About Orthodox Christianity
The Orthodox Church is the Church of the Apostles, the Church founded by Christ Himself, that has survived intact to this day. The Orthodox Christian faith is that faith "handed once to the saints" (Jude 3), passed on in Holy Tradition to the apostles by Jesus Christ, and then handed down from one generation to the next, without addition or subtraction. It is the faith of the martyrs, the Church of the God-bearing Fathers, and her worship is unadulterated and un-comprised, and her teaching is unchanged from the first days of Christianity.
What is the Eastern Orthodox Church?
How is the church structured and organized?
Tell me more about the history of the church.
What is the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)?
What is iconography and why is it important?
Links for Further Information
What is the Eastern Orthodox Church?
The Orthodox Christian Church is the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church" founded by Jesus Christ and His followers who received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost in 33AD.
The word "orthodox" means "right teaching" or "right worship" in Greek, and that is what Orthodoxy is -- true to the teachings of Christ and His Apostles and true to the Holy Traditions of the Church as set forth by its Holy Fathers of the seven Ecumenical Councils. As divisions set in among those in the Church (most notably the "Great Schism" of 1054 AD with the Roman church) and factionization and even heresy crept into its beliefs, the Orthodox held fast to the purity of the original Church. Its Bishops trace a direct succession to Christ's Apostles and it continues to adhere to the rules of the Church those Apostles guided.
How is the church structured and organized?
The Orthodox church is a fellowship of administratively independent, or autocephalous (self-governing) local churches, united in faith, sacraments, and canonical discipline, each enjoying the right to elect its own head and its bishops. Traditionally, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul) is recognized as the "first among equal" Orthodox bishops. He possesses privileges of chairmanship and initiative but no direct doctrinal or administrative authority. The other heads of autocephalous churches, in order of precedence, are: the patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, with jurisdiction over Africa; the patriarch of Antioch, now residing in Damascus, Syria; the patriarch of Jerusalem, with jurisdiction over Palestine; the patriarch of Moscow and all Russia; the patriarch-catholicos of Georgia (former USSR); the patriarch of Serbia; the patriarch of Romania; the patriarch of Bulgaria; the archbishop of Cyprus; the archbishop of Athens and all Greece; the metropolitan of Warsaw and all Poland; the archbishop of Albania; the metropolitan of Prague and all Czechoslovakia; and the metropolitan of all America and Canada.
These autocephalous and autonomous churches differ greatly in size and membership. The churches of Russia (50-90 million), Romania (21 million) and Greece (10 million) are by far the largest, whereas some of the ancient patriarchates of the Middle East, including Constantinople, are reduced to a few thousand members.
Tell me more about the history of the church.
Historically, the contemporary Orthodox Church stands in direct continuity with the earliest Christian communities founded in regions of the Eastern Mediterranean by the apostles of Jesus. The subsequent destinies of Christianity in those areas were shaped by the transfer in 320AD of the imperial capital from Rome to Constantinople by Constantine I.
As a consequence, during the first eight centuries of Christian history most major intellectual, cultural, and social developments in the Christian church also took place in that region. Missionaries, coming from Constantinople, converted the Slavs and other peoples of Eastern Europe to Christianity in the ninth and tenth centuries, and translated Scripture and liturgical texts into the vernacular languages used in the various regions. Thus, the liturgy, traditions, and practices of the church of Constantinople were adopted by all and still provide the basic patterns and ethos of contemporary Orthodoxy.
These developments, however, were not always consistent with the evolution of Western Christianity, where the bishop of Rome, or pope, came to be considered the successor of the apostle Peter and head of the universal church by divine appointment. Eastern Christians were willing to accept the pope only as first among patriarchs. This difference in approach explains the various incidents that grew into an estrangement.
The Great Schism developed gradually. The first major breach came in the 9th century when the pope refused to recognize the election of Photius as patriarch of Constantinople. Photius in turn challenged the right of the papacy to rule on the matter and denounced the filioque clause of the Nicene Creed as a Western innovation. The mounting disputes between East and West reached another climax in 1054, when mutual anathemas were exchanged. The sacking of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade (1204) intensified the split. Only since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) has the movement reversed, bringing serious attempts at mutual understanding.
The Orthodox church recognizes as authoritative the decisions of the seven ecumenical councils that met between 325 AD and 787 AD and defined the basic doctrines on the Trinity and the Incarnation. The Orthodox church accepts the early traditions of Christianity, including the same sacraments as the Roman Catholic church--although in the Orthodox church infants receive the Eucharist and confirmation. Married men may become priests, but bishops and monks may not marry. The veneration of Mary, as Mother of God is central to Orthodox worship, and the intercession of saints is emphasized in the Orthodox liturgical tradition. After an early controversy on the subject, the images, or Icons, of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints are now seen as visible witnesses to the fact that God has taken human flesh in the person of Jesus. The Liturgy used by the Orthodox Church is known as the Byzantine rite. It has been translated from Greek into many languages and is always sung without musical instruments. Monasticism, which had its origins in the Christian East, has since been considered in the Orthodox church as a prophetic ministry of men and women, showing through their mode of life the action of the Holy Spirit. The monastic republic of Mount Athos, Greece, is still viewed among Orthodox Christians as a center of spiritual vitality.
