Figure 1.-- Orthodox churches in America contrast have attracted relatively few adherents beyond the ethnioc communities that brought the churches to America. Greek -American Altar boys Michael Darlas and George Nicholaou here hold candles in front of the big cross at St. Constantine Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago during Holy Week, March 24, 1953.

Orthodoxy is a relative small part of American Christianity. This is because so few Orthodox Christians emigrated to America. There were Eastern European emigrants, especially from the Russia Empire before World War I, but they were mostly Jews or largely Catholic minorities in the Russian Empire from Poland or the Baltics. Tsarist antiSemeric and Russification policies explain why the minorities emigrated. We are not sure why so few ethnic Russians emigrated. One would have thought that many former serfs would have emigrated. We suspect that the power of the Russian Orthodox Church was a factor in descouraging emigration of ethnic Russians. Orthodox Russians for the most part did not want to emigrate to a foreign country where there was no substabntial Orthodox tradition. Here Russia's conservative traditions and suspicions of foreignedrs were surely related factors. Thus while Greece is a very small country, Greek Orthodox churches make up a very important part of Orthodoxy in America. Nationaland ethnic ties make up a very important part of Orthodoxy in America. Many Protestant churches have grown irrespective of natioinal origins. This is especially true of the evangelical churches. Orthodox churches in America contrast have attracted relatively few adherents beyond the ethnioc communities that brought the churches to America. Of course intermarriage hs to some degree expanded the ethnic bases of these churches. For the most parts mixed families tend to follow the religious traditions of the mothers.

Created: 12:15 AM 4/30/2011
Last updated: 12:15 AM 4/30/2011