Ecclesiastical Corporation?

Your All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and Your Eminence Archbishop Dimitrios,

 On March 24, 2011 as part of the decision of the Holy Eparchial Synod, Your Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios,  wrote a letter to Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver regarding the withdrawal of an ecclesiastical charter issued on April 12, 2010.

I believe that Your Eminence was deceived by the Metropolitan of Denver in issuing the charter in his endless quest, along with Fr. Kouremetis, to split the community of the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake.

In addition, Your Eminence's letter states, "Similarly, the Prophet Elias corporation will be formally dissolved and no separate trade names will be filed with the state of Utah for Holy Trinity and Prophet Elias.

It is certainly no secret that problems have continued with Fr. Kouremetis especially in declaring an accidental spill on an icon a miracle.

Sadly, Your Eminence's directive stated above has not been followed and to this date, a corporation in the name of the Prophet Elias is active with the state of Utah. Not only has this directive been ignored, the corporation was renewed THIS YEAR. What is the point of having an appeal process in the Uniform Parish Regulations if the decision of the Holy Eparchial Synod, which is to be FINAL, is ignored?

Furthermore, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver writes on August 20, 2012 to the community: "Furthermore, the updating of the corporate record with the name, Prophet Elias, guarantees that no other entity in the future can legally use this name."

Since the building of the Prophet Elias church in 1969, no other entity has attempted to legally use this name. It appears that the Metropolitan in conjunction with Fr. Kouremetis continue to operate in defiance of the decision of Your Eminence and the Eparchial Synod.

Your All Holiness and Your Eminence, the people of this community have endured a great deal due to the Trojan Horse tactics and at the hands of the Metropolitan and Fr. Kouremetis. A quick and drastic solution is needed to bring peace to this community. At the very least, the immediate removal of Fr. Kouremetis and the withdrawal of the Prophet Elias corporation is necessary.

I have attached all letters referenced along with the Articles of Incorporation of the unethically formed Prophet Elias corporation. I thank you for your time and consideration.

Reverencing your right hands, I remain, faithfully yours,

/s/

Yannis Armaou

Metropolitan's Letter to the Community - November 2012

Moderators' Note: the original document sent by the Metropolitan may be viewed here.

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November 26, 2012

Rev. Michael Kouremetis, Proistamenos
Rev. Matthew Gilbert, Proistamenos
Mr. Dimitrios Tsagaris, Council President
The Esteemed Parish Council
The Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Prophet Elias Church
279 South 300 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101


Beloved in the Lord,

I was waiting until this month of November to make a final decision regarding the ratification of the parish council candidate; Mr. Yannis Armaou, to. the Pairsh Council, on the basis that the final payment to the attorney who handled the recent law suit against the previous parish council would be paid.

Unfortunately, however, the recent letter sent to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and to His Eminence. Archbishop Demetrios and attributed to Mr. Armaou regarding Father Michael Kouremetis forces me not to ratify his election. The reason for this is because the contents of the letter go against the Uniform Parish Regulations, Article 30, Section 4:

It must be known by all the members of the Archdiocese, clergy, monastics, and la:ity, that the Uniform Parish Regulations have been reviewed and. approved, as they appear today, by the Ecumenical Patriarchate years ago. See Article 3, Section l,P. Our Patriarch would never go contrary to the official approval of the U.P.R.'s; neither, consequently, would the Archbishop.

I have gotten to know Mr. Armaou in my several visits to the community, as well as his parents and have even had the occasion to share a meal in their home; and I have considered them fine people. I suspect that Mr. Armaou may have been used as a pawn and projecting someone else's thoughts and desires. Even so, I cannot, nor wish to go, against the Patriarchate; and therefore am unable to ratify his election because of the letter attributed to him.

