Voices from Russia

The Faces of Holy Russia gave me an idea. It is going to form part of triptych, The Faces of Holiness. This second panel of the ensemble focuses on the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska and its predominately native faithful.

Russian missionaries brought Orthodoxy to Alaska when it was known as Russian America, in the 19^th century. Some practises of the Alaska Church are unique, but, that is not uncommon in the Orthodox oikumene. They are organic growths of the Faith that matured over the two centuries that Orthodoxy has lived in the Alaskan soil. Unlike some other “growths”, which are the mere notions of intellectuals, the customs found in Alaska are the result of the Faith lived by good and simple people with pure hearts.

You see, they live in a seemingly-harsh environment that they love (for it is THE LAND). They belong there (for they are THE PEOPLE). They have a rootedness lacking in American suburbanites (for where they live is THE PLACE). The lack of modern “amenities” does not bother most (for that is the way of it in THE LIFE). Most of all, they have a clear belief in God and His bounties (for such is THE FAITH).

No, we are not speaking of a pastoral idyll. The native people have their problems and sins to grapple with, as all of us do. They are neither “saintly savages” nor “drunken injuns”. Rather, they are ordinary folks who live a distinct and special life amongst the rays of the Northern Lights. This is my tribute to them and their Faith. They have wandered the least from ordinary Orthodoxy (if they have wandered at all) of anyone in the OCA. They deserve to lead the Church back home… they have earned it.

*****

*****

These are people whom God has tested…. they have proved their mettle. May God preserve these lovely folks.

Bog blagoslovit.

Vara Drezhlo

Friday 30 May 2008   

WARNING! This post is unusually long and (admittedly) dry due to the need of presenting all the figures. I shall say that any priest or church official perusing this shall not find it a boring read. Unlike the official statistics, which are straight-faced cheerleading from Cloud-Cuckoo Land, this is an accurate and impartial study using data from an objective outside source.

Some while back, I did a study of who was reading what website based on figures from Quanticast. I have expanded the study, amplified the figures, and have been able to gain a better picture of American Orthodoxy as a result. There were two websites (Fr John Whiteford and Orthodixie) that I was unable to put into the “personal site” category as a result of figures not being available to Quanticast. I encourage the authors of these sites to “quantify” them (see http://www.quanticast.com for details).

A great deal of what follows is raw statistical data. This is the raw material one needs to make a reasoned judgement on the state of the Church. There are five official (GOA, OCA, ROCOR, AOCANA, and ACROD) and four personal sites in this study. I wished to use the official website of the Serbian Orthodox Church, but, the figures were too sketchy (I encourage the webmaster of this site to quantify it, see the above URL for details) to be useful.

Two personal websites I wished to put in the personal website section, as noted above, had no figures. The personal websites in this study are Orthodox Christians for Accountability (“Stokoe”), Frederica (“Greene”), Orthodox England (“Phillips”), and Voices from Russia (“Drezhlo”). The last two sites present an ordinary Orthodox point of view whilst the first two are decidedly modernist and dodgy.

We shall present the data, and let us see where it takes us! The truth shall set you free.

A) Gross monthly uniques

Official Sites:

1.   Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA): 78,867 (100)

2.   Orthodox Church in America (OCA): 27,020 (34)

3.   Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in North America (AOCANA): 15,757 (20)

4.   Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR): 7,451 (9)

5.   American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese (ACROD): 5,266 (7)

In a recent study of Orthodox church adherence in the US (the only reliable figures available, alas), Professor Aleksei Krindatch of Moscow estimated the membership of the GOA at 340,000. When I multiplied that figure by the indexes given above, the resulting sums were eerily similar to Professor Krindatch’s conclusions. Virtually every membership report issued by American Orthodox church bodies have been grossly inaccurate at best, downright lies at worst. However, the above figures must be adjusted to account for “addicts” (daily visitors) and “regulars” (more than once a month, but, not daily).

