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.
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 rectionary 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 cumenical 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 NizhniNovgorod, 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 coperation. 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 coperation
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 exilejurisdictions 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

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
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
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 Catlica Apostlica
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
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
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,
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 Andr 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.
37
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
38
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
39
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
40
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.
41
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"
42
43
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.
44
45
46
47
48
49
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 EthiopianAmericans 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
50
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 PatriarchCatholicos of the Orthodox Coptic Church in 1959. (+ 1970).
2. Abba Kirillus/Kirollos VI (Azer Joseph Atta) (Coptic 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 PatriarchCatholicos, 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.
51
52
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.
53
Message from the Emperor Haile Selassie I.
54
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: fb060913@skynet.be
55

Aftimios Ofiesc

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Aftimios Ofiesc

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The Apostolic Succession

The Episcopate of Aftimios Ofiesc

Edition Eucharist and Devotion

Apostolic Succession from

Mar Alexander (Nils Bertil Alexander Persson, 11/10/1941 -- ) as Titular Bishop of

Other Russian Orthodox Apostolic Lineage:

Apostolic Succession from

President of Albania) as Metropolitan of Pentapoleos. Bishop Kontogiorgios was

American Orthodox Catholic Church Propheta Jurisdiction

The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church

THE CHURCH OF RUSSIA

THE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX COPTIC CHURCH

HIS HOLINESS - WALTER MYRON PROPHETA

H.H. GABRE MEDHIN JEREMIAH

The Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church of North and

1. Abba Yusak II (Egyptian Coptic Pope) (Enthronement 1946)

More evidence as found in above texts

Death certificate of Anba Mikael Gabre Kristos

Message from the Emperor Haile Selassie I.

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

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