1976: The Holy Archdiocese of America on the country's 200th anniversarytranslated

Marissa Costidis writes

1976 was a special year in the history of the Holy Archdiocese of America. The great wave of post-war Greek immigration still had a strong presence in the life of the Church, while Archbishop Iakovos had already emerged as one of the most recognizable figures of Orthodoxy in the history of the United States. According to the records of the time and historical sources, the Archdiocese was then ministering to more than 250,000 Orthodox families, having almost reached the peak of growth brought about by immigration.

The Archdiocese in 1976 The coincidence in time of the Clergy-Lay Assembly with the bicentennial anniversary of the United States seemed truly blessed. As America celebrated its 200th anniversary, clergy and laity from across the Holy Archdiocese of America—whose jurisdiction spanned the entire Western Hemisphere—had gathered in Philadelphia to commemorate their own milestone: the gradual evolution of a Church of immigrant origins into an established and increasingly recognizable presence in the religious life of America. Particularly symbolic…