Timeline of Orthodoxy in America

The History of Orthodoxy in America is complex and resists any easy categorizations or explanations.

Early Missions (1767-1900)

• 1741 Divine Liturgy celebrated on a Russian ship off the coast of Alaska.
• 1767 A community of Orthodox Greeks establishes itself in New Smyrna, Florida.
• 1794 Missionaries, including St. Herman of Alaska, arrive at Kodiak Island, bringing Orthodoxy to Russian Alaska.
• 1817 Russian colony of Fort Ross established 60 miles from San Francisco.
• 1824 Fr. John Veniaminov comes to Unalaska, Alaska.
• 1825 First native priest, Jacob Netsvetov.
• 1834 Fr. John Veniaminov moves to Sitka, Alaska; liturgy and catechism translated into Aleut.
• 1836 Imperial ukaz regarding Alaskan education issued from Czar Nicholas I that students were to become faithful members of the Orthodox Church, loyal subjects of the Czar, and loyal citizens; Fr. John Veniaminov returns to Russia.
• 1840 Consecration of Fr. John Veniaminov as bishop with the name Innocent.
• 1841 Return of St. Innocent of Alaska to Sitka; sale of Fort Ross property to an American citizen; pastoral school established in Sitka.
• 1844 Formation of seminary in Sitka.
• 1848 Consecration of St. Michael Cathedral in Sitka.
• 1850 Alaskan episcopal see and seminary moved to Yakutsk, Russia.
• 1858 Peter (Sysakoff) consecrated as auxiliary bishop for Alaska.
• 1864 Holy Trinity Church, first Orthodox parish established on American soil in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Greeks.
• 1867 Alaska purchased by the United States from Russia; Bp. Paul (Popov) succeeds Bp. Peter.
• 1868 First Russian parish established in US territory in San Francisco, California; St. Innocent of Alaska becomes Metropolitan of Moscow.
• 1870 Diocese of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska formed by the Church of Russia with Bp. John (Metropolsky) as ruling hierarch.
• 1872 See of the Aleutians diocese moved to San Francisco.
• 1876 Bp. John (Metropolsky) recalled to Russia.
• 1879 Bp. Nestor (Zakkis) succeeds John (Metropolsky).
• 1882 Bp. Nestor (Zakkis) drowns in the Bering Sea.
• 1888 Bp. Vladimir (Sokolovsky) becomes Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska.
• 1891 Fr. Alexis Toth, a Uniate priest, petitions to be received along with his parish in Minneapolis into the Russian Church; Bp. Nicholas (Adoratsky) assigned as Bishop of Alaska but is transferred before taking up his post; Nicholas (Ziorov) becomes ruling bishop of the Alaskan diocese
• 1892 Fr. Alexis Toth and his parish in Minneapolis received into the Russian Church; Carpatho-Russian Uniate parishes in Illinois, Connecticut, and several Pennsylvania soon follow suit; first Serbian parish established in Jackson, California; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox parish founded in New York; first American-born person ordained, Fr. Sebastian Dabovich.
• 1895 First Syrian parish in Brooklyn, New York; first clergy conference, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
• 1898 Bp. Nicholas (Ziorov) returns to Russia; Tikhon (Belavin) becomes Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska.

Beyond Alaska (1900-1918)

