1. The Orthodox Church in America--the autocephalous (autonomous) American offshoot of the Russian Orthodox Church (see Patriarchate of Moscow below). Russian missionaries first brought Orthodoxy to the Americas in the eighteenth century. The primate of the OCA is Metropolitan Jonah.

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann was, for many years until his death in 1983, the dean of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York. Fr. Alexander was a prolific writer on Orthodox theological topics, broadcast sermons into the former Soviet Union over Radio Liberty, and was a friend and spiritual counselor to exiled Soviet writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This website was published in honor of Fr. Alexander, and includes a sampling of his writings.

The Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska is under the jurisdiction of the OCA and is the first and oldest Orthodox diocese in North America. This diocese includes the oldest existing Orthodox church buildings in the Western Hemisphere. The diocese has recently implemented a program called Outreach Alaska which is designed to foster growth in all areas of church life. Outreach Alaska sponsors an annual pilgrimmage to Spruce Island, burial place of St. Herman of Alaska. It also provides aid to students at St. Herman's Theological Seminary through its Adopt a Seminarian program, and educational materials to Alaskan parishes through its Sister Parish program. The diocese has also recently opened the Russian Orthodox Museum in Anchorage. This museum seeks to preserve, exhibit, and interpret the heritage and history of the Orthodox Church in Alaska as it has existed from the eighteenth century to the present.

Icon of the Synaxis of the North American Saints

The OCA's website includes pages dealing with the historical accounts of those Saints who labored for the Church here in North America. Icons with scenes from their lives are also available. The above icon is a depiction of the North American saints. Click on the icon or the link above to learn more.

In the Beginning Was The Word: The Russian Chuirch and Native Alaskan Cultures -- the Library of Congress offers this online exhibit of photographs, drawings, and documents of the Alaskan Russian Church Archives. These are images of primary source documents relevant to the history of the Russian Church in Alaska. Worth a visit for anyone interested in the history of the Eastern Orthodox Church in North America.

Aleut Story -- Website for a Native American Public Telecommunications documentary film. "In 1942, as World War II invaded Alaska, Aleut Americans were taken from their homes and removed to abysmal government camps 1,500 miles away. Death was ever-present in the camps. An estimated 10 percent of the men, women and children sent to the camps would die there -- a death rate comparable to that suffered by Americans in foreign prisoner of war camps. As the Aleuts prayed for deliverance, 'friendly forces' looted their homes and churches in the Aleutian and Pribilof islands. Those who survived would fight for their rights -- in the nation's courts and on Capitol Hill. In a historic action -- one that continues to influence our lives and our nation's ideals -- Aleuts joined Japanese Americans in seeking wartime reparations from the federal government. Aleut Americans ultimately prevailed." --from the Aleut Story website.

God's Garden -- This is a documentary film in progress which, according to its director, Joel W. Smith, "is a journey of faith, race, and redemption through the eyes of Fr. Moses Berry, an African-American Orthodox Christian priest. It chronicles his incredible life as a direct descendent of frontier legend, Daniel Boone, through idyllic beginnings as a child in the Ozarks, a dramatic awakening and miraculous release from jail, and to a surprising discovery in his African-American roots. A young Fr. Moses once asked his mother, 'Why are there so many races?' To which she replied, 'We are all flowers in God's Garden.' " The film on completion will be a full-length documentary telling Fr. Moses' story of his life and his conversion. The film is currently in its funding phase. Donations to complete this movie may be made through a secure link on the film's website. The website includes video and audio interviews with Fr. Moses. Additional videos may be viewed on the film's YouTube channel.

Fr. Moses is the priest of Theotokos "Unexpected Joy" Orthodox Church in Ash Grove, Missouri. The church is located on a farm established by Fr. Moses' great grandparents in 1875, is a multi-ethnic mission parish of the OCA, and its building has what is probably the only onion dome to be found in the Ozarks.

In addition to his duties as priest, Fr. Moses is the founder and curator of the Ozark Afro-American Heritage Museum in Ash Grove, and he is also president of The Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black. The Brotherhood is a pan-Orthodox organization that presents an annual conference targeting those with little experience of Orthodoxy as well as bringing the deep African roots of ancient, Orthodox Christianity to the public consciousness.

All Saints of North America Orthodox Church, Canada -- An OCA church in Ontario which includes "an electronic library of historic Orthodox Christian resources in the indigenous languages of Alaska."

Orthodox Christians in North America, 1794-1994, by Mark Stokoe and Leonid Kishkovsky, is a book available online at the OCA website and is also available in print for purchase. It contains a history of the Orthodox Church on the North American continent.

Representation Church (metachion) of the Orthodox Church in America to the Patriarchate of Moscow -- Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr in-the-Fields, Moscow. In English and Russian. The link will take you to the English version. Click the "Russian Version" link to explore the Russian pages.

Diocese of the Midwest -- Based in Chicago, the OCA's Diocese of the Midwest, under Archbishop Job, has jurisdiction over the Midwestern United States, including OCA parishes in Iowa

Iowa OCA Parishes online:
St. Nicholas Orthodox Christian Church -- currently Iowa's sole OCA parish, located in Pella. Pella is known for its annual Tulip Time celebration of its Dutch heritage, and St. Nicholas is the patron saint of the Netherlands. Watch this space for updated information as it becomes available. Includes directions.

2. Patriarchate of Antioch -- the Church of Antioch (in English and Arabic) -- The Acts of the Apostles tells us that Antioch was the city in which the followers of Jesus Christ were first called "Christians." St. Peter was the first Bishop of Antioch. The Patriarchate of Antioch is now based in Damascus, Syria. The Patriarch of Antioch is His Beatitude Ignatius IV.

