Our President's Work

On March 24, 2011 we received a letter from Archbishop Demetrios on behalf of the Holy Eparchial Synod. The Archbishop writes "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."  (Click here  to read the original letter)

The corporation filed with the State of Utah on March 30, 2010 was renewed on March 9, 2011.  As of this date, it has not been dissolved as per the Archbishop's letter. (Click here to see the filing with the State of Utah)  In addition, on March 9, 2011 a DBA was established with the State of Utah in the name of Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church  by the president of this community.  (Click ΗΕRE to view the filing)

Is it a coincidence that the "new" stewardship card which was devised some two months later is in the same name?  Under whose direction did our president establish this second entity?  Maybe the time has come for him to be honest and tell us how this has transpired.  Why are both entities still active with the State of Utah?

Meanwhile in SLC ... "Selected" Priorities: (What's in a Name)?

It is becoming ever more interesting to discover what our selected Parish Council and local clergy consider "priorities" for this long-suffering community.

Let's examine a few items of interest and see if we can discern their "priorities":

1. Audit. An independent audit showed several glaring deficiencies in standard accounting and administrative practices that have cost this community several thousands of dollars; this along with the unauthorized expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars on unapproved projects. 

Is addressing this deficiency a priority for the selected Parish Council? No - in fact, the silence has been deafening.

2. Budgets. Have we been presented (in recent memory) any budget based on reasonable, FACTUAL expectations in terms of expected revenues and expenditures? Is the situation likely to be addressed in the near future? 

If the recent past is an indication, hardly.

3. General Assemblies. We haven't had one for quite a while now, probably due to the fact that the selected Parish Council seriously expected to be part of a Parish-Council-of-Prophet-Elias-only council - following a coup that was attempted in order to establish, illegally, an entity not approved by ANY General Assembly. Worse. three non-ELECTED parishioners sought to  circumvent all regular due process. Worse still, the Archbishop was informed by local clergy and the Metropolis that this was legally and properly effected. (So much for adherence to the much-vaunted UPRs!) Regardless, we haven't had a regularly scheduled General Assembly in quite some time now. 

Are open and fair general assemblies a priority? Please.

4. Parish Council Elections. The current SELECTED Parish Council seeks an agenda that will simply add, via election (WOW! how kind of them!), the remaining vacancies on the council, presumably with the clergy's ongoing ability to cull any candidates not to their liking. 

In other words, those SELECTED are arrogant enough to believe that they should not be required to submit their names for fair and open ELECTION, and, further, that certain parishioners still NEED NOT APPLY for any unfilled spots! (Banana Republic Orthodoxy at its finest!) Fair Elections? Priority? Not!

5. What's in a Name? And here we discover the MAIN concern of the SELECTED parish council and the current clerical dictato-leadership - the REAL priority! 

• They're not concerned about their DEMONSTRABLE incompetence in overseeing the affairs of the church these past few years. 
• They're not concerned as to how many (or how often!) of the current UPRs they themselves have violated. 
• They have had no compunction in recently thumbing their noses at Archbishop Demetrios' kind and wise solution to what is admittedly a difficult situation. Grudgingly, the SELECTED PARISH COUNCIL is ostensibly, FINALLY adhering to Archbishop Demetrios' request that a SINGLE stewardship form be made available. 
• The latest form replaces the ridiculous blue/yellow separated church stewardship forms and supposedly reflects the united community that we LEGALLY are - yet the most important part is MISSING - the LEGAL name of the community!
• For EIGHT WEEKS now, our SELECTED Parish Council, using the excuse of following the Metropolis' (but not the Holy Synod's) directives, has FAILED to provide a normal, standard stewardship form that reflects the LEGAL name of this community - the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake. The proposed current form still does not include the legal name of this community!

We may well ask WHY! 

Why? Because like trained fighting pitbulls they will NOT let go of their wish for TWO SEPARATE COMMUNITIES. And therefore, their new form does NOT say "Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake." It says "HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL & PROPHET ELIAS CHURCH" – not the LEGAL NAME of our community. 

THIS is their ONLY priority. To catch the majority unaware. To trick us into accepting a name that implies separation. 

6. CONCLUSIONS: Incompetence means nothing; lying means nothing; HONOR means less than nothing; violations of ethics and even the much-cited UPRs mean nothing; the vindictive threatening of fellow parishioners with sacramental sanctions means nothing; the directives of the Holy Synod and Archbishop Demetrios mean nothing. The only meaning these people have is their one true "God" - the division of this community NOW. 

Much has been made of "the name". Metropolitan Isaiah has chastised us for it constantly. But seen in historical context there is a different story, much as he (Isaiah) would like to make something "sinister" and "secular" of it.  The 1974 amendments to the Articles of Incorporation offend him, because he seems to think that Christianity was taken out of our Parish's corporate structure.

The contrary is true. Were he to inquire, he might learn that prior to 1974 a general assembly appointed a "Long Range Planning Committee" for our community. It was chaired by Constantine Skedros who served along with 25 parishioners as its members. The Long Range Planning Committee recommended the selection and purchase of a parcel of land, somewhere on the south east/west part of the Salt Lake Valley, where we could build a third church edifice later in the future.

Among other recommendations was included that the Parish General Assembly directed that the legal name of the Parish be changed to that of "Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake" in order to convey the message of "universality," and that our Parish's light would shine throughout the Salt Lake Valley and County.

There was no sinister, un-Christian plot - just practical common sense. Only the hyperventilating, pseudo-religious mindset found among some in this current, ill-informed generation - a mindset conspicuously absent in our parents' and grandparents' era – causes some to infer something "sinister" about THE NAME.

Therefore, PLEASE, when signing your stewardship checks, make your checks out to the "GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF GREATER SALT LAKE" - the correct and legal name of this community.

The Community of Lynn Approves a Compromise Agreement, the Metropolis Reneges

Just in from the National Herald (English translation of the article below has yet to be published.)

