Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
Encyclopedia
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC of USA) is a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States
. It consists of three eparchies (diocese
s), ruled by two diocesan bishops, including about 85 active parishes and missions. The Church's current primate is Metropolitan Constantine
. The primatial cathedral is in Parma, Ohio (St. Vladimir Cathedral), and the Church's head offices and Consistory are based in South Bound Brook, New Jersey
.
immigrants came to the United States, with many of the latter group converting to Orthodoxy after their immigration. Around 1915, a number of parishes organized themselves into an independent Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdiction in North America, finding guidance in a visiting Antiochian hierarch, Metropolitan Germanos (Shehadi), whose leadership was sought out particularly by Ukrainians who had been under the Russian Metropolia, but regarded its hierarch of the time, Alexander (Nemolovsky), as being an "anti-Ukrainian" Russifier, who did not regard Ukrainians as a separate ethnicity, but rather that "the Ukrainians are not a separate people nor a nation but only one of the Russian political parties." This was strange because Archbishop Alexander was from the Ukrainian region of Volyn.
Eventually, a petition was sent in 1923 to the newly formed Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
(UAOC), a jurisdiction formed in the aftermath of Ukrainian independence in 1918, but which has never enjoyed canonical recognition
in mainstream Orthodoxy.
The UAOC sent Metropolitan John (Teodorovych) in 1924 to head an American-Canadian diocese, arriving amid questions about the validity of his consecration, given that he had been ordained by UAOC bishops, whose consecrations were unrecognized by the mainstream of the Orthodox Church. Metropolitan John had great success in organizing parishes, due to his considerable administrative skill and his insistence on the liturgical use of Ukrainian (rather than Church Slavonic or English) as well as other Ukrainian cultural identifiers. In the aftermath of Ukrainian independence, Ukrainian self-awareness grew, and so an emphasis on Ukrainian identity was welcome by those who gathered under Metropolitan John. Metropolitan John's diocese was called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.
Several years later, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America was formed as an organization of former Greek-Catholic parishes who had disagreed with the Vatican over the issue of parish property ownership and enforced clerical celibacy. On April 9, 1929, a meeting of 15 clergy and 24 laity was held in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church, in which those attending agreed to form a diocese of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians, however, unlike those in the UOC of USA who had affiliated themselves with the UAOC, they wished to be part of a recognized canonical authority.
Another meeting of the UOC in USA took place in New York City
two years later, at which Fr. Joseph (Zuk) was nominated to become their bishop. He was ordained in September 1932 to be the bishop of this new group, becoming an auxiliary of Archbishop Aftimios Ofiesh, the primate of the American Orthodox Catholic Church
(an early attempt at an autocephalous church in America by the Russian Metropolia). Bishop Joseph died two years later, and in 1937, through the leadership of Joseph's successor, Bohdan (Spylka), the diocese was received into the Ecumenical Patriarchate by Archbishop Athenagoras (Spyrou) (then head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
, and later Ecumenical Patriarch), who ordained Bohdan in New York City. Bishop Bohdan at one point had rule over around 45 parishes, also having some initial success in attracting parishes away from the UOC of the USA, due to his more moderate views.
During and after World War II
, Ukrainian Orthodoxy in America changed significantly. A number of bishops came over from Europe who had been connected either with the UAOC, the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
(another canonically unrecognized group), or the autocephalous Church of Poland
(then unrecognized by Moscow, but recognized by Constantinople). These bishops tended to prefer Metropolian John's organization over that of Bishop Bohdan, contributing to the growth of the former's ranks to around 80 parishes, while the latter could claim perhaps only around two dozen.
Seraphim Surrency writes:
In 1942, when persecution of the Church in Ukraine eased under the German occupation, a number of bishops were consecrated for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church there. One of these bishops, Archbishop Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)
, emigrated to Canada in 1948 to head the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
. In 1949, however, he moved to the U.S. and joined Bishop Bohdan's group. After Archbishop Mstyslav's departure from Canada (after a disagreement with the Canadian Church's governance), the Canadian Church was headed by Metropolitan Ilarion (Ivan Ohienko)
. Mstyslav desired the unity of the two jurisdictions and worked to reconcile the two churches and convince Metropolitan John to accept re-consecration as a condition for union.
