Andy Giannis: "New Rules" Are Hurting Our Church and Community

MY POINT OF VIEW

As the General Assembly last Monday was drawing to a close, I realized that there are a great number of others who share the same concerns that I have about the problems our community has faced during the past few years.

During the course of the assembly, the Board members reminded us once again that the pendulum has swung from what it was 15 years ago and that the game must be played with the “new set of rules”. Our treasurer, Mr. Phill Floor, gave us the bad financial news and in his reasoning for the decline in stewardship, he said, the result was due to bad economic times. The issue of apathy and discontent from the people in this community was sort of swept under the carpet.

Those in attendance had different views. The message they had to both Clergy and the Parish Council was explicitly and strongly expressed in more than one way. Financially, regardless of good or bad economic times, it has been the laity that has sustained the existence of our Church. We have been the lifeline since day one. Not paying our stewardship obligations could be disastrous for both the Church and community as a whole. Although I do not recommend it, this may be the only alternative we are left with in order to get our point across.

The “new rules” have been taking us down the wrong path. The new rules have produced negative results. It’s been 46 years since I joined this community and never before have I seen the turmoil, discontent, anger and division that we have seen in the past few years. It is time for CHANGE. Clergy needs us as much as we need them. For the common good we have to work together and treat each other as equals; otherwise we both lose. Those with inflated egos must understand that staying the course will result in worse consequences for our communities across this country. It is time for our Church leaders to change their mindset and come to grips with reality.

In the past we, the laity, have had an important role in the affairs and decision-making process of our Church. Unfortunately, that role has been downgraded and reduced to that of a second fiddler. Our voices no longer have any effect; our views are irrelevant; and that, for the most part, has been the root of our current problems. Change is badly needed. Secondly, the Church hierarchy needs to clean its own house. Pedophiles, adulterers and hypocrites should be stopped from having access to the altars and pulpits of our churches. Pedophiles should be locked behind bars and not be allowed to preach to us any more. Our leaders should take full and personal responsibility for having protected these hideous criminals over the years, at the expense of our children.

Our community has gone through a lot and it is time for that to come to an end. The people of this community have spoken more than once and it’s time for the mere few to stop talking and start listening!

Sincerely,

Andy Giannis

Jim Kastanis' Observations to Fr. Michael's GA Report

5/22/08

I would like to address a couple of topics in Fr. Michael’s report at the Spring General Assembly:

1- Sunday School attendance. Quote: “I feel that our children are now attending our Sunday school not just to play basketball and dance but they are thirsting to learn about our Lord and His Holy Orthodox Church.” If this is the reason why do we still have the attendance point system in effect?

I hear from our children that they need to attend Sunday school to acquire points to be able to play basketball or dance. Let’s eliminate the point system and evaluate the attendance.

2- Greek school attendance struggles. Quote: “Why don’t we send our children to learn and better understand the Greek language and heritage?

Other than the public schools, our children gather the most at church or church functions. Why aren’t we introducing them to more Greek to whet their appetite? In Sunday school we can teach The Lord's Prayer in Greek, The Creed in Greek, responses such as “Kyrie Eleison”, “Sy Kyrie”, etc. Make them aware and proud of their great heritage and meaning to be of Greek origin.

- Jim Kastanis

Spring General Assembly

It appears that the people of our Community have voiced their opinion last night at the Spring General Assembly as to the unaffordable deficit we ended up having for 2007 and the much disturbing deficit amount for the first quarter of this year. The ridiculous excuses and suppositions presented by our treasurer did not stand before the attending crowd and were immediately denounced.

The reasons for the apathy and lack of interest to pay one's stewardship were exploited to the point that all fingers were pointing to one direction. To get rid of the PROBLEM. Yes, we can get rid of the problem, yes, WE CAN. However if this is the case, why does the President and/or his Board refuse to take the proper action in order that our Community return back to normalcy?

When Odesseus was returning home from the war in Troy he and his brave sailors had to pass the Symbligathes Petres, a mass of crushing stones. The horror and fear were great and the sailors let their oars go and started praying to Athena to save them. When Odesseus saw what was happening and realized their impeding catastrophe, he turned to them and said the famous: "syn Athena kai xeira kinei" which means: "together with praying to Athena move also your hands" so we won't be crushed. This story applies to us here in our Community. The elected Board members of our United Community ought to act in a timely fashion before we all feel guilty about our anticipated destructive consequences.