After considering the Archdiocesan Council's admonition, the president of the Lynn Community, Mr. John Meklis, along with Mr. Tom Demakes, Archon, Leadership 100 member, and benefactor to the Lynn Community, met with Metropolitan Methodios, and his chancellor, Fr. Ted Barbas, to discuss what might be done to resolve the impasse for the good of the Church and all concerned. It was agreed that the difference be split, (and ratified in a Parish Council meeting  on Tuesday, May 17th) and that Lynn would pay $10,000 more (rather than the demanded $20,000) - increasing their Archdiocesan assessment to $78,000 per year for a period of three years with no further increases. An emergency General Assembly for the parish was called; however, Metropolitan Methodios, angered that The National Herald had found out about the agreement and published its terms, went back on his word and today rescinded his approval just prior to the meeting. His action prompted outrage on the part of Lynn's parishioners.

---

Η κοινότητα του Λιν επικύρωσε τη συμφωνία, αλλά την ακύρωσε η Μητρόπολη

Του Θεόδωρου Καλμούκου

ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ/ΘΕΟΔΩΡΟΣ ΚΑΛΜΟΥΚΟΣ
 O προϊστάμενος της κοινότητας Αγίου Γεωργίου του Λιν, πρωτοπρεσβύτερος Γεώργιος Τσουκαλάς, ομιλεί στην ολομέλεια της γενικής συνέλευσης κάνοντας θερμή έκκληση να υπερψηφίσει τη συμφωνία των 78 χιλιάδων δολαρίων «για το καλό της εκκλησίας», όπως είπε.

ΒΟΣΤΩΝΗ. Η γενική συνέλευση της κοινότητας Αγίου Γεωργίου του Λιν το βράδυ της Τρίτης επικύρωσε τη συμφωνία στην οποία είχαν καταλήξει την προηγούμενη ημέρα ο πρόεδρος της Ιωάννης Μεκλής και ο ευεργέτης της Τομ Δημάκης με τη Μητρόπολη Βοστώνης. Η γενική συνέλευση προχώρησε στην απόφασή της αυτή, παρά το γεγονός ότι ο Μητροπολίτης Μεθόδιος ακύρωσε τη συμφωνία την τελευταία στιγμή με το αιτιολογικό ότι την αποκάλυψε ο «Εθνικός Κήρυξ». Εστειλαν στην κοινότητα γραπτό μήνυμα στις 5:30 το εσπέρας.
Ο «Ε.Κ.» αποκάλυψε τη συμφωνία στην ηλεκτρονική του έκδοση www.ekirikas.com την Τρίτη 17 Μαΐου στις 2 μ.μ.

Η συμφωνία περιλάμβανε τα εξής: 1) Να καταβάλλει η κοινότητα το ποσό των 78.000 δολαρίων που είχε προτείνει από την αρχή πριν από το ξέσπασμα της κρίσης το Δεκέμβριο του 2010 και το οποίο είχε αρνηθεί η Μητρόπολη επιμένοντας στην αύξηση των 20.000 για να φτάσει το ποσό της οικονομικής συνεισφοράς της κοινότητας από τις 68.000 στις 88.000.

2) Για τα επόμενα τρία χρόνια η Αρχιεπισκοπή και η Μητρόπολη να μην ενοχλήσουν την κοινότητα για περισσότερη αύξηση, αλλά θα εξακολουθήσουν να λαμβάνουν τις 78.000.

3) Να αρθούν οι κυρώσεις εναντίον της κοινότητας και του προϊσταμένου της πρωτοπρεσβυτέρου Γεωργίου Τσουκαλά, πράγμα που σημαίνει ότι τα μυστήρια του γάμου και της βάπτισης θα τελούνται του λοιπού κανονικά, ενώ ο π. Τσουκαλάς επαναποκτά την κοινωνία με τους λοιπούς ιερείς τους οποίους επέβαλλε ο κ. Μεθόδιος να ταχθούν με επιστολή τους εναντίον του και εναντίον της κοινότητας.

Υπενθυμίζεται ότι 53 υπόγραψαν την επιστολή που είχε ετοιμάσει ο πρωτοσυγκελεύων Τεντ Μπάρμπας ανάμεσά τους και πολλοί συνταξιούχοι, ενώ 14 αρνήθηκαν να την υπογράψουν.

4) Να στείλει επιστολή ο Μητροπολίτης Μεθόδιος στον πρόεδρο του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου Ιωάννη Μεκλή στην οποία να αναφέρει τα παραπάνω, ήτοι τη συμφωνία των 78 χιλιάδων και την άρση των κυρώσεων εναντίον της κοινότητας και του ιερέα της. Η επιστολή να βρίσκεται στα χέρια του κ. Μεκλή χτες (Τρίτη) το πρωί, προκειμένου να διαβαστεί στην ολομέλεια της γενικής συνέλευσης η οποία είχε προγραμματιστεί για την Τρίτη στις 7 το βράδυ.

5) Να μην στείλει τελικά αντιπροσώπους του ο Μητροπολίτης Μεθόδιος στη γενική συνέλευση όπως είχε ενημερώσει γραπτώς την κοινότητα («Ε.Κ.» Δευτέρα 16 Μαΐου 2011), καθότι υπήρχε το ενδεχόμενο να προπηλακιστούν από τους ενορίτες κατά τη συνέλευση λόγω της έντονης αποκαρδίωσης και οργής που επικρατεί.

Η γενική συνέλευση της Τρίτης 17 Μαΐου στην οποία συμμετείχαν 320 ενορίτες και στην οποία είχε δημιουργηθεί για μία ακόμα φορά αδιαχώρητο επικύρωσε ακριβώς την παραπάνω συμφωνία, την απόφαση της οποίας θα στείλουν στον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο. Στη συνέλευση υπήρχε και δημοσιογράφος από την εφημερίδα «Μπόστον Γκλόουμπ» της Βοστώνης.

