Still Dreaming !

The proistameno of Prophet Elias only reiterated for the umpteenth time at the Anastasi dinner that he would retire here and for everyone to be joyous because the split will take place.

The above is the front cover of a Holy Week schedule that was freely distributed at Prophet Elias.  Did the proistameno of Prophet Elias only not receive the March 24, 2011 letter from the Holy Synod?  Are his actions purposely and blatantly defying the order of the Archbishop and the Holy Synod?  How can he continue to be disobedient to the Archbishop and the Holy Synod without ramifications?

Fri., May 6, 2011 9:00 a.m.
Spring Meeting of the Archdiocesan Council The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers
Boston, Mass.

Since the proistameno of Prophet Elias only is a member of this body and since he is openly defying the instructions of the Archbishop and the Holy Synod, how will he conduct himself at this gathering?  It is presumed that he will be attending since he has again taken time away from the community.

From the March 24, 2011 letter from the Archbishop and the Holy Synod we read:  "Since at this time the community will not be separated into two entities, there will be only  one stewardship pledge form for the parish and all stewardship funds will be centrally administered by the parish council."  The president along with the parish council have failed this community miserably by their inability to take action.  In a phone conversation with Fr. Matthew, I was assured that after this coming Monday night's parish council meeting, we will have one unified pledge card which should be available in less than two weeks. 

In the very near future, time will show us how correct the proistameno of Prophet Elias only is in his prediction that we will be splitting in the very near future, despite the Synod's decision, OR the Archbishop's instructions.

ΛΑΟΣ  ΕΝΩΜΕΝΟΣ  ΠΟΤΕ  ΝΙΚΗΜΕΝΟΣ
Ο ΚΑΙΡΟΣ  ΓΑΡ  ΕΓΓΥΣ

Yannis Armaou

Dream on!

To the proistameno of Prophet Elias only.....
It seems that even the Holy days of Pascha can not have an effect on your arrogance.
You made your statements, now I will make mine.
You are gone and you don't know it or don't want to admit it!
I told you before and I will say it again:"ΘΑ ΦΥΓΕΙΣ ΝΥΧΤΑ".
Χριστος Ανεστη!


Yannis Armaou

MOUNT ATHOS FEATURED IN 60 MINUTES SEGMENT ON PASCHA EVENING

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106
Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237
Web: http://www.goarch.org - Email: communications@goarch.org

Contact: PRESS OFFICE
Stavros Papagermanos
pressoffice@goarch.org

NEW YORK - The Holy Mountain Athos, the over a thousand year sanctuary of Orthodox Christian monasticism, and which is directly under the spiritual jurisdiction of His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, will be featured on the CBS News program “60 Minutes”, scheduled to air on Pascha Sunday. The segment, “The Monks of Mount Athos”, will recount 60 Minutes Correspondent Bob Simon’s journey to a remote peninsula in North Greece that millions of Orthodox Christians consider the most sacred place on earth, Mount Athos.

On the recommendation and with the blessing of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who opened the doors for the “60 Minutes” team, and after two trips to the mountain and two years of dialogue with the Anthonite community, last Fall Simon and the “60 Minutes” team were given unprecedented access to document monastic life on the Holy Mountain. The result is a portrait of a place rarely seen where prayer has been offered by holy men everyday, with no interruption, for more than a thousand years.

The “Monks of Mount Athos” will be broadcast Sunday, April 24, 2011 on the CBS Television Network at 7:00 PM EST. Harry Radliffe and Michael Karzis are the producers of the segment.

“60 Minutes” is the pre-eminent investigative television news show in the United States and has run on CBS since 1968. It has been among the top-rated TV programs for much of its life and has garnered numerous awards over the years. The show will also be broadcast over the Internet on the “60 Minutes” website: www.60minutes.com

More information about the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as texts of his addresses of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, may be found at: www.patriarchate.org.

From the National Herald - "Analysis: The Schismatic Tragicomedy of St. George’s Church"

An Analysis by Theodore Kalmoukos

BOSTON - If anything is more evident with the sad developments in the historic community of St. George’s Church of Lynn, Massachusetts, where the celebration of the holy sacraments were forbidden, is that the scandalization and the hurt of the faithful continues in this tragic-comedy mentality and behavior of the Metropolis of Boston. All this is taking place just before Holy Week of the Sacred Passion and Resurrection of Christ, the establisher of the Church, which He cared with His own blood. To begin with, I don’t think that there is anyone who believes the order to stop sacraments came from Fr. Barbas, Chancellor and that Metropolitan Methodios was not behind this. Second, it appears that Methodios doesn’t realize that this vindictive action creates a “schism” in the Metropolis of Boston, since the prohibition of the sacraments cuts off a local church, the parish of St. George in Lynn from the whole Church. In other words it cuts off the sacramental connection and unity of a parish within a Metropolis. The tragic comedy is the sacrament of Holy Eucharist continues at St. George as if this is not a sacrament, and further more, the par excellence sacrament of sacraments of our faith. But the sacraments of weddings and baptisms are forbidden. One wonders will the sacrament of Holy Unction be administered on Holy Wednesday?

It would be very naive for someone to expect that Methodios and Barbas to know that the sacraments in the early Church were connected to the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. And that you cannot pick and choose which sacraments can be performed or not performed at that same Church which is cut off from that local Metropolis, where Methodios (George Tournas) has been appointed Bishop, meaning overseer and teacher of faith. He is either so confused or lacking basic theological knowledge because on one hand he allows the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, but prohibits the sacraments of weddings and baptisms. The late Archbishop Iakovos, who selected and ordained him and appointed him Bishop of Boston must be spinning in his grave, because Iakovos would never go to these extremes, because the Bishop should unite the faithful, not divide them as Methodios does, not only in Lynn but to other parishes also. It is sad to say it but it seems he is the most hated hierarch this New England area had throughout its history. Just imagine that he prohibits the sacraments of the Church! Oh God! He does all of this over money. Yes, for the money, using the so-called “National Ministries” as his excuse! If at any time the faithful in America discover the “myth” of the National Ministries I’m afraid we will have rebellion the same as in Egypt. The slogan of the last two Clergy/Laity Congresses, Gather My People To My Home, presented with mush pseudo piety by Archbishop Demetrios, is now dust.

Here we talk about the lives of people, the relationship they have with their church, which is a relationship with the truth and salvation found in their local church, the parish. And here comes Methodios for $20,000. he forbids them to hold their wedding. He is using these young people and their families to pressure their parish into paying more, and at the same time he shows his power. Who will assume the responsibility if these young people leave the Church forever or join another jurisdiction? After all they pay for everything, their stewardship to their parish, the application fee for the Metropolis license, everything. The Metropolis gives them nothing except bitterness and sadness.