In 1949, Metropolitan John (Teodorovych) was re-consecrated privately, thus ending some of the questions regarding his previous consecration
and attracting a number of the parishes of Bishop Bohdan into his flock. Despite becoming the largest Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdiction in the United States at this point, the diocese however was still not recognized as canonical by the rest of the Orthodox Church, and the hierarchs who re-consecrated John (Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) and Christopher (Contogeorge), exarch for the Patriarchate of Alexandria)) were themselves considered dubious by some.
In 1950, the two rival jurisdictions held synod
s (in the same cathedral in New York) at which unification was approved by both, and on October 13, a combined unification synod was held, with both groups signing onto union. A number of clergy and parishes under Bishop Bohdan were unconvinced of the sincerity of the "UOC of USA" group, however, and convinced him to reject the union. Union was proclaimed, but it was not complete, lacking the support of Bishop Bohdan and those who had convinced him to remain separate. Archbishop Mstyslav joined the new united church - the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, along with a number of Bishop Bohdan's parishes, and the union was celebrated on October 14 by those who participated.
In 1958, at the twentieth anniversary celebration in Allentown of the consecration of Bishop Bohdan during a Sobor of the "UOC in America" elevated him to the status of Metropolitan and elected three candidates for consecration to the episcopacy to assist him (in Canada, Western Europe, and England). Constantinople did not, however, recognize the elevation or agree to the consecration of the candidates elected by the Sobor. After 1957, Metropolitan Bohdan became less and less active, due mainly to advancing age, all the while continuing to lose parishes to the UAOC. He died on November 1, 1965, leaving no successor.
After the death of Metropolitan Bohdan, the Greek episcopacy resident in North America attempted to promote unity between the different Ukrainian factions, but met with failure. Eventually, Fr. Andrei (Kuschak) was elected by six parishes of the UOC in America and consecrated to the episcopacy on January 28, 1967, by Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis)
and other bishops of the Greek Archdiocese. Bishop Andrei then ruled about a dozen parishes.
Metropolitan John fell asleep in the Lord in 1971 and was succeeded in 1972 by Archbishop Mstyslav, who served as head of the church until his death in 1993.
In 1989, just prior to Ukraine regaining independence, a group of parishes formerly with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine reformed the Ukrainian Autochephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and in 1990 the UAOC elected Mstyslav the first modern Patriarch
of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine.
Mstyslav died three years after his election as Patriarch, His death was followed by an enormous division of the UOC in Ukraine
, and in the United States. He was buried in a cemetery in South Bound Brook, USA. After the death of Patriarch Mstyslav, on October 20, 1993 Volodymr (Romaniuk), at that time was the Metropolitan of Chernigov was elected Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine. Archbishop Antony was also present at the local council as he was a candidate for the position of Patriarch as well.
In November 1996, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America (under Constantinople since 1937) were united under Metropolitan Constantine, who also heads the Central Eparchy of the Church. Bishop Vsevolod was elevated to Archbishop and headed the Western Eparchy of the Church. Archbishop Antony heads the Eastern Eparchy, and is the Consistory President. One of the conditions of being received into the Eccumenical Patriachate was for the UOC-USA to renounce the autocephally of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and as a result, there are no ties with any of the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in Ukraine except the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate, which is the only church in Ukraine that is cannonically recognized by the UOC-USA.
In October 2007http://www.ukrainianorthodoxchurchusa.org/news_071011_1.html during the 18th Regular Sobor Hieromonk Daniel (Zelinskyy) was elevated to Archimandrite
and nominated for the office of Bishop
, and his name was submitted to the Ecumenical Patriarch for approval. This election was made with the ill health of Archbishop Vsevolod. On December 16, 2007http://www.ukrainianorthodoxchurchusa.org/home_message.html, at the age of 80, Archbishop Vsevolod reposed. On May 10, 2008, Daniel (a former Eastern Catholic deacon) was consecreated Bishop Daniel of Pamphilon. http://www.ukrainianorthodoxchurchusa.org/news_080512_1.html, http://www.ec-patr.org/hierarchs/show.php?lang=en&id=175.