Ο π. Γεώργιος Τσουκαλάς απευθυνόμενος στη γενική συνέλευση παρότρυνε να ψηφιστεί η συμφωνία που είχε συναφθεί τη Δευτέρα «για το καλό της κοινότητάς μας».

Ο πρόεδρος του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου Ιωάννης Μεκλής ενημέρωσε την ολομέλεια για την συνάντηση στη Μητρόπολη τη Δευτέρα και την συμφωνία στην οποία κατέληξαν και ταυτόχρονα πληροφόρησε ότι την τελευταία στιγμή την ακύρωσε η Μητρόπολη διότι την αποκάλυψε ο «Εθνικός Κήρυξ».

Μιλώντας στον «Ε.Κ.», ο κ. Μεκλής είπε ότι «πιστεύαμε ότι είχαμε φτάσει σε συμφωνία έπειτα από τεσσεράμισι ώρες συνεδρίαση τη Δευτέρα με τον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο και τον π. Τεντ Μπάρμπα και στις 5:30 η ώρα σήμερα (την Τρίτη) η συμφωνία απεσύρθη διότι νευριάσανε επειδή το περιεχόμενο της συνεδρίασης βγήκε στην εφημερίδα, τον ‘Ε.Κ.’, αυτό μου είπαν».

Είπε ακόμα, πως «απόψε παρουσιάσαμε την συμφωνία στη γενική συνέλευση η οποία την αποδέχθηκε, θα την στείλουμε στον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο, λέγοντάς του ‘αυτή η προσφορά μας την αποδέχεσαι ή όχι’».

Στην ερώτηση αν ενημέρωσε τη γενική συνέλευση ότι υπήρξε ακύρωση της συμφωνίας την τελευταία στιγμή και τους λόγους της ακύρωσής της, ο κ. Μεκλής είπε «ναι, το ανακοίνωσα» και συμπλήρωσε «οι άνθρωποι είναι εξοργισμένοι».

Στην ερώτηση πώς ήταν η συνεδρίαση της Δευτέρας στη Μητρόπολη, ο κ. Μεκλής απάντησε πως «ήταν πολύωρη, με αντιπαλότητα και στο τέλος νόμιζα ότι φτάσαμε σε συμφωνία για 78.000 δολάρια πέρυσι, φέτος και του χρόνου, η Αρχιεπισκοπή και η Μητρόπολη θα έλθουν να παρουσιάσουν στους ενορίτες τι κάνουν, όλες οι κυρώσεις θα ήροντο εναντίον του π. Γεωργίου Τσουκαλά και της κοινότητας και σίγουρα ήμουν ανακουφισμένος και προσβλέπαμε να προχωρήσουμε μπροστά».

Πρόσθεσε ακόμη: «για την ιστορία θέλω να σας πω ότι εγώ ζήτησα τη συνάντηση για το καλό της κοινότητάς μας, της Μητρόπολης και της Αρχιεπισκοπής. Επικοινώνησα με τον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο και ζήτησα τη συνάντηση, δεν προκάλεσε εκείνος τη συνεδρίαση, αλλά εμείς για το καλό της Εκκλησίας και τώρα αισθάνομαι ότι έχασα τεσσεράμισι ώρες από την ημέρα μου».

Στην ερώτηση «τι θα κάνετε από εδώ και πέρα», είπε: «θα υποβάλλουμε την προσφορά μας σύμφωνα με τη συμφωνία που επιτεύχθηκε χτες (τη Δευτέρα) έπειτα τεσσεράμισι ώρες και θα εξακολουθήσουμε να λειτουργούμε ως κοινότητα».

Στην ομιλία του στη γενική συνέλευση ο Τομ Δημάκης, πληροφορώντας την ολομέλεια, ανάμεσα στα άλλα είπε πως πήγαν με τον κ. Μεκλή να συνομιλήσουν με τον κ. Μεθόδιο με καλή πίστη, ότι όταν τον ρώτησε αν έχει κάνει κάποιο λάθος με όλες αυτές τις ανακοινώσεις, το γράμμα των ιερέων, τις κυρώσεις εναντίον της κοινότητας και του π. Τσουκαλά, ο κ. Μεθόδιος του απάντησε ότι δεν έχει κάνει τίποτε το λανθασμένο.

Γραπτό μήνυμα του «Ε.Κ.» προς τον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο να πει τη δική του τοποθέτηση ή σχολιασμό δεν είχε απαντηθεί μέχρι την ώρα που ολοκληρώθηκε η παρούσα έκδοση.

Ο Εμμανουήλ Βοσδογιάννης, μέλος του συμβουλίου, μιλώντας στη συνέλευση κάλεσε τον Οικουμενικό Πατριάρχη Βαρθολομαίο να «πάρει τον Μεθόδιο από τη Βοστώνη».

Ο Νώντας Λαγκωνάκης είπε «συμφωνώ και υποστηρίζω την κοινότητά μας». Πρόσθεσε δε, πως «μίλησα ξεκάθαρα στη συνέντευξή μου».

Ο Χρίστος Βακούρος, 50 χρόνια ενορίτης, δήλωσε στον «Ε.Κ.» ότι «ο κόσμος κάνει την Εκκλησία κι όχι οι παπάδες» και πρόσθεσε «πρέπει να δοθεί μάχη αναίρεσε ο Μεθόδιος τη συμφωνία». Ο Ανδρέας Ζαχαρόπουλος 50 χρόνια ενορίτης, είπε ότι «τα πράγματα είναι άνω κάτω, φταίει ο δεσπότης. Πρώτα του δίναμε 50 χιλιάδες τώρα ζητά 90 και 110» και συμπλήρωσε «έχουμε μεγάλη οικονομική κρίση, εγώ δεν εργάζομαι, κοντεύουμε να χάσουμε το σπίτι μας».