In the meantime, the people see Archbishop Demetrios, who writes, “That you are blessed with a distinguished, compassionate and wise hierarch and I kindly urge you to follow his instructions.” These same people are outraged by the magnitude of hypocrisy in general. The people have knowledge, opinion and memory and they remember very well that the Ecumenical Patriarchate had come to the point to impose an Ecclesiastically Reprimand on Methodios in the past and also dismissed him from the Presidency of Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology, and that is why the people make fun when they read Demetrios’ description of Methodios, whom Demetrios knows very well, as this writer is in a position to know. The situation in New England is deteriorating month after month, and things got to such a point of withering of our communities, Lynn is one of them. Many people ask: “Who should we turn to? Who should we trust?”

We should be reminded that the Archdiocese of America, along with its Metropolises, including, of course, the Metropolis of Boston, is an Ecclesiastical Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Patriarch Bartholomew is the Archbishop per se the shepherd and teacher of faith of the Church of America and that is why his name is commemorated at the Eucharist and the Sacred Services. The question that has been raised by many faithful, not only in Lynn, but in the Greek American Community in general is: Does Bartholomew agree with the doings of Methodios? Or doesn’t he care about the Archdiocese and the Greek American Community which are diminishing at the vices of hierarchs such as Methodios, and eventually will cease to exist and His All Holiness will find himself in a big surprise not know what to do? His symposiums around the world for the protection of environment are good and useful, but here in America a whole Church and Community are withering, and Bartholomew doesn’t seem to care about it and many wonder why. The excuse that Demetrios and Methodios are responsible here does not convince anyone and also it won’t be long before the situation becomes the nightmare of the Patriarchate.

Orwellian Orthodoxy?

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. – George Orwell
Πεταει ο γαιδαρος? Πεταει. (Do donkeys fly? Yes, they fly.) – Greek proverb

Most of us keep thinking, “well, now we’ve seen and/or heard everything. What more can our clergy, hierarchy and selected parish council throw at us?”

On a national level we are appalled to witness that a Metropolitan has actually forbidden sacraments in Lynn, Massachusetts because the community will not raise its yearly allotment from $68,000 to $88,000. At a time and in an economy where most of us are making do with less, the Metropolis of Boston and the Archdiocese demand MORE. The community is informed by the Archbishop that their Metropolitan is “synponetikos” (compassionate) and that he asks them, “eugenika”, (politely) to comply with the Metropolitan’s wishes. The actions and consequences are anything but compassionate or polite.

Locally, we were told by His Eminence that for the time being we were to remain united; stewards were to be identified and asked to pledge on a single, unified form, and the community should be encouraged to seek a badly needed harmony. His Eminence offered the Archdiocese’s assistance in these matters and others, also asking that Metropolitan Isaiah “kindly” implement these measures with the Archdiocese “firmly” by his side. Instead of “kind” implementation, we received a rambling, semi-comprehensible missive, insistent, as usual, on the Metropolitan’s prerogatives.

Adding insult to injury, the Metropolitan delves into a derogatory diatribe against a local “kind of” leader, who happens to be a Greek-born professional who has given nearly 50 years of devoted service to this community, painting all the Greek-born who arrived in the past half-century as “dishonorable” to the memory of the earlier Greek immigrants. (In fact we honor them greatly enough to engage in this unequal struggle with a clergy that has become anything but kind.) We who are immigrants, or who are related to immigrants who arrived “later” from the “old country” (please, who uses these terms anymore?) resent and are deeply offended by these assertions. It is, further, not the first time the Metropolitan has made his disdain toward “Hellenes” evident. (We wonder how his ancestors would feel about that, or for that matter, Archbishop Demetrios, who is, after all, a Greek immigrant who arrived “later”?)

Finally, there are our local priests and our selected parish council (where nary a Greek word, let alone, accent can be heard!) We have all witnessed how quickly they have rushed to comply with the Archbishop’s directives with regard to stewardship and unity.

But then again, ignorance apparently IS strength.

AS THINGS ARE PROGRESSING IN LYNN, MA: OUR PROBABLE FUTURE SITUATION

TOWARD THE MAKINGS OF A "SCHISM" IN BOSTON
-BY THEODORE KALMOUKOS (translated from the original Greek; see previous blog)

SATURDAY, 2 APRIL 2011 6:18 PM

BOSTON. A glaring schism is emerging in the Metropolis of Boston in response to banning the administration of holy sacraments by Metropolitan Methodios for the community of St. George in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Specifically, in a letter written the day of the Annunciation and also that of Greek Independence, Friday, March 25, 2011, the chancellor of the Metropolis of Boston, Fr. Theodore Barbas, informed Lynn parishioners, Katherine Griffin and Christopher Haber, who were planning to get married at St. George’s in Lynn, that no sacraments will be allowed to take place there and they could contact the Metropolis for assistance in making other arrangements.

The letter reads: "Dear Katherine and Christopher, as you may have learned due to canonical rules and administrative matters, wedding ceremonies are not to take place in the parish of St. George, Lynn until further notice. We regret that this affects your marriage, which is scheduled for Saturday, October 15, 2011. Please contact my office to help you make other arrangements. If the ban gets removed we will notify you immediately."

This progression of events, that has placed the historical community of Lynn outside any sacramental regularity, constitutes, from an ecclesiological and theological point of view, a “schism”; this [situation] is the result of unanimous decisions taken by the (St. George) parish council and general assembly on February 16, 2011, wherein each entity refused to approve an increase of 20,000 dollars required by the archdiocese's annual contribution allotment, raising the amount due from $68,000 to $88,000.

Speaking to the "National Herald" the mother of Katherine Griffin, Mrs. Helen Griffin, who married her husband in the church of St. George, and baptized their children there, said, "my heart is bleeding with this situation, we are all terribly sad," and added "I do not know what to do; I called Fr. George (Tsoukalas) who told me that he will try to do everything he can to perform the wedding of our child in the church of St. George."

When asked how the young engaged couple felt, [Mrs. Griffin] replied that "they are highly upset and terribly sad.” She further added: "we do not want to go to another church, this is the church of our family for four generations, we have had all our sacraments here and we want to continue this tradition."

When [Mrs. Griffin was] asked "if you had before you Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, what would you say?" Mrs. Griffin, in a tearful response, replied, "I would ask him to allow my daughter to marry in the church of our parish."

Inquiries by the "N.H.” to Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Methodios and Fr. Tsoukalas remained unanswered by the time this story was released.

Archbishop Demetrios, in a letter to the community on March 24, 2011, stated that the issue was discussed at the meeting of the Eparchial Synod, which "unanimously supported the decisions and actions of the Metropolitan Methodios", encouraging the community to comply with the Uniform Parish Regulations. Also stressed was that [referring to the community] "you've been blessed with a very distinguished, compassionate and wise prelate in the person of His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios, and I politely urge you to kindly follow his instructions.”

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese returned the monthly checks sent by the community from January forward. The community had been sending, based on the allotment of $68,000 per year, the monthly sum of $5,666.67.

In a letter to the community, which accompanied the returned check, dated March 30, 2011, signed by President George Vourvoulos, Economic Commission of the Archdiocese, and Jerry Demetriou, CEO, the following was stated: "The chancellor of the Metropolis, Fr Theodore Barbas, in his letter dated January 14, 2011 informed you that the parish of St. George Lynn, is accessed to contribute the amount of $88,000.00 for the year 2011. There is also a balance due of $20,000.00 for 2010. This total amount of $108,000.00 is due in 12 monthly installments of $9,000.00 on 20th of every month. The sent checks were returned because the amount entered is wrong and not in compliance with the letter of the chancellor."

