APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION
The Holy
Spirit came upon the Apostles on the day of
Pentecost (Acts 1: 4-8). This spiritual reality
gave the Apostles a resource to maintain
continuity, reliability of inspired teachings,
ministries, and ordinations, to last throughout
all time. Therefore, the term apostolic
succession indicates a direct line or linage of
worldwide bishops going back to the apostles to
the present day.
For
scriptural evidence and historical readings
please consult:
http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Apostolic_succession
Brief life of Aftimios Ofiesh
The
Christian Orthodox Church traces there lines of
apostolic succession through Archbishop Aftimios
Ofiesh
Aftimios
Ofiesh was consecrated on May 11, 1917, by
Bishop Evdokim Meschesky of the Russian Orthodox
Church in America, Co-Consecrators were; Bishops
Alexander Nemolosky Russian Orthodox Exarch of
Canada and Stephen Dzubai of the Russian
Orthodox diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bishop
Ofiesh in 1923 was elevated as the Russian
Orthodox Archbishop Bishop of Brooklyn, New York
and as Head of the Russian Orthodox Church Syro-Arab
Mission by Metropolitan Platon Rozhdestvensky.
In 1927,
Archbishop Aftimios, Metropolitan Platon
Rojdestversky and the Synod of Bishops of the
American Russian Orthodox Dioceses, meeting in
South Canaan, Pennsylvania, carried out the will
of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All
Russia and help set up autocephalous American
Orthodox Churches. Archbishop Aftimios was
appointed President and coordinator of the
projected organization.
Under
Archbishop Aftimios, the Russian Orthodox Church
in America was established and incorporated on
the basis of an excellent Constitution, designed
to bring true unity to American Orthodoxy.
Many
believe that Archbishop Aftimios and the Bishops
with his succession are the only canonical
Orthodox bishops in the United States since
1917.
In 1933 he
became married and resigned his position as
Archbishop. He died in at age 85 in 1966.
For a more
information on the Consecrator of Archbishop
Aftimios,please go to:
http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Evdokim_%28Meschersky%29_of_the_Aleutians
