aftimios_ofiesc

The Apostolic Succession from

The Russian Orthodox Church (Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov)

The Episcopate of Aftimios Ofiesc Archbishop of Brooklyn, N.Y., USA

Edition Eucharist and Devotion © 1993 – 2009 + Ph. L. De Coster

Latin Old Roman Catholic Church of Flanders (Belgium) – Independent Apostolic Community © 2006 – 2009 Archbishop Philippe Laurent De Coster, B.Th., D.D.

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Introduction In the ninth century the Rus (or Varangians) became masters of what is now western Russia and the indigenous Slavic population. Their chief centres of population were Novgorod, in the north, and Kiev, in the south (now part of the Ukraine). This ruling minority of mostly Swedish Vikings soon adopted the Slavonic tongue and customs of their subjects.

Tradition credits Saint Andrew The First-Called with planting the seeds of Christianity in the area about Kiev. These seeds were nurtured by the ministry of Saints Cyril & Methodius, now known as the Apostles of the Slaves, in The Ukraine beginning in AD 864, using the native language. They invented a Slavic alphabet (based upon the Greek), which is still used today. The north shore of The Black Sea had been settled by Christians at least as early as the fourth century. The Khazars, rulers of what is now southern Russia, had adopted Judaism. However, the missionary efforts supported by Patriarch Photius of Constantinople to the Khazars was so successful that they soon asked for a Bishop of their own. Just a few years later Emperor Basil I ("The Macedonian") and Patriarch Ignatius commissioned a missionary Bishop to the Russians, who made many converts.

The first known Christian ruler over the Kievan State is Saint Olga (Olha), dowager regent, who received Christian baptism in AD 950. Although she sent to Emperor Otto I of Germany for missionaries, they seemed to have had no marked success. It is Saint Vladimir (Volodymyr The Great), the grandson of St. Olga, who accepted baptism himself about AD 986 and then in AD 988 commanded the Christianization of his entire State, who is recognized as having initiated the conversion of Russia. Although St. Vladimir received delegates from The Pope and sent representatives to Rome, it was The Church of Constantinople which won his support. At the time of his death, in AD 1015, there were three bishoprics in his domains; based upon the foundations laid by St. Vladimir, Christianity continued its gradual, steady spread throughout Russia. The Metropolitan of Kiev, for centuries the administrative head of The Russian Church, was appointed by the Patriarch of Constantinople; he was usually a Greek, unfamiliar with The Faithful of Russia. The clergy were poorly trained and almost always too few for the size of the country. The priests were chosen by their parishioners, while the bishops (a substantial minority of whom were also foreigners with little understanding of the customs or language of their flocks) were selected by the local princes.

The establishment of an independent Russian Church coincided with the decline of The Byzantine Empire, and the simultaneous rise of The Russian Empire. This process was helped when Kiev was destroyed during the Tartar invasion, and the Metropolitan consequently forced to move to Moscow (AD 1320). After the Grand Duke of Moscow (Ivan III) married a daughter of the nearest relative of the last Emperor of Constantinople, he claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Emperors. He even adopted the double-headed eagle, symbol of Imperial Byzantine power. Later, beginning in AD 1547,


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the princes of the Russian State, as successors of the Byzantine Emperors, began calling themselves Czar (i.e., "Caesar"). It was only natural that they would seek the prestige of a self-governing independent Church in order to bolster their own temporal claims. Although the Russian Church claimed autocephaly from AD 1448, when the Russian Bishops began electing their own Primate (the Metropolitan of Moscow), official recognition of this independence by the ancient and historic patriarchates was not secured until AD 1590 (one year after Jeremiah II, Patriarch of Constantinople, was persuaded to invest Iob, the 46th Metropolitan of Moscow, as the first Russian Patriarch -- although Iob had been promoted to the rank of Patriarch by the Russian Bishops in AD 1453) at a meeting in Constantinople of all the Patriarchs of the historic Sees. When Constantinople fell to the Moslems on 29 May 1453, Russia became the only nation where the freedom of The Orthodox Church remained unrestricted; this favorably influenced their claim for an independent Patriarchate.

The Time of Troubles (civil war) which began in AD 1598 upon the death of Czar Fedor (Theodore), the childless son of Ivan IV, increased the Patriarch's political influence. It reached its height under Patriarch Filaret, whose son, Michael, at the age of sixteen, became the first Czar of the Romanov Dynasty. When Patriarch Adrian died in AD 1700, Czar Peter The Great refused to allow the election of a new Patriarch, leaving Stefan Iavorskii as Locum Tenens for 21 years. In AD 1721 Czar Peter finally promulgated a new constitution for The Church, which suspended the office of Patriarch and placed the governance of The Church under an Holy Synod.

Copying the example of Henry VIII of England, the government-imposed new Church constitution made The Czar the Head of The Church of Russia. It went further than King Henry, however, by providing for a Lay Procurator (a government official) to administer The Church's day-to-day affairs. This "constitutional" subjugation of The Church to the Russian State established the precedent of direct governmental control over and interference in all the affairs of The Russian Orthodox Church -- a practice continued until the end of the 20th century by the atheistical government of the U.S.S.R.

After the overthrow of Czar Nikolai II in March of AD 1917, The Russian Orthodox Church immediately convened a national Sobor to reform The Church and revive the Patriarchate of Moscow, which Czar Peter The Great had suspended. Metropolitan Tikhon, who had earlier been Russian Archbishop in America, won the election and assumed the office of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in November of that year, almost simultaneously with the outbreak of the Communist Revolution. This All-Russian Council (Sobor) attempted to restore sobornost -- the active participation of the whole Church (bishops, clergy, and laity) in every aspect of the Church's life, in contrast to the bureaucratic centralization which had ruled The Church under the secular and often hostile government of Russia since the creation of The Holy Synod by Czar Peter The Great.

The new reäctionary Communist government of Russia immediately placed severe restrictions upon the revitalized and reforming Church of Russia. In view of the vigorous anti-religion activities of the new Russian government, Patriarch Tikhon issued a


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statement in AD 1917 urging The Russian Faithful to act independently to preserve The Church. Some of the Bishops of The Russian Church attempted to heed The Patriarch's advice by establishing a separate independent Church administration in southeastern Russia. The advance of the Bolsheviks, however, forced these faithful shepherds into exile.