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which left the UOC-USA with no direct tie to any of the Orthodox churches in Ukraine, led to several parishes leaving the UOC-USA to enter under the omophorion of the Kyiv Patriarchate in Ukraine
, although some supporters of these parishes argue that it is they who remain in the same church and that it is the hierarchy of the UOC-USA which is now in a different church.http://www.saveouruoc.com
A lengthy lawsuit which in 1999 the UOC-USA began against one such parish, the Church of the Holy Ascension in Clifton, NJ, discouraged some other parishes from taking similar action. Although New Jersey's Appellate Division eventually sided with the parishioners of Holy Ascension against the UOC-USA and the New Jersey Supreme Court denied certification of the issue, in 2007, the Consistory of the UOC-USA filed a fresh suit against the Church of the Holy Ascension. After this suit was dismissed with prejudice by the Superior Court of New Jersey in June 2008, the UOC-USA filed an appeal, but on August 19, 2009 the Appellate Division affirmed the dismissal, holding "that Holy Ascension, and not the UOC-USA, has title to the property". The UOC-USA again appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which, on December 9, 2009, again denied certification.
The UOC-USA website continues to list the Church of the Holy Ascension and several other parishes which are today legally part of the UOC-KP as parishes of the UOC-USA. http://www.uocofusa.org/directory/,http://cerkva-usa.info/spysok_parafiy.html
In total, there are about 85 parishes, two monasteries, and one seminary - St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary
in South Bound Brook, New Jersey. Besides the three hierarchs, the clergy consist of 106 priests and 15 deacons. 15 of the parishes currently have either no pastor or are served by clergy in their deanery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It consists of three eparchies (diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s), ruled by two diocesan bishops, including about 85 active parishes and missions. The Church's current primate is Metropolitan Constantine
Metropolitan Constantine
Metropolitan Constantine is the current Metropolitan of Irinoupolis, and Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA , which is a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States. The primatial cathedral is in Parma, Ohio Metropolitan Constantine (secular name Theodore...
. The primatial cathedral is in Parma, Ohio (St. Vladimir Cathedral), and the Church's head offices and Consistory are based in South Bound Brook, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Autocephalous Church
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, large numbers of Ukrainian Orthodox and Greek-CatholicUkrainian Greek Catholic Church
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , Ukrainska Hreko-Katolytska Tserkva), is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with the Holy See, and is directly subject to the Pope...
immigrants came to the United States, with many of the latter group converting to Orthodoxy after their immigration. Around 1915, a number of parishes organized themselves into an independent Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdiction in North America, finding guidance in a visiting Antiochian hierarch, Metropolitan Germanos (Shehadi), whose leadership was sought out particularly by Ukrainians who had been under the Russian Metropolia, but regarded its hierarch of the time, Alexander (Nemolovsky), as being an "anti-Ukrainian" Russifier, who did not regard Ukrainians as a separate ethnicity, but rather that "the Ukrainians are not a separate people nor a nation but only one of the Russian political parties." This was strange because Archbishop Alexander was from the Ukrainian region of Volyn.
Eventually, a petition was sent in 1923 to the newly formed Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church is one of the three major Orthodox Churches in Ukraine. Close to ten percent of the Christian population claim to be members of the UAOC. The other Churches are the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kiev Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Russophile Orthodox...
(UAOC), a jurisdiction formed in the aftermath of Ukrainian independence in 1918, but which has never enjoyed canonical recognition
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...
in mainstream Orthodoxy.
The UAOC sent Metropolitan John (Teodorovych) in 1924 to head an American-Canadian diocese, arriving amid questions about the validity of his consecration, given that he had been ordained by UAOC bishops, whose consecrations were unrecognized by the mainstream of the Orthodox Church. Metropolitan John had great success in organizing parishes, due to his considerable administrative skill and his insistence on the liturgical use of Ukrainian (rather than Church Slavonic or English) as well as other Ukrainian cultural identifiers. In the aftermath of Ukrainian independence, Ukrainian self-awareness grew, and so an emphasis on Ukrainian identity was welcome by those who gathered under Metropolitan John. Metropolitan John's diocese was called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.
