Our History
The American Orthodox Catholic Church (AOCC) first attempt to start as The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church and Apostolic Church in America (THEOCACNA) or the AOP. was founded as an autocephalous or independent Orthodox church between 1924 and 1927. It was initially established on February 2nd, 1927, under the U.S. Constitution a free AOCC jurisdiction to start a new tradition in North America. Literally, a first amendment church with no U.S. regulatory infringements by the U.S. government. Archbishop Aftimos Ofiesh was a part of the Eastern/Russian Orthodox Church and was officially appointed Archbishop until the Eastern/Russian religious leaders were unable to agree on a vision for North America and the religious politics began to overthrow Archbishops Ofiesh’s vision for a multi-ethnic and cultural American Orthodox Catholic Church in North America. The powers to be, decided to charter the AOCC under Metropolitan Platon Rozhdestvensky of New York in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The charter then was loosely handed back and forth until it laid dormant for over 60 years. It was again revived, rechartered, filed, and transferred in 2006 to Metropolitan, Archbishop Roger Paul Willingham and now legally chartered in the U.S. state of Delaware as an 501C3 under the name of the American Orthodox Catholic Church (AOCC). The total history can easily be found on Wikipedia.
Today, the AOCC is a vibrant growing American Orthodox Catholic Church established as an autocephalous Communion and Jurisdictions in North and South America and overseas locations. That early seedling planted in 1924 has been nurtured along the way by many past primates and now sprouted and the rootstock has finally taken hold producing church plants through North and South America. These new church plants are growing in new soil and developing new converts, new ordinands, priests and church new mergers all over these United States. The AOCC is an independent North American jurisdiction not of any other Orthodox influence from the Eastern, Russian churches or any other entity. We are a new work with new leadership and growing. The AOCC stands alone, but vibrant in its North and South American mission to reach these two Provinces for Jesus Christ. Our goal is the “Great Commission” our identity has never changed, we are fully sacramental, evangelical, liturgical, and charismatic in our spiritual life as a church.
The American Orthodox Catholic Church has 277 churches in its Communion and believes orthodoxy and orthopraxy to be the essence of the apostolic faith of the New Testament Church and holds the ancient Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds as their official doctrinal statements. The word episcopal is used to describe its hierarchy of bishops. All of our AOCC churches are very strong, claim an American Orthodox identity and many use the liturgies of the Eastern and Western Rites of the Orthodox church. The AOCC is further developing a new Sacramentary, prayerbook to be reviewed and adopted by the AOCC Synod in June in 2025.
The Holy Orthodox Catholic Church (HOCC) has walked beside the AOCC for years endorsing military chaplains since 1970. Archbishop Seraphim McClennan was the HOCC Archbishop and Military Endorser until the repose of Archbishop Seraphim McClennan in 2012. The AOCC relaunched their civilian chaplaincy program in 2005 under the direction of Bishop Roger Paul. Then in 2012, Archbishop Roger Paul Willingham the Metropolitan of the AOCC took over the HOCC military endorser role that was established in 1970 and re-established the “Ordinariate of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy.
The AOCC has been around for “100 Years.” There are many claims of other Orthodox jurisdictions who claim Archbishop Ofiesh as their founder, these claims only validate the archbishops influence in American Orthodoxy. This is why the AOCC proudly embraces Archbishop Ofiesh’ as our first Patriarch and we hold him in great esteem today. The AOCC has always occupied a valid position as a missionary work as early as 1924. Our Orthodox leadership in North and South America finds its identity within the crucible of historic Orthodox faith through both liturgical worship [i.e., the Eastern and Russian Orthodox church lines), receiving its apostolic succession through pure lines of undisputed orthodox Christianity. We embrace the Eastern and Western Orthodox spirituality into our spirit-filled worship and invite those searching for the ancient church to join us.
While rooted in ancient Christianity we also believe that the AOCC has been raised by God to expand into six new jurisdictions within the U.S. While looking to train new deacons, priests’ chaplains and missionaries for this work, it will take dedicated men to accept this call in their lives and the lives of their families.
The founding vision of the AOCC states: “We seek to bring the rich sacramental and liturgical life of the early church to the unsaved, searching evangelicals and charismatics as well as carrying the power of Pentecost to our brothers and sisters in the historical church, all the while providing a home for all Christians who seek an expression of the faith that is equally liturgical/sacramental, evangelical, and charismatic.” We welcome everyone, the least, the lost and the lonely!
We draw both from Eastern and Western Orthodox Traditions and when priests are validly ordained under Apostolic Succession can call themselves “Orthodox Priests” and when their liturgies conform to the essentials of Tradition, they can administer the Traditional Sacraments.
On January 20th, 2005, Father Roger Paul Willingham was consecrated Bishop in AOCC, then on June 7th, 2009, consecrated as the church’s seventh Archbishop and Primate of North America.
We are men and women of the Orthodox Faith gathered together seeking an expression of the ACTS 2 early ancient apostolic church that is fully Orthodox. We are not a group of churches seeking some sacramental existence called “convergence movement” lacking any identity with the early church or connection to the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Church. If you are a Convergence church, then you have heard the term “Ancient Future Faith.” We are not the church in the future, we are “The Orthodox Church.” We have a theology, doctrines, and are the historical church. Jude 1:3. If you have to ask, what are these churches converging that has not already been in place for past 2500 years of Christianity? Just come home and join the “Ancient Faith.” The Church of England, the Episcopal Church and Anglican churches all ordain women priests and have lost their apostolic succession. The Orthodox Faith has One Faith, One Baptism. Ephes. 4:4-6. Come join us!
We embrace the fullness of the Orthodox Faith; sacramental-liturgical, evangelical, and charismatic. You might hear the term three streams. The Orthodox Church has always had these three elements interwoven in its worship and sacramental ministry. These three streams have operated as one river John 7:38 states that out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water. This is what the American Orthodox Catholic Church is…One river flowing from the Cross of Christ into every Orthodox Church, believer, deacon, priest, Bishop. We are united or engrafted into one river of faith and sacramental ministry. We believe no one stream is preeminent over the others:
• We are a Church that is submitted to the authority of Scripture, as interpreted by the continuing witness of the ancient church and governed by consensus. Our worship and spirituality are biblically rooted in classical Christianity, Liturgical and Spirit-filled, ancient, and contemporary, holy, and joyful. We express our spirituality through the use of the original ancient rites of the early church. We embrace the Eastern and Western liturgical rites for worship.
• We are convinced that the faith and practice of the first one thousand years of the ancient church will engage our culture more effectively and provide a way forward in a time of almost unbelievable transition and change in the 21st century. Jude 1:3.
• We live to show forth God’s praise, not only with our lips but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to His service, and by walking before Him, in holiness and righteousness, all our days. We are committed to advancing God’s kingdom by proclaiming the Gospel to the least, the lost, and the lonely.
• The AOCC is an autocephalous historic Christian church holding apostolic succession with canonical bodies in Europe, Canada, North & South America. It has its own Patriarch, is administratively independent global Communion that elects its own primates and bishops and operates under an American Orthodox model of ecclesiastical orders. It has never been a part of, associated with, or split off any other church body. It is an ancient faith and a continued ancient work of God!
Our Vision
“An Ancient Faith, Reaching a New Generation, Living in Holy Communion”
The founding vision of the AOCC states: We seek to bring the rich sacramental and liturgical life of the early church to searching evangelicals and charismatics as well as carrying the power of Pentecost to our brothers and sisters in the historical churches, all the while providing a home for all Christians who seek an expression of faith that is equally liturgical/catholic/sacramental, evangelical, and charismatic. “Catholic.” meaning the universal church.”