Russian Orthodox Church in America

The Russian Orthodox Church in America is an Autocephalous Apostolic Orthodox Catholic church with direct succession from the Apostle Saint Andrew.  We are also connected to the American Orthodox Catholic Church also known as The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church in North America.  (THEOCACNA) 

 Archbishop Evdokim Meschersky  of the Americas consecrated Saint Aftimios Ofiesh as Archbishop of Brooklyn.  Saint Aftimios was elevated by Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York to the rank of Archbishop  Our Church was then approved and sanctioned by Metropolitan Bishop Platon (Russian Orthodox Diocese in USA) in the early part of the 20th Century and Archbiship Aftimios was established as the hierarch and was granted Autocephaly,  and in 1927, Aftimios was commissioned by the Russian diocese in America to form an English-speaking jurisdiction: the American Orthodox Catholic Church. The purpose of the diocese was to establish a new tradition in North America that was separate from any other particular ethnic or cultural traditions.      Liturgies used in the newly formed church were modified Western Rite liturgies developed by Saint Tikhon of Russia from The Episcopal Church Book of Common Prayer after he added substantive Orthodox elements to form the Western Rite Orthodox Liturgy.   The original goal of our Church was to establish an American Orthodox Church to proselytize the Americans in English with a liturgical style they were familiar with.  AOCC/THEOCACNA was incorporated in Massachusetts by Saint Aftimios of Blessed Memory in 1928

Several factors played into our formation.  The biggest factor was Ukase 362 by Saint Tikhon and stated that in the event of a breakdown of the church through Persecution by the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution and the disruption of the Russian Orthodox Church worldwide that the Bishops were to carry on as best they could and ultimately, if necessary,  needed to revert back to the Canonical Status of the Early Church returning to the basics of the definition of a Church under Original Canon Law - and thus our existence was created  in part by the chaos of the disintegration of the Russian Church.  This Ukase specifically stated that in such circumstances the LOCAL Bishop (including the diaspora)  should continue His Church as autocephalous until such time as the disruption stopped - in this case, the Communists of Soviet Russia, 

The breakdown of Church Order described in Ukase 362 continues to this day.

Evidence that the Disruptions beginning with the Bolsheviks have not subsided and are evidenced by the War in Ukraine, The Ukrainian Orthodox Church,  The Patriarch of Constantinople and all the anathematization of each other -  and all this reveals a very ugly polemic side to Orthodox Christianity and shows the chaos that persists in the Orthodox World as a direct result of the chaos in Russia and in the USA starting in the early part of the 20th century. 

In Russia, Saint Tikhon, being severely persecuted by the Bolshevils, was imprisoned and died suddenly under suspicious circumstances. After his death The Canonical Chaos of the Ethnic Orthodox in America lead to the sinful fracturing all of Orthodoxy in America,  resulting in the theft and persecution of AOCC and Saint Aftimios Ofiesh, and the temporary impediment of THEOCACNA.  The state of affairs in the Orthodox Churches of America's in 1933 contributed to the impairment of AOCC and culminated with the death of  Bishop Sophronius of Los Angeles in 1940 (Joseph Zuk was assassinated by the Russian Communists in Florida) which left the AOCC unsupported and persecuted.

All this chaos in The Metropolitan Archdiocese Russian Greek Orthodox Church in America, and other Ethnic Churches and Clergy all contributed to dismantle our Church.  Priests and whole parishes were stripped from us and formed the beginnings of the OCA, Antiochian Orthodox Church, ROCOR and The Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America.  

Despite other claims, Metropolitan Bishop Aftimios continued his church, having never been deposed or excommunicated, and passed the Church on to us - It should be noted a 2nd time that Saint Aftimios Ofiesh was never formally deposed, excommunicated, or punished in any way by any Bishop or Synod and was never removed from The Church (except by the deliberate shunning and theft of his church and clergy at the hands the sinful jealous and actions of sinful men vying for power in Orthodoxy in America in the early 20th century).   In 1966 Saint Aftimios Ofiesh of Blessed Memory died - and left us to continue The Church.  Our Holy Synod in the late 1980's renamed our Church to The Russian Orthodox Church in America to better reflect our past and to avoid conflict. 