Sakis Sakellariou

* PLEASE ATTEND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
AND VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE

* PLEASE URGE YOUR FRIENDS TO ATTEND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

* THIS ISSUE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
TO OUR COMMUNITY’S SURVIVAL

-----------

Date: May 14, 2008

Dear Parish Members,

According to the general assembly agenda we shall be presented with a "new" corporate structure to be considered for adoption by our parish.

The proponents’ reason for the creation of the "new entities" is flawed.

I believe that if this community embarks upon a course of action which shall "ADOPT" the recommendation of the creation of the "entity-structures" as shall be proposed at the general assembly, this community shall be committing a grievous mistake in judgment; and that is, regardless of whether or not any real property will be transferred now or at some time in the future.

The parish should NOT under any circumstances create any entity which will have as a member or a manager of an LLC, or a shareholder of a corporation, the parish itself, either alone or in any limited capacity.

The reason is very simple. If a third party obtains a money judgment ("judgment creditor") against the parish - and the parish becomes a "judgment debtor"- ALL ASSETS of the parish are SUBJECT TO EXECUTION by the Sheriff of the Salt Lake County in order to satisfy the judgment [creditor]. It is common knowledge that one cannot otherwise protect (other than insurable losses) the parish’s assets from a judgment creditor.

For the reasons stated in the preceding paragraph, if the Archdiocese and/or the Metropolis become "judgment debtors" in any lawsuit, OUR PARISH’S ASSETS are going to be at risk. It would be a grievous mistake if we were to embark on such a course.

Please ask any lawyer of your choice the following simple questions:

1. Can a judgment creditor of the parish "reach" the parish’s assets? and,

2. Are the benefits, that would be accruing to the parish under any structure which may be established, considered "parish assets" ? and,

3. Can a "judgment creditor" reach those assets referenced in number 2 above?

If the answer to any one of the 3 questions is answered affirmatively, we all lose. The community loses its assets to the extent of the amount of the judgment, and only reduced by any amount of applicable insurance.

A person CANNOT be a little pregnant. NONE of us should be permitted nor allowed to place at risk OUR community’s assets.

There is only ONE WAY TO PROTECT the community. Follow through with the corporate structure that this parish created by a 72% majority. It is of record with the Utah Division of Corporations.

Any other step leads to risk. And we all should be risk averse for the community’s assets.
Thank you for allowing me to express my point of view.

Best regards to all,


Nick J. Colessides

P.S. The enclosed Deseret News story is very timely. We need NOT endanger the community’s assets.

Nick J. Colessides
Attorney at Law
466 South 400 East, Suite 100
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111-3325
Tele: 801/521-4441
Fax: 801/521-4452
E-mail: njcolessides@msn.com

Do the Math

Is our hierarchy's commitment to our kids' safety a joke?

One of the most distressing problems our church faces is that of sexual abuse of children by the clergy. Our hierarchs seem to be responding with the same disastrous attempts at denial, deception and secrecy as their Roman Catholic peers. In a recent letter to the editor to Orthodox News, republished on Orthodox Reform, Catherine Metropoulos describes the mindset. A concerned lay person who attends each Clergy-Laity Conference (since 2000) entirely at her own expense, she hopes to foster awareness regarding clergy sexual misconduct within the church. She seeks to ensure that effective preventive policies might be developed and enacted.

Her reasons for doing so are personal. She points out that while attending the Clergy Laity in 2006 she met three well-respected clergymen. They assumed she was attending as a Philoptochos member. She responded that she was a member of the Archdiocese’s Clergy Sexual Misconduct Advisory Board. She describes the reaction:

Immediately one of the priests began to laugh. He called the Archdiocese’s misconduct policy a “joke.” He added that for many years the Greek Orthodox Church had mishandled matters of clergy sexual misconduct and that this problem continued. To illustrate his point, the priest then shared the history of a former clergyman by the name of Emmanuel Koveos. He said that some 30 years ago he had personally attended spiritual court hearings after Koveos had sexually molested a young girl while he served in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. The priest continued, poking fun at how for many years thereafter Koveos was moved from parish to parish while many knew of his continuing sexual improprieties. He joked how, decades later, Koveos was caught abusing another young girl while he served in Vermont, but this time he went to prison and was finally defrocked.

