All three educate seminarians from multiple Orthodox jurisdictions, including those outside North America.

The OCA is a member of the [[Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas]] (SCOBA).

Since November of 2005, when a list of accusations were brought forward by Protodeacon Eric Wheeler, the former treasurer of the OCA, its administration has been the subject of allegations of financial misconduct. Internal investigations, audits, and other actions have since then been enacted in an attempt to address the allegations, including the firing and [[deposition]] of the OCA chancellor, the former Protopresbyter [[Robert S. Kondratick]]. The [http://www.ocanews.org/ OCA News] website, a privately operated site with no connection to the administration, has been publishing reports and editorials on the scandal since January of 2006, including allegations of division within the OCA's holy synod. In August 2007, the [[Diocese of the Midwest (OCA)|Diocese of the Midwest]], which contributes to the OCA more funds than any other OCA diocese, began withholding its assessments to the central administration.[http://www.midwestdiocese.org/news_070814_1.html]

In September of 2008, after the release of a scathing report by an official investigative committee, the former primate, Metr. [[Theodosius (Lazor) of Washington|Theodosius (Lazor)]], was disciplined[http://www.oca.org/news/1631] and the current primate, Metr. [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington and New York|Herman (Swaiko)]] was retired by the Holy Synod.[http://www.oca.org/news/1632]

===Growth and membership figures===
Altogether, estimates of OCA faithful number from about 28,000[http://www.oca.org/PDF/Evangelization/2004.Parish-Revitalization-notes.pdf] to 1 million[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=27] to 2 million[http://www.aidsfaith.com/articles/denom.asp], depending on the report cited and method used for counting. The number of new parishes founded from 1990 to 2000 increased the overall parish number by about 12%, and new membership has been fairly equally divided between new immigrants, children of existing members, and converts to the faith. Overall, according to one report the trend during that decade held the population of OCA faithful in neither increase nor decline, but remaining steady.[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/tab2.pdf] According to another, however, that same decade saw a 13% decline.[http://www.oca.org/PDF/Evangelization/2004.Parish-Revitalization-notes.pdf]

{{orthodoxyinamerica}}

According to Fr. Jonathan Ivanoff, who is on the administrative committee of the OCA's Department of Evangelization and the board of directors of the [[Orthodox Christian Mission Center]], the OCA's American contintental membership (i.e., not including Alaska, Canada, or the ethnic dioceses) "has been declining between 6 and 9% for nearly 20 years. The OCA's Census population in 1994 was 29,775; in 2004 it stood at 27,169."[http://www.oca.org/PDF/Evangelization/2004.Parish-Revitalization-notes.pdf] Despite these sobering figures, however, the OCA's dioceses of the West and South, as well as many parishes in other dioceses, have reported steady growth.

==Name==
According to the 1970 ''[[Tomos]] of Autocephaly'' granted by the [[Church of Russia]], the name of this church body was originally ''The Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America''.[http://www.oca.org/DOCtomos.asp?SID=12] According to the Statute of the Orthodox Church in America, adopted by the Second All-American Council in October 1971, the usage is ''The Orthodox Church in America'' at the beginning of sentences[http://oca.org/DOCstatute.asp?SID=12&ID=1] and ''the Orthodox Church in America'' in the middle of sentences[http://www.oca.org/DOCstatute.asp?SID=12&ID=4], thus seeming to imply that the capitalization of ''the'' in the name is not vital.

==Episcopacy==
===Diocesan bishops===
* Most Blessed [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington|Jonah (Paffhausen)]], Archbishop of [[Diocese of Washington (OCA)|Washington]], Metropolitan of All America and Canada, ''Locum Tenens'' of the [[Bulgarian Diocese (OCA)|Bulgarian Diocese]], ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of the [[Diocese of the South (OCA)|South]], ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of [[Diocese of New York and New Jersey (OCA)|New York and New Jersey]].
* Most Reverend [[Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit|Nathaniel (Popp)]], Archbishop of Detroit and the [[Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America (OCA)|Romanian Episcopate]]
* Most Reverend [[Job (Osacky) of Chicago|Job (Osacky)]], Archbishop of Chicago and the [[Diocese of the Midwest (OCA)|Midwest]]
* Most Reverend [[Seraphim (Storheim) of Ottawa|Seraphim (Storheim)]], Archbishop of Ottawa and [[Archdiocese of Canada (OCA)|Canada]]
* Right Reverend [[Nikon (Liolin) of Boston|Nikon (Liolin)]], Bishop of Boston, [[Diocese of New England (OCA)|New England]] and the [[Albanian Archdiocese (OCA)|Albanian Archdiocese]]
* Right Reverend [[Tikhon (Mollard) of Philadelphia|Tikhon (Mollard)]], Bishop of Philadelphia and [[Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania (OCA)|Eastern Pennsylvania]]
* Right Reverend [[Benjamin (Peterson) of San Francisco|Benjamin (Peterson)]], Bishop of San Francisco and the [[Diocese of the West (OCA)|Diocese of the West]], ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of [[Diocese of Alaska (OCA)|Alaska]]
* Right Reverend [[Alejo (Pacheco y Vera) of Mexico City|Alejo (Pacheco-Vera)]], Bishop of Mexico City and [[Exarchate of Mexico (OCA)|Exarch of Mexico]]
* Right Reverend [[Melchizedek (Pleska) of Pittsburgh|Melchizedek (Pleska)]], Bishop of Pittsburgh and [[Diocese of Western Pennsylvania (OCA)|Western Pennsylvania]]

===Auxiliary bishops===
* Right Reverend [[Irineu (Duvlea) of Dearborn Heights|Irineu (Duvlea)]], Bishop of Dearborn Heights and Auxiliary to Archbishop [[Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit]]
* Right Reverend [[Irinee (Rochon) of Quebec City|Irinee (Rochon)]], Bishop of Quebec City and Auxiliary to Archbishop [[Seraphim (Storheim) of Ottawa]]

