The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquarted in New York City, is an eparchy of the Church of Constantinople. Its current primate is His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis) of America. Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Christian theology is reasoned discourse concerning... Greek Orthodox Church can refer to any of several hierarchical churches within the larger group of mutually recognizing Eastern Orthodox churches: the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... Ecclesiastical polity is the operational and governance structure of a church or Christian denomination. ... It has been suggested that episcopal be merged into this article or section. ... The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox communion. ... The Church of Greece is one of the fifteenth autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches which make up the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word, authentically latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as rule over something, but has the following specific meanings, both in political history and in the hierarchy of eastern churches. ... This article is on the institution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. ... Archbishop Demetrios Demetrios, Archbishop of America (born Demetrios Trakatellis) is the current primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ...

History

Before the establishment of a Greek Archdiocese in the Western Hemisphere there were numerous communities of Greek Orthodox Christians. The first Greek Orthodox community in the Americas was founded in 1864, in New Orleans, Louisiana by a small colony of Greek merchants. History also records that on June 26, 1768, the first Greek colonists landed at St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in America. The first permanent community was founded in New York City in 1892, today’s Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and the See of the Archbishop of America. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America was incorporated in 1921 and officially recognized by the State of New York in 1922. The following is a list of monasteries and sketes, both male and female, in America. ... Christ the Saviour Seminary in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is the seminary for the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese (ACROD), a self-governing diocese within the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. ... The Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Holy Cross) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian seminary located in Brookline, Massachusetts. ... Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary is a higher learning institution in Jordanville, New York under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. ... Saint Herman’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is an Orthodox Christian seminary located in Kodiak, Alaska with a campus in Anchorage. ... Saint Tikhons Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan Township, Pennsylvania, is one of three institutions of professional theological education in the Orthodox Church in America. ... St. ... The St. ... Saint Vladimirs Orthodox Theological Seminary is an Orthodox Christian seminary located in Crestwood, New York in the United States. ... International Orthodox Christian Charities, Inc. ... The Orthodox Christian Education Commission is an agency of SCOBA. It was founded in 1957 by a group of Orthodox theologians and educators as a forum where they could exchange ideas and search for solutions to common educational problems. ... The Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) is an independently organized movement of Orthodox Christian laity and clergy who are involved with Orthodox Renewal in the Americas. ... The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is an Orthodox Christian missions organization based in the USA and supported by all the jurisdictions of the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America (SCOBA). ... Originally founded in the 1960s, the Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement (OISM) seeks to foster prayer, fellowship, and cooperation among seminarians of the Orthodox Church from across the North American continent. ... The Orthodox Theological Society in America (OTSA), was organized with the help of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) as a way promote Orthodox theology, fellowship and cooperation among Orthodox Christians. ... The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) is an Eastern Orthodox organization designed to help cooperation among the canonical Orthodox Christian jurisdictions to be found in the Americas. ... The Evangelical Orthodox Church is an Eastern Orthodox Christian movement with its origins in Evangelical Protestantism, particularly in the Campus Crusade for Christ student missionary organization, that came to embrace an Eastern tradition of Christianity. ... The St. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1908, the Church of Greece received authority over the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese but in 1922, Patriarch Meletios IV transferred the archdiocese back to the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople. In 1996, the one Archdiocese was split by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, dividing the administration of the two continents into four parts (America, Canada, Central America, and South America) and leaving only the territory of the United States for the Archdiocese of America. The Church of Greece is one of the fifteenth autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches which make up the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... This article is on the institution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. ...

Recent history

In recent years, there has been much tension between the Archdiocese and the current Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I, especially regarding the level of autonomy the former has with regard to the latter. One of the important incidents in this ongoing tension was the (allegedly forced) retirement in 1996 of Archbishop Iakovos after his leadership during the Ligonier Meeting in 1994, where many of the Orthodox hierarchs in America came together to begin the formation of a unified Orthodox Church of America. Iakovos was replaced with Archbishop Spyridon, whose 'tempestuous' tenure as archbishop lasted only 3 years, seeing his retirement in 1999 and replacement by the current Archbishop, Demetrios. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I (Greek: Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος Α) has been the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and thus first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Communion, since 2 November 1991. ... Iakovos Archbishop of America (July 29, 1911- April 10, 2005)[1] was the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America from 1959 until his resignation on 1996. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

A strong movement of laity in the Archdiocese has been engaged in the tensions with Constantinople, as well, especially a particular group known as Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL), which includes some of the wealthiest members of the Archdiocese. In 2004, 35 plaintiffs unsuccessfully sued Archbishop Demetrios and the Greek Archdiocese in an attempt to force it to invalidate the 2003 charter granted by Constantinople; their lawsuit stated that the Greek hierarchy had imposed the rewritten charter without approval from delegates at the national Clergy-Laity Congress, violating the terms of the 1978 charter. The main aim of the suit was to attempt to gain more autonomy from the Church of Constantinople, especially regarding the choice of the American Archdiocese's primate. Archbishop Demetrios Demetrios, Archbishop of America (born Demetrios Trakatellis) is the current primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ... This article is on the institution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. ...