Personal Sites:

1.   Orthodox Christians for Accountability (Stokoe): 6,685 (100)

2.   Voices from Russia (Drezhlo): 6,166 (92)

3.   Orthodox England (Phillips): 5,346 (80)

4.   Frederica [Frederica Matthewes-Greene] (Green): 3,258 (49)

Let me give a caveat or two on the above figures. The Stokoe readership is made up disproportionately of addicts, so, the above figure is going to drop greatly in the adjustment below. Fr Andrew Phillips, in a personal e-mail communication, told me that the above figures are US only, which is some 30 percent of his total audience. If that is so, his estimated total for monthly gross uniques would be 17,820 (index of 267), not only making his the top personal site; it would also give him more uniques than three of the five official sites, except for the OCA and GOA. This fact makes Batiushka Andrew the leading Orthodox commentator on the web; he has a greater influence than some of the official websites (Modernist attackers of Fr Andrew such as Hank Leaf should keep their silence. The facts have spoken.).

B) Adjusted monthly uniques

Official Sites:

1.   GOA: 60,182 (100)

2.   OCA: 20,714 (34)

3.   AOCANA: 13,473 (22)

4.   ROCOR: 5,997 (10)

5.   ACROD: 4,728 [8]

No surprises here, for the ranking and proportions of the gross figures are virtually the same as the adjusted ones. The number of addicts is divided by three, and the number of regulars is divided by two, per the Quanticast site, to give a better view of actual individuals accessing the various addresses.

Personal Sites:

1.   Drezhlo: 5,548 (100)

2.   Phillips: 5,141 (93)

3.   Stokoe: 4,555 (82)

4.   Greene: 2,539 (46)

If we adjust Fr Andrew’s figures for his foreign following, he moves to number one at 17,136 adjusted uniques (index of 309). I do not have this in the above table for I have no independent verification of his figure. Batiushka! I love you and trust you, but, I hold you to the same standard as everyone else. I include the figures for the website of Frederica Matthewes-Green because she is a loud and strident self-advertiser. I agree with Professor Vigen Guroian’s trenchant criticism of her, and the above figures show her to be a MUCH lesser figure than some modernist sources would have you believe.

As an aside, there is an internet group known as the Orthodox Forum run (essentially) by a single individual, Harry Coin. It claims to be the most authoritative non-official source on the web. Well, it only has 1,477 registered members, so, it is only a small group of theological radicals (they advocate such things as a married episcopate and support the Osbourne schismatics), and the core of the group is only about 50 true-believer liberal radicals. If it was to have an index number as per the above list, it would be 27, and it would rank dead last. That is, it has only 27 percent of the readership of my site. Be wary of this group, they are not as important as they claim. Thankfully, their bark is FAR greater than their size. They are “all hat and no cattle” as they say in Texas.

C) Gender ratios in percentages

a) Male readership as a percentage of the total

Official Sites:

1.   ROCOR: 42 percent (86, Internet average; 100, this study sample)

2.   GOA and OCA: 40 percent (80, 95)

3.   AOCANA: 34 percent (69, 81)

4.   ACORD: 16 percent (34, 38]

None of the official websites does a good job of attracting male readership, if we define “good” as being within 10 points of the average. If we define “fair” as being within 20 points of the average, the top three score that. The AOCANA needs to do major revamping and the ACROD figures are abysmal.

Personal Sites:

1.   Drezhlo: 55 percent (110, 100)

2.   Phillips: 47 percent (95, 85)

3.   Stokoe: 43 percent (88, 78]

4.   Greene: 32 percent (65, 58]

It would be unfair to paint Ms Greene as poor in this aspect, as her site has a feminine focus. Fr Andrew and I are doing a “good” job, whilst Mr Stokoe is only doing a “fair” performance. I should note that I do not try to attract a masculine audience and some of my most vocal and loyal readers are women. Go figure!

b) Female readership as a percentage of the total

Official Sites:

1.   ACROD: 84 percent (163, 100)

2.   AOCANA: 66 percent (129, 79)

3.   GOA and OCA: 60 percent (116, 71)

4.   ROCOR: 58 percent (113, 69)

All the official sites do an excellent job of attracting female readership. Now, they should concentrate on getting the fellows, as well. However, there appears to be a correlation between modernism and a larger female following. That is more marked in the personal site listings below.