Ο Βασίλης Στεφανόπουλος είπε «έχουμε να κάνουμε με ..., κοιτάνε να φάνε, να γυρίζουν με λιμουζίνες». Ο Γιώργος Αλεβίζος είπε ότι «αποφασίσαμε να δώσουμε τις 78 χιλιάδες, πρέπει να τον διώξουμε τον Μεθόδιο από εδώ». Ο Φίλιππος Διαριώτης είπε «μας παίζει παιχνίδια ο Επίσκοπος, είπαμε να δώσουμε τις 78 χιλιάδες για να αποφύγουμε τις φασαρίες». Η Μαρία Βύρη, 40 χρόνια στην ενορία, είπε «οι Μητροπολίτες δεσποτάδες μας διώχνουν όλους από την Εκκλησία και ιδιαίτερα τα παιδιά μας, να σταματήσουν να ζητούν συνέχεια χρήματα».

Ο Εμμανουήλ Βοσδογιάννης επεσήμανε πως «είναι 7 χρόνια μέλος του συμβουλίου, ο κόσμος δεν δέχεται μεγαλύτερη καταπίεση διότι η οικονομία δεν είναι ανθηρή και αυτά που μας ζητούν είναι παράλογα ποσά και δεν έχουμε τη δυνατότητα να τα δώσουμε» και συμπλήρωσε «ψηφίσαμε να δώσουμε 78 για να σταματήσουν αυτοί οι εκβιασμοί και να ηρεμήσει ο κόσμος. Ο Μεθόδιος δεν πιστεύω ότι πιστεύει στο Θεό. Με τις απειλές που κάνει είναι ένας δικτάτορας κι ένας δεύτερος Καντάφι».

Η Στέισι Αραμπατζή, πρόεδρος της Φιλοπτώχου, υπογράμμισε πως «ήταν μια δύσκολη απόφαση που πήραμε για τις 78 χιλιάδες, αλλά μιλήσαμε ως οικογένεια και προσπαθήσαμε να τιμήσουμε τη συμφωνία που έγινε ελπίζοντας να σταματήσει αυτό το κακό». Ανέφερε ακόμα, πως «ακύρωσε (ο Μεθόδιος) τη συμφωνία διότι διάβασε την εφημερίδα σας, το ανακοίνωσε ο πρόεδρος».

Η Γεωργία Κουτσουλομίτη, δικηγόρος, είπε «ήλθαμε εδώ για να ψηφίσουμε τη συμφωνία που έγινε χτες (Δευτέρα) στη Μητρόπολη, αλλά μας ελέχθη από τον πρόεδρο ότι απεσύρθη στις 5:30 η ώρα επειδή την δημοσίευσε ο ‘Ε.Κ.’».

Ο Περικλής Χριστόπουλος, πιλότος της USAir, υποστήριξε «δυστυχώς συνεχίζουν την προπαγάνδα που έχουν. Η γνώμη μου ήταν να παραμείνουμε στις 68 χιλιάδες, αλλά ψηφίσαμε για τη συμφωνία που έγινε χτες με το συμβούλιο» και συμπλήρωσε «λυπάμαι πολύ για τη στάση του Μεθόδιου που ακύρωσε τη συμφωνία και η γνώμη μου είναι ότι πρέπει να φύγει από τη Βοστώνη».

Ο Κωνσταντίνος Γιαννακάκης είπε ότι «ο Μεθόδιος είναι ένας ιός ο οποίος πρέπει να απομακρυνθεί, δεν αφήνει αυτή την κοινότητα να αναπτυχθεί».

Η Ελένη Μάρκου είπε «ήμουν εδώ όταν χτίσθηκε αυτή η εκκλησία και πούλαγαν τούβλα οι ενορίτες, δεν μπορεί κανείς να μας κάνει ό,τι θέλει, κανένας, όλα είναι για χρήμα και εγωισμό».

Από την πλευρά του, ο Παναγιώτης Δημητρακόπουλος τόνισε πως «όταν ένας Μητροπολίτης αθετεί το λόγο του πρέπει να εγκαταλείψει τα ιερά και να πάει στο χωριό να μαζέψει ελιές».

Mάϊος 18, 2011

Ανένδοτη η κοινότητα του Λιν στις απαιτήσεις του Μεθόδιου

Moderator's Note: the following article appears in the online Greek version of "The National Herald".  

Παρασκευή, Μάϊος 13, 2011 Τελευταία Ενημέρωση: 7:50 μμ

Ανένδοτη η κοινότητα του Λιν στις απαιτήσεις του Μεθόδιου

Του Θεόδωρου Καλμούκου

ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ
Κοσμοσυρροή σημειώθηκε στη γενική συνέλευση της κοινότητας του Αγίου Γεωργίου του Λιν της Μασαχουσέτης, στην οποία ελέχθη ομόφωνα «Οχι» στην αύξηση των είκοσι χιλιάδων δολαρίων προς την Αρχιεπισκοπή.

