Remember Antioch. It was a city of great importance in the Roman Empire. That city is deeply connected to the story of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church.
The Church in Antioch dates back to the foremost apostles. Saints Peter and Paul are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Scripture says Antioch is where followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. One of the original seven deacons, Nicholas, was from Antioch. He may have been its first convert.
During the persecution after St. Stephen’s death, Jerusalem’s infant community sought refuge in Antioch. St. Peter was the first bishop. Saints Paul and Barnabas began their missionary journeys to Gentile lands from Antioch. They established a tradition lasting centuries. Missionaries from Antioch planted churches throughout greater Syria, Asia Minor, the Caucasus Mountains, Mesopotamia, Greece, the Balkans, Italy, and most of the Mediterranean Region.
In 325, Emperor Constantine the Great convened the first Ecumenical Council. The primacy of Antioch’s bishop over all bishops of the civil Diocese of the East was formally sanctioned. The Great Schism of 1054 separated Rome from the four Eastern Patriarchs. Those were Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.
In the 13th century, the Patriarchal residence moved to Damascus. Damascus had flourished since apostolic times. It replaced earthquake-prone Antioch as Syria’s civil capital. The Patriarchate has jurisdiction over dioceses within its ancient geographic boundaries. These include Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and the Arabic Peninsula. Others are in the Americas, Australia, and Western Europe. The headquarters are in Damascus on the street called Straight.
In the late 19th century, Antiochian Christians emigrated to other parts of the world. Their spiritual needs in North America were met through the Syro-Arabian Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1895, Antiochian immigrants in New York City organized a Syrian Orthodox Benevolent Society. Dr. Ibrahim Arbeely, a physician from Damascus, was its first president.
Dr. Arbeely invited Raphael Hawaweeny to New York. Raphael was a clergyman serving as Professor of Arabic in Russia. He was to organize the first Arabic-speaking parish on the continent. Father Raphael arrived in the United States on November 17, 1895.
Archimandrite Raphael established a parish at 77 Washington Street in lower Manhattan. It was the center of the Syrian immigrant community. By 1900, many immigrants had moved to Brooklyn. In 1902, the parish purchased a larger church building at 301-303 Pacific Street. The Church was dedicated to St. Nicholas. It was consecrated on October 27, 1902, by Archbishop Tikhon. St. Nicholas Cathedral later moved to 355 State Street, Brooklyn. Today, it is considered the mother parish of the Archdiocese.
In 1975, administrative unity was restored among all Antiochian Orthodox Christians in the United States and Canada. This was through the Articles of Reunification. In 2003, the Holy Synod of Antioch granted this Archdiocese the status of a self-ruling Archdiocese.
Today, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America has many churches and missions. The main chancery of the Archdiocese is located just outside New York City in Englewood, NJ. St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church is a testament to faith and community. It continues a rich tradition from Antioch to the present day.