Changes

{{church[[Image:Antiochian local synod.jpg|right|thumb|350px|'''The Local Synod of the Antiochian Archdiocese'''<br>L to R: Bp. [[Mark (Maymon) of Toledo|Mark]], Bp. [[Basil (Essey) of Wichita|Basil]], Bp. [[Antoun (Khouri) of Miami|Antoun]], Metr. [[Philip (Saliba) of New York|Philip]], Bp. [[Joseph (Al-Zehlaoui) of Los Angeles|Joseph]], Bp. [[Thomas (Joseph) of Charleston and Oakland|Thomas]], Bp. [[Alexander (Mufarrij) of Ottawa|Alexander]]]]name= The '''Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America''' is the sole jurisdiction of the [[Church of Antioch]] in the United States and Canada with exclusive jurisdiction over the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in those countries. It is currently led by patriarchal vicar [[Antonios (Al-Souri) of Zahle, Baalbek, and Dependencies|founder= St. Antonios (Al-Souri)]], following the retirement of [[Raphael Joseph (Al-Zehlaoui) of BrooklynNew York|Joseph (Al-Zehlaoui)]]. __TOC__{{diocese|independencename= 2003The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|recognitionjurisdiction= 2003 by [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]] as "self|type=Self-rule"ruled Archdiocese|primatefounded=1924|bishop=[[Philip Antonios (SalibaAl-Souri) of New YorkZahle, Baalbek, and Dependencies|Metropolitan PhilipAntonios (Al-Souri)]]<small>''as patriarchal vicar''</small>|see=New York|

population=8451,000 to 380,000|

The first Orthodox bishop consecrated in North America, [''Main Article: [Raphael of Brooklyn|St. Raphael Hawaweeny]], was consecrated by the [[Church History of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] in America to care for the Orthodox Arab faithful in the USA and Canada. Through his efforts, what is known today as the Antiochian Archdiocese came into being. His initial arrival Orthodoxy in America was not to serve in the episcopacy, however, but he came as an [[archimandrite]] in 1895 at the request of members of the Syrian Orthodox Benevolent Society, an ostensibly philanthropic group whose primary purpose was to maintain ties between Orthodox Arabs living in America. He thus came to the US and was canonically received under the [[omophorion]] of Bishop [[Nicholas (Ziorov) of the Aleutians]], the [[Church of Russia]]'s exarch in America at the time.'

Upon arriving The first Orthodox bishop [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] in New YorkNorth America, Fr[[Raphael of Brooklyn|St. Raphael established a parish Hawaweeny]], was consecrated by the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] in lower Manhattan, then America to care for the center of Orthodox Arab faithful in the Syrian immigrant communityUSA and Canada. The Antiochian Archdiocese in North America traces its genesis to his ministry. By 1900His initial arrival in America was not to serve in the episcopacy, however some 3,000 but he came as an [[archimandrite]] in 1895 at the request of members of these immigrants had moved across the East RiverSyrian Orthodox Benevolent Society, shifting the center of their life an ostensibly philanthropic group whose primary purpose was to Brooklynmaintain ties between Orthodox Arabs living in America. Thus, in 1902, He thus came to the parish purchased a larger church building in that borough on Pacific Street. The church US and was named for St. canonically received under the [[Nicholas the Wonderworkeromophorion]], renovated for Orthodox worship, and then consecrated on of Bishop [[October 27Nicholas (Ziorov) of the Aleutians]], 1902, by St. the [[Tikhon of MoscowRussian Orthodox Church]]. St. Nicholas Cathedral was later relocated to State Street 's exarch in Brooklyn and is today considered the mother cathedral of America at the Archdiocesetime.

