View source for American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

{{Short description|Diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
| icon               = 
| name               = American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America
| abbreviation       = ACROD
| main_classification = Christianity
| orientation        = [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]]
| scripture          = [[Septuagint]], [[New Testament]]
| theology           = [[Eastern Orthodox theology]]
| polity             = [[Episcopal polity|Episcopal]]
| leader_title       = Ecumenical Patriarch
| leader_name        = [[Bartholomew I of Constantinople]]
| leader_title1      = Metropolitan
| leader_name1       = [[Gregory Tatsis|Gregory (Tatsis)]], Metropolitan of [[Nyssa (Cappadocia)|Nyssa]]
| language           = [[Rusyn language|Ruthenian]], <br> [[English language|English]]
| liturgy            = [[Byzantine rite|Byzantine]] [[Prostopinije]] chant
| territory          = [[United States]] <br> [[Canada]]
| website            = https://www.acrod.org/
| recognition        = 1938 ([[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]])
}}
{{Orthodoxyinamerica}}
The '''American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America''' ('''ACROD''') is a [[diocese|archdiocese]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]] in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. Though the diocese is directly responsible to the Patriarchate, it is under the spiritual supervision of the Primate of the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]]. As of 2010, there are 79 parishes with 10,400 adherents, of which 4900 regularly attend. There are no monasteries.{{sfn|Krindatch|2011|p=40}}
{{coord|40|20|59|N|78|56|47|W|region:US_type:city_source:kolossus-plwiki|display=title}}
The diocese was led by [[Metropolitan bishop|Metropolitan]] [[Nicholas Smisko|Nicholas (Smisko)]] of Amissos (1936–2011). The current leader is the Metropolitan of [[Nyssa (Cappadocia)|Nyssa]], [[Gregory Tatsis|Gregory (Tatsis)]], who was consecrated on November 27, 2012.

==History==
[[File:St. Nicholas of Myra Church entrance.jpg|thumb|230px|right|The entrance to the [[St. Nicholas of Myra Church (Manhattan)|Church of St. Nicholas of Myra]] in the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]] of [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]], designed by [[James Renwick Jr.]] and [[W. H. Russell]] in 1883 as a chapel for [[St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery]] but now part of the ACROD.<ref>{{cite fromatoz}}, p.234</ref>]]

At the end of the nineteenth century, many [[East Slavs]] immigrated to [[North America]]. They were [[Christians]], some of them belonging to [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], while others were [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholics]] of the [[Byzantine Rite]]. In Catholic terminology, East-Slavic form of the Byzantine Rite was known as the ''Ruthenian Rite'', and thus the same ''Ruthenian'' designation was applied to East Slavs of that rite.{{sfn|Shipman|1912a|p=276–277}}{{sfn|Shipman|1912b|p=277–279}}

At that time, there were no Eastern Catholic jurisdictions in North America, and thus the first Eastern Catholic parishes were formed under jurisdiction of local Catholic bishops of the [[Latin Church]]. The [[Roman Catholic]] hierarchs, mostly Irish and Polish, however, did not readily welcome Eastern Catholics of the Ruthenian Rite, fearing the "[[Stumbling block|scandal]]" that the presence of married priests would have on their own flock.<ref>{{cite book
| last                  = Barringer
| first                 = Lawrence
| title                 = Good Victory
| year                  = 1985
| publisher             = Holy Cross Orthodox Press
| location              = Brookline, Massachusetts
| isbn                  = 0-917651-13-8
| pages                 = 22–23
}}</ref>

Oppression of the Eastern Catholics of the [[Byzantine Rite]] by the bishops of the predominant [[Latin Church|Latin Rite]] Catholics, especially regarding a married priesthood and the form of the [[Divine Liturgy]] or [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]], led some of them out of Catholicism and into the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. A particularly strident opponent of non-Latin practices was [[John Ireland (archbishop)|John Ireland]] the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis|Archbishop of St. Paul, Minnesota]] from 1888–1918, who refused to permit Eastern Catholic clergy to function in his archdiocese.<ref>{{cite book
| editor1-last          = Tarasar
| editor1-first         = Constance
| title                 = Orthodox America: 1794–1976
| year                  = 1975
| publisher             = [[Orthodox Church in America]]
| location              = Syosset, New York
| pages                 = 50–51
}}</ref>

The diocese was founded in 1938 when a group of 37 [[Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church|Ruthenian Eastern Catholic]] parishes, under the leadership of Fr. Orestes Chornock, were received into the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The year before, this group had officially renounced the [[Uniate|Unia]] with the [[Holy See]], primarily in protest over the [[Liturgical Latinisation]] occurring in their church life. A particularly divisive issue was the 1929 papal decree ''Cum data fuerit'' issued by [[Pope Pius XI]] which mandated that Eastern Rite clergy in the US were to be celibate.<ref>Barringer. pp. 102–103</ref>{{sfn|Marti|2009|p=470}}{{sfn|Magocsi|2015|p=245–246}}

This move actually marked the second [[North America]]n group of Ruthenian-Rite Catholic parishes to move to Eastern Orthodoxy. The first had been led by [[Alexis Toth|Saint Alexis Toth]] of Wilkes-Barre into the jurisdiction of the [[Orthodox Church in America|Russian Metropolia]] in the 1890s.{{sfn|Dyrud|1992|p=65–66}} Notably, this second large-scale conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy by Ruthenian-Rite Catholics was directed toward [[Ecumenical Patriarchate|Constantinople]] rather than to the Russian presence in North America.

This was primarily motivated out of concerns for preservation of a specific identity, since many among Ruthenian-Rite Catholics self-identified as [[Rusyns]], and wanted to keep their distinctive identity,{{sfn|Magocsi|2015|p=246–247}} thus opposing [[Russification]], which had occurred with the previous move. As such, rather than being absorbed into the body of Russian churches, and so being compelled to adopt [[Russian Orthodox Church|Muscovite]] traditions, the ACROD was permitted by Constantinople to keep its distinctive Rusyn practices. Thus, the [[hymn]]ography in the typical Ruthenian [[Prostopinije]]-chant<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acrod.org/multimedia/audio/liturgicalmusic|title=American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America &#124; Plain Chant Hymns|website=www.acrod.org}}</ref> and [[Christian liturgy|liturgical forms]], including the particular form of [[Old Church Slavonic]] used in the [[Divine Liturgy|divine services]], were preserved, while certain Latin Rite practices, such as the addition of the [[Filioque clause]] to the [[Nicene Creed]], were removed.{{clear left}}

[[File:Christ the Saviour Orthodox Cathedral - Johnstown, Pennsylvania 01.jpg|thumb|295px|Christ the Saviour Cathedral in [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania]]]]

==Organization==
In 2006, the ACROD had 14,372 members in 78 parishes and five missions.<ref>Data from the [[National Council of Churches]]' ''[http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/D_1064.asp 2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches]''</ref> The bulk of the diocese's parishes are in 13 states in the eastern United States, with two parishes and two missions in [[Ontario]]; nearly half of the parishes are located in [[Pennsylvania]]. A map of the church on 2010 census data has been published.{{sfn|Krindatch|2011|p=43}}

There used to be two monasteries in the diocese: the Monastery of the [[Annunciation]], in [[Tuxedo Park, New York]] which closed in the early 1990s,<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese - OrthodoxWiki |url=https://orthodoxwiki.org/American_Carpatho-Russian_Orthodox_Diocese |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=orthodoxwiki.org}}</ref> and the Monastery of the Holy Cross, at [[Beallsville, Maryland]] which dissolved in the late 1990s when its [[abbot]] converted to [[Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church|Ruthenian]] ([[Byzantine Rite]]) Catholicism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://omna.malf.net/hcnews.htm |title=Holy Cross Monastery (CR) Dissolved |website=omna.malf.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010516044040/http://omna.malf.net/hcnews.htm |archive-date=2001-05-16}}</ref>

The primate of the archdiocese is a member of the [[Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America]].

==Christ the Saviour Seminary<!--'Christ the Saviour Seminary' redirects here-->==
The '''Christ the Savior Seminary'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> is part of the diocese. It is located in [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania]]. The [[seminary]] was founded by the first bishop of the diocese, Orestes (Chornock), in 1940. The seminary, at first, not having a permanent home, moved and held classes in a number of northeastern United States cities, including New York City; Nicholson, Pennsylvania; and Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1951, the diocese acquired the Strayer Mansion in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that became the home of the seminary. The building has been developed to include class and lecture rooms and dining and recreation facilities, as well as a library and bookstore.<ref name=aaa>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acrod.org/organizations/seminary|title=American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America &#124; Seminary|website=www.acrod.org}}</ref>

The main purpose of the seminary is to train priests for the ACROD and other Orthodox dioceses in the United States, as well as in foreign countries. The seminary places emphasis on pastorally-oriented training. It was approved in 1960 by the Pennsylvania State Council of Education to grant a Bachelor of Theology degree. The seminary has tailored curricula for five classifications of candidates: a three-year Bachelor of Theology program for students who already have baccalaureate degrees, a Licentiate of Theology diploma late vocations program for those without a previous undergraduate degree, and a special admissions program for individuals who do not intend to be [[ordination|ordained]] to the Orthodox [[clergy]].<ref name=aaa/>

==Ruling bishops==
* Orestes (Chornock) of [[Agathonikeia]] (1938–1977)
* John (Martin) of [[Nyssa (Cappadocia)|Nyssa]] (1977–1984)
* [[Nicholas Smisko|Nicholas (Smisko)]] of [[Amissos]] (1985–2011)
* [[Gregory Tatsis|Gregory (Tatsis)]] of [[Nyssa (Cappadocia)|Nyssa]] (2012–present)

==See also==
* [[Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America]]
* [[Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Canada]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Barriger|first=Lawrence|title=Glory to Jesus Christ: A History of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese|publisher=Holy Cross Orthodox Press|year=2000|isbn=1885652445|location=Brookline, MA}}
* {{Cite book|last=Dyrud|first=Keith P.|title=The Quest for the Rusyn Soul: The Politics of Religion and Culture in Eastern Europe and in America, 1890-World War I|year=1992|location=Philadelphia|publisher=Balch Institute Press|isbn=9780944190104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vjpKAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |date=2011 |editor-first=Alexei |editor-last=Krindatch |publisher=Orthodox Press |chapter=American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese |pages=40–43 |title=Atlas of American Orthodox Christian churches |isbn=978-1-935317-23-4 |url=https://orthodoxreality.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Atlas-of-American-Orthodox-Christian-ChurchesBookmarkFinal.pdf}}
* {{Cite book|editor1-last=Magocsi|editor1-first=Paul R.|editor2-last=Pop|editor2-first=Ivan I.|editor-link1=Paul R. Magocsi|title=Encyclopedia of Rusyn History and Culture|year=2005|orig-year=2002|edition=2. rev.|location=Toronto|publisher=University of Toronto Press}}
* {{Cite book|last=Magocsi|first=Paul R.|title=With Their Backs to the Mountains: A History of Carpathian Rus' and Carpatho-Rusyns|year=2015|location=Budapest-New York|publisher=Central European University Press|isbn=9786155053467|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nzj2DAAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Marti|first=Federico|title=I rutheni negli Stati Uniti: Santa Sede e mobilità umana tra Ottocento e Novecento|year=2009|location=Milano|publisher=Giuffrè|isbn=9788814145902|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hS9iFS58L10C}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shipman|first=Andrew J.|chapter=Ruthenian Rite|title=The Catholic Encyclopedia|volume=13|year=1912a|location=New York|publisher=Robert Appleton Company|pages=276–277|chapter-url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13277a.htm}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shipman|first=Andrew J.|chapter=Ruthenians|title=The Catholic Encyclopedia|volume=13|year=1912b|location=New York|publisher=Robert Appleton Company|pages=277–279|chapter-url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13278a.htm}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America}}
* [https://www.acrod.org/ American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America]
* [http://www.acrod.org/organizations/seminary Christ the Saviour Seminary]
* [http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/D_1274.asp Profile of the ACROD on the Association of Religion Data Archives website]
* [https://cnewa.org/eastern-christian-churches/toc/orthodox-church/churches-under-constantinople/american-carpatho-russian-churches-under-constantinople/ Article on ACROD by Ronald Roberson on the CNEWA website]

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[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1938]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox dioceses in Canada]]
[[Category:American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese| ]]
[[Category:Dioceses established in the 20th century]]
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[[Category:Rusyn-American history]]
[[Category:Rusyn diaspora in Canada]]
[[Category:Rusyn culture]]