Finally, please know that the Salt Lake community is the largest parish in the Denver Metropolis, Your recent parish council elections proved it. Know that the parish in Houston, Texas is immediately second in size, and it consistently has had four fulltime priests. If much of the stewardship monies of the Salt Lake community did not go to one of the four independent accounts, which are not under the custodianship of any current parish council, as has been happening in the community, the parish would easily have more than enough funds to submit its 2011 obligations, as well as its 2012 obligations to the Archdiocese. Moreover, the parish would have ample funds to cover the full compensation of four or five fulltime priests, which would be appropriate to serve the spiritual needs of all the Greek Orthodox people in greater Salt Lake.

At the time when you, the current parish council assumed your responsibilities, I was assured that you would work together to bring peace and unity among all the people. Are the recent newspaper articles about the community part of this process? When do you plan to start in being faithful to your word?

With paternal blessings,

/s/

+ Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver

IT'S TIME

It is now time for the blog, “Take our Church Back” to be discontinued. No question, it has served its purpose over the time it has operated and all of the articles posted in it were mostly accurate; however, now is time that our community must show some compassion and allow healing to occur. As was pointed out in the General Assembly on Sunday, November 17, it is now time for all of us, Clergy as well as parishioners, to bury the hatchet and forgive one another for the good of the community. It serves no purpose to allow negative comments to appear on the blog. We must strive for unity and the time to begin is now.

One of the primary reasons for the blog was and is to provide accurate information to all parishioners concerning events that are happening, both presently as well as in the past. The blog served a useful purpose in that regard and over 264,000 hits since its inception show that our parishioners, as well as others, reviewed it and made their comments.

At the General Assembly on Sunday the Parish Council did a good job of presenting the agenda and allowed parishioners to express themselves appropriately. Thanks must be given to President, Mr. Tsagaris and his Parish Council members for the work they are doing, but more work needs to be done as was pointed out by the auditing committee chairmen, Mr. McGrath and Mr. Kapos. The need for an Operations Manager for this parish is great and this position must be filled as soon as possible. As was pointed out in the meeting, we must get control of church finances and run our parish as a business.

Now I will discuss the two churches, Holy Trinity Cathedral and Prophet Elias. Whether we like to admit it or not, the two churches have been separated for years. There should be no hard feelings on this matter, but the two churches are separate. We have two Proestamenoi, as they are called, two Philoptochos Societies, two choirs, two Sunday Schools, etc. Both churches are presently governed by one Parish Council and for keeping the community as one, this should continue until such time as the need arises in the future for two Parish Councils. At the appropriate time, a committee could be established by the General Assembly to totally separate the two churches, but presently we must operate as one UNIFIED parish. There should no bickering from parishioners and we must show some love, compassion and unity toward one another. We have shown that we can unite as one by the beautiful work that has been done at our annual Greek Festival.

As to the Uniform Parish Regulations (UPRs), these should be examined carefully by the Parish Council and as changes are necessary, they should be brought up for discussion at the Clergy-Laity Conference which is held annually and attended by the appropriate people from the Clergy as well as the Parish Council. In my opinion and I served on many Parish Councils in the past as well as the President in 1968 when ground was broken for the Prophet Elias Church, changes are necessary in the UPRs but I will not go into details at the present time.

Regarding stewardship, Mr. George Pappas, Chairman, eloquently stated his position at the General Assembly and he is correct that we must increase our church members as well as each family should give an extra amount of money in order for the Parish Council to balance the parish budget for the year 2013.

With love and humility,

/s/

Nick P. Sefakis

Dissing the "Cradle Orthodox"!

As our Metropolitan once said, "thank God for our converts!"

First of all, to every latest convert to our faith who calls those of us who grew up in this church community "cradle Orthodox": you cannot imagine how OFFENSIVE we find the appellation. If you want to fit in here, DO NOT USE THAT TERM! If you dare say it to our face, our first inclination might well be to deck you. Since most of us do not condone violence, we will simply walk away from you and ask you to NEVER speak to us again if you choose to continue using the term.

We are PROUD to be what you term - too often, derisively - "cradle Orthodox". Our parents and grandparents simply told us from the time we knew what language meant - in both Greek and English - that Orthodoxy meant - "correct faith/glorification".