• 1900 Name of Russian mission diocese changed from the Aleutian Islands and Alaska to the Aleutian Islands and North America.
• 1904 Raphael (Hawaweeny) consecrated as Bishop of Brooklyn, becoming the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in America; Innocent (Pustinsky) consecrated as Bishop of Alaska.
• 1905 St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania) founded; Bp. Tikhon (Belavin) raised to the rank of archbishop; seminary opened in Minneapolis.
• 1906 Blessing of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery by hierarchs Tikhon, Raphael and Innocent; 1st All-American Sobor held in Mayfield, PA, at which the name of the Russian mission was declared to be The Russian Orthodox Greek-Catholic Church in North America under the Hierarchy of the Russian Church.
• 1907 Abp. Tikhon (Belavin) returns to Russia and is succeeded in his see by Platon (Rozhdestvensky) as Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America; Uniate Bp. Stephen Ortinsky sent to the US by Rome to stem the tide of Uniate returns to Orthodoxy; Papal decree Ea Semper issued, mandating all Uniate priests in American be celibate.
• 1909 Bp. Innocent (Pustinsky) transferred to Russia, succeeded by Alexander (Nemolovsky) as Bishop of Alaska; death of Fr. Alexis Toth.
• 1911 Minneapolis seminary transferred to Tenafly, New Jersey.
• 1914 Abp. Platon (Rozhdestvensky) recalled to Russia and made bishop of Kishinev, after having received 72 communities (mainly ex-Uniate Carpatho-Russians) into Orthodoxy during his rule.
• 1915 Death of St. Raphael of Brooklyn; Abp. Evdokim (Meschersky) succeeds Platon.
• 1916 Consecration of Philip (Stavitsky) of Sitka; Alexander (Nemolovsky) appointed Bishop of Canada with his see in Winnipeg.
• 1917 Ex-Uniate priest Alexander Dzubay consecrated with the name Stephen as Bishop of Pittsburgh; Archim. Aftimios (Ofiesh) consecrated as Bishop of Brooklyn; St. Tikhon (Belavin) elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Revolution and Rivalry (1918-1943)

• 1918 The Bolshevik Revolution throws the Church of Russia into chaos, effectively stranding the fledgling Russian mission in America.
• 1919 Southern Church Council meets in Stavropol at which Higher Church Administration was formed in Southern Russia.
• 1920 St. Tikhon of Moscow issues Ukaz No. 362; first session of the Higher Church Administration outside borders of Russia.
• 1921 34 ROCOR bishops meet in synod in Karlovtsy, Serbia, including Metr. Platon (Rozhdestvensky, primate of the Russian Metropolia.
• 1924 4th All-American Sobor of the Metropolia votes to establish "temporary self-government," breaking administrative ties with Moscow; Victor (Abo-Assaley) consecrated as the first Antiochian Archbishop of New York and All North America.
• 1926 Metr. Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of the Metropolia breaks ties with the ROCOR synod.
• 1927 ROCOR synod sends epistle to American parishes suspending Platon and his clergy; founding of the American Orthodox Catholic Church by the Russian Metropolia.
• 1933 Metr. Platon (Rozhdestvensky refuses to pledge loyalty to Moscow, which declares the Metropolia to be in schism and establishes the Exarchate of Moscow on American soil; Platon grants canonical release to Syrian parishes remaining under the Metropolia to come under the Church of Antioch.
• 1935 "Temporary Regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad" signed by ROCOR synod in Karlovtsy, Serbia, including Metr. Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of the Metropolia, thus renewing relations; ROCOR is divided into four regions, including North America with Theophilus as the regional primate.
• 1936 Metr. Anthony (Bashir) consecrated for the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of New York; on the same day (April 19), Metropolia bishops consecrate rival Abp. Samuel (David) for the Syrians, thus solidifying a developing schism in the Antiochian faithful in the US (the "Russi-Antaaki" split).
• 1937 6th All-American Sobor of the Metropolia declares itself to report to ROCOR in matters of faith; Holy Cross Theological School founded in Pomfret, Connecticut.
• 1938 St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York) and St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania) founded; Abp. Samuel (David) of Toledo excommunicated by the Church of Antioch for disobedience to canonical order.
• 1941 Church of Antioch restores Abp. Samuel (David) of Toledo to communion and declares his diocese to be the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Toledo and Dependencies.

Emergence of American Orthodoxy (1943-1970)

• 1943 Founding of Federated Orthodox Greek Catholic Primary Jurisditions in America, a proto-SCOBA body.
• 1946 7th All-American Sobor of the Russian Metropolia breaks all ties with the ROCOR, splitting American Russian Orthodoxy in two; Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology moved to Brookline, Massachusetts.
• 1951 Arrival of Fr. Alexander Schmemann in the United States from Paris, taking up teaching duties at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York).
• 1955 Founding of the Council of Eastern Orthodox Churches of Central Massachusetts.
• 1958 Death of Metr. Samuel (David) of Toledo.
• 1960 Founding of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA).
• 1961 Consecration of Antiochian Abp. Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo.
• 1962 Antiochian Toledo archdiocese recognized by the Church of Antioch as equal to the New York archdiocese.
• 1966 Death of Metr. Anthony (Bashir); election and consecration of Philip (Saliba) as Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of New York; founding of Hellenic College (Brookline, Massachusetts).