At the request of St. TikhonUpon arriving in New York, Fr. Raphael was chosen as his established a [[auxiliary bishopparish]]in lower Manhattan, consecrated at St. Nicholas Cathedral as Bishop then the center of Brooklyn and given more authority for his care of Arabic Orthodox Christians in Americathe Syrian immigrant community. Not long afterBy 1900, he founded ''Al-Kalimat'' (''The Word'') magazine, published service books in Arabic which were used in Americahowever some 3, 000 of these immigrants had moved across the Middle EastRiver, and throughout shifting the Arabic Orthodox diasporacenter of their life to Brooklyn. St. Raphael fell asleep Thus, in 1902, the Lord at the age of 54 parish purchased a larger church building in that borough on Pacific Street. The church was named for St. [[February 17Nicholas of Myra|Nicholas the Wonderworker]], 1915renovated for Orthodox [[worship]], after shortand then consecrated on [[October 27]], but fruitful1902, years by St. [[Tikhon of Moscow]]. St. Nicholas Cathedral was later relocated to State Street in Brooklyn and is today considered the mother cathedral of servicethe Archdiocese.

However, after the Bolshevik Revolution threw At the [[Church request of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]] and its faithful abroad into chaos, the Orthodox Arab faithful in North AmericaSt. Tikhon, simultaneously shaken by the death of their beloved bishop StFr. Raphael, chose to come under the direct care of the was chosen as his [[Church of Antioch|Patriarchate of Antiochauxiliary bishop]]. Due to internal conflicts, however, the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in North America were divided between two consecrated at [[archdiocese]]sSt. Nicholas Cathedral (New York, those of New York and Toledo, generally representing those who were loyal to the [[Church of Antioch)|St. Nicholas Cathedral]] as Bishop of Brooklyn and the [[Church given more authority for his care of Russia]], respectivelyArabic Orthodox Christians in America. This division of the Not long after, he founded ''Al-Kalimat'' (''The Word'') magazine, published service books in Arabic faithful resulted significantly from the division which were used in loyalty to America, the bishops who aligned themselves at Middle East, and throughout the time with Arabic Orthodox diaspora. St. Raphael fell asleep in the [[Orthodox Church in America|Russian MetropoliaLord]], those who were involved with at the formation age of the now-defunct 54 on [[American Orthodox Catholic ChurchFebruary 27]], and those who chose to have canonical recourse directly to the [[Holy Synod]] 1915, after short, but fruitful, years of Antiochservice.

[[Image:St Elias Ottawa.jpg|left|thumb|250px|St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Ottawa, Canada]]However, after the Bolshevik Revolution threw the Russian Orthodox Church and its faithful abroad into chaos, the Orthodox Arab faithful in North America, simultaneously shaken by the death of their beloved bishop St. Raphael, chose to come under the direct care of the [[Church of Antioch|Patriarchate of Antioch]]. Due to internal conflicts, however, the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in North America were divided between two [[archdiocese]]s, those of New York and Toledo, generally representing those who were loyal to the [[Church of Antioch]] and the [[Russian Orthodox Church|Church of Russia]], respectively. This division of the Arabic faithful resulted significantly from the division in loyalty to the bishops who aligned themselves at the time with the [[Orthodox Church in America|Russian Metropolia]], those who were involved with the formation of the now-defunct [[American Orthodox Catholic Church]], and those who chose to have canonical recourse directly to the [[Holy Synod]] of Antioch.{{orthodoxyinamerica}}With the signing of the Articles of Reunification by Metropolitan [[Philip (Saliba) of New York|Philip (Saliba)]] and Metropolitan [[Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo|Michael (Shaheen)]] in 1975, the two Antiochian Orthodox archdioceses were united as one Archdiocese of North America (now with its headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey). Metropolitan Philip became the primate of the newly reunified archdiocese, and Metropolitan Michael became an auxiliary archbishop. Since then the Archdiocese has experienced rapid and significant growth through the [[conversion ]] of a number of Evangelical Protestants&mdash;both individually and as congregations, especially with the reception of the majority of the [[Evangelical Orthodox Church]] in the 1980s&mdash;and also through ongoing evangelization and the immigration of Orthodox Arabs from the Middle East.