Mrs. Metropoulos informed them that it was her child whom in 1997 Koveos had sexually victimized in Vermont. Embarrassed, they apologized. The attitude however indicates that little has changed despite her efforts and those of others. The mockery of the subject should make us wonder if our well-being and that of our children is of any concern - or is it a joke? - to the "shepherds of the flock."

Unbelievably, our hierarchy continues to support these criminals and to foist them upon unsuspecting communities, placing children in jeopardy. Pedophiles in their lifetimes average about 150 incidents of child sexual abuse. Do the math. Aside from the pain and heartache that statistic implies, the ongoing mindset exposes the Church and individual parishes to huge potential liability. When will our hierarchs at least understand this concept?!

Archbishop Demetrios initially refused to defrock Fr. Nicholas Katinas even though a church investigation revealed that he had sexually abused children. The result is that he and other hierarchs and clergy are now named as co-defendants in the upcoming lawsuit in Dallas. The Dallas community is also named and stands to lose its church and properties if a settlement cannot be reached. Of course the rest of us will be asked to pay as well.

We join Mrs. Metropoulos in imploring that delegates attending the Clergy-Laity Conference this summer challenge the Archdiocese’s Clergy Sexual Misconduct Policy. We must:

• Question the hierarchy's commitment to child safety within the church.
• Insist that the corruption and secrecy within our hierarchy be stopped, and that those who sexually violate our children be held completely accountable.
• Stipulate that victims deserve compassion, not alienation and blame.
• Ensure that preventive procedures, policies, and appropriate responses be better developed and utilized.
• Demand that the Archdiocese provide on their Web site a link listing the names and photographs of all clergy suspended or defrocked for sexual misconduct so that they do not infiltrate other unsuspecting communities.

To this we would add one more reform:

• Require that all individual Greek Orthodox parish communities are acknowledged and respected by the hierarchy as the rightful and proper owners of their own incorporated properties.

The future of our church depends upon it.

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN!

• Is it not the responsibility of the senior clergyman to either assist or at least not abandon one of his own during a time of crisis?
• If not all people who come to church for services during this week stay for the entirety of the service, does this mean they have "scattered" and are "against Christ?"
• Doesn't this demean the elderly or families with young children who at least make an effort to attend part of a service but are unable to remain for its entirety?
• Who is it that worships the "almighty dollar" when on Holy Saturday our parking lot at Holy Trinity was filled with cars of Jazz fans while parishioners were left to park blocks away to attend services?
• Is the financial situation that desperate and who is responsible?

ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΠΟΛΛΑ!

23 April 2008

IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY!

We wish to thank the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland. See Deseret News story, dated April 19, 2008, above.

Our forefathers, looking into the future, correctly and wisely decided to keep and maintain our real properties in the community’s name. They refused to pass title of the Community’s properties to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in 1964. In 1974 this Community reiterated that wise resolve to continue its long-standing policy. The 1974 bylaws state:

This Association, however, specifically reserves unto its members, in good standing, as defined by the By-Laws, all of its property and assets, giving no control whatsoever of the said property and assets to any priest, bishop,archbishop, or any spiritual head of said Church."

Well done! Let us make sure that we remain ever-vigilant in protecting our properties. We must be protected from any potential risk such as the Katinas sexual abuse scandal and what is sure to be its disastrous aftermath. We should not be forced to pay for the Katinas defendants’ liability.

The Portland Catholic Archdiocese has wisely chosen and has acted to preserve its assets. This Community is and always has been well ahead of the game.

Let’s make sure we stay that way.

Attend the next general assembly and vote against the change for quorum requirements. The Community’s institutional history mandates that we do not change the rules for purposes of expediency.

Best regards,

{SIGNATURE}

Nick J. Colessides

In Case You Think That What's Occurring Doesn't Affect YOU ...

