The American Orthodox Catholic Church
Patriarch |
Roger Paul |
Parishes |
277 |
Language |
English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German |
Headquarters Patriarchal: |
Constable, NY |
Territory |
North America, Central America, South America, US Territories & Dependencies. |
Founder |
St. Aftimios Ofiesh |
Origin |
1924 (Archdiocese) |
Recognition |
World Federation of Orthodox and Apostolic Churches |
Members |
3,500 (United States) |
The AOCC adheres to the episcopal governance and structure embodied in Scripture and followed by the Apostlic and Orthodox Fathers. We believe in the priesthood of all believers, yet we also believe that God is a God of order who establishes lines of authority to strengthen the Church in serving Him and humanity.
We believe that each part of God's Church should be autonomous, meaning: self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating. The AOCC is led by its own Patriarch, The Synod, and General Assembly. We function according to a well-defined constitution, we have a Canon Law and the Book of Common Faith for the faith and practice of the church. On every level, we follow the biblical model of multiplicity in leadership, ensuring that no one makes unilateral decisions for the church.
The AOCC has its administration in conformity with the teachings of St. Ignatius of Antioch (35-108 A.D.) and Cyprian of Carthage (200-258 A.D.) They taught, "As the Lord did nothing without the Father, being united to Him, neither by Himself nor by the apostles, so neither do you anything without the bishop and clergy" (The Epistle of St. Ignatius to the Magnesians, ch. 7).
The central administration of the church is backed by the provinces. Each Province consists of a geographical grouping of churches and is led by a bishop. Each one has its own council and assembly.
We believe that each part of God's Church should be autonomous, meaning: self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating. The AOCC is led by its own Patriarch, The Synod, and General Assembly. We function according to a well-defined constitution, we have a Canon Law and the Book of Common Faith for the faith and practice of the church. On every level, we follow the biblical model of multiplicity in leadership, ensuring that no one makes unilateral decisions for the church.
The AOCC has its administration in conformity with the teachings of St. Ignatius of Antioch (35-108 A.D.) and Cyprian of Carthage (200-258 A.D.) They taught, "As the Lord did nothing without the Father, being united to Him, neither by Himself nor by the apostles, so neither do you anything without the bishop and clergy" (The Epistle of St. Ignatius to the Magnesians, ch. 7).
The central administration of the church is backed by the provinces. Each Province consists of a geographical grouping of churches and is led by a bishop. Each one has its own council and assembly.
The Holy Synod (House Of Bishops)
The Holy Synod consists of all bishops actively serving in an office of the church and provides leadership for all spiritual and temporal matters of the church. The Patriarch is the President of the Holy Synod. Various boards, councils and commissions, both permanent and temporary, are appointed to assist the Holy Synod.
THE PATRIARCH
The head of The American Church is given the title of Patriarch. He is (s)elected by and from among the duly consecrated bishops of the church. The Patriarch is the presider and senior father of the church. However, The American Church follows the traditional and Orthodox practice of multiplicity in leadership, which means the Patriarch leads as the first among equals and president of the synod. The present Patriarch of The AOCC is His Beatitude +++Roger Paul Willingham.
ADMINISTRATOR GENERAL
The Secretary General, is a bishop or senior clergy member appointed by the Patriarch in consultation with The Synod. He is the Executive Officer for the Office of the Patriarch. His primary role is to assist the Patriarch with the duties of the office The Current Administrator General is +Bishop Brett Travis
CHANCELLOR
The Chancellor, is a bishop or senior clergy member appointed by the Patriarch in consultation with The Synod. He is the administrative leader of The AOCC at the Synod. His primary role is to coordinate, communicate and execute all the decisions of the Patriarch and The Synod, as well as any related ecclesiastical matters as may be entrusted to him from time to time by the Patriarch. The Current Chancellor ++Archbishop Wayne Titus
Metropolia, Archdiocese, Diocese And Parishes
A Metropolia is a large ecclesiastical region consisting of several Archdiocese overseen by a Metropolitan (Arch)bishop. An Archdiocese is an ecclesiastical region comprising multiple dioceses over which a senior Bishop is appointed to provide ecclesiastical and administrative leadership.