Several years later, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America was formed as an organization of former Greek-Catholic parishes who had disagreed with the Vatican over the issue of parish property ownership and enforced clerical celibacy. On April 9, 1929, a meeting of 15 clergy and 24 laity was held in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church, in which those attending agreed to form a diocese of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians, however, unlike those in the UOC of USA who had affiliated themselves with the UAOC, they wished to be part of a recognized canonical authority.
Another meeting of the UOC in USA took place in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
two years later, at which Fr. Joseph (Zuk) was nominated to become their bishop. He was ordained in September 1932 to be the bishop of this new group, becoming an auxiliary of Archbishop Aftimios Ofiesh, the primate of the American Orthodox Catholic Church
American Orthodox Catholic Church
The American Orthodox Catholic Church is a name given to a number of small independent denominations that are broadly in the Old Catholic tradition.Examples include the American Orthodox Catholic Church – Western Rite Mission, Diocese of New York....
(an early attempt at an autocephalous church in America by the Russian Metropolia). Bishop Joseph died two years later, and in 1937, through the leadership of Joseph's successor, Bohdan (Spylka), the diocese was received into the Ecumenical Patriarchate by Archbishop Athenagoras (Spyrou) (then head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Church of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Demetrios of America.-About the Archdiocese:...
, and later Ecumenical Patriarch), who ordained Bohdan in New York City. Bishop Bohdan at one point had rule over around 45 parishes, also having some initial success in attracting parishes away from the UOC of the USA, due to his more moderate views.
During and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Ukrainian Orthodoxy in America changed significantly. A number of bishops came over from Europe who had been connected either with the UAOC, the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
The Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which has sometimes abbreviated its name as the "B.A.O. Church" or the "BAOC," aspires to be the self-governing national church of an independent Belarus, but it has operated mostly in exile since its formation, and even some publications of the church...
(another canonically unrecognized group), or the autocephalous Church of Poland
Polish Orthodox Church
The Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, commonly known as the Polish Orthodox Church, , is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches in full communion...
(then unrecognized by Moscow, but recognized by Constantinople). These bishops tended to prefer Metropolian John's organization over that of Bishop Bohdan, contributing to the growth of the former's ranks to around 80 parishes, while the latter could claim perhaps only around two dozen.
Seraphim Surrency writes:
- Bishop Bohdan, with what backing the Greeks could give him, which was mostly moral and very little financial, continued to give some competition to the organization of Teodorovich, now commonly called the "Ukrainian Metropolia," but it was a losing battle. In addition to the administrative ineptitude of Bishop Bohdan, his very moderation in matters Ukrainian seemed to work against him. Bp Bohdan did succeed in attracting some Americans who were interested in Orthodoxy and most in ordination. Bp Bohdan ordained over a dozen native converts to the Orthodox priesthood without requiring any theological education and as might be expected the results were disastrous (an exception was Fr. Dimitry Royster who later transferred his allegiance to the Russian Metropolia and was consecrated Bishop in 1969) (p. 113).
In 1942, when persecution of the Church in Ukraine eased under the German occupation, a number of bishops were consecrated for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church there. One of these bishops, Archbishop Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)
Patriarch Mstyslav (Stepan Skrypnyk)
Patriarch Mstyslav, secular name Stepan Ivanovych Skrypnyk , was a Ukrainian Orthodox Church hierarch.Born in Poltava , Stepan Skrypnyk was the nephew of Symon Petlura, a prominent Ukrainian military and political figure...
, emigrated to Canada in 1948 to head the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada is an Eastern Orthodox Church in Canada, primarily serving Ukrainian Canadians. Its former name was the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada ...
