Archpastoral Epistle of the Sobor of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in America

From the editor

The only diocese of the Russian Church outside the borders of the Russian Empire before the revolution of 1917 was in North America. It was under the supervision of the Russian department of foreign affairs. After the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II on March 2, 1917, support dried up. Bishop Aleksandr (Nemelovsky) of North America could not keep the diocese from falling into disorganization. In order to restore order, the experience and resolve of Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of Odessa was needed. He had already served here before the revolution and arrived in the US in 1922. However, the restoration of stability led to the autonomy of the North American metropolia, which sundered its communion with the Church in Russia, and with the council of Russian refugee bishops in Serbia. As a result, Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky) passed away in 1934 both under the ban of the Synod of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) and the Synod of ROCOR. In 1935 in Serbia, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), the first-hierarch of ROCOR, met with Metropolitan Evlogy (Georgievsky), who also separated from ROCOR, and Metropolitan Platon’s successor from North America – Metropolitan Theofil (Pashkovsky). At that meeting, a decision was made that the North American metropolia would enter into ROCOR as an autonomous metropolitan district. This decision was also ratified at the Sixth All-American Council in New York in October 1937. The dioceses of the Russian Church Outside Russia in North America joined this district, subject to Metropolitan Feofil. The following epistle was written at the bishops’ council that followed the All-American Council, which included the participation of other clergy and laity.

It is signed by four hierarchs who were previously under the direct jurisdiction of the ROCOR’s Synod of Bishops and six hierarchs of the North American Metropolia. The hierarchs tried to focus in the document on what unites them, rather than what divides them. However, what is referred to in the text as “desires” indicates the level of understanding by the metropolitan district of its autonomy at the level of autocephaly. [1]The 1937 Council independently changes the Temporary Statutes adopted in Serbia in 1935, preserving the All-American Council and the Metropolitan Council, which were not invisioned in this document. … Continue reading

The message speaks of the free establishment of patriarchal governance in Russia. After the election of Metropolitan Sergii (Stragorodskii) as Patriarch in 1943, his name began to be commemorated during liturgical services in the churches of the North American Metropolia before the name of the First Hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan Anastasii. At the next, seventh, All-American Council, held in Cleveland, Ohio in November 1946, the majority of delegates voted to end integration in the ROCOR and for direct subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate. [2]This sentiment expressed the attitude towards ROCOR already expressed at the Sixth All-American Council in 1937: 105 delegates were in favor of adopting the Temporary Statutes, 9 were against, and … Continue reading At the same time, at the Cleveland Council, both the hierarchs of ROCOR and the North American Metropolia voted for the continuation of administrative inclusion in ROCOR.

Protodeacon Andrei Psarev, March 13, 2025

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

“I believe in One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.”

The Sobor of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in America is glad to announce to the clergy and people of the American Metropolitan District, that at the All-American Council, attended by representatives of the episcopate, clergy, and laity from October 5-8 of this year (1937), the “Temporary Statutes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia” were ratified. Our metropolitan district is part of this Church.

In accepting these statutes, our metropolia remains self-ruling (autonomous) in its internal affairs, having its own rules, and for general Church affairs, sending its hierarch representative to the council and to the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. This will continue until the restoration of normal Church life in Russia with the free assembly there of an All-Russian Council to establish (patriarchal) Church rule.

This structure of the Russian Church Outside Russia is based on the directive number 362 of our patriarch Tikhon, now departed in the Lord, and the Supreme Church Authority on November 20, 1920.

We also write to inform that the All-American council offered its statutes and desires for the further development of our Metropolitan District, which will be taken into account in the future work of our bishops and the central Metropolitan Council.

1.Henceforth we represent a single local Russian Orthodox Church in America, making up a part of the Mother Church of Russia, and everyone desiring to be Russian Orthodox must belong to this Church and work together for Her good order and discipline.