Personal Sites:

1.   Greene: 68 percent (133, 100)

2.   Stokoe: 57 percent (110, 84)

3.   Phillips: 53 percent (103, 78]

4.   Drezhlo: 45 percent (90, 66)

Ms Greene’s showing is not surprising, given her focus. All the rest of us are doing a “good” job at attracting a female audience.

D) Educational Levels of the readership in percentages

a) Non-college graduates

Official Sites:

1.   ROCOR: 28 percent (62, 100)

2.   GOA: 26 percent (56, 93)

3.   ACROD: 24 percent (54, 86)

4.   OCA: 19 percent (44, 68]

5.   AOCANA: 16 percent (36, 57)

45 percent of the general population falls into this category, so, one cannot conclude that Orthodox are better educated than the average, as corroborating evidence from objective sources is lacking. It is true that the official sites are doing a poor job of reaching this cohort, whilst one also notices that the gap widens with the increasing level of modernism.

Personal Sites:

1.   Drezhlo: 36 percent (79, 100)

2.   Greene: 29 percent (65, 81)

3.   Phillips: 15 percent (34, 42)

4.   Stokoe: 5 percent (13, 14)

My site is the only site of the four to be near “fair”, missing it by only one point. All the others miss the mark for this social category, with the Stokoe site being abysmal in this regard. Of course, the snotty and shirty tone of so many posters on the Stokoe site (in all fairness, Mr Stokoe himself does not take such a noisome attitude) puts many people’s teeth on edge, and many see them as overeducated dweebs who wish to lead all others about by the nose.

b) College graduates

Official Sites:

1.   ACROD: 63 percent (153, 100)

2.   GOA: 45 percent (110, 71)

3.   AOCANA: 43 percent (106, 68]

4.   OCA: 39 percent (93, 62)

5.   ROCOR: 27 percent (67, 43)

Slots 2 to 4 are doing a “good” job of reaching the college-educated, whilst the very high figure for ACROD reflects its relative lack of new immigrants and the movement of many of its people from the working-class to the lower reaches of the middle-class. The lower figure for ROCOR may reflect the larger number of immigrants in its ranks, combined with a strong working-class distaste for the pseudo-intellectual antics of SVS and its minions.

Personal Sites:

1.     Phillips: 54 (131, 100)

2.     Drezhlo: 42 (102, 78]

3.     Greene: 40 (98, 74)

4.     Stokoe: 32 (78, 59)

Batiushka Andrew does a sparkling job at attracting the college crowd. Ms Greene and I do an equally “good” effort, whilst Mr Stokoe is poor, yet again. He can’t seem to connect with ordinary folk at all.

c) Post-graduate degree holders

Official Sites:

1.  ROCOR: 44 percent (308, 100)

2.  OCA: 42 percent (290, 95)

3.  AOCANA: 40 percent (278, 91)

4.  GOA: 30 percent (204, 68]

5.  ACROD: 13 percent (91, 30)

A caveat, if you please. These figures are skewed by the number of clergy accessing these sites, and these fellows all have a post-graduate education.

The big three are within 10 percent of each other, making their efforts equally effective at reaching the highly-educated. The ROCOR has always had the highest level of education in the American Orthodox diaspora, and the above figure confirms it. The GOA is still doing an excellent job, being at slightly over 200 percent of the Internet average. The coal-mine origins of ACROD are evident in the above figures, it is not a criticism, rather, it is an observation (in fact, it is within the normal statistical variance for the norm, a good sign). Their parents did not have the means to allow them to continue studies past the baccalaureate level. It may mean that this group is the most solidly-grounded of the lot, being less apt to be moved by intellectual notions and conceits, a very good thing, indeed.

