Talk:Raphael Morgan

Timeline - Very Rev. Father Raphael Morgan

Early Life

• ca.1864-1871 Robert Josias Morgan born in Chapelton, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, to Robert Josias and Mary Ann (née Johnson) Morgan.

Church of England

• ca.1890-1895 According to the Daily Gleaner report of October 9, 1901 , Robert stated that he served five years in West Africa, of which he spent three years in missionary work. This period included:

• took course in the Church Missionary Society College at Fourah Bay in Freetown
• appointed a missionary teacher and lay-reader by the Episcopalian Bishop of Liberia, the Right Reverend Samuel David Ferguson.

• ca.1895 ?? Study at Saint Aidan's Theological College in Birkenhead
• ca.1895 ?? Studies at King's College of the University of London

Episcopal Church

• 1895 June 20, Ordained as deacon in the Episcopal Church by the Rt. Rev. Leighton Coleman, Bishop of the Episcopalian Diocese of Delaware.
• 1897 Served at Charleston, West Virginia.
• 1898 Transferred to the Missionary Jurisdiction of Ashville (now in the Diocese of Western North Carolina).
• 1899 He is listed as being assistant minister at St. Stephen's Chapel in Morganton and St. Cyprian's Church in Lincolnton.
• 1901-April 1901 St. Philip’s Episcopal Church of Richmond, Virginia lists Morgan as having been the rector of their parish for a short time in 1901 (Morgan’s predecessor at St. Philip’s was “Reverend George Alexander McQuire,” who served the parish from April 1898 to November 1900).

In Jamaica

• 1901 The Daily Gleaner of October 9, 1901, reported that "the Rev. R. J. Morgan gave an interesting address on West Africa and mission work".
• 1902 The Daily Gleaner of October 7, 1902, reported that a lecture would be delivered in Port Maria by the Rev. R.J. Morgan of the American Episcopal Church, entitled "Africa - lts people, Tribes, Idolatry, Customs."

Questioning Faith

• ca.1902-1905 Deacon Morgan served at Richmond, Virginia, and in 1905 at Nashville, Tennessee.
• ca.1902-1904 Robert began intensive study Anglicanism, Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy over a three year period, to discover what he felt was the true religion. He concluded that the Orthodox Church was "the pillar and ground of truth".

Orthodoxy

• 1904 Robert travels to the Russian Empire including sites in Odessa, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev, becoming quite the sensation; Morgan's letter to Vestnik (Russian-American Orthodox Messenger), published in October/November 1904 issue.

In Philadelphia

• ca.1905-1907 For another three years, Robert studied under Greek priests in Philadelphia for his baptism.
• 1906 Deacon Morgan's address was care of the Church of the Crucifixion, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1906 Robert assisted in the Christmas liturgy at the Greek Orthodox Church in Philadelphia; the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on January 8, 1906, that “Rev. R.J. Morgan of the American Catholic Church, an off-shoot of the Protestant Episcopal Church, assisted."
• 1907 June 18, Fr. Demetrios Petrides, the Greek priest then serving the Philadelphia community writes a letter of rrecommendation on behalf of Robert to the Ecumenical Patriarchate; the the "Ecclesiastical Committee" of the Philadelphia Greek Orthodox Church sent a second letter of support as well.

In Constantinople

• 1907 August 2, The Holy Synod of Constantinople approved that Robert's Baptism take place the following Sunday in the Church of the Life-giving Source at the Patriarchal Monastery at Balıklı, in Constantinople.
• 1907 August 4, Robert received baptism by triple immersion, and baptized as "Raphael" before 3000 people,by Metropolitan Joachim (Phoropoulos) of Pelagonia.
• 1907 August 12, Robert was ordained a deacon in the Greek Orthodox Church by Metropolitan Joachim (Phoropoulos) of Pelagonia.
• 1907 August 15, Robert was ordained a priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, by Metropolitan Joachim (Phoropoulos) of Pelagonia.
• 1907 Late August, At a special service Robert was duly commissioned Priest-Apostolic from the Ecumenical and Patriarchal Throne of Constantinople, to America and the West Indies.
• 1907 October 2, The minutes of the Holy Synod made it clear that Fr. Raphael was to be under the jurisdiction of Rev. Petrides of Philadelphia, until such time as he had been trained in liturgics and was able to establish a separate Orthodox parish.