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning,"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap ... alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house - like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to provide the soup's main ingredient. However, his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

However, the farmer's wife did not get well; she died. Many people came for her funeral, so the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and you think it doesn't concern you, remember - when one of us is threatened, we are ALL at risk! We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

TELL EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER HELPED YOU OUT AND LET THEM KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE. REMEMBER ... OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

Kali Anastasi!

- TOCB Moderators

Tax Day in Denver

The above Protocol was issued on April 15, 2008 and is available on the Metropolis of Denver website http://www.denver.goarch.org/. The following questions are for all to ponder:

• When we express interest in running our church community on sound business practices, we're told we "worship the 'almighty dollar'.
• Doesn't this statement from our Metropolitan reflect thinking more like a business than a church?
• Isn't it a good thing that the request isn't for the current and thus far non-existent year-to-date financials?
• Weren't we the ones accused of "worshiping the almighty dollar"? Who NOW seems not to have the "Orthodox faith on a higher level of priority than the concept of the "almighty dollar"? (Letter from the Metropolitan of May 31, 2007)

Reflections On The Year Past

On April 13, 2007, the first blog was posted and this site was established. Since that day, this site has seen over 30,000 hits (albeit the counter was introduced in July 2007) and 139 posts. We look on this past year remembering the following:

• Our parish council was required by the now Prophet Elias proistameno to sign a "confidentiality agreement" that was "sent by the Archdiocese." Come to find out it was not sent by the Archdiocese but instituted by the aforementioned clergyman to disallow the dissemination of information. Yet, he steadfastly claims he "had nothing to do with it."
• A member of the parish council was removed and ultimately excommunicated for reasons that are still unknown. The now Prophet Elias proistameno claimed to having "nothing to do with" the removal, yet the UPRs are clear that any removal from the parish council comes through the recommendation of the parish priest. Thankfully, the ecclesiastical sanctions have been lifted but the other sanctions remain in effect.
• We endured another "split" movement which the now Prophet Elias proistameno "didn't know anything about." The community spoke overwhelmingly (87%) to remain united. Maybe we can finally close the book on this nonsense.
• We have endured the duplicity of the metropolitan who first approved, then squashed, the Hellenic Heritage Corporation. Oh, by the way, this too was overwhelingly approved by the community.
• Three otherwise qualified candidates were refused the opportunity to run for the parish council at the recommendation of both new proistamenoi. The subsequent protest was ruled "without merit" yet none of the candidates were contacted and no valid reasons were given for refusing to allow them on the ballot.
• The current year is nearly 4 months complete and we have yet to receive any financial information.
• We at TOCB have been accused of spreading lies and rumors, yet when challenged, our accusers are unable to pinpoint any of the lies or rumors. We have also been accused of being the cause of the community's problems. Hmmmm ...

Our community has endured a great deal over the past year and there is no change in sight. The now Prophet Elias proistameno does as he pleases without answering to anyone. Questions remain unanswered and we are asked to believe all is well. Our blog will continue unfazed as long as those in power feel they are accountable to no one.

Will any improvement come in the next year? Time will tell.

Missing Financial Information

The March 2008 issue of the "Messenger" was void of any information regarding the financial situation of our community. Nearing the completion of the third month of this calendar year, one would expect at least a mention of the financial condition of our community. In the same breath, nearing the completion of the third month of this calendar year one would expect to have read the Metropolitan's letter regarding the salary specifics of our new third priest.

Thus far, only a report entitled "Year 2008 Stewardship Commitments Report as of February 29, 2008" has been made available and even that has not been made public. Among other things, the report shows that the number of pledging stewards has decreased by 70, the number of non-pledging stewards has increased by 1, the amount collected is $23,236 less than the same time last year and the amount committed is $88,727 less than the same time last year.

In a previous post, the question was asked about the salary of our new third priest. Since our parish council and the treasurer have chosen to continue their secrecy, the total expense to our community is $105,768.00. Since this salary was not included in the 2008 budget and in light of the above figures, we ask where the monies are coming from to fulfill this obligation along with the previously budgeted obligations.

In the past, the parish council and the treasurer have been more than kind to include the community’s finances on a monthly basis. This year we have not been offered the same courtesy and wonder why.