2. Unfortunately, in America there remain sickly organizations that appeared after the World War and Russian Revolution. These graceless and uncanonical organizations have caused great evil and grief in the name of the Russian Orthodox Church, for example, the Kedrovites, Clementines, Nikonites, Teodorovichites, the self-righteous Ukrainian separatists and others. In accordance with our archpastoral conscience, we warn Russian Orthodox people that these organizations do not belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. Thus, he who would remain Russian Orthodox should leave such organizations. They only introduce confusion and disorder into the local Russian Church. A Russian Orthodox Christian confesses “One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church,” and thus should belong to that Church, to be one of Her members.

3. With good wishes and desire to help we follow the efforts of Russian brethren trying to free themselves from the Roman Unia, to keep their eastern rite and the Orthodox faith of their fathers. With all sincerity, we bear witness to them that if they truly want to be free of these chains and return to the Russian Orthodox Church of their fathers, then it is not sufficient to keep the eastern rite. Now through this eastern rite Russian Orthodox are being drawn into a new Unia with Rome, just as happened with some of our ancestors.

No, the rite is not enough! They must also fully embrace the Orthodox faith, not blemished by papal imaginations, and enter into the organization of the local Russian Orthodox Church. They must receive their sanctification from the Russian bishops, and not seek it in other nations and Churches. The Orthodox Russian people has a hierarchy that has kept the grace-filled flame of our Russian faith since the time of the equal-to-the-apostles Cyril and Methodius and Prince Vladimir, the enlightener of the Russian nation, and there is no need for us Russians to seek truth from other sources. Our Church has everything necessary for man’s salvation.

4. With love and attention, we observed the inspired work of our coworkers, the priests and lay delegates: how each of them sought unity, Church discipline and self-sacrifice, how each of them zealously presented their projects for the general good of the Church.

This was the first meeting for some streams of the Russian Church. We believe that the unity and discipline that the clergy and people seek, and the inspiration and readiness to work for the good of the Church, serving Her with selflessness and sacrifice, will grow and grow stronger in all: the bishops, the clergy, and the people, and any disagreements and difficulties will pass away without special effort. Life itself and our cooperative work will show the way to organize our Church life here in America and be in organic union with the fulness of the Russian Church, now outside the borders of Russia, but later within her boundaries and in all parts of the Great Russian land.
We testify that we now have good and close relationships and cooperation with all of the hierarchs of our Church Abroad, and this will only bring us good from both sides.

5. In particular, we reach out to all of our brethren of those once under the yoke in Russia – the Galitians, Ugrorussians, Bukovinians – be one with us now, just as we once were one – in a single Russian Orthodox Church in America, a single Russian family, and thus let us support the Orthodox faith and Russian culture here in America, and remember the needs of our people in the old country. It is easier for us to do this together. Thus let there be no isolation, distrust, or self-will, but rather One Undivided American Orthodox Rus’.

6. With a bold heart and firm faith in God’s help, let us all work together in the establishment and development of Church life in our American Metropolitan district. We await from you, our co-laborers and spiritual children oneness of mind, obedience, discipline, and self-sacrifice.

O Lord, help and bless our common work in Thy Russian Orthodox vineyard in America, through the intercessions of Thine All-pure Mother, and especially of all the saints who have shone forth in the Russian land.

Signed:

Metropolitan Feofil,

Archbishop Tikhon,

Archbishop Vitaly,

Bishop Alexei,

Bishop Arseny,

Bishop Ioasaph,

Bishop Veniamin,

Bishop Leonty,

Bishop Ieronim,

Bishop Makary.

 October 1/14, 1937, New York.

Relevant Resources on this website
Seth Davidenko, “Archbishop Vitaly Maximenko and the North American Metropolia: Based on His Correspondence”

Nikolaj Kostur, “The OCA and the ROCOR Have a Common Root in Pre-Revolutionary Russian Church”

Nikolaj Kostur, “The Relationship between The Russian Orthodox Church in North America and The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad from 1920-1950”