Old Believer Parishes in Alaska and Oregon Unite with ROCOR (+VIDEO)

Nikolaevsk, Alaska, January 31, 2025

Fr. Nikolai (left) is leading his parish in Alaska into ROCOR. Photo: Church of the Nativity, Erie, PA     

Old Believer parishes in Alaska and Oregon are joining the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

His Grace Bishop John of Caracas and South America, who ministers to ROCOR’s Old Rite parishes, made an announcement concerning the new parishes during a visit to the Old Rite Church of the Nativity in Erie, Pennsylvania on January 26.

For decades, the Erie parish was the only canonical Old Rite church in ROCOR. Previously of the priestless Old Believer tradition, parish leader Pimen Simon led the congregation into the Church in 1983 and was ordained as its first priest.

In 2023, another Old Rite parish, Ascension of Christ Orthodox Church in Monett, Missouri, was received into ROCOR.

Now, with the new parishes in Alaska and Oregon, ROCOR has four canonical Old Rite parishes.

It was previously reported in May 2023 that Fr. Nikolai and his parish were joining ROCOR, though their reception was delayed. However, Fr. Nikolai has now been received into the Church.

“We have people from Alaska and Oregon who are coming into our fold,” Bp. John said. “Yesterday, I chrismated Fr. Nikolai and Fr. Nikita. Fr. Nikolai serves in Alaska, along with his matushka, and Fr. Nikita is in Oregon. With his matushka, they were also chrismated.”

Both Fr. Nikolai and Fr. Nikita were priests of the Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy. However, they were received as laymen and are being ordained in the canonical church. On Sunday, both were raised through the ranks of candle bearer, reader, and subdeacon, and Fr. Nikolai was further ordained to the diaconate. On Tuesday, he was ordained to the priesthood and Fr. Nikita to the diaconate, with his ordination to the priesthood scheduled for this coming Sunday.

“We are welcoming our brethren into the fold. We’ve been separated for so long. Just as this community [the Erie community—Ed.], 40 years ago came into the fold and received the priesthood, so also now we’re seeing some fruits further afield, and we hope this is the beginning of something great,” Bp. John said.

A visibly moved Fr. Nikolai also said:

Thank you for accepting me and ordaining me. It’s a great honor. I understand that now I’m in the fullness of the Church. I’m a part of the Orthodox world… I cannot express my gratitude. You people show us selflessly, and it’s a great example for us to see how you accept people, how you treat them with love. Thank you.

Read more about the Alaska community in this 2013 article form The Atlantic. Read more about the Erie parish “The Way We Serve is Our Means of Communicating With God”“We are not a museum showpiece in the modern world. The way we serve is our means of communicating with God. We use English instead of Slavonic, and that is also part of the means of communicating with God.”

“>here.

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