Prior to 1998 when the current proistamenos, Fr. George Tsoukalas was appointed, the community had little relationship with the Metropolis of Boston since it did not accept the Charter.

With the appointment of Fr Tsoukalas, who had been a strong supporter and confidant of Metropolitan Methodios, and who was appointed Chief Justice of the Spiritual Court, which disbanded the parish council of the Community of the Transfiguration of Lowell, the Lowell community began to re-form. One can also recall that Fr. Tsoukalas had at one point served as chancellor of the Diocese of Boston, but came into conflict with Metropolitan Methodios, who as a result, denied him [Fr. Tsoukalas] a chance to serve in a community; as a result, he had to open a laundromat in order to support his family.

Three years ago the [Lynn] community announced via the “National Herald” its intention to establish a Greek day school; in fact, Tom Demakis, along with other community members and Fr Tsoukalas, had shown the building sketches to the “N.H.”

ΩΣ ΦΑΙΝΕΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΛΙΝ: Η ΠΙΘΑΝΗ ΜΕΛΛΟΝΤΙΚΗ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΑΣΗ ΜΑΣ

Σάββατο, Απρίλιος 02, 2011 Τελευταία Ενημέρωση: 6:18 μμ

Προς δημιουργία «σχίσματος» στη Βοστώνη
Του Θεόδωρου Καλμούκου

ΒΟΣΤΩΝΗ. Δημιουργία σχίσματος εξυφαίνεται στη Μητρόπολη Βοστώνης με αφορμή την απαγόρευση τέλεσης ιερών μυστηρίων από τον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο στην κοινότητα του Αγίου Γεωργίου του Λιν Μασαχουσέτης.

Συγκεκριμένα, με επιστολή του γραμμένη ανήμερα της ημέρας του Ευαγγελισμού της Θεοτόκου και της Ανεξαρτησίας της Ελλάδος, Παρασκευή 25 Μαρτίου 2011, ο πρωτοσυγκελεύων της Μητρόπολης Βοστώνης, π. Θεόδωρος Μπάρμπας, προς τους ενορίτες Κάθριν Γκρίφιν και Κρίστοφερ Χάμπερ, οι οποίοι έχουν προγραμματίσει να τελέσουν το γάμο τους στο ναό του Αγίου Γεωργίου του Λιν, τους λέγει ότι απαγορεύεται να γίνονται μυστήρια εκεί και να επικοινωνήσουν μαζί του για να γίνουν άλλες διευθετήσεις.

Στην επιστολή αναφέρονται τα εξής: «Αγαπητοί Κάθριν και Κρίστοφερ,
όπως ενδεχομένως να έχετε μάθει, λόγω κανονικών και διοικητικών ζητημάτων, δεν επιτρέπεται η τέλεση μυστηρίων στην ενορία του Αγίου Γεωργίου του Λιν μέχρι νεότερης ειδοποίησης. Λυπούμαστε που αυτό επηρεάζει το γάμο σας που έχει προγραμματιστεί να γίνει το Σάββατο 15 Οκτωβρίου 2011.
Παρακαλώ επικοινωνήστε με το γραφείο μου, προκειμένου να σας βοηθήσουμε να κάνετε άλλες διευθετήσεις.

Εάν αρθεί αυτή η κανονική απαγόρευση θα σας ενημερώσουμε αμέσως».

Η εξέλιξη αυτή να τεθεί η ιστορική η κοινότητα του Λιν, εκτός μυστηριακής κανονικότητας, πράγμα το οποίο εκκλησιολογικώς και θεολογικώς συνιστά «σχίσμα», ανέκυψε επειδή με ομόφωνη απόφαση του κοινοτικού συμβουλίου και της γενικής συνέλευσης στις 16 Φεβρουαρίου 2011, αρνήθηκε να εγκρίνει αύξηση ύψους 20.000 δολαρίων που απαιτούσε η Αρχιεπισκοπή στην ετήσια συνεισφορά της ανεβάζοντας συγκεκριμένα το ποσό από 68.000 που δίνει σήμερα στις 88.000 δολάρια.

Μιλώντας στον «Εθνικό Κήρυκα» η μητέρα της Κάθριν Γκρίφιν, η κ. Ελένη Γκρίφιν, η οποία παντρεύτηκε στο ναό του Αγίου Γεωργίου, βάφτισαν τα παιδιά τους σ’ αυτόν, είπε, πως «έχει ματώσει η καρδιά μου με αυτή την κατάσταση, είμαστε όλοι μας φοβερά λυπημένοι» και συμπλήρωσε «δεν ξέρω τι να κάνω, τηλεφώνησα στον π. Γεώργιο (Τσουκαλά) ο οποίος μου είπε ότι θα προσπαθήσει να κάνει ό,τι μπορεί για να γίνει ο γάμος του παιδιού μας στην εκκλησία του Αγίου Γεωργίου».

Στην ερώτηση πώς αισθάνονται τα παιδιά, οι μελλόνυμφοι, τόνισε πως «είναι αναστατωμένα, είμαστε όλοι μας φοβερά λυπημένοι». Και πρόσθεσε: «δεν θέλουμε να πάμε σε άλλη εκκλησία, αυτή είναι η εκκλησία της οικογένειάς μας επί τέσσερις γενιές, κάναμε όλα μας τα μυστήρια εδώ και θέλουμε να συνεχίσουμε αυτή μας την παράδοση».

Στην ερώτηση «εάν είχατε μπροστά σας τον Οικουμενικό Πατριάρχη Βαρθολομαίο, τι θα του λέγατε;», η κ. Γκρίφιν με φωνή γεμάτη λυγμούς είπε ότι «θα τον παρακαλούσα να επιτρέψουν στην κόρη μου να παντρευτεί στο ναό της ενορίας μας».

Μηνύματα του «Ε.Κ.» στον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Δημήτριο, στον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο και στον π. Τσουκαλά παρέμειναν αναπάντητα μέχρι την ώρα που ολοκληρώθηκε η παρούσα έκδοση.

Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Δημήτριος με επιστολή του στην κοινότητα στις 24 Μαρτίου 2011 αναφέρει ότι το θέμα συζητήθηκε στη συνεδρίαση της Επαρχιακής Συνόδου, η οποία «υποστήριξε ομόφωνα τις αποφάσεις και τις ενέργειες του Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιου», προτρέπει να εφαρμοστούν οι Κανονισμοί των Κοινοτήτων. Υπογραμμίζει ακόμα πως «έχετε ευλογηθεί με έναν πολύ διακεκριμένο, συμπονετικό και σοφό ιεράρχη εν τω προσώπω του Σεβασμιωτάτου Μητροπολίτη Μεθοδίου και σας προτρέπω ευγενώς να ακολουθήσετε τις οδηγίες του».

