The Orthodox Church in America (OCA/TOCA) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, currently led by Metropolitan Herman (Swaiko). Image File history File links OCA-logo. ... In hierarchical Christian churches, especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, autocephaly is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. ... Pentecost - Pentecost is considered in Eastern Orthodoxy to be the Birth of the Church. ...

It began with the missionary work of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands with the arrival of eight monks, led by Archimandrite Ioasef, at Kodiak Island on September 24, 1794. This mission was created as a separate Diocese of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands on June 10, 1870 after the sale of Alaska to the United States. By the late nineteenth century, the center of church activity moved to the northeastern United States as Slavic immigrants, largely of Carpathian and Galician stock, returned to the Orthodox Church from the Unia under the leadership of Father Alexis Toth (canonized in 1994 by the OCA as St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre). A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... The Russian Orthodox Church (also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church of Russia) (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs and primates of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq. ... Looking down the Aleutians from an airplane. ... A “Monk” is a person who practices asceticism, the conditioning of mind and body in favor of the spirit. ... Archimandrite (Greek: ἀρχιμανδρίτης - archimandrites) is a title in the Greek Orthodox Church for a superior abbot who has the supervision of several abbots and monasteries appointed by a bishop. ... Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Slavic peoples are defined by their usage of the Slavic languages. ... The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA) is, according to its 1929 constitution, a social, friendly, humanitarian, charitable, educational, institutional, constructive and expansive society, and is founded by persons desiring to the utmost to work for the general uplift of the people of African ancestry of the... Alexis Toth (St. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Wilkes-Barre (IPA: , , or [1]) is a city located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, of which it is the county seat. ...

As the diocesan bishop from 1897 to 1907, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) led the expanding growth of the church in the United States; in recognition of the expansion of the diocese beyond Alaska, he petitioned the Holy Synod in Moscow to change the diocese's title to the Diocese of the Aleutians and North America. This was approved in February 1900. 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Saint Tikhon of Moscow (January 19, 1865 – 7 April 1925), born Vasily Ivanovich Belavin (Василий Иванович Белавин in Russian), was the Patriarch and all Russias of the Russian Orthodox Church during the early years of the Soviet Union, 1917 through 1925. ... In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: ) is the capital of Russia and the countrys principal political, economic, financial, educational and transportation center, located on the river Moskva. ... 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday. ...

In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution brought communication between the churches in North America and Russia to an almost complete halt. In the early 1920s, Tikhon (then Patriarch of Moscow) directed all Russian Orthodox churches outside of Russia to govern themselves autonomously until regular communication and travel could be resumed. (He died in 1925, and was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1989). At that time, parishes that had been part of a single North American Diocese organized separate dioceses and placed themselves under various other mother churches, giving rise to the current situation of multiple overlapping jurisdictions in North America. 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ... The following is a list of Russian Orthodox metropolitans and patriarchs of Moscow along with when they served: Metropolitans Maximus ( 1283- 1305) Peter ( 1308- 1326) Theognostus ( 1328- 1353) Alexius ( 1354- 1378) Cyprian ( 1381- 1382), ( 1390- 1406) Pimen ( 1382- 1384) Dionysius I ( 1384- 1385) Photius ( 1408- 1431) Isidore the Apostate ( 1437... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Various religions treat the details of such a person differently and their viewpoints are seen below. ... The Russian Orthodox Church (also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church of Russia) (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs and primates of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the early 1960s, the Orthodox Church in America (then using the name Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America) resumed communication with the Patriarch of Moscow, and in 1970 full communion was restored. At that time, the Patriarch of Moscow officially granted the OCA autocephaly, or self-governing administrative status. The OCA's autocephaly is not currently recognized by all other autocephalous Orthodox Churches (e.g., the Church of Constantinople). This is essentially an administrative matter, however, and most of these churches recognize the OCA as canonical and its sacraments as valid. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... In hierarchical Christian churches, especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, autocephaly is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. ... The Orthodox Church of Constantinople is one of the fifteen autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. ... Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. ...

Within the past twenty years, the OCA has established more than 220 new parishes. It is a member of the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America (SCOBA), together with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCA) and the other member jurisdictions. Serious consideration has been given recently to a possible merger between the OCA and the AOCA. Both groups share a significant common history, in that a Syrian priest, Father Raphael Hawaweeny, was sent by the Moscow Patriarchate in the late 19th century as a missionary to Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians living in North America. Raphael was ordained a bishop in 1904, and his flock eventually became the AOCA. Bishop Raphael was canonized in March of 2000 by both the OCA and AOCA as St. Raphael of Brooklyn. 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 Archdiocese of America is a jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Patriarch of Constantinople. ... The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (often referred to simply as the Antiochian Archdiocese) is the sole jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada with exclusive jurisdiction over the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in those countries, though these faithful were originally cared for by the... Saint Raphael of Brooklyn (November 20, 1860 - February 27, 1915) was born as Raphael Hawaweeny in Damascus, Syria. ... Saint Basils Cathedral, a well-known Russian Orthodox church situated in Moscow The Russian Orthodox Church (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs and primates of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arab Christians are people who are ethnically Arab or culturally and linguistically Arabized and who follow the religion of Christianity. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Name

According to Bishop Tikhon (Fitzgerald), Bishop of San Francisco and Los Angeles, the official name of this jurisdiction is The Orthodox Church in America, and its acronym should be TOCA. There has not yet been any official announcement from the central administration of the church, and the former uses (Orthodox Church in America and OCA) remain the most common both within and outside the jurisdiction. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ...

According to the 1970 Tomos of Autocephaly granted by the Russian Orthodox Church, the official name of this church body is The Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America[1]. The Russian Orthodox Church (also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church of Russia) (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs and primates of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ...

References

• Constance J. Tarasar (Gen. Ed.) Orthodox America: The Orthodox Church in America Syosett, New York 1975

External links

• The Orthodox Church in America Official webpage of the Orthodox Church in America.
• Orthodox Church in America (OrthodoxWiki article)
• Tomos of Autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church
• OCANews.org: Orthodox Christians for Accountability, a website critical of the OCA's administration
• Accountability article in Washington Post
• Life of Alexis Toth (St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre)
• Fr. Thomas Hopko on unity of OCA and AOCA

This article is part of the series on Eastern Christianity — Also see the Eastern Christianity Portal