| Benigson George, archp. Face to Face with America. FROC Journal. November, 1970. Bensin Basil M. History of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America. New York, 1941. Bespuda Anastasia. Guide to Orthodox America. «St. Vladimir " s Seminary press». New York, 1965. Bird Thomas E. The Orthodox Church in America: A Sketch. «The Word Official Publication of the Syrian Anliochian Orthodox Archdiocese of New York and All North America». January, 1965. Bogolepov Alexander A. Towards an American Orthodox Church. New York, 1963. Bolshakoff Serge. The Foreign Missions of the Russian Orthodox Church. London, 1943. Boris (Burden), hierom. The Holy Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Apostolu Church in North America a Historical and Current Survey. «The Orthodox Calholii Review». 1,2,4,5, 1927. Chevigny Hector. Russian America. New York, 1965. Chronopolus Isaiah, rev. Understanding Autocephaly from the Viewpoint of thi Ecumenical Patriarchate. «The Orthodox Observer». February, 1971. Constitution of The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America with Related Documents of The North American Holy Synod. Brooklyn, 1928. Dunlop John B. The Recent Activities of the Moscow Patriarchate Abroad and in the U.S.S.R. Washington, 1970. Florovsky Fr. Georges. The Responsibility of the Orthodox in America. FROC Journal. January, 1947. «The Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs» («FROC»). Colder F. A. Father Herman Alaska " s Saint. San Francisco, 1968. Crigorieff Dimitry. Historical Background of Orthodoxy in America. «St. Vladimir " s Seminary Quarterly» («SVSQ»). 1961. Crigorieff Dimitry. The Orthodox Church in America: From the Alaskan Mission to Autocephaly. SVSQ. Vol. 15. 1,2, 1971. Culovich Stephen C. The Russian Exarchate in the United States. «ECQ». Oct.Dec., 1946. Kopan Andrew J. The Russian Metropolia and Autocephaly. «The Logos». November, 1970. Kavalchuk Feodor, archp. Dissidents and the Church in America. «One Church». April, 1951. Lacko Michael. The Churches of the Eastern Rite in North America. S.J. in Unitas. Vol. XVI, 2, Rome, 1964. |
| Stând împreun în faa pristolului lui Dumnezeu, noi îi aducem lui Dumnezeu i pe Rusia, i pe America. Aa a procedat ocrotitorul meu ceresc i predecesorul Dumneavoastr – sfântul ierarh Tihon, a crui urcare pe tronul Patriarhului noi o pomenim azi. Prin trudele sale apostoliceti el a unit rile noastre: a fost lumintor în America de Nord, a fost mrturisitor – Patriarh al Moscovei. Biserica Ortodox în America a primit multe daruri de la Biserica Ortodox Rus. Primii misionari rui, care au semnat seminele credinei ortodoxe în America de Nord, au sosit la Alaska cu 220 de ani în urm din mnstirea Valaam. Monahul Gherman, cunoscut prin smerenia, credina i dragostea sa, care a fost membrul acestui grup misionar, a devenit primul sfânt ortodox în Lumea nou. El a fost canonizat în ceata sfinilor de Biserica Ortodox în America în anul 1970. Marele misionar al secolului al XIX-lea sfântul ierarh Inochentie (Veniaminov) i-a început slujirea de misionar în Alaska. i acolo, i în Siberia el i-a multiplicat talanii si de misionar, sfârindu-i viaa în calitate de mitropolit al Moscovei. Sfântul ierarh Inochentie a fost canonizat în ceata sfinilor în anul 1977 de ctre Biserica Ortodoxe Rus la rugmintea Bisericii Ortodoxe în America. Sfântul ierarh Tihon, Patriarhul Moscovei, în treapta de episcop (apoi arhiepiscop) la începutul secolului al XX-lea s-a nevoit câiva ani în fruntea Misiunii ortodoxe în America de Nord. El a condus aceast misiune, care i-a extins activitatea sa în toat America, în toate Statele Unite i în Canada. Sfântul ierarh Tihon a prevzut viitorul acestei misiuni ca o existen autocefal a Bisericii Ortodoxe în America. În anul 1970 Biserica Ortodox Rus a druit autocefalia Bisericii Ortodoxe în America, astfel îndeplinind proorocirea sfântului ierarh Tihon. Prin aceast aciune ea a fcut-o pe tânra Biseric Ortodox în America s fie Biseric-sor. În istoria care a fost aici relatat, noi vedem multe suferine i multe dificulti, multe bucurii i multe realizri. În secolul al XX-lea noi vedem o perioad de prigoniri i suferine ale Bisericii Ortodoxe Ruse, care a dat lumii numeroi mucenici i nevoitori ce au mrturisit despre Hristos. |