In a recent e-mail to some parishioners, our treasurer stated: "You can't believe everything that shows up on the internet. The TOCB site is a perfect example of that."

Our response is, if the above figures are incorrect, we welcome correction.

Seeking Justice IS Loving God

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
- Edmund Burke, 18th Century Anglo-Irish statesman

We received, in an anonymous comment regarding our recent blogs, an admonition to “Let God deal with M. Isaiah and Fr. Katinas.” Essentially we were told not to seek justice. We submit this is antithetical to what the Lord asks of us. Through Scripture God tells us to seek justice through love, wisdom, faith and action.

Jesus instructed us:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave
me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes
and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you
came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35).

Christ continued, saying that whenever we aid the “least of these,” we aid Him. Clearly then, suffering occurs in this world to get our attention, to urge us toward action in aiding others, and thus to show God's love and power. When we seek justice, compassion, fairness, we become examples of His Love. We manifest His victory over evil, wickedness and apathy.

Nowhere in scripture does God say “stand by, do nothing, I’ll handle everything!” Instead, the opposite is true:

“…do away with the yoke of oppression…and satisfy the needs of the oppressed…”
(Isaiah 58:9, 10) “No one calls for justice…justice is driven back and
righteousness stands at a distance...” (Isaiah 59:4,14) The Prophet Isaiah
describes the Lord’s reaction when His people fail to fight injustice: “The LORD
looked and was displeased that there was no justice. ... He was appalled that
there was no one to intervene…” (Isaiah 59:15,16)

God calls us to stand fast and unafraid. “Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed…” (Jeremiah 21:12). Further we should not despair that we can do little, cynically allowing injustice to prevail further. “No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” (Edmund Burke) Seeking justice is therefore the substance of obedience to the Lord. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (2 James: 26)

Whether the issue is local, regional or national, there are those who say “let us simply 'obey'. We must say nothing, do nothing, tithe as usual, refrain from demanding redress for the wronged, back away from insisting on an accounting from our lay leaders, our clergy, our hierarchs; God will sort it out and judge the wrongdoers.” This seeming “obedience” is illogical and contrary to what the Lord expects of us. (When ongoing child abuse by a cleric is the issue, it is an unconscionable acquiescence to evil.) By not seeking justice here in this life, we turn from God not toward Him. We show that we lack vision, wisdom and most of all compassion. We retreat from our God-given ability to reflect the triumph of Our Risen Lord.

Better Late than Never? Or Too Little, Too Late?

This month our Metropolitan has issued a protocol (http://www.denver.goarch.org/protocols/2008-Protocols/protocol-08-08.pdf), which should be appearing in our next bulletin, that acknowledges the upcoming month of April as "Child Abuse Awareness Month." According to our Metropolitan, April is the month in which "all citizens are called to become more aware of the terrible tragedy of child abuse."

During this month, March, however, yet another victim of Father Nicholas Katinas has joined the upcoming lawsuit wherein our concerned hierarch is also named as a defendant. (http://orthodoxreform.org/cases/fr-nicholas-katinas/greek-american-joins-lawsuit/ )

While we at TOCB are heartened that the Metropolitan is actually acknowledging that such a problem even exists, we are still reminded of Metropolitan Isaiah's ardent defense of .... the victims?

It seems not. His sympathies in the past, well documented in the National Herald, on the Orthodox Reform Web site and on our own site in various blog articles, were and have been with Fr. Katinas. This ardent defense by our hierarch of the accused priest continued to occur well after the Metropolitan's own colleagues acknowledged that the accusations were substantiated, and well after even they had distanced themselves from Fr. Katinas.

Our Metropolitan's sympathies were squarely and steadfastly with the now-defrocked Fr. Katinas and understandably with his presvytera, whom he brought up frequently as a "victim" (and who we admit does, in fact, deserve sympathy). She still is faced with the presence of newspaper reporters on her doorstep hounding her for answers. The reason for this is that the now ex-Fr. Katinas has "skipped town" for some months now and his whereabouts are unknown. Therefore he is the one who left his poor presvytera is to deal with the consequences. Our Metropolitan feels badly for her, and so should we. But Metropolitan Isaiah has consistently failed to point out that, in addition to having to deal with the shocking revelations about her spouse, it is Fr. Katinas' cowardly refusal to face squarely and honestly the charges brought against him that has caused his wife to suffer these further indignities.