THEOCACNA has also since been legally restored by Patriarch NIKON and the incorporation ruled VALID by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.    We are elated that the incorporated Church has been re-stablished and we pray for total re-Unification with THEOCACNA as we view ourselves as the continuation of THEOCACNA even though they have the Corporate Charter for the names. 

We were probably the first Orthodox Church on this continent to implement English into our services although there were attempts in England in 19th 

We incorporated English into the Eastern Rite Liturgies and also produced a Western Rite Liturgy - paving the way for a proper liturgy compatible with the culture of the USA - with the aim of converting Americans into Holy Orthodoxy while retaining the Eastern Culture of our Church.

Therefore we practice a Western Rite Liturgy and also the Traditional Liturgies of Eastern Orthodoxy especially The Russian Orthodox Tradition.

We now pray in English, Spanish, Greek and Slavonic.   

To become an Orthodox Christian is not easy --- in fact it is very difficult.   Even our Liturgy is prayed with full participation of the Laity - standing (no pews).   

You have to yearn to be Eastern Orthodox Christian and work at it intensly. 

If you think you have what it takes to undertake the most serious decision in your life - we are available for counseling and catechism and you are always invited to come to our services.

A Blessing forYou.

May   “The Lord bless you and keep you;
May The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
May The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” 

Numbers 6:24-26

The Russian Orthodox Church in America (ROCIA) is a Russian Orthodox Church with valid succession to Christ that has continuation from the Russian Orthodox Church.   

The Russian Orthodox Church in America's status is unclear to most Orthodox hierarchs and clergy, although many ROCIA faithful and priests have been received into other Orthodox Churches including the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), the Orthodox Church in America (OCA),  Antiochian Orthodox Church, and The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America. 

Our Hierarchy has been historically recognized as "canonical" Our Orthodox bishops being invited to SCOBA but declining to attend in the end. 

 Metropolitan Archbishop Aftimious Ofiesh was appointed by the Russian Orthodox Church to evangelize the America's with English Language liturgies.   He was granted Autocephaly Directly from The Russian Orthodox Church Diocese in America with approval from Moscow Through Archbishop Platon. 

The Most Reverend Aftimios Ofiesh suffered horrible persecution, rejection, and maltreatment by highly aggressive and jealous Ethnic Orthodox Clergy trying to establish their ethnicity as the basis for canonicity.    American Orthodoxy was and is a mess even up to today.  Multiple jurisdictions and unchristian behavior has destroyed the way Orthodoxy was designed to work.

Two significant things happened to create the Russian Orthdox Church in America.  Ukase 362 and the formation of the American Orthodox Catholic Church aka The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of North America.   In 1932 after being abused, abandoned, and robbed of his rightful Seat of the Cathedral in New York - the devious and sinful Clergy surrounded this church with malintent and tried to destroy it.  Choked of support of any kind the number of clergy declined and dispersed into other Mainstream Orthodox churches and Our Holy Church almost disentegrated.

In accordance with the Ukase 362 by ArchBishop Tikhon of Moscow issued when the Bolsheviks killed and dismantled the Beautiful Russian Church for their atheistic dream of socialism and communism we were commanded by Saint Tikhon to continue as Autocephalous.   Ukase 362 tells the Russian Orthodox Church in all it's branches and the diaspora, when chaos and disorder occur and a church finds itself cut off from Mother Church - that a Bishop shall revert to the original church structure and continue as Bishop, his clergy, and his laity (the True Definition of The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church) until regular order and canonical structure return.   

Despite what has been published by jealous enemies - Our Church survived - ArchBishop Aftimios of Blessed Memory continued the Church - and we grew slowly in the 1960's direct descendants of the AOCC.   In 1966 Aftimios Ofiesh died.  Our Bishops kept the church alive and according to Ukase 362 because of the absolute chaos and mess of the American Orthodox Problem ( which ethnicity do you claim as your pure apostolic succession?)  we survived and we are the Autocephalous continuation of the work of ArchBishop Ofiesh - much to the chagrine of many Bishops and Priests in "canonical churches"

Our Church is small - we are still persecuted but we live by the Beatitude of " Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.   We actually thank the "canonical churches for persecuting us and helping us to develop our backbone and our True Practice of the True Faith of Jesus Christ AND as ALL ORTHODOX CHURCHES pray in Orthodox Liturgies " For the welfare of the Holy Churches of God and for the UNION OF ALL = let us pray to the Lord!  May the Lord have mercy on their souls and grant them the wisdom to rectify the wrongs they perpetrate on our poor small church.