ΒΟΣΤΩΝΗ. Τριακόσια και πλέον μέλη της κοινότητας του Αγίου Γεωργίου του Λιν Μασαχουσέτης, κατέκλυσαν ασφυκτικά την κοινοτική αίθουσα, στη γενική συνέλευση το βράδυ της Πέμπτης, για να εκφράσουν την απόφασή τους να αντισταθούν στις απαιτήσεις της Μητρόπολης Βοστώνης για την αύξηση της ετήσιας συνεισφοράς τους στην Αρχιεπισκοπή κατά 20 χιλιάδες δολάρια.
Ενωμένοι όσο ποτέ, διακήρυξαν την απόφασή τους να μην υποχωρήσουν, είτε να βρεθεί κάποιος συμβιβασμός ή ακόμα κι αν χρειαστεί, σύμφωνα με πηγές του «Ε.Κ.», να αποχωρήσουν από τη Μητρόπολη Βοστώνης και να υπαχθούν σε άλλη Ορθόδοξη Δικαιοδοσία.
Πρόκειται για μία εξέλιξη που δοκιμάζει πλέον ακόμα και αυτή τη συνοχή της Εκκλησίας γενικά αφού ομόφωνα η συνέλευση είπε «Οχι» στο ψήφισμα του Αρχιεπισκοπικού Συμβουλίου της 6ης Μαΐου, με το οποίο την καλούσε να συμμορφωθεί εντός δέκα ημερών και να καταβάλλει την αύξηση των 20 χιλιάδων δολαρίων, αλλιώς «θα υπάρξουν κανονικές και διοικητικές κυρώσεις».
Σε γενική συνέλευση ακούστηκαν πολλές φορές οι αποδοκιμασίες «Οχι», «Οχι στον Μεθόδιο, μολών λαβέ, να φύγει ο Μεθόδιος και τα χρήματα θα βρεθούν».
Οργή, θυμός, αγανάκτηση, αποφασιστικότητα για όλα ήταν το κλίμα στη συνέλευση, η οποία θα επαναληφθεί την Τρίτη 17 Μαΐου για να ψηφίσουν τις περαιτέρω ενέργειές τους.
Οι ενορίτες ο ένας μετά τον άλλον έπαιρναν το λόγο και έλεγαν πως πρέπει να προστατέψουμε τον ιερέα μας, η Εκκλησία χρειάζεται πνευματική αναγέννηση, ο Χριστός ήλθε και αγάπησε τον κόσμο, δεν τον έδιωχνε, δεν δίνουν οικονομική αναφορά από τη Μητρόπολη, η τακτική τους είναι να εκφοβίζουν τον κόσμο, τα παιδιά μας είναι τρομοκρατημένα με τη συμπεριφορά του Μεθόδιου, θέλει να μας διαιρέσει, είμαστε ενωμένοι, στεκόμαστε ενωμένοι, είμαστε μία Εκκλησία, ένας λαός, οι δικτάτορες πέφτουν.
Υποβλήθηκαν ερωτήσεις ακόμα και για την τύχη του ναού σε περίπτωση που αναγκαστούν να φύγουν σύσσωμοι και να αναζητήσουν άλλο χώρο για τη Λατρεία τους.
Πολλοί ενορίτες κρατούσαν στα χέρια τους αντίγραφα από την αρθρογραφία του «Ε.Κ.» και από τις δύο εκδόσεις μας, Ελληνική και Αγγλική, ενώ ιδιαίτερη εντύπωση προξένησε η πρόσφατη συνέντευξη του Νώντα Λαγκωνάκη, τον οποίο είχαν περικυκλώσει δεκάδες ομογενείς και τον συνέχαιραν.
Ο Νώντας Λαγκωνάκης είπε πως «είναι όλοι ενωμένοι, όλοι μια γροθιά και αποφασισμένοι για τα πάντα, κι ό,τι κάνουν σήμερα σε μας στον Αγιο Γεώργιο θα το κάνουν αύριο σε άλλους κι εμείς είμαστε αποφασισμένοι να προστατέψουμε όλους τους άλλους». Στην ερώτηση εάν υποστηρίζει όλα όσα ελέχθησαν στη συνέλευση, είπε «όλα».
Ο πρόεδρος του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου Ιωάννης Μεκλής δήλωσε στον «Ε.Κ.» πως «σήμερα παρουσιάσαμε στους ανθρώπους την κατάσταση όπως έχει διαμορφωθεί. Λάβαμε το ανακοινωθέν του Αρχιεπισκοπικού Συμβουλίου την Παρασκευή με το φαξ και μας δίνουν δέκα ημέρες, συγκαλέσαμε γρήγορα τη συνέλευση, ενημερώσαμε τους ανθρώπους και την Τρίτη θα συνεδριάσουμε πάλι για να αποφασίσουμε».
Είπε ακόμα, πως «ακούστηκε πολλές φορές το ‘Οχι’, οι άνθρωποι είναι αποφασισμένοι να αντισταθούν, αισθάνονται ότι γίνεται κατάχρηση δύναμης και εξουσίας από την ιεραρχία και οι άνθρωποι είπαν ‘όχι’».
Η πρόεδρος της Φιλοπτώχου, Στέισι Αραμπατζή, η οποία έγραψε επιστολή στον κ. Μεθόδιο και αποκάλυψε ο «Ε.Κ.» πριν μία εβδομάδα, είπε ότι «οι άνθρωποί μας ύψωσαν το ανάστημα τους, θα δώσουμε μάχη ως μία οικογένεια και θα πούμε στην Αρχιεπισκοπή πως αξίζουμε περισσότερο από τα χρήματα, μόνο για τα χρήματα νοιάζονται».
Στην ερώτηση γιατί έγραψε στον Μητροπολίτη Μεθόδιο αυτή την επιστολή, είπε «δυστυχώς είχα δοσοληψίες μαζί του επί τριάντα χρόνια και τον έχω ακούσει να βλαστημά μέσα στο Ιερό, έχει προσβάλλει εμένα, τον σύζυγό μου, αυτός πρέπει να είναι ο ποιμενάρχης;». Είπε ακόμα, πως «όχι μόνο στη Βοστώνη δεν μπορεί να παραμείνει, αλλά πουθενά» και αναρωτήθηκε «αυτοί είναι οι ηγέτες της Εκκλησίας;».
Η Ντίνα Σπυριδάκου είπε «να γράψετε με μεγάλα γράμματα ότι ο κόσμος είπε ‘όχι’ στον Μεθόδιο».
Ο Παναγιώτης Δημητρακόπουλος επεσήμανε ότι «δεν μπορεί να μας εκβιάζει ο Μεθόδιος με τα μυστήρια, εμείς είμαστε 40 χρόνια μέλη, αύριο θέλουμε να παντρέψουμε τα παιδιά μας, πού θα πάμε ή πού θα βαφτίσουμε τα εγγόνια μας;». Τόνισε ότι «ο κόσμος είναι αγανακτισμένος» και συμπλήρωσε «τι άνθρωπος είναι ο Μεθόδιος, είναι Χριστιανός Ορθόδοξος; Οι πιο πολλοί λένε ότι πρέπει να φύγει από τη Βοστώνη, δεν μπορεί πια να παραμείνει».
