Beware

Please be careful of all the phony clergy that are running around playing Church. The reasons include the liberal laws on religious freedom in the U.S. that allows anyone to claim almost anything. They set up Churches in their home (contrary to Canon), many do not wear beards, many claim to be married Bishops and give many reasons why "Orthodox" Bishops can marry while ignoring the ethnic and historic tradition in Orthodoxy. You will find many sexually active "bishops" among the independent movement also. 

There are many who claim they are us or in our lines and some go so far as to claim to be a Patriarch, in communion with the ethnic (Old World) Orthodox and much more. 

There is no American Patriarch in Orthodoxy. There are 2 canonically established Orthodox Churches in North America that were established as American Orthodox Churches. We were established in 1927 and incorporated in 1928. 43 years later the Russian Patriarch (under communist rule in 1970) established the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Neither Church has a Patriarch. Both Churches are headed by a Metropolitan. We are (mainly) a Western Rite Church and the OCA is an Eastern Rite Church. We are both Canonically established Orthodox Churches. 

Those who claim to be us are not. No one has changed our name. We are the same Church and Corporation that we were in 1928. We are not a re-incorporated group. We did not go out and incorporate at will or just take a name and claim we are this or that as many of these independents have done.

Our Metropolitan was not excommunicated or deposed by the OCCNA as some like to claim based on a signed certificate of mailing. We maintain in our archives the sighed letter with "SENT BY CERTIFIED MAIL" on the top of the letter and the date. A careful examination of the Certificate the OCCNA have and the date on said letter and the certified numbers will attest to the truth (also see Andrei Brennan letters). More important is the fact the ones who claim to have deposed or excommunicated the Metropolitan did so after the North American Holy Synod issued a decree against 4 former bishops for violation of the Canons and the penalty was directed by the Canons. The OCCNA was still not active since 2 of the bishops had just resigned, a third walked away without saying anything and the 4th had been released sometime earlier by the Synod and was running his own independent Church. They never had jurisdiction over this Church or the Synod. They resigned or walked away without the letters required by the Canons and started their own independent Church.

Our Name and Logo are the Registered Service Mark of the Church - Registered with the U.S. Patent Trademark Office. They are also our Registered Trade Name and Trademark Registered in the State of Arizona. Unauthorized use of our Name and Logo are illegal (criminal).

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