WHAT IS :
It is the community of people who believe in Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is entered through the sacrament of Baptism in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and which has its Founder as its head or leadership.
WHO FOUNDED IT:
It was founded by someone decisive in the history of humanity: a Divine and Human Being at the same time, True God and True Man, the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity in humankind - in the Blessed Virgin Mary precisely - by work and grace of the Holy Spirit. He was born in a manger, in a village in Bethlehem, and his name is Jesus Christ.
WHEN AND WHERE I FOUND IT:
Almost two thousand years ago in Palestine, fulfilling what was predicted by the Old Testament prophets who spoke of a Messiah, an Anointed One of God, the Christ, who would come to restore humanity to its natural condition; to the one he had before the problem caused by his first ancestors, Adam and Eve. That is, he came to restore the image and return the likeness of God to the human being, which he had lost due to disobedient pride, once again becoming the image and likeness of God.
HOW I FUND IT:
Giving his personal example of holiness and preaching the Gospel (the Good News), a new message of love, mutual forgiveness, faith, hope and charity. Granting peace to the souls of the distressed, and working miracles such as healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, and resurrecting the dead, testifying in many ways to his divine origin before human beings and giving his life as a price of redemption; rising gloriously from the dead, as the first fruit of our future resurrection to eternal life.
WHO WERE THE FIRST FOLLOWERS:
The people who live in Palestine, since they toured towns and villages there, bringing their message and saving presence. Among the disciples who followed him, the Master Jesus chose twelve apostles: Simon called Peter; Andrés his brother; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the publican, James son of Alpheus; Lebeo, nicknamed Tadeo; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
They were simple people: fishermen, artisans, public officials, whom he called to follow him and spread his work on earth. He first formed them through his personal example, his preaching and his miraculous actions. Then, he prayed to the Father for their unity, and he sent them the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, to give them the necessary strength and full understanding to carry out the work he entrusted them with: to go and baptize all nations, in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
SO THAT THE CHURCH WAS FOUNDED:
To grant human beings a path towards perfection and salvation: A path of perfection in love of neighbor and good works, in the living of faith, in the intimate encounter with God, in prayer and above all , in the reception of the Divine Grace present in the Holy Sacraments.
And a path of salvation, elevating our souls and bodies towards God so that we may participate in His Divine Energies, full of light, as they were manifested to James, Peter and John when Our Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured on Mount Tabor.
WHO FORM IT:
The Church is a bridge between Heaven and Earth itself, designed and created by the God-Man. It is made up of all those baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity: those of us who are on earth today and also by our believing ancestors, who left this world for the Heavenly Homeland.
Human beings are created by God in His Image and Likeness, free, with a rational soul, people composed of soul and body. In our walk towards Him we encounter many difficulties, and we are limited in so many ways, due to weaknesses, falls, vices, aggressions, intolerances, hatred, resentments, anxieties, pains, etc., that mark our lives.
However, despite all these problems of ours, the Church is Holy because Holy is its Founder, Holy are the Sacraments that we receive in it and Holy is its purpose: that we achieve personal holiness in the community.
We are a dough, and our leaven is the Lord, so that the weakness of each human being may be transformed by divine strength. Thus, the human being is renewed, born into a new life where the Love and Light of the One and Triune God reigns.
HOW IT WAS ORGANIZED:
Fifty days after the Glorious Resurrection of the Lord (ten days after his Ascension to heaven), the community of about one hundred and twenty people, in which was the Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, together with the Apostles, while they prayed In the house where they had celebrated the Last Supper with the Master, they experienced the irruption of the Holy Spirit, which appeared as tongues of fire that were distributed and settled on each one of them, thus fulfilling the promise made by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth and Strength of the Cosmos, gave his gifts to the Apostles so that they would fully and consciously understand the teaching of the Lord; and so that they would successfully undertake preaching to all peoples and nations in their own languages, be they Jews, Greeks, Arabs, Scythians, Egyptians, etc., to the ends of the Earth. The Holy Spirit also strengthened them to bear the heavy and bloody burden of the terrible persecutions suffered by the first Christians and later by all the martyrs, until today.