== The Archdiocese Today today =={{orthodoxyinamerica}}The archdiocese is currently led by patriarchal vicar [[Image:Antiochian bishops.jpg|left|thumb|250px|'''New bishops with the patriarch'''<br>Left to Right: Bp. [[Mark Antonios (MaymonAl-Souri) of Toledo]]Zahle, Patr. [[Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch]]Baalbek, Bp. [[Thomas and Dependencies|Antonios (JosephAl-Souri) of Oakland]], Bp. who has five [[Alexander (Mufarrij) of Ottawa]]]]Its current primate is Metropolitan [[Philip (Saliba) of New Yorkauxiliary bishop|Philip (Saliba)auxiliary]], who has six other diocesan [[bishop]]s assisting him in caring for the nine [[diocese]]s of the growing Archdiocese, which is the third largest Orthodox Christian [[jurisdiction]] in North America, having about 250 parishes and 236 communities (38 of which are missions). Estimates of the number of faithful range from about 51,320 to 84,000[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/quick_question17.html] to 380,000[http://www.electronicchurch.org/2002/NCC_members.htm] depending on the report and the counting method being used. The number of new Antiochian parishes in the decade between 1990 and 2000 rose by approximately 33%, and the primary membership growth in the Archdiocese has been from American converts.[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/tab2.pdf] The Archdiocese also includes From 2003 to 2005, an increase of 1,229 communicants was reported at the [[Western Rite Vicariate]]conventions, a group an increase of about 20 [[parish]]es which worship according to the [[Western Rite]]2.5%.

On The Archdiocese also includes the [[October 9Western Rite Vicariate]], 2003 the [[Holy Synod]] a group of the about 16 [[Church of Antiochparish]] granted the Archdiocese's request to be granted self-rule (as distinct from [[autonomy]], es and though the words have the same literal meaning in English, they are distinct in Arabic) to allow it to better govern itself, improve and increase its outreach efforts, internally organize itself into several dioceses, and progress further on the road 7 missions which worship according to the administrative unity of the Orthodox Church in the Americas. Three new [[bishopWestern Rite]]s were consecrated in December of 2004 to assist in the governance of the reorganized Archdiocese.

The Antiochian Archdiocese is also a member of the [[Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America]] which superseded [[SCOBA]]and was formerly a member of the [[National Council of Churches]] (NCC), but on [[July 28]], 2005, its Archdiocesan Convention voted unanimously to withdraw fully from that organization, thus making it the first of the major Orthodox jurisdictions in the US to do so. Additionally, the 2005 convention voted another first for a major American Orthodox jurisdiction: to alter the assessment-based model of archdiocesan revenue to a [[tithing|tithe]] (10%) of each parish's income (excepting building funds), to be phased in at 8% in 2007 and then followed by 1% increases in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Of the Archdiocese's 236 communities, 31 are already tithing.  ===Diocesan structure===*[[Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic (Antiochian)|Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic]]*[[Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest (Antiochian)|Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest]]*[[Diocese of Los Angeles and the West (Antiochian)|Diocese of Los Angeles and the West]]*[[Diocese of Miami and the Southeast (Antiochian)|Diocese of Miami and the Southeast]]*[[Diocese of New York and Washington, DC (Antiochian)|Diocese of New York and Washington, D.C]].*[[Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York (Antiochian)|Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York]].*[[Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest (Antiochian)|Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest]]*[[Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America (Antiochian)|Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America]]*[[Diocese of Worcester and New England (Antiochian)|Diocese of Worcester and New England]] ===Membership figures===According to the November 2007 issue of the ''Word'' magazine (p. 5)[http://www.antiochian.org/assets/word/NOV2007WORD.PDF], the following membership figures were reported at the 2007 Archdiocesan Convention:  {| border="1" class="toccolours" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="clear:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; font-size:95%; text-align:left; border-collapse: collapse;"|-| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; font-size:150%;" | Archdiocese membership figures (2007)|- style="vertical-align: top;"| '''Diocese'''| '''Parishes'''| '''Baptized souls'''|-|- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of New York and Washington, DC (Antiochian)|Archdiocesan District]]| 15 | 4639 |- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York (Antiochian)|Ottawa]] | 18 | 6617 |- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic (Antiochian)|Charleston and Oakland]]| 29 | 5838|- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America (Antiochian)|Wichita]] | 45| 6976|- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest (Antiochian)|Toledo]] | 45| 11145|- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest (Antiochian)|Eagle River]]| 20| 2257|- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of Worcester and New England (Antiochian)|Worcester]]| 11| 4547 |- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of Miami and the Southeast (Antiochian)|Miami]]| 36| 4055|- style="vertical-align: top;"| [[Diocese of Los Angeles and the West (Antiochian)|Los Angeles]]| 33| 8594 |- style="vertical-align: top;"| '''Total''' | '''252'''| '''54667''' |}

