Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church (1892 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox)Religious Tradition: Orthodox
Description: The Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church has its origins in what was previously known as the American Orthodox Catholic Archdiocese. Originally formed in 1892, it was one of the first Orthodox Church bodies in America to offer the Divine Liturgy and other worship services in the English language. During the following decades, the worship practices of this Church were affected both by the Syrian Orthodox (i.e., Oriental Orthodox) as well as Russian and Greek Orthodox (i.e., Eastern Orthodox) traditions. Later, the church also operated under the name Syro-Russian Orthodox Catholic Church. The current name was adopted in 2008. This was done with the intention to better describe the origins of this Church: both the Syriac (“Oriental”) and Greek (“Eastern”) Orthodox Patriarchates of Antioch. Also, in 2008, the Synod of Bishops voted unanimously to return to the original mandate of this Church: to be an American Orthodox Church which uses a Western-style Liturgy.
Official Site: https://rbsocc.org/
Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church: Congregations (2020)1
Top 5 Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2 | Alaska | 1 | -- | -- |
| 3 | Hawaii | 1 | -- | -- |
| 4 | New Jersey | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 1 | -- | -- |
Top 5 Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego County, CA | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2 | Anchorage Municipality, AK | 1 | -- | -- |
| 3 | Maui County, HI | 1 | -- | -- |
| 4 | Monmouth County, NJ | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5 | Mercer County, PA | 1 | -- | -- |
Top 5 Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2 | Anchorage, AK Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
| 3 | Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
| 4 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5 | Paris, TX Micro Area | 1 | -- | -- |
Syriac-Greek Antiochian Orthodox Catholic Church, Trends (2008 - 2010)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 22,895 | 212 | 180 |
| 2009 | 20,020 | 169 | 207 |
| 2010 | 17,108 | 146 | 160 |
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.
