Difference between revisions of "Orthodox Church in America"
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− | [[Image:OCA logo.jpg|right|The | + | [[Image:OCA logo.jpg|right|The Orthodox Church in America]] |
− | The '''Orthodox Church | + | 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'''. |
− | The current [[primate]] of the OCA | + | The current [[primate]] of the OCA is His Beatitude [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington|Herman (Swaiko)]], Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada. |
== History == | == History == | ||
− | The OCA began with the missionary work of the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] | + | The OCA began with the missionary work of the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. 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 and travel could be resumed. (He died in 1925, and was glorified as a [[saint]] by the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] in 1989.) At that time, parishes which had been part of a single North American [[diocese]] organized separate dioceses and placed themselves under various other mother churches, giving rise to the current situation of multiple overlapping jurisdictions in North America. |
− | In the early 1960s, the | + | In the early 1960s, the Orthodox Church in America 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 other autocephalous Orthodox Churches, including the [[Church of Constantinople]]. Churches that do recognize its autocephaly include 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]]. |
== The OCA Today == | == The OCA Today == | ||
− | In the United States, there are | + | 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 three parishes in Australia under the OCA’s canonical protection, two in Sydney and another near Brisbane. |
− | There are three ethnic dioceses in the OCA: the Albanian (13 parishes), Bulgarian (16 parishes) | + | There are three ethnic dioceses in the OCA: the Albanian (13 parishes), Bulgarian (16 parishes) and Romanian (59 parishes). 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. |
− | The OCA also has | + | The OCA also has 19 monastic communities, 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 | + | 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 | + | The OCA is a member of the [[Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas]] (SCOBA). |
===Growth and membership figures=== | ===Growth and membership figures=== | ||
− | Altogether, estimates of OCA faithful number from about 28,000[http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:yBvgRVoC1E4J:www.oca.org/pages/departments/evangelization/2004conf/presentations/2004-0831-JI-ParishMin-Conference.html] to 115,000[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/quick_question17.html] to | + | Altogether, estimates of OCA faithful number from about 28,000[http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:yBvgRVoC1E4J:www.oca.org/pages/departments/evangelization/2004conf/presentations/2004-0831-JI-ParishMin-Conference.html] to 115,000[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/quick_question17.html] to 1 million[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-america.htm] 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://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:yBvgRVoC1E4J:www.oca.org/pages/departments/evangelization/2004conf/presentations/2004-0831-JI-ParishMin-Conference.html] |
− | One of the ongoing difficulties that the OCA faces today | + | One of the ongoing difficulties that the OCA faces today is a financial and structural one—the institutions, episcopacy and structures of the OCA largely reflect probably very inflated population estimates based on obsolete figures. Additionally, the annual dues per church member is much higher than other Orthodox [[jurisdiction]]s in America[http://saintjohnwonderworker.org/Church%20Pledge%202003-2004a.doc][http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/misc/diocesandelegate/43rddiocesanreport.cfm], which can often make realistic estimates difficult, as parishes may not wish to report their full membership in order to avoid the high dues. There is also a perceived "precipitous decline" in OCA reported membership [http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:4zasL8ogDdcJ:www.oca.org/pages/ocaadmin/documents/All-American-Council/12-Pittsburgh-1999/Church-Wide-Initiative-Proposals/Church-Growth-and-Evangelism.html], and while some interpret this as simply an ongoing transition in terms of the difference between reported figures and actual figures[http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=44&SID=3], the church's primate has referred to the situation as a "membership crisis."[http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/misc/diocesandelegate/43rddiocesanreport.cfm] A general shortage in clergy is also being cited in some reports.[http://www.ocadow.org/resources/vision/summer98.pdf] |
− | 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 | + | 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://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:yBvgRVoC1E4J:www.oca.org/pages/departments/evangelization/2004conf/presentations/2004-0831-JI-ParishMin-Conference.html] Despite these sobering figures, however, the OCA's dioceses of the West and South have both reported steady growth. |
==Name== | ==Name== | ||
