Holy Orthodox Church in North America
Encyclopedia
The Holy Orthodox Church in North America or HOCNA is a canonical Orthodox Christian
church
located primarily in the United States
and Canada
, with additional communities in Europe
, Africa
and South America
. Originally part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
(ROCOR), it was incorporated in 1987 from the community of Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline, Massachusetts
(which had left ROCOR in 1986) and a group of former ROCOR clergy, initially under the authority of the Greek Old Calendarists
. Its current Primate
is His Eminence, Ephraim, Metropolitan of Boston.
. Fr. Panteleimon was ordained a priest by the Jerusalem Patriarchate in 1964. From that time until the Monastery was accepted by ROCOR
in 1965, it commemorated the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
In 1986, Holy Transfiguration Monastery severed its ties with ROCOR and placed itself under the omophorion
of Metropolitans Gabriel of the Cyclades and Akakios of Diavleia of the Greek Old Calendarists
.
s were consecrated as bishop
s.
From the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, HOCNA has received a number of clergy and laity who share HOCNA's concerns about these churches' participation in the Ecumenical Movement.
; one hermitage and three parishes in the republic of Georgia; one convent and three parishes in Russia
; two churches in the Ukraine
; one chapel in Belarus
; one parish in Switzerland; six churches in Uganda; eight parishes and missions in Kenya. These monastic communities and parishes are served by five bishops and eighty-six clergymen.
and patristic dogma
s, canons
, and customs
of the Orthodox Church. HOCNA therefore opposes ecumenism
and participation in the Ecumenical Movement as violations of Apostolic Canons 10, 11, and 45 (which forbid common worship with the non-Orthodox) and Apostolic Canons 46, 47, and Canon 1 of the Local Council of Carthage (which forbid imparting the Sacred Mysteries
(sacraments) to the non-Orthodox).
This akribeia in the interpretation of these canons, together with firm adherence to the patristic maxim that "There can be no compromise in matters of the Orthodox Faith," have led HOCNA to strongly oppose any Orthodox Churches which have adopted declarations and/or confessions of faith which HOCNA sees as agreeing with the heterodox but contravening Orthodox confessions (for example, the lifting of the Anathemas of 1054
in 1965, The Thyateira Confession in 1975, Balamand Agreed Statement in 1993, Agreed Statement of the Joint Commission of the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church Chambesy, Geneva; 23–28 September 1990).
HOCNA also maintains ties with the Monastery of Esphigmenou on Mount Athos
and many monastics in the Sketes who are not commemorating the Patriarchate of Constantinople for reasons of Faith in the same way as the Traditional Orthodox Churches mentioned above.
HOCNA is well known to and maintains cordial relationships with the Jerusalem Patriarchate, the Church of Cyprus, the Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai, and the Monastery of Vatopaidi on Mount Athos, although they are not in communion.
HOCNA is not in communion with the majority of Orthodox Churches
worldwide, and generally considers these churches to be subject to the Anathema Against Ecumenism promulgated by the ROCOR in 1983 for ecumenism
and participating in joint prayers with non-Orthodox, especially those Orthodox Churches belonging to the World Council of Churches
(WCC), and the National Council of Churches
(NCC). Since ROCOR's May, 2007 signing of an Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarch, HOCNA finds itself in the unique position of still respecting ROCOR's Anathema Against Ecumenism, while considering the authority which issued it, to have fallen under its own anathema.
by HOCNA, both within Holy Transfiguration Monastery (HTM) as well as certain clergy at large. HOCNA supporters have dismissed such accusations as unsubstantiated slander and/or libel while opponents suggest HTM and parishes left ROCOR to avoid church discipline.
By ROCOR church decree, no final decision was rendered on the alleged sexual abuse. After HOCNA was accepted by Archbishop Auxentius’ Holy Synod of the True Orthodox Church of Greece, ROCOR's aforementioned decree was reviewed by this synod
, and the case was dismissed on grounds that church canons
were not followed.
