THE HOLY BYZANTINE CATHOLIC ORTHODOX CHURCH (SAINT OFTIMIOS).

THE HOLY BYZANTINE CATHOLIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
A TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY

OUR BELOVED SAINT AFTIMIOS
Patron Saint of the Falsely Accused
Last Sunday of July

During St. Aftimios lifetime he suffered at the hands of the ethnic orthodox
jurisdictions in the New World. After his death the calumnies continue by the
ethic jurisdictions in our country.

After the death of St. Raphael of Brooklyn in 1915, St. Aftimios (Ofiesh) was elected to serve as his
replacement in caring for the Orthodox faithful in America under the Church of Russia's canonical
authority. He was consecrated by Archbishop Evdokim ( Basil Mikhailovich Meschersky),
hemisphere of the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia) as an auxiliary bishop in 1917 with the title
of Bishop of Brooklyn. In 1923, in recognition for his work in America, he was elevated by Metropolitan
Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York to the rank of archbishop.

In 1924, in the canonical chaos of American Orthodoxy following the onset of the Bolshevik Revolution
in Russia, the Orthodox faithful split into two factions, one which wished to go under the canonical
authority of the Church of Antioch and another which wished to stay faithful to the Church of Russia. The
former group was organized by Bishop Victor (Abu Assaly) of New York, thus beginning the official
presence of the Church of Antioch on American soil.

In 1927, St. Aftimios was commissioned by the Russian diocese in America to form an "English-
speaking " American Orthodox Catholic Church. During this time St. Aftimios consecrated the
following Bishops:

		Bishop Emmanuel (Rizkallah) Abouhatab (Abo-Hatab) on September 11, 1927, as the
		American Orthodox Church Bishop of Montreal.
		Bishop Sophronios (Beshara) of Los Angeles and the West on May 26, 1928.
		Bishop Joseph (Zuk) for the Ukrainians on September 25, 1932.
		Bishop Ignatius (William Albert) Nichols in September of 1932 as his auxiliary bishop of
		Washington.
		Additionally, in 1931 the Society of Clerks Secular of St. Basil, a Western Rite group, was
		established under the auspices of this diocese and subsequently led by Nichols.

We truly believe that Saint Aftimios and the Bishops with his succession are the only canonical
Orthodox bishops in the United States since 1917.

Saint Aftimios died at age 85 in 1966.

His heritage lives on in the all the Bishops with his succession in America.

Troparion to St. Aftimios

Rejoice, O Father Aftimios, Adornment of the Holy Church! Thou art Champion of the True Faith,
Seeker of the lost, Consolation of the oppressed, Father to orphans, and Friend of the poor,
Peacemaker and Good Shepherd, Joy of Orthodoxy, Son of Lebanon, Boast of America, patron Saint
of the falsely accused Intercede with Christ God for us and for all who honor thee.