Ο Βασίλης Ιωαννίδης είναι στην κοινότητα από το 1970. «Η κατάσταση είναι θλιβερή για μας, εάν πάρει τον παπά ή διώξει το συμβούλιο θα αλλάξουμε θρησκεία και τότε από πού θα παίρνει τα λεφτά, έστω κι αυτά τα 68 χιλιάρικα». Υπογράμμισε δε, πως «ακούω από τον κόσμο ότι κανένας δεν τον θέλει, δεν είναι ποιμενάρχης είναι χασάπης, αυτό που κάνει είναι νταβατζιλίκι, γράψτε αυτά που σας λέγω».
Η Ευνίκη Βαγιενά-Χριστοπούλου είπε, ότι «πρέπει να μείνει εδώ ο π. Γεώργιος διότι κάτι κακό θα γίνει στην ενορία μας» και συμπλήρωσε «δεν μπορεί πια να μείνει στη Βοστώνη ο Μεθόδιος, όταν πιστεύομε στο χρήμα παύουμε να πιστεύομε στην ανθρώπινη ζωή και στο Θεό».
Ο Θεόδωρος Παραγιός μέλος του συμβουλίου είπε, ότι «πολύς κόσμος, ενωμένοι όλοι μαζί, να ανακαλέσει ο Μεθόδιος, συμφωνώ απόλυτα με τη συνέντευξη του κ. Λαγκωνάκη, τα είπε ‘έξω από τα δόντια’».
Ο Ηλίας Μάρκος, 45 χρόνια ενορίτης, είπε πως «φτάσαμε εδώ διότι όλο δώστε και δώστε, κι αυτό για τα μυστήρια που σταμάτησε ο Μεθόδιος είναι άδικο.
»Αν διώξει τον παπά θα πάμε σε καμιά Καθολική Εκκλησία, κι εκείνοι Χριστιανοί είναι», συνέχισε και συμπλήρωσε «αν ο Μεθόδιος είναι να ενοχλεί έτσι τις εκκλησίες, να φύγει».
Ο Παναγιώτης Κουφός, 45 χρόνια ενορίτης, ανέφερε πως «είπαμε στη συνέλευση ότι ο Μεθόδιος μάς εκβιάζει, εμείς είμαστε καλοί χριστιανοί κι όλος ο κόσμος φώναξε όχι».
Ο Βασίλης Στεφανόπουλος, επίσης 45 χρόνια ενορίτης, τόνισε ότι «θέλει ο δεσπότης να παίρνει καλύτερη λιμουζίνα και να πίνει στα εστιατόρια τα καλύτερα κρασιά».
Ο Νικόλαος Κανέλος, ανέφερε μεταξύ άλλων, «είπαμε ’όχι’ δεν θα δώσουμε τα λεφτά στον Μεθόδιο», «το ψάρι βρωμάει από το κεφάλι».
Ο Παναγιώτης Μηλιώτης ανέφερε: «όπως τα κάνει ο Επίσκοπος θέλει να μας αλλάξει και τη θρησκεία, κανένας νέος δεν έρχεται τώρα στην εκκλησία», «καλύτερα να φύγει».
Ο Νικόλαος Τσώτσης, 35 χρόνια ενορίτης: «είπαμε όχι διότι δεν μπορεί να μας εκβιάζει (ο Μεθόδιος), υπήρχαν άλλοι καλύτεροι τρόποι».
Ο Παναγιώτης Φωτόπουλος, 42 χρόνια στην εκκλησία: «είναι εκβιαστικό αυτό που μας κάνει, δεν μας αρέσει».
Ο Παναγιώτης Σπυριδάκος είπε: «αυτό που ακούσατε, ένα μεγάλο όχι» και συμπλήρωσε «σε ό,τι ζητάει (ο Μεθόδιος) θα πούμε όχι, όλοι μαζί είμαστε, όλοι ενωμένοι».
Ο Γιώργος Μαζαρέας, 52 χρόνων, πρωταθλητής στην καλαθοσφαίριση, προσβλήθηκε πριν έξι χρόνια από κάποια σπάνια ασθένεια και παρέλυσε, είχε έλθει στην συνέλευση μαζί με τη μητέρα του για να «υποστηρίξω την Εκκλησία μας, πρέπει να βρεθεί λύση, αλλιώς μολών λαβέ», είπε μέσω ειδικού της νοηματικής γλώσσας που τον συνόδευε.
«Αν δεν υποστηρίξουμε την κοινότητά μας, θα χαθούμε. Ηλθα το 1956, η εκκλησία ήταν ανεξάρτητη κι ήταν μεγάλο λάθος που μπήκε στην Αρχιεπισκοπή», υπογράμμισε από την πλευρά της η κ. Μαζαρέα.
Ο Οθων Αρσένης μέλος του συμβουλίου είπε: «να πάμε με δέκα λεωφορεία στη Μητρόπολη και να βάλουμε μία πινακίδα που να λέει ανάξιοι υποκριτές και Φαρισαίοι» και συμπλήρωσε «να τους βγάλουμε από εδώ πέρα όχι μόνο τον Μεθόδιο, αλλά και τον Δημήτριο».
Ο Γιάννης Κολοκυθάς είπε: «είμαστε όλοι ενωμένοι».
Ο Θανάσης Αργυρός, μέλος του συμβουλίου, είπε ότι «είμαι τρίτης γενιάς, αν ο Μεθόδιος δεν θέλει τους ανθρώπους να συμμετέχουν στην εκκλησία πλέον, αυτές οι τακτικές του το εγγυώνται αυτό. Πρέπει να τα σταματήσει αυτά και να καταλάβει ότι είμαστε στον 21ο αιώνα και δεν συμπεριφέρεσαι έτσι στους ανθρώπους». Ανέφερε ακόμα πως «ήμουν παρών στη συνεδρίαση στη Μητρόπολη και είδα ότι ήταν μονόπλευρη η κατάσταση, δηλαδή κάνετε αυτό που σας λέμε, τελείωσε». Πρόσθεσε δε, πως «ο Μητροπολίτης Μεθόδιος έχει χάσει την υποστήριξη των ανθρώπων, κι άλλες κοινότητες κάποια στιγμή θα ξεσηκωθούν».
Ο Πάνος Κοντάκης, μέλος του συμβουλίου, τόνισε «είμαστε όλοι ενωμένοι, απόκτησα παιδάκι πριν τρεις μήνες και να μου πει ότι δεν μπορώ να το βαφτίσω εδώ στην εκκλησία μου! Του έστειλα γράμμα θα το στείλω και σε σας».
Ο Βασίλειος Μπούρας, μέλος του συμβουλίου από το 1980, είπε: «θέλουμε να είμαστε μέλη της οικογένειας, αλλά θέλουμε και τον πατέρα να μας συμπεριφέρεται με σεβασμό».

