Metropolitan Petros of Astoria - His Life & Struggle

Metropolitan Petros of Astoria (1915-1997) was the founder of St. Markella’s Cathedral in Astoria, New York, and is considered the founder of Traditionalist Greek Orthodox Christianity, and monasticism in America.

In his lifetime, he was a member of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece as an Archimandrite, then fell in with a group of vagante pseudo-Old Calendarists, and was taken in by the Metropolia (forerunner of the Orthodox Church in America [OCA]), was consecrated a bishop by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and became a member of the Synod of Bishops of the Church of the GOC of Greece.

During his forty-seven years in America (thirty-five years as bishop), he founded and pastored St. Markella’s Cathedral, and oversaw other parishes in New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Florida. He remained firmly at the helm of the diocese until his final days. He is therefore of great interest to those concerned with genuine Orthodox Christianity, and to those interested in the building of a Greek Orthodox parish from scratch in an immigrant community, and an interest in Greek Old Calendarist relations with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), among other things.

This is PART ONE, "The Early Days of the Struggle - From Chios to the Holy Mountain".

PART TWO, "The Struggle Moves to America" comes to GOCTV in the Fall.

Orthodox Awareness

The Reading is from the (False) Prophecy of Paisios

In the August 6, 2009 edition of the newspaper «Ελεύθερη Ώρα» (Free Time), the following article was published with the title “Grapsas, Paisios and the Prophecy!”:

“There was another prophecy for General Grapsas and they feared it.

For some time now the prophecy of Elder Paisios is circulating. Certainly, while the prophecy is one thing, reality is something else, but somewhere there is an extreme. Read more...

Missions

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Mission, Tucson, Arizona

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is a beautiful mission parish near downtown Tucson, a city in southern Arizona. It was started in 1997 by Father John Bockman, who was a missionary Priest formerly serving missions in Tennessee and Massachusetts since 1990. Father John served the faithful in Tucson and the surrounding area in his home Chapel until his repose in November of 2000. His wife, Presbytera Valerie, continued to make her home Chapel available for the mission, with clergy from Saint Nectarios Orthodox Church in Seattle and His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses of Toronto (then of Portland), visiting to provide the Divine Services.

Read more...
Youth

2023 Youth Conference

Please join us for the 2023 youth conference in Chicago, IL! To learn more, visit the home page or visit the conference website.

Ask A Priest

Is the GOC Insular?

Q. In considering becoming part of the GOC in America, I am getting warnings from various circles that the attitude of GOC people is that of being “walled off,” “arrogant,” “judgmental,” and “in your face” toward those not in the Genuine Orthodox Church, with accusations such as “World Orthodox” priests are “not even Christians” and the like. Could you give me your personal, realistic assessment of this dynamic and possibly refer me to an official statement on how GOC members should and do relate to and communicate with those in “World Orthodoxy”? Read more...