In America

• 1907 December, Ellis Island records indicate the arrival in New York from Naples, Italy, of the priest, Raffaele Morgan.
• 1907-1908 Fr. Raphael baptized his wife and children in the Orthodox Church.
• 1908 November 4, the minutes of the Holy Synod cite a letter from Fr. Raphael recommending an Anglican priest of Philadelphia, named "A.C.V. Cartier" as a candidate for conversion to Orthodoxy and ordination as a priest; Cartier was rector of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, in Philadelphia, from 1906-12; (Rev. George Alexander McGuire had been rector of The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia from 1902-05).
• 1908 The Episcopal Church of the USA suspended Fr. Rapahel (Robert) from ministry on the allegations of abandoning his post.
• 1909 His wife filed for divorce, leaving with their son Cyril to Delaware County, where she remarried; Fr. Raphael retained custody of his teenaged daughter.

Overseas trip

• 1911 Fr. Raphael sailed to Cyprus, presumably to be tonsured a hieromonk; it is also possible that he was tonsured in Athens, Greece, as the Church of Greece had been given responsibility over the Greek Church in America since 1908.

In Jamaica

• 1913 The Jamaica Times article of 26 April 1913 wrote that Fr. Raphael was headquartered at Philadelphia where he wanted to build a chapel for his missionary efforts, that he had recently visited Europe to collect funds to this end, and had the intention of extending his work to the West Indies.
• 1914 Daily Gleaner edition of November 2, 1914, Fr. Raphael had just set sail back for America to start mission work under his Faith.

In Philadelphia - Last Known Records

• 1916 October 4, Fr. Raphael wrote a letter to the Daily Gleaner, representing a group of about a dozen other like-minded Jamaican-Americans, he wrote to protest the lectures of Black Nationalist Marcus Garvey.

A Possible Inspiration for McGuire and the "African Orthodox Church" (AOC)?

• 1921 September 2, in the Church of the Good Shepherd in New York City, George Alexander McGuire (1866-1934) founded the "African Orthodox Church" (AOC), envisaged as a home for blacks of the protestant Episcopal persuasion who wanted ecclesiastical independence.
• 1921 September 28, Fr. McGuire had himself re-ordained Bishop in the American Catholic Church being consecrated in Chicago, Illinois, by Archbishop Joseph René Vilatte, assisted by bishop Carl A. Nybladh who had been consecrated by Vilatte.
• 1924 August, shortly after the UNIA convention in August 1924, McGuire broke with Garvey and focused on expanding his church, which mostly attracted Anglican West Indian immigrants.
• 1924 The newly organized conclave of the African Orthodox Church (AOC) unanimously elected McGuire Archbishop of the church.
• 1924-1934 McGuire built the AOC into a thriving international church. Branches were eventually established in: Canada, Barbados, Cuba, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Miami, Chicago, Harlem, Boston, Cambridge (Massachusetts), and elsewhere. The official organ of AOC, The Negro Churchman, became an effective link for the far-flung organization.
• 1946 The Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa officially recognized and received the "African Orthodox Church" in Kenya and Uganda.

ΙΣΧΣΝΙΚΑ-888 (talk) 05:20, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Extensive editing

I have conducted extensive editing to make this more manageable - it is supposed to be a bio article of Morgan, not a history of African-American influences or inspiration in Orthodoxy all over the world and in current times. There are too many assumptions by editors abotu his influence. Stick to Reliable Sources, preferably Secondary ones, and not just those written praising him during his lifetime.Parkwells (talk) 15:55, 28 August 2018 (UTC)