SOCHA Newsletter, Issue #3 (October 27, 2011)

The directors of SOCHA: Fr. Oliver Herbel, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Matthew Namee, and Aram SarkisianI haven't put together a SOCHA newsletter in a while, and this one is kind of sparse, but I didn't want to wait any longer. If you know of anything we should include in the...

St. Raphael’s tombstone

Last week, I introduced Fr. Moses Abihider, a little-known Antiochian priest from the early 20th century. One thing we did know was that Fr. Moses was buried at the Antiochian Village along with St. Raphael, with whom he shared a tombstone. But... well, I was wrong about that one. See, before...

Peter the Aleut: the original martyrdom account

Editor's note: Raymond A Bucko, S.J. is a Jesuit Catholic priest, professor of anthropology, chair of the social work, sociology and anthropology department at Creighton University, Omaha Nebraska.  He completed his doctoral work in anthropology at the University of Chicago in 1992.  His dissertation was  "Inipi: Historic Transformation and Contemporary...

In Search Of… Fr. Moses Abihider

I know I owe you a recap of our recent Princeton symposium, but before I do that, I’m going to launch a new feature here at OH.org. I’m calling it “In Search Of…” The idea is pretty simple: I’ll present what I know about an interesting but obscure figure from...

SOCHA adds Aram Sarkisian as fourth director

We'll have more on our recent Princeton symposium soon, but before that, a special announcement: Immediately following the symposium, SOCHA added a fourth director to its executive board -- Aram Sarkisian, whose work has already been featured on OrthodoxHistory.org. Aram is a member of the Armenian Church, and his grandfather...

2011 Symposium Begins this Weekend

This evening begins "Pilgrims and Pioneers: The Growth of Orthodox Christianity in 20th Century America," a conference taking place at Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary from September 30 to October 1, 2011. Tonight's event, a panel discussion, is free and open to the public. Some of the figures whose...

A Virginian Apostle: The First Orthodox Catechism in the Americas?

Editor's note: We're extremely pleased to present another article by Nicholas Chapman, who continues to excavate the very earliest origins of Orthodoxy in America. To read more about Nicholas and his exciting research, check out the upcoming edition of the journal Road to Emmaus, which features a lengthy interview with...

SOCHA interview on Ancient Faith Radio

A quick note to our readers: Last week, Bobby Maddex of Ancient Faith Radio interviewed me about SOCHA's latest developments, especially the journal and the upcoming symposium. Click here to listen to the interview. Matthew Namee

Newly-discovered documents on Fr. Raphael Morgan

We've devoted a fair amount of attention here at OrthodoxHistory.org to Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first black Orthodox priest in America. Very briefly: Morgan was born in Jamaica, traveled widely, and eventually became an Episcopalian deacon in the United States. In 1907, after many years of study, he traveled to...

New York OCA Cathedral’s fight for religious freedom

If you've read the last two issues of our SOCHA newsletter, you know that Holy Protection OCA Cathedral in New York City is in the middle of a fight with the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Here's how I described the situation in the most recent newsletter: In last month's...