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[[Image:Raphael_Morgan.jpg|right|frame|An undated photograph.]]
Very Rev '''Raphael Morgan''' (born Robert Josias Morgan) (186?/187? - ?) was a Jamaican-American [[priest]] of the [[Church_of_Greece|Greek Orthodox ChurchEcumenical Patriarchate]], later the founder and superiour superior of the Order of the Cross of Golgotha, and seemingly probably the first Black black Orthodox clergyman in America. He spoke broken Greek, and therefore served mostly in English. Having recently been discovered, his life has garnered great interest, but much of his life still remains shrouded in mystery. Fr Raphael is said to have resided all over the world, including: in Palestine, Syria, Joppa, Greece, Cyprus, Miylene, Chios, Sicily, Egypt, Russia, Turkey, Austria, Germany, England, France, Scandinavia, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Bermuda, and the United States.
==Early Life==
By the turn of the 20th century, Robert already began to question his faith, and began to study Anglicanism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy to find what he felt was the true religion. He decided on Orthodoxy, resigned from the Episcopalian Church, and embarked on a trip to Russia.
Once there, Robert visited various [[monastery|monasteries]] and churches, soon becoming quite the sensation. Sundry periodicals began publishing pictures and articles on him, and soon Robert became the Special Guest of the Tsar, which allowed him to be present for the anniversary celebrations of [[Nicholas_II_of_RussiaNicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II's]] coronation, and [[Memorial_ServicesMemorial Services|memorial service]] for Alexander III. Leaving Russia, Robert travelled traveled Turkey, Cyprus, and the [[Holy Land]], returning to America and writing an article to the ''Russian-American Orthodox Messenger'' in 1904 about his experience in Russia.
For three years, Robert studied under Greek priests for his [[baptism]]. In January of 1906, he is documented as ''assisting'' in the Christmas [[Divine Liturgy|liturgy]]. As there were no [[seminary|seminaries]] in America until 1911, in 1907 Robert was sent to Constantinople with two letters: a recommendation from a Fr Demetrios Petritis for his baptism and [[ordination]] into priesthood, and a letter of support from the Greek community of that parish that stated he could serve as an assistant priest if he failed to set up a Black church.
Robert was interviewed by [[Metropolitan]] Joachim of Pelagonia, one of the few bishops of he [[Ecumenical_Patriarchate|Œcumenical Ecumenical Patriarchate]] that could speak English. The [[metropolitan]] concluded that Robert should be baptised, chrismated, ordained, and sent back to America in order to "carry the light of the Orthodox faith among his racial brothers". In early August, Robert was baptised Raphael before 3,000 3000 people, and on the Feast feast of the [[Dormition]] of the [[Theotokos]], ordained a priest.
Fr Raphael was sent back to America with vestments, a cross, and 20lb in Sterling20 pounds sterling. He was allowed to hear [[Confessionconfessions]], but denied [[Chrism|Holy Chrism]] and an [[antimension]], presumably to attach his missionary ministry to the Philadelphia church.
Once home, around the Fall fall of 1907, Fr Raphael baptised his wife and children. In 1909, his wife filed for divorce, on the alleged charges of cruelty and failure to support their children. She left with their son Cyril to Delaware County, where she remarried.
Two years later, Fr Raphael sailed to Cyprus, presumably to be tonsured a [[monk]]. Interestingly, he was allowed to remain a priest. Possibly somewhere around this time, he founded the Order of the Cross of Golgotha.
Near the end of 1913, Fr Raphael visited his homeland of Jamaica, staying for several month until sometime the next year. While there, he met a group of Syrians, who were complaining of a lack of Orthodox church on the island. Fr Raphael did his best to contact the [[Antiochian_Orthodox_Christian_Archdiocese_of_North_America|Antiochian Archdioceses Syrian-American diocese of North America]]the Russian church, writing to St [[Raphael of Brooklyn]], but as most of their descendants are now communicants in the Episcopal Church of England, this presumably came to no avail. In December, a Russian warship came to port, and he concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with the sailors, their chaplain, and his new-found Syrians.
The main work of his visit, however, was a lecture circuit that he ran throughout Jamaica. Citing a lack of Orthodox churches, Fr Raphael would speak at churches of various denomination. The topics would usually cover his travels, the Holy Land, and Holy Orthodoxy. At some point, he even made it to his hometown of Chapelton, to whom he remarked of his name change, "I will always be Robert to you".
