Orthodox Christian Laity Archives Collection at DePaul University
(October 2024) The OCL Archives Collection at DePaul University is arranged, described, and ready for research. Thanks to The Hellenic Foundation of Chicago grant, DePaul University completed the OCL Archives Project in 2024. See the OCL Archives Finding Aid: https://libguides.depaul.edu/CommunityArchives/religion. The PDF is available here or below.
DePaul’s preferred way to receive research questions is through this form: https://libguides.depaul.edu/askspca.
Finding aids are the primary access point for archival collections – they serve as an index or table of contents to the materials and provide a brief narrative description of the creator (OCL) and its history as represented in the materials in the collection. Having the finding aid online enables researchers to locate the materials through a google search, and the finding aid in ArchivesSpace does enable some searching within the series, box and folder titles that gives people a pretty good idea of the contents of the collection. The collection itself is paper-based, and researchers are welcome to visit DePaul or to ask their Archive librarians for assistance. There are 19 digitized items (VHS, DVD, CD, audiocassette) that will be linked to the ArchivesSpace finding aid soon. Those items currently have their format (VHS, etc.) noted in the folder title in the finding aid. We provide access to streaming digital content upon request, so DePaul will be able to assist researchers who would like to see/hear that content remotely once they have connected the finding aid to those files in their digital preservation system.
OCL Archives at DePaul University Finding Aid October 11, 2024
https://ocl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/OCL-Archives-at-DePaul-University_Finding-Aid_2024_10_11-1.pdf
Summary of the Collection
The records “span the dates 1959 to 2023 (bulk 1987 to 2012) and include board meeting minutes, financial records, correspondence, and publications created by OCL as well as publications collected by OCL leaders and members. The records also document OCL’s presence at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress as a participant in the Church’s conciliar governance. The OCL records also include a few items of memorabilia. Although GOAL (Greek Orthodox American Leaders) was a separate organization, when it disbanded, OCL leaders assumed responsibility for documenting the work and efforts of this group of lay Greek Orthodox Christians.” (from the finding aid).
The history of the organization, as sourced from the collection, and written in the finding aid, is as follows: “The Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) was founded in 1987. James and Mary Koulogeorge hosted the first OCL meeting in their home in Northbrook, Illinois. OCL’s mission and goals include advocating for the unity of all Orthodox Christians in the United States, accountability and transparency in Church administration and governance with participation of both clergy and laity, and the spiritual renewal of the Orthodox Church in America. To meet these objectives OCL has published a newsletter, submitted articles and press releases to Greek American newspapers and magazines, hosted annual meetings, open forums, sent delegates to the Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress, and met with members of the church’s hierarchy. These various activities and programs were intended to raise awareness and find solutions to issues of concern including the mismanagement of finances, inadequate leadership and abuses of power, and departures from established procedures regarding the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) Charter.
In 1990, OCL established commissions focused on studying and discussing seven issues related to OCL’s agenda of Orthodox renewal. Workshops held during the 4th Annual Meeting in 1991 reflected the scope of the commissions and addressed the following issues: 1.) Administration and Accountability, 2.) Faith, Language and Culture, 3.) Mission and Outreach, 4.) Orthodox Unity, 5.) Selection of Hierarchs, 6.) Spiritual Renewal, 7.) Women’s Role in the Church. The final reports that resulted from the commissions’ study of these issues were published in the 1993 book titled Project for Orthodox Renewal: Seven Studies of Key Issues Facing Orthodox Christians in America. Members and supporters of OCL were encouraged to draw on the recommendations and findings of these reports when they attended the GOA Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress meetings.
In 1994 Andrew and Alice Kopan organized a tour of Istanbul and the Holy Land. OCL leaders and members visited Greek Orthodox shrines which sparked an interest in supporting the stewardship of the historic sites. By 1996, the organization’s growth led to the decision to name Nicholas Nicholaou, editor of OCL’s newsletter The Forum, as OCL’s first Executive Director.
In honor of OCL’s 10th Anniversary, the papers presented at the 1997 Annual Meeting around the topic, “The American Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” were published in a commemorative booklet. Also in 1997, OCL launched the Occasional Papers Series continuing the organization’s commitment to education and informed discussion about matters related to the laity’s role in Church governance as well as Orthodox unity.
OCL assisted with the organization of GOAL (Greek Orthodox American Leaders), a “group of concerned Greek Orthodox Christians working in Christ to preserve and strengthen the integrity of the Greek Orthodox Church, and the future of Orthodoxy in America.” In 1998, the Orthodox News feature was added to OCL’s website absorbing GOAL’s Voithia news digest which had been compiled and maintained by Harry Coin during GOAL’s existence (1997-1999). Between 2002 and 2004, OCL mobilized efforts to reject proposed changes to the Patriarchal Charter by creating an education campaign describing issues and concerns, raising funds, placing advertisements, writing letters, and outlining specific actions for Clergy-Laity Congress meetings. OCL invited Evan Alevizatos Chriss and Basil Foussianes, members of the Archdiocesan Council during the tenure of Archbishop Iakovos, to analyze and compare the proposed changes to the 1977 Charter. In 2004, a group of Orthodox Christians, including some leaders and members of OCL, filed a lawsuit in New York accusing Church leaders of imposing changes to the GOA Charter without following established procedures.
In 2012, OCL released a DVD in honor of the organization’s 25th Anniversary. The 25th Annual Meeting’s theme was “Our Orthodox Past, Our Orthodox Present, Our Orthodox Future” and included a visit to the Library of Congress to see rare manuscripts and prints related to Orthodox Christian history. Former OCL presidents contributed essays for the meeting’s program booklet which provided “context for the resilience and commitment of this grass roots movement.”