===Retired bishops===
* Most Blessed [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington and New York|Herman (Swaiko)]], Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada
* Most Blessed [[Theodosius (Lazor) of Washington|Theodosius (Lazor)]], Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada
* Most Reverend [[Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas|Dmitri (Royster)]], Archbishop of Dallas and the [[Diocese of the South (OCA)|South]]
* Most Reverend [[Lazar (Puhalo) of Ottawa|Lazar (Puhalo)]], Archbishop of Ottawa
* Right Reverend [[Mark (Forsberg) of Boston|Mark (Forsberg)]], Bishop of Boston
* Right Reverend [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco and Los Angeles|Tikhon (Fitzgerald)]], Bishop of San Francisco, Los Angeles and the [[Diocese of the West (OCA)|Diocese of the West]]
* Right Reverend [[Varlaam (Novakshonoff) of Vancouver|Varlaam (Novakshonoff)]], Bishop of Vancouver
* Right Reverend [[Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka|Nikolai (Soraich)]], Bishop of Sitka and [[Diocese of Alaska (OCA)|Alaska]]
* Right Reverend [[Seraphim (Sigrist) of Sendai|Seraphim (Sigrist)]], Bishop of Sendai and Eastern Japan

===Reposed bishops===
* Most Reverend [[Kyrill (Yonchev) of Pittsburgh|Kyrill (Yonchev)]], Archbishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and the [[Bulgarian Diocese (OCA)|Bulgarian Diocese]]
* Most Reverend [[Peter (L'Huillier) of New York|Peter (L'Huillier)]], Archbishop of New York and New Jersey
* Most Reverend [[Gregory (Afonsky) of Sitka|Gregory (Afonsky)]], Archbishop of Sitka and Alaska
(see also: [[Bishops of the Russian Metropolia in North America]])

== List of primates and ruling bishops==
[[Image:Raphel Platon Alexander.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bishops [[Raphael of Brooklyn|St. Raphel]], [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon]], and [[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of Brussels|Alexander]]]]
* Bishop [[Joasaph (Bolotov) of Kodiak|Joasaph (Bolotov)]] ''Bishop of Kodiak Auxiliary of the Irkutsk Diocese'' (1799)
* Bishop [[Innocent of Alaska|Innocent (Veniaminov)]] ''of Alaska''
** ''Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands'' (1840-50)
** ''Archbishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands'' (1850-68)
* Bishop [[Peter (Ekaterinovsky) of Novoarkhangelsk|Peter (Ekaterinovsky)]] ''Bishop of Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka) Auxiliary of the Kamchatka Diocese'' (1859-66)
* Bishop [[Paul (Popov) of Novoarkhangelsk|Paul (Popov)]] ''Bishop of Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka), Auxiliary of the Kamchatka Diocese'' (1866-70)
* Bishop [[John (Mitropolsky) of the Aleutians|John (Mitropolsky)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1870-77)
* Bishop [[Nestor (Zakkis) of the Aleutians|Nestor (Zakkis)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1878-82)
* Bishop [[Vladimir (Sokolovsky-Avtonomov) of the Aleutians|Vladimir (Sokolovsky-Avtonomov)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1887-91)
* Bishop [[Nicholas (Adoratsky) of Orenburg and Ural|Nicholas (Adoratsky)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1891)
* Bishop [[Nicholas (Ziorov) of Warsaw|Nicholas (Ziorov)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1891-98)
* Bishop [[Tikhon of Moscow|Tikhon (Belavin)]] ''of Moscow''
** ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1898-1900)
** ''Bishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1900-05)
** ''Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1905-07)
* Archbishop [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon (Rozhdestvensky)]] ''Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1907-14)
* Archbishop [[Evdokim (Meschersky) of the Aleutians|Evdokim (Meschersky)]] ''Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1914-18)
* Archbishop [[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of Brussels|Alexander (Nemolovsky)]] ''Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1919-22)
* Metropolitan [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon (Rozhdestvensky)]] ''Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1922-34)
* Metropolitan [[Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of San Francisco|Theophilus (Pashkovsky)]] ''Archbishop of San Francisco, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1934-50)
* Metropolitan [[Leonty (Turkevich) of New York|Leonty (Turkevich)]] ''Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1950-65)
* Metropolitan [[Ireney (Bekish) of New York|Ireney (Bekish)]] ''Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1965-77) assisted by Archbishop [[Sylvester (Haruns) of Montreal|Sylvester (Haruns)]] ''Archbishop of Montreal and Canada, Temporary Administrator of the Orthodox Church in America'' (1974-77)
* Metropolitan [[Theodosius (Lazor) of Washington|Theodosius (Lazor)]]
** ''Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1977-80)
** ''Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1981-2002)
* Metropolitan [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington and New York|Herman (Swaiko)]]
** ''Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (2002-2005)
** ''Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (2005-2008)
* Metropolitan [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington and New York|Jonah (Paffhausen)]] ''Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (2008-present)

==Reference==
* ''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==
*[[ROCOR and OCA]]

{{churches}}





== External links ==
* [http://www.oca.org/ Official Website of the OCA]
** [http://www.oca.org/Docs.asp?ID=157&SID=12 The Road to Autocephaly 1963-1970] Talk given by Dr. Constantine H. Kallaur
** [http://www.oca.org/DOCtomos.asp?SID=12 The Tomos of Autocephaly] Signed in the city of Moscow, [[April 10]], 1970, by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the members its Holy Synod.
** [http://www.oca.org/DOCindex-statute.asp?SID=12 The Statute of the Orthodox Church in America]
** [http://oca.org/HSprimatialelections.asp?SID=7 Primatial Elections in the OCA]
* [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=27&IndexView=toc Eastern Christian Churches: OCA] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
* [http://www.ocanews.org/ OCANews.org: Orthodox Christians for Accountability], a website critical of the OCA's administration

[[Category:Jurisdictions|OCA]]

[[es:Iglesia Ortodoxa en América]]
[[fr:Église en Amérique]]
[[ro:Biserica Ortodoxă din America]]

Orthodox Church in America

2009-08-10T07:36:22Z

Ephraem: add Seraphim Sigrist (Retired)

The '''Orthodox Church in America''' (OCA) is an [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] church with parishes mainly in the United States and Canada (though it has some parishes in Australia and elsewhere). The OCA was formerly known as the '''Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America''', or more informally, the '''Metropolia'''. Previous to that, it was the North American Diocese of the [[Church of Russia]]. The OCA's autocephaly is not currently recognized by most of the other autocephalous Orthodox churches.