The Apostles preached throughout the villages, cities and metropolises of their time. Thus they created communities, leaving a Bishop in charge of them, helped by the elders or priests and by the young people called deacons, who collaborated with them by attending to all kinds of needs.
The Christian communities were growing and structuring themselves, praising the Lord, celebrating the Holy Eucharist, while waiting for the triumphant life of Christ to reign eternally among us. They did good for and for all, sharing as brothers, since they were children of the same loving Heavenly Father.
Over time, the Bishops of the Metropolis were called Metropolitan Archbishops and they convened synods to resolve the ecclesial problems of their jurisdictions. The Metropolitan of the Capital of a nation, kingdom or empire was called Patriarch, being the President of the Synod, but as first among equals among the other bishops.
The Church was characterized by administrative decentralization and its organization did not obey dogmatic issues. Thus, in the first centuries, Christianity knew the following Patriarchates: Jerusalem (in Palestine), Antioch (in Syria), Alexandria (in Egypt), Rome (in Italy), and Constantinople (in Asia Minor, Capital of the Eastern Roman Empire ).
Later, new patriarchates were created, such as Moscow (Russia), Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Georgia.
TO WHICH OUR COMMUNITY BELONGS:
We descend from The Russian Orthodox Church (ROGCC), The American Orthodox Catholic Church was established in 1927 by Aftimios Ofiesh consecrated by Archbishop Evdokim (Meschersky). In 1923, in recognition of his work in the United States, he was elevated by Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York to the rank of Archbishop. In 1927, Aftimios was commissioned by the Russian diocese in the United States to form an English-speaking jurisdiction (the American Orthodox Catholic Church). The purpose of the diocese was to establish a new tradition in North America that was separate from any other particular ethnic or cultural traditions.
IF THERE IS AUTONOMY, HOW DOES THE CHURCH KEEP UNITED?
The unity of the Church, not only the American Orthodox Catholic Church , but that of all the Patriarchates, is based on two fundamental pillars: The first is that it has a head that is the Risen Christ (Ephesians 1:22), the Church being His Mystical Body. The other is the doctrinal unity of faith and the communion of Grace, of the same Chalice and the same Sacraments, with a permanent bond of prayer existing between them.
Our common faith has as its source the Holy Scriptures and Holy Tradition. It was commented on by the Holy Theological Fathers of the Church, such as Saint Basil the Great, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint John Damascene, Saint Augustine, Saint Gregory Palamas, and others. and by the teachings made explicit and proclaimed in the Seven Ecumenical Councils of all Christendom, considered the highest authority. These Councils were held in Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon, etc., from the 4th century to the 8th century. In the first two, Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381, the Creed of our faith was established, which we confess out loud every Sunday during the Divine Liturgy and in other services.
The Seven Ecumenical Councils affirmed the purity of faith and right doctrine against heresies, the veneration due to Sacred Images or Icons, and ecclesiastical discipline.
We also affirm that the fullness of the Church is assisted by the Holy Spirit, which is why the Church is infallible.
WHERE THE CHURCH IS NOW:
It is throughout the world, proclaiming the Gospel in the language of each people or nationality. It is Universal, but not only geographically or temporally, but in interior plenitude, since where the Bread and Wine is consecrated, in communion with orthodoxy, there is the real presence of the Lord; There is the full Church, the Church Militant on this earth and the Church Triumphant in Heaven. Where the Bishop is, with his parishioners, there is the universal plenitude of the Church.
IT IS HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC
It is Holy precisely because its Founder is Holy, and it is animated by the Holy Spirit. She is Catholic; that is, according to all, since it is united, it preserves the true faith and is not limited to place, region, race or peoples, or periods of time since its chronological foundation. She is apostolic, because the mandate to preach and baptize was entrusted by the Lord to the Holy Apostles, whose successors without interruption who maintain doctrinal purity, are the Bishops.