Εν τω μεταξύ, η Αρχιεπισκοπή επέστρεψε τις επιταγές της κοινότητας για τη συνδρομή της από τον Ιανουάριο μέχρι σήμερα. Η κοινότητα είχε στείλει βάσει του ποσού των 68.000 κατ’ έτος το μηνιαίο ποσό των 5.666,67.

Σε επιστολή, η οποία συνόδευε τις επιστραφείσες επιταγές με ημερομηνία 30 Μαρτίου 2011 προς την κοινότητα, την οποία υπογράφουν ο Γεώργιος Βουρβούλιας πρόεδρος της Οικονομικής Επιτροπής της Αρχιεπισκοπής και ο Ιερώνυμος Δημητρίου Εκτελεστικός Διευθυντής της αναφέρονται και τα εξής: «Ο πρωτοσύγκελος της Μητρόπολης, π. Θεόδωρος Μπάρμπας, στην επιστολή του στις 14 Ιανουαρίου 2011 σας πληροφόρησε ότι έχει οριστεί στην ενορία του Αγίου Γεωργίου του Λιν το ποσό συνεισφοράς των 88.000,00 για το έτος 2011. Υπάρχει ένα υπόλοιπο 20.000,00 από το 2010. Αυτό το συνολικό ποσό των 108.000,00 είναι πληρωτέο σε 12 μηνιαίες δόσεις των 9.000,00 στις 20 κάθε μήνα. Επιστρέφονται οι επιταγές σας διότι το ποσό που αναγράφεται σ’ αυτές είναι λάθος και δεν είναι σύμφωνα με το γράμμα του πρωτοσύγκελου».

Η κοινότητα πριν το 1998 που διορίστηκε σ’ αυτήν ο σημερινός της προϊστάμενος π. Γεώργιος Τσουκαλάς είχε ελάχιστη σχέση με τη Μητρόπολη Βοστώνης καθότι δεν αποδεχόταν το Καταστατικό της Αρχιεπισκοπής.

Με τον διορισμό του π. Τσουκαλά, ο οποίος ήταν εκ των στενότερων συνεργατών και εξ’ απορρήτων ανθρώπων του Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιου και τον οποίον είχε διορίσει αρχιδικαστή του Πνευματικού Δικαστηρίου, το οποίο απέπεμψε το κοινοτικό συμβούλιο της κοινότητας της Μεταμόρφωσης του Λόουελ, η κοινότητα άρχισε να ανασυγκροτείται. Υπενθυμίζεται ότι ο π. Τσουκαλάς διετέλεσε στο παρελθόν πρωτοσύγκελος της Μητρόπολης Βοστώνης, πλην όμως ήλθαν σε σύγκρουση με τον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο, ο οποίος τον έδιωξε, δεν του έδινε κοινότητα, ενώ για να ζήσει την οικογένειά του είχε αναγκαστεί να ανοίξει καθαριστήριο ρούχων.

Πριν από τρία έτη η κοινότητα είχε εξαγγείλει δια του «Εθνικού Κήρυκα» την πρόθεσή της να ιδρύσει Ημερήσιο Ελληνικό Σχολείο, ενώ ο ίδιος ο Τομ Δημάκης εκ των στελεχών της κοινότητας, με τον π. Τσουκαλά είχαν δείξει τις κτιριακές εγκαταστάσεις στον «Ε.Κ.».

Απρίλιος 01, 2011

APRIL FOOLS!??? ? NOT !

The original of this letter which most of us in this community received (expecting, in light of Archbishop Demetrios' message, to perhaps receive something else, no doubt), can be found by clicking here.

GREEK ORTHODOX METROPOLIS OF DENVER

March 21, 2011 (Moderator's note - the DATE is NOTEWORTHY)

Reverend Michael Kouremetis Proistamenos
Reverend Matthew Gilbert, Proistamenos
The Esteemed Parish Council Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake
c/o Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church
5335 Highland Drive
Holladay, UT 84117

Beloved in the Lord,

Having recently returned from our recent Holy Eparchial Synod meeting at the Archdiocese in New York City, at which a number of issues were discussed, including the pending matter in your beloved community, various decisions came about.

In the press release from the Archdiocese, dated March 18, 2011, the following was stated:

The Holy Eparchial Synod discussed current and urgent administrative matters related to the life and activity of the Church of the Holy Archdiocese. It was noted by all the Members that the responsibility of shepherding the parishes in each Holy Metropolis of the Holy Archdiocese belongs to the respective Hierarch who shepherds them according to the order of the Church, her Canons, the Charter, and the Regulations of the Holy Archdiocese

This indicates that the Archdiocesan process regarding the Salt Lake City matter is now over.
It is now time to move ahead for the good of the faithful members of the Greek Orthodox people of Utah. This means that all of the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Archdiocese must be followed faithfully. For this to be done, it must be understood that any reincorporation statements that call the Greek Orthodox parishes in Salt Lake City "The Association" rather than a religions institution, such as the reincorporation in 1974, must be eliminated from the legal documents of the Greek Orthodox community. There are also other statements made in the 1974 documents which are completely contrary to the Uniform Parish Regulations and the Canons of our Holy Orthodox Church which must also be eliminated.

It is long overdue for the faithful Orthodox Christians of the greater Salt Lake City area to express themselves and to decide if they want to identify their church as an "Association" or as a religious institution. It is time to honor once again the founders of the Greek Orthodox community of Salt Lake City, who incorporated their parish over one hundred years ago as the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. It is time to re-incorporate with the Original name of the parish of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church. In so doing, all of the Greek Orthodox people on Utah will see themselves as a continuity of the Church which our Lord Jesus Christ established almost two thousand years ago, and not as a secular investment entity hiding behind the respected name "Hellenic".

As for those individuals who came to Salt Lake City from the "old country" much later, and have achieved a kind of leadership status, who are responsible for eliminating the most revered name of our loving God, the Holy Trinity, and who show no sense of honor for those who established the Holy Trinity Church over a century ago, let us pray for them that they will see the errors of their ways. Our loving God also desires their salvation.

As we continue on in this holy period of Great Lent, let us beseech our loving God to soften the hearts and minds of those expressing un-Christian feelings against us, and to forgive them their sins. Let US also fervently pray to our Lord that He will also forgive our sins, thereby furthering our progress toward Christ and His Coming Kingdom.

With Paternal Blessings,
/s/
Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver

Letter, March 24, 2011, Archbishop Demetrios to Metropolitan Isaiah

Moderator's Note: Archbishop Demetrios wrote a letter to Metropolitan Isaiah concerning the situation in Salt Lake City. The text of that letter is cited below; the original may be viewed here.

