It’s time to honour their legacy… we need UNITED Russian Orthodox Metropolias in the USA, in Canada, and Alaska NOW!
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Two of my “kitchen cabinet” members sent me some things that you should consider. I’m not going to comment on what’s written until the end. The only thing that I did was to remove all “tell-tales” from them. That’s how serious it is, kids… people can’t sign their names to many things for fear that jerks such as Piggy Iggy, Reardon, Lyonyo, and Behr would savage them for speaking out (the fave method of such noxious clerics is using the Mysteries as a weapon). I found these informative and there’s not an idle word in them… and, yes, they did sign their names (I don’t accept “anonymous” e-mail)…
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A partial solution to the ROCOR financial situation’s bloody obvious… they should use the MP cathedral in the City, St Nick’s. The ROCOR needs to sell its “decaying” (in their own words) headquarters. Since that would mean the Synodal Cathedral would no longer exist, that’s where St Nick’s comes in. The present ROCOR and MP cathedrals are very close to one another. That really makes this a no-brainer, since parishioners from the ROCOR cathedral would be going to essentially the same location. The only real problem in the short term would be the problem of two bishops based out of the same cathedral. However, whilst Archbishop Yustinian has only a few parishes (around 30, from a quick count on their website, including a parish in Mexico), I don’t know how many Metropolitan Hilarion actually has in New York.
Your comment about “unthrifty institutions” needing to be closed caused me to look at the most recent financial statements from STS and SVS. The difference is stark. STS seems to be in MUCH better shape than SVS; just look at long term debt. STS TOTAL long term debt was a little under 71,000 USD (2.25 million Roubles. 56,000 Euros. 46,000 UK Pounds) (figure from page 14). I can’t tell if there’s an STS operating deficit. However, everything is MUCH lower than SVS! SVS payments ONLY on long term debt in FY 2011 were a little over 203,000 USD (6.4 million Roubles. 159,000 Euros. 132,000 UK Pounds). SVS operating deficit was 290,000 USD (9.16 million Roubles, 228,000 Euros. 189,000 UK Pounds) (Both figures from page 19).
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I wondered how long it would take the ROCOR to acknowledge officially its financial troubles. The signs were certainly been there… not long ago, people just knew (but the apparat never acknowledged it!) that there simply wasn’t enough money to fly Bishops out to Synod meetings. Before that, there was the ruckus about the renting of the Synod buildings on 93rd Street. All of these were hints. Now it’s all out in the open… the deficit is half a million bucks (15.8 million Roubles. 392,000 Euros. 325,000 UK Pounds) per annum.
93rd Street is a white elephant, and I don’t imagine that they’ll be able to save it in the end. They should consider letting it go and moving the ROCOR headquarters to Jordanville. Yes, Jordanville is out of the way and all that, but it’s one of the principal centres of Russian Orthodox America, and since the death of Metropolitan Laurus, it’s been slowly falling into ruin. Certainly, people (outside the East Coast White Russian element, that is) would be more inclined to give money to save Jordanville than to save 93rd Street! Redirecting efforts to build up Jordanville would be in everyone’s best long-term interest. You know, the ROCOR powers-that-be must know that this is what’ll happen in the end. Otherwise, why hasn’t Fr Luke Murianka been made “Bishop of Syracuse and Holy Trinity” like all the previous abbots of Jordanville?
Yes, many wonderful and historic moments took place in 93rd Street… the glorifications of St Ksenia and the New Martyrs, the consecration of many ROCOR bishops, Synod meetings, you name it. Many wonderful things happened in Syosset, too. Nevertheless, neither Syosset nor 93rd Street is sustainable any longer. These white elephants don’t match up to the reality on the ground, and there’s nothing magical, mystical, or even simply strategic about Manhattan or Long Island. It’s time to move the centres of the church to the heart of Russian Orthodox America… Jordanville and St Tikhon’s. Strengthen the monasteries. Build up the seminaries. Revive the presses. Wouldn’t that be more constructive in the long run?
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To add ANYTHING to this would be disrespectful to my friends. I’ll simply say that they’re “read n’ heed” quality… no more need be said…
BMD