In November of 1920 these refugee Bishops organized The Supreme Church Administration for Churches Outside of Russia in Istanbul (Constantinople), with the approval of The Öcumenical Patriarch. At the invitation of The Patriarch of Serbia, The Supreme Church Administration moved to Yugoslavia. Twelve of these Bishops, with representatives of the clergy and laity, organized a Sobor at Sremski Karlovtsi, Yugoslavia, on 21 November to 2 December 1921, under the presidency of Anthony Khrapovitski, Metropolitan of Kiev and Galich and under the canonical authority of an ukase (i.e., an Edict having the force of law) issued in AD 1920 by Patriarch Tikhon. The result of this meeting was the organization of The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, sometimes called The Synodal Church.

Patriarch Tikhon, who vigorously opposed the inhumane and atheistic policies of the revolutionary regime, was cruelly imprisoned on 9 May 1922. The Communists refused to permit an election for his successor when he died in AD 1925. Metropolitan Petr of Krutica became Locum Tenes (Patriarchal Vicar), but he, too, was almost immediately imprisoned. He was succeeded later that year by Sergii, the Metropolitan of Nizhni-Novgorod, who tried to make peace with the new Soviet government. Although he suffered temporary imprisonment (December AD 1926 to April 1927), he issued a declaration in July of AD 1927 changing The Church's official stance towards the Communist government from one of hostility to one of praise and coöperation. Outside observers have called this declaration of The Metropolitan either the great betrayal or the great salvation of The Russian Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia naturally disapproved of the coöperation between the Patriarchal Church and the atheistic Communist government in Russia, as first formulated in the letters issued by Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Sergii in AD 1926 and AD 1927. Because of the inappropriate influence seemingly exercised by the anti-religious government of Russia, The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia refused to recognize The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in any way on the grounds that the Communist government completely controlled the patriarchate.

With the invasion of Mother Russia by the Nazis (Russia's former ally in the partition of Poland at the beginning of World War II), the political climate changed in Moscow. Metropolitan Sergii urged The Faithful to sincerely support the Russian war effort against the Nazis; he issued calls to arms, organized fund raising rallies, and did everything possible to ensure the protection of his people and the defense of The Church. By 1 October 1944 The Church had donated 150,000,000 rubles, as well as gifts "in kind," to the Communist government. These many sacrifices and contributions for Russia gained him the favorable attention of the then current Communist Dictator, Josef Stalin, who


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finally granted the Metropolitan's request for new patriarchal elections. Sergii was elected Patriarch on 7 September 1943; he unfortunately died within six months. After that The Kremlin permitted subsequent elections within a year of each vacancy and had made The Orthodox Church of Russia one of the few officially recognized Christian organizations in the Soviet Union -- following the precedent established by Czar Peter The Great. The Sobor to elect the new Patriarch was held 31 January to 2 February 1945. The Patriarch of Alexandria, Patriarch of Antioch, and the Catholicos of Georgia attended this Sobor, together with 44 Russian Bishops, 126 clergy, and representatives of the laity. The Sobor elected Alexis as the new Russian Patriarch. They thus established a "working model" for the other European Communist countries to follow in dealing with Religion. However, all other potential national Orthodox jurisdictions within the then-U.S.S.R., with the exception of the ancient and historic patriarchates of Armenia and Georgia, were merged into the Moscow Patriarchate, as were some Eastern-Rite Roman Catholics and many other Christian jurisdictions and sects.

The Orthodox Church of Russia has been increasingly active in international Orthodox and ecumenical affairs during the last few decades of the 20th Century. She has been particularly vocal before the World Council of Churches and elsewhere in encouraging anti-nuclear and anti-war movements throughout the world. The Primate of The Church of Russia bears the title: Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The official language of The Church is naturally Russian.

Metropolitan Antonii became the first head of The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, with his Seat at Geneva, Switzerland. He was succeeded in AD

1936 by Metropolitan Anastasii (who died in AD 1965), who was followed on his retirement by Metropolitan Filaret, in 1964. The chief See of the Metropolitan was moved during World War II to Munich, Germany, and in AD 1952 to New York City. Since then The Synodal Church has attracted The Faithful from other exiled jurisdictions, particularly those with origins in the formerly communist-controlled nations of eastern European. The recent collapse of communism has not resulted in any rapproachment between the exile-jurisdictions and their mother churches.......yet. With the Moscow Patriarchate's vigorous pursuit of the return of Church property in foreign lands which has been administered since the Communist Revolution in Russia by The Synodal Church, the rift between the Synodal Church and the Moscow Patriarchate may never be healed.


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Apostolic Succession from The Russian Orthodox Church

through Saint Andrew

Bishop Makarij (Michael Nevskij, 1835 - 02/16/26) was consecrated in 1884 by Bishop Nikon of The Russian Orthodox Church. He was elected Archbishop in 1906 and served as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomenskoe from 1912-1917. Bishop Makarij consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Evdokim (Basil Michaelovic Meschersky, 1869 - 1935) as Vicar Bishop, Diocese of Moscow, on 4 January 1904. Bishop Evdokim became the Archbishop of The North American Diocese of The Russian Orthodox Church in 1914. Archbishop Evdokim consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Aftimios (Abdullah Ofiesh, 1880 - 1966) as Bishop of Brooklyn on 13 May 1917. Bishop Aftimios became Archbishop of The Syrian Orthodox Mission of The North American Diocese of The Russian Orthodox Church in 1923. Archbishop Aftimios consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Sophronios (Sophronios Bishara, 1888 - 1940) as Bishop of Los Angeles on 26 May 1928, assisted by Elias, Metropolitan of Tyre and Sidon (The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East) and Bishop Emmanuel (Rizkallah Abo-Hatab, The Syrian Orthodox Mission of The North American Diocese of The Russian Orthodox Church). Bishop Sophronios became Archbishop of The Syrian Orthodox Mission of The North American Diocese of The Russian Orthodox Church in 1933. Archbishop Sophronios consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Chrysostomos (John M. More-Moreno, + 1958), assisted by Archbishop-Exarch Benjamin (Ioann Athenasievich Fedchenkov of The North American Diocese of The Russian Orthodox Church, in November of 1933. Bishop Chrysostomos became the Ruling Bishop of The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America . Bishop Chrysostomos consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Mar Nikolaus (Perry Nikolaus Cedarholm, 05/18/1890 - 08/06/1979) as Bishop of Brooklyn and Staten Island for The Apostolic Episcopal Church, assisted by Rev'd Fr. David Leondarides, The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, on 6 December 1949. Mar Nikolaus returned to Sweden in 1951 and was acknowledged as a Bishop by the Church of Sweden. He was enthroned as Bishop of Scandinavia for The Apostolic Episcopal Church in 1953 by Bishop Herman Philippus Abbinga of the Osterns Apostoliske Episkopale Kirke. In 1969 he assumed the position of Archbishop of The Apostolic Episcopal Church. Mar Nikolaus consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:


