Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox) - American Family Tree [Return to List of Trees]
The Eastern Liturgical (Orthodox) family represents one of the three great divisions of Christianity; the others are the Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic and Orthodox churches were originally united, but they parted in the 11th century, when they differed over several points of doctrine, including the supreme authority of the pope, which Orthodox Christians reject. Since the 20th century, the Catholic and Orthodox churches have made greater efforts toward reconciliation. Churches in the Eastern Liturgical family include the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Orthodox Church in America.
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| Religious Group | Founded | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Polish National Catholic Church of America | 1897 | The Polish National Catholic Church of America is an independent Old Catholic jurisdiction founded in the 1890s by former members of the Roman Catholic Church of Polish ancestry under the leadership of Bishop Francis Hodur. |
| Old Catholic Archdiocese for the Americas and Europe | 1940 | Joseph Zielonka, a former priest of the Polish National Catholic Church, established the Old Catholic Archdiocese for the Americas and Europe in 1940. |
| Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America | 1928 | The first distinctly ethnic Ukrainian Orthodox parish in America, Holy Trinity, was founded in 1915 in Chicago by Fr. Gregory Chomycky. Later, it became the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cathedral on Cortez Street. In the early 1900s, the Ukrainian immigrants in America were increasingly aware of their particular ethnic identity – a process which was reinforced by the short-lived independence of the Ukraine as a state (1918-21) before it was absorbed into the Soviet Union. In 1924, Archbishop John (Theodorovich) arrived from the Ukraine and assumed the leadership over the newly formed American-Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. Under his administration, the Church saw rapid growth. However, Archbishop John had been sent to America by the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which only existed in the Ukraine during 1921-27, by which time the Communist government had arrested all its bishops and most of the clergy. Because this Autocephalous Church had not received canonical recognition by other Orthodox Churches throughout the world, the validity of Archbishop John’s Episcopal ordination was questioned by many clergy and church members. As a result, in 1929, a rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church body was formed: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. In 1936, it was recognized and accepted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which solidified its status as a “canonical” (“lawful”) Church. The two Ukrainian Orthodox groups existed until the arrival (1947) of Archbishop Mstyslav (Skrypnyk), a bishop of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which had been re-established in the territories of Eastern Poland and Western Ukraine during the period of occupation by German Nazis. Archbishop Mstyslav was instrumental in merging most parishes of Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (1950). Still, some Ukrainian Orthodox clergy and parishes refused to join the unified Church. As a result, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, although much smaller, continued to exist. In 1995, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA was also accepted into the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. This event finalized the recognition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA by other Orthodox Churches and led to the complete absorption of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. |
| Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. | 1915 | The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC) is a US-based autonomous church under the spiritual supervision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey. The history of the UOC goes back to 1915, when the first Ukrainian Orthodox parish, Holy Trinity, was founded in Chicago by Fr. Gregory Chomycky. Later, it became the St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cathedral on Cortez Street. The Ukrainian immigrants in America were increasingly aware of their distinct ethnic identity – a process which was reinforced by the short-lived independence of Ukraine as a state (1918-21) before it was absorbed into the Soviet Union. Some ethnically Ukrainian parishes and clergy from other Orthodox and Eastern Catholic (“Uniate”) groups decided that they should have their own Church. In 1924, Archbishop John (Theodorovich) arrived from Ukraine and assumed the leadership over the newly formed American-Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. Under his administration, the Church saw rapid growth. However, Archbishop John had been sent to America by the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which only existed in the Ukraine during 1921-27, by which time the Communist government had arrested all its bishops and most of the clergy. Because this Autocephalous Church had not yet received canonical recognition by other Orthodox Churches throughout the world, the validity of Archbishop John’s Episcopal ordination was questioned by many clergy and lay church members. As a result, in 1929, the second rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church body was formed, which was called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. In 