The true outrage, however, is that never ONCE has our Metropolitan - the one who is now "embracing" Child Abuse Awareness Month - expressed any sympathy for the victims. While Fr. Katinas was offered counseling (indicating that his superiors KNEW he had a problem), never ONCE were his victims offered paid counseling. Nor has our Metropolitan EVER expressed any remorse for his part, either as chancellor or hierarch, in failing to acknowledge that far too many (and ONE is too many!) of the church's priests were, let's be honest, pedophiles. He, along with others, simply moved them around, just as the Roman Catholic hierarchy did with their "problem priests", further spreading the inevitability of more children being abused. This is why Metropolitan Isaiah, along with others, is named as a co-defendant in the upcoming trial of Fr. Katinas.

So are we now to say "bravo, better late than never?"

Or is the real answer, "sorry, your Eminence, but your concern is far too little and way too late."

We Encourage Support for St. Sophia 5K Run/Walk

TOCB encourages everyone to support the annual St. Sophia "Go the Distance" 5K Run / Walk, which will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2008. All proceeds will go toward supporting our wonderful St. Sophia Hellenic Orthodox School.

Those who wish to obtain this registration form/flyer may e-mail tocbslc@gmail.com and we will send you the flyer (below) so that you may register for this cause.

Your support in this worthwhile endeavor is most appreciated.

Thoughts on Selective Compassion

It is interesting that our Metropolitan chose to send us a plea for assistance for an ailing deacon in Waco, Texas who is seriously ill and in need of assistance. The deacon, also a professor at Baylor University, is in fact ill, is undergoing procedures that his insurance may not cover, and is, in fact, deserving of our compassion and concern - no question about it. And we should all help to the degree we can.

However, the concern, admirable though it may be, is highly selective. Our Metropolitan is not interested at all in the fate of other clergy throughout his Metropolis, throughout other Metropolises, throughout this country, throughout all Orthodox jurisdictions, who for one reason or another are not assigned to parishes. As such, they, and by extension their families if they are married, are not receiving regular salaries, do not have pensions, and most ominiously in this day and age, do not have insurance. Some are even forced to live on welfare and food stamps, are taking menial jobs to support themselves and their loved ones, and are suffering from the effects of poverty and illnesses for which they cannot afford any treatment at all.

We at TOCB have been made aware of several such instances throughout this country, and in this Metropolis. So while we should sincerely feel compassion for Deacon Daniel and his family, and we should help them, let us also remember the others whom the Metropolitan failed to mention and who live in misery and illness anonymously, in part due to his and others' indifference to their fate.

For more information please visit the following Web site: Concerned Orthodox Christian Alliance (http://www.concernedorthodox.org/).

St. Sophia's Bright Stars Shine at District Science Fair

Dear Fellow Parishioners:

St. Sophia Hellenic Orthodox School was honored to send three fifth-graders and three sixth graders to the Granite School District Science Fair finals yesterday. There were close to 70 schools participating. The judging categories were "good", "excellent" and "superior".

Six St. Sophia students were honored as follows:

For our 5th graders, Joseph Oliveira received an "excellent" rating; Anthony Kartsonis received a "superior" rating, as did Artemis Sefandonakis. Artemis will go on to represent St. Sophia at a regional competition at the University of Utah.

In the 6th grade competition Zoe Tsoutsounis, Steven Pappas and Macoy Gehrke all received "superior" ratings; both Steven and Macoy were also chosen to attend the Jane Goodall "Roots and Shoots" Environmental Fair at Westminster College. Only 12 participants were chosen!

Congratulations to the children and parents of all who participated in St. Sophia's Science Fair, and all who went on to the district fair.

- Vickie Folias, member
Board of Directors of St. Sophia School

Various Musings

March Messenger

"We all know people who are consumed with self-pity (sic) and constantly complain about how they where (sic) mistreated. These people dare to judge and condemn others while they do not recognize their own faults. We need to take responsibilities of our own actions and not transfer blame to others for our choices." Taken from the proistameno of Prophet Elias' message in the March Messenger.

