about us 

Welcome to the official Website of the Byzantine Orthodox Church. Before we tell you about us, we would like to take a minute to highlight some historical background about us. 

The Byzantine Orthodox Church refers to the Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions and churches that developed within the Byzantine Empire, which was the continuation of the Roman Empire in the East after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It is also known as Eastern Orthodoxy or Byzantine Christianity. The Byzantine Orthodox Church is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.

Key aspects of the Byzantine Orthodox Church:

Historical Roots:
The Byzantine Orthodox Church's origins trace back to the early Christian Church in the Eastern Roman Empire, particularly in Constantinople, which became a major centre of Christian thought and practice.

Distinctive Practices:
The Byzantine Orthodox Church developed its own liturgical traditions, theological emphases, and forms of church governance, distinct from the Western Church.

Autocephalous Churches:
The mainstream Eastern Orthodox Church is organized into a communion of autocephalous (self-governing) Churches, meaning each Church is independent in its administration but united in faith and doctrine.

We are an independent autocephalous self-governed Church. We consider ourselves united and unified with our other sisters Orthodox Churches by; Scripture, Doctrine, Holy Tradition, the Seven Ecumenical Councils, teaching of the Church Fathers.

Our Church mission is to serve Christ faithful. We are committed to proclaim the Gospel to those who have not heard it, to do charity work to those who are in need regardless of: background, age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief and to foster according to Gospel values; peace, justice and the integrity of the creation worldwide, to defend the human rights of every individual and to work for unity between the Orthodox Catholics and other Christians.

We believe that the living Tradition of the Church and the principles of concord and harmony are expressed through the common mind of the universal episcopate as the need arises. In all other matters, the internal life of each independent Church is administered by the bishops of that particular Church. 

Our Eastern Christian Tradition places us within the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of God. We hold as sacred the Holy Scriptures, the ancient Creeds of the Church, the Seven Sacraments and governance through valid Episcopal Orders. We draw on the rich Eastern Christian Traditions of the Holy Orthodox Church spirituality to help ourselves and others to discern God’s presence in our lives. 

As contemplatives in action, we bring this spirituality into the wider human context as we strive for social justice, charity work, peace, education, dialogue and Church unity. We are dedicated to Orthodox evangelism. Our goal is to bring together Orthodox Catholic faithful into a unified and coordinated effort, to spread the truth of Orthodoxy in our modern time, in other words; Orthodox  Christianity in the 21st Century.

Our Church Mission is to establish in an effort to answer and deal with the following concerns: 
How do we deal with Poverty, Homeless Issues, Refugees, Food Banks etc…
How does the modern culture of acceleration affect Orthodox Christianity in our time? 
Can or should Orthodoxy follow this rhythm of life, even if this is the modern path to transmit its own message? 
Can this happen without having an impact on the “eternal” nature of the sacred? 
What is at stake here? 
Is the relationship between the Orthodox Church and the present social order and its response to the ever-increasing calls for change? Without ignoring the differences between the various theological currents of Orthodoxy, is the Orthodox Church delivering its message to society with all the challenges that this age is facing? 
The Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." 

Our Vision: That all people may come to know the saving love of our Lord: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our Values: We value proclaiming and witnessing Christ to all people with priority given to those who have never heard or accepted the Gospel. We value sharing the love of Christ for the care of the total person – spiritual and physical. We value ministry in the language and culture of the people. We value our people – well-trained Missionaries, Staff, Supporters, Indigenous Leadership and those being served. We value communities, parishes, and individuals that are mission-minded and have active mission involvement. We value being an open and transparent Church that values the gifts of stewardship provided to us by the faithful. We are guided by the following principles: 

Gospel: To believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to adhere to His commandments, as expressed in the life and teachings of the Orthodox Church. 

Communication: To acknowledge our responsibility to communicate Orthodox Christianity to the world and to invite all to partake of the fullness of the faith. 

Education: To take a holistic approach to theological education and spiritual formation—integrating study, work, worship, and personal discipline. Values: To manifest Orthodox Christian love, service, worship, and learning in the life of the community and beyond.

Unity: To be committed to Christian unity. 

Transparent: To be open, transparent, and responsible stewards of the resources entrusted to us. 

Participation: To encourage every member of the community to be a full and active participant in our mission. 

Charity Work & Commitments: To be committed to the Holy Church teachings, to be also committed to fairness, justice, respect, and hospitality for all members of the community and our wider society, regardless of their background or beliefs. Seeking to respond to the needs of the times and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as well as by human insight, the intention of our Mission is to embrace a way of life which, by profession of the Evangelical Counsels, follows Christ and becomes an outstanding sign of the Heavenly Kingdom. 

