www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Most Eastern Christian City In America

So what is it ? What city has, OR HAD the highest number of Eastern Rite and Orthodox churches in proportion to the population. Probably some town in Pennsylvania, but I'm also wondering if at one time if wasn't Gary Indiana. Right now I'm trying to track down every Eastern church that ever existed in Gary. Got the idea after driving around the city and spotting quite a few onion domes.

Lawrence,

It would be some city in Alaska. Orthodoxy is the largest religion in Alaska.

Maybe Parma? It has four or five Cathedrals.

Maybe Waterville, Maine?

St. Joseph Maronite Church(Maronite-Brooklyn)
3 Appleton Street
Waterville, ME 04901
Phone: (207) 872-8515

Two Lungs

I thought about Parma, but I think Youngstown (which now actually has a smaller population) has it beat with at least 12 Eastern churches to Parma's 8. Lorain also has at least 8.

I was reading a paper on the Slavic population of Butte, Montana which is really large. It has a large Serbian Orthodox Church and five Catholic Churches. Surely in a town like that there are Byzantines, I wonder why no Church.

Johnstown PA and adjoining burbs has St. Mary's (Pokrov) and Holy Trinity BCC's, St. John the Baptist UGCC, St. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox, St. John the Baptist OCA (was ROGC), two Serbian Orthodox churches - St. Nicholas, and St. George, St. Mary's Antiochian (formerly Syrian Orthodox) - just a 15 minute drive from Antiochian Village, St. Mary's Helenic Orthodox Church, and Christ the Savior ACROD cathedral.

Interestingly, St. Mary's in the Cambria city neighborhood is flanked on side by a St. Stephens' Slovak RCC, and the other by St. Casimir (Polish) which recently merged with the small Hungarian parish (St. Emerich's) just behind it. Just beyond St. Stephen's is St. George's Serbian and Immaculate Conception (Bavarian) RCC. In the other direction iss St. Rochus (Croatian), a Magyar reformed temple, a Slovak Lutheran parish, and finally St. Columba (Irish). There has been a ethnic festival at Labor day weekend in the neighborhood for the past ten years or so. St. Mary's sells several tens of thousands of holupki and pyrohy - with a lot of kolbassi and cheregy each year. And quite a lot of beer. But that's another thread.

http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/daytrips/cambria.php

http://www.pitt.edu/~zander/CambriaCity.html

The second link shows the main door at St. Mary's BCC with Pokrov mosaic and doors that are iconogrpahic depictions of the Eastern Fathers in stained glass. But the church with the caption St. Mary's is actually a rear view of St. Casimir's.

Lawrence,

Fascinating question. I'm faced with a dilemna because I don't know the population involved, but I'm struck by the significant number of Eastern parishes, Catholic and Orthodox, in Boston.

By my count, Boston hosts 4 Cathedrals and 14 churches, representing 15 jurisdictions - 3 Catholic, 10 Eastern Orthodox (including 3 of "irregular" status), and 2 Oriental Orthodox. (I listed, from nostalgia, but didn't count, the suppressed RGC chapel of Our Lady of Kazan, beloved of Dr. John, Steve/Three Cents, and myself).

Jurisdiction is in first parentheses; second parenthetical is the Boston neighborhood in which it's located.

Annunciation Cathedral (GOAA) (Roxbury)
Holy Trinity Cathedral (OCA) (Fenway)
Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral (Melkite GC) (Roslindale)
Saint George Cathedral (Albanian-OCA) (So. Boston)

'Agia Skepi Theotokou (Greek-OC*) (Roslindale)
Christ the King (UGCC) (Jamaica Plain)
Epiphany (ROCOR) (Roslindale)
Holy Resurrection (Bulgarian) (Allston)
Holy Trinity (Albanian-GOAA) (So. Boston)
Mekane Hiwot St. Michael (Ethiopian Tewahedo) (Roxbury)
Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon (Maronite) (Jamaica Plain)
Our Lady of Kazan (RGCC) (So. Boston) (suppressed)
Saint Andrew the First-Called Apostle (UOCA) (Jamaica Plain)
Saint Anna (HOCNA) (Roslindale)
Saint George (AOCA) (W. Roxbury)
Saint John the Baptist (Albanian-OCA) (So. Boston)
Saint John the Baptist (GOAA) (So. End)
Saint Matthew (SOCA) (W. Roxbury)
Saint Nektarios (GOAA) (Roslindale)

*not sure precisely which jurisdiction claims this one

This doesn't take into account the myriad additional temples (Armenian - Catholic & Orthodox, Coptic, Romanian - Catholic & Orthodox, Serbian, as well as more of all those above) in the surrounding cities and towns (nor does it include the Latin national parishes with a Slav orientation, that DJS tried to sneak in :rolleyes: ).