We understand that if you have converted to our faith you are engaged in something wondrous. There is, however, more to those of us who grew up with this heritage than just that wonder. We are the PROUD cultural descendants of a group of immigrants who strove, starved, suffered, endured and prospered.

We understand that legacy and continue to feel it in our marrow. We do not expect you to understand it. However, we will not allow you to denigrate it, or to tell US it is not significant - even if our so-called "spiritual fathers" deem it convenient to ignore or subsume that legacy, whenever it suits their purposes, and use YOU to help them attack it as it suits their purposes.

Don't tell us we have too much time on our hands. Don't tell us to go to confession. This is beyond your right and scope of responsibility. We know who we are; we don't need you to remind us. We have been brought up to know this, and we know WHO our true spiritual fathers are! Moreover, we know who they are NOT!

We are glad to have you join us, but before you throw yourselves into a fray that you really do not understand, please at least have the courtesy to ask a variety of others of us - the "cradle orthodox" who you obviously disrespect - what our point of view might be.

Then, if you still wish to hold an opposing viewpoint, so be it.

"The Oil Did It!"?

This week, many of us attended Con Skedros' Trisagion  and Burial Services. While at the "makaria" luncheon after the funeral, we learned that our erstwhile Proistamenos-of-Prophet-Elias-only had indeed been busy attempting to refute an earlier article from the "Faith" section in the Salt Lake Tribune. The text of the latest article (Paul Rolly, Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah " Section) can be viewed in this Website's sidebar.

Everyone has the right to their opinion. However, historians such as Con knew and know, no one has the right to the facts. The facts just are THE FACTS. Opinions surrounding those facts can be evaluated on their merits in how closely they conform to, or explain, the facts.

Metropolitan Isaiah never said, or even implied, that the "phenomenon" that he accepts as a "miracle" was a sign to keep the two parishes unified as one under the Greek Orthodox Community of Greater Salt Lake. In fact he said, in a letter to the community dated October 20, 2010, the EXACT OPPOSITE! (The original letter may be viewed here.)

It is not usual for an icon of Christ the Lord to exude oil or even tears. I truly believe that our Lord heard our prayers to make His presence known and to resolve the situation of the two parishes.

Now there can be no question in the minds of any of His people. Our Lord recognizes His parishes as monogamous and independent, each with a Proistamenos representing Him through the local bishop. Both parishes can now proceed to grow and to develop for His greater glory and the salvation of His people. [emphasis added]

Using parts of the Metropolitan's letter, Father Kouremetis has subtly misrepresented to Mr. Rolly, and to the Salt Lake Tribune, the intent of that original letter.

There can be no doubt of the intent of Metropolitan Isaiah's letter. He chose to interpret the "miracle" or  now, the "phenomenon" as a "clear sign" to DIVIDE our community and its assets in 2010. Father Michael cannot at this point in time go back and rewrite that history. Nor can he proclaim that either the Metropolitan's words, or the charade that he played in proclaiming a miracle, now points to maintaining unity - not even the type of "unity" he has in mind! He does, however, try, and has apparently convinced Mr. Rolly to write the following:

Here is the rest of the story. The miracle of the oil, which the priest and metropolitan still insist is true and say it has actually healed parishioners, was discovered right at the time church members were vehemently protesting the church’s decision to split the congregations of the Prophet Elias Church in Holladay and the Holy Trinity Church in downtown Salt Lake City into two parishes.

There was even talk of suing the church, and several hundred members stood in protest outside the Prophet Elias Church.

Several hundred members stood in protest outside the Prophet Elias Church? When? The only people who stood outside Prophet Elias Church were five of six faithful stewards last year about this same time (the sixth who was ill and had to remain home in sub-freezing weather, ironically, was CON SKEDROS) that the Metropolitan banned from the church they had helped to build!

The church was sued? When? The only persons sued were appointed Parish Council members, as individuals, who refused to follow the Uniform Parish Regulations that they usually hid behind, and in doing so violated civil law. It was under civil law that they, again as individuals, were sued.

