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{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
The '''American Orthodox Catholic Church''' (in full, '''The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America''') was the first attempt by mainstream Orthodox canonical authorities at the creation of an [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] Orthodox church for North America. It was chartered in 1927 by Metropolitan [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon (Rozhdestvensky)]], primate of the Russian [[Orthodox Church in America|Metropolia]] and his [[holy synod]], and its history in any real sense as part of the mainstream [[Orthodox Church]] ended in 1934. During its short existence, it was mainly led by [[Aftimios Ofiesh]], [[Archbishop]] of Brooklyn.
==A Promising Beginning==
:Starting in 1927 the first move was initiated to found a canonical American Orthodox Church with the blessing of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church and with the hope that world Orthodoxy would recognize the legitimacy of the new body. The initiative for this attempt belonged to Bishop [[Aftimios Ofiesh|Aftimios (Ofiesh) of Brooklyn]] and a member of the Council of Bishops in his capacity as Diocesan for the Syrians (Arabs) which acknowledged the authority of the Russian Church (pp. 32-33).
In this project, Aftimios had the assistance of two American-born Orthodox [[clergy|clerics]] who had been ordained to the [[priest]]hood in the early 1920s, [[HiermonkHieromonk]] Boris (Burden) and Priest Michael Gelsinger. Both men were particularly concerned about the loss of Orthodox young people to the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and [[Episcopal Church U.S.A.|Episcopal]] churches in the US—the Episcopal Church was of special concern, as it was a liturgical church in some ways similar to Orthodoxy and generally enjoyed a special status of prestige in American society.
At the outset, the new venture appeared quite successful—within the space of only four years, with the support of the synod of the Russian [[OCA|Metropolia]], four [[bishop]]s were consecrated and an impressive charter was granted from said synod, titled ''An Act of the Synod of Bishops in the American Dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church''.
:We hereby, on this 2nd day of February (new Style) in the year 1927, charge one of our number, His Eminence the Most Reverend Aftimios, Archbishop of Brooklyn, with the full responsibility and duty of caring and providing for American Orthodoxy in the especial sense of Orthodox Catholic people born in America and primarily English-speaking or any American residents or parishes of whatever nationality or linguistic character or derivation not satisfactorily provided with proper and canonical Orthodox Catholic care, ecclesiastical authority, teaching and ministrations of the Church or who may wish to attach themselves by the properly and legally provided means to an autonomous, independent, American Orthodox Catholic Church.... a distinct, independent, and autonomous branch of the Orthodox Catholic Church... (pp. 34-35).
Signed by the entire Metropolia synod at the time—Metr. [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon]], Aftimios, [[Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of San Francisco|Theophilus]], Amphilohy, [[Arseny (Chagovtsov) of Winnipeg|Arseny]], and Alexy—it further named Aftimios as the [[primate]] of the new church and elected and gave order for "the Consecration of the Very Reverend Leonid Turkevitch to be Bishop in the newly-founded [church]... as assistant to its Governing Head..." (p. 35). Fr. Leonid eventually did get consecrated to the episcopacy, though not in the new church body, and is better known as Metr. [[Leonty (Turkevich) of New York]], primate of the Russian Metropolia. His refusal at the time was based mainly on a "press of family obligations" which led to his insistence on "a specific stipulated salary which could not be met" (p. 36). To replace Fr. Leonid as the first assistant to Aftimios, Platon chose Archimandrite [[Emmanuel (Abo-Hatab) of MontrealBrooklyn|Emmanuel (Abo-Hatab)]], who was consecrated on [[September 11]], 1927, by Aftimios, assisted by Theophilus and Arseny.
The constitution which was drawn up for the church by the Metropolia is twenty-eight pages long and quite detailed, indicating a great deal of thought went into its drafting. Though it was dated [[December 1]] of 1927, it was not made public until the following spring. Two significant passages are noted by Fr. Serafim in his book. From Article III: "This Church is independent (autocephalous) and autonomous in its authority in the same sense and to the same extent as are the Orthodox Patriarchates of the East and the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches now existing." From Article IV: "This Church has original and primary jurisdiction in its own name and right over all Orthodox Catholic Christians of the Eastern Churches and Rite residing or visiting in the United States, and Alaska and the other territories of the United States, in Canada, Mexico, and all North America" (p. 37). Fr. Serafim then comments:
==Reaction and Opposition==
[[Image:Aftimios Ofiesh.gif|right|frame|Archbishop Aftimios Ofiesh]]
The reaction against the establishment of the new church was "swift and negative," especially from the [[ROCOR|Karlovsty Synod]] (ROCOR), with whom the Metropolia had broken ties shortly before in 1926 and who viewed itself as the Metropolia's rightful canonical authority. (''See: [[ROCOR and OCA]].'')
:In letters dated the 27th of April and the 3rd of May 1927, the Synod made clear their unalterable opposition to the formation of the new Church both on the grounds that Metr. Platon and his Bishops had no power or authority to authorize the founding of the new Church (it must be kept in mind that for almost two years now there had been a break between Metr. Platon and the Exile Synod) as well as on the grounds that there was no justification or rationale foe for the establishment of an American Orthodox Church, at that time or at any time in the foreseeable future (p. 37).
