Timeline of Orthodoxy in America

The History of Orthodoxy in America is complex and resists any easy categorizations or explanations.

Early Missions (1767-1900)

• 1767 A community of Orthodox Greeks establishes itself in New Smyrna, Florida.
• 1794 Missionaries, including St. Herman of Alaska, arrive at Kodiak Island, bringing Orthodoxy to Russian Alaska.
• 1864 First Orthodox parish established on American soil in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Greeks.
• 1867 Alaska purchased by the United States from Russia.
• 1868 First Russian parish established in US territory in San Francisco, California.

Beyond Alaska (1900-1918)

• 1905 St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania) founded.

Revolution and Rivalry (1918-1943)

• 1918 The Bolshevik Revolution throws the Church of Russia into chaos, effectively stranding the fledgling Russian mission in America.
• 1919 Southern Church Council meets in Stavropol at which Higher Church Administration was formed in Southern Russia.
• 1920 St. Tikhon of Moscow issues Ukaz No. 362; first session of the Higher Church Administration outside borders of Russia.
• 1921 34 ROCOR bishops meet in synod in Karlovtsy, Serbia, including Metr. Platon (Rozhdestvensky, primate of the Russian Metropolia.
• 1924 4th All-American Sobor of the Metropolia votes to establish "temporary self-government," breaking administrative ties with Moscow.
• 1926 Metr. Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of the Metropolia breaks ties with the ROCOR synod.
• 1927 ROCOR synod sends epistle to American parishes suspending Platon and his clergy; founding of the American Orthodox Catholic Church by the Russian Metropolia.
• 1933 Metr. Platon (Rozhdestvensky refuses to pledge loyalty to Moscow, which declares the Metropolia to be in schism and establishes the Exarchate of Moscow on American soil.
• 1935 "Temporary Regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad" signed by ROCOR synod in Karlovtsy, Serbia, including Metr. Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of the Metropolia, thus renewing relations; ROCOR is divided into four regions, including North America with Theophilus as the regional primate.
• 1936 Metr. Anthony (Bashir) consecrated for the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of New York; on the same day (April 19), Metropolia bishops consecrate rival Abp. Samuel (David) for the Syrians, thus solidifying a developing schism in the Antiochian faithful in the US (the "Russi-Antaaki" split).
• 1937 6th All-American Sobor of the Metropolia declares itself to report to ROCOR in matters of faith; Holy Cross Theological School founded in Pomfret, Connecticut.
• 1938 St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York) and St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania) founded; Abp. Samuel (David) of Toledo excommunicated by the Church of Antioch for disobedience to canonical order.
• 1941 Church of Antioch restores Abp. Samuel (David) of Toledo to communion and declares his diocese to be the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Toledo and Dependencies.

Emergence of American Orthodoxy (1943-1970)

• 1943 Founding of Federated Orthodox Greek Catholic Primary Jurisditions in America, a proto-SCOBA body.
• 1946 7th All-American Sobor of the Russian Metropolia breaks all ties with the ROCOR, splitting American Russian Orthodoxy in two; Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology moved to Brookline, Massachusetts.
• 1951 Arrival of Fr. Alexander Schmemann in the United States from Paris, taking up teaching duties at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York).
• 1955 Founding of the Council of Eastern Orthodox Churches of Central Massachusetts.
• 1958 Death of Metr. Samuel (David) of Toledo.
• 1960 Founding of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA).
• 1961 Consecration of Antiochian Abp. Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo.
• 1962 Antiochian Toledo archdiocese recognized by the Church of Antioch as equal to the New York archdiocese.
• 1966 Death of Metr. Anthony (Bashir); election and consecration of Philip (Saliba) as Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of New York; founding of Hellenic College (Brookline, Massachusetts).

Union and Division (1970-1994)

• 1970 Russian Metropolia reconciles with the Church of Russia and is granted autocephaly, changing its name to the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), an act is accepted by some Orthodox autocephalous churches worldwide, but condemned as uncanonical by most, including all four ancient patriarchates and the Church of Greece; the Russian Exarchate of North America is dissolved, but the majority of its parishes remain under the Church of Russia.
• 1971 ROCOR denounces Moscow's grant of autocephaly to the Metropolia; OCA receives rebel ROCOR parish in Australia.
• 1974 OCA Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish) of New York goes into semi-retirement, while his duties are taken up by Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns) of Montreal.
• 1975 "Russi-Antaaki" division in the Antiochian church in North America overcome by Metr. Philip (Saliba) of New York and Metr. Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo by the uniting of the two Syrian archdioceses into one Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, led by Metr. Philip.
• 1976 Reception into the OCA of the ROCOR's Bulgarian Diocese in Exile and its hierarch, Bishop Kyrill (Yonchev).
• 1977 OCA holds its 5th All-American Council in Montreal, electing Theodosius (Lazor) as its metropolitan, replacing the retiring Ireney (Bekish).
• 1982 Calendar schism in OCA Diocese of E. Pennsylvania; ROCOR receives multiple parishes in the area.
• 1987 Majority of the parishes of the Evangelical Orthodox Church are received into the Antiochian Archdiocese by Metr. Philip (Saliba), becoming the Antiochian Evangelical Orthodox Mission (AEOM).

Ligonier and Beyond (1994-present)

• 1994 Ligonier Meeting in Western Pennsylvania at the Antiochian Village held by the majority of Orthodox hierarchs in North America votes to do away with the notion of Orthodox Christians in America being a "diaspora" and pledges to work together in missions.
• 1996 Allegedly forced retirement of Greek Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) of America, being replaced by Spyridon (Papageorge).
• 1998 Ben Lomond Schism in the (formerly EOC) Antiochian parish of Ss. Peter and Paul (Ben Lomond, California) gains national attention; multiple clergy are laicized and/or excommunicated.
• 1999 Retirement of Spyridon (Papageorge), Greek Archbishop of America, being replaced by Demetrios (Trakatellis); reception of dissident group from the Ben Lomond Schism by the Jerusalem Patriarchate, including re-ordination of some of the excommunicated and/or deposed clergy.
• 2000 Glorification of St. Raphael of Brooklyn at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania) by the OCA.
• 2002 Retirement of Theodosius (Lazor) and election of Herman (Swaiko) as Metropolitan of the OCA.
• 2003 The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is granted "self-rule" (similar but not identical to autonomy) by the Church of Antioch, establishing 9 new dioceses in North America and promoting its auxiliary bishops to diocesan ones.
• 2004 Consecration in Damascus of 3 new diocesan bishops for the Antiochian Archdiocese, Thomas (Joseph) of Oakland, Mark (Maymon) of Toledo, and Alexander (Mufarrij) of Ottawa.
• 2005 Death of Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis); consecration of Alejo (Pacheco Vera) of Mexico City, auxiliary bishop of the OCA Exarchate of Mexico; OCA's New York diocese subsumed into its Diocese of Washington, creating the Diocese of Washington and New York.