List of primates of the Orthodox Church in America

This article is a list of primates of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).
Prior to the early 1920s, all Orthodox on the North American continent (regardless of ethnicity) were under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. This North American diocese (known by a number of names throughout its history) was ruled by a bishop or archbishop assigned by the Russian Church.
After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, communication between the Russian Orthodox Church and the churches of North America was almost completely cut off. In 1920, Tikhon (then Patriarch of Moscow) directed all Russian Orthodox churches outside of Russia to govern themselves autonomously until regular communication and travel could be resumed. As a result, many Orthodox communities with a non-Russian background turned to Churches in their respective homelands for pastoral care and governance. 
After declaring the autonomy of the North American Diocese (known as the "Metropolia") in February 1924, Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky) became the first Metropolitan of All America and Canada. Since that time, the primate of the OCA has been known as Metropolitan of All America and Canada, in addition to his role as the archbishop of an OCA diocese. When the OCA (then known as the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America) was granted autocephaly by the Russian Church in 1970 (an act not recognized by all Orthodox jurisdictions), it was renamed the Orthodox Church in America, and the ruling Metropolitan was granted the additional title of His Beatitude. 
Name 	Place of birth 	Birth name 	Jurisdiction 	Dates of rule	Notes
Joasaph (Bolotov) 	Strazhkov, Kashinsky District 	Ivan Ilyich Bolotov 	Bishop of Kodiak, Auxiliary of the Irkutsk Diocese 	1799 	Joasaph was elected bishop in 1796, but news did not reach him until 1798. He returned to Irkutsk and was consecrated in 1799, but died during his return voyage to Alaska.
Innocent (Veniaminov) 	Anginskoye, Verkholensk District	Ivan (John) Evseyevich Popov-Veniaminov 	Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands 	1840–50 	
Innocent (Veniaminov) 	Anginskoye, Verkholensk District	Ivan (John) Evseyevich Popov-Veniaminov 	Archbishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands 	1850–68 	
Peter (Ekaterinovsky) 	Saratov Oblast 	Theodore (Fyodor) Ekaterinovsky 	Bishop of Novoarkhangelsk, Auxiliary of the Kamchatka Diocese 	1859–66 	
Paul (Popov) 	Yeniseysk Province 	Paul Popov 	Bishop of Novoarkhangelsk, Auxiliary of the Kamchatka Diocese 	1866–70 	With the Alaska purchase in 1867, Alaska became a territory of the United States.
John (Mitropolsky) 	Kaluga, Russia 	Stephen Mitropolsky 	Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska 	1870–77 	
Nestor (Zakkis) 	Arkangelsk, Russia 	Baron Nikolai Pavlovich Zakkis 	Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska 	1878–82 	Following the death of Bishop Nestor in 1882, the Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska fell under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg until 1887.
Vladimir (Sokolovsky-Avtonomov)	Senkovka, Poltava Oblast 	Vasily Grigorievich Sokolovsky-Avtonomov	Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska 	1887–91 	
Nicholas (Adoratsky) 	 	 	Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska 	1891 	Bishop Nicholas was transferred to another see before traveling to North America to assume his duties as ruling bishop.
Nicholas (Ziorov) 	Kherson Oblast 	Michael Zacharovich Ziorov 	Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska 	1891–98 	In 1898, Bishop Nicholas was transferred to Russia, to serve as Archbishop of the Diocese of Tver and Kashin.
Tikhon (Belavin) 	Toropetz District 	Vasily Ivanovich Belavin 	Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska 	1898–1900 	
Tikhon (Belavin) 	Toropetz District 	Vasily Ivanovich Belavin 	Bishop of the Aleutians and North America 	1900–05 	Bishop Tikhon introduced many changes to the diocesan structure, including renaming it to the Diocese of the Aleutians and North America.
Tikhon (Belavin) 	Toropetz District 	Vasily Ivanovich Belavin 	Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America 	1905–07 	Bishop Tikhon was elevated to archbishop when the diocese was made an archdiocese in 1905. He returned to Russia in 1907.
Platon (Rozhdestvensky) 	Kursk Eparchy 	Porphyry Theodorovich Rozhdestvensky 	Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America 	1907–14 	
Platon (Rozhdestvensky) 	Kursk Eparchy 	Porphyry Theodorovich Rozhdestvensky 	Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	1922–34 	
Evdokim (Meschersky) 	Vladimir Diocese 	Basil Mikhailovich Meschersky 	Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America 	1914–18 	Archbishop Evodkim returned to Russia and was appointed Archbishop of Nizhegorod in 1919.
Alexander (Nemolovsky) 	Volhynia Eparchy 	Alexander Alexandrovich Nemolovsky 	Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America 	1919–22 	Archbishop Alexander left the United States in 1922, and was replaced by Metropolitan Platon.
Theophilus (Pashkovsky) 	Kiev Oblast 	Theodore Nicholaevich Pashkovsky 	Archbishop of San Francisco, Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	1934–50 	Theophilus was elected as metropolitan after Metropolitan Platon's death in 1934.
Leonty (Turkevich) 	Kremenets 	Leonid Ieronimovich Turkevich 	Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	1950–65 	
Ireney (Bekish) 	Mezhirech, Lublin Province 	John Bekish 	Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	1965–77 	In 1970, the Russian Metropolia (also known as the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America) was granted autocephaly, and was renamed as the Orthodox Church in America.
Sylvester (Haruns) 	Dvinsk, Latvia 	Ivan Antonovich Haruns 	Archbishop of Montreal and Canada, Temporary Administrator of the Orthodox Church in America	1974–77 	Archbishop Sylvester was appointed as Temporary Administrator in 1974, and handled the day-to-day business of the Church for Metropolitan Ireney, whose health was failing.
Theodosius (Lazor) 	Canonsburg, PA 	Frank Lazor 	Archbishop of New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	1977–80 	
Theodosius (Lazor) 	Canonsburg, PA 	Frank Lazor 	Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	1981–2002 	
Herman (Swaiko) 	Briarford, PA 	Joseph Swaiko 	Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	2002–05 	
Herman (Swaiko) 	Briarford, PA 	Joseph Swaiko 	Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	2005–2008 	
Jonah (Paffhausen) 	Chicago, IL 	James Paffhausen 	Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada 	2008-current 	
== References ==
Primates of the Orthodox Church in America
Orthodox Church in America primates
 
Primates of the Orthodox Church in America
Orthodox Church in America
de:Liste der Primates der Orthodoxen Kirche in Amerika
fr:Liste des primats de l'Église orthodoxe en Amérique
ka:ამერიკის პატრიარქები