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Mar Alexander (Nils Bertil Alexander Persson, 11/10/1941 -- ) as Titular Bishop of Smyrna on 12 December 1971. Mar Alexander succeeded Archbishop Nikolaus (Cedarholm) as Archbishop of Scandinavia of The Apostolic Episcopal Church on 22 July 1977. He was enthroned as Primate of The Apostolic Episcopal Church by Archbishop Wallace David de Ortega Maxey on 7 November 1986. Archbishop Persson also serves as the Missionary General for Scandinavia and All Europe for both the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Catholic Church, confirmed 15 June 1988; this is a member jurisdiction of The Anglican Communion) and the Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasiliera (Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, confirmed 14 June 1987).

Archbishop Nils Bertil Persson consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate, on June 25, 1995 in London (UK), with co-consecrators, Bishops Hans Dieter Sauerlandt, and George Boyer:

Philippe Laurent De Coster, Archbishop of the Latin Old Roman Catholic Church of Flanders (Independent Apostolic Community).

Other Russian Orthodox Apostolic Lineage:


through Saint Peter

Bishop Aleksij (Sergiy Vladimirovich Simanskij, 1877-1970) was consecrated 28 April 1913 by Patriarch Gregorios IV of The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East in Russia as Bishop of Tichvin. In 1945 he was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Patriarch Aleksij, assisted by Metropolitan Nikolaj (Boris Dorofeevic Jaruevic), Archbishop Makarij (Sergej Konstantinovic Daev), Archbishop Jurij (Vjaeslav Michaijlovic Egorov), Bishop Aleksij (Viktor Aleksandrovic Konoplev) and Bishop Pimen (Sergij Izvekov), consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop John (Konstantin Nikolaevich Wendland, 1909-1989), Patriarchal Exarch of The Russian Orthodox Church in America, on 28 December 1958. On 3 August 1963 Bishop John became Metropolitan of The Russian Orthodox Church in America. He was recalled to Russia on 10 July 1967. Metropolitan John, assisted by Bishop Dositheus (Michail Ivanchenko of The Russian Orthodox Church in America), consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Joseph (Joseph John Skureth, 01/08/1933 -- ), as Exarch, The Western Orthodox Catholic Church in America, Exarchate of The Patriarchates of Moscow and Antioch (a Western Rite body within The Russian Orthodox Church in America) on 17 April 1966.


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Bishop Dosifej (Dositheus/Michail Ivanchenko) had ordained Bp. Joseph priest on 3 July 1963. Exarch Joseph is also affiliated with The Syrian-Antiochian Orthodox Church. Bishop Joseph, assisted by Archbishop Francisco de Jesus Pagtakhan (The Philippine Independent Catholic Church, Manila) and Bishop Lawrence Lee Shaver (The Philippine Independent Catholic Church in The Americas), consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Bertil (Nils Bertil Alexander Persson, 11/10/1941 -- ) as Archbishop of The Apostolic Episcopal Church on 28 February 1989.

Archbishop Nils Bertil Persson consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate, on June 25, 1995 in London (UK), with co-consecrators, Bishops Hans Dieter Sauerlandt, and George Boyer:

Philippe Laurent De Coster, Archbishop of the Latin Old Roman Catholic Church of Flanders (Independent Apostolic Community).


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through Archbishop Theophanies Fan Stylian Noli

Bishop Makarij (Michael Nevskij, 1835 - 02/16/26) was consecrated in 1884 by Bishop Nikon of The Russian Orthodox Church. He was elected Archbishop in 1906 and served as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomenskoe from 1912-1917. Archbishop Makarij (Macarius) consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Evdokim (Basil Michaelovic Meschersky, 1869 - 1935) as Vicar Bishop, Diocese of Moscow, on 4 January 1904. Bishop Evdokim became Archbishop of Alaska and North America for The Russian Orthodox Church in 1914. Archbishop Evdokim consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Aftimios (Abdullah Ofiesh, 1880 - 1966) as Bishop of Brooklyn on 13 May 1917, assisted by Bishop Stephen Alexander Dzubay of Pittsburgh and Bishop Alexander Alexandrovich Nemolovksy, Bishop of Canada. Bishop Aftimios became Archbishop of The Syrian Orthodox Mission of The North American Diocese of The Russian Orthodox Church in 1923. In 1927, urged on by the chaotic conditions in Russia, the canonical Russian Patriarchial Bishops in the U.S.A. acted upon instructions and advice issued earlier by Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow, and emphasized by his successor, the Locum Tenens (Sergius), and Commissioned Bishop Aftimios to be Archbishop and to found and head an autocephalous American Orthodox Catholic Church. Archbishop Aftimios consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Sophronios (Sophronios Bishara, 1888 - 1940) as Bishop of Los Angeles on 26 May 1928, assisted by Elias, Metropolitan of Tyre and Sidon (The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East) and Bishop Emmanuel (Rizkallah Abo-Hatab, The Syrian Orthodox Mission of The North American Diocese of The Russian Orthodox Church). Bishop Sophronios became Archbishop of The Syrian Orthodox Mission of The North American Diocese of The Russian Orthodox Church in 1933. Archbishop Sophronios consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Christopher Kontogiorgios (Contogeorge; 1894 - 8/30/50) on 10 February 1934 at St. John the Baptist Church in New York City, assisting Theophanies Fan Stylian Noli, Archbishop of The Albanian Orthodox Diocese in America (consecrated 4 December 1923 in St. George's Cathedral in Korcha, Albania, by Metropolitan Kristofor Kissi [Bishop of Syradon] and Metropolitan Hierotheos [Andon Yahd, Bishop of Korcha & Plenipotentiary Exarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople] as Metropolitan of Durazzo, Gora & Shpata; Primate & Exarch of All Illyria, of the Western Sea & of all Albania; 1924:


