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[[Image:Antiochian bishops.jpg|right|thumb|250px|'''New bishops with the patriarch'''<br>Left to Right: Bp. [[Mark (Maymon) of Toledo]], Patr. [[Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch]], Bp. [[Thomas (Joseph) of Oakland]], Bp. [[Alexander (Mufarrij) of Ottawa]]]]
→The Archdiocese Today: template
== The Archdiocese Today ==
[[Image:Philip Saliba2.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Metropolitan [[Philip (Saliba) of New York|Philip (Saliba)]]]]
{{orthodoxyinamerica}}
Its current primate is Metropolitan [[Philip (Saliba) of New York|Philip (Saliba)]], 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 missions. Estimates of the number of faithful range from about 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 the [[Western Rite Vicariate]], a group of about 20 [[parish]]es which worship according to the [[Western Rite]].
On [[October 9]], 2003 the [[Holy Synod]] of the [[Church of Antioch]] granted the Archdiocese's request to be granted self-rule (as distinct from [[autonomy]], 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 to the administrative unity of the Orthodox Church in the Americas. Three new [[bishop]]s were consecrated in December of 2004 to assist in the governance of the reorganized Archdiocese.
[[Image:Antiochian bishops.jpg|left|thumb|250px|'''New bishops with the patriarch'''<br>Left to Right: Bp. [[Mark (Maymon) of Toledo]], Patr. [[Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch]], Bp. [[Thomas (Joseph) of Oakland]], Bp. [[Alexander (Mufarrij) of Ottawa]]]]
The Archdiocese also includes one [[monasticism|monastic]] community, [[St. Paul Skete (Grand Junction, Tennessee)]], a community for women. It does not run any of its own seminaries, but sends its seminarians to theological schools run by other [[jurisdiction]]s or overseas. The Archdiocese does run various non-seminary educational programs, however, including the [[St. Stephen's Course in Orthodox Theology]].
