On November 29, 1962, at the Parish of Saint Markella, in Astoria, NYC, Archimandrite Petros (Astyfides) was ordained to the Episcopal dignity by His Eminence Archbishop Leonty of Chile, who was assisted by His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Caracas. Serving as Hieromonk was Eleutherios Moschos, and serving as HieroDeacon was Nikodemos Kalantis. Chanting were Hieromonk Akakios Ntouskos, and Presbyter George Markou. Present were Gerontissa Syglitiki, her sisterhood, Subdeacon Igor, and the future priest Vsevolod Dutikov. Mr. Dutikov drove the Russian bishops from Synod Headquarters in Manhattan to St. Markella's in Astoria, Queens. The ordination was done in secret. No photographs were taken, and certainly no home movies were recorded on any film camera. Recently, by the will of God, an audio recording of the ordination has been discovered. This is that recording.
In the early 20th century, the idea of promoting the union of Churches (Orthodox and heterodox) began to gain ground among circles in the Eastern Orthodox Church by establishing a "Communion of Churches" modeled on the League of Nations.
The Patriarchal Encyclical of 1920 foresaw a series of steps toward the “union of the Churches,” of which the first was the change of the calendar for the simultaneous celebration of feast days by all the “Churches.” The content of the encyclical was kept secret from the faithful and only after a few years became known. Read more...
St. John of Kronstadt Orthodox Church began as a mission parish in the year 2000, in a home chapel in Palm Coast, FL – a small town on Florida’s northeast coast located between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. After two years, it became necessary to have services in area community centers, rented for Sundays and other Holy Days. Read more...
2025 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2025 youth conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! To learn more, visit the conference website.
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...