| Providing literature, including service books is something most, if not all, missions in America already do and that is an important aspect to our evangelization. This is a direct parallel and one that we must continue. Many visitors to our own humble mission here in Fargo, ND, have made use of such resources. There have been various times in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church when frequent sermons were utilitzed to help instruct the people. There is no reason why missions could not have priests that gave sermonettes after vespers or vigil. Definitely, a sermon must be given on Sunday and festal liturgies. In addition, the priest and educated laity (with their priest’s blessing) should be encouraged to give occasional presentations to the parish body. Perhaps, as at Fr. Daniel’s parish, this could be done after bible studies or other lessons. Regardless, the parallels are striking and important because these sorts of educational aspects are necessary. After all, we are called to love God with all our mind. Developing ministries for the elderly, as Fr. Daniel developed the grandmothers " voluntary missionary groups, could work well in America and North America. Many parishes and missions already seek to develop ministry groups within the parish. Again, the parallels are present, even if the groups and activities are not exactly the same. Being bold enough to accept invitations to speak to non-Orthodox groups (Christian or otherwise) is vital and I must admit, in America, I think we are hit-and-miss on this. Even priests are inconsistent. Some of us seek out such opportunities, but not all do. For those who do not, we could learn from both Fr. Daniel and those here in America already doing that. Laity should also consider doing such things and the fact that Fr. Daniel had missionaries trained to do just this is impressive. I think we Orthodox in America could learn from this example. Whether preaching on the streets would work in America is harder to say. There are only a few examples of this amongst Orthodox here in North America and some non-Orthodox who do this, but in America, this often creates barriers rather than invitations. It may be easier for parishes that already have established buildings in areas of town where this could work. A related problem is the fact that many Americans commute to work in an automobile rather than walking. In America, this might not be a productive use of energy and resources for many parishes but that does not mean there would not be similar things that could happen, such as the above mentioned talks to other groups. |
| In 1991, Bishop Christopher (Kovacevich) (1928–2010), head of the diocese of Eastern America and the first American-born bishop to serve the Serbian Church in America, was elected by the Assembly of Bishops of the Church of Serbia to be the Metropolitan of the Serbian Church in North America. In 2010, Metropolitan Christopher died, and as of the beginning of 2013none of the five Serbian bishops in America had been made Metropolitan of the Serbian Church in America. By 2010, the American Serbian jurisdiction included two additional dioceses – Midwestern America, and Canada. The Serbian Church continued to support the Saint Sava School of Theology, a small coeducational school of theology in Libertyville, Illinois, which granted a B.A. in religious studies/priestly formation. The Romanian Orthodox in America The first parish in North America founded by Romanian Orthodox immigrants was organized in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1902. The first Romanian parish in the United States was established by laity in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1904. In the next year, the Metropolitan of Transylvania sent Father Moise Balea to be the parish’s first priest and to minister to Romanian immigrants in other cities. Altogether he helped to establish about 20 Romanian Orthodox parishes in North America. By 1918 there were about 30 Romanian parishes in the U.S. and Canada, but only three of these (in Hamilton, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Rayville, Saskatchewan) were within the jurisdiction of the Russian Missionary Diocese. The others were associated either with the Metropolitan of Moldava or the Metropolitan of Transylvania in the Old Country. In 1929, at a general congress of Romanian Orthodox clergy and laity held in Detroit, Michigan, an autonomous missionary episcopate was formed, to be under the canonical jurisdiction of the Church of Romania. This resolution was accepted in the next year by the Romanian Patriarchate, which officially established the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America. Then in 1935, the Holy Synod of the Church in Romania elected and consecrated Archimandrite Polycarp (Morusca) (1883–1958) as the first bishop of the new episcopate. |
