Comments Posted By StephenD

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Well Done, Syossett and Metropolitan Jonah!

Nikon letter:

Dear Brothers,

Originally as Locum Tenens of the Diocese of the South I had scheduled a
Special Assembly this month (July) in order for a candidate to be selected and
proposed to us for canonical election to fill the vacancy of the archpastor of
this widowed diocese.

Two candidates to date were probably going to appear on the ballot and one name
would be sent to us. Both are controversial in different ways. One Bishop Mark
Maymon within the diocese due to some unfortunate incidences and the other
outside of the diocese Fr Gerasim Eliel that several of you have indicated have
serious questions or concerns.

The problem is that one of them has never met any of us. Although there was a
rudimentary vetting of Fr. Grasim a number of years ago but the make up of the
Synod at that time was different than today and several of you have expressed
serious concerns and have questions that they would like to have answered should
his name be placed before us.

Therefore I am postponing the special assembly and suggest that Fr Gerasim be
invited to the Fall session of the Holy Synod so that he may be properly vetted
by the current members of the whole Synod and answer any questions and address
any concerns you may have.

In all fairness to us and to the Diocese of the South, we cannot expect the
Synod to elect someone they do not know and further, should the special election
take place now, and the name be unacceptable to the majority of the Synod
members, this would then place us in the precarious position of “appointing” an
arch pastor who either may or may not be known to the diocese. In effect the
diocese would have forfeited there election process. This is something that
cannot and should not occur as we, both the synod and the diocese choose a
successor to Archbishop Dmitri, of Blessed memory.

+ NIKON

» Posted By StephenD On July 5, 2012 @ 9:18 am

It begins

» Posted By StephenD On July 4, 2012 @ 5:12 pm

Would You Want Your Son to be a Priest?

Since all of the Bishops in the Antiochian Archdiocese are now “auxillaries” maybe people just don’t care as much as people in the OCA do…
I must say however that Bishop Joseph is handling a sex abuse scandal very admirably.. The OCA Bishops could learn a lot from him..

» Posted By StephenD On June 30, 2012 @ 6:49 am

Bless you Gail and I will remember you and your son in my prayers

» Posted By StephenD On June 29, 2012 @ 2:52 pm

WOW ! let the games begin!

http://dostruth.blogspot.com/

» Posted By StephenD On June 26, 2012 @ 7:36 am

Maybe thats another question that Father Gerasim should be asked.

» Posted By StephenD On June 25, 2012 @ 11:06 am

If Archbishop Nikon is called by the Lord and Bishop Mark becomes the Bishop of New England I predict we will see most of the Albainian parishes go under the Ecumenical Patriarch..there already are a few Albanian parishes under the EP…is this what the EP wants? Everything seems to be falling into place in the EP’s favor..I pray I am wrong..

» Posted By StephenD On June 24, 2012 @ 5:24 pm

Amos I totally agree with you..but it seems Bishop Mark is being pushed onto the Diocese…

» Posted By StephenD On June 24, 2012 @ 2:03 pm

I think thats the way it is…here in Jacksonville there are people who want Bishop Mark .

» Posted By StephenD On June 24, 2012 @ 11:19 am

The Necessity of Spiritual Formation

and very obvious…very obvious indeed.

» Posted By StephenD On June 21, 2012 @ 2:27 pm

Sex, Czar and More Red Tape –Part 2

My greatgrandmother and grandmother used to tell me stories of Mother Maria sitting in the cafes of Paris in her habit smoking cigarettes and drinking pernod. Of coarse during this time she was also hiding Jews and helping refugees escape.She brought a Jewish girl to my greatgrandmothers apartment and said “be Christ to this child” and they hid her until the underground could get her away.

» Posted By StephenD On July 6, 2012 @ 7:56 am

“See How Good it is When Brothers Dwell Together in Unity”

I guess there is an Old Calendar, a New Calendar and a Syosset Calendar

» Posted By StephenD On June 7, 2012 @ 12:12 pm

I used to live in Chicago down the street from a Norwegian Lutheran Church which still had a service in Norwegian on Sundays…the english service was packed but the Norwegian service just had a few elderly people who faithfully attended it..the pastor decided keeping the Norwegian service wasn’t worth the effort and all hell broke out…english speakers who never attended the Norwegian service went crazy! The service was continued but no one attended except the few elderly who always did…..

» Posted By StephenD On June 7, 2012 @ 6:28 am

Father John
I guess it would depend on how long one has been Orthodox and if one were around during that time or had relatives who were there. My mother was shaken by the change but I actually think she was relieved at now looking more “American”. She was born here in the States ,my greatgrandmother fled Russia during the Revolution.I think the Calender issue is important to “ethnics” and it shows a lack of compassion and empathy that you do not see it .

» Posted By StephenD On June 6, 2012 @ 2:20 pm

I remember those days too and even though I was young it did feel as if the very fabric of the Church was being torn away. I had a selfish reason to be upset too. My father was Episcopalian and I certainly enjoyed the bounty of “Two Christmas’s”..It was unfortunate how it was done and I remember Bishop Herman being very ugly when he came to St.Stephen’s to announce the edict on the calender. One reason that the Baba’s didn’t string him up is because I do remember him saying that this would make us more “American”. I must always remember that this was said in a Church which took the word “Russian” off of the sign during the Cuban missle crisis. I have a feeling that many parishes would go “back” to the Old Calender if given the chance..

