JOHN SALTAS RESPONDS TO FR. UHL and METROPOLITAN ISAIAH

Dear Fr. Luke

I don't know why I am in receipt of this email and wish to be stricken from your list. I have had it up to my ears with the blame game communications from our Metropolitan and I wish them to stop.

I am sick of the malarkey that is contained in all of his writings.

To wit: Tomorrow my daughter returns home from two months as a Camp Counselor at Ionian Village, where she attended as a camper in 2008. My youngest son spent 3 weeks in that camp this summer, visiting as you know many relic and holy sites. My oldest son, Pete, is a 23 year old member of the Parish Council that Metropolitan Isaiah so despises. Combined they have also attended Camp Emmanuel at least three times and Crossroad twice.

Given that once more, the Metropolitan laces our community with a letter of accusation and even factual errors, and mocks our faith, tell me, in God's name, what is the use in investing treasure, time or talent in a Church in which its leaders are so wantonly callous and arrogant? I assure you, Fr. Luke, my three kids want little to do with Metropolitan Isaiah's brand of Christianity. And the same goes for many of their friends and parents.

In his letter, why does the Metropolitan defend how money was spent in the Benevolent Fund when there are Orthodox in true need walking the streets of Salt Lake City? Someone's priorities are out of snit here. Can there be any wonder at all as to why people are slow to give? When their money ends up spent in fashions that upset their sense of "benevolence?"

We have asked the Metropolitan to help for many years, but our answers only come in the form of derision and finger-pointing. When my son was elected to our PC, the Metropolitan wanted to ban him and four others from taking their positions (including one who was replaced and one who never was confirmed)--yet he wonders why unity has not happened? He upsets the cart at every turn. He changed the rules in an effort to benefit him and his cause (whatever it is). Please, please do not let Metropolitan Isaiah speak to us of unity!

When will an apology come from the Metropolitan for starting the clarion call that some of our most charitable members were "robbers and thieves" and that $2 million dollars was stolen from our Church? The $2Million was never missing. Those men and women are not thieves. That lie has been repeated for years now, most recently vocally at Camp Emmanuel this summer--and if you want to ask me offline, I will happily give you the details. On the other hand, I certainly do give credit to the Metropolitan for using the term "Witch Hunt" because he has been expert at applying it.

Tomorrow I will visit my cousin, the Greek Orthodox Monk, Fr. Makarios, who as you know at 70 years old and with cancer, serves 3 distant parishes of the Denver Metropolis. You know what he is paid and you know it isn't much--the parishes pay him what they can afford, I believe. You also know there is a petition circulating about protecting the pay of our local priests, blah, blah, blah, so I'm going to ask Fr. Makarios when the last time was that one of those concerned petitioners dropped by with a Ten Spot to give him some gas money to Craig, Colorado and to also see if any among them were so benevolent to drop by so much as a pat of butter to my Aunt Mary (98), with whom Fr. Makarios lives.

I don't need letters from Denver to determine what is right or wrong, moral and otherwise, ethical or sleazy.

Thank you for removing my name from this email list.

John Saltas

PS That's an intriguing list of names you have there.

PPS Perhaps we'll meet someday. Fr. Makarios tells me yours is a very interesting story.