| 31 See John Harrison, The Founding of the Russian Empire in Asia and America (Coral Gables, Fla.: University of Miami Press, 1971); R. J. Kerner, The Urge to the Sea (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1946). 32 See M. B. Ricks, The Earliest Years of Alaska (Anchorage: University of Alaska, 1963); Frank Golder, Russian Expansion on the Pacific, 1641–1850 (Cleveland: Arthur Clark Company, 1914). 33 See Frank Golder, Bering " s Voyages: An Account of the Russians to Determine the Relation of America to Asia (New York: American Geographical Society, 1932). 34 For an early description, see H. H. Bancroft, History of Alaska 1870–1885 (New York: Antiquarian Press, 1959), pp. 64–75. Historians now generally believe that the coast of North America was sighted by an earlier expedition of I. Federov and M. Gvozdev in 1732. The report, however, was not widely circulated. See Harrison, The Founding of the Russian Empire in Asia and America, p. 113. 35 Raisa Makarova, Russians on the Pacific 1743–1799, trans, and ed. Richard Pierce and Alton Donnelly (Kingston, Ont.: Limestone Press, 1975), pp. 37–50. 37 See S. M. Okun, The Russian-American Company, trans. Carl Ginsberg (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1951); P. A. Tikhmenev, A History of the Russian-American Company, trans. Richard Pierce and Alton Donnelly (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1978). 38 On the mission, see Michael Oleska, Orthodox Alaska (Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir " s Seminary Press, 1992); Bishop Gregory Afonsky, A History of the Orthodox Church in Alaska (Kodiak: St. Herman " s Theological Seminary, 1977); Michael Kovach, The Russian Orthodox Church in Russian America (Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms, 1957). 39 Kovach, The Russian Orthodox Church in Russian America, p. 54; Tikhmenev, A History of the Russian-American Company, pp. 35–36. 42 Constance Tarasar and John Erickson, eds., Orthodox America: 1794–1976 (Syosset, N.Y.: Orthodox Church in America, 1975), p. 15. 45 Colin Bearne and Richard Pierce, eds., The Russian Orthodox Religious Mission in America, 1794–1837 (Kingston, Ont: Limestone Press, 1978), pp. 1–8. |
| In a Message to All Orthodox Christians in America, the council addressed the theme of greater unity. A portion of the message says: We have the same faith, the same Tradition, the same hope, the same mission. We should then constitute one Church, visibly, organically, fully. Such is the requirement of our Orthodox Faith and we know that always and everywhere the Orthodox Church has existed as one Church. There can, therefore, be no excuse for our jurisdictional divisions, alienation from one another, and parochialism. The removal of such divisions and the organic unity of all Orthodox in America is the goal of our Church and we invite you to become part of the unity. 285 While there were indications at least as early as 1965 that autocephaly could be granted to the Metropolia by the Moscow Patriarchate, the actual event set off a new storm of controversy. In a certain sense, the Metropolia had been acting as a de facto autocephalous jurisdiction since 1927, although it was viewed as schismatic by the Patriarchate of Moscow. Thus, by 1970 it seems that the leaders of the Metropolia would not be content with any lesser status, such as autonomy, which would still subordinate the jurisdiction to the Patriarchate of Moscow. The fact that the Patriarchate of Moscow agreed to the granting of autocephaly did regularize the Metropolia in the eyes of its mother church. However, the action did not lead immediately to the resolution of the multiple jurisdictional situation in America. Indeed, the situation appears to have become more complex. During the first years of its existence, the new Orthodox Church in America took a number of important actions. First, on 9 August 1970, clergy and laity gathered in Kodiak, Alaska, for the solemn services at which the missionary monk Herman of Spruce Island was proclaimed a saint, the first formally recognized in North America. 286 Second, the Orthodox Church in America received two other jurisdictions. The Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese under Bishop Stephen (Lasko) became a diocese within the Orthodox Church in America in 1971. This jurisdiction had been associated with the Church of Albania prior to its liquidation by the Communist government. 287 The Bulgarian Orthodox diocese under Bishop Kyril (Ionchev) became part of the Orthodox Church in America in 1976. This jurisdiction had been part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia since 1964. 288 These two jurisdictions essentially followed the example of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate, which had become part of the old Metropolia in 1960. 289 In agreeing to accept these jurisdictions, the new Orthodox Church in America permitted them to maintain a high degree of autonomy and to maintain their identity as ethnic dioceses. |
