Tag: converts

A Poisoned Chalice? Fr. Ingram Nathaniel Irvine in 1920

As we've discussed previously, in July of 1920, an all-convert, all-English Orthodox parish was founded in New York City. Called the Church of the Transfiguration, the parish was led by the newly-converted Fr. Patrick Mythen. But it was the fulfillment of a long-held dream of the elderly Fr. Ingram Nathaniel...

Irvine warns Dabovich about the Episcopal Church

Fr. Sebastian Dabovich was a monumental figure in American Orthodox history. An American-born Serb, he founded numerous parishes -- Serbian and otherwise -- under the auspices of the Russian Mission in America. He is currently being considered by the Serbian Orthodox Church and the OCA for glorification as a saint....

The Erratic Life of Fr. Patrick Mythen

Fr. Patrick Mythen was an Orthodox Christian for just four years, but in that time, he was one of the most powerful priests in the whole Russian Archdiocese. This period -- 1920-1924 -- was one of great tumult and trial for the Russian jurisdiction, as it shifted from an archdiocese...

The First English-Speaking Parish

For a while now, I have been meaning to write about the first all-English Orthodox parish in America, founded in New York City in 1920. Today, I'm going to give a brief introduction to that parish, and the main characters involved. This is hardly the whole story; it really is...

“Oh foolish parent, who hath bewitched you!”

If you are a regular reader of this website, you already know about Fr. Ingram Nathaniel Irvine. Briefly, for those unfamiliar with him: Irvine was a longtime Episcopal priest who was defrocked by his bishop -- unjustly, so he said. St. Tikhon agreed, and, in 1905, Tikhon ordained Irvine to...

Protestant hymns in Orthodox churches

I've been looking through a borrowed copy of Fr. Michael Gelsinger's Orthodox Hymns in English, published by the Antiochian Archdiocese in 1939. This is a significant work, and Gelsinger's hymns are still used to this day. I'll write more about this book in the future, but I found the following...

Language in American Orthodoxy, 1916 (reposted from 8/21/09)

To our New Calendar readers: Christ is born! The following article was originally published on August 21, 2009. If you're interested, you might check out the comments to that original posting. We'll be back with brand-new material on Monday, December 28. As you might expect, most American Orthodox parishes in...

Orthodoxy in Colonial Virginia (Part 2)

On the latest episode of our American Orthodox History podcast, Nicholas Chapman recounts the almost incredible story of Orthodox Christianity in colonial Virginia. Last month, we published Nicholas' first article on the subject. Below, he continues his series. On July 4, 1789, after nearly five years of service, Thomas Jefferson was...

The Sorcerer on the Golden Horn

The following is a translation from the French of the article "Un Conquete du Patriarcat Oecumenique," from Échos d'Orient, Volume 11, 1908, concerning Fr. Raphael (Robert Josias) Morgan, the first black Orthodox priest in America. The article uses his middle name "Josias." The translation was done using Google Translate with...

Kenneth Conant: architectural historian & Orthodox convert

In the Resources section of our website, we have links to the histories of a lot of parishes. (I've honestly lost count; it must be around 150 now, or perhaps more.) One of those histories is of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Boston. When I first read that essay, this...