The Winter of Our Discontent
December 1, 2008
The recent deluge of “disqualification letters” speaks volumes.
It gives us yet another glimpse into the assigned Clergy’s weaknesses.
It speaks volumes as to:
- Both Clergymen’s inherent weakness in God’s ministry and service;
- The Clergy’s inability to become leaders in the parish;
- The Clergy’s willingness to manufacture reasons for the disqualification of our community’s members to become candidates for the parish’s elections;
- The Clergy’s obsession to silence all differing points of view; leadership means one must listen, not silence.
- The Clergy’s desire to make the community “servants” to their shortcomings;
- Both Clergymen’s inability to comprehend the depth and breadth of the problems in our community; and their refusal to work with ALL the people toward solutions.
- Their abuse of the power of the pulpit;
- Their inability to be and to become bridge-builders, rather than the foremost divisive force in our community;
- Their mendacious mentality.
- Their inability to gauge the pulse of this community; it would make them better priests.
Our 100-plus-year community does not need clergy/dictators with Napoleonic complexes.
What do they do in seeking to obtain the parishioners’ forgiveness before they partake of Holy Communion on Sundays? When was the last time they went to confession? Does the assigned Clergy follow the canons of the Church? Are they doing the things which can only aggrandize them in their own grand schemes of superiority? What are they afraid of?
The assigned Clergy knows that they are the “single most relevant” cause of the parish’s discontent. They can do us all a favor; they can voluntarily depart from our community.*
Our community does not need clergy who make up rules and regulations in order to control the parishioners. The assigned clergy conveniently discover canons which do not appear anywhere. Their manipulation of canons, people, and events defy logic.
We need clergymen who act out of love for the parishioners, and not as vindictive despots.
Our administrative head in Denver does not do anything about it. Maybe it is his health; maybe it is his own despotic predisposition toward intolerance for different points of view.
We do not need a clergy that is unable to bring the community together; we do not need a clergy that promotes animosity.
The assigned Clergy must go.
If you go and vote, please cast a “blank” ballot. There is a message. Do they have the strength of conviction to recognize it?
Best regards to all,
Nick J. Colessides
*P.S. We of course congratulate Fr. Michael; he recently tried to obtain a position as a proistameno and go to the Boston Cathedral; the parish council of the Boston Cathedral rejected him. They refused to hire him. Their gain, our loss.
1 comment:
Our proistamenoi should be ashamed of themselves and what they are doing! The people who got "disqualified" are great parishioners who have been serving this community for many years before either one of them came along, and, God willing, will be around to continue doing so long after they're both gone! Of course the priests have to disqualify people they don't want on the board...if they don't, they're risking the possibility that some of their "puppets" will not get elected. Just consider how many of them have been getting elected by default the last few years since there are not enough people running to fill all the available positions. In the meantime, the manipulations, lies and double standards that are common practices among current clergy and certain members of the recent parish councils, as I've experienced them first-hand, continue.
Speaking of double standards and made up reasons for disqualifying certain people, where were those regulations when Fr. Kouremetis was recruiting his personal friends to the board? And most importantly, if we assume that there's some validity to the reason that someone is being disqualified for not attending Church often enough, what's a better way to bring this person back to the Church than allowing him to run for the board?
It is sad that our priests are not aware of the parable of the Prodigal Son! It is also discouraging that our priests are the first ones who do not follow the most basic principles of our religion which are love and forgiveness!
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