Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia (1937 - Present) - Religious Group

Religious Family: Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)
Religious Tradition: Orthodox
Description: The Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia is part of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, with headquarters in Sofia, Bulgaria. The first wave of Bulgarian immigrants arrived in America in 1903 in the wake of an unsuccessful insurrection in Macedonia aimed at the overthrow of Turkish Ottoman rule. In 1907, the first Bulgarian Orthodox parish, the Church of the Holy Trinity, was established in Madison, IL. In 1937, the Synod of the Church of Bulgaria created the “Bulgarian Diocese of the Americas” with Bishop Andrey (Petkov) being the first ruling bishop of the Diocese. After WWII, the Diocese was swept up in the political changes in Bulgaria, which became a Communist-ruled satellite of the Soviet Union. Conflicts among clergy and laity resulted in a schism in the parishes. From 1964 on, there existed two rival Orthodox Dioceses in the United States, both calling themselves “Bulgarian Orthodox.” The first - the “Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia” – continued to be headed by Bishop Andrey (Petkov) and remained loyal to the Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Sofia. The second – led by Bishop Cyril (Yonchev) and emphasizing an anti-Communist stance - was called the “Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church: Diocese of the United States of America and Canada.” It initially joined the Russian Church Outside of Russia, and later (1976) merged with the Orthodox Church in America, becoming the “Bulgarian Diocese of the Orthodox Church in America.” The two rival Bulgarian Orthodox Dioceses continue to co-exist in North America to the present day. In 1991, Metropolitan Joseph was elected as the ruling bishop of the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia. He continues to hold this position up to the present (2023), which makes him the most senior Orthodox bishop in the USA by number of years being a bishop. In 2000, the Diocese requested the Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to permit non-Bulgarians to serve as priests in parishes of the Diocese. The request was approved, opening the way for a number of American Orthodox clergy and parishes to join the Diocese. Most of the parishes of the Bulgarian Diocese follow the “old” (Julian) church calendar.
Official Site: https://www.bulgariandiocese.org/

Top 5 Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia States (2020)¹ [View all States]

Top 5 Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia Counties (2020)¹ [View all Counties]

Top 5 Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia Metro Areas (2020)¹ [View all Metro Areas]

Sources

¹ The 2020 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include data for 372 religious bodies or groups. Of these, the ASARB was able to gather data on congregations and adherents for 217 and on congregations only for 155. [More information on the data sources]