The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia was founded in 1920, at the end of the Russian Civil War that followed the Revolution of 1917. Accompanying the countless Russian emigres, forced to flee their country as the Bolshevik atheist government took power were priests and a number of bishops who could no longer keep in contact with the Higher Church Administration in Moscow, headed by Patriarch Tikhon. In accordance with his Ukase No. 362, of November 20, 1920, if contact with the central Higher Church Administration were to be broken, then those bishops who found themselves in such a situation were to gather together to form a Higher Church Administration of their own. The emigre bishops, led by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) formed such a Higher Church Administration to direct the life of all parishes and monasteries outside of the territories controlled by the communist regime.
This Higher Church Administration has now evolved into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, with over 400 parishes, monasteries and convents, located in 40 countries throughout the world.
The First Hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Metropolitan Anthony, Metropolitan Anastassy, Metropolitan Philaret, Metropolitan Vitaly and currently Metropolitan Laurus have directed the Church through the trials and tribulations of the past 75 years until this time, when it shines as a beacon of steadfastness to the traditional teachings and canons of the Holy Church, and combats the insiduous influences of modernism and ecumenism, as well as witnessing to the entire world the persecution of the Holy Church under the Soviet regime, the sufferings of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, and denouncing the path of Metropolitan Sergius, who abandoned the path of the Holy Patriarch Tikhon, capitulated before the Godless authorities, and created the Moscow Patriarchate, which to this day follows Metropolitan Sergius's ruinous path.
Patriarch Tikhon
Metropolitan Anthony
Metropolitan Anastassy
Metropolitan Filaret
His Eminence
The Very Most Reverend L A U R U S
Metropolitan of New York and First Hierarch of the
Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA
Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
The fundamental mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is to bring its faithful to salvation, by preaching the Gospel of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and administering the Holy Mysteries through the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit, Who guides the Holy Orthodox Church, founded by Our Lord Himself, through the ages, unchanged.
In particular, the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is twofold:
(1) to preserve the Holy Orthodox faith and traditions as maintained by the historical autocephalous Russian Orthodox Church, and (2) to spread the faith established by Our Savior and His apostles to all the lands where Russian Orthodox Christians have emigrated.
For more information regarding the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia please go to http://www.rocor.org