On [[November 12]], 2008, after financial scandals, the OCA's All-American Council and Holy Synod elected [[auxiliary bishop]] [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington and New York|Jonah (Paffhausen)]] as its new metropolitan. He was formally installed on [[December 28]], 2008 at the primate's [[cathedral]] St. [[St. Nicholas Cathedral (Washington, D.C.)|Nicholas Cathedral]] in Washington, D.C..

{{church|
name=Orthodox Church in America[[Image:OCA 1.jpg|center|The Orthodox Church in America]]|
founder=Ss. [[Herman of Alaska]], [[Innocent of Alaska]], [[Alexis of Wilkes-Barre]]|
independence=1970 ("temporary self-government" in 1924)|
recognition=1970 by [[Church of Russia]] |
primate=[[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington|Jonah (Paffhausen)]]|
hq=[[Chancery office of the Orthodox Church in America|Syosset, New York]]|
territory=United States and Canada|
possessions=USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia|
language=English, [[Church Slavonic]], Spanish|
music=[[Russian Chant]], [[Byzantine Chant]] (in some ethnic dioceses)|
calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]], [[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
population=30,000 to 1,000,000|
website=[http://www.oca.org/ Orthodox Church in America]
}}
== History ==
''Main Article: [[History of the OCA]]''

The OCA began with the missionary work of the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands by eight Orthodox monks who arrived in Alaska in 1794. They were part of the centuries-old missionary heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church that brought the Orthodox Church, by the monks Hourg and Barsanuphii, to the Mongol peoples. And monk St Stephen of Perm (1340-96) who would in turn journey beyond Kazan, across the Ural mountain, into the forests of Siberia to bring Orthodoxy to the pagan Zyrians. And the Russian monks who brought the Church even more eastward, eventually establishing a network of missions across Siberia and along the entire Pacific Rim: in China (1686), Alaska (1794), Japan (1861), and Korea (1898).

While the Church in Alaska was growing, immigrants were arriving in the rest of North America. In the 1860s a parish was established in San Francisco by Serbians, Russians and Greeks. Parishes were also established across the territory of the United States. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the headquarters of the North American Diocese was moved to San Francisco and then to New York. At this time there were great waves of Orthodox immigrants from Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, and the Middle East. A belief commonly held within OCA circles (and among some in other jurisdictions) is that they were all united in a single [[diocese]] or [[jurisdiction]], which was under the Russian Orthodox Church. (This view is disputed by a number of non-OCA church historians.) Although the Russians certainly were united, as were some parishes from other ethnic groups (especially those of Middle Eastern heritage), there were many others (most notably the overwhelming majority of the Greeks) who did not look to the Russian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America. Instead, they looked to their mother churches. In an attempt to address this problem, Archbishop Tikhon, later [[Tikhon of Moscow]], had advocated (in a 1905 report to the Holy Synod) for an American Orthodox Church with "greater autonomy," governed by a synod of bishops representing the various nationalities. Tikhon's proposal did not have the opportunity to succeed.

In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution brought communication between the churches in North America and Russia to an almost complete halt. In the early 1920s, Patriarch [[Tikhon of Moscow]] directed all Russian Orthodox churches outside of Russia to govern themselves autonomously until regular communication could be resumed. (He died in 1925, and was glorified as a [[saint]] by the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] in 1989.) Shortly thereafter, at a Council of all hierarchs and clergy and parish delegates, it was decided that the Church in North America could no longer maintain strict administrative ties with the Church in Russia, especially since Patriarch Tikhon had been arrested. Additionally, the loss of financial support from the fallen empire added to the diocese's problems.

At that time, some parishes which had been part of a single, multi-ethnic, North American [[diocese]] organized separate dioceses and placed themselves under various other [[mother church]]es, solidifying the current situation of multiple, ethnically-based, overlapping, jurisdictions in North America. Though the revolution in Russia helped to speed this fragmentation process along, it had already been occurring prior to 1917, as hundreds of Orthodox parishes in the US had been founded without any reference to the Russian presence, whose authority was not universally acknowledged.

From that point until the restoration of relations with Moscow in the 1960s, the Metropolia entered twice into union with the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] (see [[ROCOR and OCA]]), finally breaking with the latter body in 1946. Additionally, in 1927, the bishops of the Metropolia attempted to create an autocephalous body known as the [[American Orthodox Catholic Church]], which failed after only six years.

In the early 1960s, the Metropolia (as it was then known) resumed communication with the Patriarch of Moscow, and in 1970 full communion was restored. At that time, the Patriarch of Moscow officially granted the OCA [[autocephaly]], or self-governing administrative status. The OCA's autocephaly is not currently recognized by all autocephalous Orthodox Churches, including the [[Church of Constantinople]]. Churches that do recognize its autocephaly are mainly those in former Communist lands (most of which had thus come under the influence of the Church of Russia), including the [[Church of Russia]], the [[Church of Bulgaria]], the [[Church of Poland]], the [[Church of Georgia]], and the [[Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia]]. According to apologists for OCA autocephaly, it is common for recognition of autocephaly to be granted belatedly; however opponents regard the grant as not being within the purview of Moscow's [[presbeia|prerogatives]] (see [[Byzantine response to OCA autocephaly]]).

