Comments Posted By Helga
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Yes, George. Tell them that at the council.
And we have to let Metropolitan Jonah know we are behind him, no matter what they do to him.
» Posted By Helga On October 29, 2011 @ 5:32 pm
*facepalm* That quotation is the epistle reading for today, but I wrote the citation for today’s Gospel reading by mistake. It should read that it’s from 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. Sorry! Bad Helga!
» Posted By Helga On October 29, 2011 @ 1:29 pm
Amos, well said. But I actually hope Fr. Thomas Hopko does get up and speak. If he believes his statement, let him say it all to Metropolitan Jonah’s face instead of behind his back.
» Posted By Helga On October 29, 2011 @ 11:57 am
Lola, the problem with dealing with the potshots is that a lot of this is covered by the confidentiality of the SMPAC memorandum. I think back to Dr. Skordinski’s leaked email where she complained that they didn’t even know what the charges were in order to go full-charge against Metropolitan Jonah, due to the confidentiality of the report. Likewise, Metropolitan Jonah cannot defend himself in those matters without betraying the privacy of the alleged victims and alleged perpetrators.
» Posted By Helga On October 29, 2011 @ 11:55 am
Amos, I would hope the assembly would protest such a speech. When accused of uncanonical behavior, Stokoe likes to quip that the canons are not suicide pacts. Well, Robert’s Rules of Order is not a suicide pact, either.
It also opens the floor for Metropolitan Jonah or anybody with the credentials to speak to rebuke that senior protopresbyter for his complicity with Stokoe.
Come on, people. Read the Matins canon for Holy Saturday. There is plenty of reason to have hope. They cannot take that away from us.
Also, read today’s epistle reading: “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.” (Luke 8:16-21)
» Posted By Helga On October 29, 2011 @ 10:15 am
Yes, the rotating Metropolitan thing is an ecclesiological joke. It would be the death-knell for the Nouvelle OCA in the eyes of canonical churches.
Herc, did you know that “oca” is the Spanish, Italian, and Catalan word for goose? I think it’s rather fitting. “La OCA”.
» Posted By Helga On October 29, 2011 @ 9:39 am
George, don’t underestimate the power of lay people. I can tell you, people are *disgusted* at the overspending and backbiting coming out of Syosset. They are not all buying Stokoe’s story, or the blather in the official reports. If anything happens to Metropolitan Jonah, it’s not going to be the end, but the beginning. As long as Metropolitan Jonah is alive and healthy, he can be restored to office. (Who would dare to doubt the Holy Spirit in his election if that happened?) Many saints were deposed and exiled multiple times.
The bottom line is that you and all of us have to keep reaching people with the truth. Tell them how the Metropolitan Council commended Stokoe for lying about the Metropolitan, publishing stolen emails, and abusing his position on that very council. Remind them that Metropolitan Jonah is our first Metropolitan in thirty years who isn’t an alcoholic or a pervert, and that he is a kindly and prayerful monk, not the crazy idiot they have been trying to portray him as. Most importantly, show them the bias in the official reports that is obviously intended to sway delegates against the New York plan and against moving the chancery.
I desperately wish I could be there in Seattle. You and everyone here who is going have to speak for us and let them know we’re not going to let them run the OCA into the ground no matter what they try to do to Met. Jonah. Met. Jonah is just an incidental target because he truly is a bishop of Christ’s church and a successor to the apostles. This battle is bigger than just Met. Jonah individually, it’s about Christ and His Church, His Gospel, which are the real victims being attacked here.
» Posted By Helga On October 29, 2011 @ 9:31 am
As for the Syosset Set, they’re just time-servers who’ve marinated for too long in the liberalist/ecumenist juices of the East Coast and Academia.
Boy, did you ever nail that one on the head, George!
You’re going to Seattle, right? Keep banging the drum: “No more throwing good money after bad”. No more honoring liars, thieves, and bullies, while running the OCA into the ground.
» Posted By Helga On October 28, 2011 @ 11:24 pm
J-TAC, that’s an interesting thought, but I could only see ceding that much ground if this were a simple administrative dispute with large faults on both sides. From the amount of rot that has been exposed, though, I think we can see that this is spiritual warfare, and this is not a battle we can afford to lose.
Yes, Metropolitan Jonah is in danger of being coerced into resigning or otherwise removed from office unjustly. “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” But even if this happens, it won’t be the end, not for Metropolitan Jonah, and not for us, either. We must fight and pray for the church administration to be cleaned out, and fight for Orthodoxy in America.
» Posted By Helga On October 28, 2011 @ 10:47 pm
The wisdom of Milos Konjevich is providential, a wisdom that sadly is sorely lacking in other parts of the OCA. May God grant him many years.
» Posted By Helga On October 28, 2011 @ 11:39 am
I would have rather had Fr. Hopko than Fr. Kishkovsky, because at least then we could have been spared Fr. Kishkovsky’s brutally boring speech, and also held Fr. Hopko responsible for betraying his former student.
