| St. Raphael, Pray for Us! |
The United American Orthodox Catholic Church (UAO) commends the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America for their canonization of Bishop Raphael (Hawaweeny) of Brooklyn as of May 29, 2000, an act supported by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. In 1904, Saint Raphael was the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in North America. A true pastor, he sought out and gathered scattered Orthodox Christians, uniting them into one Orthodox family. At the time of his death in 1915, Saint Raphael was the archpastor of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Syro-Arab mission, with 30 parishes and an estimated 25,000 faithful. He left behind numerous books and articles which portray him as a man of prayer and patience who protected his flock from doctrinal error. His feast day will be celebrated on February 27/14. That North American saints continue to be recognized by the Church only underscores the fact that the various archdiocese and jurisdictions on this continent are ready and able to govern themselves as one united American Orthodox Church.
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