The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction operating under the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. Tracing its heritage to the biblical city where believers were first called Christians, the church in America is celebrated for its English-language worship, welcoming embrace of converts, and innovative Western Rite parishes.
Apostolic origins: From biblical Antioch to American shores
The historical lineage of the Antiochian Orthodox Church reaches directly back to the earliest chapters of the New Testament. In Acts 11:26, the scriptures record that "the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Established according to ancient tradition by the apostles Peter and Paul, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East (today headquartered in Damascus, Syria) is one of the original four ancient patriarchates of the Christian church.
The modern American presence of Antiochian Orthodoxy began in the late nineteenth century. Facing poverty, political oppression, and military conscription in the crumbling Ottoman provinces of Greater Syria (encompassing modern Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine), thousands of Arabic-speaking Christian families emigrated to the United States between 1890 and 1920. Settling in industrial cities across the Northeast and Midwest, including New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, these immigrants sought spiritual refuge in the familiar Byzantine liturgy of their homeland.
St. Raphael of Brooklyn and the immigrant foundation
The shepherd who organized these scattered immigrants into a cohesive ecclesial community was Father Raphael Hawaweeny (18–915). Born in Beirut to Syrian parents from Damascus and educated in Damascus, Constantinople, and Kiev, Father Raphael arrived in New York City in 1895 at the request of the Syrian Orthodox Society of New York.
Operating under the missionary jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox diocese in North America, as chronicled in our survey of the history of Orthodox Christianity in America, Father Raphael established Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn and traveled tirelessly across the continent by train. From small mining camps in Pennsylvania to textile towns in Massachusetts and farm hamlets in Nebraska, Raphael located isolated Arab Christian families, baptized their children, heard confessions, and founded more than thirty parishes.
In March 1904, Saint Tikhon Bellavin consecrated Father Raphael as Bishop of Brooklyn. This historic event marked the first time an Eastern Orthodox bishop was consecrated on American soil. Revered for his pastoral gentleness, linguistic eloquence, and missionary sacrifice, Bishop Raphael was canonized as Saint Raphael of Brooklyn by the Orthodox Church in America in 2000, and is venerated across all American jurisdictions as the patron saint of immigrant pastors.
The Englewood Archdiocese: Structure and global ties
Following Saint Raphael's death in 1915 and the chaos caused by the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Arab parishes in North America transferred their direct allegiance to their historic mother see, the Patriarchate of Antioch. Today, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is headquartered on a pastoral campus in Englewood, New Jersey.
The modern archdiocese was shaped deeply by Metropolitan Philip Saliba (193–014), who served as Primate for nearly five decades from 1966 until his death. A dynamic visionary, Metropolitan Philip unified competing Syrian archdioceses in 1975, founded the Antiochian Village camp and heritage center in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, championed the use of English in liturgical services, and secured autonomous status for the North American archdiocese from the Holy Synod of Antioch in 2003.
Today, under the leadership of Metropolitan Saba Isper, the archdiocese comprises nine regional dioceses across the United States and Canada, serving more than 275 parishes and approximately 100,000 adherents. The archdiocese cooperates closely with sister jurisdictions, including the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), through the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops.
Evangelical Orthodox converts and the welcoming of seekers
Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in America is its remarkable reputation as an evangelistic home for adult converts. While many Orthodox jurisdictions historically focused on ethnic preservation, the Antiochian archdiocese actively embraced domestic evangelism.
The watershed moment occurred in February 1987. A nationwide network of roughly two thousand evangelical Protestant—ed by former Campus Crusade for Christ staff members Peter E. Gillquist, Jack Sparks, and Jon Brau—ought reception into historical Orthodoxy. Having spent a decade studying early church history, the church fathers, and apostolic worship, their independent "Evangelical Orthodox Church" petitioned Metropolitan Philip for admission.
Metropolitan Philip embraced the seekers with open arms, ordaining dozens of their pastors and receiving seventeen whole congregations into the archdiocese. This historic mass conversion brought an influx of native-born Americans, accelerated the transition to English, and established Conciliar Press (now Ancient Faith Ministries), which has become the foremost publisher of Orthodox books, podcasts, and digital media in the Western world. Today, more than seventy percent of Antiochian clergy and a majority of active parishioners are adult converts from Protestant, Catholic, and secular backgrounds.
The Western Rite Vicariate: Ancient liturgy in Western forms
Another unique feature of the Antiochian Archdiocese is its Western Rite Vicariate. While the vast majority of parishes celebrate the traditional Byzantine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, approximately twenty-five congregations across North America worship using historic Western liturgical rites.
Approved originally by the Holy Synod of Moscow in the nineteenth century and formally established in the Antiochian Archdiocese in 1958, the Western Rite allows congregations of former Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans to retain traditional Western liturgical heritag—uch as Gregorian chant, kneeling during the Eucharistic prayer, and English choral anthem—hile holding strictly identical Eastern Orthodox dogma, as outlined in our overview of what Orthodox Christians believe.
Western Rite parishes utilize authorized liturgical texts such as the Liturgy of Saint Gregory (an English translation of the traditional Roman Mass, amended to remove Western doctrinal innovations like the filioque) and the Liturgy of Saint Tikhon (adapted from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer). These parishes must not be confused with non-Chalcedonian communions profiled in our study of Oriental Orthodox Churches.
Antiochian Orthodox beliefs and sacramental worship
Doctrinally, the Antiochian Orthodox Church is fully united with world Eastern Orthodoxy. The church professes the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed without the filioque, honors the decrees of the seven Ecumenical Councils, and proclaims the goal of Christian life as theosis—ealing union with God through Christ.
Worship is thoroughly sacramental and liturgical, engaging all the senses through sacred iconography, incense, and joyful vocal chant. Sacraments (Holy Mysteries) include baptism by triple immersion, chrismation, confession, holy matrimony, unction, ordination, and the Holy Eucharist, which is offered every Sunday in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. Communion is given to infants and baptized believers using a liturgical spoon containing both the consecrated bread and wine.
Finding an Antiochian Orthodox parish today
Antiochian parishes are established in almost every American state, with significant regional presences across California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan, as examined in our geographic survey of Orthodox churches by state.
Visitors visiting an Antiochian parish will experience a welcoming, multi-ethnic congregation where third-generation Arab families and adult American converts worship side by side. To locate a parish near you, explore our national directory of Orthodox churches, and read our comprehensive visitor guide to what to expect at an Orthodox church service.