Μάϊος 13, 2011

From THE NATIONAL HERALD: Methodios Cancels Envoys to St. George’s, the Church Remains Defiant

Moderator's Note: the following article appears in the online version of "The National Herald". Within Mr. Kalmoukos' article is contained a letter by the president of St. George's Church in Lynn. It is well worth reading.

By Theodore Kalmoukos

LYNN, Mass. – A planned visit of two envoys from Metropolitan Methodios of Boston to St. George’s Church here, whose Parish Council and members have refused his demands to pay a $20,000 annual increase in their assessment, was cancelled at the last moment, reportedly because he wanted it to be secret. The parent publication of The National Herald –Ethnikos Kiryx - had revealed it was scheduled in an effort to break the tense deadlock between the Metropolitan and St. George’s, whose members are standing fast in their defiance of his demands, and who now are set to meet in a General Assembly May 17. Metropolitan Methodios was set to dispatch two of his close associates legal counsel Demetris Moschos and Angelo Stamoulis members of the Finance Committee to meet with St. George’s leaders before he called it off. Stamoulis did not respond to calls from The National Herald. He and Moschos had hoped to find a way to end the imbroglio that has pitted the Metropolitan against the leaders and members of a church in a working-class city who said they can’t afford his demands, and who are insisting in return to reveal how the Metropolis spends the money it gets from the Archdiocese and the extras from 63 churches in New England under his jurisdiction.

St. George’s balked when the Metropolis raised its annual assessment from $68,000 to $88,000, which the parish rejected in a vote in February, setting off a confrontation with the Metropolitan and Church hierarchy, causing a schism and leading Methodios to bar the church from conducting some sacraments, including weddings. That forced the rearrangement of at least one planned nuptial there.

In an interview with The National Herald, Parish Council President John Meklis said before any discussion the sanctions against the Parish and its priest, one-time Methodios ally, Rev. George Tsoukalas, must be lifted. He said St. George’s has received many letters of support. The parishioners also want Metropolitan Methodios removed from the Metropolis of Boston, although he sought the support of the priests in New England and got 53 including retirees to back him. TNH has learned that some St. George’s members, and possibly those from three other parishes, had planned to demonstrate outside a Boston hotel on May 6 where the Archdiocesan Council scheduled its spring meeting under the chairmanship of Archbishop Demetrios. The same sources told TNH that Greek Orthodox faithful might also protest against Methodios outside of the church where he is going to Liturgize.

That came after The President of the Philoptochos Society of St. George’s Church, Stacey Arambages sent Metropolitan Methodios a letter blasting him, charging that the Clerical leader had acted in an “un-Christian like manner,” and like a “school yard bully.” This is the text of what she wrote:

Fr. George Tsoukalas (C) the presiding priest of St. George’s Church in Lynn, Mass. with the members of the choir. To his left, in front, is Stacey Arambages, the Philoptochos President and author of the letter to Metropolitan Methodios.

“A part of me cannot believe that I am taking the time at 10:30 p.m. to write to a man who neither understands nor has any respect for others. Honestly, you are not worth my time, effort or aggravation as I sit after a 12 hr long day of work completely exhausted. I will take the time to write this letter, however, for my parish of St. George and my wonderful priest Father George Tsoukalas. When I think of all the fund raisers we had for your causes. The monies we collected (because we wanted to) over the years since Father George came to St. George. All of the good things we (as a parish) have done and accomplished. I am astounded that this issue is such a black & white one. Either your way or the highway as they say. That you are not willing to negotiate for the sake of St. George or for the sake of the Metropolis and Archdiocese. I feel burned. I feel that the monies we raised for you were wasted for your glory. Hundreds of thousands of dollars which could have gone toward much needed repair work at St. George or to local charities went so that you would look good in front of the Archdiocese.

I have often wondered how you got to the position which you currently hold. I have seen you, over the course of 20+years, act so disrespectfully and in such an unchristian like manner that it disillusions me. I wonder how His Holiness cannot see you for who you really are. For some reason, you are not humbled by the position you hold. You seem to think that you are entitled and therefore treat everyone “under” you with utter disgust. You feel no shame when you humiliate those around you. I have been party to that humiliation myself and have been a witness while you’ve done it to several of your clergy and flock. Instead of a true leader and shepherd, you are a school yard bully. Shame on you sir. You are not worthy of the title you hold or of the flock that God has entrusted to you.