. In 1949, however, he moved to the U.S. and joined Bishop Bohdan's group. After Archbishop Mstyslav's departure from Canada (after a disagreement with the Canadian Church's governance), the Canadian Church was headed by Metropolitan Ilarion (Ivan Ohienko)
Metropolitan Ilarion (Ivan Ohienko)
Metropolitan Ilarion was a Ukrainian Orthodox cleric, linguist, church historian, and historian of Ukrainian culture. In 1940 he was Archimandrite of the St...
. Mstyslav desired the unity of the two jurisdictions and worked to reconcile the two churches and convince Metropolitan John to accept re-consecration as a condition for union.
In 1949, Metropolitan John (Teodorovych) was re-consecrated privately, thus ending some of the questions regarding his previous consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
and attracting a number of the parishes of Bishop Bohdan into his flock. Despite becoming the largest Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdiction in the United States at this point, the diocese however was still not recognized as canonical by the rest of the Orthodox Church, and the hierarchs who re-consecrated John (Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) and Christopher (Contogeorge), exarch for the Patriarchate of Alexandria)) were themselves considered dubious by some.
In 1950, the two rival jurisdictions held 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...
s (in the same cathedral in New York) at which unification was approved by both, and on October 13, a combined unification synod was held, with both groups signing onto union. A number of clergy and parishes under Bishop Bohdan were unconvinced of the sincerity of the "UOC of USA" group, however, and convinced him to reject the union. Union was proclaimed, but it was not complete, lacking the support of Bishop Bohdan and those who had convinced him to remain separate. Archbishop Mstyslav joined the new united church - the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, along with a number of Bishop Bohdan's parishes, and the union was celebrated on October 14 by those who participated.
In 1958, at the twentieth anniversary celebration in Allentown of the consecration of Bishop Bohdan during a Sobor of the "UOC in America" elevated him to the status of Metropolitan and elected three candidates for consecration to the episcopacy to assist him (in Canada, Western Europe, and England). Constantinople did not, however, recognize the elevation or agree to the consecration of the candidates elected by the Sobor. After 1957, Metropolitan Bohdan became less and less active, due mainly to advancing age, all the while continuing to lose parishes to the UAOC. He died on November 1, 1965, leaving no successor.
After the death of Metropolitan Bohdan, the Greek episcopacy resident in North America attempted to promote unity between the different Ukrainian factions, but met with failure. Eventually, Fr. Andrei (Kuschak) was elected by six parishes of the UOC in America and consecrated to the episcopacy on January 28, 1967, by Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis)
Iakovos, Archbishop of America
Archbishop Iakovos , born Demetrios Koukouzis was the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America from 1959 until his resignation in 1996...
and other bishops of the Greek Archdiocese. Bishop Andrei then ruled about a dozen parishes.
Metropolitan John fell asleep in the Lord in 1971 and was succeeded in 1972 by Archbishop Mstyslav, who served as head of the church until his death in 1993.
In 1989, just prior to Ukraine regaining independence, a group of parishes formerly with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine reformed the Ukrainian Autochephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and in 1990 the UAOC elected Mstyslav the first modern Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine.
Mstyslav died three years after his election as Patriarch, His death was followed by an enormous division of the UOC in Ukraine
History of Christianity in Ukraine
The History of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the apostolic church. It has remained the dominant religion in the country since its acceptance in 988 by Vladimir the Great , who instated it as the state religion of Kievan Rus', a medieval East Slavic state.Although...
, and in the United States. He was buried in a cemetery in South Bound Brook, USA. After the death of Patriarch Mstyslav, on October 20, 1993 Volodymr (Romaniuk), at that time was the Metropolitan of Chernigov was elected Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine. Archbishop Antony was also present at the local council as he was a candidate for the position of Patriarch as well.
Archdiocese of Ecumenical Patriarchate
In 1994 the Hierarchs of the UOC-USA met with the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul and entered an agreement renouncing autocephaly and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyivan-Patriarchate and made the church in the United States an archidocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On March 12, 1995, the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA were formally received into the Ecumenical Patriarchate.In November 1996, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America (under Constantinople since 1937) were united under Metropolitan Constantine, who also heads the Central Eparchy of the Church. Bishop Vsevolod was elevated to Archbishop and headed the Western Eparchy of the Church. Archbishop Antony heads the Eastern Eparchy, and is the Consistory President. One of the conditions of being received into the Eccumenical Patriachate was for the UOC-USA to renounce the autocephally of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and as a result, there are no ties with any of the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in Ukraine except the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate, which is the only church in Ukraine that is cannonically recognized by the UOC-USA.