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President of Albania) as Metropolitan of Pentapoleos. Bishop Kontogiorgios was appointed Exarch of the Greek Orthodox Catholic Church under the Patriarchate of Alexandria in 1947. Exarch Kontogiorgios consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Archbishop Konstantin Jaroshevich in 1949, assisted by Archbishop Arsenios Saltas (consecrated 25 August 1934 by Abp. Kontogiorgios and Abp. Theophan Noli) and with the blessing and concurrence of Metropolitan Theophan Noli. In 1954 Abp. Jaroshevich was appointed Exarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa in the United States. Archbishop Jaroschevich consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Peter Andreas Zhurawetsky (12/07/01 - 1994) in Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church of Springfield, Massachusetts, on 15 October 1950, assisting Patriarch Joseph Klimovich (of the American Holy Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church; Ptr. Klimovich was consecrated 14 October 1930 by Constantine Kuryllo of the Ruthenian Orthodox Church) together with Metropolitan Nicholas Bohatyretz (of the Ukrainians in the Orthodox Catholic Church in America; Met. Bohatyretz was consecrated 16 November 1913 by Bp. Paulo Louis Prota Guirleo Miraglia Gulotti, Bishop of Piacenza of the Italian National Episcopal Church), Metropolitan Joseph Zielonka (Polish Old Catholic Church of America and Europe) and Bishop Peter M. Williamowich (consecrated by Met. Fan Noli), as Suffragan Bishop, The Polish Old Catholic Church. In December 1960 Bp. Zhurawetsky succeeded Metropolitan Zielonka and immediately changed the name of this jurisdiction to Christ Catholic Church of the Americas and Europe, and taking the name of Peter II. In 1978, His Beatitude, Pope Nikolaus VII of Alexandria and All Africa wrote a letter recognizing Abp. Petros Zhurawetsky as a canonical Orthodox bishop. Patriarch Peter II consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Robert Gerald John Schulyer Zeiger (01/01/29 - 1998) in the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity and St. Olga, New Brunswick, New Jersey, on 1 July 1961, assisted by Primate Hubert Augustus Rogers, Bishop Julian Lester Smith, and Bishop James Hubert Rogers (all of The North American Old Roman Catholic Church) as Bishop for The Orthodox Catholic Patriarchate of America. He later left Ptr. Zhurawetsky's jurisdiction in 1961 and founded the American Orthodox Catholic Church. In 1964 he resigned as Primate of that jurisdiction while remaining Archbishop Metropolitan of Denver. On 10 August 1976, Abp. Zeiger was consecrated at St. Paul's Monastery, La Porte, Indiana, by Abp/Primate Joseph John Skureth (Western Orthodox Catholic Church) assisted by Bishop Joseph Gabriel Sokolowski, O.S.B. (Abbot General, St. Paul's Monastery, La Porte, Indiana; consecrated 16 March 1970 by Abp. Joseph John Skureth & Bp. Frank Blevins). Abp. Zeiger consecrated sub conditione to the Sacred Episcopate:

Bishop Andre Leon Zotique Barbeau (11/22/12 - 2/14/94) on 8 August 1976, assisted by Bishop Gordon Albert Da Costa (Anglican Church of the Americas; consecrated 19 June 1971 by Bp. Benjamin C. Eckardt of the Free Protestant Episcopal Church, assisted by Bp. Charles Kennedy Samuel Steward Moffat and Bp. Albert J. Fuge). He was earlier consecrated on 14 May 1968 at the Pro-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, by Bp. Charles Brearley (Old Holy Catholic Church; consecrated 16


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June 1954 by Marziano II, Basileus of Constantinople and of All the Christian Orient {Prince de Deols, Alessandro Licastro de la Chastre Grimaldi-Lascaris}, claimant to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire of the Orient as the 269th Emperor) and later on 26 July 1973 by Bishop Garry Robert Armstrong (Liberal Catholic Church International; consecrated 8 October 1972 by Bp. William Henry Daw of the Liberal Catholic Church International). He was further consecrated sub conditione on 19 August 1976 by Abp. Josef Maria Thiesen (Alt Roemisch Katholische Kirche in Germany; consecrated 17 April 1949 by Bp. Aloysius Stumpfl) and on 12/12/76 s.c. at the Cite de Marie, Mirabel, Quebec, Canada by Bp. George Bellemare (Eglise Universelle de la Nouvelle Alliance; consecrated 7 July 1975 by Bp. Roger Caro, assisted by Bp. Maurice Auberger and Bp. Patrick LeBar). Patriarch Barbeau consecrated sub conditione to the Sacred Episcopate:

Archbishop Philippe Laurent De Coster (Philippus-Laurentius). Of the Latin Old Roman Catholic Church of Flanders (Independent Apostolic Community).

Summary: Bishop André Barbeau, consecrated (sub conditione) on December 12, 1976: Bishop Georges Bellemare, who consecrated (sub conditione) on June 27, 1977: Archbishop Roger Caro (Pierre Phoebus, later Stephanos), who consecrated on June 30, 1979: Archbishop Philippe Laurent De Coster (Philippus-Laurentius).