The suit met with condemnation by the Greek hierarchy in America, which stated that the plaintiffs had "sued Christ Himself" (a quote from Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago). It was eventually dismissed by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, on grounds that the Greek Archdiocese was hierarchical and therefore acting within its proper bounds, that the courts did not have the authority to intervene in such matters. His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos (Garmatis) of Chicago was elected to the episcopacy of the Greek Orthodox Church by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1969. ...

OCL continues to organize resistance to what it regards as papal pretensions on the part of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

Many Greek Orthodox Christians believe OCL expresses a deeply unorthodox view of the Church and the role of the laity in church governance.

Organization

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is composed of an Archdiocesan District (New York City) and eight metropolises (or dioceses): New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston and Denver.[1] It is governed by the Archbishop and the Eparchial Synod of Metropolitans. The Synod is headed by the Archbishop (as the first among equals) and comprises the Metropolitans who oversee the ministry and operations of their respective metropolises. It has all the authority and responsibility which the Church canons provide for a provincial synod.[2] Cities with at least a million inhabitants in 2006 A metropolis (in Greek μήτηρ, mētēr = mother and πόλις, pólis = city/town) is a big city[1], in most cases with over half a million inhabitants in the city proper, and with a population of at least one million living... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago is an ecclesiastical territory or metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Chicago region of the United States. ... The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Pacific region of the United States, encompassing the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. ... The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church in the New England region of the United States. ...

There are more than 500 parishes, 800 priests and approximately 440,000 to 2 million faithful in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, depending on the source of reports and the counting method being used. [3] The number of parishes in the Greek Archdiocese rose by about 9% in the decade from 1990 to 2000, and membership growth has largely been in terms of existing members having children. [4] A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

The Archdiocese receives within its ranks and under its spiritual aegis and pastoral care Orthodox Christians, who either as individuals or as organized groups in the Metropolises and Parishes have voluntarily come to it and which acknowledge the ecclesiastical and canonical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This article is on the institution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. ...

The Archdiocese also includes 21 monastic communities, 17 of which were founded by Elder Ephraim (former abbot of Philotheou Monastery (Athos)). The largest of these is St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery (Florence, Arizona). Monasticism (from Greek: monachos — a solitary person) is the religious practice in which one renounces worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ...

Additionally, one seminary is operated by the Greek Archdiocese, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, which educates not only Greek Archdiocese seminarians but also those from other jurisdictions, as well. For the Ecuadorian artist, see Manuel Rendón Seminario. ... The Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Holy Cross) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian seminary located in Brookline, Massachusetts. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is also a member of SCOBA. The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) is an Eastern Orthodox organization designed to help cooperation among the several Eastern Orthodox Christian jurisdictions to be found in the Americas. ...

The Episcopacy

Diocesan bishops

• Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis) of America
• Metropolitan Iakovos (Krinis) of Chicago
• Metropolitan Maximos (Aghiorgoussis) of Pittsburgh
• Metropolitan Methodios (Tournas) of Boston
• Metropolitan Isaiah (Chronopoulos) of Denver
• Metropolitan Alexios (Panagiotopoulos) of Atlanta
• Metropolitan Nicholas (Pissare) of Detroit
• Metropolitan Gerasimos (Michaleas) of San Francisco
• Metropolitan Evangelos (Kourounis) of New Jersey

(this correction indicates the actual hierarchical seniority order and formal listing of the bishops) Archbishop Demetrios Demetrios, Archbishop of America (born Demetrios Trakatellis) is the current primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ... His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos (Garmatis) of Chicago was elected to the episcopacy of the Greek Orthodox Church by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1969. ... His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios (Tournas) of Boston, is the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston which includes all of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont and the Connecticut towns of Danielson, Enfield, New London and Norwich. ...

Auxiliary bishops

• Bishop Dimitrios (Couchell) of Xanthos - assigned to the Archdiocese
• Bishop Savas (Zembillas) of Troas - Chancellor of the Archdiocesan District
• Bishop Andonios (Paropoulos) of Phasiane - assigned to the Archdiocese
• Bishop Demetrios (Kantzavelos) of Mokissos - assigned to the Metropolis of Chicago

Archbishops of America

• Alexander (Demoglou), 1922-1930
• Athenagoras (Spyrou), 1931-1948
• Michael (Konstantinides), 1948-1958
• Iakovos (Coucouzis), 1959-1996
• Spyridon (Papageorge), 1996-1999
• Demetrios (Trakatellis), 1999-present

His All Holiness Athenagoras I, by the grace of God, Archbishop of Constantinople New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch (Greek: Πατριάρχης Αθηναγόρας, born Aristokles Spyrou / Αριστοκλής Σπύρου) (March 25, 1886 - July 6/7, 1972) was the 268th Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1948 to 1972. ... Iakovos Archbishop of America (July 29, 1911- April 10, 2005)[1] was the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America from 1959 until his resignation on 1996. ... Archbishop Demetrios Demetrios, Archbishop of America (born Demetrios Trakatellis) is the current primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ...

Former diocesan hierarchs

• Metropolitan Anthony (Gergiannakis) of San Francisco, deceased

• Bishop Philip of Atlanta, deceased
• Bishop Timothy of Detroit, deceased
• Bishop Anthimos of Denver, removed from position

External links

• Official Website of the Archdiocese
• Official Website of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople