The Gathering of the American Orthodox Catholic Church

As we move toward our centennial anniversary in 2027, the American Orthodox Catholic Church finds itself standing at a crossroads of history and responsibility. One hundred years is not simply a milestone. It is a moment of reckoning, remembrance, and renewal.

The AOCC was established on American soil in 1927, not as an ethnic outpost, not as a foreign extension, but as an Orthodox Church for America. From its earliest days, under the leadership of Aftimios Ofiesh, the vision was clear: a local, apostolic, Orthodox Church rooted in this land, speaking to the spiritual needs of the American people.

Over the decades, much has happened. Some of it was noble. Some of it was tragic. And some of it was simply the slow erosion that comes with time, distance, poor communication, and human weakness. Through no single schism, no defining doctrinal rupture, and no decisive theological war, the Church splintered. Small bodies emerged. Independent communities formed. Descendants of the AOCC continued on, often unaware of one another, scattered across this country like fragments of a once unified whole.

This scattering was not always born of rebellion. In many cases, it was born of necessity. In others, it was born of misunderstanding. And in some, it was born of misdeeds, including those committed within the Church itself. We do not deny this. We acknowledge it honestly. Healing begins with truth.

In recent days, after a live stream addressing the validity, canonicity, and historicity of the AOCC, something remarkable happened. A group reached out to us and said plainly, “We are the blood descendants of the AOCC and of Archbishop Aftimios.” That moment confirmed what many of us have known for years. The Church was never gone. It was scattered.

Since becoming a member of the American Orthodox Catholic Church, a central burden has rested on my heart: to gather the remnants of this Church, not by force, not by domination, but by invitation. To call home those who carry American Orthodox succession, memory, and identity, whether formally recognized or informally preserved.

This is that call.

We are calling on every church body, every community, every remnant that traces its lineage to the American Orthodox Catholic Church, to the American Orthodox Church, or to their legitimate derivatives, to come home. Not to erase your story, but to complete it. Not to diminish your work, but to strengthen it. Not to submit to a personality, but to one another.

This will not be easy. It will require humility. It will require mutual submission. It will require patience, repentance where needed, and above all, genuine love and respect. Reunification is never achieved through pride. It is achieved through sacrifice.

We believe, deeply and without apology, that we are better together.

The stronger our bond as American Orthodox bodies, the greater our stability. The greater our coherence. And yes, the greater our ability to be taken seriously by our brother and sister churches. Not because recognition is our goal, but because unity strengthens witness. Unity heals memory. Unity makes pastoral care possible on a scale that fragmentation never can.

We are not doing this to chase approval. We are doing this because it is our calling in this season.

The AOCC exists for a reason. To be a beacon of Orthodox Christianity in America that is not bound by ethnicity. Not dependent on foreign administration. Not disconnected from the people it serves. We honor our Orthodox brothers and sisters across the world. We do not oppose them. We are not in competition with them. We are simply being faithful to who we are.

There are countless people in this country who have been overlooked. Ostracized by society. Passed over by denominations. Unwelcomed by jurisdictions that could not see past culture, language, or origin. These people need a home. They need pastors. They need sacramental life. They need Orthodoxy that speaks in their own voice, on their own soil, without apology.

That is who we are.

As we approach 2027, we extend this invitation with clarity and hope:
Come home.
Let us gather what was scattered.
Let us heal what was broken.
Let us stand together as one American Orthodox Catholic Church, faithful to Christ, faithful to the apostolic faith, and faithful to the people of this land.

The work ahead is great.
But the calling is greater.