There is a Sacred Sacramental Order, to which people are consecrated to serve God as Deacons, Priests and Bishops. But the Church is the plenitude of all its members, which is why, along with the consecrated people, the laity actively participate.
WHAT OTHER ASPECTS CHARACTERIZE IT:
The Holy Catholic, Orthodox Apostolic Church is made up of clergy and laity, each acting in it according to the blessings, gifts or charismas received, and according to the tasks that are specific to them.
Thus, the clergy is responsible for pastoral, sacramental, spiritual, and liturgical work; that is, the leadership of the flock, the correct administration of the Holy Sacraments, the spiritual guidance and care of the faithful, and the liturgical celebrations in the temple. For their part, the laity are responsible for carrying out administrative and social tasks in their community. Laity and clergy together share the pastoral and educational tasks within the community. The responsibility of the Church is therefore that of all its members.
WHY I NEED THE CHURCH; WHAT DO YOU OFFER :
The Church allows us to evolve individually and act in community in pursuit of perfection and holiness.
It also allows us to find ourselves, contemplatively, searching for God in the depths of our own hearts and acting with, by and for others, as a sign of love for our neighbor.
What does the Church offer us? ; rather it is oneself, as a full member, who offers oneself to others and others to oneself. The Church is fullness of dedication, love and communion.
MARRIAGE IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
Get marry? You can get married at the civil registry. In fact, that is the only requirement of the political state in our country to form a conjugal society. Why, then, get married in the Church? And furthermore, why does the Orthodox Church consider marriage as one of its sacraments, one of the seven rites commonly designated as Sacraments or Mysteries? Saint John Chrysostom, one of the Ecumenical Doctors of the Church, has given the name "Sacrament of Love" to this Mystery of Marriage.
According to the Orthodox faith, then, marriage is not simply the agreement between a man and a woman to share their lives, nor is it a legal sanction. Marriage is not performed by the couple themselves, with the cleric and the congregation as witnesses to their decision. Their union, based on their free will to unite in love as husband and wife, becomes a Sacrament, a Mystery of the Church, precisely because they are united as Orthodox Christians, full members of the Eucharistic community, who together share the Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and who receive the grace of God for their union through the ministry of the entire Church in the person of the Bishop or Priest, and in the presence of the gathered People of God.
This concept explains why the Orthodox Church does not advise marriage between an Orthodox Christian and a Christian of another confession. At the same time, it is understood that it is impossible for the Church to unite "in Christ" an Orthodox Christian with someone who is not a Christian. The Sacrament of Marriage retains its full meaning when both the groom and the bride are participants in the Orthodox Apostolic Catholic Church.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
The Virgin Mary has an important place in the Orthodox Church, which can easily be observed by simply entering an Orthodox temple: there is always at least one icon of the Virgin Mary clearly visible to the faithful. Among all the saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary enjoys a unique place. She is venerated as the most excellent of all God's creatures, "more venerable than the cherubs and incomparably more glorious than the seraphim," as we sing in one of the hymns of the Divine Liturgy.
The oldest data we have about Mary is found in the New Testament, and also in the writings called the "apocryphal gospels." These are documents composed in the early days of the church, which were not ultimately accepted as "Canonical Gospels" included in the New Testament, but are a source that teaches us about the life of Mary. Some of these apocryphal gospels that recount details of her life include the Proto Gospel of James, Pseudo-Matthew, and the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary.
From these apocryphal sources, we know that Mary's father was Joachim, a righteous man, a shepherd of sheep, from the tribe of Judah, and who lived in Nazareth. He was very generous, and it was his custom to give a third of his property to the poor, widows and orphans, another third to the temple and the people who served in it, and the last third he kept for his needs and those of his family. family. Mary's mother was called Anna, daughter of a priest of the Jewish temple, who was born in Bethlehem. Joaquín and Ana had been married for many years, but they did not have children. This, in the culture of his time, was considered a curse from God, a humiliation in front of everyone. They incessantly prayed to God to give them children, promising that they would dedicate the life of his son or daughter to Him. One day, an angel of the Lord visited Joachim while he was shepherding, and announced that Hannah would give birth to a girl. Then the same angel also appeared to Anna, giving her the same news. They were very happy and thanked God for His Great Mercy. The Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of Mary's conception by her parents on December 9. We celebrated her birth on September 8. Fulfilling her promise to God, Joaquín and Ana later took little Mary to the temple to dedicate her life to God. We celebrate this feast, the Presentation of Mary in the Temple, on November 21.
