The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in America consists of churches located throughout Alaska, New York, California and New Jersey. Its members are mostly immigrants from Russia, Ukraine and Greece.
Many prominent religious leaders and personalities, such as the “Moscow brothers,” are renowned for their advocacy of sobriety. This case has important parallels to current issues within ROC MP: relations between clergy and laity, use of mass media, gender roles, and most significantly, Church promotion of a single community of faith and tradition.
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Location
The Russian Orthodox Church of Berkeley is situated in the Mission District of Berkeley, CA and can be easily reached from BART at Ashby station on the Richmond line.
The Russian Orthodox Church is a diverse faith with an impressive history and numerous branches. Its mission is to spread the gospel of Christ and invite those outside its fold to become members.
Tradition holds that Christianity practices canonization, the formal process by which a Christian becomes an official saint. This prestigious event is overseen by a synod of bishops and requires an impressive record of virtuous living.
Orthodox spirituality is led by the staretz, a grace-filled individual (usually a monk) with the gift of starchestvo (spiritual direction). He serves as an intermediary for inexperienced pilgrims on their path towards mystical union with God.
When the pandemic struck, many churches were faced with a dilemma between modern medicine and hygiene on one hand, and traditional Orthodox beliefs and practices on the other. Some clergy and believers resisted restrictions while others accepted them as necessary for safeguarding their neighbors’ wellbeing.
Services
The Russian Orthodox Church in America is a missionary diocese founded in 1794 in Alaska, then Russian territory. It encompassed many Greek Catholics (Roman Catholics of the Eastern rite), immigrants from Austro-Hungary, Galicia and Carpatho-Russia as well as members of various non-Orthodox denominations who converted to Orthodoxy.
Every day the church offers various services. The main event is Great Vespers on Saturday evening before the Sunday Liturgy.
At this time of prayer, the congregation reads scripture and sings psalms and hymns as an act of thanksgiving to God for His blessings. This serves as a prelude to Sunday Liturgy on God’s behalf.
Orthodox services differ from western world, where music is usually played on a piano or other instrument. Instead, Orthodox services rely on chanting. There are eight ‘tones’ or’modes’ that rotate weekly, creating an array of melodies sung by choirs or congregations.
Fellowship
The Russian Orthodox Church offers fellowships to scholars from all humanities disciplines whose research projects explore some aspect of Orthodox Christian tradition, thought, or culture. These grants are funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and help foster Orthodox Christian studies as an independent discipline.
The post-perestroika revival of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate; hereafter ROC MP) has been marked by heterogeneity and complexity in church-state relations, ecclesiastical factions, and societal influence. This has created challenges to scholarly demarcation and systematization within Russian Orthodox Studies.
Due to the vast diversity of groups and worldviews claiming to represent “true” Orthodoxy, conceptual normativity is necessary. This requirement is especially pressing given a lack of consensus regarding what Orthodoxy actually is and who ‘belongs’ to it.
Education
The Russian Orthodox Church is one of the world’s largest autocephalous churches and it has a rich heritage. It has been shaped by both eastern and western thinkers alike, from medieval monasticism to Russian nationalist philopatry and contemporary socio-cultural developments.
The church emphasizes prayer as an integral part of Christian spirituality and obedience to God. It promotes reading the Bible, praising and supplicating God, as well as practicing good works according to orthodoxy.
Despite its widespread appeal, the church in Russia has faced significant difficulties. During Soviet rule, many churches were closed and priests and monks were greatly reduced in number.
Since the fall of Soviet Union, Russian Orthodox Church has made great strides toward reunification with its mother church. Nonetheless, there have been disagreements on certain matters; for instance, many bishops and clergy have expressed reservations about state restrictions on religious practice, particularly lockdown measures.
