The Holy Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in Exile was proclaimed to be self governing in 1921 by His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch MELETIOS (Metaxakis). The Ukrainian people suffered greatly in their homeland and many sought refuge in America. The jurisdiction was organized to meet the spiritual needs of these immigrants. Among the bishops serving the jurisdiction were Archbishop PALLADIOS (Rudenko) of Blessed Memory; and Metropolitan NIKOLAUS (Ilnyckyj) of Blessed Memory who went to his rest in the Lord just last year.
Our Archdiocese was proclaimed a member of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of America in 1960 during the tenure of Archbishop PALLADIOS. The Archdiocese has received in writing the blessings of His Eminence, Archbishop MICHAEL as well as His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch ATHENAGORAS. We have a common predecessor with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America (Ecumenical Patriarchate) in Bishop JOSEPH (Zuk) who reposed in the Lord in 1934. In 1934, Archbishop CHRISTOPHOROS (Kontogiorgis) was consecrated as Bishop of Philadelphia and recognized by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa as Metropolitan of Pentapolis and the Exarch in America. Saint Nektarios was a predecessor of the Metropolitan See of Pentapolis. Archbishop CHRISTOPHOROS was consecrated by Bishop SOPHRONIOS (Bishara) and Metropolitan THEOPHAN (Noli) of the Albanian Orthodox Church. Archbishop CHRISTOPHOROS reposed in the Lord on August 30, 1950.
On October 15, 1950, Bishop PETROS (Zhurawhetsky) was consecrated, having been previously ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop (later Ecumenical Patriarch) ATHENAGORAS. Bishop PETROS existed under the Alexandrian Exarchate.
In 1978, His Beatitude, Pope NIKOLAUS VII of Alexandria and All Africa wrote a letter recognizing Archbishop PETROS (Zhurawetsky) as a canonical Orthodox bishop. Archbishop PETROS has been consecrated by the Russian Orthodox Bishop of North America and the Aleutian Islands. In the same year, Archbishop PETROS with the assistance of Greek Archbishop JOACHIM (Souris) and Greek Bishop LAVRENTIOS (Maniatakis) consecrated His Beatitude, Metropolitan NIKOLAUS (Ilnyckyj) to serve the Holy Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in Exile.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan NIKOLAUS served faithfully during a period of struggle and decline within the jurisdiction. Many parishes became absorbed into larger jurisdictions, and the jurisdiction shrunk considerably but contrary to what some believed never ceased to exist. His Beatitude consecrated a number of Hierarchs to serve the Ukrainian jurisdiction, and in 1997 elevated the Greek bishop HARALAMBOS (Bouchlas) to the rank of Archbishop. In 1998, His Beatitude, Metropolitan NIKOLAUS (Ilnyckyj) reposed in the Lord and was succeeded by His Eminence, Archbishop HARALAMBOS.
Through, His Eminence, Archbishop HARALAMBOS, the present primate, the Holy Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church is seeking to reach beyond its immigrant roots to bring the Orthodox Gospel to Americans. His Eminence has also is a great visionary in revitalizing the jurisdiction and reaffirming its documented canonical position within Orthodox Christianity. His Eminence has sought to reach out in love and cooperation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, and all Orthodox jurisdictions. The Saint Michael Academy was established in 1985 and offers many fine ecclesiastical degree programs. Saint Michael Academy has reached out to 4000 Africans seeking Orthodoxy in Ghana, encouraging them in the Holy Faith and seeking to place them under the direction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. The Archdiocese now has a thriving monastic community (Holy Theotokos Monastery) and spiritual center.