The ultimate outrage of this article is the statement that, "the oil 'settled it'!" The "it" was not the non-existent protest of "hundreds" outside Prophet Elias, nor the potential for the church to be sued. Neither happened.

The "it" was the "vehement" reaction to Metropolitan Isaiah's decision to split this community, and "the oil" did not thwart that decision! In fact, "the oil" was used by the Metropolitan to justify it!

This is sheer sophistry - not history! The omissions are glaring. The "oil" did nothing! It was spilled due to a maintenance accident. If someone chooses to believe that the "phenomenon" of Father Michael's charade, and the Metropolitan's enthusiastic espousal of such, healed them, we have no problem. But let's not claim that this charade "healed" or "settled" the real damage that has been done to this community by the continuation of such deceits and conceits.

Con Skedros - A Good and Faithful Servant

Today we are burying Constantine James Skedros.

Con was a quiet, unassuming man of letters – an historian who knew the importance and the value of documenting the world he lived in. He was a man who understood that what might seem commonplace or mundane to most, was, in fact, unique and important in the larger scheme of things.

I had the singular opportunity and the great honor to meet with Con, one-on-one, last year a few days before our November Special General Assembly where our hierarchy was demanding that we foreswear the special agreement (the 1964 Accord) we had in place that gave this community control over its own assets. This was, in fact, the same assembly that our hierarch had also forbidden this good and faithful steward, along with five others, entrance into HIS OWN CHURCH! This, because he was willing to put his name on a lawsuit, representing hundreds of others, in opposing a construct that kept those same hundreds from proper representation in their church’s affairs and governance!

Con’s quiet and wise counsel, his extraordinary documentation, were not only enlightening in light of the events about to take place, but provided an insight into the history of our community. They also explained the thought processes of those who gave the community its unique legacy.

To enumerate all the roles this GREAT MAN took upon himself, humbly, without complaint, in our community, and in the community at large, not only in this city, but in this nation, would probably take years and fill volumes!

Con achieved the status in our Church of Archon Depoutatos. No big deal, perhaps? Others have done this as well. I would tell you that Con achieved that status through time and through talent - not only as a stalwart Sunday School teacher, but as a tireless servant to this community and to Orthodoxy throughout this country. Further, he was a faithful schoolteacher to thousands of public school students in this valley, and as a responsible civic leader in his field on various civic and charitable boards and committees. Con did not have the means – the treasure - to achieve this status in the manner that many, if not most, Greek-Americans in this country have done so. It is to our faith’s great credit that it often looks beyond a person’s means to elevate someone so entirely worthy as Con Skedros, counselor,  friend, mentor, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, godfather – TEACHER– so many titles!

Axios – kai ΠΑΝΤΑ AXIOS!

It is so often said when someone so illustrious and accomplished passes, that we shall not see his (or her) like again. It is my fervent hope that we SHALL see his like again. His example should be a shining light to us, to our children, to our grandchildren and to generations beyond!

Αιωνία η μνήμη του! Καλὀ ταξεἰδι, ἁξιε και αγαπημἑνε δάσκαλε!

- Barbara Billinis Colessides

Fallacies as Facts, Yet Again!

How surprising is it, that having requested letters about "miracles", the rabid minority that still demands our community be split, is complying by sending letters attesting to "miracles"? And, they are "following the Lord's example" by keeping them "secret"! (Surely, there is an admonition in the commandments about bearing false witness?) Further, complaints regarding the "allowing" of Mr. Tsagaris' letter to be distributed to the community are rather ineffectual and silly since His Eminence did not "allow" the letter to be distributed via e-mail; rather, he demanded it. Interestingly, he did so with no explanation other than it be sent. Fr. Michael took it upon himself to "clarify" that the Metropolitan's demand was "not an endorsement" - for which, apparently, he was chided by the Metropolitan.