• He certainly has taken responsibility for his actions and the role he played in the removal and excommunication of a member of the parish council.
• He and the proistameno of Holy Trinity certainly have taken responsibility for their actions and the role they played in precluding three otherwise qualified candidates from having their names on the ballot of the recent parish council elections.
• Could these be the complainers to whom he is referring in his missive?

We certainly understand our faults and stand in judgment of no one. One Only will judge. When someone is mistreated there is someone else perpetrating the mistreatment. The greater responsibility falls on the perpetrator of the mistreatment than on the one being mistreated.

"Ο νοων νοειτω" και ο "εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω"and in Greek, "οσα δε φτανει η αλεπου, τα κανει κρεμασταρια"

Third Priest Information

In December 2007 the metropolitan wrote he would be sending a separate letter describing the duties and salary of the new priest. Where is this letter promised by our metropolitan? Certainly, the letter has arrived as there have been four pay periods in the new year. We would ask our president and treasurer: Has this letter been distributed to the parish council? Do they know anything about it? Has it been discussed? Why hasn't it been sent to the community? What are the particulars?

We at TOCB have the salary particulars and have been waiting for the parish council, especially the treasurer, to fulfill their duty to the community and distribute the information. Two months of patience might wear thin. In our treasurer's own words "You can't believe everything that shows up on the internet. The TOCB site is a perfect example of that." When the time comes, we will see how accurate our figures are.

- Yannis Armaou

To Bill P. Souvall, With Love

Dear Bill,

Thank you for your Blog article. It is an eloquent expression of your feelings; I sincerely applaud you. I am in agreement with the substance. I understand your perspective.

My perspective is not that much different from yours. I have forgiven the Denver Metropolitan for his unjust decision to impose the religious sanctions against me and to remove me from the Parish Council; and, for his continuous proscription to allow me to be a candidate for the Parish Council.

I also forgave the Prophet Elias Proistameno for his recommendation to the Metropolitan. As far as I am concerned they are both irrelevant to my religious life and my faith. "Αφες αυτοίς, ου γαρ οίδασι τι ποιούσι."

They, jointly and/or severally, became punitive; they sua sponte decided to blemish my fifty-year reputation in this community. They impugned my integrity with no cause. Neither one of them bothered to discuss the issues that troubled them with me. They acted imperially, without Christian love. It was malice; however, the people who knew me, knew differently. While I forgive them, I shall never forget the injustice.

I do not intend to remain silent about my religion and my ethnicity. And, as I have said on numerous occasions, paraphrasing Nikos Kazantzakis:

I believe in God;
I have faith in my Church;
I am free.

What really matters in life is that we cannot stand silent in allowing the existing Clergy to cause irreparable damage to our great community; it was created in 1905, with the sweat, toil, and courage of your forefathers.

I can only close with the most appropriate quote from one of Martin Luther King's speeches.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Our community matters to me. I hope it matters to a lot of other parishioners.

Best regards,

Nick

P.S. You are always welcome to use the salutation; nothing proprietary. Remember you and your family are very dear to my heart. I knew the entire family long before you became my brother's cousin by marriage.

Gut-Wrenching Decisions

The decision to limit our pledge was difficult and painful, one we have not heretofore resorted to in nearly 35 years of marriage. And for the record I, personally, have not asked people to limit their pledges. This is an individual decision that must be made with a great deal of thought and prayer.

I have pointed out in other writings on this site that it is painfully obvious that this hierarchy and this clergy only understands two things - the power of the purse and the power of the pen.

I understand my cousin's motivations well, and I love him as cousin, friend, brother. In the same year he was ill, I had my beloved uncle George, a dear friend in Houston, BOTH my parents, and even a faithful pet, pass on. Bill's recovery was the only bright spot in those dreadful months. The following year another beloved uncle and a cousin's son also passed away. And yet, I have come to a different conclusion.

My late uncle George Souvall is the illustrative case in point. Despite a terminal diagnosis, he, as a Leadership 100 member, an archon, and a lifelong member of his church in Phoenix, fought this "brave new world" of hierarchs uber alles tooth and nail, by limiting his pledged amounts and be expressing in his usual forthright manner his dismay at the injustice of the new order. So much so that the late Metropolitan Anthony was close to excommunicating him! As fate would have it, the Metropolitan also fell terminally ill and left this awful plan undone.