| Despite the division between the Royalists and the Venizelists, which continued to deepen, and the opposition of the new Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, Metropolitan Meletios and Bishop Alexander acted decisively to organize in a formal and legal manner the Greek Orthodox parishes in America. Through an encyclical dated 11 August 1921, Metropolitan Meletios called for the first Congress of Clergy and Laity of the parishes in America. This historic congress, held in New York on 13–15 September 1921, was the first time that clergy and lay representatives of the Greek Orthodox parishes from throughout the United States met together. The most important action of the congress was the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America. 118 In order to give the new archdiocese a legal as well as an ecclesiastical authority, it was formally incorporated in the state of New York on 19 September 1921. According to the document of incorporation, the purposes of the archdiocese were: To edify the religious and moral life of the Greek Orthodox Christians in North and South America on the basis of Holy Scripture, the rules and canons of the Holy Apostles and of the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the ancient undivided Church as they are or shall be actually interpreted by the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople and to exercise governing authority over and to maintain advisory relations with Greek Orthodox Churches throughout North and South America and to maintain spiritual and advisory relations with synods and other governing authorities of the said Church located elsewhere. 119 New developments soon occurred in both America and Constantinople that further altered the direction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Less than two months after the organization of the new archdiocese, Metropolitan Meletios was elected Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on 25 November 1921. 120 This dramatic turn of events was to have a monumental effect upon Orthodox Christianity in America. Although Metropolitan Meletios was chosen to become patriarch at a time when the Church of Constantinople was beset with many problems, he continued to have a profound concern for the Orthodox faithful in America. This is very clearly evident in his enthronement speech, which was delivered in the patriarchal Church of St. George on 8 February 1922. After reflecting upon the state of the Orthodox churches, the new patriarch spoke with much affection and with much vision for the church in America: |
| The theme of greater Orthodox unity and witness in America would be repeated on many occasions as the Patriarch " s limited itinerary took him from Washington to New York; Allentown and Johnstown, Pennsylvania; San Francisco; Chicago; Buffalo; and Boston. At each stop, the Patriarch not only met with members of the Orthodox Church but also met with representatives of other churches. In the former case, he stressed the need for greater Orthodox unity in America. In the latter case, he spoke strongly about the responsibility of all Christians to work for reconciliation that would lead toward visible unity rooted in the apostolic faith. From the perspective of Orthodox unity, one of the most significant aspects of the Patriarch " s visit was his meeting with Metropolitan Theodosius of the Orthodox Church in America within the context of a prayer service at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on 4 July 1990. The presence of the Ecumenical Patriarch at the cathedral of Metropolitan Theodosius was clearly a sign of a new relationship developing between the Church of Constantinople and the Orthodox Church in America, the former Metropolia. This encounter was the fruit of preliminary discussions between representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church in America that had been renewed in 1989. In his words of welcome to St. Nicholas Cathedral, Metropolitan Theodosius said: For us in particular, your presence is a sign of renewed hope for unity, witness and mission of Orthodox Christianity in America. As the «first among equals» within the brotherhood of Orthodox bishops throughout the world, you have as your primacy a unique ministry of unity. We ask that through your prayers our ministry in America may bring ever closer the full integration of our continued efforts, that the people and the society in the midst of which we witness may see that the Orthodox Church in North America is truly united in common mission, common witness, and common purpose. At this time in our history, there has never been a greater need, nor has there been a time of greater opportunity. 322 |