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American Orthodox Catholic Church - Propheta Jurisdiction

The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church

Of North and South America

INTRODUCTION

In speaking of the history and vision of The American Orthodox Catholic Church - Propheta Jurisdiction, known also as The American Orthodox Church; it is necessary to reflect upon her foundations in the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia. Further validating this Orthodox Communion, and of more recent lineage, in the Succession coming from the American arm of The Coptic Orthodox Church of Ethiopia.

The AOCC, in her presently ministering form, was given her life in 1964 as a separate and autocephalous jurisdiction, a continuation of the autonomy granted to the initial American Orthodox Church. This Communion was chartered in the State of New York in 1965 by Patriarch Walter Myron Propheta of Blessed Memory. From the time of St. Propheta until the present, the AOCC has evolved from a long and storied past.

The current Hierarchs, Clergy and Seminarians of this Church have begun an attempt at breathing new life into an all but forgotten unique Orthodox legacy and the heritage of St. Walter Propheta; re-establishing and making relevant for these times a Communion dormant for far too long.

The AOCC, then, has taken it upon herself the answering of the joy filled calling of implanting a truly American and all embracing Orthodoxy, as did our founding Holy


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Fathers: branching out into the Liturgical expressions of both Eastern and Western Orthodox Christianity.

Also; as a result of this Church's roots in the ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria: because of missionary activity from this original center of the Christian Church reaching the Celtic Isles, a Celtic Orthodox presence has been established in this Jurisdiction.

The goal of all that is undertaken, like our Holy Father St. Propheta, is to make right faith and worship an empowering characteristic of personal and communal spirituality: this within the broader scope of returning to communion with the Body of Christ, with the Father, and with one another those who, for whatever reason, have been disenfranchised from their faith communities of origin.

A grand undertaking, yes; but it is one that can and will be accomplished through the restoration of the place of and the role this Church once held in the broader picture of American Church History: through maintaining absolute Liturgical purity, and propagating uncompromised Apostolic teaching.

As is necessary, then, in all endeavors undertaken on any plane of life; whether this be in the realms of the sacred or secular, it is necessary to understand the history of the past has a profound and a pasting impact on the present and the future.

It is in this spirit that The American Orthodox Catholic Church - Propheta Jurisdiction begins an examination of her history and vision; simultaneously paralleling it with the story of American Orthodoxy which is her past, present and future.

THE CHURCH OF RUSSIA

The first missionaries from the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia, with the permission of Empress Catherine II, stepped upon the shores of the North American Continent in 1794; establishing a foundation on Kodiak Island, and building mission outposts in what is now the State of Alaska. Hierarch after Hierarch was consecrated in Succession from the Patriarchal Seat and sent to serve and administer these parishes, Clergy and faithful.

One such Bishop was Tikhon Bellavin, a holy Martyr for both the Church and for Orthodoxy, and a Canonized Saint: Metropolitan Archbishop of The Russian Orthodox Church in America during the years 1895-1917; until he was recalled to Moscow to kead the re-established Russian Patriarchate.

In 1917 Patriarch Tikhon and the Holy Synod elected a Presbyter from the Patriarchate of Antioch, Abdullah (Aftimios) Ofiesh, for consecration to the Episcopacy. Ofiesh had come to the UNited States to minister under the Omophora of the Exarch for all people of Arab descent in this country, Archbishop St. Raphael Hawaweeny: Hawaweeny having been himself consecrated as Hierarch by St. Tikhon. Ofiesh was assigned to serve as Dean of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in New York City.


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The Consecration of Fr. Aftimios as Bishop was celebrated at that very same Cathedral on May 31, 1917 by the laying on of hands from Archbishops Evdokim Mischersky of The Russian Church in America, Alexander Nemolovsky, Russian Orthodox Exarch for Canada and the Aleutian Islands, and Bishop Stephen Dzubai, of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this Sacramental act was passed to Hierarch Aftimios the validity and canonicity of Russian Orthodoxy.

The mandate subsequently given by Patriarch Tikhon to the new Bishop was toi found, under Synodal Constitution from the Mother Church, an autonomous American Orthodox Church. A decade later, this call was to be confirmed.

In that year, 1927, Metropolitan Platon, spiritual leader of the Russian Orthodox Church in America and a successor to Patriarch St. Tikhon in this country gave now Archbishop Ofiesh care and responsibility; reiterating the missionary challenge of St. Tikhon, of building an American Church for the Orthodox population of this country who were not being satisfactorily served by ethnic Orthodoxy; as well as those from other Denominations of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church who might come to wish to associate themselves with an autonomous and independent American Orthodox Church.

The eventual fulfillment of this ministry given to Hierarch Aftimios was fully intended to be a non-ethnic, all embracing expression of the early and Apostolic Church. As the years after this would unfold, other Bishops from ethnic Churches would cooperate with one another in consecrating Hierarchs and ordaining Clergy for their respective Jurisdictions, thus significantly contributing to the building of American Orthodoxy. Most notable among these are the Churches of Greece and the Ukraine, the Church of Albania, and the Greek Patriarchate of Alexandria.

Why speak of these events in relation to The American Orthodox Catholic Church - Propheta Jurisdiction? It is not only from this Russian heritage, but also from the other Churches and Patriarchates, given to every other Bishop in the history and lineage of American Orthodoxy, including our Holy Father Archbishop Walter Myron Propheta, that the AOCC claims the absolute legitimacy and validity of her descendency. Hierarch Propheta will be spoken of in upcoming essays.

As was stated in the Introduction to these reflections, outlining the general foundations of the AOCC; it is not solely the Russian Church contributing to the identity of the AOCC. In the next discussion the lineage from the Coptic Orthodox Church of Ethiopia will be examined.

THE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX COPTIC CHURCH

Of more recent dating, and of equal importance to the history of the presently ministering AOCC - Propheta Jurisdiction is the Apostolic Lineage given from the Coptic Church of Ethiopia.


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The first Hierarch to be spoken of here is Abuna Basilios, consecrated to the Episcopacy in 1951 by Patriarch Kyrillos VI and Bishop Youasab of the Coptic Church of Egypt. Upon the Orthodox Clergy and faithful of Ethiopia being granted their autocphaly, Basilios was consecrated as their Patriarch.