» Posted By StephenD On June 6, 2012 @ 6:23 am

Bravo ! Axios ! It was very touching for Met.Jonah to do this..the pain of the past can be undone. Axios !

» Posted By StephenD On June 5, 2012 @ 11:20 am

Make Way for the Syosset Sex Czar! — Part 1

I understand what you are saying but do we need to sink to that level? Should we not be better than that? Its your web site though and you set and enforse the rules…Like I said I do understand what you are saying..

» Posted By StephenD On June 3, 2012 @ 4:40 am

George…I thought the reset meant we weren’t going to have comments like “Stan the man….Russian filth” anymore?

» Posted By StephenD On June 2, 2012 @ 1:48 pm

Not that I know of…I did take some classes at John Jay College a few years ago….I agree about the Ph.D issue…I also graduated from a Psychoanalytic Institute,,,I do think the person should be licensed but maybe he or she should just coordinate the office…Im not even sure this position is needed…The Seraphim Matter was handled very well but of coarse that is Canada..I was involved in a case that Met.Jonah was involved in and I was impressed by how he took a “no tolerence” stance. However there have also been mistakes…but thats life…we all make mistakes

» Posted By StephenD On June 2, 2012 @ 9:45 am

Which is very scary…I have a Ph.D and I would never apply…I was asked to be one of the “investigators” and I said no thankyou…Why would they be looking for “investigators” when they don’t even have a Head of the Office?

» Posted By StephenD On June 2, 2012 @ 9:13 am

Couldn’t it also be someone that the Metropolitan wants to give a job to? Fr.David Brum?

» Posted By StephenD On June 2, 2012 @ 3:55 am

George I agree with you ..the offenders are ethnic cradles and converts..Katsinas was very Greek and Gabriel Barrow who Met.Phillip sent from the Antiochian Archdiocese to the GOA was a convert..I do feel very strongly about the 1 year at Seminary rule and I applaud Met.Jonah for appearing to do that..I do hope that the Episcopal Assemblys will also address the issue of jurisdiction hopping..that would have stopped both Met.Phillip and Gabriel Barrow in their tracks…

» Posted By StephenD On June 1, 2012 @ 5:16 pm

George…you may be right but people who perpetrate against children and women are very good at “masking” their tendancy to do so. We do offender evaluations where I work although in a differnt building because we also treat victims and the perpetrators are often mistaken for foster fathers or lawyers by those who do not know differently. I would certainly not be surprised if a priest missed that. orientation.Now seminary might be a different matter which is why I am leery of “receiving” or “ordaining” convert clergy without at least a year in an Orthodox seminary setting. Lots of pathology can be identified when on is living in a community setting.

» Posted By StephenD On June 1, 2012 @ 12:37 pm

The Sex Czar: Conclusion –A Failed Paradigm for a Failing Institution

If not the Sex Czar he will get the F.O.S directorship but he will be at Syosset…

» Posted By StephenD On August 27, 2012 @ 4:39 am

I just heard from a reliable source that Bishop Mark is going to be the Sex Czar. He will work at the Chancery in Syosset and live in Met.Jonah’s old apartment. Good grief! Could things get any worse? It will be announced at the AAC in Parma ,Ohio in November.

» Posted By StephenD On August 26, 2012 @ 3:39 pm

I have found Met.Isaiah to always do the right thing..he can be a
bit slow to do so but he is light years in front of Met.Alexios and Met.Iakovos.The two GOA Metropolitans I am most familiar with..

» Posted By StephenD On August 18, 2012 @ 6:10 am

Metropolitan deposed him.Last year when Mr. Gabriel Barrow was listed in the parish that he belongs to newsletter as “Father” Gabriel Met.Isaiah hit the roof and telephoned the pastor and told him to stop such foolishness. He did. I am sad at how Met.Isaiah handled the Katsinas affair but that was also sent to him by Met.Iakovos of Chicago.One wonders what communication is pass along.

» Posted By StephenD On August 17, 2012 @ 2:59 pm

Or he moves them to another jurisdiction as he did to Gabriel Barrow who was accepted to the GOA from the Antiochian Archdiocese…the GOA subsequently suspended and then deposed him

» Posted By StephenD On August 17, 2012 @ 4:35 am

Michael:

“The upshot of the whole thing is that he will be left alone until he decides to die.”

I had no idea we decide when we will die but Met.Phillip did say such a thing.Its on the tapes from Palm Desert. Such arrogance. Such hubris.

The Palm Desert Debacle was a horrible thing to witness. Sara Hodges was either the bravest or the stupidist person in the room to bring up financial transparency in the Antiochian “Self Ruled by Met.Phillip” Archdiocese of North America. Listen to the tapes of when she is speaking. Its really sad and scary. The Bishop whose life was threatened was Bishop Mark who I really admired then. I lived in Chicago then and thought he was wonderful.Sad that he took a wrong turn.

» Posted By StephenD On August 15, 2012 @ 6:56 am

Jane
Ask them about open audit or financial transparency and you’ll see a big difference in the OCA an dthe Antiochian archdiocese. Sarah Hodges was pilloried in Palm Desert when she brought the subject up.

» Posted By StephenD On August 12, 2012 @ 6:29 pm