In October 2007http://www.ukrainianorthodoxchurchusa.org/news_071011_1.html during the 18th Regular Sobor Hieromonk Daniel (Zelinskyy) was elevated to Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
and nominated for the office of 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...
, and his name was submitted to the Ecumenical Patriarch for approval. This election was made with the ill health of Archbishop Vsevolod. On December 16, 2007http://www.ukrainianorthodoxchurchusa.org/home_message.html, at the age of 80, Archbishop Vsevolod reposed. On May 10, 2008, Daniel (a former Eastern Catholic deacon) was consecreated Bishop Daniel of Pamphilon. http://www.ukrainianorthodoxchurchusa.org/news_080512_1.html, http://www.ec-patr.org/hierarchs/show.php?lang=en&id=175.
Schism
The act of renouncing autocephaly and entering the omophorionOmophorion
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 the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which left the UOC-USA with no direct tie to any of the Orthodox churches in Ukraine, led to several parishes leaving the UOC-USA to enter under the omophorion of the Kyiv Patriarchate in 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...
, although some supporters of these parishes argue that it is they who remain in the same church and that it is the hierarchy of the UOC-USA which is now in a different church.http://www.saveouruoc.com
A lengthy lawsuit which in 1999 the UOC-USA began against one such parish, the Church of the Holy Ascension in Clifton, NJ, discouraged some other parishes from taking similar action. Although New Jersey's Appellate Division eventually sided with the parishioners of Holy Ascension against the UOC-USA and the New Jersey Supreme Court denied certification of the issue, in 2007, the Consistory of the UOC-USA filed a fresh suit against the Church of the Holy Ascension. After this suit was dismissed with prejudice by the Superior Court of New Jersey in June 2008, the UOC-USA filed an appeal, but on August 19, 2009 the Appellate Division affirmed the dismissal, holding "that Holy Ascension, and not the UOC-USA, has title to the property". The UOC-USA again appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which, on December 9, 2009, again denied certification.
The UOC-USA website continues to list the Church of the Holy Ascension and several other parishes which are today legally part of the UOC-KP as parishes of the UOC-USA. http://www.uocofusa.org/directory/,http://cerkva-usa.info/spysok_parafiy.html
Current structure
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA is divided into three eparchies (dioceses):- Central Eparchy (FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Upstate New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Western PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
), headed by Metr. Constantine (Parma, Ohio) - Eastern Eparchy (ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Eastern PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
), headed by Archbishop Antony (New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York-Washington D.C.) - Western Eparchy (ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Washington, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
), headed by Bishop Daniel (ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois)
In total, there are about 85 parishes, two monasteries, and one seminary - St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary
St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary
The St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary located in South Bound Brook, New Jersey, USA was established in 1975 through the foresight of Metropolitan Mstyslav of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.-External links:...
in South Bound Brook, New Jersey. Besides the three hierarchs, the clergy consist of 106 priests and 15 deacons. 15 of the parishes currently have either no pastor or are served by clergy in their deanery.
See also
- Ukrainian Orthodox Church of CanadaUkrainian Orthodox Church of CanadaThe Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada is an Eastern Orthodox Church in Canada, primarily serving Ukrainian Canadians. Its former name was the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada ...
- History of Christianity in UkraineHistory of Christianity in UkraineThe History of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the apostolic church. It has remained the dominant religion in the country since its acceptance in 988 by Vladimir the Great , who instated it as the state religion of Kievan Rus', a medieval East Slavic state.Although...
- St. Andrew Cathedral, Silver SpringSt. Andrew Cathedral, Silver SpringSt. Andrew Cathedral is a Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. It is the seat of the Archbishop of New York-Washington. -History:...