In the decade of the 1950's, under Abuna Basilios, came a Fr. Gabre Mikael Cristos, (Michael Haithman); originally ordained to the Presbyterate by Archbishop Hubert Augustus Rogers of The North American Old Roman Catholic Church.

It is also within this timeframe that gabre Mikael traveled to Ethiopia to bring a group of Seminarians to the United States so the EOCC would have a solidly founded presence outside Ethiopia.

Prior to his return to this country: in 1959 Gabre Mikael was consecrated as Chorbishop by Abuna Basilios; and in 1962 was ordained to the full Episcopacy, also by Basilios, and named Metropolitan Primate of the EOCC for North and South America.

The establishment of The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church in this country would prove of great importance for, upon the assasination of Ethiopia's beloved Emporer Haile Salassie and the overthrow of the Ethiopian government; Abuna Basilios was sent into exile. he came to America and settled in New York City.

Sadly, the EOCC in Basilios' homeland fell into both heretical and blasphemous practices, while the branch of this Church in the UNited States, under Hierarch Gabre Mikael, retainedits faithfulness to Canonical Orthodoxy. For a time, also, The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church came under the Omophora of Archbishop Propheta and was known as ... THE AMERICAN ORTHODOX CATHOLIC CHURCH - ARCHDIOCESE OF THE COPTIC RITE.

Bishop Gabre Mikael Cristos and The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church are integral to the history and the Succession of the current AOCC - Propheta in that Gabre Mikael, who had also received Consecration from Archbishop Propheta and thus received the lineage of American Orthodoxy, was the principle consecrator of Archbishop Gabre Medhin Jeremiah, (David W. Worley), retired Metropolitan Primate of The American Orthodox Church/American Orthodox Catholic Church. Hierarch Jeremiah will be spoken of in an upcoming reflection.

In a discussion of the AOCC, it is also necessary to speak of he who the Holy Spirit inspired to renew and continue the work undertaken by the founding Holy Fathers: Archbishop Walter Myron Propheta.

HIS HOLINESS - WALTER MYRON PROPHETA

In reflecting upon the framework of American Orthodoxy within which The American Orthodox Catholic Church - Propheta Jurisdiction is the direct heir; spoken of here is a Hierarch who possesses unbroken purity of Apostolic Succession from the time of the


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One, Undivided Church: Archbishop Walter Myron Propheta, of Blessed Memory. His Episcopal claim upon Orthodox lineage has come by way of the Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia, and the Autocephalous Greek Church on the Island of Cyprus.

Patriarch Archbishop Propheta, born in 1912 in the City of Lvov in the Ukraine to Archpriest and Mrs. Dimitray Propheta; Archpriest Dimitray being the eleventh generation of Ukranian Orthodox Clergy in his ancestry, was known in religion as Wolodymir I and was a spiritual leader of some influence: respected among the Hierarchs of the Autcephalous Orthodox Communions as they existed in his time. Though at one point he was widely known and highly regarded; sadly and to a great extent his name and his legacy have faded.

Speaking in ecclesiastical terms: Walter Propheta was ordained to the Presbyterate, becoming the twelfth generation to carry on the legacy of Ukranian Orthodox Priesthood in his family, on May 5, 1933 by The Most Reverend Bodhan Schpylka, Bishop and future Metropolitan Primate of The Ukranian Orthodox Church in America - Ecumenical Patriachate of Constantinople: the UOCA having been founded by Archbishop Joseph Zuk.

After a quarter century of service to this Orthodox Jurisdiction as Priest, Fr. Walter was elevated to the Office of Mitred Archpriest and appointed Chancellor of the UOCA; these honors bestoed upon him in 1959 by Hierarch Schpylka. As Presbyter, Propheta was first Pastor of St. Mary's Ukranian Orthodox Church in South Plainfield, New Jersey.

Due to a rubrical disagreement with Metropolitan Bodhan, because the congregation at The Church of the Holy Resurrection in the Bronx, New York, this as of the late 1950's, in which he served as Dean of Priests as well as Pastor wished to have the vernacular brought into the celebration of the Divine Liturgy to replace the traditional Old Church Slavonic: because Schpylka would not sanction this and it was Propheta's desire that the broader scope of not only the Church but also Orthodoxy be made available and accessible to all regardless of national origin; Archpriest Walter began his own sojourn into Autocephalous Orthodoxy.

he took up the mission of restoring the vision of American Orthodoxy; like those who had come before him and whose Succession he would soon share. In chartering the long established but dormant American Orthodox Church as The American Orthodox Catholic Church, Propheta changed the face of the AOC in making this Church inclusive of the varied Eastern and Western Liturgical celebrations of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

His resolve in thisis shown by his cooperation with such well known and long established Hierarchs as Archbishops Peter Zhurawetsky and Hubert Augustus Rogers, and many others. He himself, however, remained faithful to his Ukranian Orthodox heritage.

October 4, 1964 saw Archpriest Walter consecrated to the historic Episcopacy by The Most Reverend Joachim Souris of The Autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church in America


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and The Most Reverend Theoklitos Kantaris of The Greek Archdiocese of New York. This Episcopal Consecration was also sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of New York at the time, Francis Spellman.

The same two Hierarchs, Kantaris and Souris, on March 30, 1965 and by the laying on of hands, elevated Bishop Walter for service as Archbishop and Metropolitan Primate of The American Orthodox Church/American Orthodox Catholic Church. On January 14, 1968 Archbishop Propheta was named Patriarch by the Holy Synod of the AOC/AOCC.

Propheta's Cathedral and attached Monastery, long in the Propheta family from the time of Archbishop Walter's father, Dimitray Propheta, (who served as Archpriest under the Omophora of Ukranian Metropolitan Palladios); no longer in existence, was located at 675 East 183rd Street in the New York City Borough of The Bronx and was named The Cathedral Church and Monastery of The Holy Resurrection.

PROPHETA'S LEGACY

The legacy the Servant of God Walter Propheta left to those who now and who will in the future claim and celebrate the heritage he gave to Autocephalous Orthodoxy is, above all else, one of unwaveringly commited service.