Adapted from: John Meyendorff. The Orthodox Church. The Academic American Encyclopedia (Electronic Version), copyright 1993 Grolier, Inc., Danbury, CT.
What is the Orthodox Church in America?
In 1794, missionaries of the Valaam Monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived on the island of Kodiak in Alaska. Among this group of missionaries was a young Monk named Herman (now a Saint of the Orthodox Church), who spent 40 years among the natives of Alaska, bringing to them the word of God in their own language and ministering to their needs. This is considered the beginning of Orthodoxy in America.
In the 19th Century, the Russian Church continued its missionary efforts in Alaska and later California. The first Orthodox church was constructed at Fort Ross in California in 1812. San Francisco became the center of the American Orthodox mission in 1872. Even later the church became headquartered in New York. In 1898, Archbishop Tikhon (later Patriarch of Russia and, even later, a Saint of the Church) was assigned to oversee the American mission. His goals were to use English in the Church's worship services, use the local calendar for holy days and for the eventual organization of the Orthodox Church in America.
In addition to the Russian missions, immigrants from other Orthodox countries, most notably Greece and Syria, arrived in America and began local parishes. This led to a situation in the U.S. unique in all the world.
Unlike in the Roman Church, where all authority resides with the Pope in Rome, the Orthodox churches in each country, while in complete communion with one another, are self-governing. While the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople is considered the "first among equals", he does not interfere with the operation of the other Orthodox Churches. The original patriarchates of the Church were Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Alexandria and Antioch. Rome split from the others during the "Great Schism" of 1054. Meanwhile, missionary efforts by the Church led to autonomous churches in Russia, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and other lands. In the United States, each of these churches conducted missionary efforts, leading to not one Orthodox Church in this land, but many. While again, each Church is essentially the same in terms of rules and services and Orthodox faithful are free to partake of the Holy Eucharist in any jurisdiction, each church retains its "old world" traditions and, in some cases, language. Efforts continue to unite these various jurisdictions into one American Church, but the process takes time.
In 1970, the Orthodox Church in Russia officially granted autocephaly (self rule) to its former mission in America as a self-governing Church and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) was created.
At The St. Katherine The Great Martyr Orthodox Mission, the goals of Patriarch Tikhon have been met-- a parish of the Orthodox Church in America that conducts services entirely in English and uses the same calendar as most Americans. In its first year of existence, the Orthodox Christian Mission to the Eastside has attracted Orthodox from a variety of jurisdictions-- Greek, Russian, Atiochian, Arabic -- as well as many converts from western churches and those with no church at all. We welcome all visitors interested in exploring the unchanging beliefs of the Orthodox Church in a truly American setting.
What is iconography and why is it important?
Each Orthodox church has in front of its altar an "iconostasis", or icon screen, filled with images of Christ, Mary the Theotokos, the Saints and the Church's holy days.
St. Seraphim of Sarov in Dallas, TX
These icons are not just decorations for the church. In the early days they served to instruct those who could not read. Even today, they aid as no book can the understanding of converts.
Icons also add to the reverence of worship services. The Divine Liturgy fills all the senses so that the participant truly "tastes and sees that the Lord is good" (Psalms 34:8).
But most importantly, icons serve as a link between God and His creation.
There was a controversy over icons in the Eighth Century. Some considered them a form of idol worship. The controversy was settled by the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 which decided that Orthodox Christians do not worship their icons. They venerate, or give reverential respect to, them as representations of the original. The veneration passes through the icon and is bestowed on its subject. Likewise, the Orthodox do not pray to icons. It is said, however, that icons are a "window to Heaven" through which our prayers travel.
In the Old Testament Church it was forbidden by the Ten Commandments to create an icon of God, because he simply could not be represented. However, when God became man with the birth of Jesus Christ, iconographers were able to depict the Father by depicting the Son. Icons, therefore, confirm our belief in the incarnation of Christ and, through that, the salvation of man.
The Orthodox Church considers all men to be "living icons" because we are all made in the "image and likeness" of God. Therefore God was the first iconographer.
The first human iconographer is said to be St. Luke himself, who "wrote" (the Church's term for the creation of) an icon of the Virgin Mary in the first century.
While western religious paintings tend to be realistic in approach, using ideal human models, the Orthodox understand that the only perfect man cannot be represented by ordinary human models. In addition, Orthodox icons represent, not photographic reality, but spiritual reality. The eyes of a Saint are large because he has seen salvation. The ears, likewise, are larger than life because they have heard the good news of Jesus Christ. The smaller mouth indicates that he "takes no thought of his life, what he shall eat and what he shall drink," as Jesus admonished his followers (Matthew 6:25).
One does not merely grab a brush and "write" an icon. Iconographers prepare themselves through fasting, prayer and partaking of the Holy Eucharist and continue that regimen during an icon's creation, often singing hymns or chanting psalms as they work. Over the years, rigid models have been set for icon writing so that iconographers do not stray from their original purpose and design.
Links for Further Information
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Service Schedule
See the calendar for detailed information.
Saturdays
6pm Vespers or Resurrectional Vigil
Sundays
9:15am 3rd & 6th Hour
9:30am Divine Liturgy
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