Union and Division (1970-1994)

• 1970 Russian Metropolia reconciles with the Church of Russia and is granted autocephaly, changing its name to the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), an act accepted by some Orthodox autocephalous churches worldwide, but condemned as uncanonical by the majority, including all four ancient patriarchates and the Church of Greece; Constantinople ceases all official contact with the OCA and declares it uncanonical; the Russian Exarchate of North America is dissolved, but the majority of its parishes remain under the Church of Russia; glorification of St. Herman of Alaska.
• 1971 ROCOR denounces Moscow's grant of autocephaly to the Metropolia; OCA receives rebel ROCOR parish in Australia.
• 1972 OCA receives the Mexican National Catholic Church, creating its Exarchate of Mexico and adding another parallel Orthodox jurisdiction in Mexico.
• 1974 OCA Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish) of New York goes into semi-retirement, while his duties are taken up by Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) of Montreal.
• 1975 "Russi-Antaaki" division in the Antiochian church in North America overcome by Metr. Philip (Saliba) of New York and Metr. Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo by the uniting of the two Syrian archdioceses into one Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, led by Metr. Philip.
• 1976 Reception into the OCA of the ROCOR's Bulgarian Diocese in Exile and its hierarch, Bishop Kyrill (Yonchev).
• 1977 OCA holds its 5th All-American Council in Montreal, electing Theodosius (Lazor) as its metropolitan, replacing the retiring Ireney (Bekish).
• 1981 OCA primatial see transferred from New York to Washington.
• 1982 Calendar schism in OCA Diocese of E. Pennsylvania; ROCOR receives multiple parishes in the area.
• 1985 Founding of Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) as Greek Archdiocesan Mission Center.
• 1987 Majority of the parishes of the Evangelical Orthodox Church are received into the Antiochian Archdiocese by Metr. Philip (Saliba), becoming the Antiochian Evangelical Orthodox Mission (AEOM).
• 1990 Contact between Constantinople and the OCA resumes.
• 1992 Founding of International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC).

Ligonier and Beyond (1994-present)

• 1994 Ligonier Meeting in Western Pennsylvania at the Antiochian Village held by the majority of Orthodox hierarchs in North America votes to do away with the notion of Orthodox Christians in America being a "diaspora" and pledges to work together in missions; glorification of St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre; Orthodox Christian Mission Center becomes a SCOBA agency and changes to its current name.
• 1996 Allegedly forced retirement of Greek Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) of America, being replaced by Spyridon (Papageorge).
• 1998 Ben Lomond Crisis in the (formerly EOC) Antiochian parish of Ss. Peter and Paul (Ben Lomond, California) gains national attention; multiple clergy are laicized and/or excommunicated.
• 1999 Retirement of Spyridon (Papageorge), Greek Archbishop of America, being replaced by Demetrios (Trakatellis); reception of dissident group from the Ben Lomond Crisis by the Jerusalem Patriarchate, including re-ordination of some of the excommunicated and/or deposed clergy.
• 2000 Glorification of St. Raphael of Brooklyn at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania) by the OCA.
• 2002 Retirement of Theodosius (Lazor) and election of Herman (Swaiko) as Metropolitan of the OCA.
• 2003 The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is granted "self-rule" (similar but not identical to autonomy) by the Church of Antioch, establishing 9 new dioceses in North America and promoting its auxiliary bishops to diocesan ones.
• 2004 Consecration in Damascus of 3 new diocesan bishops for the Antiochian Archdiocese, Thomas (Joseph) of Oakland, Mark (Maymon) of Toledo, and Alexander (Mufarrij) of Ottawa.
• 2005 Death of Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis); consecration of Alejo (Pacheco Vera) of Mexico City, auxiliary bishop of the OCA Exarchate of Mexico; OCA's New York diocese subsumed into its Diocese of Washington, creating the Diocese of Washington and New York.