Other than his parochial ministry both at St. mary's and at the Church of The Holy Resurrection; the crux of his work in the 1950's and 1960's was shown most clearly in his fight against the human and religious persecutions inflicted by the evils of Communism.

This particular apostolate was taken not only to the national but also the international planes through his organization ... CRUSADE AGAINST COMMUNISM ..., this being a work for which he was very well known and recognized.

In addition his establishing a charitable group to provide necessary life resources, at little or no cost, for members of the Clergy who could not otherwise afford them must also be included; as well as the magnitude of the tmeporal assistance he provided to the less fortunate of the City of New York. It was not uncommon for him to stop along the streets of New York City to reach out to those he saw in need.

He also enjoyed the respect of many secular and religious authorities, including former Governor of New York State and former Presidential Candidate Thomas E. Dewey. Propheta, if Governor Dewey had been successful in gaining the Presidency, would have served as White House Chaplain.

Additionally, his was a long association with the former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover; as well as Francis Cardinal Spellman and Terence Cardinal Cooke.

The influence of The American orthodox Church/American Orthodox Catholic Church under Propheta's Omophora in the 1960's and early 1970's extended to many parts of the


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world and was comprised of Clergy and religious in Europe, Africa, the caribbean, South America, Great Britain and the United States.

Counted among Archbishop Walter's Hierarchs was a former Roman Catholic Cardinal from the country of Brazil; and an AOCC Presbyter, Fr. John Neely, was permitted credentials for the celebration of the Liturgy on the Tomb of St. Peter in St. Peter's Basilica. To the best of this writer's knowledge, all but two member Clergy of the Church presided over by Patriarch Propheta have passed on.

It is of further interest to note that Hierarch Walter and the Clergy of the AOC/AOCC were, on several occasions, permitted the use of the chapel at the United Nations for Ordinations, Consecrations, and Holy Synods.

Patriarch Propheta, because of the magnitude and scope of his crusade against communism, was sent to his Eternal Reward on October 8, 1972; and was laid to rest in the State of New Jersey.

Though many have tried and are trying, through slander and gross misinformation, to soil and negate the life, work and legacy of this Orthodox Patriarch; his name, his ministry and his heritage will be restored and he will live on in those currently sharing direct apostolic succession from him.

Because of the many contributions to and thus the imprint he left upon Autocephalous Orthodoxy; because of the service he rendered on behalf of his fellow Clergy, the People of God, and in the name of the One, Holy, Cathlic and Apostolic Church:

Archbishop Walter Myron Propheta, on June 9, 2004, was declared among the BLESSED and was fully raised to the honors of the Altar and canonized SAINT on October 8, 2004: this, his Feast Day, set and commemorated on that day he left this world for the Theosis of the Heavenly Home.

H.H. GABRE MEDHIN JEREMIAH

It is becoming more and more obvious there is a misconception that no Hierarchs remain from the American Orthodox Church/American Orthodox Catholic Church under Archbishop Propheta's Omophora as she ministered in the 1960's and early 1970's. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. There is indeed one ... The Most Reverend Gabre Medhin Jeremiah.

In the Year of Our Lord 1970, in the City of Rochester, New York Archbishop Jeremiah, (David W. Worley), was ordained to the Subdiaconate by Chorbishop Michael Pilato, representing the AOCC.

Subdeacon Worley, after his ordination, then traveled to New York City and the Borough of the Bronx wherein the Minor Order he received was ratified by the Patriarch of the AOC/AOCC at The Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection.


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Subsequent to this he entered Monastic Life, remaining there for the better part of two decades; taking the habit of and professing religious Vows in The Order of Saint Anthony of Egypt, with the name ... Gabre Medhin Jeremiah.

He was ordained to the Diaconate also in 1970 and, on September 22 of that same year received his Presbyteral Ordination from The Most Reverend Anthony Everhart, Everhart being am Auxialiary Bishop to the Patriarch of the AOC/AOCC, while he also served with Archbishop Gabre Mikael Cristos. These Sacramental acts, also, were blessed at the hands of Archbishop Walter Propheta.

On March 29, 1971 Father Jeremiah was elevated to the Office of Chorbishop at The Cathedral of The Holy Resurrection by the laying on of hands from Patriarch Propheta and Archbishop John Christian Chiasson; thus having the full and original succession of American Orthodoxy from St. Aftimios Ofiesh transmitted to him.

He was then assigned by Archbishop Propheta to minister with Hierarch Gabre Mikael of The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church. The EOCC, due to a consecration of Gabre Mikael at the hands of Archbishops Propheta, Christian, and Lawrence Pierre, had been brought under the Omophora of the AOCC as an autonomous Archdiocese.

November 18, 1972 saw Chorbishop Jeremiah consecrated to the full historic Episcopacy by Archbishop Gabre Mikael as primary consecrator, assisted by Hierarchs Francis Ryan, James Burns and Anthony Everhart: each of these Archbishops also possessing the succession of the American Orthodox Church. His elevation to Archbishop came late in 1978 at the hands of Hierarchs Gabre Mikael, Burns, Ryan and Carey Presson.

After his Consecration Bishop Jeremiah was apointed Ordinary for the Brooklyn, New York Diocese of The EOCC. While residing in New York City Archbishop Jeremiah ministered extensively among the African American, Hispanic and Immigrant populations.

Additonally, he is widely traveled as a representative both for the originality of The American Orthodox Church/American Orthodox Catholic Church and of the legacy of Patriarch Propheta.

In 1986 Jeremiah returned to his home in Northern New York State where he currently resides in retirement. He is the only know Hierarch remaining who served under Archbishop Propheta's Omophora.

What has come before is the History of The American Orthodox Catholic Church - Propheta Jurisdiction. It is that upn which all ministerial endeavors both in the present and in the future will be based.

Retrieved from: "http://www.independentmovement.us/index.php5?title=American_Orthodox_Catholic_Church_-_Propheta_Jurisdiction"


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Independent Bishops: An International Directory”. Edited by Gary L. Ward, Bertil Persson, Alan Bain. Preface by J. Gordon Melton. Apogee

Books, Penobscot Building, Detroit, Michigan 48226, U.S.A.


