As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary today, we give thanks for the blessings of freedom, peace, and opportunity we enjoy as Orthodox Christian Americans. On this historic and truly meaningful day, we express our profound gratitude to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. It is through the courage, sacrifice, and vigilance of our military service members and veterans that the liberties envisioned by our Founding Fathers have been preserved. We pray that God protects them and grants them strength and wisdom in their service.
The history of Eastern Orthodoxy in North America is a story of a single ancient faith planted on two opposite coastlines by two different cultures, yet fostered by the distinct blessings of America. Religious freedom protected early believers from the state-sponsored constraints they often faced in the Old World, while the American entrepreneurial spirit and democratic landscape empowered immigrants to pool their resources, purchase land, and build churches to the glory of God, planting deep roots, ever adapting and flourishing.
In the East, a small group of Greeks landed in New Smyrna, Florida, in 1768, eventually fleeing to St. Augustine and leaving behind the first Orthodox prayers on American soil. In the West, Russian monks arrived in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1794, integrating with the indigenous Aleut people, establishing a truly unique and local mission. When the U.S. later purchased Alaska, the Russian missionaries moved their headquarters further south to San Francisco and eventually east to New York - also the home of our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese - lining up with the massive waves of Greek and Slavic immigration through Ellis Island.
Over the decades, all of our Orthodox jurisdictions have planted parishes across America. In 1998, for instance, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Sacramento looked northeast, and helped with the planting of a modest storefront mission in Roseville. Formally dedicated to Saint Anna in 2000, our parish quickly became a major spiritual landmark. We received the holy relics of Ss. Joachim and Anna from Mount Athos, were dedicated to the sanctity of marriage and family as a Metropolis Shrine, constructed Founders’ Hall and then opened our Holy Sanctuary in July 2023. Thanks be to God for His steadfast love and to our founders who gifted us Orthodoxy here in Placer County.
While we celebrate our national freedom today, we would be remiss not to look to the Church calendar and honor those who found freedom in Christ. On July 4th, we commemorate St. Andrew the hymnographer who authored the Great Canon of Repentance we chant in Great Lent. We also commemorate Venerable Martha, the mother of St. Symeon of the Wonderful Mountain, whose piety inspires us in our service to our families and the poor.
Parishes like ours represent the beautiful destination of this 250-year American journey: vibrant, multi-ethnic communities where the faith of our fathers and mothers in Christ has become a permanent, living part of the local American fabric. We are profoundly grateful for the unique freedoms of this nation—and the brave defenders who safeguard them—that allow our community to grow and thrive.
May God bless you, our families, our founders, and the United States of America!