== The OCA today ==
[[Image:OCA chancery.jpg|right|350px|thumb|[[Chancery office of the Orthodox Church in America|The OCA chancery, Oyster Bay Cove (Syosset), New York]]]]
In the United States, there are 12 dioceses and 623 parishes, missions, and institutions (456 of which are parishes). The ethnic dioceses extend into Canada, which also has one non-ethnic archdiocese. Altogether there are 91 Canadian parishes. The OCA has a Mexican Exarchate with nine parishes and missions, and there are five parishes in South America. In addition, there are two [[Parishes in Australia (OCA)|parishes in Australia]] under the OCA's canonical protection, one in Queensland and one in New South Wales.

There are three ethnically defined dioceses in the OCA: the Albanian (13 parishes[http://oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-AL&x=24&y=12&SID=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE]), Bulgarian (20 parishes[http://oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-BU&x=24&y=13&SID=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE]) and Romanian (102 parishes[http://oca.org/DIRlists.parish.diocese.asp?diocese=OCA-RO&x=31&y=15&SID=9&CLASS=P&TYPE=DIOCESE]). These dioceses' geographic territory overlaps with the other dioceses of the OCA and they have under their care parishes with those ethnic associations. These dioceses are the result of smaller ethnic [[jurisdiction]]s joining the OCA at some point in its history, usually after having broken from other bodies.

The OCA also has 28 monastic communities[http://oca.org/DIRmonastics.asp?SID=9], six of which fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Metropolitan (i.e., are [[stavropigial]]). The largest of these monasteries are [[New Skete (Cambridge, New York)]] and [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)]].

There are three [[seminary|seminaries]] operated by the OCA: [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] (founded 1937), [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] (founded 1938), and [[St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Kodiak, Alaska)|St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] (founded 1973). All three educate seminarians from multiple Orthodox jurisdictions, including those outside North America.

The OCA is a member of the [[Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas]] (SCOBA).

Since November of 2005, when a list of accusations were brought forward by Protodeacon Eric Wheeler, the former treasurer of the OCA, its administration has been the subject of allegations of financial misconduct. Internal investigations, audits, and other actions have since then been enacted in an attempt to address the allegations, including the firing and [[deposition]] of the OCA chancellor, the former Protopresbyter [[Robert S. Kondratick]]. The [http://www.ocanews.org/ OCA News] website, a privately operated site with no connection to the administration, has been publishing reports and editorials on the scandal since January of 2006, including allegations of division within the OCA's holy synod. In August 2007, the [[Diocese of the Midwest (OCA)|Diocese of the Midwest]], which contributes to the OCA more funds than any other OCA diocese, began withholding its assessments to the central administration.[http://www.midwestdiocese.org/news_070814_1.html]

In September of 2008, after the release of a scathing report by an official investigative committee, the former primate, Metr. [[Theodosius (Lazor) of Washington|Theodosius (Lazor)]], was disciplined[http://www.oca.org/news/1631] and the current primate, Metr. [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington and New York|Herman (Swaiko)]] was retired by the Holy Synod.[http://www.oca.org/news/1632]

===Growth and membership figures===
Altogether, estimates of OCA faithful number from about 28,000[http://www.oca.org/PDF/Evangelization/2004.Parish-Revitalization-notes.pdf] to 1 million[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=27] to 2 million[http://www.aidsfaith.com/articles/denom.asp], depending on the report cited and method used for counting. The number of new parishes founded from 1990 to 2000 increased the overall parish number by about 12%, and new membership has been fairly equally divided between new immigrants, children of existing members, and converts to the faith. Overall, according to one report the trend during that decade held the population of OCA faithful in neither increase nor decline, but remaining steady.[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/tab2.pdf] According to another, however, that same decade saw a 13% decline.[http://www.oca.org/PDF/Evangelization/2004.Parish-Revitalization-notes.pdf]

{{orthodoxyinamerica}}

According to Fr. Jonathan Ivanoff, who is on the administrative committee of the OCA's Department of Evangelization and the board of directors of the [[Orthodox Christian Mission Center]], the OCA's American contintental membership (i.e., not including Alaska, Canada, or the ethnic dioceses) "has been declining between 6 and 9% for nearly 20 years. The OCA's Census population in 1994 was 29,775; in 2004 it stood at 27,169."[http://www.oca.org/PDF/Evangelization/2004.Parish-Revitalization-notes.pdf] Despite these sobering figures, however, the OCA's dioceses of the West and South, as well as many parishes in other dioceses, have reported steady growth.

==Name==
According to the 1970 ''[[Tomos]] of Autocephaly'' granted by the [[Church of Russia]], the name of this church body was originally ''The Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America''.[http://www.oca.org/DOCtomos.asp?SID=12] According to the Statute of the Orthodox Church in America, adopted by the Second All-American Council in October 1971, the usage is ''The Orthodox Church in America'' at the beginning of sentences[http://oca.org/DOCstatute.asp?SID=12&ID=1] and ''the Orthodox Church in America'' in the middle of sentences[http://www.oca.org/DOCstatute.asp?SID=12&ID=4], thus seeming to imply that the capitalization of ''the'' in the name is not vital.