Also, no HOCNA monastics or clergy have ever been indicted in civil court, nor has any monastic or clergy filed a libel lawsuit for defamation of character against individuals alleging sexual abuse.
In 2011, after several years of controversy over the autonomous canonical status of HOCNA and the relatively recent controversy regarding the posthumous salvation of non-Orthodox taught by Metropolitan Ephraim and Archimandrite Panteleimon, the entire Metropolis of Portland (along with its bishops, Metropolitan Moses and his assistant Bishop Sergius) and all the parishes of the Metropolis of Toronto (without the cathedral and the person of Metropolitan Makarios), were received by the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece under the omophorion of Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens. Other clergy, including the dean of clergy of the Metropolis of Boston and rector of Holy Nativity Convent, also joined the GOC under Archbishop Kallinikos along with the above clergy and bishops.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
located primarily in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with additional communities in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Originally part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia , also called the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, ROCA, or ROCOR) is a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church....
(ROCOR), it was incorporated in 1987 from the community of Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
(which had left ROCOR in 1986) and a group of former ROCOR clergy, initially under the authority of the Greek Old Calendarists
Greek Old Calendarists
Greek Old Calendarists are groups that separated from the Orthodox Church of Greece or from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, precipitated by disagreement over the abandonment of the traditional Julian Calendar.- History :Up until the early 20th century, the Eastern Orthodox Church used the...
. Its current Primate
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
is His Eminence, Ephraim, Metropolitan of Boston.
Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Holy Transfiguration Monastery was founded in 1961 by Father Panteleimon (born John Metropoulos in 1935), a Greek-American monkMonk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. Fr. Panteleimon was ordained a priest by the Jerusalem Patriarchate in 1964. From that time until the Monastery was accepted by ROCOR
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia , also called the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, ROCA, or ROCOR) is a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church....
in 1965, it commemorated the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
In 1986, Holy Transfiguration Monastery severed its ties with ROCOR and placed itself under the omophorion
Omophorion
In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical tradition, the omophor is the distinguishing vestment of a bishop and the symbol of his spiritual and ecclesiastical authority...
of Metropolitans Gabriel of the Cyclades and Akakios of Diavleia of the Greek Old Calendarists
Greek Old Calendarists
Greek Old Calendarists are groups that separated from the Orthodox Church of Greece or from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, precipitated by disagreement over the abandonment of the traditional Julian Calendar.- History :Up until the early 20th century, the Eastern Orthodox Church used the...
.
Formation of HOCNA
The following year (1987), a group of approximately thirty clergy left ROCOR to form HOCNA together with the monastic community of Holy Transfiguration Monastery. In subsequent years (1988, 1991, 1996, 2004, and 2006), five HOCNA priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s were consecrated as bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s.
From the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, HOCNA has received a number of clergy and laity who share HOCNA's concerns about these churches' participation in the Ecumenical Movement.
HOCNA communities worldwide
Today, HOCNA consists of seven monastic communities and thirty-one parishes, missions and chapels throughout the United States; one monastic community; one convent, one hermitage and two parishes in GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
; one hermitage and three parishes in the republic of Georgia; one convent and three parishes in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
; two churches in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
; one chapel in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
; one parish in Switzerland; six churches in Uganda; eight parishes and missions in Kenya. These monastic communities and parishes are served by five bishops and eighty-six clergymen.
Stance on Ecumenism
HOCNA's hierarchy, clergy, and laity take a very strict view of remaining faithful to the apostolicApostolic Succession
Apostolic succession is a doctrine, held by some Christian denominations, which asserts that the chosen successors of the Twelve Apostles, from the first century to the present day, have inherited the spiritual, ecclesiastical and sacramental authority, power, and responsibility that were...
and patristic dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
s, canons
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
, and customs
Norm (sociology)
Social norms are the accepted behaviors within a society or group. This sociological and social psychological term has been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit...
of the Orthodox Church. HOCNA therefore opposes ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
and participation in the Ecumenical Movement as violations of Apostolic Canons 10, 11, and 45 (which forbid common worship with the non-Orthodox) and Apostolic Canons 46, 47, and Canon 1 of the Local Council of Carthage (which forbid imparting the Sacred Mysteries
Sacred Mysteries
The term sacred mysteries generally denotes the area of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious ideology.-Pre-Christian religious mysteries:...
