Why So Many Jurisdictions in America?

The session continues the parish’s catechism series and drew both catechumens and lifelong Orthodox Christians. The focus was on understanding the Church’s hierarchy, governance, and jurisdictions, and how these reflect the unity and order of heaven.

The class began with an opening prayer and friendly greetings. Fr. Stephen reminded everyone that learning the faith happens most deeply through life in the Church, not just by reading handouts. “Come to Liturgy, come to Vespers, come to class,” he said. “The faith is lived before it’s learned.”

Hierarchy as a Reflection of Heaven

The first part of the study explored the clergy hierarchy. Fr. Stephen explained that the Orthodox Church always assumes a full hierarchy is mystically present at every service, even if only a priest is serving. This reflects the Church’s unity across time and space.

Orders of Clergy:

• Reader
• Subdeacon
• Deacon
• Priest
• Bishop

Readers and subdeacons serve primarily in liturgical roles, while deacons, priests, and bishops hold broader pastoral and administrative authority. Each order serves the one above it in a living chain of service, not power.

Deacons and subdeacons say “Master, bless” because all blessings flow through the bishop. Even when a priest blesses, he does so as the bishop’s representative. Fr. Stephen noted that while women serve important liturgical and teaching roles, his jurisdiction does not formally ordain women to the minor orders of reader or subdeacon.

The Distinct Roles of Deacon, Priest, and Bishop

Each rank carries its own focus and responsibility.

Deacon: Serves at the altar, leads the litanies, and represents the people’s prayers before God. Historically, deacons also maintained order in worship and cared for the poor. A deacon cannot hear confessions or give blessings without permission.

Priest: The rector of a parish, much like a mayor under a governor. Assigned by the bishop, the priest can celebrate Liturgy, hear confessions, give blessings, and guide the spiritual life of his community.

Bishop: Oversees a diocese and is the chief shepherd of all clergy and faithful within it. All sacraments, including ordination, depend on his authority. The bishop symbolizes unity; every priest and deacon serves in his stead.

Fr. Stephen also explained the meaning behind ordination during the Divine Liturgy. Each rank is ordained at a specific point for a reason: the deacon before the Lord’s Prayer, the priest at the Great Entrance, and the bishop at the Little Entrance. The faithful cry “Axios,” meaning “Worthy,” a tradition that once allowed silent objection if someone believed the candidate was unfit.

Called to Serve: The Path to Ordination

Fr. Stephen described the path to holy orders as one that begins not with ambition but discernment. “You start by talking with your priest,” he said. “And he’ll probably ask, ‘Are you sure?’” The ministry is a life of service that rarely stops. Priests are on call day and night because souls do not rest on a schedule.

Candidates must meet both practical and spiritual conditions. They must be financially stable, spiritually mature, and free of canonical impediments such as serious moral failings or irregular marriages. Education typically involves seminary or a diaconal program, followed by assignment under a bishop.

“Ordination is not a promotion,” Fr. Stephen said. “It’s a cross.”

Understanding Church Governance

Next, the class turned to the structure of the Church itself. Fr. Stephen compared the Orthodox Church to a constitutional republic. Each autocephalous Church is self-governing, like a state in a union, guided by shared canons and faith. This model was inherited from the Roman Republic, where vast regions had local governors yet shared a unified structure.

Rome later abandoned this collegial model, claiming to be “first above equals” instead of “first among equals.” That change of attitude, he explained, was one of the main sparks of the Great Schism. In Orthodoxy, no bishop has authority over another. The Ecumenical Patriarch holds a primacy of honor, not jurisdiction.

Examples of Autocephalous Churches:

• Constantinople (first among equals)
• Moscow
• Serbia
• Romania
• Bulgaria
• Georgia
• Greece
• Poland
• Albania
• Czech and Slovak Republics
• Orthodox Church in America (OCA)

Each has a synod of bishops and full independence in local governance, yet all remain united in faith and sacraments.

Why America Has Multiple Jurisdictions

Many Orthodox wonder why there are multiple bishops and jurisdictions in one city. Fr. Stephen explained that this problem emerged from historical upheaval. Before 1917, America had a single Orthodox mission under the Russian Church that included Greeks, Arabs, and others. Then the Bolshevik Revolution and collapse of the Ottoman Empire scattered bishops and clergy across the world.

Immigrant communities established ethnic parishes to preserve language and culture, creating overlapping jurisdictions. The Orthodox Church in America was granted autocephaly by Moscow in 1970 to unify Orthodoxy in the New World, but not all other Churches recognized it. Today, Orthodox bishops in America cooperate through the Assembly of Bishops, but true administrative unity remains a work in progress.

Obstacles and Hope for Unity

Fr. Stephen noted that culture, money, and language continue to shape the Orthodox landscape. Some overseas patriarchates rely on American parishes financially, while language barriers make it difficult for younger generations and converts to engage. English-speaking parishes, however, tend to grow faster and more sustainably.

He stressed that unity does not begin with councils but with parishes. “We cannot wait for bishops to fix everything,” he said. “We show what unity looks like by living it.” Building welcoming, mission-minded, English-speaking parishes is how true unity takes root. “We already share one Eucharist and one Christ,” he reminded everyone. “Now we just have to act like one Church.”

Questions and Final Reflections

During discussion, parishioners asked about ethnic customs, women’s roles, and the possibility of one American patriarch. Fr. Stephen emphasized that unity does not erase heritage but sanctifies it. “The Church is big enough for every culture,” he said. “But no culture is bigger than the Church.”

He concluded by quoting St. Paul: “In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek.” True unity begins when we see ourselves not as Russian, Greek, or Romanian, but as Orthodox Christians living in America. “We are all Americans in Christ now,” he said with a smile. “That means we all share the same mission.”

The class ended with prayer and thanksgiving. It was a lively, thought-provoking Sunday session, full of humor and practical wisdom for a growing parish.

Glory to Jesus Christ. Glory forever.