The spiritual oversight, administration and ministries of the church are organized by dioceses, which consist of multiple parishes in a specific geographic location. A bishop gives spiritual and temporal oversight to a diocese. The Diocesan Council serves by assisting the Bishop with the administration and functions of a diocese.
Larger Dioceses are divided into a number of smaller divisions called deaneries which are led by Deans as episcopal Vicars, often Archpriests.
The spiritual oversight, administration and ministries of the church are organized by dioceses, which consist of multiple parishes in a specific geographic location. A bishop gives spiritual and temporal oversight to a diocese. The Diocesan Council serves by assisting the Bishop with the administration and functions of a diocese.
Larger Dioceses are divided into a number of smaller divisions called deaneries which are led by Deans as episcopal Vicars, often Archpriests.
Holy Orders In The Church
The three major holy orders of the Church are bishops (episcopacy), priests (presbyterate) and deacons (diaconate). Bishops: In the Ancient tradition, the position of the bishop is considered to be the highest within the clergy. All bishops are co-equal to one another.
In the church the episcopacy is arranged by administrative rank. The ranks are, from the lowest to the highest, as follows: bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, patriarch…
In the church the presbyterate is also arranged by administrative rank. The ranks are, from the lowest to the highest, as follows: Priest or Presbyter is, in the Bible, a synonym for bishop (episkopos), referring to a leader in local church congregations. In modern Orthodox usage, it is distinct from bishop and synonymous with priest. Its literal meaning in Greek (presbyteros) is "elder” & Archpriest also protopresbyter, is a clerical rank, a title of honor given to non-monastic priests and is conferred by a bishop with the laying on of hands and prayer.
The Holy Order of the Diaconate is the third and lowest rank in the hierarchy of orders in the Church, being subordinate to the episcopate and presbyterate. The diaconate is a hierarchical order of 5 ranks: Archdeacon, Deacon, Sub-deacon, Reader, Psalter.
In the church, an archdeacon is the senior deacon within a diocese and has responsibility for serving at hierarchical services (those at which the bishop is present and presiding). Originally the chief of the deacons who assisted the bishop, the archdeacon is now typically a priest who serves as the bishop's administrative assistant. The archdeacon shares in the bishop's ministry of mission, pastoral care, worship and teaching, ensuring that all ecclesiastical duties are diligently performed and bringing to the bishop's attention what calls for correction or merits praise.
In the church the episcopacy is arranged by administrative rank. The ranks are, from the lowest to the highest, as follows: bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, patriarch…
In the church the presbyterate is also arranged by administrative rank. The ranks are, from the lowest to the highest, as follows: Priest or Presbyter is, in the Bible, a synonym for bishop (episkopos), referring to a leader in local church congregations. In modern Orthodox usage, it is distinct from bishop and synonymous with priest. Its literal meaning in Greek (presbyteros) is "elder” & Archpriest also protopresbyter, is a clerical rank, a title of honor given to non-monastic priests and is conferred by a bishop with the laying on of hands and prayer.
The Holy Order of the Diaconate is the third and lowest rank in the hierarchy of orders in the Church, being subordinate to the episcopate and presbyterate. The diaconate is a hierarchical order of 5 ranks: Archdeacon, Deacon, Sub-deacon, Reader, Psalter.
In the church, an archdeacon is the senior deacon within a diocese and has responsibility for serving at hierarchical services (those at which the bishop is present and presiding). Originally the chief of the deacons who assisted the bishop, the archdeacon is now typically a priest who serves as the bishop's administrative assistant. The archdeacon shares in the bishop's ministry of mission, pastoral care, worship and teaching, ensuring that all ecclesiastical duties are diligently performed and bringing to the bishop's attention what calls for correction or merits praise.