For a hierarch who is now convinced that the "miracle" is a  true "phenomenon", doesn't it strike anybody as strange that the community has a "miraculous" icon, but that no hierarch - including Metropolitan Isaiah - ever came around to witness it and conduct services, didn't send a representative, didn't inform the Archdiocese or the Patriarchate? None of the monks from the monastery in the next state over came to witness it, or to pray. None of the other Orthodox prelates in the city, nor any other clergy from other faiths came to check it out, either. We have had visiting Archons who have never mentioned venerating that particular icon. 

It was simply yet another ruse to confuse. It was mentioned only as a further justification for splitting the community, especially when the minority knew that the community was planning to resist at all costs, to appeal to the Archdiocese and to the Holy Synod. And, the issue had been dormant for a while until it was discovered that the maintenance person who had accidentally spilled oil on the glass of the icon, while filling an oil lamp nearby, was coerced into signing a document attesting to a miracle, and did so, for fear of losing his employment. That the Metropolitan and Father Michael, our Lord's Apostolic successors, continue to justify this sham is truly sad!

As for the community's relationships with several priests, the Metropolitan's assertions continue to be flawed and problematic. First and foremost, Father Katsaris did not, as he himself attests, leave this community under any pressure from the community. He was, and is still, highly respected. He is, to this day, in contact with many prominent parishioners here. He has firmly denied such an allegation, though the Metropolitan seems highly content to perpetuate the myth. Subsequent priests left due to retirement, promotions, a desire for better remuneration, and what we will charitably call problematic behaviors. No one in this community denies that some parishioners have sometimes been hostile toward certain clergy; the converse, unfortunately, is also true.

Fr. Michael's appointment here has been described as an appointment to "resolve existing problems which obviously came from the former priest". This is a rather simplistic generalization for a highly specific problem that involved that former priest's personal life and not the community as a whole. To suggest differently is highly disingenuous.

Father Michael has had every opportunity to minister to this community with love. He is a highly gifted and talented man, who conducts beautiful services. He can be both articulate and charming. He sadly also has an unfortunate, almost pathological need to exert complete control, to only work with and minister almost exclusively to those he likes and can control, and to squelch any point of view he deems inimical to his personal interest. He refuses to accept that the majority in this valley do not wish to split their community, and assists in every effort to thwart that will, which has been expressed over and over again. If he cannot accept it, he should leave. This community does not need an Ephialtes in its midst. We have enough to do to try to repair the damage he, and the unelected, appointed minions he kept installing as "leaders", have created.

And, of course, we are always returned to the specious argument that TAKE OUR CHURCH BACK is literal and not metaphorical. For the umpteenth time this blog's contributors and writers know the Church was built, belongs to, and exists for the greater glory of the Lord and for our salvation. As with the clergy, we, too, have a responsibility to our Church and our Faith. It is both disappointing and disheartening to see our Church's clergy succumb to arrogance, hubris and condescension. It is further disheartening when the hierarchy promotes a rigid, unresponsive view of the relationship between the apostolic priesthood, and what St. Mark called "the royal priesthood" - the laity. Finally, we know what our forefathers were seeking, and we will not foreswear that legacy. Along with you and the clergy, Your Eminence, WE are also the Church. Blind obedience is not an absolute requirement in the face of high-handed leadership and poor judgment by the clergy. If it were so, our Lord would not have confronted the moneylenders in the temple, nor would he have challenged the Pharisees.

The fact is, as has been pointed out to our Metropolitan, most certainly by more than one person, Father Michael is no longer effective; he is a divisive force in this community who will not work with all the community. He is this community's servant, but behaves like its feudal lord and master. More time will not change that fact, and this community should not have to continue to suffer for it, or to pay for it, no matter what the highly flawed UPRs say.

Metropolitan Isaiah Responds to Recent Correspondence & Articles

MODERATOR'S NOTE: Metropolitan Isaiah's original letter may be viewed by clicking here.