Mary in the Bible
In the New Testament, we find references to Mary in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts of the Apostles.
From the Gospel according to Saint Luke, we know that an angel of the Lord was sent to Mary, when she was a young virgin engaged to Joseph, to announce to her that the Child God would be born to her, by the work of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1, 27 to 38) "The angel...said to him, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, therefore also the holy Being who will be born will be called the Son of God.' "Mary, faced with this amazing news, joyfully accepted. "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38) The Gospel of Matthew also states that Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit. "The birth of Jesus Christ was thus: His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; and before they were united, she was found to have conceived of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 1:18) Later the Church expressed this same thing in the Nicene-Constantine Creed, written at the first two Ecumenical Councils in the years 325 and 381. "And in one Lord Jesus Christ... who for us men and for our salvation , descended from heaven, was incarnated from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man."
In the same way we know, from the Gospel according to Saint Luke, that Mary was the cousin of Elizabeth (Elizabeth), the mother of Saint John the Baptist, and that she went to visit her before her son was born. "And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, that the babe leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:41)
The Evangelist Saint John relates that Mary was present when Jesus performed his first miracle in Cana of Galilee, when he turned water into wine, at a wedding celebration. (John 2:1 to 11)
In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, it is reported that Mary remained with the disciples after the death and resurrection of Jesus: "All these persevered unanimously in prayer together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with the brothers of Him," (Acts 1:14) and that he was also with them on the Feast of Pentecost, when they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1). She, who had sheltered the divine Person of the Son of God in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, now receives the Holy Spirit in her divine descent.
Mary in the Church
In the Orthodox Church, everything we believe and affirm about Mary is directly and explicitly related to our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity Made Man. "Mariology" is indispensably related to "Christology," with our faith in the Incarnation. We hold two dogmas about Mary: first, as we have already said, that she conceived her Son Jesus Christ by her by the Holy Spirit, as we find in the Nicene-Constantine Creed. The second dogma about Mary was proclaimed by the third Ecumenical Council, held in Ephesus in the year 431. This dogma affirms that Mary is Theotokos, that is, "She who gave birth to God", Mother of God, and not only Cristotokos, that is, only Mother of Christ.
Mary, the Mother of God, figures prominently in the writings of the Holy Fathers of the Church. We find references to her in her writings as early as the 2nd century. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, whom legend identifies with the child that Jesus held in his arms when he spoke of the kingdom, is considered the "first Marian writer." This saint, who suffered martyrdom in the early years of the second century, affirms that Our God Jesus Christ was carried by Mary in her womb, according to divine disposition, and that Mary the Mother of Our Lord was truly a virgin. Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan in the 4th century, said: "The life of Mary is a rule of life for all." Also in the 4th century, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, who was an important figure at the Council of Ephesus, in The sermon that is considered the most famous of antiquity on Mary, says: "Rejoice, Mary Mother of God, venerable treasure of the whole world, inextinguishable light, crown of virginity, staff of Orthodoxy, indestructible temple that contains the uncontainable." …it is through you that the Holy Trinity is glorified and adored; through you, the precious Cross is venerated throughout the world; through you the heavens rejoice, the angels and archangels rejoice, and the demons flee. ;... through you all creation has achieved the knowledge of the truth. "Saint John of Damascus, in the 7th-8th century, affirms that she is a virgin "in mind, in soul and in body," and assures us that "in "she personifies the entire mystery of the divine plan of salvation." Saint Andrew of Crete expresses it this way: Mary is "the living city of the King and God, in which Christ dwelt and wrought our salvation."
