On May 11, 2019, the church's Holy and Sacred Synod unanimously elected Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa as the new archbishop of America following the voluntary resignation of Archbishop Demetrios.[4] In addition to serving as Metropolitan of Bursa, Elpidophoros has also served as Abbot of the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Halki and Professor of the Theological School of the Aristoteleian University of Thessaloniki.[4] Metropolitan Methodios of Boston served as the locum tenens until Elpidophoros was enthroned on June 22, 2019.[5][1]
As of 2019[update] Archbishop Elpidophros serves the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He serves as:
Enthroned as Archbishop of America on June 22, 2019
Mission
The mission of the archdiocese is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, to teach and spread the Orthodox Christian faith, to energize, cultivate, and guide the life of the Church in the United States of America according to the Orthodox Christian faith and tradition.
The Greek Orthodox Church in America considers that it sanctifies the faithful through divine worship, especially the Holy Eucharist and other sacraments, building the spiritual and ethical life of the faithful in accordance with the Holy Scriptures, Sacred Tradition, the doctrines and canons of the Ecumenical and local Councils, the canons of the Holy Apostles and the Fathers of the Church and of all other Councils recognized by the Orthodox Church.
The archdiocese states that it serves as a beacon, carrier, and witness of the message of Christ to all persons who live in the United States of America, through divine worship, preaching, teaching, and living of the Orthodox Christian faith.[8]
History
Before the establishment of a Greek Archdiocese in the Western Hemisphere there were numerous communities of Greek Orthodox Christians.[9] On June 26, 1768, the first Greek colonists landed at St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in America.[10] The first Greek Orthodox community in the Americas was founded in 1864, in New Orleans, Louisiana, by a small colony of Greek merchants.[11][12] The first permanent community was founded in New York City in 1892,[9] today's Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and the See of the Archbishop of America. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America was incorporated in 1921[13] and officially recognized by the State of New York in 1922.
In 1908, the Church of Greece received authority over the Greek Orthodox congregation of America,[9] but in 1922 Patriarch Meletius IV of Constantinople transferred the archdiocese back to the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople.[13] In 1996, the archdiocese was split by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, into four separate archdioceses: those of America (the USA), Canada, Central America, and South America.
By 2019, there were rumors, that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America was suffering financially and was now in "financial, administrative, and spiritual bankruptcy."[14]
Holy Eparchial Synod
The Holy Eparchial Synod of the archdiocese is composed of:
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is composed of an archdiocesan district (New York City) and eight metropolises (formerly dioceses): New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston and Denver.[15] It is governed by the archbishop and the Eparchial Synod of Metropolitans. The synod is headed by the archbishop (as the first among equals) and comprises the metropolitans who oversee the ministry and operations of their respective metropolises. It has all the authority and responsibility which the Church canons provide for a provincial synod.[16]
There are more than 500 parishes, 800 priests and approximately 440,000 to 2 million faithful in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, depending on the source of reports and the counting method being used.[17] The number of parishes in the Greek Archdiocese rose by about 9% in the decade from 1990 to 2000, and membership growth has largely been in terms of existing members having children.[18] Membership is concentrated in the Northeastern United States. The states with the highest rates of adherence are Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and New York.[19]
The archdiocese receives within its ranks and under its spiritual aegis and pastoral care Orthodox Christians, who either as individuals or as organized groups in the Metropolises and Parishes have voluntarily come to it and which acknowledge the ecclesiastical and canonical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.[20]
Bishop Kallistos (Papageorgapoulos) of San Francisco[25]
Bishop Meletios (Diacandrew) of Aristeas
Bishop Meletios (Tripodakis) of Christianopoulis[26]
Bishop Paul (deBallester) of Nazianzos
Bishop Philip (Koutoufas) of Atlanta
Bishop Theodosius (Sideris) of Ancona
Bishop Timothy (Haloftis) of Detroit
Metropolitan Philotheos (Karamitsos) of Meloa
Administration
Office of the Chancellor
The Office of the Chancellor is concerned with the well-being of the clergy, their ongoing assignments and reassignments, their continuing education, and the benefits provided to them by the Church. Recent chancellor of the Archdiocese Bishop Andonios of Phasiane submitted his letter of resignation in May 2019.[27]
Archdiocesan institutions
Information about different institutions throughout the United States which are part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity provides regular divine worship, counseling, Christian education, human services and cultural programs for people in the New York City area.
Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology
1.^ The number of adherents given in the "Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Churches" is defined as "individual full members" with the addition of their children. It also includes an estimate of how many are not members but regularly participate in parish life. Regular attendees includes only those who regularly attend church and regularly participate in church life.[28]
^"Bishop Eirinaios Tsourounakis". www.annunciation.org. San Francisco, California: Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation. Archived from the original on 3 August 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
^"Bishop Kallistos Papageorgapoulos". www.annunciation.org. San Francisco, California: Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation. Archived from the original on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
^"Fr. Meletios Tripodakis". www.annunciation.org. San Francisco, California: Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation. Archived from the original on 3 August 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
^Krindatch, A. (2011). Atlas of American orthodox christian churches. (p. x). Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press
Citations
Pappaioannou, Rev. George (1984). "The Historical Development of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America". In Litsas, F.K. (ed.). A Companion to the Greek Orthodox Church. New York, N.Y.: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America. pp. 178–206.