To use the old cliche, Nick Colessides' excommunication and dismissal from the board nearly a year ago, along with this parish council's willingness to let it pass, was the straw that broke the camel's back. Enough was FINALLY enough!

Continuing to pay, where the unreasonable and unworthy are de facto rewarded for egregious behaviors, attitudes and actions is not, in my view, nor was it in my late Uncle George's view, sound stewardship. It is simply the ongoing rewarding of bad, uncivil behavior and ongoing poor governance with little transparency. Those of us who have come to this conclusion feel the following:

• Jesus himself set the example when he went on a rampage against the money-lenders in the temple.
• The Lord would not want us paying stewardship monies for the defense of PEDOPHILES, and in the face of numerous injustices to our fellow parishioners throughout the country, including many clergy. (see http://www.concernedorthodox.org/)
• When those entrusted with the care of His Church fail to stand up for what is right, in defense of those WRONGFULLY accused, against their own brothers and sisters, ACTION MUST BE TAKEN. The latest incident with Colessides, Sifantonakis and Kastanis is merely just that - the latest such incident. The dismissal of entire ELECTED parish councils in various locations throughout the country these past years, based on our wonderful "gift" of a new charter and UPRs, is UNACCEPTABLE and should be resisted unequivocally by ALL the laity. Acquiescence by the laity is NOT the answer - it is part of the PROBLEM!
• I won't at this juncture place my monies elsewhere in restricted funds (they have gone to other worthy causes) because I have no confidence in this clergy or this parish council as an entity. I have no problem with the majority of these men as individuals, two of them are family members who I love and respect, but I don't believe as an entity they have the will or the fortitude to stand against the abuses we are witnessing almost continually.

No one doubts the Lord will ultimately judge us all, but how do we also explain that in the face of numerous blatant injustices we simply went along, said little, did nothing, allowing the injustice to continue unabated, and allowing our monies to be used to facilitate a plethora of misdeeds and even crimes? Enough!

- Barbara Colessides

PS - to the anonymous poster who wants his or her comments published and who accuses us of being "un-Christian", having no knowledge of the Bible (which by the way is ALWAYS capitalized when referred to), you've got my name now, not that I ever hid it! I'll put MY knowledge of theology, the Church, history and the Bible against yours ANY DAY YOU CHOOSE. Give me your name, friend, and I'll publish your comments. If you want to post as a moderator, give me a call and I'll tell you how set up your own blog. Good enough?

Imagine a Hierarch Who Is Truly AXIOS!

Enthronement Speech of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos

Below is an excerpt from the enthronement speech of the new Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. The full English translation of the text can be found at http://www.oodegr.com/english/ekklisia/ierarxes/enthr_log_ierwn1.htm and is well worth reading. This portion of the speech is directed at the youth but certainly crosses over to all the faithful, young and old alike.

"My beloved children, I want us to meet personally. So, I am proposing to found a kind of Archbishop’s youth council, so that we can get together, I can listen to your issues personally and we can work together in building the tomorrow that you deserve and that we are obliged to secure for you."

"What I mainly desire is to listen to you, rather than you listen to me. And you should also make your presence felt and your words evident in the life of our Church. I will try to be open with you and transparent, so that behind me can be seen the Crucified leader of Life – the only One Who loves so much, that no-one can resist His love..

And something more. The Church is your home. When you see it ablaze on account of our negligence or unworthiness, do not stand aside and exercise easy criticism. Come in, so that we may salvage whatever we can of the precious treasure of our spiritual inheritance. Come to your home, so that we can together renew and renovate it."

• Imagine a hierarch who wants to listen to the people, and who doesn't have the attitude of "the people can't tell me what to do."
• Imagine a hierarch anxious to resolve problems face-to-face, instead of threatening excommunication, and in some cases following through with his threat.
• Imagine a hierarch who strives to be open and transparent instead of hiding behind the lies of his assigned minions.
• Imagine a hierarch who believes he has an obligation to secure our future as opposed to securing his agenda.

Sadly, we are left only to imagine. Many years, Archbishop Ieronymos. AXIOS!