==Episcopacy==
===Diocesan bishops===
* Most Blessed [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington|Jonah (Paffhausen)]], Archbishop of [[Diocese of Washington (OCA)|Washington]], Metropolitan of All America and Canada, ''Locum Tenens'' of the [[Bulgarian Diocese (OCA)|Bulgarian Diocese]], ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of the [[Diocese of the South (OCA)|South]], ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of [[Diocese of New York and New Jersey (OCA)|New York and New Jersey]].
* Most Reverend [[Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit|Nathaniel (Popp)]], Archbishop of Detroit and the [[Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America (OCA)|Romanian Episcopate]]
* Most Reverend [[Job (Osacky) of Chicago|Job (Osacky)]], Archbishop of Chicago and the [[Diocese of the Midwest (OCA)|Midwest]]
* Most Reverend [[Seraphim (Storheim) of Ottawa|Seraphim (Storheim)]], Archbishop of Ottawa and [[Archdiocese of Canada (OCA)|Canada]]
* Right Reverend [[Nikon (Liolin) of Boston|Nikon (Liolin)]], Bishop of Boston, [[Diocese of New England (OCA)|New England]] and the [[Albanian Archdiocese (OCA)|Albanian Archdiocese]]
* Right Reverend [[Tikhon (Mollard) of Philadelphia|Tikhon (Mollard)]], Bishop of Philadelphia and [[Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania (OCA)|Eastern Pennsylvania]]
* Right Reverend [[Benjamin (Peterson) of San Francisco|Benjamin (Peterson)]], Bishop of San Francisco and the [[Diocese of the West (OCA)|Diocese of the West]], ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of [[Diocese of Alaska (OCA)|Alaska]]
* Right Reverend [[Alejo (Pacheco y Vera) of Mexico City|Alejo (Pacheco-Vera)]], Bishop of Mexico City and [[Exarchate of Mexico (OCA)|Exarch of Mexico]]
* Right Reverend [[Melchizedek (Pleska) of Pittsburgh|Melchizedek (Pleska)]], Bishop of Pittsburgh and [[Diocese of Western Pennsylvania (OCA)|Western Pennsylvania]]

===Auxiliary bishops===
* Right Reverend [[Irineu (Duvlea) of Dearborn Heights|Irineu (Duvlea)]], Bishop of Dearborn Heights and auxiliary to Archbishop [[Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit]]

===Retired bishops===
* Most Blessed [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington and New York|Herman (Swaiko)]], Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada
* Most Blessed [[Theodosius (Lazor) of Washington|Theodosius (Lazor)]], Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada
* Most Reverend [[Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas|Dmitri (Royster)]], Archbishop of Dallas and the [[Diocese of the South (OCA)|South]]
* Most Reverend [[Lazar (Puhalo) of Ottawa|Lazar (Puhalo)]], Archbishop of Ottawa
* Right Reverend [[Mark (Forsberg) of Boston|Mark (Forsberg)]], Bishop of Boston
* Right Reverend [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco and Los Angeles|Tikhon (Fitzgerald)]], Bishop of San Francisco, Los Angeles and the [[Diocese of the West (OCA)|Diocese of the West]]
* Right Reverend [[Varlaam (Novakshonoff) of Vancouver|Varlaam (Novakshonoff)]], Bishop of Vancouver
* Right Reverend [[Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka|Nikolai (Soraich)]], Bishop of Sitka and [[Diocese of Alaska (OCA)|Alaska]]
* Right Reverend [[Seraphim (Sigrist) of Sendai|Seraphim (Sigrist)]], Bishop of Sendai and Eastern Japan

===Reposed bishops===
* Most Reverend [[Kyrill (Yonchev) of Pittsburgh|Kyrill (Yonchev)]], Archbishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and the [[Bulgarian Diocese (OCA)|Bulgarian Diocese]]
* Most Reverend [[Peter (L'Huillier) of New York|Peter (L'Huillier)]], Archbishop of New York and New Jersey
* Most Reverend [[Gregory (Afonsky) of Sitka|Gregory (Afonsky)]], Archbishop of Sitka and Alaska
(see also: [[Bishops of the Russian Metropolia in North America]])

== List of primates and ruling bishops==
[[Image:Raphel Platon Alexander.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bishops [[Raphael of Brooklyn|St. Raphel]], [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon]], and [[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of Brussels|Alexander]]]]
* Bishop [[Joasaph (Bolotov) of Kodiak|Joasaph (Bolotov)]] ''Bishop of Kodiak Auxiliary of the Irkutsk Diocese'' (1799)
* Bishop [[Innocent of Alaska|Innocent (Veniaminov)]] ''of Alaska''
** ''Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands'' (1840-50)
** ''Archbishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands'' (1850-68)
* Bishop [[Peter (Ekaterinovsky) of Novoarkhangelsk|Peter (Ekaterinovsky)]] ''Bishop of Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka) Auxiliary of the Kamchatka Diocese'' (1859-66)
* Bishop [[Paul (Popov) of Novoarkhangelsk|Paul (Popov)]] ''Bishop of Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka), Auxiliary of the Kamchatka Diocese'' (1866-70)
* Bishop [[John (Mitropolsky) of the Aleutians|John (Mitropolsky)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1870-77)
* Bishop [[Nestor (Zakkis) of the Aleutians|Nestor (Zakkis)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1878-82)
* Bishop [[Vladimir (Sokolovsky-Avtonomov) of the Aleutians|Vladimir (Sokolovsky-Avtonomov)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1887-91)
* Bishop [[Nicholas (Adoratsky) of Orenburg and Ural|Nicholas (Adoratsky)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1891)
* Bishop [[Nicholas (Ziorov) of Warsaw|Nicholas (Ziorov)]] ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1891-98)
* Bishop [[Tikhon of Moscow|Tikhon (Belavin)]] ''of Moscow''
** ''Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska'' (1898-1900)
** ''Bishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1900-05)
** ''Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1905-07)
* Archbishop [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon (Rozhdestvensky)]] ''Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1907-14)
* Archbishop [[Evdokim (Meschersky) of the Aleutians|Evdokim (Meschersky)]] ''Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1914-18)
* Archbishop [[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of Brussels|Alexander (Nemolovsky)]] ''Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America'' (1919-22)
* Metropolitan [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon (Rozhdestvensky)]] ''Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1922-34)
* Metropolitan [[Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of San Francisco|Theophilus (Pashkovsky)]] ''Archbishop of San Francisco, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1934-50)
* Metropolitan [[Leonty (Turkevich) of New York|Leonty (Turkevich)]] ''Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1950-65)
* Metropolitan [[Ireney (Bekish) of New York|Ireney (Bekish)]] ''Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1965-77) assisted by Archbishop [[Sylvester (Haruns) of Montreal|Sylvester (Haruns)]] ''Archbishop of Montreal and Canada, Temporary Administrator of the Orthodox Church in America'' (1974-77)
* Metropolitan [[Theodosius (Lazor) of Washington|Theodosius (Lazor)]]
** ''Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1977-80)
** ''Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (1981-2002)
* Metropolitan [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington and New York|Herman (Swaiko)]]
** ''Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (2002-2005)
** ''Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (2005-2008)
* Metropolitan [[Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington and New York|Jonah (Paffhausen)]] ''Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada'' (2008-present)