The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America -- founded by Syrian immigrants in 1895 as a mission church in New York City under the Patriarchate of Moscow. A Syrian immigrant priest, Raphael Hawaweeny, organized the first Arabic-speaking parish on the continent. Hawaweeny later became, as "Bishop of Brooklyn," the first Orthodox bishop of any nationality to be consecrated in North America. After World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution cut the Orthodox in America off from Moscow, the Syro-Arabian Mission fell victim to the ethnic divisiveness that plagued the Orthodox church in North America. In 1975, jurisdictional and administrave unity was restored to the church by the Patriarchate of Antioch. In 2000, Bishop Raphael was canonized as St. Raphael of Brooklyn. The primate of the Antiochian Archdiocese in America is Metropolitan Phillip.

The Antiochian Archdiocese pioneered the use of English in the Divine Liturgy and other services of the Orthodox Church, and has also worked to restore Western Rite Orthodoxy (see below).

In 1987, two thousand former evangelical Protestant Christians joined the Antiochian Archdiocese of America. Their story is told by Fr. Peter Gillquist in his book Becoming Orthodox. The Antiochian Archdiocese is currently the fastest-growing Orthodox jurisdiction in North America.

A History of St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Arab Immigration -- an online video lecture by Fr. Thomas Zain, dean of the Cathedral. Requires QuickTime. Western Rite Orthodoxy -- "The Western Rite is a ministry of the Antiochian Christian Archdiocese of North America, and in full canonical communion and unity of purpose with the several Orthodox jurisdictions of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). There are about twenty Western Rite congregations around the country who worship God in the forms which speak to their hearts, rejoicing to be part of the Universal Church." -- from the Antiochian Archdiocese website.

Western Rite Deanery of the Central and Mountain States, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese -- contains information on the restoration of Western Rite Orthodoxy through the Antiochian Archdiocese.

Iowa Antiochian Parishes online:
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Cedar Rapids. Founded in 1914 by St. Raphael of Brooklyn.

St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Church -- an Antiochian mission parish in Iowa City, founded in 2001 by converts to Orthodoxy. Named for St. Raphael of Brooklyn, who also founded St. George Parish in Cedar Rapids.

3. The Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa (in English) -- Traditionally founded by St. Mark around 43 AD in Alexandria, Egypt and includes all of the African continent. Missionary activities extend beyond Egypt and include parishes in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Madagascar, and South Africa. His Beatitude Theodoros II holds the title of Pope & Patriarch of Alexandria & All Africa

4. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem (in Greek, English, Arabic, and Russian) -- smallest of the four ancient Patriarchates, but charged with preserving the Holy Places in and around Jerusalem.

5. Patriarchate of Moscow -- The Russian Orthodox Church (English verstion with link to Russian version --currently undergoing revision) -- Russia became an Orthodox country in the late 900s, with the Patriarchate being established in the 1500s. Russian missionaries first brought the faith to America during the 17th century. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the church is enjoying a rebirth in Russia and other former Soviet states. The Patriarch of Moscow is His Holiness Alexei II.

Representation Church (metachion) of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Orthodox Church in America -- Cathedral of St. Nicholas, New York City. English and Russian versions.

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow (in Russian and English) -- Originally built from 1839-1881 to commemorate Russia's victory against Napoleon in the War of 1812, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior served as the official Patriarchal church. The original building was destroyed under orders from Soviet Premier Josef Stalin in 1931. The Palace of the Soviets, envisioned as the world's tallest building, was to have been built on the site, but the ground proved too unstable to support the building as designed. A gaping pit occupied the location for years until Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered the construction of the world's largest year-round outdoor heated swimming pool on the site. The pool suffered from chronic leakage. On July 16, 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an order establishing a fund for the "re-creation of Moscow." Reconstructing the Cathedral on the original site was high on the list of priority projects. The cornerstone was laid on January 7, 1995, with construction of the building being completed in August, 2000. Consecration of the Cathedral took place on August 19, 2000. The Cathedral reconstruction project was and remains controversial due to its cost and to debate over the artistic merits of the original church. The web site includes extensive audio and video multimedia presentations in Russian, as well as other historical photos and documents. The multimedia presentations include the complete Consecration Service as celebrated by Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow. RealPlayer is required for audio and video presentations. Note: as of 5/16/08, the multimedia links have been returning a "File not found" error message. The rest of the site continues to function.

6. Patriarchate of Georgia (in English). The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia is His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II Archbishop of Mtskheta.

7. Patriarchate of Serbia (in English). The Patriarch of Serbia is His Holiness Patriarch Pavle. Our congregation currently hosts a Serbian mission parish named for St. Demetrius. The parish holds services monthly in our church.

The Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America (in English)

St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church, Kansas City, Missouri -- a church in inner-city Kansas City under the Serbian Patriarchate which describes itself as "a multi-cultural Orthodox community in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. The church operates a bookstore called the Desert Wisdom Bookstore, specializing in ancient Christian texts and books on African Christianity. A book and price list is available upon request."

8. The Church of Albania (in English, Albanian, and Greek)

9. The Orthodox Church in Japan (in Japanese)

10. The Romanian Orthodox Church (in English)

Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas (in English and Romanian)

11. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in English)

12. Russian Orthodox Church in Great Britain and Ireland (Patriarchate of Moscow)

13. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (in Bulgarian)

14. The Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia (in Czech)

15. The Church of Poland (in Polish) -- Bohemia, Slovakia, and Poland, though predominantly Roman Catholic, have long had an Orthodox presence in their respective societies.

16. The Church of Estonia (in English)