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OFAMERICA THE HOLY EPARCHIAL SYNOD

March 24, 2011
His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver
Holy Metropolis of Denver
4550 East Alameda Avenue
Denver, CO 80246

Your Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah, beloved brother in the Lord,

At your request last October and in accordance with the Holy Canons and our Archdiocesan Charter and Regulations, the Holy Eparchial Synod agreed to review an appeal pertaining to the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake City. The Holy Synod in its meeting on March 17, 2011, reached consensus on the following decisions:

1. It is important to clarify that many of the existing misunderstandings and controversies are the result of the now-expired accommodations given to the parish in 1964 (referred to by some as the "1964 Accord"), with respect to the then-current Uniform Parish Regulations. It appears that a number of parishioners mistakenly believe that those accommodations are still in effect. In fact, since 1964, our Archdiocese has received two new Charters from our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate and new regulations have been adopted by Clergy-Laity Congresses and ratified by the Holy and Sacred Synod of our Ecumenical Patriarchate. During this period, the Salt Lake City parish by having requested and accepted clergy and services from the Archdiocese, placed itself under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese and, given our Canonical and hierarchical Church structure, bound itself to the Holy Canons and all provisions of the current Archdiocesan Charter and Regulations.

It is our fervent prayer and expectation that, since we have now clarified that the "1964 Accord" is not in effect, the parish's General Assembly and its newly elected parish council will administer the affairs of the parish in accordance with the Holy Canons and current Archdiocesan Regulations. Our Regulations are clear that all parish funds (including those invested at Hightower) must be owned exclusively by the parish and must be under the custodianship of the parish council (subject to the various requirements and controls contained in the Archdiocesan Regulations). The Archdiocese will assist the parish with completing a proper release of the approximately S1.2 million in funds frozen by the HighTower investment firm. At the same time, it is necessary to assure the applicable administrative agencies and all involved that these funds were not stolen or misappropriated.

2. As agreed, the Salt Lake community will remain as one united parish, until such time as the appropriate conditions are in place for the separation into two communities. Therefore, the ecclesiastical charter for Prophet Elias that was issued on April 12. 2010, is to be considered inapplicable and consequently withdrawn. 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.

The Holy Eparchial Synod believes that there are long-term spiritual and other benefits with the separation of Holy Trinity and Prophet Elias in the future. It encourages the parish to develop, under the guidance of one unified, elected parish council, long-term strategy and planning committees. These teams of faithful should prayerfully and seriously consider ministry, operational, financial and other issues, in order to help meet the growing and diverse needs of the parishioners and provide greater opportunities for service to God's Holy Church.

3. The parish has an immediate need for an accurate list of stewards which reflects all individuals participating in the life of the parish. In an attempt to reach out to all the faithful the parish should contact those on stewardship rosters for the past several years and encourage them to submit a unified pledge of their time, talent and treasure for 2011, so that they may be considered stewards for the current year and participate in the general assembly voting for the Parish Council and similar activities. The Archdiocese will assist the parish in developing an updated roster and a comprehensive stewardship program. Since at this time the community will not be separated into two entities, there will be only one stewardship pledge form for the parish and all stewardship funds will be centrally administered by the parish council. Once the stewardship roster is developed, the parish will be in a position to hold a General Assembly according to the current Archdiocesan Charter and Regulations.

As stated in the Regulations, serving on the parish council is a ministry. There is a great need for our parish councils, and, indeed, for all parishioners in our communities, to fully understand their roles and obligations as stewards of the Church. Also every parish must make certain that fair and appropriate procedures for parish council elections are followed. Therefore, the legal, finance and stewardship committees of the Archdiocese will be at your disposal to assist the clergy with parish council training and developing a process for a fair and prompt parish council election.

Our Church values all its members and welcomes their ideas and contributions in building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). At this time we ask that all the faithful of the Parish of Greater Salt Lake City come together as brothers and sisters to continue their service in humility and love in the vineyard of our Lord. We expect that they treat each other with respect, live as exemplary Orthodox Christians and respect the Church, the Archdiocese, their elected Metropolitan, the clergy and all the laity. The Holy Eparchial Synod with great love and care urges everyone involved forgiving each other, and abiding by its decisions.

Your Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah, beloved brother in the Lord,

The Holy Synod, of which you are also a most valuable and integral member. affirms your authority as a Shepherd of the Holy Metropolis of Denver, and assures you, that it will firmly be at your side as you kindly implement the Synodal decisions for the benefit of the Greater Salt Lake City Community who are under your Administrative and Pastoral care.
On behalf of the Holy Eparchial Synod, we remain

With deep brotherly love and high esteem,

/s/

+DEMETRIOS Archbishop of America President of the Holy Eparchial Synod

cc.: Member Hierarchs of the Holy Eparchial Synod
Fr. Michael Kouremetis
Fr. Matthew Gilbert
The Parish Council of Holy Trinity Cathedral and Prophet Elias Church
John Johns-Counsel of the Metropolis of Denver
Appelants (sic)

"Facts" Concerning the Salt Lake City Situation - FIVE & SIX

Note: The Metropolitan's "facts" are highlighted.

5. The false rationale that parish funds controlled by individuals of the parish rather than the current parish council can be looked upon as a “local Leadership 100”, such as that of the Archdiocese, is dangerous and can take the organization of the Archdiocese as it is today back to 1931 when then-Archbishop Athenagoras was attempting to unite the Greek Orthodox parishes in America into a canonical, hierarchical structure, in harmony with the teachings and traditions of the Church from the days of the Apostles.

From the Leadership 100 Web site: “The Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund (the "Fund") was established in 1984, for the purpose of seeding and nurturing programs under the National Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and those that advance Orthodoxy and Hellenism.”

From the Hellenic Community Foundation Web site: “The Foundation was formed as the mechanism through which private, corporate, and foundation support is raised and managed for capital projects and programs benefiting the Hellenic community.”

How this entity is so dissimilar, or how it is “dangerous”, or how it can take the organization of the Archdiocese back to some ominously darker time more than a half-century ago is never explained. Why this organization is not harmonious with the teachings and traditions of the Church, yet Leadership 100 is, remains unanswered, thus ignoring the logical dictum, “he who asserts must prove.”

6. The threat of lawsuits by those who claim to be Greek Orthodox Christians against the Archdiocese, the Metropolis or the parish places these individuals in danger of excommunication from the Church and, also, if the observance of the current Uniform Parish Regulations of the Archdiocese of America is deliberately ignored or rejected by such individuals.

And yet, again, it comes to this! When the Metropolitan does not get his own way, he resorts to the “danger of excommunication” threat. Since reason and love do not seem to be the means by which the Church is governed by its hierarchs anymore, fear and exclusion become the weapons of choice. We have acknowledged before that this in an unequal contest - "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with threats of excommunication?"

The majority of the faithful in this community have tried hard to seek reasonable compromises and alternatives, have exhausted every reasonable avenue. To no avail. Time and again, we have tried vainly to discourse with a tone-deaf Parish Council whose members have sold out this community and the legacy of their own forefathers, complicit local clergy and Metropolis, who also dishonor their faith and heritage, and finally, to the Archdiocese, who, it seems either cannot or will not come up with a reasonable solution.

At each turn we have been ignored, rebuffed, lied to, or stalled while our collective legacy is sundered and squandered. Our community is stagnating. Stewards have had their livelihoods and reputations, and those of their families, tarnished. Our “shepherds” and “leaders” have turned friends, koumbaroi, siblings, cousins, parents and in-laws against each other. And, as far as ignoring the “observance of the current UPRs” we have noticed that His Eminence and his minions here constantly cite those supportive of their positions, and conveniently ignore those that do not.

