About Us

The Orthodox Church is the original Christian Church established by Jesus Christ in A.D. 33. From that time on, the successors to the Apostles, the bishops, have maintained incorrupt this holy faith.

The Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians in America was established in the 1950's with the arrival of the ever-memorable Archimandrite Petros Astyfides (1915-1997), who later became Metropolitan of Astoria. In 1954 he founded the church of St. Markella in Astoria NY, which later became his Cathedral.

The Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of America is a part of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece, under His Beatitude, Archbishop Kallinikos.

In the Church of the G.O.C. in America there are now 58 parishes and missions, 6 men's monasteries and sketes, 4 convents, 7 bishops (3 retired), 72 priests (8 retired), and 21 deacons throughout North and South America.

The ruling hierarch of the Metropolis of America is His Eminence, Metropolitan Demetrius of America. His Eminence is assisted by his auxiliary bishop, His Grace, Bishop Christodoulos of Theoupolis.

The Metropolis of Toronto, whose ruling hierarch is His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses of Toronto, extends throughout southern Ontario.

The Diocese of Boston, whose ruling hierarch is His Eminence, Metropolitan Demetrius of America, extends throughout the states of New England.

The Diocese of Etna and Portland, whose ruling hierarch is His Grace, Bishop Auxentios of Etna and Portland, extends throughout the western United States which are in the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones. It also includes, in Canada, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as Alaska and Hawaii.

We invite you to visit one of our parishes or to get in contact with us if you have any questions about our Church.

A Brief History

Why we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

Orthodox Awareness

Bartholomew Prays at Iftar

Iftar, refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after sunset.

We report the following unchanged as it was published:

"The leaders of the Armenian, Roman, Jewish and Syrian communities of Turkey sat around the fasting Iftar dinner in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul." Read more...

Missions

Saint John of Kronstadt - Bunnell, Florida

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...

Youth

2023 Youth Conference

Please join us for the 2023 youth conference in Chicago, IL! To learn more, visit the home page or visit the conference website.

Ask A Priest

Morning and Evening Prayers

Q. Are the prayers in the blue prayer book [A Prayerbook for Orthodox Christians by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery —ed.] compulsory for everyone? I mean their morning prayers and the service of Small Compline. My confessor gave me a special rule but wasn’t clear about whether this replaced the book prayers or was in addition to them. Read more...