» Posted By Helga On November 8, 2011 @ 7:53 am
There’s good news – Fr. Chad and Maureen Jury were BOTH just elected to the MC! They were the ones who asked those questions on the first night! AXIOS and AXIA!
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 7:23 pm
I suppose the argument could be made that Metropolitan Jonah is crazy for staying in the OCA, and not running for the hills!
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 7:14 pm
At this point, the OCA is smaller than some universities.
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 4:22 pm
I think Due Process is WAY sexier than Edward or Jacob.
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 3:59 pm
Discretion of the MC. Huh. I would have only agreed to that if the current MC priest and lay members all agreed to tender their resignations and new elections were held.
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 3:01 pm
I’m using this, with the typical adaption for laypeople (replace the triple kyrie eleison litanies with 40x Lord Have Mercy, etc). I hope people will see this and at least say a few of the prayers from it. “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.”
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 12:53 pm
I should have mentioned yesterday that it was Vladyka Dmitri’s birthday. Happy birthday in heaven, dear Vladyka! Pray for us, and especially for our Metropolitan Jonah.
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 10:34 am
Everyone, please pray tomorrow during Plenary Session VI, since this is when they will be doing resolutions voting, including on the resolution to reduce the assessment. It will start tomorrow at 10:30 AM Pacific time, which is 1:30 PM Eastern time.
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 12:32 am
Listening to the second half of Plenary IV – it was a pleasure to hear someone compliment Metropolitan Jonah’s leadership for a change! God bless you, Audit Committee guy!
» Posted By Helga On November 3, 2011 @ 12:25 am
Not just Bishop Benjamin; I think all of them should volunteer to do the same, including the auxiliary bishops.
I’d vote for their stupid $125 assessment if they all agreed to do that.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 3:31 pm
Actually, I think Fr. Chad’s employment is based on the good graces of the seminary’s Board of Trustees, which is chaired by Metropolitan Jonah and consists of a pan-Orthodox group of people, including Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) and Bishop Savas (Zembillas). I don’t think he has any reason to kiss any bishop’s behind.
I say this in honesty, not in an attempt to cast aspersions on Fr. Chad’s bravery in forcing the Holy Synod to address that issue openly. Fr. Chad is an archpriest of unchallenged integrity, not to mention a proven track record of being able to work constructively with others, including Metropolitan Jonah. God grant him many years.
I didn’t hear Bishops Michael and Matthias say that. From what I heard, it sounded like it could just as easily be the two of them taking Metropolitan Jonah by the arms and forcing him through the doors. I do wonder what will happen if this evaluation finds Metropolitan Jonah to be sane and healthy, though!
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 12:48 pm
Battle in Seattle? — Part 1 One
Just because they blamed Metropolitan Jonah doesn’t mean it’s true. He is a scapegoat.
The only reason Fr. Garklavs gets so much applause is because no one is telling the truth about him. Metropolitan Jonah can’t, and others won’t, but the speech Stokoe leaked in February tells plenty about him, and none of it good. Metropolitan Jonah was right when he said he should have simply fired him. That Metropolitan Jonah didn’t fire him while he could is his real management problem.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 11:38 pm
Kids, kids, settle this down, or NOBODY is getting milk and cookies!
Seriously, I think we need to all spend some time in prayer this week for the whole OCA, and for the Holy Synod including the Metropolitan, not hashing out the great wars of the past.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 1:56 pm
Bishop Nikolai also danced around an allegation that Bishop Benjamin looked at that pornography with the aforementioned relative. If true and said relative was a minor at the time, that’s also a crime.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 1:47 pm
Nice personal attack, Carl. But Metropolitan Jonah is still loved and cherished by many, including myself.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 9:34 am
19:30 on the Plenary II recording. I greatly did not appreciate Fr. Jillions’ swipe at Metropolitan Jonah when he said how “everybody” had warned him against applying for the position. This does not bode well.
I also want to commend Father John Parker for openly questioning Fr. Jillions about his views on “sexual minorities”. As a position of pastoral ministry, the position of OCA chancellor carries a tremendous amount of responsibility for upholding the moral precepts of the Church.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 9:23 am
I’m glad for Ms. Matovic’s blogging, too, DM, and I don’t mean that sarcastically or anything. It is nice to see with a glance an outline of what’s happened so far.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 9:04 am
Stankovich, the allegations do NOT rise to that level. You jumped to conclusions.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 8:15 am
«« Back To Stats PageJesse, you make a good point. However, I thought of it as a way of showing affection for Metropolitan Jonah in a way that is tangible. One of Stokoe’s tactics has been to make it appear that Metropolitan Jonah is alone with all sensible people ranged against him.
» Posted By Helga On November 2, 2011 @ 8:13 am
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