The Greek Orthodox Church

Many religions can trace their roots and founding fathers back for centuries. The Christian religion is one those with an extensive background that can be followed throughout history. However, there are many different factions of the Christian faith. Some have broken off into new versions of their take on the faith itself, while others have remained true to the original works set forth by the apostles. The Greek Orthodox Church can date itself all the way back to St. Paul when he preached throughout Greece.

Today the church has seen some serious growth and gone through several major changes. While some things have changed, the faith itself has not wavered. The changes that have taken place are mostly in structure and are centered on the government and who wielded control at the time. The Greek Orthodox Church was acknowledged as part of the patriarchate of Constantinople. However, when the Turks overthrew Constantinople and took control, the Greek Orthodox Church formed a rebellion and gained their independence from the Turkish government.

In the United States, the first accounts of the Greek Orthodox Church are found in New Orleans, Louisiana, where Greek merchants settled and established a following. After the Civil War, many more Greek people immigrated to the United States and it became necessary to expand. In 1891, a church was opened in New York. Throughout the twentieth century the amount of churches began to grow rapidly however, between the 1920’s and 1930’s there was dissention among the church and it began to split. In 1931 it became apparent that the Greek Orthodox Church needed more structure in America and the Archbishop of Corfu, Greece was sent to head the organization. He was able to successfully bring the church back together and today there are over six hundred churches in the United States.