The Orthodox Catholic Church - the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church - the Kingdom of God on Earth
Introduction
An ever-growing number of persons from various backgrounds are becoming interested in the Orthodox Catholic Church. These individuals are discovering the ancient faith and rich traditions of the Orthodox Catholic Church. They have been attracted by her mystical vision of God and His Kingdom, the beauty of her worship, the purity of her Christian faith, her continuity with the past, and her ability to carry her past into the present with vigor, vitality, and relevance. These are only some of the treasures of the Church, which has a history reaching back to the time of the Apostles.
Eastern Christianity
The Orthodox Catholic Church embodies and expresses the rich spiritual treasures of Eastern Christianity. It should not be forgotten that the Gospel of Christ was first preached, and the first Christian communities were established in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. It was in these eastern regions of the old Roman Empire that the Christian faith matured in its struggle against paganism and heresy. There, the great Fathers lived and taught. It was in the cities of the East that the fundamentals of our faith were proclaimed at the Nine Ecumenical Councils.
The spirit of Christianity which was nurtured in the East had a particular flavor. It was distinct, though not necessarily opposed, to that which developed in the Western portion of the Roman Empire and subsequent Medieval Kingdoms in the West.
While Christianity in the West developed in lands that knew the legal and moral philosophy of Ancient Rome, Eastern Christianity developed in lands that knew the Semitic and Hellenistic cultures.
While the West was concerned with the Passion of Christ and the sin of man, the East emphasized the Resurrection of Christ and the deification of man. While the West leaned toward a legalistic view of religion, the East espoused a more mystical theology. Since the Early Church was not monolithic, the two great traditions existed together for more than a thousand years until the Great Schism divided the Church. Today, Roman Catholics are heirs to the Western tradition, and the Orthodox are heirs to the Eastern tradition.
Orthodox Catholic
Christians of the Eastern Churches call themselves Orthodox Catholic. This description comes to us from the fifth century and has two meanings that are closely related. The first definition is “true teaching.” The Orthodox Catholic Church believes that she has maintained and handed down the Christian faith, free from error and distortion, from the days of the Apostles. The second definition, which is actually the more preferred, is “true praise.” To bless, praise, and glorify God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the fundamental purpose of the Church. All her activities, even her doctrinal formulations, are directed toward this goal.
The word Catholic has always been used to describe the Orthodox Church. The word "catholic" which dates back to the second century, is embodied in the Nicene Creed, which acknowledges One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
From the Orthodox Catholic perspective, Catholic means that the Church is universal and also that she includes persons of all races and cultures. It also affirms that the Church has preserved the fullness of the Christian faith. Thus, it is not unreasonable to say that the Orthodox Catholic Church is an expression, manifestation, and embodiment of universal truth and right worship, and the correct way of living.
It is not unusual for titles such as Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Antiochian, and Italo-Greek to be used in describing Orthodox Catholic Churches. These appellations refer to the cultural or national roots of a particular parish, diocese, or archdiocese.
Orthodoxy in the West
In our Western Hemisphere, the Orthodox Church has been developing into a valuable presence and distinctive witness for more than two hundred years.
The Orthodox Catholic Church in this country owes its origin to the devotion of so many immigrants from lands such as Greece, Russia, the Middle East, and the Balkans.
In the great wave of immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, Orthodox Catholic Christians from many lands and cultures came to America in search of freedom and opportunity. Like the first Apostles, they carried with them a precious heritage and gift. To the New World, they brought the ancient faith of the Orthodox Catholic Church.
Many Orthodox Catholic Christians in America proudly trace their ancestry to the lands and cultures of Europe and Asia, but the Orthodox Catholic Church in the United States can no longer be seen as an immigrant Church.
While the Orthodox Catholic Church contains individuals from numerous ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the majority of its membership is composed of persons who have been born in America. In recognition of this, Orthodoxy has been formally acknowledged as one of the Four Major Faiths in the United States.
Following the practice of the Early Church, Orthodoxy treasures the various cultures of its people, but it is not bound to any particular culture or people.
The Orthodox Church welcomes all!
Diversity in Unity
The Orthodox Catholic Church is an international federation of patriarchal, autocephalous, and autonomous churches. Each church is independent in its internal organization and follows its own particular customs. However, all the Churches are united in the same faith and order.
The Orthodox Catholic Church acknowledges that unity does not mean uniformity. Some churches are rich in history, such as the Church of Constantinople, while others are relatively young, such as the Orthodox Church in America. Some are large, such as the Church of Russia, while others are small, such as the Church of Sinai. Each Church is led by a synod of bishops. The president of the synod is known as the Patriarch, Archbishop, Metropolitan, or Catholicos.
Absent union with the Church of Rome, among the various bishops of the Orthodox Catholic Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is presently accorded a “place of honor” and is regarded as “first among equals.” Were a union between the Church of Rome and the Orthodox Catholic Churches to become a reality, the Bishop of Rome would once again become, in practice, the Protos of all the Bishops of the Church, taking again the title “first among equals.”
In America and Western Europe, where Orthodoxy is relatively young, there are a number of dioceses and archdioceses which are directly linked to one of the sixteen Patriarchal and Autocephalous Churches. For example, the Italo-Greek Byzantine Orthodox Catholic Church (Italo-Greek Church) was historically under the Patriarchate of Rome until the latter part of the eighth century, when ecclesiastical and canonical jurisdiction shifted to the Church of Constantinople. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, the Italo-Greek Church in Sicily and Southern Italy, while small in size and numbers, became virtually self-governing but nevertheless still considered itself a part of the Church of Constantinople. To this day, the Italo-Greek Byzantine Orthodox Catholic Church still considers the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Church of Constantinople) to be its Mother Church. While the Italo-Greek Church, consisting of two archdioceses, enjoys a good measure of internal autonomy and is headed by an Archbishop, it owes its spiritual allegiance to the Great Church of Constantinople.