It is quite clear that Lord Acton, yet again, is proven correct. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is obvious that having been given excessive power by the Patriarch, through the latest Charter and through the Uniform Parish Regulations, which have provisions designed to scuttle the previously concilliar governance shared by the clergy and laity, there is simply too much temptation to wield this absolute power unkindly and unwisely. The situations in Lowell, Lynn and Salt Lake City are but the latest examples. The lay leadership of the faithful in this country simply rolled over and “hoped for the best”, while any dissenting voices were either removed or silenced at the 2004 Clergy-Laity Congress.

The results have been predictable. Our bishops continue to demonstrate that they will wield this overly vast power, not lovingly, but ruthlessly when they do not get their way. They are the Lord’s Apostolic successors, yet they treat His flock and His Bride, the Church, with cynical disdain because they can. When things finally become too overwhelming, and the laity, finding no palatable alternative, revolts, the bishops resort to threats, claiming the Church solely for themselves. L’eglise, c’est moi!

Would Jesus do this? We doubt it, and that IS a FACT!

"Facts" Concerning the Salt Lake City Situation - THREE & FOUR

Note: The Metropolitan's "facts" are highlighted.

3. The conflict or confusion is intensified because at least two million dollars of parish funds are not under the custodianship of the legal parish council, but under secular entities, eight hundred thousand of which are under the Hellenic Cultural Foundation, whose members do not comprise the legitimate parish council. Article 34, Section 1 of the Uniform Parish Regulations states clearly concerning the custodianship of parish assets.

The only conflict or confusion surrounding these disputed funds has come from the Metropolitan’s acquiescence to the very few who want control of these funds, which are designated for specific purposes. Having witnessed the outrages committed by those who have seized power in this community, we have no doubt that they would and could easily justify a demand for half of them once they engineered their division of this community.

Considering their dismal record of faulty governance, they could borrow against these monies, even if they could not divert the funds. Do we trust them in light of behaviors the past several years? Other sources of confusion are that first the Metropolitan was in favor of the HHC, then the HCF, which was overwhelmingly approved by a highly attended General Assembly, and then pulled his approval when he realized it would hamper the plans of those demanding a split.

We remind the Metropolitan of his words in November 2005 (well after the oft-cited UPRs were adopted):

• "First and foremost it must be stressed that every Greek Orthodox parish is owned by the general membership."
• "All real estate and all revenues belong to the membership."
• "Neither the Archdiocese, nor the Metropolis, NOR ANY OTHER ENTITY can claim title to the revenues and the property of a canonical parish, since each parish is separately incorporated in the city and state in which it exists."
• "This means that in the matter of revenues and property, the general membership makes all the decisions." (emphases added)

He also stated that he would NOT forcibly split this community. Apparently however, he forgot to mention that he would do it secretly and behind our backs.

4. The so-called appeal to the Archdiocese concerning the decision for the recognition of two separate parishes in Salt Lake City is irregular, since each Metropolis is administered by the presiding Metropolitan and not by the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese administered all of the present Metropolises before September 1979 when each entity was considered an Archdiocesan District. However, when the Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized the former districts as autonomous dioceses, and later as metropolises, the sole authority of each metropolis is the presiding Metropolitan. Only if the presiding metropolitan deviates from the Canons of the Church and the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Archdiocese can the Holy Synod enter into the matter for the proper determination or solution.

There are several instances of tortured logic in this “fact”. The Metropolitan claims authority to basically do as he wishes in his Metropolis so long as he does not violate the ARCHDIOCESE Uniform Parish Regulations (obviously a matter of "interpretation") or those elusive, never-cited Canons.

After removing Spyridon as Archbishop of America, the Patriarch did, in fact, grant each Metropolitan vast authority over his own individual Metropolis. Whether they were granted SOLE and unfettered authority is questionable.

The Archbishop is “first among equals” here in America. Theoretically at least, he then presides to some degree over the Metropolitans. It was Archbishop Demetrios who issued the charter to the conspirators at Prophet Elias (only ONE of whom was an APPOINTED parish council member). This charter was obtained under secrecy. Its existence was kept secret for over half a year. We contend this was done under false pretenses insofar as the information given to the Archbishop at the time the charter was requested from him. Certainly Archbishop Demetrios is NOW aware that there NEVER was a General Assembly to even DISCUSS, let alone approve, dividing our community or its properties – clearly a violation of those oft-cited UPRs.

Aside from the deception involved, the situation begs the question: If the Metropolitan truly has total, unfettered authority, why was the Archbishop’s grant of a charter for a separate church required? He must then have some authority over the Metropolises.

The Metropolitan seeks to have it both ways, on the one hand he demands complete obedience on the laity’s part to the UPRs of the Archdiocese, though not necessarily on his part or on the part of his cohorts here. Yet, on the other hand, he claims he doesn’t answer to the Archdiocese!

"Facts" Concerning the Salt Lake City Situation - ONE & TWO

Note: The Metropolitan's "facts" are highlighted.

1. The present organizational structure of the Community is an anomaly and is not covered by the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Archdiocese.


It is in no way the fault of this unique, and not anomalous (to the Metropolitan's mind), community that the recent UPRs of the ARCHDIOCESE (there is, by the way, a similar situation to ours in the Archdiocesan District) were passed without proper representation and proper CONSIDERATION for the needs of ALL concerned. (Yes, we know that the authors of the UPRs, who sold the laity out COMPLETELY, addressed these problems in the usual cavalier way of banana republics - by telling us we were not ALLOWED to object whether we were represented or not.)

Based on this “fact”, the Metropolitan, along with a small minority in this community, seeks to:

• rescind the expressed wishes of the founders of this community, who put procedures in place designed to maintain unity in a unique religious and secular situation; 
• demand HALF this community's assets for a minority of less than 15% as measured by THEIR OWN SURVEY, with questions that they themselves composed; when the numbers didn't meet their expectations, they sought a back-door route, continuing to do so in spite of growing opposition to this action;
• brush aside civil property matters with regard to this community’s collectively owned assets;
• ignore the wishes of the overwhelming majority of faithful stewards in this community, who steadfastly honor the intent and sacrifices of their ancestors.

2. The article which most closely identifies with correcting the Salt Lake City matter, which has two houses of worship under one parish council, is found in the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Archdiocese in Article 23, which states that a parish shall have only one church edifice. This article alludes to the administrative structure of a parish, as well as the canonical and spiritual.

We don’t need or want this sort of “correcting”. Again, this community is unique; this fact was recognized by discerning bishops in decades prior, and should be so decades hence, until such time as this community chooses, with the proper MAJORITY, to follow the established local procedures for such action.

The administrative structure of this parish had worked quite well until the clergy, under these "new rules" tried to stifle the voice of the majority with regard to governance. They did so in order to satisfy their overarching need for control, and to satisfy the insular ambitions of the very few. Insofar as “the canonical and spiritual”, yet again the Metropolitan alludes to canons never cited.