==Reference==
* ''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==
*[[ROCOR and OCA]]

{{churches}}





== External links ==
* [http://www.oca.org/ Official Website of the OCA]
** [http://www.oca.org/Docs.asp?ID=157&SID=12 The Road to Autocephaly 1963-1970] Talk given by Dr. Constantine H. Kallaur
** [http://www.oca.org/DOCtomos.asp?SID=12 The Tomos of Autocephaly] Signed in the city of Moscow, [[April 10]], 1970, by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the members its Holy Synod.
** [http://www.oca.org/DOCindex-statute.asp?SID=12 The Statute of the Orthodox Church in America]
** [http://oca.org/HSprimatialelections.asp?SID=7 Primatial Elections in the OCA]
* [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=27&IndexView=toc Eastern Christian Churches: OCA] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
* [http://www.ocanews.org/ OCANews.org: Orthodox Christians for Accountability], a website critical of the OCA's administration

[[Category:Jurisdictions|OCA]]

[[es:Iglesia Ortodoxa en América]]
[[fr:Église en Amérique]]
[[ro:Biserica Ortodoxă din America]]

Bibliography of Orthodoxy in America

2009-08-10T07:11:15Z

Ephraem: cl, add Vision of Unity (History), Rodzianko (Biography), Autocephaly (OCA)

{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
==History and General==
*[[Gregory (Afonsky) of Sitka|Afonsky, Bp. Gregory]]. ''A History of the Orthodox Church in Alaska, 1794-1917''. Kodiak: Saint Herman's Theological Seminary Press, 1977. (ASIN B0006CUQ42)
*Afonsky, Bp. Gregory. ''A History of the Orthodox Church in America, 1917-1934''. Kodiak: Saint Herman's Theological Seminary Press, 1994.
*Apostolos, Nicholas K. "Moving Toward an Administratively United Church." ''St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly'' 40, 1-2 (1996): 95-114.
*FitzGerald, Thomas E. ''The Orthodox Church''. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998. (ISBN 0275964388)
*Kishkovsky, Leonid. ''[http://www.oca.org/Docs.asp?ID=126&SID=12 Orthodoxy Today: Tradition or Traditionalism?]'', 2005.
*Meyendorff, John. ''Vision of Unity''. Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1987.
*Michalopoulos, George C. and Herb Ham. ''The American Orthodox Church: A History of Its Beginnings''. Salisbury: Regina Orthodox Press, 2003. (ISBN 1928653146)
*Moss, Vladimir. [http://uk.geocities.com/guildfordian2002/History/OrthodoxChurch20thCenturyP1.htm ''The Orthodox Church in the Twentieth Century'']
*''Russian Autocephaly and Orthodoxy in America: An Appraisal with Decisions and Formal Opinions''. New York: The Orthodox Observer Press, 1972.
*Surrency, Archim. Serafim. ''The Quest for Orthodox Church Unity in America: A History of the Orthodox Church in North America in the Twentieth Century''. New York: Saints Boris and Gleb Press, 1973.
*Vrame, Anton C., ed. ''The Orthodox Parish in America: Faithfulness to the Past and Responsibility for the Future''. Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2003. (ISBN 1885652704)
*Woerl, Michael. [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/bookrev_woerl.aspx Book Review: A History of the Orthodox Church in America (1917-1934)]

==Jurisdictions==
===[[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian]]===
*Corey, George ''et al.'', eds. ''The First One Hundred Years: A Centennial Anthology Celebrating Antiochian Orthodoxy in North America''. Englewood: Antakya Press, 1995. (ISBN 0962419028)
*Gabriel, Antony. ''The Ancient Church on New Shores: Antioch in North America''. San Bernardino: St. Willibrord's Press, 1996. (ISBN 0912134275)
*[[Peter Gillquist|Gillquist, Peter E.]] ''Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith''. Ben Lomond: Conciliar Press, 1992. (ISBN 0962271330)

===[[American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese|Carpatho-Russian]]===
*Barriger, Lawrence. ''The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese: A History and Chronology''. San Bernardino: St. Willibrord's Press, 1999. (ISBN 0912134216)
*Barriger, Lawrence. ''Glory to Jesus Christ!: History of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church''. Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2000. (ISBN 1885652445)
*Barriger, Lawrence. ''Good Victory: Metropolitan Orestes Chornock and the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese''. Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1985. (ISBN 0917651138)

===[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|Greek]]===
*[[Iakovos (Coucouzis) of America|Coucouzis, Abp. Iakovos]]. ''The Greek Orthodox priest as a leader in America''. New York: Greek Orthodox Archiocese of North and South America. Dept. of Interchurch Relations and Social Concerns, 1976. (ISBN B0007313BU)
*Efthimiou, Miltiades B., ''et al.'', eds. ''History of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.'' New York: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, 1984.
*Manolis, Paul. ''The History of the Greek Church in America: In Acts and Documents''. Berkeley: Ambelos Press, 2003. (ISBN 0972437304)
*Papaioannou, George. ''From Mars Hill to Manhattan: The Greek Orthodox in America under Athenagoras I''. Minneapolis: Light and Life, 1976.

