This information is essential to the Orthodox Public being misled by these independent groups who in any number of ways claim they are us and claim to have canonical sacramental authority. None listed herein who claim to be us are. They are Episcopi Vagants in the eyes of the Orthodox.

We, the lawful owners of the name, "The American Orthodox Catholic Church" state as follows;

We are the one and only canonically established "The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America" also known as the American Orthodox Cathlic Church (see Article 1 below) and all those not part of this Church who use this name are misleading the public.

ERROR Note: If you feel there is an error on our website please feel free to contact us about it.

To be removed from this webpage also contact us to discuss how to correct your website so you are not claiming to be us under either name, not claiming our Charter was issued to you, or using our history.

They have no canonical sacramental authority from THEOCACNA.

From our Church Constitution dated December 1, 1927.

The religious body organized hereunder shall be known both ecclesiastically and in civil law (by incorporation) as THE HOLY EASTERN ORTHODOX CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA (THE AMERICAN ORTHODOX CATHOLIC CHURCH). Either the first part of this legal title or the shorter second part exclosed in parentheses shall be deemed sufficient designation to point out this body to the exclusion of any other in all cases except where the full corporate title is required for purposes of civil legal documents.

We feel this statement shows our claim and intention to be known by both names and consider this a Service mark claim as of Dec. 1927.

While at least one Orthodox writer on Orthodox-wiki falsely credits Abp. Aftimios for starting the many independent groups he in fact did not go off ordaining people to start their own groups. Propheta is responsible for many Episcopi Vagantes.

Walter Propheta seemed to be popular. So many of these independent clergy claim their lines to him or his church. He was supposed to have been consecrated by 2 bishops - Souris of the Greek Orthodox Church in America - Old calendarist and Theoklitos Kantaris of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of NY and they later are claimed to have "elevated" Propheta to primate of the AOC/AOCC. Here is the problem.

Propheta was consecrated by only 2 bishops who had no canonical authority to appoint him head of the AOCC since

(A) Abp. Ofiesh was alive

(B) Abp. Ofiesh was the head of his Church at this time.

(C) The Propheta lines do not trace to Aftimios or this Church and

(D) 2 Greek Bishops have no authority to appoint anyone to a Church they are not part of and neither was associated in any way with THEOCACNA/AOCC. It is doubtful either would have made such an appointment to infringe on Abp. Ofiesh's jurisdiction so they probably appointed Propheta to his own independent American Orthodox Church (AOC).

This group claims headquarters out of New York using the AOCC name includes the Penticostal Orthodox Church as part of their group.

Dominick Lorenzo, Retired
Former head of a NY AOCC group
Consecrated by U. Ryzy-Ryski 6-26-77
Appointed by John Christian as Metropolitan

Patrick K. McReynolds
b. May 1950
Member-God's Benevolence Institute
Ordained Deacon & Priest 4-6-74 by Itkin
Consecrated 4-7-74 by Itkin
Consecrated 5-19-75 by E.C. Payne
(Ind. Catholic Church/Ind RC Church)
Consecrated 11-26-76 by U. Ryzy-Ryski
Also listed as Cons. by Andre Barbeau w/Andrei Letellier and as a consecrator of Andrei Barbeau
Th.M from Fordham U. 1978
6/81 began God's Benevolence Orthodox Catholic Church (independent)

Steven Kochones, b. 1/31/31
Greek Orthodox layman, left and
was ordained minister ind. Assemblies of God
Ordained Priest by Propheta 9/4/67
Est. Church of God in the Lord Jesus Christ in Pasadena, CA. 1969
Consecrated 5-18-80 Catholic Church of God, Pasadena, CA
Changed Corporate name to A.O.C.C. 5-11-89

Donald Jolly
Independent Catholic Church International
12-31-73 - Cons. by John Brown
Free Protestant Episcopal Church
6-25-80 - Cons. by Antonio Pietroburgo in Rome and appointed AOCC Representative.

American Orthodox Catholic Church Western Rite of Medford, Long Island, NY.

This group ordains women which is contrary to Orthodox Canons. They are not orthodox and state they are the American Independent Catholic Church.

American Orthodox Catholic Church webpage by Stephen Tyminski of N.Y. claims both the AOCC name and our Corporate name "The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America" which is a registered service mark of this Church. On this webpage he mentions Abp. Thaddeus (Condrick) who he has not been associated with for a few years now.

Thaddeus, Alan Stanford, of Deming or Columbus, NM (formerly of Calif.) used to list THEOCACNA and American Orthodox Catholic Church on his website but now states not associated with THEOCACNA. He has made a number of claims that have changed from time to time. Claims to have the "Blessing of the Holy Patriarchate of Moscow" who deny knowing him, claims no other "Mother Church" existed 1921-1927 until his group was incorporated - the 1927 appears to refer to our Charter again, and then he denies being or claiming to be the Mother Church.

There is another group calling themselves the American Orthodox-Catholic Church under a Metropolitan Samuel of NY. They have also started to claim to be the Holy Orthodox Church in America probably because this was the name of the group Ignatius began ordaining for in 1934 after leaving THEOCACNA in June 1933. This was not a canonical jurisdiction.

They claim to be the continuation of the Walter Propheta 1964 organizaton and claim their lines trace to us. Propheta was never part of this Jurisdicion. He had established his own organizaton and did his own thing in his time. From our records it appears Propheta used the name "American Orthodox Church".