Finally, we would ask what the Metropolitan means by asserting (again, with no proof) that there has been spiritual impairment in this community for the previous 100 years? Is the Metropolitan implying that our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents - those brave, pious souls who gave so much to the Church - were and are spiritually impaired?

Commentary
By: Nick J. Colessides
March 14, 2011

THE ARROGANCE OF INCOMPETENCE
(Or how the Archbishop and the Holy
Eparchial Synod were thrown under the bus)

The Prophet Elias Church [not “Parish”] Proistameno worked feverishly last Thursday and personally supervised and mailed a letter penned by the Denver Metropolitan, in January 2011. It is titled “Facts Pertaining to the Salt Lake City Situation.” There will be 1,087 local lucky parishioners/recipients of the letter.

In paragraph 4 of his letter to the Holy Eparchial Synod and the Archbishop of America, the Denver Metropolitan is letting us know that he holds “King’s X” over our spiritual and worldly lives.

The Denver Metropolitan has mistaken his appointment as a Metropolitan to that of a king. He confuses his Bishop’s Mitre with a king’s crown; however, no one has celebrated his coronation. He confuses his liturgical robes with imperial robes. He needs to know that the emoluments [and Offikia] of the Metropolitan’s Office are like perfume; they are supposed to be smelled not swallowed.

The Prophet Elias Church Proistameno follows him. He was appointed as “εφημέριος;” he earned the right to become “εφήμερος.” He has earned the right to have achieved the distinction of becoming irrelevant to the spiritual lives of the parishioners of our parish.

Those who forget to learn from history are condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The arrogance of incompetence. Serfdom was abolished about 400 years ago; the Constitutional liberties of the Magna Carta were adopted in the United States almost 250 years ago. The Denver Metropolitan’s favorite ploy is to threaten excommunication. He forgets that the Catholic “Holy [Spanish] Inquisition” was abolished almost 700 years ago.

One wonders about the fact that over the last decade our community has paid to the Denver Metropolitan about one and a half million dollars. What benefit did our community receive from the Denver Metropolitan ??

It is time that the Denver Metropolitan get in touch with reality. It is time for the Marine to lay down his sword and retire; he should be asking for forgiveness for his illusion of grandeur. And, wherever he goes, to take with him the Prophet Elias Church Proistameno.

T. P. M. G.

Φωνή λαού, οργή Θεού. Remember Egypt.

Kali Sarakosti.

Too Good Not to Be Its Own Blog Article!

Moderator's note: Jim Sefandonakis sent this in as a response to the previous blog article, ...The Decline of Filotimo. We thought it was a well-needed touch of levity, and, as such, it deserved its own space.

While true our community has witnessed concerning changes over the last decade, one of the most difficult things to swallow is the coffee served up during social hour.

Where are our priorities? Will we drink anything the church hands us to drink?

Sure we need church upgrades like a new dome and past due bills need to be paid. In fact, some of these concerns can cause us to lose sight of what really matters, like a good cup of coffee that does not leave a bad taste in our mouth.

Years ago actual coffee grounds were perked and a half decent cup of coffee could be found after church. It was good coffee back then. It was coffee that we enjoyed drinking because we were drinking it as one community. But the coffee today? Search high and low, you will not find one person that likes what is being served up.

So I think the time has come for a new coffee maker. I'm talking about a chrome and brass Italian espresso machine that we can all be proud of. A machine that keeps us from sneaking out early from church to visit the Starbucks just down the street. We need this coffee maker and we need it yesterday. We can even call it our Filotimo coffee maker.

But how will we pay for this new machine when so many of us are reluctant to contribute funds to a church that has been serving us bad coffee for so long? I for one would give much more to my church if I knew the money that I gave them was being used for good things. I don't have an unlimited pocket book so when I do give I hope the money is used wisely. But now I am not even being told what they are doing with our funds. They won't let us vote for a board or allow us to have a general assembly. As far as I know they are building secret rooms with wires running in and out of them. Does anyone know other than a very small handful of people how our money is being managed? I don't have a clue what is going on because no one is telling anybody anything. So until we make right these problems, not very many people are going to hand over a check to an organization that keeps us in the dark on how they spend our money. Looks like it will be a long time before we get a new coffee maker, and we will just keep drinking cup after cup of the same old thing.

See you at Starbucks.

- Jim Sefandonakis

The True Costs of a Lost Decade: The Decline of "Filotimo"

We have often outlined on this site the lost "opportunity costs" in this dismal period in our community's history. For nearly a decade, we have witnessed overarching clerical control, aided and abetted by an unquestioning, cherry-picked lay "leadership". We have seen, first-hand, what this lost decade has done to this once-vibrant community.

During this time, our community's faithful have witnessed:

• missed opportunities for badly needed church upgrades and expansion
• ongoing and pernicious squabbles that have put worthwhile projects on hold
• unilateral re-prioritization of projects to suit the needs and wishes of the few
• gross negligence in governance - including tax penalties and liens
• an audit revealing faulty accounting and operational practices
• resignations of parish council members under the cloud of conspiracy and ethics issues
• bullying by the hierarchy (using the sacred), and priests and parish council members (using the profane) against faithful, loyal stewards of several DECADES' standing
• dismissals of entire boards, and/or individual board members
• removal of stewards from ballots to ensure only certain individuals will be on the parish council (native Greek speakers need not apply!)
• capricious and arbitrary ecclesiastical sanctions for specious reasons, without benefit of hearing
• deliberate action to denigrate and cause harm to the reputations and livelihoods of outstanding stewards in the community
• stewardship declines
• dysfunction, confusion, sadness, frustration, outrage, apathy

This caustic situation has been foisted upon us as a deliberate and calculated tactic to maintain absolute control by the very few and on their SOLE behalf to divide us. This, in spite of the FACT that the great majority of us DO NOT WISH TO BE DIVIDED. This (mis)administration's own survey demonstrated this FACT quite clearly.

Despite what their own numbers tell them and us, we are continually witnessing that which is not so easily measured - the depth of the human costs - the strained relationships - between parents, children, in-laws, siblings, cousins, koumbaroi, friends - that will take years to mend, if they mend at all.

Clergy are, we are told, "men of God." We would posit that to be "a man of God", you first have to be A MAN, and a GOOD man at that! To be a good man is to be a good husband, a good father, a good son, a good brother, a good friend. A good man loves the Lord, loves his spouse, loves his family, loves his friends. A good man is not just an observant Christian, more than that, he is an ethical Christian. A good man stands for what is right, despite the cost. A good priest, married or not, must go yet further and love his flock, exemplified by Jesus' love for His Church and for mankind. No professed MAN of God should ever foster, condone, or seek to excuse the situation that pits a community's members against each other. Yet, inexplicably, our clergy, our shepherds (lower and higher), have done so and continue to do so. A good man, and therefore a good clergyman, has "filotimo".

"Filotimo!" That most untranslatable of Greek words! Loosely, it means the honoring of friends, but more so, it denotes one who is a friend of HONOR! No one single word in the English language can describe it. It is an attribute of character described by the Hellenes that is very much in line with Christian love, Christian compassion, Christian empathy and Christian humility. It is a trait we ought to strive for in our reflections during this Lenten season.