1936, it was recognized and accepted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which solidified its status as “canonical” (“lawful”) Church. The two Ukrainian Orthodox groups existed until the arrival (1947) of Archbishop Mstyslav (Skrypnyk), a bishop of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which had been re-established in the territories of Eastern Poland and Western Ukraine during the period of occupation by German Nazis. Archbishop Mstyslav was instrumental in merging most parishes of Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (1950). In 1995, the UOC of USA was accepted as an autonomous Church into the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, an event that finalized the recognition of the UOC of the USA by other Orthodox Churches. The present-day membership of UOC is very diverse: second- and third-generation Ukrainian-Americans, new immigrants from the post-Communist Ukraine, and American converts to the Orthodox faith (former Roman Catholics and Protestants). The center of the UOC of the USA is in Bound Brook, NJ. The extensive complex includes the Consistory administrative offices, St. Andrew Memorial Church, cemetery, mausoleum, St. Sophia Seminary, museum, the Archive and Research Center, and the Ukrainian Cultural Center. The best examples of traditional Ukrainian church architecture in the United States include St. Katherine Parish, Arden Hills, MN; St. Andrew Cathedral, Silver Spring, MD; St. Andrew Parish, Boston, MA; St. Andrew Parish, Los Angeles, CA; St. Vladimir Cathedral, Parma, OH; St. Mary Protectress, Rochester, NY; St. Mary Cathedral, Southfield, MI; St. Luke Parish, Warners, NY; and Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Youngstown, OH. |
| Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America | 1794 | The Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America was a predecessor of the current Orthodox Church in America. Historically, it began in 1794 with the arrival of ten Orthodox monks from Russia to Kodiak Island in Alaska, then part of Russian America. By the beginning of the 20th century, this mission to the native peoples of Alaska had evolved into the North American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. It grew considerably due to the arrival of immigrants not only from Russia, but also from Eastern and Central Europe, and from the Middle East. At that time, the other – non-Russian – Orthodox Christian ethnic groups did not have their own bishops in America, and most of them were united under a single North American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. In the wake of the chaos caused by the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Tikhon, directed all his parishes and dioceses outside of Russia to govern themselves autonomously. In 1924, the North American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church became a self-governing Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America (also known popularly as "Russian Metropolia"). In 1970, this Church was granted autocephaly (full independence) by the "Mother Church," the Russian Orthodox Church, and was renamed the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). |
| Orthodox Church in America, The | 1970 | If measuring by number of congregations (560 as of 2020), the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is the largest American Orthodox Christian Church. Known under its current name since 1970, its history stretches back to 1794, when ten Russian Orthodox monks arrived at Kodiak Island in Alaska. By the beginning of the 20th century, this mission to the native peoples of Alaska evolved into a North American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. It grew considerably, due to the arrival of immigrants not only from Russia, but also from Eastern and Central Europe and the Middle East. At that time, the non-Russian ethnic groups of Orthodox Christians did not have their own bishops in America, so most of them were united under a single North American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. In the wake of the chaos caused by the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Tikhon, directed all his parishes and dioceses outside of Russia to govern themselves autonomously. In 1924, the North American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church became a self-governing Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America (also known popularly as "Metropolia"). In 1970, this Church was granted autocephaly (full independence) by the "Mother Church," the Russian Orthodox Church, and was renamed as the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Unlike most other Orthodox Christian Church bodies in the USA, the OCA does not have an affinity towards any particular ethnic group: typically worship services are in English, the majority of clergy and members are born in the USA, and about half of them are converts to Orthodox Christianity (i.e., former Roman Catholics and Protestants). Founded in 1905, the OCA’s St. Tikhon’s Orthodox monastery is the oldest Orthodox Christian monastery in the United States. The OCA produced many prominent Orthodox theologians and historians, including Fr. George Florovsky, Fr. Alexander Schmemann, and Fr. John Meyendorff. Established in 1938, St. Vladimir Orthodox seminary (Yonkers, NY) became a graduate school of theology and academic center, with students representing various Orthodox Churches, both Eastern and Oriental. Each August, the rich history of the OCA comes alive in the annual pilgrimage to the abode of St. Herman (one of original ten Russian missionary monks and the first American Orthodox saint) on Spruce Island, near Kodiak Island in Alaska. |
| Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Toledo, and Dependencies in North America | 1936 | The Orthodox Church of Antioch is one of four ancient Orthodox Patriarchates. Headquartered in Damascus, Syria, this Church was historically composed of Orthodox Christian Arabs residing in the present-day Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq. The Antiochian Orthodox immigrants began arriving in large numbers to America from what was then the Ottoman Empire in the early 1890s. From 1895 to 1915, these Antiochians were united into a “Syro-Arabian Mission” which was part of the Russian Orthodox Church. They were led by the charismatic Raphael Hawaweeny, the first Orthodox bishop consecrated on American soil, who was later (2000) glorified as Saint Raphael of Brooklyn. After Bishop Raphael’s death (1915) and following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia (1917), the Antiochian Orthodox in America were divided into rival groups. Two major factions were formed in 1936. One, headquartered in New York, was led by Archbishop Anthony (Bashir), who recognized the supremacy of the Patriarch of the Church of Antioch. The second group was centered in Toledo, OH and it was presided over by Archbishop Samuel (David), who maintained closer relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. It has become known as “Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Toledo and Dependencies.” This group consisted mainly of clergy and parishioners from the Zahle region of Lebanon, and as such was ethnically and regionally defined. As a result, over time, it shrank in size. In contrast, the Archdiocese of New York, under Archbishop Antony, began to introduce the use of English into the church services and thus expanded its horizons and membership. In 1975, the Toledo group ceased to exist and merged with the New York Archdiocese now under the leadership of Metropolitan Philip (Saliba), the successor of Metropolitan Anthony. Together they formed the present-day Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. |
| Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America | 1936 | The Orthodox Church of Antioch is one of four ancient Orthodox Patriarchates. Headquartered in Damascus, Syria, this Church was historically composed of Orthodox Christian Arabs residing in the present-day Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq. The Antiochian Orthodox immigrants began arriving in large numbers to America from what was then Ottoman Empire in the early 1890s. From 1895 to 1915, these Antiochian Orthodox were united into a “Syro-Arabian Mission” which was part of the Russian Orthodox Church. They were led by the charismatic Raphael Hawaweeny, the first Orthodox bishop consecrated on American soil, who was later (2000) glorified as Saint Raphael of Brooklyn. After Bishop Raphael’s death (1915) and following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia (1917), the Antiochians in America were divided into rival groups. Two major factions were formed in 1936. One, headquartered in New York, was led by Archbishop Anthony (Bashir), who recognized the supremacy of the Patriarch of the Church of Antioch. The second group was centered in Toledo, OH and it was presided over by Archbishop Samuel (David), who maintained closer relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. It has become known as “Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Toledo and Dependencies.” The group of Archbishop Samuel consisted mainly of clergy and parishioners from the Zahle region of Lebanon. It became ethnically and regionally defined and, as a result, over time, shrank in size. In contrast, the Archdiocese of New York, under Archbishop Antony, began to introduce the use of English into the church services and thus expanded its horizons and membership. In 1975, the Toledo group ceased to exist and merged with the New York Archdiocese now under the leadership of Metropolitan Philip (Saliba), the successor of Metropolitan Anthony. Together they formed the present-day Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. One of the most significant events in the history of the Archdiocese took place in 1987, when several thousand members of the Protestant “Evangelical Orthodox Church” joined the Archdiocese. This was the largest mass conversion in the history of American Orthodox Christianity. The membership of the modern-day Antiochian Archdiocese is comprised of three different demographic groups: American-born descendants of the original Arab immigrants, Arabs who emigrated from the Middle East in recent decades, and American converts to Orthodoxy who were formerly Protestant or Roman Catholic. As a result, there is a considerable variation in the church and worship practices. Most congregations worship in English, but many also use a great deal of Arabic for the benefit of recent immigrants. Some clergy adhere to very traditional outward practices, such as wearing black cassocks and long beards. Others prefer a more Western appearance. The Antiochian Archdiocese has produced several important organizations for American Orthodox Christianity including Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry which ministers to hundreds of inmates, regardless of religion. Ancient Faith Radio – originally a grassroots enterprise within the Antiochian Archdiocese - has become the largest Orthodox Christian web-based media outlet and publishing house in the U.S. |
