messerah

Archdeacon Anthony Baehir [i.e. Bashir], Archimandrit V. Abouasly and Archb. [i.e. Archbishop] G. Messarra (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

• 1 older comment, and then…
• Art Siegel said:

  "Anthony (Bashir) of New York (1898-1966) Metr. Antony (Bashir) of New York His Eminence the Most Reverend Anthony (Bashir), Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America, was the ruling bishop of the North American archdiocese of the Church of Antioch from 1936 to 1966. He successfully led the splintered members associated with the Church of Antioch into an efficient, tightly-knit, and financially sound organization. He recognized early the need to introduce English in the American milieu and accept converts into the Church including ordaining many to the priesthood. [...] In 1922 the Patriarch of Antioch sent him to the United States where for the next thirteen years he was active organizing societies, building churches, and serving Syrian (Arab) parishes of the "unchurched Syrians in America." I orthodoxwiki.org/Anthony_(Bashir)_of_New_York

• Art Siegel said:

  "Archimandrit V. Abouasly" is most likely: "Victor (Abo-Assaley) of New York His Eminence the Most Reverend Metropolitan Victor (Abo-Assaley) of New York was the first primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of New York. He was consecrated by the Patriarch of Antioch and assigned to organize the Syrian parishes in North America into a common diocese following the disorder created by the breakdown of the Russian North American diocese. Victor was consecrated on September 11, 1924, and began his efforts in the United States shortly thereafter. Metr. Victor's efforts were met with limited success among the Syrian parishes led by Bp. Aftimios Ofiesh within the Russian North American diocese. The majority of parishes remained loyal to Bp. Afitmios. Bp. Victor died on April 19, 1934. After his death the parishes loyal to him were administered by Archimandrite Anthony Bashir who had come to the United States independently in 1922 as "a missionary to the unchurched Syrians of America."" orthodoxwiki.org/Victor_(Abo-Assaley)_of_New_York

• Art Siegel said:

  "Archbishop G. Messarra" is Metropolitan Gerassimos (Messerah) of Beirut. See orthodoxwiki.org/Antiochian_Western_Rite_Vicariate "Metropolitan Gerassimos (Messerah) of Beirut received a Western Rite movement in England before World War I" and orthodoxwiki.org/Diocese_of_Los_Angeles_and_the_West _(Antiochian) "When he first stepped onto American soil in 1920, little did Archdeacon Anthony Bashir know that he would plant the seeds that would blossom into the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West. That year, the future Metropolitan-Archbishop of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America came to Portland, Oregon on a visit with Metropolitan Gerasimos (Messara). Shortly thereafter, Archdeacon Antony was secured to minister to the Antiochian flocks yearning for Jesus Christ throughout the United States and Canada as a priest and hierarch. As the latter, Metr. Antony, organized and established the collection of parishes in the west as the Western Region, the predecessor of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West."

• Art Siegel said:

  They were on their way to the September, 1922 meeting of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church of America at Portland, Oregon. A similar photo of the three ran in the New-York tribune for August 24, 1922, with the caption: "Greek Prelates Here for Conference Front left to Right: Archdeacon Antony Bacher, His Eminence R. E. Archbishop Terasimos Messara, of Beirut, Syria, and the Rev. Archimandrite Victor Abnasly, all Greek Orthodox priests, who arrived here on board the steamship Majestic on their way to Portland, Ore., to confer with American dignitaries of the Greek Orthodox Church." chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1922-08-24/ed-... A photo of priests marching in a Portland procession ran in the New York herald of September 17, 1922 with the caption: "Some of the foreign prelates in their ceremonial robes marching in the solemn procession at the opening of the forty-seventh triennial session of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church of America at Portland, Oregon. Left to right: Metropolitan Archbishop Gerassimos Messara of Beirut, Syria; Father Boris, Chaplain Secretary to Bishop Aptimios; Bishop Aptimios, head of the Syrian Church in America; Bishop Gorazd of the Serbian National Orthodox Church; Father Karahales, head of the Greek Church in Oregon; Archdeacon Anthony Bashen, Chaplain to Archbishop Messara. New York Herald Photo." chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045774/1922-09-17/ed-...

• Art Siegel said:

  The Archbishop's message in Portland was described in the Washington DC Evening star, September 10, 1922: "A message. of unity between the Christian churches of the near east was brought to the church In the United States by Archbishop Panteleimon of Neopolis, representing the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Gerasimos of Beirut, Syria, representing Gregory IV., Patriarch of Antioch. They were formally received by the house of deputies, the former addressing the house in Greek and the latter in Arabic. Archbishop Gerasimos delivered the apostolic benediction of the Patriarch of Antloch." chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1922-09-10/ed-...