Finally a quote which we hold dear.

 Metropolitan Symeon, Archbishop of Denver and the West was the chair of the Holy Synod, being the successor of Metropolitan Vladimir of the Carolinas, who was retired. Metropolitan Symeon was consecrated by Archbishop Paul of Philadelphia with the assistance of all the members of the Church's Holy Synod in Delaware in June 1988 and enthroned as Primate by the Holy Synod meeting in South Carolina in June 1989. 

He left a beautiful legacy of fruitful works and acceptance of all people.   There was no judgement in Symeon ... only the Love of Christ extended to all. 

His life work was to develop this Holy Church of God and to pass it on to future generations. 

His eulogy reads

" His Beatitude Symeon, by the Grace of God, Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, has fallen asleep in the Lord. May his memory be eternal.
Metropolitan Bishop Symeon was born Steven Mark Holdridge to Clyde and Mary Holdridge in Roswell, Oct. 6, 1953, and graduated from Roswell High School prior to continuing his education at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. Starting his sophomore year, he was catechized in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Megolohari, Tinos, Greece (taking the Christian name, Stephanos), by the Atrchimandrite Paul, a hieromonk from the island of Tinos, Greece, and exchange professor at Phillips. He received orders, including the Sacred Presbytery, from Patriarch +MARKOS’s Auxiliary Bishop +DAVID in 1975 pm October 8th.
In 1983, having been recommended by Archimandrite Paul of Tinos, Greece, Priest Stephen Holdridge of Roswell, NM was consecrated Bishop by +MARKOS, Patriarch +DIODOROS, and Archbishop +NATALINO. 

  In 1996, he was made a Great Schema monk by Metropolitan VLADIMIR, being given, as is traditional, another name, this time honoring St. Symeon, the God-receiver.
Metropolitan SYMEON became increasingly active in healthcare and was chaplain of an AIDS hospice and of HIV patients at Denver General Hospital and was on Mayor Welington Webb’s committee on HIV/AIDS services. He chaired the committee that wrote the three-year plan for HIV services for the City and County of Denver.
Metropolitan Symeon cofounded various counseling organizations in Denver with Mr. Stephen Lee, who has recently also relocated to the Roswell area.
In October 2006, Metropolitan SYMEON moved his primary residence from Denver, Colorado to Roswell where he stabled the Monastic Skete of Saint John the Wonderworker and the parish of Holy Protection Church which relocated to their current building at 337 East Sixth in Roswell in May of 2016."

 The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in America views the subject of canonicity differently than the viewpoint of the major Orthodox Churches in the United States. Although invited to join the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in the early 1960s, the Synod maintains that since it was given sole oversight of the Orthodox Christians in the Western Hemisphere, it cannot yield that responsibility by joining what is merely a working group.  

Our current Metropolitan Bishop is Gregory Athanasius.

He was elevated to be the Metropolitan Archbishop of Mexico City in 1998 and led a vibrant community of clergy and laity and Orthodoxy that has spread throughout Mexico despite Mexico being almost completely Roman Catholic. 

Prior to the death of Metropolitan Symeon - Bishop Gregory Athanasius was asked to take over as the head of all the Russian Orthodox Church in America while discussing the future of our Church with Metropolitan Symeon who was very ill.   

After the death of Metropolitan Symeon the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in America elevated Metropolitan Gregory Athanasius to be the Primate of ROCIA per the wishes of Symeon.

Metropolitan Gregory Athanasius leads us into the 21st Century with love and a vison of evangelizing the America's per our original charter.   Axios Axios Axios!  May God be His guide and may he have many fruitful years.