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The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church of North and South America

In a climate of confusion, a number of branches of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church now exist in the West, reflecting the divisions in Africa. The last Emperor of Ethiopia, official head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Emperor Haile Selassie I, commissioned Abuna Mikael Gabre Kristos, to establish a diocese of the Ethiopian Church in the Americas. In the capital city of Addis Ababa, Abuna Mikael was ordained Episcopacy, by His Holiness Abuna Basilios, Abuna Markos Patriarch of Gojjam, and His Grace Petros, Metropolitan of Gondar, on July 12, 1959. Two days later, in the royal hall,he was invested in office by Emperor Halle Selassie I, and sent with Ukase to establish the church in the west, especially towards Africans of the Diaspora. He was bestowed and installed in the order of Nebur-id. Knowing that unfavorable political change which would affect the church was soon forthcoming, and that there might come a necessity to create a legally separate organization in the west, His Majesty gave Abuna Mikael the freedom to do so. In 1959, Abuna Mikael served as sponsor for a group of five priests and five deacons sent by Abuna Basilios for advanced study. However, some of the priests, including Fr. Laike Mandefro broke relations with Abuna Mikael. Fr. Laike Mandefro sought authority from Abuna Theophilos (after the death of Abuna Basilios) to begin to gather Ethiopian-Americans into a congregation in Brooklyn, which was later relocated to the Bronx. As the work of Fr. Laike Mandefro grew, he was raised to the rank of Archimandrite and placed in charge of the Ethiopian Church in the West, Archimandrite Mandefro was consecrated a bishop. Mandfredo was invested in 1979 as Abuna Yeshaq, Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the Western Hemisphere. Abuna Mikael recognized a similar need, and established the Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church of North and South America, reinserting the name “Coptic” into the name of the church, (1962) because he wanted strongly to identify with and maintain connection to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria as well as the royal and ecclesiastical line of Ethiopia. His Beatitude imparted to each of his sons the coveted Apostolic Succession of the Oriental Stream. Pope Cyril VI approved the initiation of the Patriarchate of Ethiopia, long hoped for by the Ethiopian church, by ordaining the first Ethiopian patriarch, His Holiness Abuna Basilios. This Established for the first time a separate Ethiopian Orthodox Church (1959), which until then had existed as a branch under the mother Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria of Egypt. The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church of NSA, being an Autocephalous body, recognize H.H Pope Shenouda III, Abuna Merkorios, in exile, as the lawful Patriarch, and Abuna Apollo as Metropolitan Primate. Being an autocephalous body, this group is not under the control or directly governed by the See of Alexandria. The Holy See of the Ethiopian


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Orthodox Coptic Archdiocese of North and South Amercia is located in Manhattan, New York.

1. Abba Yusak II (Egyptian Coptic Pope) (Enthronement 1946) (+ 14.11.1956), Archbishop of Girga, Patriarch of Alexandria, consecrated January 13, 1951, as Patriarchal Vicar (Itchege): Gebre Giyorgis (Anba Basilios), Archbishop of the Orthodox Coptic Church, Archdiocese of Ethiopia in 1951. He was the Patriarch-Catholicos of the Orthodox Coptic Church in 1959. (+ 1970).

2. Abba Kirillus/Kirollos VI (Azer Joseph Atta) (Copt ic Pope) (See photograph) (October 3, 1902 – March 9, 1971), Patriarch of Alexandria of the Orthodox Coptic Church in 1959. Abba Kirollos VI consecrated and enthroned as first Patriarch-Catholicos, June 28, 1959 of the Orthodox Ethiopian Coptic Church, Anba Basilios (Abuna Basilios) (+ October 12, 1970).

3. Abuna Basilios ordained and elevated as “Comos” (Archimandrite, July 18, 1962): La Von Miguel Haithman (Abba Gabre Mikael Kristos) (+ 1985). He was ordained priest in 1959 for the Orthodox Ethiopian Church. In the capital city of Addis Ababa, Abuna Mikael was ordained to the Episcopacy, by His Holiness Abuna Basilios, Abuna Markos Patriarch of Gojjam, and His Grace Petros, Metropolitan of Gondar, on July 12, 1959. Archbishop metropolitan Gabre Mikael Kristos, assisted by the bishops Gabre Kristos Jeremiah (David William Worley) and Marcos Kristos (Lennard Lares), consecrated February 16, 1982, Philip Lewis. He was ordained priest in the Orthodox Episcopal Church, April 4, 1972. He was elected Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of the Orthodox Ethiopian Coptic Church of the Americas North and South, and of Europe in 1990.

4. Archbishop Philip Lewis consecrated under condition (sub conditione) October 13, 1990, Archbishop Nils Bertil Persson, Primate of the Apostolic Episcopal Universal Church (the Apostolic Episcopal Church Worldwide).

5. Archbishop Nils Bertil Alexander Persson, who consecrated on June 25, 1995 in London (UK), with co-consecrators, Bishops Hans Dieter Sauerlandt, and George Boyer:

Archbishop Philippe Laurent De Coster, of the Latin Old Roman Catholic Church of Flanders.


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More evidence as found in above texts

Death certificate of Anba Mikael Gabre Kristos

November 18, 1972 saw Chorbishop Jeremiah consecrated to the full historic Episcopacy by Archbishop Gabre Mikael as primary consecrator, assisted by Hierarchs Francis Ryan, James Burns and Anthony Everhart: each of these Archbishops also possessing the succession of the American Orthodox Church. His elevation to Archbishop came late in 1978 at the hands of Hierarchs Gabre Mikael, Burns, Ryan and Carey Presson.


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Message from the Emperor Haile Selassie I.


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Archbishop Philippe Laurent De Coster, B.Th., D.D.

Latin Old Roman Catholic Church of Flanders

And its Apostolic Communities in Belgium and France

© 2009 Edition Eucharist and Devotion -Gent, Belgium

Email: [email protected]

aftimios_ofiesc

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