(sacraments) to the non-Orthodox).
This akribeia in the interpretation of these canons, together with firm adherence to the patristic maxim that "There can be no compromise in matters of the Orthodox Faith," have led HOCNA to strongly oppose any Orthodox Churches which have adopted declarations and/or confessions of faith which HOCNA sees as agreeing with the heterodox but contravening Orthodox confessions (for example, the lifting of the Anathemas of 1054
East-West Schism
The East–West Schism of 1054, sometimes known as the Great Schism, formally divided the State church of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectively...
in 1965, The Thyateira Confession in 1975, Balamand Agreed Statement in 1993, Agreed Statement of the Joint Commission of the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church Chambesy, Geneva; 23–28 September 1990).
Relations with other Orthodox churches
Generally, HOCNA recognizes the Traditional Orthodox Churches that share their views on the Ecumenical Movement in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia as valid churches. Although some canonical and administrative difficulties currently preclude concelebration, HOCNA clergy will minister to the laity in these other Churches, if requested in certain circumstances, with the permission of their bishop.HOCNA also maintains ties with the Monastery of Esphigmenou on Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
and many monastics in the Sketes who are not commemorating the Patriarchate of Constantinople for reasons of Faith in the same way as the Traditional Orthodox Churches mentioned above.
HOCNA is well known to and maintains cordial relationships with the Jerusalem Patriarchate, the Church of Cyprus, the Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai, and the Monastery of Vatopaidi on Mount Athos, although they are not in communion.
HOCNA is not in communion with the majority of Orthodox Churches
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
worldwide, and generally considers these churches to be subject to the Anathema Against Ecumenism promulgated by the ROCOR in 1983 for ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
and participating in joint prayers with non-Orthodox, especially those Orthodox Churches belonging to the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
(WCC), and the National Council of Churches
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
(NCC). Since ROCOR's May, 2007 signing of an Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarch, HOCNA finds itself in the unique position of still respecting ROCOR's Anathema Against Ecumenism, while considering the authority which issued it, to have fallen under its own anathema.
Controversy
In addition to the controversy generated by HOCNA's staunch opposition towards ecumenism, there has been alleged sexual abuseSexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
by HOCNA, both within Holy Transfiguration Monastery (HTM) as well as certain clergy at large. HOCNA supporters have dismissed such accusations as unsubstantiated slander and/or libel while opponents suggest HTM and parishes left ROCOR to avoid church discipline.
By ROCOR church decree, no final decision was rendered on the alleged sexual abuse. After HOCNA was accepted by Archbishop Auxentius’ Holy Synod of the True Orthodox Church of Greece, ROCOR's aforementioned decree was reviewed by this synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
, and the case was dismissed on grounds that church canons
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
were not followed.
Also, no HOCNA monastics or clergy have ever been indicted in civil court, nor has any monastic or clergy filed a libel lawsuit for defamation of character against individuals alleging sexual abuse.
In 2011, after several years of controversy over the autonomous canonical status of HOCNA and the relatively recent controversy regarding the posthumous salvation of non-Orthodox taught by Metropolitan Ephraim and Archimandrite Panteleimon, the entire Metropolis of Portland (along with its bishops, Metropolitan Moses and his assistant Bishop Sergius) and all the parishes of the Metropolis of Toronto (without the cathedral and the person of Metropolitan Makarios), were received by the Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece under the omophorion of Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens. Other clergy, including the dean of clergy of the Metropolis of Boston and rector of Holy Nativity Convent, also joined the GOC under Archbishop Kallinikos along with the above clergy and bishops.
Official HOCNA Sites
Anti-HOCNA publications
- A website created by former members of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
- Allegations against HOCNA on Pokrov website
- Fr John Whiteford's articles about HOCNA