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GREEK ORTHODOX METROPOLIS OF DENVER

November 5, 2012

Rev. Michael Kouremetis, Proistamenos
Rev. Matthew Gilbert, Proistamenos
Mr. Dimitrios Tsagaris, Parish Council President
The Esteemed Parish Council
The Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church
5335 S. Highland Drive
Holladay, UT 84117

Beloved in the Lord,

Please accept my apologies for my unintentional delay in responding to your latest correspondence to me. I was away for the past week.

As you may imagine, I have been inundated with much correspondence from an increasing number of parishioners from the community at large, most of whom attest to healings that have been attributed to our Lord Jesus Christ through His icon at Prophet Elias Church. I have also received some complaints that I allowed the letter of the council president, Mr. Dimitrios Tsagaris, to be distributed to the membership of the community.

Please know that parish councils represent the total membership of parishes within our holy Archdiocese. Therefore, transparency is appropriate and necessary in regard to the life of our parishes. Due to the chronic problems within your community, which are exacerbated by continuing misinformation, especially to the New York Greek newspaper time and again, I felt that it was necessary for all the membership to know what is hoped for or expected by the parish council, their representative leadership.

At the same time, please know that no one speaks for me regarding both serious and trivial situations. Having served our Lord and His Church for more than fifty years, I do not need anyone to speak for me. My priests know my usual saying; "If you did not see it in print, I did not say it." I have been diligent in documenting my decisions in the Church, so that there may be no room for rumors or falsehoods.

As I attempt to reflect on the sad situation in your community, I see an uninterrupted continuity of the false notion that the current priest is the cause of the problems facing the community. In Salt Lake City it appears that the priest is always to blame when troubles arise. The priest is always to blame? Really? God blessed my life in allowing me to begin His holy priesthood at Holy Trinity Church in Salt Lake City in March 1962. My proistamenos, Father Steve Katsaris, was my mentor in regard to how parishes are administered or should be administered. Since that time, a parade of priests has passed through the community like an unending procession. How strange this is when I realize that one of my classmates from seminary has served the same parish for the past fifty-two years. And he is not an exception regarding many of our dedicated priests.

In the Salt Lake Tribune of November 6, 2002, a major article was written about the assignment of Father Michael Kouremetis to the parish which included a large picture of him. The article stressed that the reason for his assignment was for him to resolve existing problems which obviously came from the former priest. Now it seems that he is the problem. How strange!

Is it logical to assume that every priest from Father Katsaris to your current priests are the only ones to blame for problems in the community? Is there no sharing of the responsibility by any lay members of the Church as well? A realistic self examination must reveal accountability from more than one direction.

It is clear that an attitude exists among some which is contributing to the problem. Consider those who poison the minds of others simply with the name of their newsletter, "TAKE OUR CHURCH BACK!" as if the Body of Christ has no cosmic significance, but rather is their own personal possession. Whose Church is it that all of you found in Salt Lake City by being born there or by migrating to Utah from other places domestic and foreign? Whose Church will it be after all the current members have died? What mere mortal can claim ownership over the Church which was established by and belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Not even archbishops, metropolitans, or patriarchs can dare to declare the Church as their own, for certainly this is blasphemy against Christ.

You, the members of the parish council, are correct in referring to Article 30, Section 4 of the Archdiocese Uniform Parish Regulations as the only process to be used whenever there is any disagreement between the priest and the council. Since priests are assigned by their metropolitans, having been ordained by the Holy Spirit through hierarchs, this is the only procedure we can follow. There is no other way and I commend you as a parish council for referring this matter in accordance with the U.P.R. regarding the position of an assigned priest in a parish. Due to the emotionalism among you which is so strong at this time regarding the community, I caunot consider any single decision as proper in order to alleviate the problem. Therefore, I will take some time to prayerfully study the matter.

Again I reiterate, please allow tempers to subside, so that everyone who loves our Lord's Church may begin to see the life of the parish more objectively. This will help all of us come to a positive perspective regarding the local church, so that we can continue to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ Who established His Church on earth for our salvation.

With paternal blessings,

/s/

+Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver

WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION: Letter for the Hierarchy!