Aftimios himself answered in June with "an equally forceful reply," denouncing the Karlovsty synod as "the uncanonical pseudo-Synod of the Outlandish Russian Orthodox Church," forbidding his clergy and faithful from having anything to do with them (ibid.). Like his estranged former associates in ROCOR, Metr. Platon himself almost immediately turned his back on his ecclesiastical daughter and became "increasingly unreliable in supporting the new Church," mainly because of its continual publication of "hard line" articles in the ''Orthodox Catholic Review'' (edited by Hieromonk Boris and Priest Michael) aimed at the Episcopal Church. In a letter to Aftimios, Platon wrote: "'I must attest before Your Eminence that without their (American Episcopalian) entirely disinterested and truly brotherly assistance our Church in America could not exist' and concluded his letter by asking Abp Aftimios to order Father Boris to cease his 'steppings out' against the Protestant Episcopalians" (p. 38).
To further worsen matters, in 19281924, Archbishop [[Victor (Abo-Assaley) of New York|Victor (Abo-Assaley)]] was sent to America by the [[Church of Antioch]] and then began to encourage Orthodox Arabs to come under Antiochian jurisdiction rather than that of the Russians or the new American church. He did not, however, make much headway in his endeavoursendeavors. In the same year1928, Aftimios and his group mainly focussed on the establishment of their church's legal status and had some initial success. On [[May 26]], another bishop was consecrated, [[Sophronios (Beshara) of Los Angeles|Sophronios (Beshara)]] as bishop of Los Angeles, given responsibility "not only for the parishes who still considered themselves within the jurisdiction of the Russian Mission but also those parishes who comprise a part of the new Church and as a Missionary Bishop as well he was respnsible responsible for all territory west of the Mississippi River" (ibid.). However,
:With three Bishops the fledgling Church would appear to have achieved a solid foundation—but such was not the case. It became more and more apparent that Metr. Platon had changed his mind about the wisdom of attempting to establish an American Orthodox Catholic Church. Not only were some of his Episcopalian allies against the new venture but it was increasingly clear that no recognition for the new Church would be forthcoming from any Autocephalous Church. In any case it is known that Metr. Platon categorically forbade Archpriest Leonid Turkevitch to accept consecration in the new Church (pp. 38-39).
Early in 1929, Aftimios attempted to gain support with the Greek archbishop [[Alexander (RodostolouDemoglou) of New YorkRodostolou|Alexander (RodostolouDemoglou)]], the first primate of the newly formed [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America]]. The archbishop's response was that he had authority over not only all the Greek Orthodox in America but over all Orthodox Christians there. They were apparently "vexed over the fact that the Reverend Demetrius Cassis, an American of Greek parentage, had been ordained by Abp Aftimios for the new American Church" (p. 38).
==Open Hostility==
Fr. Serafim believes that Platon's opposition to the new church had shifted from veiled to "quite open and above board," because Aftimios, in a letter dated [[October 4]], 1929, declared that:
:"His Eminence, the Most Reverend Platon (Rozhdestvensky), the Metropolitan of Khersson and Odessa, has no proper, valid, legal, or effective appointment, credentials or authority to rule the North American Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in any capacity. Such being the case it follows that from the departure of His Eminence Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky) that the lawful and canonical ruling headship of the Archdiocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America in the Patriarchal Russian Church has naturally been vested in the First Vicar and Senior Bishop in this Jurisdiction" therefore "the title and position of 'Metropolitan of North America and Canada' has no canonical existence in the Russian Church." It is signed by "Aftimios, First Vicar and Senior Bishop in the Archdiocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America" (p. 39).
==Analysis==
:...it would be most unjust to blame the failure of the "Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America" solely or even primarily on Protestant Episcopal opposition. One can state it more strongly: the various Orthodox groups in America at that time simply were not ready in terms of church consciousness for the establishment of an American Orthodox Church (p. 34).
==Epilogue==
Aftimios Ofiesh lived in relative obscurity with his wife Mariam Namey Ofiesh, fathering a son named Paul, who eventually became a Presbyterian elder in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania.[http://www2.epix.net/~pbychmt/elders.html] After living in Wilkes-Barre and New Castle, towns in Pennsylvania, the Ofiesh family finally settled in Kingston (near Wilkes-Barre). In 1937 he was asked by parishioners in Allentown to return to active leadership in the Orthodox Church and made one unsuccessful effort in response. Members of his wife's family in Wilkes-Barre record that he continued to dress as a bishop and was called by some of them "Uncle [[Sayedna]]." He died in Kingston on [[July 24]], 1966, a few months before his 86th birthday, leaving instructions that he should be buried quietly without any clergy.
==SourceExternal link==*''The Quest for Orthodox Church Unity in America'' (1973)[http://www.theocacna.us/ THEOCACNA], by Archim. Serafim (Surrency)the 1995 group
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