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Orthodox Atlas

Orthodox Church in America

Metropolitan of All America and Canada · Washington, D.C. · est. 1970 · No. 15 in the diptychs

An autocephalous Orthodox Church in North America, granted autocephaly by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1970.

Widely recognized

Primate & Hierarchs

  • Metropolitan of All America and Canada —Tikhon (Mollard)· primate

The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an autocephalous Orthodox Church whose territory is North America. It received autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church in 1970, with roots in the 18th-century Russian mission to Alaska. Its primate bears the title Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada. Its autocephaly is recognised by the Russian Church and several Slavic Churches but not by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The OCA is organised into territorial dioceses together with the Romanian, Bulgarian, and Albanian ethnic jurisdictions. It predominantly follows the New (Revised Julian) Calendar, though a number of parishes keep the Old Calendar.

Recognition

  • Russian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Moscow) recognizes this Church (1970) — Tomos of autocephaly granted by the Russian Orthodox Church.
  • Bulgarian Orthodox Church recognizes this Church
  • Georgian Orthodox Church recognizes this Church
  • Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia recognizes this Church
  • Polish Orthodox Church recognizes this Church
  • Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople does not recognize this Church — Constantinople regards the OCA as part of the Russian Church rather than autocephalous.

Dioceses