Who are the Byzantines? 

The Byzantine were the Greek-speaking Eastern Romans throughout Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. They were the main inhabitants of the lands of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), of Constantinople and Asia Minor (modern Turkey), the Greek islands, Cyprus, Lebanon and portions of the southern Balkans, and formed large minorities, or pluralities, in the coastal urban centres of the Levant and northern Egypt. Throughout their history, the Byzantine Greeks self-identified as Romans (Greek: Ῥωμαῖοι, romanized: Rhōmaîoi), but are referred to as "Byzantine Greeks" in modern historiography. Latin speakers identified them simply as Greeks or with the term Romei or El Rum.

The Romei, El Rum:

The term Romei (Rum) designated the Orthodox Byzantine populations, whether Greek-speaking, Slavic-Arabic or Turkish-speaking, living in the Ottoman Empire, on former Byzantine territory.

The Byzantine populations, who came to be known as El Rum were settled in the Greek peninsular as well as in other parts of the Balkans, in Asia Minor, East Mediterranean and in Istanbul. Once the drastic depopulation of the first two centuries after the conquest was over, they experienced a demographic surge in the 17th c., accompanied by corresponding economic and social development. 

The Ottoman system of government and moreover the privileges which had been conceded to the Patriarchate benefited the Byzantine communities, which succeeded in obtaining some degree of autonomy and self-government. This also allowed an increase in the production of works of art, mainly represented by works of a religious nature. Icons and church silver vessels, often offerings from the faithful or from guilds, precious, gold-embroidered vestments, manuscripts or printed books, all testify not just to the cultural but also the economic development of these communities.

Eastern Christian Theology – Byzantine Orthodox:

Eastern Christian Theology has developed within different communities. In the Byzantine community it developed within the Byzantine Empire, but also outside the Empire, primarily within the Arabic cultural world.

With its roots embedded in the Jewish religious belief the Byzantine culture flourished in Byzantium until the fall of Constantinople, when the Ottoman Empire overshadowed Christianity in its geographical cradle. In Russia the Church continued to blossom to the beginning of the twentieth century, when the Bolsheviks made Christianity its major enemy.

Byzantine Christianity:

Byzantine Christianity originated in the Eastern Roman Empire where it evolved concurrently with the emerging Byzantine state. It was the dominant form of Eastern Christianity throughout the Middle Ages and during this period it developed a complex theological system with unique spiritual practices.

Byzantine Christianity's fortunes were in many ways tied to the Byzantine state, because when the empire experienced expansion and heightened influence so did the faith. While Byzantine Christianity formally represented the spiritual beliefs of the vast majority of the citizens of the Byzantine Empire, there were issues over which the leadership of the church and other Byzantine Christians clashed with the state. This was sometimes the case on issues of faith and practice, but also on issues concerning the role of the emperor within the church or even ecumenical efforts.

Although the empire eventually fell under the weight of centuries of Islamic aggression, much of Byzantine Christianity has survived in the modern Eastern Orthodox churches.

The Byzantine Rite:

The Byzantine rite originated in the Greek city of Antioch (now in southern Turkey), one of the earliest and most celebrated centres of Christianity, but it was developed and perfected in Byzantium, or Constantinople (now Istanbul). The rite was associated primarily with the Great Church of Constantinople and used the Greek language. As Constantinople extended its influence, however, the rite lost its exclusive Greek character and became Byzantine as it was translated into the vernacular of the diverse peoples who adopted it.

Several autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox churches follow canonical rites derived from the original Byzantine rite. The number of these churches has varied in history but has included the Church of Constantinople (Istanbul), the Church of Alexandria (Egypt), the Church of Antioch (with headquarters in Damascus, Syria), and the churches of Jerusalem, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and America. Several of these rites have been suppressed or dispersed by governments in the past.

In the early Christian church, liturgies developed gradually and were essentially formed by the 6th century, although further developments occurred. Of the three liturgies in use by Byzantine rite churches, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated most frequently and is the normal church service. The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is longer and is used on 10 special occasions each year. The Liturgy of the Preconsecrated Offerings, also known as the Liturgy of the Presanctified or the Liturgy of St. Gregory the Great, is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent and from Monday to Wednesday of Holy Week. A fourth liturgy, that of St. James the Apostle, is very rarely used. The liturgical language varies from country to country.