| Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America | |
|---|---|
| Primate | Metropolitan Saba |
| Parishes | 277 |
| Language | English,Arabic,Greek,French |
| Headquarters |
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| Territory | United States andCanada |
| Founder | Raphael of Brooklyn |
| Origin |
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| Recognition | Recognized by Patriarchate of Antioch as official presence in North America |
| Members | 74,600 (United States)[1]: 44 |
| Official website | antiochian |
Metropolitan of New York and All North America | |
|---|---|
| Archbishopric | |
| Eastern Orthodox | |
| Incumbent: Metropolitan Saba since February 23, 2023 (2023-02-23) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States of America |
| Residence | Englewood, New Jersey |
| Information | |
| Cathedral | St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral (Brooklyn) |
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TheAntiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), often referred to inNorth America as simply theAntiochian Archdiocese, is the jurisdiction of theGreek Orthodox Church of Antioch in theUnited States andCanada. Originally under the care of theRussian Orthodox Church, the Syro-LevantineEastern Orthodox Christian immigrants to the United States and Canada were granted their own jurisdiction under the Church of Antioch in the wake of theBolshevik Revolution. Internal conflicts divided the Antiochian Orthodox faithful into two parallelarchdioceses — those ofNew York andToledo — until 1975, whenMetropolitanPhilip (Saliba) became the solearchbishop of the reunited Antiochian Archdiocese. The Holy Synod of Antioch granted the Archdiocese semi-autonomous status in 2003, and by 2014 it had grown to over 275parish churches.[2][3] In 2025, the Archdiocese claimed to have between 84,000 and 380,000 baptized members, "depending on the report and the counting method used."[4] In 2015, the Archdiocese reported having around 100,000 baptized members.[5]
It is one of two Orthodox Christian jurisdictions in North America to currently practice the liturgicalWestern Rite as well as theByzantine Rite, along with theRussian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
The Antiochian Orthodox followers were originally cared for by theRussian Orthodox Church in America and the first bishop consecrated in North America,Raphael of Brooklyn, was consecrated by the Russian Orthodox Church in America in 1904 to care for the Syro-LevantineGreek Orthodox ChristianOttoman immigrants to the United States and Canada, who had come chiefly from thevilayets ofAdana,Aleppo,Damascus, andBeirut (the birthplace of the community's founder, Raphael of Brooklyn).[citation needed]
After the Bolshevik Revolution threw the Russian Orthodox Church and its faithful abroad into chaos, the Syro-LevantineGreek Orthodox Christian faithful in North America, simultaneously shaken by the death of their beloved bishop, Raphael, chose to come under the direct care of the Damascus-basedPatriarchate of Antioch. Due to internal conflicts, however, the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in North America became divided between two archdioceses, those ofNew York City andToledo.[citation needed]
In 1975, the two Antiochian Orthodox archdioceses were united as one Archdiocese of North America (now with its headquarters inEnglewood,New Jersey). Since then, it has experienced significant growth through ongoing evangelization of North Americans and the immigration of Orthodox Christian Arabs from the Middle East. Its leader from 1966 until 2014 was MetropolitanPhilip Saliba. Six other diocesan bishops assisted the metropolitan in caring for the archdiocese, which is the third largest Orthodox Christian jurisdiction in North America, with 74,600 adherents in the United States, 27,300 of whom are regular church attendees. As of 2011, it also has 249 parishes in the United States with two monastic communities.[1]
Metropolitan Philip died in 2014 and was succeeded by MetropolitanJoseph Al-Zehlaoui.[6] Metropolitan Joseph retired in 2022 following allegations of sexual misconduct.[7]
The archdiocese is a participating member of theAssembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Metropolitan Joseph served as the body's first vice chairman.[8]
The archdiocese is divided in eight territorial dioceses and one vicariate. Some of the territorial dioceses extend into Canada.
Alongside the eightByzantine Rite territorial dioceses exists theWestern Rite Vicariate, a non-territorialvicariate created from remnants of theSociety of Saint Basil in 1961, three years after theWestern Rite was approved for use by the archdiocese in 1958. It oversees all Antiochian parishes serving theRoman orAnglican uses of the Western Rite, as opposed to the Byzantine Rite used by the majority of the archdiocese. As of 2011, there were an estimated 1,416 members of the Western Rite parishes.[9]
Many conservative formerAnglicans have turned to the archdiocese as a jurisdiction, some joining and leadingWestern Rite parishes with liturgy more familiar to Western Christians. The current mission of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is to "bring Orthodoxy to America". Its Department of Missions and Evangelism was chaired byPeter Gillquist who led the mass conversion of theEvangelical Orthodox Church to Eastern Orthodoxy. Gillquist died in July 2012 (2012-08). The current chairman is John Finley.[10]
The archdiocese also includesAncient Faith Ministries among its departments, with its well-knownAncient Faith Radio division, an Internet-based radio station with content themed around Orthodox Christianity, including both streaming stations and more than 100 podcasts.
As a result of its evangelism and missionary work, the Antiochian Archdiocese saw significant growth between the mid-1960s and 2012. The archdiocese had only 65 parishes across the United States in the mid-1960s and, by 2011, this number had increased to 249 parishes.[1]: 45
The archdiocese was a member of theNational Council of Churches (NCC) for decades, but its archdiocesan convention voted unanimously on 28 July 2005 to withdraw fully from that body.[11][12]
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While American converts play a substantial role in the life of the archdiocese, being well represented among both clergy and laity, all current bishops of the Antiochian Archdiocese are ofLevantine descent, though that hasn't always been the case.
In addition to the bishops, three of the dioceses are currently overseen byarchimandrites on behalf of Met Saba, until the election of more bishops[citation needed]
40°53′03″N73°57′50″W / 40.88409°N 73.96386°W /40.88409; -73.96386
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