I always thank the Good Lord that I can come to church and can peel away all of the horrible layers which burden her, the politics, and the money. I come to church for my salvation. I don’t come to a building or to socialize. I sing in choir because God has given me a gift and I say thank you the only way I know how. My church is not the one of money or business. My church is the one of love and forgiveness. It seems that most of the troparia and verse of Holy Tuesday discuss the harlot vs. Judas and it seems to me that the Holy Fathers paid very close attention to those who preoccupy themselves with money. You seem to have forgotten which sinner was the worse.

As a business woman, I believe you are taking an enormous risk for both the Metropolis and the Archdiocese. You may think that you can force your other clergy to side with you, for the time being. Eventually, however, the surrounding churches in your Metropolis will no longer be able to pay the high ransom for the frivolous spending of your administration and the administration of the Archdiocese. Will you, at that time, admonish and punish them as well? Keep in mind that we have very few priests going through the seminary. We don’t have enough to cover those priests who will be retiring within the next 5 years. Who will be after Father George? Who will be spared from your smiting? Will we follow in the footsteps of our Catholic brothers and begin closing down Greek Orthodox Churches. Will we stamp out ourselves for the almighty dollar?

Have your donations decreased since this “problem” began? How will you ever be able to make up those lost dollars of revenue since you have antagonized many of your larger donors? Do you have a backup plan in place or will you try to squeeze out more money from the surrounding churches to cover the loss? I wonder…”

Let it be known that St. George will band together as the family that we are and will combat these evils. This news will spread on a national level and will gain momentum. Others will join our cause. You have started something very frightening. If this can happen to St. George, who is next…… It is my fervent prayer during this Most Holiest of Weeks that the Patriarchate and Archdiocese step in to rethink the course down which we are all traveling. That they look at the pain and suffering you have caused to our parish, Father George and to others around you. That you awaken before it’s too late to see how horribly wrong you are. Please remember, for the good of YOUR soul that you will be judged along with all of us.

ΚΑΛΟΜΕΛΕΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΕΡΧΕΤΑΙ! (THINK WELL, AND IT IS FORTHCOMING!)

Moderator's Note: The below-cited missive arrived from the Metropolis, clearly in direct contradiction to Archbishop Demetrios' instructions and tone, in the latest Messenger. The original may be viewed here.

GREEK ORTHODOX METROPOLIS OF DENVER
March 28, 2011
Protocol 11-8

Beloved in the Lord,

It has recently been brought to my attention that there are questions regarding membership in our parishes and member participation in General Assemblies and other parish gatherings.

What a coincidence! Questions? Participation in General Assemblies? Wonder where this line of “reasoning” is headed, and, for that matter WHO has been asking “questions”?

The matter is very clear and simple, since it is succinctly defined in Article 18 of the Uniform Parish Regulations (UPR).

Every person who is baptized and chrismated according to the rites of the Orthodox Church is a "parishioner”.

(Sounds straightforward, no? Ah, but there’s more…!)

Being a "parishioner," however, does not in and of itself mean that one can participate in a General Assembly or be a candidate for election to the parish council. For that matter, merely being a "parishioner" does not - again, in and of itself - mean that one can receive the Sacraments, be a sponsor at a Baptism or Marriage, or receive an Orthodox funeral. (emphasis added) All of these are afforded only to Orthodox Christian parishioners who are in "good standing."

Hmmm…let’s see, we’re starting to get on some thinner ice here, right down to refusing Orthodox funerals to Orthodox members in this community … does this sound Christ-like? Regardless, that seems not to be pertinent anymore. To be on the “safe side”, perhaps we should re-introduce the attendance card  we designed a while ago to assist the "average Joe" parishioner from being accused of insufficient attendance by the parish council and local clergy?

As further defined in the Article 18 of the UPR, a "parishioner in good standing" is one who practices the religious, moral and social duties expected of him or her and who applies the tenets of the Orthodox Faith to his or her life. Specifically, these duties are: to attend frequently the Divine Liturgy and also the other worship services; to participate regularly in the holy sacraments; to respect all ecclesiastical authority and all governing bodies of the Church; to be obedient in matters of the Faith, practice and ecclesiastical order; to contribute toward the progress of the Church's sacred mission; and to be an effective witness and example of the Orthodox Faith and Tradition to all people. Furthermore, a "parishioner in good standing" must be eighteen years of age or over; must be current in his or her stewardship and other financial obligations to the Parish; must abide by all the stipulations of the UPR and of the Parish Bylaws; and must cooperate in every way toward the welfare and well being of the Parish.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20, KJV) Funny, the Lord doesn’t mention “ecclesiastical authority” or “UPRs” or the like. He nowhere threatens the withholding of his sacred mysteries. He doesn’t threaten to seize or divide the properties and the community that are our legacy. He had, and still has, much to say regarding Pharisees and those who are craven. By the way, these were the sorts of tactics employed when the much-vaunted, and seriously flawed, UPRs were enacted. Lay "leaders" were carefully vetted; any remaining dissenting voices were systematically squelched. Our local "leaders" are now, presumably, "asking questions" of our ecclesiastical "authorities" clearly designed to do the same. As though we haven't experienced it from them in prior general assemblies or through their deceitful actions in trying to split our community, despite the overwhelming wishes of the community to remain united!  They now seek to control WHO may vote in the next General Assembly that the Archbishop has asked the Metropolitan, with the assistance of the Archdiocese, to facilitate. The Metropolitan and the current local regime, representing a demonstrable MINORITY, KNOW they will NOT win, so the tactic is to eliminate  votes beforehand!

…..
…..

I trust this clearly settles any question regarding this matter in the parishes of our Metropolis.

Yes, Your Eminence, the matter is “settled” as clearly as if it were designed by any recent or past unscrupulous politician seeking to increase the chances of influencing elections through gerrymandering and ballot-box fixing. 

With Paternal Blessings, (?!)


+ Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver

4550 East Alameda Avenue, Denver, CO 80246-1208
'l'elephone (303) 333-7794 • FAX (303) 333-7796
Web: www.denver.goarch.org. e-mail: metropolis@denver.goarch.org

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?