| THE HOLY BYZANTINE KATHOLIC ORTHODOX CHURCH Le Saint Église Bizantine Katholique Orthodoxe A TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY |
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| 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. |
Following the untimely death of St. Raphael of Brooklyn in 1915, Archimandrite Aftimios (Ofiesh) was
elected to serve as his replacement in caring for the Arab 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 American Church, 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.
| All right reserved @2011 by The Holy Byzantine Catholic Orthodox Church. |