About Us
Greek Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese of America (G.O.C.)
Ελληνική Ορθόδοξος Ιεραποστολική Αρχιεπισκοπή Αμερικής
We are a traditional Orthodox Christian jurisdiction serving the faithful in America and abroad. Our Archdiocese follows the Church’s ancient (Julian) calendar and worships according to the received liturgical, spiritual, and canonical tradition of the Orthodox Church, as it has been handed down from the Apostles through the Holy Fathers to the present day.
Our Identity
We belong to the family of Genuine Orthodox Christian (G.O.C.) communities that, over the past century, have chosen to preserve the Church’s traditional calendar and liturgical practice rather than adopt the calendar reforms introduced in the 1920s. We see ourselves not as separate from the wider Orthodox world, but as a living continuation of its unbroken worship, discipline, and spiritual life, offering a home for those who are drawn to that continuity.
Apostolic Succession
Our bishops trace their apostolic succession through canonical consecrations beginning in 1970 with the founding of our Archdiocese in New York, with roots extending through hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the Romanian Orthodox Church, and other canonical Orthodox lines. This succession has been formally acknowledged in writing by the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, among others.
Recognition
In Greece, the community of the Genuine Orthodox Christians (Old Calendarist/Traditional Orthodox) has long been recognized in law: the Greek Parliament (1975), Greek courts, and various government ministries have all affirmed their status as legitimate Orthodox clergy, with sacraments (baptisms, marriages) recorded in official civil registries. Greek courts have likewise ruled that Genuine Orthodox Christians (Old Calendarists) are neither schismatics nor heretics.
Our Mission
Our name reflects our calling: this is a missionary Archdiocese. We exist to serve Orthodox Christians, both cradle and convert alike, who are seeking a traditional expression of the faith rooted in the patristic and monastic heritage of Orthodoxy, and to offer that path to anyone drawn to it, wherever they may be.
An Alternative, Not an Opposition
We hold our fellow Orthodox Christians of every jurisdiction in prayer. We simply offer something particular within the Orthodox family: a continuation of the traditional calendar, liturgical practice, and monastic spirituality that has always been part of Orthodoxy’s inheritance. If you are seeking that traditional path, we welcome you.