− | According to Bishop [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco]], the name of | + | According to Bishop [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco]], the name of this jurisdiction is ''The Orthodox Church in America'', and its acronym should be ''TOCA''.[https://listserv.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/wa-iub.exe?A2=ind0504c&L=orthodox&F=&S=&P=4840] There has not yet been any official announcement from the central administration of the church, however, and the former uses (''Orthodox Church in America'' and ''OCA'') remain the most common both within and outside the jurisdiction. |
− | According to the | + | According to the 1970 ''Tomos of Autocephaly'' granted by the [[Church of Russia]], the official name of this church body is ''The Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America''.[http://www.oca.org/DOCtomos.asp?SID=12] |
==Episcopacy== | ==Episcopacy== | ||
===Diocesan bishops=== | ===Diocesan bishops=== | ||
* Most Blessed [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington|Herman (Swaiko)]], Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of New England and the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, administrator of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey | * Most Blessed [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington|Herman (Swaiko)]], Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of New England and the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, administrator of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey | ||
− | * Most Reverend [[Kyrill (Yonchev) of Pittsburgh|Kyrill (Yonchev)]], Archbishop of Pittsburgh | + | * Most Reverend [[Kyrill (Yonchev) of Pittsburgh|Kyrill (Yonchev)]], Archbishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and the Bulgarian Diocese |
* Most Reverend [[Peter (L'Huillier) of New York|Peter (L'Huillier)]], Archbishop of New York and New Jersey | * Most Reverend [[Peter (L'Huillier) of New York|Peter (L'Huillier)]], Archbishop of New York and New Jersey | ||
* Most Reverend [[Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas|Dmitri (Royster)]], Archbishop of Dallas and the South, Exarch of Mexico | * Most Reverend [[Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas|Dmitri (Royster)]], Archbishop of Dallas and the South, Exarch of Mexico | ||
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* Most Reverend [[Job (Osacky) of Chicago|Job (Osacky)]], Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest | * Most Reverend [[Job (Osacky) of Chicago|Job (Osacky)]], Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest | ||
* Right Reverend [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco|Tikhon (Fitzgerald)]], Bishop of San Francisco, Los Angeles and the West | * Right Reverend [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco|Tikhon (Fitzgerald)]], Bishop of San Francisco, Los Angeles and the West | ||
− | * Right Reverend [[Seraphim (Storheim) of Ottawa|Seraphim (Storheim)]], Bishop of Ottawa | + | * Right Reverend [[Seraphim (Storheim) of Ottawa|Seraphim (Storheim)]], Bishop of Ottawa and Canada |
* Right Reverend [[Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka|Nikolai (Soraich)]], Bishop of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska | * Right Reverend [[Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka|Nikolai (Soraich)]], Bishop of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska | ||
* Right Reverend [[Nikon (Liolin) of Boston|Nikon (Liolin)]], Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese, administrator of the Diocese of New England | * Right Reverend [[Nikon (Liolin) of Boston|Nikon (Liolin)]], Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese, administrator of the Diocese of New England | ||
===Auxiliary bishops=== | ===Auxiliary bishops=== | ||
− | * Right Reverend [[Irineu (Duvlea) of Dearborn Heights|Irineu (Duvlea)]], Bishop of Dearborn Heights | + | * Right Reverend [[Irineu (Duvlea) of Dearborn Heights|Irineu (Duvlea)]], Bishop of Dearborn Heights and auxiliary to Archbishop [[Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit]] |
− | * Right Reverend [[Tikhon (Mollard) of South Canaan|Tikhon (Mollard)]], Bishop of South Canaan, auxiliary to Metropolitan [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington]], administrator of the Diocese of Philadelphia | + | * Right Reverend [[Tikhon (Mollard) of South Canaan|Tikhon (Mollard)]], Bishop of South Canaan, auxiliary to Metropolitan [[Herman (Swaiko) of Washington]], administrator of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania |
− | * Right Reverend [[Benjamin (Peterson) of Berkeley|Benjamin (Peterson)]], Bishop of Berkeley | + | * Right Reverend [[Benjamin (Peterson) of Berkeley|Benjamin (Peterson)]], Bishop of Berkeley and auxiliary to Bishop [[Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco]] |
===Retired bishops=== | ===Retired bishops=== | ||
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== External links == | == External links == | ||
* [http://www.oca.org/ Official Website of the OCA] | * [http://www.oca.org/ Official Website of the OCA] | ||
− | * [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-america.htm Eastern | + | * [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-orthodox-america.htm Eastern Christian Churches: OCA] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar |
[[Category:Jurisdictions]] | [[Category:Jurisdictions]] |
Revision as of 12:04, April 21, 2005
The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an 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.