| True Orthodox Church of Greece (Holy Synod in Resistance): American Exarchate | 1986 | The American Exarchate of the True Orthodox Church of Greece was part of the Holy Synod in Resistance (also known as the “Metropolitan Cyprian Synod”), one of several Orthodox Old Calendarist groups in Greece which existed between 1986 and 2014. After WWI, many Orthodox churches moved away from the “Old” Julian liturgical calendar, instead adopting the “New” Gregorian calendar, which is 13 days ahead of the Julian and is also used in the secular world. In 1924, this reform was introduced in the Orthodox Church of Greece which caused strong opposition among some clergy and laity. The calendar question as such was, however, only one of the causes for resistance. The opposition saw the adoption of the new calendar as a symbol of the strengthening ecumenical movement and the growing influence of other, non-Orthodox, Christian Churches. In this opposition view, the purity of the Orthodox faith was being compromised. Originally led by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Florina, those opposed to the new calendar became known as the Old Calendarists, or the Church of True Orthodox Christians of Greece. In the past, the Old Calendarists were actively persecuted in Greece (especially in the 1950s), which resulted in their immigration to the U.S., where they founded various Greek Old Calendar churches. They are recognizable by the absence of electric lighting and pews, and certain practices including traditional Byzantine chant and frequent all-night vigils. Back in Greece, the Old Calendarist community was plagued by internal divisions and ultimately fractured into several groups. One of the most sizeable was the Holy Synod in Resistance, also known as Metropolitan Cyprian Synod. Formed in 1985, this group has followers in the U.S. who were united into the American Exarchate (later, Archdiocese of Etna), with its center in the monastery of St. Gregory Palamas in Etna, CA. Unlike most other Old Calendarist groups, the group of Metropolitan Cyprian did not consider mainline Orthodox Churches to be “schismatic” and were willing to share sacraments with them, but still considered the adoption of the New Calendar a grave error. In 2014, after long negotiations, the Synod in Resistance merged with the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece (most sizeable of all Old Calendarist groups) and ceased to exist. Most churches and monasteries in the American Exarchate joined the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of America, which is a semi-autonomous part of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece. |
| Holy Orthodox Church in North America | 1988 | The Holy Orthodox Church in North America (HOCNA) is an Old-Calendar (following the “old” Julian Church calendar), traditionalist, and conservative Orthodox Church. It was formed in 1986-88 by merging American congregations of the Church of the True Orthodox Christians of Greece and congregations which left the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). The Church of the True Orthodox Christians of Greece had been originally formed as a result of the 1935 schism in the Orthodox Church of Greece which occurred over the issue of the adoption of the new (Gregorian) as opposed to the old (Julian) church calendar. The group of bishops who refused to accept changes formed what would eventually become the Church of the True Orthodox Christians. In the late 1960s, the immigration influx from Greece resulted in the establishment of many Greek Old-Calendarist congregations in America. The Holy Transfiguration Monastery and the Holy Nativity Convent in Brookline, MA (near Boston) became spiritual and administrative centers of HOCNA. Holy Transfiguration was the first monastery in North America to follow the so-called Athonite typicon - the rule of life and worship followed by Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos, Greece. The members of HOCNA consider “ecumenism” as a heresy that undermines the purity and uniqueness of the Orthodox faith. Accordingly, HOCNA perceives the mainstream Orthodox Churches to be enmeshed in this heresy because of their involvement with the World Council of Churches. HOCNA also did not recognize the outcomes of the 1964 meeting of Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenegoras of Constantinople which resulted in a mutual lifting of the anathemas of 1054 between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. HOCNA recognizes as fellow Orthodox Christians only those who hold the same ecclesiology and theological stance as the HOCNA does, and it maintains relations with Old-Calendarist groups in Greece, Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and other countries. Many of the founding fathers of HOCNA are of Greek ancestry. Therefore, most of the local parishes and monastic communities use Byzantine Chant (which is typical for Greek Orthodox) with occasional Russian-style church choir singing. The worship services are held primarily in English. The churches and chapels have very traditional layout: without pews and with very limited use of electrical lighting. HOCNA is known for its publishing work. English translations of various church books are prepared at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery and are used throughout the English-speaking world. |
| Western Orthodox Christian Church | 1911 | The Western Orthodox Christian Church is an independent Church body which is not recognized by the mainstream Orthodox Churches as “canonical” (“lawful”). The Church was founded in 1911, when Archbishop Arnold Harris Mathew, representing the Old Catholic Church in Great Britain, converted to the Orthodox faith. The first leader of this Church in America was the missionary bishop from Scotland, Rudolph de Landas Berghes. The Church was originally known under the name the Old Roman Catholic Western Orthodox Church. In worship practices, the Western Orthodox Church uses the Western Rite, namely the Liturgy of St. Gregory (also known as Tridentine Mass), celebrated either in English or Latin. |