Moderator's Note: We are asking all faithful supporters of this community to support our beloved community and its elected Parish Council. Please download the note of support below and send or deliver it as soon as possible to Yanni's Greek Express.

The letter to be signed may be downloaded by clicking HERE. 

We encourage everyone who wants a united community, with open assemblies and fair elections, to please show their support. We have had word that the members who, behind this community's back, once again established a SEPARATE PROPHET ELIAS CORPORATION, are now gathering signatures to keep Fr. Kouremetis here, despite his demonstrable and ongoing support to divide our community. If they are so anxious to keep him, they can pay his salary and benefits THEMSELVES and BUILD THEIR OWN CHURCH!

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His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah
Metropolis of Denver
4550 East Alameda Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80246-1208 

November 2012 

Your Eminence, 

As a faithful member of the Greek Orthodox Community of Greater Salt Lake, I would like you to know that I stand firm in my support for our community's elected Parish Council. 

In a very short time since their election, the community has witnessed positive steps in restoring the vibrancy and dynamism that exists in the Greek Orthodox Community in the Salt Lake Valley. This community asks that you keep your word, and you allow this elected Parish Council to continue in its efforts, without any fear of removal or sanction. 

Further, I join others in respectfully requesting the immediate reassignment of Father Michael Kouremetis from his position as a Proistamenos in the Greek Orthodox Community of Greater Salt Lake. Sadly, Fr. Kouremetis has proven to be a divisive force, seeking to undermine lay leadership efforts in efficient and transparent governance, and at a time when this community is seeking to heal and to unify. His reassignment will allow this community a fresh start. 

I ask that you, along with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, the Holy Synod, and His Beatitude, Patriarch Bartholomew, honor the efforts and wishes of their faithful flock in Salt Lake City. We ask that all would follow Christ's example of the good shepherd who leads his flock with love and good will. 

In His Name,


_____________________________________________________
Faithful Member, The Greek Orthodox Community of Greater Salt Lake 

cc: His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios & the Holy Synod
His Beatitude, Patriarch Bartholomew

Additional Comments:

UNIFORM PARISH STRANGULATION

MODERATOR'S NOTE: The original of this protocol, issued by Metropolitan Isaiah, may be viewed here. It was also published, as demanded by the Metropolitan, in the recent issue of "Theologia", our community's newsletter.

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October 10, 2012

Protocol 12–16

The Esteemed Parish Council Members, and
The Faithful Laity of the Metropolis of Denver

Beloved in the Lord,

In response to several questions recently received from the parishes of this Metropolis regarding clergy salaries, please allow me to call your attention to the following provisions of the Uniform Parish Regulations.

According to Article 29, Section 1, Subparagraph E, of the UPR, it is a duty of the Parish Council to "Provide for the Priest's remuneration and benefits in accordance with the Clergy Compensation Plan of the Archdiocese."

This means that the Parish Council members are obligated, as a fiduciary responsibility to the parish, to do everything that they can to develop and implement a stewardship program to afford the proper compensation for their assigned priest(s).

It also means that they are also accountable for providing that the priest's compensation is paid in regularly, in full, and on time.

According to Article 17, Section 8, of the UPR, "The Archdiocesan Council and the Archdiocesan Benefits Committee will establish remunerative standards for the Clergy."

Further, according to Subsection A of this same Section 8, it is the Hierarch of each Metropolis who reviews and approves the specific remuneration package for each individual priest he assigns to a parish.

It is therefore not within the capacity of a General Assembly, nor of a Parish Council, to debate or determine the priest's compensation package.

You received information regarding the individual minimum compensation package of your priest in my recent Protocol 12-13, dated September 21, 2012. This information is to be included in your 2013 budget, and is to simply be relayed to the General Assembly. It is not subject to debate or revision by the Parish Council or the General Assembly.

With Paternal Blessings,
/s/
✠ Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver

TO BE PRINTED IN ALL PARISH BULLETINS AND NEWS LETTERS