===Current bishops===*Most Reverend [[Image:Antiochian local synod.jpg|right|thumb|300px|'''The Local Synod of the Antiochian Archdiocese'''<br>L to R: Bp. [[Mark Antonios (MaymonAl-Souri) of ToledoZahle, Baalbek, and Dependencies|MarkAntonios (Al-Souri)]], Bp. Patriarchal Vicar*Right Reverend [[Basil Thomas (EsseyJoseph) of WichitaCharleston and Oakland|BasilThomas (Joseph)]], Bp. Bishop of Charleston/Oakland*Right Reverend [[Antoun Alexander (KhouriMufarrij) of MiamiOttawa|AntounAlexander (Mufarrij)]], Metr. Bishop of Ottawa*Right Reverend [[Philip John (SalibaAbdalah) of New YorkWorcester|PhilipJohn (Abdalah)]], Bp. Bishop of Worcester and New England*Right Reverend [[Joseph Anthony (Al-ZehlaouiMichaels) of Los AngelesToledo|JosephAnthony (Michaels)]], Bp. Bishop of Toledo and the Midwest*Right Reverend [[Thomas Nicholas (JosephOzone) of OaklandBrooklyn|ThomasNicholas (Ozone)]], Bp. [[Alexander (Mufarrij) Bishop of Ottawa|Alexander]]]]Brooklyn  ===Diocesan bishopsPrimates===*Most Reverend New York Archdiocese (1924-1975)**Metropolitan [[Philip Victor (SalibaAbo-Assaley) of New York|Philip Victor (SalibaAbo-Assaley)]] Archbishop of New York and the Archdiocesan District, Metropolitan of All North America, ''[[Locum Tenens]]'' of the Diocese of Worcester and New England1924-1935*Right Reverend *Metropolitan [[Antoun Anthony (KhouriBashir) of MiamiNew York|Antoun Anthony (KhouriBashir)]], Bishop of Miami and the Southeast1936-1966*Right Reverend *Metropolitan [[Basil Philip (EsseySaliba) of WichitaNew York|Basil Philip (EsseySaliba)]], Bishop of Wichita and Mid1966-1975 *Toledo Archdiocese (1936-America1975)*Right Reverend *Metropolitan [[Joseph Samuel (Al-ZehlaouiDavid) of Los AngelesToledo|Joseph Samuel (Al-ZehlaouiDavid)]], Bishop of Los Angeles and the West, ''Locum Tenens'' of the Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest1936-1958*Right Reverend *Metropolitan [[Thomas Michael (JosephShaheen) of OaklandToledo|Thomas Michael (JosephShaheen)]], Bishop 1958-1975 *Archdiocese of Oakland and the EastNorth America (1975-present)*Right Reverend *Metropolitan [[Mark Philip (MaymonSaliba) of ToledoNew York|Mark Philip (MaymonSaliba)]], Bishop of Toledo and the Midwest1975-2014*Right Reverend *Metropolitan [[Alexander Joseph (MufarrijAl-Zehlaoui) of OttawaLos Angeles|Alexander Joseph (MufarrijAl-Zehlaoui)]], Bishop of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York2014-2022

*Most Reverend [[Antony (Bashir) of New York|Antony (Bashir)]], Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All North America (1936-1966), deceased*Most Reverend [[Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo|Michael (Shaheen)]], Archbishop of Toledo (1958-1975), deceased*Right Reverend [[Demetri (Khoury) of ToledoJableh|Demetri (Khoury)]], auxiliary bishop for Toledo, retired

== External links ==

* [http://www.antiochian.org/ Official Website of the Archdiocese]* [http://www.antiochpat.org/ Official Website of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch]* [http://www.antiochian.org/668 History of the Archdiocese] (book excerpt)

[[Categoryfr:JurisdictionsArchevêché orthodoxe antiochien d'Amérique du Nord]][[ro:Arhiepiscopia Creștină Ortodoxă Antiohiană a Americii de Nord]]