===[[OCA]]===
*Bogolepov, Alexander A. ''Toward an American Orthodox Church: The Establishment of an Autocephalous Orthodox Church''. New York: Morehouse-Barlow Company, 1963.
*Liberovsky, Alexis. ''[http://www.oca.org/DOCindex-councils.asp?SID=12 All-American Sobors and Councils]''.
*Ramet, Pedro, ed. ''Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twentieth Century''. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1988, pp. 116-134.
*Smith, Barbara. ''Orthodoxy and Native Americans: The Alaskan Mission''. Syosset, NY: Orthodox Church in America, Dept. of History and Archives, 1980.
*Stokoe, Mark and Leonid Kishkovsky. [http://www.oca.org/MVorthchristiansnamericaTOC.asp?SID=1 ''Orthodox Christians in North America 1794 - 1994'']
*St. Vladimir's Seminary. ''Autocephaly: The Orthodox Church in America''. Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1971.

===[[ROCOR]]===
*Budzilovich, P.N. [http://gnisios.narod.ru/rocorsobors.html A Summary-View of the Three Previous ROCA Sobors], 2000
*Holy Transfiguration Monastery. ''A History of the Russian Church Abroad and the events leading to the American Metropolia's autocephaly, 1917-1971''. Seattle: Saint Nectarios Press, 1972. (ISBN 0913026042)
*[[John Maximovitch|Maximovitch, St. John]]. [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/roca_history.aspx History of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad] (from ''The Orthodox Word'', 1971)
*Ramet, Pedro, ed. ''Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twentieth Century''. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1988, pp. 135-145.
*Rodzianko, M. [http://www.monasterypress.com/anonftp/pub/Rocatruth.pdf ''The Truth About the Russian Church Abroad''], 1954 (tr. 1975)
*Young, Alexey. ''The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia: A History and Chronology''. San Bernardino: St. Willibrord's Press, 1993. (ISBN 0809523000)

===[[Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada|Romanian]]===
*Hategan, Vasile. ''Fifty years of the Romanian Orthodox Church in America''. Jackson, MI: Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, 1959.

===[[Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada|Serbian]]===
*Spasovic, Slanimir. ''The History of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada, 1941-1991''. Belgrade, 1998.

==Biography==
*Chamberas, Peter A., ed. ''Bishop [[Gerasimos (Papadopoulos) of Abydos|Gerasimos of Abydos]]: The Spiritual Elder of America''. Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1997. (ISBN 1885652046)
*Christensen, Damascene. ''Father [[Seraphim Rose]]: His Life and Works''. Platina: St. Xenia Skete Press, 2003. (ISBN 1887904077)
*Christensen, Damascene. ''Not of This World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose''. Forestville: Fr. Seraphim Rose Foundation, 1993. (ISBN 093863552)
*Frangouli-Argyris, Justine. ''The Lonely Path of Integrity (Spyridon, Archbishop of America, 1996-1999)''. Athens: Exandas Publishers, 2000. (ISBN 9602564911)
*Ofiesh, Mariam Namey. ''Archbishop Aftimios Ofiesh (1880-1966): A Biography Revealing His Contribution to Orthodoxy and Christendom''. Sun City West, AZ: Abihider Co., 1999. (ISBN 0966090810)
*Witham, Larry. ''[[Basil (Rodzianko) of San Francisco|Rodzianko]]: An Orthodox Journey from Revolution to Millennium, 1917-1988''. Lanham: University Press of America, Inc., 1991. (ISBN 0819179957) (ISBN 0819179965)

[[Category:Bibliography]]

List of parishes in Norway

2009-02-18T03:25:52Z

Ephraem: +Serbian churches; church name clean up

__NOTOC__This is a listing of the Orthodox parishes in '''Norway'''.

===Barentsburg===
*Russian Orthodox Chapel [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=26] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])

===Bergen===
*Annunciation of the Theotokos Orthodox Mission [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA3/Tema3.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])
*Holy Theophany Orthodox Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=14] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Fr. Dmitrij Ostanin''

===Folldal===
*St. Olav Orthodox Chapel [http://www.vad1.com/photo/folldal/] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])

===Hurdal===
*St. Tryphon's Skete [http://www.ortodoks.org/] (Norwegian) [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA6/Tema6.html] (English) ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Kirkenes===
*St. Tryphon of Petsamo Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10&Itemid=23] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])

===Kristiansand===
*Parish of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki [http://svetidimitrije.no] ([[Church of Serbia|SOC]])

===Neiden===
*St. George Mission [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA5/Tema5.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Oslo===
*Parish of St. Basil of Ostrog [http://www.vasilijeostroski.no] ([[Church of Serbia|SOC]])
*St. Nicholas Church [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/ENsite.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])
: ''Archimandrite Johannes Johansen''
: ''Services in Church Slavonic and Norwegian''
*Parish of St. Olga Equal to the Apostles [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11&Itemid=8] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Priest-monk Kliment (Huhtamaki)''

===Stavanger===
*Parish of St. Irina Protomartyr [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=11] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Fr. Dmitrij Ostanin''
*Holy Transfiguration Mission/St. Elisabeth New Martyr Church [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA4/Tema4.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Tromsø===
*Russian Orthodox Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=20] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Fr. Aleksandr Volokhan''

===Trondheim===
*St. Anna Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=17] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Fr. Aleksander Volokhan''

[[Category:Churches]]

User:Ephraem

2009-02-07T05:40:20Z

Ephraem: userboxes, wiki, formatting

My name is Ephraem Boyd.
{|align="right"
| {{user OCA}}
|}
* I was baptized in 2005 at the [http://www.annunciationorthodoxchurch.org/ Church of the Annunciation], [[w:Milwaukie, Oregon|Milwaukie, Oregon]].
* Zenaida, my wife, joined me in my journey to the Church, and together we attended our first Orthodox service on the Sunday of St. [[John Climacus]], 2004.

There are two 
relatively mundane events that I think influenced my being drawn to the Orthodox Church:
* Discovering the writings of Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]] in the library at the University of Oregon in the early 90's
* Seeing in a bookstore window a very large poster of a dire looking schemamonk with the caption "The Real Superman". Not that I knew anything at all about schemamonks, but I could clearly see that this Christian monk was very much, spiritually speaking, ''heavy duty''.
Yet in my worldly ways I continued to struggle with the ''foolishness of Christianity'' for another decade. Today, I am still wrestling with it! Only now, I am wrestling with it, but with much ''hope'' and as a member of His Holy Church.