The current primate of the OCA is His Beatitude Herman (Swaiko), Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada.
Contents
History
The OCA began with the missionary work of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. 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 and travel could be resumed. (He died in 1925, and was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1989.) At that time, parishes which had been part of a single North American diocese organized separate dioceses and placed themselves under various other mother churches, giving rise to the current situation of multiple overlapping jurisdictions in North America.
In the early 1960s, the Orthodox Church in America 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 other autocephalous Orthodox Churches, including the Church of Constantinople. Churches that do recognize its autocephaly include 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.
The OCA Today
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 three parishes in Australia under the OCA’s canonical protection, two in Sydney and another near Brisbane.
There are three ethnic dioceses in the OCA: the Albanian (13 parishes), Bulgarian (16 parishes) and Romanian (59 parishes). 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 jurisdictions joining the OCA at some point in its history.
The OCA also has 19 monastic communities, 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 seminaries operated by the OCA: St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (founded 1937), St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (founded 1938), and 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).
Growth and membership figures
Altogether, estimates of OCA faithful number from about 28,000[1] to 115,000[2] to 1 million[3] to 2 million[4], 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.[5] According to another, however, that same decade saw a 13% decline.[6]
One of the ongoing difficulties that the OCA faces today is a financial and structural one—the institutions, episcopacy and structures of the OCA largely reflect probably very inflated population estimates based on obsolete figures. Additionally, the annual dues per church member is much higher than other Orthodox jurisdictions in America[7][8], which can often make realistic estimates difficult, as parishes may not wish to report their full membership in order to avoid the high dues. There is also a perceived "precipitous decline" in OCA reported membership [9], and while some interpret this as simply an ongoing transition in terms of the difference between reported figures and actual figures[10], the church's primate has referred to the situation as a "membership crisis."[11] A general shortage in clergy is also being cited in some reports.[12]
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."[13] Despite these sobering figures, however, the OCA's dioceses of the West and South have both reported steady growth.
Name
According to Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco, the name of this jurisdiction is The Orthodox Church in America, and its acronym should be TOCA.[14] There has not yet been any official announcement from the central administration of the church, however, and the former uses (Orthodox Church in America and OCA) remain the most common both within and outside the jurisdiction.
According to the 1970 Tomos of Autocephaly granted by the Church of Russia, the official name of this church body is The Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America.[15]
Episcopacy
Diocesan bishops
- Most Blessed Herman (Swaiko), Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, Locum Tenens of the Diocese of New England and the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, administrator of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey
- Most Reverend Kyrill (Yonchev), Archbishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and the Bulgarian Diocese
- Most Reverend Peter (L'Huillier), Archbishop of New York and New Jersey
- Most Reverend Dmitri (Royster), Archbishop of Dallas and the South, Exarch of Mexico
- Most Reverend Nathaniel (Popp), Archbishop of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate
- Most Reverend Job (Osacky), Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest
- Right Reverend Tikhon (Fitzgerald), Bishop of San Francisco, Los Angeles and the West
- Right Reverend Seraphim (Storheim), Bishop of Ottawa and Canada
- Right Reverend Nikolai (Soraich), Bishop of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska
- Right Reverend Nikon (Liolin), Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese, administrator of the Diocese of New England
Auxiliary bishops
- Right Reverend Irineu (Duvlea), Bishop of Dearborn Heights and auxiliary to Archbishop Nathaniel (Popp) of Detroit
- Right Reverend Tikhon (Mollard), Bishop of South Canaan, auxiliary to Metropolitan Herman (Swaiko) of Washington, administrator of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania
- Right Reverend Benjamin (Peterson), Bishop of Berkeley and auxiliary to Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald) of San Francisco
Retired bishops
- Most Blessed Theodosius (Lazor), Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada
- Most Reverend Gregory (Afonsky), Archbishop of Sitka and Alaska
- Right Reverend Mark (Forsberg), Bishop of Boston
- Most Reverend Lazar (Puhalo), Archbishop of Ottawa
- Right Reverend Varlaam (Novakshonoff), Bishop of Vancouver
External links
- Official Website of the OCA
- Eastern Christian Churches: OCA by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar