Tag: Greek

From Harvard MD to Orthodox priest: the Fr. Pythagoras Caravellas story

Editor's note: The following article was written by relatives of Fr. Pythagoras Caravellas, and originally appeared in the 60th anniversary commemorative album for Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in San Francisco, published in 1996. The article has been reprinted at Annunciation Cathedral's website, and we present it here courtesy of the...

The American tour of a Greek archbishop in 1893

As we've discussed several times in the past, in 1893, a Greek archbishop visited the United States. His name was Archbishop Dionysius Latas of Zante, and he came to America to attend the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago. That's where we last saw him; today, we'll pick up Abp...

Prayers for the President

Attend an American Orthodox parish today, of any jurisdiciton, and you're likely to hear prayers offered for the President of the United States (and, in some parishes, for the other branches of government as well). The first evidence I've been able to find of such prayers is from the journal...

The Historical Reality of Greek Orthodoxy in America

Last week, I was privileged to speak at the Greek Archdiocese Clergy-Laity Congress in Atlanta. I gave the same talk on two days, July 5 and 6. Below, we've published the text of my lecture. A couple of things, up front: first, I didn't include footnotes, because this was just...

Bishop Savas of Troas on the Episcopal Assembly

Bishop Savas of Troas, the Director of the Office of Society and Culture of the Greek Archdiocese, is one of the most visible Greek hierarchs in America. Recently, he was interviewed by Fr. Christopher Metropoulos for the Orthodox Christian Network. To listen to the 17-minute interview, click here. Click here to read...

Lecture at the Clergy-Laity Congress

For any of our readers who will be attending the upcoming Greek Archdiocese Clergy-Laity Congress in Atlanta: On Monday and Tuesday (July 5 and 6), I will be giving a talk on early Greek Orthodoxy in America. My talk focuses roughly on the 1860-1920 period, and regular readers of OrthodoxHistory.org...

The first convert priests… or… the first American apostates

Editor's note: Last year, on September 30, I aired a podcast on James Chrystal and Nicholas Bjerring, the first two convert priests in American Orthodox history. On the same day, I published an article on the two men, reflecting on their relevance to us today. Given that many of our...

Protestant brides and Greek grooms in DC, 1906

Regular readers of this website have no doubt noticed that I am really interested in early American converts to Orthodoxy. There weren't too many, but the handfuls of people who did join the Church in the late 19th and early 20th century almost always present fascinating stories. The most notable...

Rethinking the Myth of Unity

One year ago, I delivered a paper at St. Vladimir's Seminary entitled, "The Myth of Unity and the Origins of Jurisdictional Pluralism in American Orthodoxy." (Click here for the audio.) My thesis was that, contrary to a widely-held belief, American Orthodoxy was not administratively united prior to the Bolshevik Revolution of...

The Russian Archbishop welcomes the Greek Archdiocese, 1921

"[I]n 1921 ... without the knowledge and canonical approval of the Russian Orthodox Church, a Greek Archdiocese was founded in America." (Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow to Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, March 17, 1970.) Patriarch Alexy's position has been shared by many people, particularly since the OCA was granted autocephaly by...