St. [[Ephrem the Syrian]] is my patron saint.
[[Image:Ephrem the Syrian.jpg|left|frame|St. Ephrem the Syrian]]
{|align="right"
| {{user orthodox US}}
|-
| {{user en}}
|-
| {{user laity}}
|}

* My primary interest is Church History, and in particular, its history in Northern Europe and America.
* With the hope of expanding the scope of my inquiries I am learning Russian, but I am very much a struggling beginner in this endeavor.
* I am the head librarian at our parish
* I earned my Bachelor's degree in Geography from the University of Oregon
* My dream jobs are to work in the Church's archives and to work on the preservation and physical restoration of sacred and/or religious texts.
* My desire, here at Orthodoxwiki, is to learn as much as I can about Wiki, to spend my time profitably, to support and utilize this project, and to improve my writing and research practice.
* As I am a newbie, any helpful suggestions or advice would be most appreciated.

[[Category:User Pages|{{PAGENAME}}]]

List of parishes in Norway

2009-02-05T09:53:06Z

Ephraem: Formatting: italics added

__NOTOC__This is a listing of the Orthodox parishes in '''Norway'''.

===Barentsburg===
*Russian Orthodox Chapel [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=26] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])

===Bergen===
*Annunciation of the Theotokos Orthodox Mission [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA3/Tema3.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])
*Holy Theophany Orthodox Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=14] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Fr. Dmitrij Ostanin''

===Hurdal===
*St. Tryphon's Skete [http://www.ortodoks.org/] (Norwegian) [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA6/Tema6.html] (English) ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Kirkenes===
*St. Trifon of Petsamo Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10&Itemid=23] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])

===Neiden===
*St. George Mission [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA5/Tema5.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Oslo===
*St. Nicholas Church [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/ENsite.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])
: ''Archimandrite Johannes Johansen''
: ''Services in Church Slavonic and Norwegian''
*St. Olga Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11&Itemid=8] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Igumen Kliment (Huhtamaki)''

===Stavanger===
*St. Irina Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=11] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Fr. Dmitrij Ostanin''
*Holy Transfiguration Mission/St. Elisabeth New Martyr Church [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA4/Tema4.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Tromsø===
*Russian Orthodox Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=20] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Fr. Aleksandr Volokhan''

===Trondheim===
*St. Anna Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=17] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: ''Fr. Aleksander Volokhan''

[[Category:Churches]]

User:Ephraem

2009-02-05T09:34:00Z

Ephraem: New article

My name is Ephraem.
* I was baptized in 2005 at the [http://www.annunciationorthodoxchurch.org/ Church of the Annunciation], Milwaukie, Oregon (OCA).
* Zenaida, my wife, joined me in my journey to the Church, and together we attended our first Orthodox service on the Sunday of St. [[John Climacus]], 2004.

There are two 
relatively mundane events that I think influenced my being drawn to the Orthodox Church:
* Discovering the writings of Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]] in the library at the University of Oregon in the early 90's
* Seeing in a bookstore window a very large poster of a dire looking schemamonk with the caption "The Real Superman". Not that I knew anything at all about schemamonks, but I could clearly see that this Christian monk was very much, spiritually speaking, ''heavy duty''.
Yet in my worldly ways I continued to struggle with the "foolishness of Christianity" for another decade. Today, I am still wrestling with it! Only now, I am wrestling with it, but with much ''hope'' and as a member of His Holy Church.

St. [[Ephrem the Syrian]] is my patron saint.
[[Image:Ephrem the Syrian.jpg|left|frame|St. Ephrem the Syrian]]

* My primary interest is Church History, and in particular, its history in Northern Europe and America.
* With the hope of expanding the scope of my inquiries I am learning Russian, but I am very much a struggling beginner in this endeavor.
* I am the head librarian at our parish
* I earned my Bachelor's degree in Geography from the University of Oregon
* My dream jobs are to work in the Church's archives and to work on the preservation and physical restoration of sacred and/or religious texts.
* My desire, here at Orthodoxwiki, is to learn as much as I can about Wiki, to spend my time profitably, to support and utilize this project, and to improve my writing and research practice.
* As I am a newbie, any helpful suggestions or advice would be most appreciated.

[[Category:User Pages]]

List of parishes in Norway

2009-02-04T09:31:07Z

Ephraem: New article

__NOTOC__This is a listing of the Orthodox parishes in '''Norway'''.

===Barentsburg===
*Russian Orthodox Chapel [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=26] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])

===Bergen===
*Annunciation of the Theotokos Orthodox Mission [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA3/Tema3.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])
*Holy Theophany Orthodox Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=14] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: Fr. Dmitrij Ostanin

===Hurdal===
*St. Tryphon's Skete [http://www.ortodoks.org/] (Norwegian) [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA6/Tema6.html] (English) ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Kirkenes===
*St. Trifon of Petsamo Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10&Itemid=23] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])

===Neiden===
*St. George Mission [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA5/Tema5.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Oslo===
*St. Nicholas Church [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/ENsite.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])
: Archimandrite Johannes Johansen
: Services in Church Slavonic and Norwegian
*St. Olga Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11&Itemid=8] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: Igumen Kliment (Huhtamaki)

===Stavanger===
*St. Irina Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=11] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: Fr. Dmitrij Ostanin
*Holy Transfiguration Mission/St. Elisabeth New Martyr Church [http://home.online.no/~thorosl/Kirkeside/EN/sider/TEMA4/Tema4.html] ([[Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe|Ecumenical Patriarchate - Russian Exarchate]])

===Tromsø===
*Russian Orthodox Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=20] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: Fr. Aleksandr Volokhan

===Trondheim===
*St. Anna Mission [http://www.ortodoks.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=17] ([[Church of Russia|ROC]])
: Fr. Aleksander Volokhan

[[Category:Churches]]