Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Russian Orthodox Church, Ninilchik Alaska

This is the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Church in Ninilchik Alaska.  This community has had a Russian Orthodox Church since 1846, but this structure dates to 1901.  It is a regular Russian Orthodox Church in the Orthodox Church of America's Diocese of Anchorage.

Again, while we do not generally delve into such topics here, some explanation is again in order.  This church is a conventional Russian Orthodox Church, but its subject to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church in America, which is one of two bodies that formed in the U.S. to govern Russian Orthodox Churches following the Russian Revolution.  The Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church that started to govern its affairs separately when Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow directed all Russian Orthodox churches outside of Russia and was originally the Russian Greek Orthodox Church in America.  It was granted autocephaly by the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia in 1970 and changed its name at that time, although the validity of that action is disputed by some.

Church of St. Nicholas, Old Believers Russian Orthodox, Nikolaevsk Alaska

This is the Church of St. Nicholas in Nikolaevsk Alaska. The church is an Old Believers Russian Orthodox Church.

I've generally avoided describing doctrinal matters on this blog, but because there are Russian Orthodox churches that appear hear, and because this stands to be confusing, I will here, although only very briefly.  The Old Believers descend from Russians who separated from the main Russian Orthodox Church when they refused to accept certain reforms that came about in the 17th Century.  By almost any outside standard, the reforms were very minor, but the Old Believers rejected them and separated from the Russian Orthodox.  Some priests were included in the group, but no bishops were, so within the lives of those priests the clergy died out, as there was no valid way to ordain new ones.

To add to the confusion, however, starting in the 20th Century various Old Believer groups have come to have priests once again, as they've located bishops willing to ordain priests for them.  Not all have accepted this, however, and today there are Old Believer Russian Orthodox churches with priests, and without, as well as some that are in communion with Rome, while most are not.  

This church in located in an Old Believer community, as almost all of them are.  Nikolaevsk, which is outside of Homer, once had two churches, one priestless, and this one, but the other one burned down at some point (I'm not suggesting fowl play) and the parishioners relocated to another town near Homer.  

These photos fail to show the entire church, which is being added to, as the vegetation in the area is so dense.

Holy Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathedral, Denver Colorado

This is the Holy Transfiguration of Christ Cathedral in North Denver.  This Cathedral is a Cathedral of the Orthodox Church in America, a church which traces its origin to the Russian Orthodox Church after the Russian Revolution. The particular neighborhood this church is in must have been heavily Slavic at one time, as there is a Catholic Church which was built for a largely Polish population all within a couple of blocks, with a third Catholic Church nearby..  Recently I observed a Polish flag, flying with the US flag, on a Catholic school in the neighborhood, but are the area is largely Hispanic today.

There are two bodies that descend from the Russian Orthodox Church in the US today, and I frankly don't quite understand the relationship between the two, but this Cathedral in Denver reflects part of Denver's Russian Orthodox community.  The church dates to 1898.

Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Denver Colorado

This church in North Denver is just off of Washington Street and just north of I70. I didn't realize it at the time I took the photograph, but St. Joseph Polish Catholic Church and Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Church are within a three block distance of this one. Had I known that, I would have added them to the photographs as well.

This church was originally in a southern Slavic neighborhood of Denver and was built for the South Slav population there (explaining, I suspect, why there would be a Polish Catholic church just a block away). I am sure that this is no longer the population base of the church, but it is interesting to note that. The church was built in 1918, just after World war One.

A nice history of this parish can be found here.