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Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. (1970 - Present) - Religious Group

Religious Family: Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)
Religious Tradition: Orthodox
Description: The Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA are a group of Orthodox parishes subordinated directly to the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) with headquarters in Moscow, Russia. The largest of these parishes, St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in New York, functions as the ecclesiastical embassy (i.e., the representative) of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA. This Orthodox Church body was formed in 1970, when the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America (also known as “Russian Mitropolia”) was granted autocephaly (full independence) by the Russian Orthodox Church and became the Orthodox Church in America. At this point, a number of parishes declined to enter the new American-centered church. They wished to remain directly under the administration of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, thereby forming the Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church. Until the 1990s, the membership of the Patriarchal Parishes was largely composed of descendants of their Carpatho-Russian founders along with some converts to Orthodoxy. Most of the clergy and members were American-born, and English (instead of Church Slavonic) was increasingly used as the liturgical language. After the break-up of the USSR, the large influx of new immigrants swelled the membership of some of the Patriarchal Parishes. The increased presence of Russian-speaking immigrants, along with a number of new clergy sent from Russia, has transformed the customs and ethos of these parishes into a more “Russian style” of church life. Consecrated in 1902, the St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral is a landmark on the Upper East side of Manhattan, and it continues to be one of the major centers of the Russian community in New York.
Official Site: https://mospatusa.com/

Maps: Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A.1

Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)

Congregations (2020)



Top 5 Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. States (2020)1 [View all States]

Rank State Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 New Jersey 6 3,843 0.41
2 New York 3 2,567 0.13
3 Pennsylvania 6 1,426 0.11
4 New Hampshire 1 75 0.05
5 Michigan 5 332 0.03

Top 5 Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]

Rank County Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Bergen County, NJ 1 3,200 3.35
2 New York County, NY 1 2,500 1.48
3 Passaic County, NJ 2 453 0.86
4 Philadelphia County, PA 2 1,188 0.74
5 San Francisco County, CA 1 450 0.51

Top 5 Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]


Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Members (1972 - 2008)2


Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Ministers & Churches (1972 - 2008)2


Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Trends (1972 - 2008)2

YEAR MEMBERS MINISTERS CHURCHES
1972 50,000 53 41
1973 51,000 59 41
1974 51,500 60 41
1975 51,500 60 41
1985 9,780 45 38
2000 48 32
2006 17,000 63 31
2008 17,000 63 31
       

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]

2 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.

Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.

When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.

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