Many years,

Neil

Philadelphia has a number of Eastern Catholic, Orthodox, an other also. Not sure of the exact numbers. One neighborhood, the Northern Liberties section, has the Ukranian Cathedral, and 3 Russian Orthodox Churches within a 5 block area of each other.

I'd throw Chicago in as well. One can easily walk from the OCA Cathedral south to the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral (Archbishop Vsevelod) to St. Nicholas Catherdral and Sts. Volodymyr and Olha and then have some wonderful food.

OK - now it's Scranton Pennsylvania's turn!

Nine [9] Eastern Christian Churches in the city:
St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic
St. Joseph Melkite
St. Ann Maronite
Annunciation Greek Orthodox
St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox
St. John Ruthenian Catholic
St. Nicholas Rusyn Orthodox
St. Mary Ruthenian Catholic
SS. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox

Now let's include the twelve [12] others
within Lackawanna County:
St. Mary Rusyn Orthodox
SS. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian
Catholic
Holy Ghost Ruthenian Catholic
St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox
St. Michael Russian Orthodox
SS. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic
St. John Russian Orthodox
St. Mary Ruthenian Catholic
St. Nicholas Ruthenian Catholic
St. Michael Russian Orthodox
St. Stephen Russian Orthodox
St. Michael Ruthenian Catholic

Our immediate area of Pennsylvania has been well blessed with a variety of Eastern Christian traditions. But, as far as a visible ecumenical spirit here is concerned, only the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox relate beautifully together as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Getting the Rusyns and Russians to interact with the Ukrainians is like pulling the proverbial teeth.

A thought: if the Ruthenian Catholic Church revises the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom without regard for the other traditions, it will be a backward step for ecumenism. It is not furthering Great Pope John Paul II's call to unity. Just when we Eastern Catholics should be reaching out to our Orthodox brothers and sisters, Pittsburgh behaves as if the Ruthenians owns the Liturgy. What is also sad, is that the parishioners of the Byzantine Catholic Church have no voice.

God Help Them and Us!

must be nice, there's not a d--- thing here in Chattanooga for Eastern Catholics, not even an occasional typica group. be grateful for your blessings.
Much Love,
Jonn

What percentage of the OCA's "Russians" are actually Great Russian? Aren't most of them descendants of Galician Lemkos,Boikos and Subcarpathian Rusyns?

Ungcsertezs (MagyarOroszCsertezs)

John,
How did you happen to get interested in Eastern Christianity if there are no Eastern churches in your area? I don't mean to pry, just curious.
Wolfgang

This is all quite interesting indeed.

Most of the American cities in which Easterner's form a majority or sizable minority seem to be in the traditional areas where the first Eastern European or Hellenic immigrants settled.

However I'd like to add a note on changing demographics in the nation. Take Florida for example and the city of Miami, below is the listing of Eastern churches in the Greater Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area:

EASTERN CATHOLIC:

-Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (UGCC)-Miami

-Our Lady of Lebanon (Maronite)-Miami

-St. Basil the Great (BCC)-North Miami

-St. Jude (Melkite)-Miami


EASTERN ORTHODOX:

-Christ the Savior Cathedral (OCA)-Miami

-SS. Peter and Paul (OCA)-Miami

-St. Jude Hispanic Orthodox Chapel (GOA)-Miami

-St. Sophia Cathedral (GOA)-Miami

-St. Andrew (GOA)-Miami

-St. George Cathedral (Antiochian)-Miami

-Our Lady of Regla (Antiochian)-Miami

-St. Peter's (Antiochian)-Miami

-St. Nicholas (UOC)-Cooper City (Miami)


Therefore we have a total of 13 Eastern churches in the Miami area alone, this list does not include the surrounding cities which also have Eastern churches.

And almost forgot, I looked up the religion demographics of Alaska and currently the largest single religious denomination is Roman Catholicism.

Anyway, just added this to illustrate the trends in population changes that have occured throughout the past decades in our country.

ProCatholico