Metropolitan Petros of Astoria (1915-1997) was the founder of St. Markella’s Cathedral in Astoria, New York, and is considered the founder of Traditionalist Greek Orthodox Christianity, and monasticism in America.
In his lifetime, he was a member of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece as an Archimandrite, then fell in with a group of vagante pseudo-Old Calendarists, and was taken in by the Metropolia (forerunner of the Orthodox Church in America [OCA]), was consecrated a bishop by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and became a member of the Synod of Bishops of the Church of the GOC of Greece.
During his forty-seven years in America (thirty-five years as bishop), he founded and pastored St. Markella’s Cathedral, and oversaw other parishes in New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Florida. He remained firmly at the helm of the diocese until his final days. He is therefore of great interest to those concerned with genuine Orthodox Christianity, and to those interested in the building of a Greek Orthodox parish from scratch in an immigrant community, and an interest in Greek Old Calendarist relations with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), among other things.
This is PART ONE, “The Early Days of the Struggle – From Chios to the Holy Mountain”.
PART TWO, “The Struggle Moves to America” comes to GOCTV in the Fall.