| Throughout the period following the close of World War II, there was a demonstrable increase in contacts and cooperative activities among the members of the various Orthodox jurisdictions in America. As a consequence of ethnic and political differences, divisions continued to afflict many parishes and many dioceses. Yet, there was a growing recognition that all the Orthodox shared the same faith. Indeed, among many there was a growing recognition that the Orthodox Church had a distinctive witness to make in American society. With joint liturgical services and joint educational projects and through unified participation in ecumenical gatherings, the representatives of the major Orthodox jurisdictions began, in some measure, to overcome the isolation from one another that had generally characterized the Orthodox in America for decades. At the same time, the American Orthodox began to recognize, in some measure, their responsibility to all Christians and to the society in which they lived. 212 George Papaioannou, The Odyssey of Hellenism in America (Thessaloniki: Patriarchal Institute, 1985), pp. 379–392; Constance Tarasar and John Erickson, eds., Orthodox America 1794–1976 (Syosset, N.Y.: Orthodox Church in America, 1975), pp. 141–142. 214 Robert Donus, «Greek-Americans in a Pan-Orthodox Parish,» St. Vladimir " s Theological Quarterly 18:1 (1974): 44–52. 215 John Meyendorff, Vision of Unity (Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir " s Seminary Press, 1987), pp. 66–67. 217 Georges Florovsky, «The Responsibility of Orthodox Believers in America,» The Russian Orthodox Journal 2:6 (1949): 15–18. 218 George Nicozisin, The Road to Orthodox Phronema (Brookline, Mass.: Department of Religious Education, 1977), pp. 33–38; Tarasar and Erickson, Orthodox America, p. 202. 223 Andrew Blane, ed., Georges Florovsky: Russian Intellectual-Orthodox Churchman (Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir " s Seminary Press, 1993), p. 100. 224 Ernest Villas, «Toward Unity of Orthodox Youth in America,» St. Vladimir " s Theological Quarterly 2:4 (1954): 31–32. |
| Hence it is obvious that St. Tikhon, continuing the holy mission of his predecessors, was building not only “American Russia” but also a new Local Orthodox Church, enjoying the fruits of his successful missionary work as well as the building of churches, which was a very difficult task, as ample historical material confirms. However, for various reasons Patriarch Tikhon’s dreams of establishing a Local Church in North America never came true. North America still has neither a united diocese nor a united Church structure. Almost all Local Orthodox Churches are represented on this continent by their diasporas, which are united into dioceses or autonomous parts of their mother Churches. Some autonomous dioceses of the Local Churches in the USA are ruled by their own Synods, headed by their own primates. Currently, the largest and most influential Church structure in the United States is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headed by Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis) 1 . The Patriarchate of Jerusalem has a metochion on Long Island (New York). American parishes which originally were under the jurisdiction of this patriarchate were transferred to the Greek Archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate several years ago. The Patriarchate of Antioch has its autonomous diocese in the USA and it has achieved impressive results in missionary work. The Serbian Orthodox Church has a few dioceses in North America: the Dioceses of New Gracanica, of Western America, Eastern America, and Canada. The senior hierarch of Orthodox Serbs in America is His Eminence Bishop Longin. He reminds me very much of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Ukraine in the sense that he is a man of the Church, is held in great respect in the Church for his monastic spirit, prayer and the conciliar participation of his very open archpastoral heart in the life of one body of the Church of Christ. The “successors” of Patriarch Tikhon, namely the Orthodox Church in America (the former Metropolia of North America of the Russian Church), the ROCOR, and the patriarchal parishes in the USA, have hundreds of parishes that cater to both representatives of different waves of emigration and their ancestors and “natives”—that is, Orthodox converts from among local residents. The Eastern American Diocese of the ROCOR alone has as many as 100 parishes. The Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne in West Virginia, which belongs to this diocese, was opened as a small skete of the famous Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville (New York), “the Lavra of the ROCOR”; now it is an independent and rapidly growing English-speaking monastery and it is currently enlarging its buildings in order not to turn down those who seek monastic life. |
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