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Does anyone know anything about parishes or monastic communities of the old rite in North America?

I have heard of an Archbishop somewhere in Oregon, does anyone know anything about this?

oldorthodox

I am vaguely aware of some priestless communities here and there.

The Bielaia Krinitsa hierarchy does indeed have Archbishop Sophrony, who keeps a residence attached to a good-sized parish in Oregon (near Mount Angel Benedictine Abbey), an apartment at the large parish in Sydney, Australia, and also has a parish in Alaska and, I believe, in Canada. He in turn answers to Metropolitan Leonty of Bielaia Krinitsa and all the Old Orthodox Christians, who lives at the moment in Braila, Romania.

There had been a few clergy in the diaspora when suddenly they were cut off from the hierarchy, not by a schism, but by the impossibility of communicating with any of the hierarchs, thanks to the Communist regimes in the USSR and Romania. There were rare contacts almost "by accident" with Old-Ritualists behind the Iron Curtain, but it only became possible to obtain a bishop and have a normal relationship with the Synod of Metropolitan Leonty after the collapse of Communism.

By the grace of God, the Apostolic Succession did not fail during the Communist period, but the period was seriously dangerous. I have no idea why the hierarchy did not manage to consecrate two or three bishops for the emigration, so as to make sure that the Apostolic Succession did not fail.

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us!

Fr. Serge

There is an old ritualist parish in Erie, PA:

http://www.churchofthenativity.net/

Erie parish - this parish is very active, and has done much good work in publications and in making the Old Rite better known. However, the parish belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, not to any Old-Ritualist hierarchy.

In fairness to the parish, and particularly to the parish Priest, Father Pimen Simon, I should add that the parish was originally priest-less and when Father Pimen (who was the nastavnyk at the time) developed the conviction and shared the conviction with the faithful that the priesthood had not died out and that it was well time to restore the priesthood in this parish, it was a practical impossibility to discuss the matter seriously with the Old-Ritualist hierarchs either in Russia or in Romania. Father Pimen had become acquainted with Holy Trinity Monastery at Jordanville and made contact with the Russian Orthodox Church of Russia, which proved willing to receive the parish and provide clergy with the clear understanding that the parish would use the Old Rite exclusively.



Fr. Serge

Thank You for this information.

Are there any communities belonging to Patriarch Alexander?

I know that one of his bishops is assigned to "Western Europe and Zion" but have not been able to locate any parishes of theirs outside Eastern Europe.

I would be very interested in finding out what happened to the skete in North Dakota.

oldorthodox

OO,

Last I heard - and it was a year or more ago - Holy Nativity of the Mother of God was down to two monks, neither of whom was in good health and I've seen nothing since. The blog which they published has not been posted to in about 3 years and the last posting that either made to the E-Cafe was about 2 years back, as I recollect.

Many years,

Neil