WHO CAN TAKE COMMUNION?
Our table is open to all believers.
DO YOU ACCEPT BAPTISM FROM OTHER CHURCHES?
Most of us have come from other churches where we or those we love may not have been accepted as full and equal participants in the Body of Christ. We accept any baptism performed in the name of the Trinity.
DO YOU BAPTIZE CHILDREN?
Yes, we follow this ancient church practice, believing that the surest way to grow in the love of God is to fully participate in the divine mysteries (sacraments) from an early age.
IS THERE A CONFESSION?
We believe that the mystery of reconciliation is a powerful way to heal the soul and spirit and gives us the strength to grow toward God. We do not require confession as a prerequisite for receiving communion, or for any other purpose, although regular confession is often a valuable spiritual practice. Like other Orthodox churches, our view of confession is that it is a mystery of healing and reconciliation, not of judgment and punishment, and we see that the role of the priest is simply that of a witness on behalf of the Body of Christ, and as a spiritual advisor and a doctor. God forgives, not the priest.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE?
We believe in the Holy Scriptures as inspired by God, but like other Orthodox and Catholic Christians, we do not believe it is the only guide. The many books that make up the Bible were chosen and validated over time by the Church, which is a living organism, rather than being the criterion for the Church. We also believe in the continuing wisdom of the Body of Christ, which is to all believers, throughout the generations, and we call this Tradition another way to prove the truth. Finally, we know and experience the continuing presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, as Christ promised, as we face the problems and challenges of the present.
Furthermore, we recognize that many different types of books found in the Bible are of many different types - poetry, legislation, narrative, proverbial wisdom - and that they must be interpreted accordingly. The Bible is not a textbook of science or history but a way to understand the mysteries of our lives as children of God and sisters and brothers with each other.
JESUS AS SAVIOR?
Like most Orthodox, we believe that no one is saved alone. We understand that "being born again" happens in and through baptism and other mysteries or sacraments. We see salvation not as "something" (sin and eternal death) but as growth in the Spirit toward participation in Christ (following Paul's "It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me" and "As many of you like have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ") and, finally, a closer love and understanding of God. This ancient apostolic understanding of salvation is often called "theosis."
We do not believe in the need for a "substitutionary atonement" or "vicarious sacrifice." Like most Eastern Christians, while we accept that our habits and desires may be tainted or clouded by sin, we do not believe in the Augustinian doctrine of a mechanical "original sin" automatically inherited from Adam by sexual reproduction or any other means.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN SAINTS?
Yes actually. We recognize and remember in our calendar the "cloud of witnesses", the many holy people who preceded us marked with the sign of faith. They are sources of strength and inspiration for us.
DO YOU WORSHIP STATUES OR ICONS?
We believe that images or icons can be powerful aids to our understanding and prayer, but we do not worship them. Many of us use them as ways to focus our prayer and as "windows into the divine." It is not the object we venerate, but the person or mystery they represent. We reserve our worship to God.
CAN YOUR PRIESTS AND BISHOPS GET MARRIED?
As was the practice among the early disciples, we make no distinction between married or unmarried candidates for any of the three orders of the clergy.
HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?
As mentioned in Beliefs and Practices, we do not have an elaborate membership procedure. Our table, our congregations, our mysteries and our welcoming arms are open to all who come to us. Many of us, both clergy and laity, have experienced rejection or alienation from our original religious traditions. Therefore, our fundamental approach is to be open, affirming and welcoming. To repeat the quote at the top of this page, "Love was the first motion."
For those already baptized who would like a more formal way to mark their union with us, please consult your local clergyman. Because we are a ritual/sacramental church, we will be able to hold an appropriate service to celebrate your commitment to us.
ARE THEY UNDER THE POPE OF ROME?
No.
HOW DOES YOUR CLERGY KEEP YOURSELF FROM HER?
We adhere to the tradition of the apostle Paul. Clergy are supported in the same way as lay people, with a wide variety of jobs.
