American World Patriarchs is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

religious organization Religious activities generally need some infrastructure to be conducted. For this reason, there generally exist religion-supporting organizations, which are some form of organization that manages: * the upkeep of places of worship, such as ...

established in 1967.

Founding

The group was founded by Uladyslau Ryzhy-Ryzhski, a priest from

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

who had been consecrated as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Laconia, New Hampshire Laconia is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,871 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 15,951 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Belknap County. La ...

and the states of

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by the

American Orthodox Catholic Church The American Orthodox Catholic Church (AOCC), or The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America (THEOCACNA), and sometimes simply the American Orthodox Patriarchate (AOP), was an independent Eastern Orthodox Christian chu ...

. He was later raised to the position of

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

by the Old Orthodox Catholic Patriarchate of America. It was largely through Ryzhy-Ryzhski's elevations of other independent bishops to the level of

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

that the new organization was formed.

Ryzhy-Ryzhski

Ryzhy-Ryzhski did not require that any of the individuals he elevated to the patriarchate recognize his authority or jurisdiction over any of them. He began to create new archbishop-patriarchs for each national and ethnic group, at the same time creating a church hierarchy of international scope. After his

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

from the American Orthodox Catholic Church, Ryzhy-Ryzhski worked harder to develop his new group, and established patriarchates for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

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Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

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Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, the

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, and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. He went on to create the Peoples University of the Americas in conjunction with the AWP. In addition to the religious training it offers, the University offers a variety of courses in the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

in New York for ethnic and immigrant groups, with particular emphasis on

English as a second language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EF ...

Current leadership

On his death in 1978, Ryzhy-Ryzhski was succeeded by his brother, Archbishop Emigidius J. Ryzhy, as the Apostolic Administrator of All American World Patriarchs. Ryzhy is assisted by Archbishop Adam Bilecky, Patriarch II of the American World Patriarchate, Archbishop Peter A. Zurawetsky, Archbishop Frank Barquera, and Bishop Piotr Huszcza.

Membership and structure

In 1997, the church reported 19,457 members, seventeen congregations, and fifty-four priests in the United States. One additional congregation with three priests was reported in Canada, with work affiliated with the church reported as taking place in seventeen additional countries. The most recent reported congregation was established in 1993 in

. This new congregation, heading by Bishop Huszcza with six assisting priests in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

Lida Lida ( be, Лі́да ; russian: Ли́да ; lt, Lyda; lv, Ļida; pl, Lida ; yi, לידע, Lyde) is a city 168 km (104 mi) west of Minsk in western Belarus in Grodno Region. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuani ...

, and Siomki Goradok, was reported as having a membership of thirty-five thousand and continuing to grow.

References

* Lewis, James R. ''The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions''. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1998. {{ISBN, 1-57392-222-6. Christian organizations established in 1967 Independent Eastern Orthodox denominations Christian organizations established in the 20th century