The Antiochian Orthodox Church is the ancient Church of Antioch, founded by the Apostles Peter and Paul in the first century. It’s where believers were first called Christians, according to Acts 11:26. We’re part of worldwide Eastern Orthodoxy, one of the ancient patriarchates that traces its roots directly to the apostles themselves.
St. Michael’s in Beaumont is part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, which means we’re under the spiritual authority of the Patriarch of Antioch. That patriarch sits in Damascus today, but his see goes back to Saint Peter himself, who served as Antioch’s first bishop around AD 34.
The Apostolic Foundation
Antioch wasn’t some backwater. It was the third-largest city in the Roman Empire, the capital of Syria, and a cosmopolitan hub where Jews and Gentiles mixed. When persecution scattered Christians from Jerusalem, some came to Antioch and started preaching to Greeks. The church there exploded with converts. Paul and Barnabas taught there for a year before launching their missionary journeys from that city.
This matters because Antioch was the first major Gentile church. It’s where Christianity stopped being a Jewish sect and became something that could reach the whole world. That missionary DNA is still part of who we are.
One Church, Many Names
You’ll hear different terms. “Antiochian Orthodox.” “Eastern Orthodox.” “Greek Orthodox” (though we’re not Greek). Sometimes just “Orthodox.” We’re all the same Church, the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church confessed in the Nicene Creed. The Antiochian Church is simply the branch that traces its lineage through Antioch rather than through Constantinople or Alexandria or Jerusalem. Same faith, same sacraments, same bishops going back to the apostles. Different historical paths.
The Patriarchate of Antioch is one of the five ancient patriarchates recognized at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. We hold to Chalcedonian Christology, Christ is fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Some groups split off over that question centuries ago. We didn’t. We stayed with the faith of the councils.
Why Antiochian in Southeast Texas?
Arab immigrants brought Antiochian Orthodoxy to North America in the late 1800s. But something happened over the decades. The Archdiocese started reaching out to American converts, not just serving ethnic communities. English replaced Arabic in most parishes. Former Protestants and Catholics started filling the pews.
The Antiochian Archdiocese became known for its evangelistic approach. We don’t think Orthodoxy should stay locked in ethnic enclaves. If this is the Church Christ founded, then it’s for everyone, including folks in Beaumont who grew up Baptist or unchurched. That’s why you’ll find Antiochian parishes all over North America now, often in places where you wouldn’t expect to find Orthodox Christians.
Metropolitan Philip Saliba led that transformation for decades until his death in 2014. He pushed for English, welcomed converts, and insisted that Orthodoxy could take root in American soil without losing its ancient character. It worked. Today the Archdiocese includes hundreds of parishes, many of them majority-convert communities.
What Makes Us Antiochian?
Honestly? Not much separates us from other Orthodox jurisdictions theologically. An Antiochian parish and a Greek Orthodox parish and an OCA parish all believe the same things. We’re all in communion with each other. You can receive the Eucharist at any of them if you’re Orthodox.
But there are some practical differences. Antiochian parishes tend to use more English. We’ve got a strong tradition of outreach and convert education, Ancient Faith Radio and Ancient Faith Publishing both came out of the Antiochian Archdiocese. We’re comfortable with Western converts asking questions and figuring things out. Some jurisdictions feel more closed to outsiders. We don’t.
There’s also a cultural flavor. If you visit on a feast day, you might smell Arabic coffee and see Middle Eastern food at the fellowship meal. Some older members still speak Arabic. The heritage is real. But it doesn’t define us anymore. What defines us is that apostolic faith from Antioch, now planted here in Texas.
Living Continuity
When you walk into St. Michael’s, you’re connecting with something that goes back two thousand years. Not metaphorically. Actually. The bishops who ordained our priests were ordained by bishops before them, in an unbroken chain back to the apostles. The Liturgy we celebrate is the same one Christians in Antioch celebrated in the fourth century, just translated into English. The faith we confess is the faith of the councils, unchanged.
That’s what the Antiochian Orthodox Church is. It’s the Church of Antioch, still alive, still Orthodox, still making Christians the way it did when Peter and Paul walked those streets. And now it’s here in Beaumont, doing the same work.
