Saint Mary Orthodox Church

The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America - AOCWNA

was founded in 1973 through the vision of His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP (Saliba) as an organization of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

PURPOSES

The purposes of the Antiochian Women are:

(1) to develop among women throughout the Antiochian Archdiocese a spirit of Christian leadership, awareness and commitment as taught in the Holy Orthodox Church

(2) to foster among women throughout the Antiochian Archdiocese a genuine expression of love and service through works of charity

(3) to instill among women throughout the Antiochian Archdiocese and the community at large a sense of fellowship and a deeper understanding of the heritage and traditions of the Antiochian Archdiocese and the Orthodox Church.

ORGANIZATION

The Antiochian Women follows the structure of other organizations of the Antiochian Archdiocese, with member chapters at the local parish level, regional leadership - elected by delegates of the local member chapters - for each of the geographical regions established for the Archdiocese, and North American leadership (the North American Board or "NAB") - elected by delegates of the regions to the meeting of the Antiochian Women coinciding with the biennial convention of the Antiochian Archdiocese.

HISTORY

The history of the Antiochian Women has been rich and varied. As the organization celebrated twenty years of history, it had raised over $600,000 towards its annual Projects, funding humanitarian programs and projects of the Antiochian Archdiocese and participating in the preparation of a legacy for the generations to follow. It has encouraged a new generation of women to explore the fullness of their ministry in the Orthodox Church, and has provided a network of retreats and symposia providing a forum for the development of fellowship and the deepening of faith.

FOCUS

The primary areas of focus of the Antiochian Women are represented on the North American Board by several standing committees, the coordinators of which are officers of the NAB or are appointed by the president of the Antiochian Women. These standing committees include the following:

Religious - The Religious Committee promotes spiritual activities, including retreats and other special programs for women, adult education programs and special programs observing specific feasts and fasts of the liturgical calendar.

Humanitarian - The Humanitarian Committee promotes and encourages projects and programs of a humanitarian nature, drawing from the legacy of humanitarian good works performed by women in the parishes of the Antiochian Archdiocese throughout its history.

Project - The Project Committee has the responsibility for coordinating the raising of funds from women throughout the Archdiocese to benefit one specific fund-raising project adopted each year by the Antiochian Women.

Posted on the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
of North America website, March 25, 1999

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