Kali Sarakosti s'olous,

- Barbara Billinis Colessides

Παντα υποχρεοι - Always Obliged

Θερμες ευχαριστιες στον προισταμενο της κοινοτητας μας πατηρ Κουρεμετη για τον
υπερμετρο ζηλο που επεδειξε να φερει εις περας την δυσκολον αποστολη της ταχυδρομησης επιστολης
απο το Μητροπολιτη Ησαια!

Το γοργον και χαριν εχει.
Τα ρασα δε κανουν το παππα.

Γιαννης Αρμαου

****************

Warmest thanks and appreciation to the Proistamenos (of-Prophet-Elias-only) Kouremetis for the immeasurable zeal he has shown in sending us and delivering to us, with some measure of difficulty, the message via "snail mail" from Metropolitan Isaiah.

There is virtue in quick decisions.
The cassock does not make the priest.

Yannis Armaou

Define Sermon

Congratulations to all the children of Holy Trinity and Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Churches of Greater Salt Lake City, who participated in the Oratorical festival. Those who will participate in the Metropolis competition will do so as members of the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake and not from the "Prophet Elias parish" as was mistakenly announced today by the proistameno of Prophet Elias only.

A good sermon can go a long way in setting the tone for the upcoming week. It is an opportunity for the clergy to connect with their flock and inspire them. Lately, the proistameno of Prophet Elias only has taken the liberty of turning the sermon into an question and answer session.  Here are some highlights from his  "sermon" today:

• He explained how we have a new parish council.  Our question is:  Is this parish council legal?  We believe it is NOT.  
• He explained how the Prophet Elias "parish" nominees were sworn in but the Holy Trinity "parish" nominees refused to be sworn in.  Our question is:  When was the split finalized making two parishes?
• He unsuccessfully tried to explain how the current "parish council" came to be.  What he didn't explain is that one "member" was not part of the initial interim parish council and therefore in violation of the directive of the metropolitan.

After concluding with the mundane, he asked if there were any questions.  Seeing none he was convinced that everyone understood the state of affairs.  He did happen to mention that those with questions will post them to the blog or talk about them at Einstein's.  (Glad we could be of service)

It might benefit Fr. Kouremetis to review the linked Protocol from the metropolitan which states in part: "In this light, I exhort each of you who are pastors to ensure that the sermon or homily  in the Divine Liturgy is always focused on the readings given to us by the Church for our edification and is invariably in accord with the Apostolic tradition of our faith." http://www.denver.goarch.org/protocols/1996-Protocols/protocol-96-08.html

For the record, the Gospel reading today was from Matthew 6:14-21

A Parishioner's Response to the Formation of a "New" Parish Council

I guess they forgot to send us a ballot and we missed the election. Funny, I don't even remember having the opportunity to place people I believe in on the ballot. As a matter of fact, I don't even remember being given notice of a general assembly where we are supposed to openly discuss potential council members, hold elections, and decide the trivial matters such as the finances and the future of our community.

Even stranger than all of this, I do remember being told where and how to send my stewardship check. I do recall being told that if I didn't follow the properly approved methods that I would not be deemed a steward of our church and as a punishment would not be able to attend these imaginary meetings and vote for this imaginary parish council.

I guess I will just have to send an imaginary check, on an imaginary approved card and pretend that I am a steward. I think I will even add a couple of imaginary digits to the end of it so that I can feel real good about my commitments.

After all what do I really have to lose?

- Dean J. Shilaos

Secret Deals - Byzantine Machinations

The Conspiracy Theorist Will Love it!

And, suddenly the truth is known.

The 6 individuals who resigned on February 25, 2011, had a private deal to serve until February 28, 2011. They were not the thinkers that we thought they were, when appointed to those positions. I guess it must have been done as a favor to the Denver Metropolitan and Fr. Kouremetis.

I suppose the parishioners are not worthy to know any particulars; ... no one told us.

What were the 6 promised? Who brokered the deal?? Were there any minutes kept about the secret deal??? Is the extension legal either under the UPRs or the State By-Laws ????

The Denver Metropolitan’s October 6, 2010, letter ordering the split did not reference any extension of service by the 6. I am thinking that our Appeal to the Holy Eparchial Synod intervened and he had to change course. ... but of course the Denver Metropolitan did not adhere the admonition “all parties must refrain” part of the Chief Secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod’s letter anyway. Loose cannons on deck.

The Denver Metropolitan and Fr. Kouremetis are enjoying running things Rambo-style yet again. Fr. Matthew just follows. None of them have shown any respect toward either substance or process. No respect for their parishioners. Yet, what does one expect?

Neither the UPRs nor the State filed By-laws permit the extension of any term of any member of the Board of Trustees; it cannot be done by either the Denver Metropolitan or his anointed clergymen Fr. Kouremetis or Fr. Gilbert; the 6 are not permitted sua sponte to have their own term extended.

The 2 have resigned first; and the 6 resigned on Sunday. Today another one resigned... Only 6 left. This corporation has been left without a quorum to transact any business.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that if one cent is spent for any purpose whatsoever, from and after March 1, 2011, from the GOCGSL funds, I will make sure that whoever spends any money, the funds so expended illegally, unlawfully, and ultra vires, will be paid back from his/her own pocket. This a new cause of action in addition to all the illegal expenditures made by the appointees from and after January 1, 2011.

Enough is enough. How long does anyone think that we should be subjected to such an outrage? Can we endure any longer???

People, lawyer up!

Best regards,

/s/

Nick J. Colessides

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ERRATUM: Mr. Colessides has asked the blog moderators to add the following:

Mr. Steve Simos, a former member of the Parish Council called me earlier this afternoon (March 2, 2011) and reminded me of my error in this Blog piece. He took issue with my conspiracy theory assertion because he reminded me that the disclosure about the extended term of service, was contained in the SECOND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION; it was thus disclosed to the entire community on December 8, 2010. Mr. Simos is correct. My apologies to all and my thanks and appreciation to Mr. Simos for giving me an opportunity to correct the record.

The uncontested point nevertheless remains that NO PERSON (whether clergy or not) HAS THE POWER TO EXTEND ANY PERSON’S TERM OF OFFICE, UNLESS IT IS SO PROVIDED IN THE CONSTITUENT DOCUMENTS OF THE LEGAL ENTITY.

Nick J. Colessides

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ONE COMMUNITY ONE CARD !

 In today's email from the parish council.....
"As the Parish Council has repeatedly stated, the two cards are being used for one purpose and one purpose only: to understand which church (or churches) members of the combined parish will choose to identify with in the event that two separate parishes are ultimately established. "

What is it that the hand picked parish council can not understand?

• That we will not and do not want to split?

• That 87% said no to split in 2007?

• We choose BOTH churches!

• That united we stand?

One card for BOTH churches!

PEOPLE DO NOT PLEDGE TO COLOR CARDS!
PURE WHITE IS THE COLOR!

Yannis Armaou