October 20 marks 40th anniversary of the official approval of the name “Orthodox Church in America” at the 14th All-American Sobor/1st All-American Council
Wednesday, October 20, 2010, marks the 40th anniversary of the official approval of the name “Orthodox Church in America” at the 14th All-American Sobor/1st All-American Council at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery and Seminary, South Canaan, PA.
This conciliar action was the final step in a memorable sequence of events that gave the final seal of approval to the autocephaly granted to the Orthodox Church in America on April 10, 1970. On March 31, 1970, following more than a year of intense negotiations, an agreement had been reached between the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America concerning autocephaly. On the basis of that agreement, the Patriarch of Moscow and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church issued a Tomos on April 10, 1970, granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in America. On May 18, 1970, the Tomos was solemnly presented in Moscow to an OCA by the Patriarchal Locum Tenens and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
For further information on the 14th All-American Sobor/1st All-American Council see www.oca.org/DOC-AAC-01.14-synopsis.asp?SID=12.
The text of the Agreement on Autocephaly may be found on the OCA web site at
www.oca.org/DOCindex-autocephaly.asp?SID=12.
The text of the Tomos of Autocephaly is posted on the OCA web site at www.oca.org/DOCtomos.asp?SID=12.
A photo gallery on the reception of autocephaly may be found at https://www.oca.org/media/photos?EID=926.