| Apostolic Orthodox Catholic Church of North America | 1989 | The Apostolic Orthodox Catholic Church was founded in the 1980s by several independent Orthodox bishops, most of whom had formerly been associated with the Western Orthodox Church in America. |
| Old Catholic Church in America | 1917 | The Old Catholic Church in America is a small independent Catholic jurisdiction founded in 1917 by Archbishop W. H. Francis Brothers. In 1962, the association joined the Russian Orthodox Church, leaving to recreate the Old Catholic Church in America in 1967, and in 1975, the Old Catholic Church of Texas joined the Old Catholic Church in America. Following the 2011 Milan Synod, core parts of the Old Catholic Church in America reorganized into the Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of North and South America and the British Isles. |
| Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of North and South America and the British Isles | 2011 | The Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of North and South America and the British Isles is an ultraconservative Old Calendarist (also known as “True Orthodox”) Church body which rejects the use of the “New” (Gregorian) Church calendar, condemns ecumenical relations with other – non-Orthodox – Christian Churches, and is not in communion with mainstream Orthodox Churches. Originally, this group was part of the True Orthodox Church of Greece, then it joined another Old Calendarist group called the Holy Synod of Milan. In February of 2011, the Synod of Milan granted the Metropolia an autonomous self-governing status. In April 2011, after the Holy Synod of Milan released a statement about fraternal relations with the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Metropolia ceased communion with and broke entirely from the Holy Synod of Milan. The reason for separation was "the fact that the European Metropolia ('Milan Synod in Europe') broke communion with her sister churches, over her desire to unite with the World Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, which has been condemned by the European Metropolia's former Sister Synods in America, Greece, Bulgaria, and Russia." The Metropolia also issued a clergy confession reiterating its full rejection of Ecumenism, Sergianism, Modernism, and the New Calendar. The Metropolia is a member of the International Union of Genuine Orthodox Churches. Headquartered at Holy Name Abbey (West Milford, NJ), the Metropolia has churches in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines. |
| Holy Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in Exile | 1951 | The Holy Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in Exile traced its roots to the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church. It was founded in New York in 1951 by Archbishops Palladii Rudenko and Ihor Huba. After 1954, the Church was an autonomous body under the spiritual supervision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its members were primarily post-WWII Ukrainian immigrants to America. In 1980, the Church ceased to exist, when a majority of clergy and faithful joined the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA. |
| Holy Greek Pan Orthodox Autocephalous Archdiocese of Canada and America with the Holy Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Archdiocese in Exile (Blessings of Kiev) | 1951 | The Holy Greek Pan Orthodox Autocephalous Archdiocese of Canada and America with the Holy Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Archdiocese in Exile (Blessings of Kiev) is an independent Orthodox Church body which is not in communion with mainstream Orthodox Churches. Its history began in 1951 in New York, when Archbishop Palladii (Vydybida-Rudenko) founded the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church in Exile. In 1954, it was recognized by and accepted into the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, thereby granting the Ukrainian Church in Exile a legitimate status in the eyes of the other Orthodox Churches. After the death of Archbishop Palladii (1971), the Church became dormant and by 1980 it ceased to exist, with the majority of its clergy and members joining the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. Later, however, this Church body was revived and reincorporated under the name Holy Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Exile (Blessings of Kiev). In 2006, the current head of the Church, Archbishop Haralambos (Gonatas) issued the statement indicating that, “with the current state of affairs within the Ukraine, it is our position to remain at a distance from the struggle and enjoy our status to be self-governing that was granted to us many years ago by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.” Being ethnically Greek, Archbishop Haralambos is attempting to widen the Church’s reach beyond the Ukrainian community. Hence, the change of the name to the present “Holy Greek Pan Orthodox Autocephalous Archdiocese of Canada and America with the Holy Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Archdiocese in Exile (Blessings of Kiev).” |
| Christ Catholic Exarchate of Americas and Eastern Hemisphere | c. 1980 | Sometime around the early 1980s, the Old Catholic Archdiocese for the Americas and Europe changed its name to the Christ Catholic Exarchate of Americas and Eastern Hemisphere. Under its new name, the association was led by Peter A. Zurawetzky in New Jersey. |