Personal Sites:

1.   Stokoe: 63 percent (431, 100)

2.   Phillips: 31 percent (215, 49)

3.   Greene: 30 percent (210, 48]

4.   Drezhlo: 22 percent (156, 35)

The note concerning clergy applies here as well.

All of us are above the internet average, but, there can be too much of a good thing. Mr Stokoe’s site is so disproportionately skewed to this social cohort (which is only some 14.1 percent of the internet population) that it brings into question its objectivity and balance. It appears to be a site favoured by the Orthodox equivalent of the “chattering classes” and the clerisy. That is why so much material in it is so disconnected with reality. Caveat auditor.

E) Racial composition of the audience in percentages

a) Caucasian

Official sites:

1.   ACROD: 96 percent (117, 100)

2.   ROCOR: 93 percent (114, 97)

3.   OCA: 89 percent (110, 93)

4.   AOCANA: 85 percent (103, 89)

5.   GOA: 82 percent (102, 85)

No surprises here. Everyone knows that the Orthodox demographic is disproportionately white.

Personal Sites:

1.  Stokoe: 99 percent (122, 100)

2.  Greene: 84 percent (104, 88]

3.  Drezhlo: 83 percent (102, 86)

4.  Phillips: 60 percent (74, 63)

Mr Stokoe is only reaching a lily-white audience, whereas Ms Greene and I are doing a “good job”, and Batiushka Andrew’s figure is interesting. Where are the other hits coming from? Well, we shall see.

b) Black

Official Sites:

1.   GOA: 10 percent (129, 100)

2.   OCA: 4 percent (50, 40)

3.   AOCANA: 3 percent (46, 30)

4.   ACROD: 2 percent (32, 20)

5.   ROCOR: * (8, 5)

*: less than 1 percent

The GOA figure is interesting, is it Ethiopians? One wonders. All in all, the official sites do a poor job of reaching blacks, except for the Greeks.

Personal Sites:

1.  Drezhlo: 6 percent (83, 100)

2.  Greene and Phillips: 2 percent (30, 33)

3.  Stokoe: 1 percent (17, 17)

If you want to put some “soul” into your life, log onto my site. Please, pass the sweet potato pie (Grandma Goodbee’s is reputedly some of the best, according to my friend Arnold). The other sites are not attracting blacks, with the Stokoe site doing a typically abysmal job.

c) Asian

Official Sites:

1.  AOCANA: 6 percent (151, 100)

2.  GOA: 2 percent (46, 33)

3.  OCA: 1 percent (30, 17)

4.  ACROD: * (15, 10)

5.  ROCOR: * (8, 5)

The Antiochians are doing a very good job of reaching American Asians. Everyone else needs to go to summer school to relearn the basics.

Personal Sites:

1.  Drezhlo: 4 percent (99, 100)

2.  Greene and Phillips: 1 percent (30, 25)

3.  Stokoe: * (10, 10)

If you want to find the Lucky Red Dragon, log onto my site. Everyone else needs help, especially Tail-end Charlie Stokoe.

d) Hispanic

Official Sites:

1.  AOCANA, GOA, and OCA: 3 percent (48, 100)

2.  ACROD: 2 percent (36, 75)

3.  ROCOR: 1 percent (24, 50)

No one is doing a particularly good job of reaching the Spanish-speaking.

Personal Sites:

1.  Phillips: 12 percent (192, 100)

2.  Drezhlo: 5 percent (80, 42)

3.  Greene: 3 percent (48, 25)

4.  Stokoe: * (10, 5)

Head on over to Batiushka Andrew’s for the Cinco de Mayo bash (He’s the one handing out the cold Bohemia brewskies from Mexico). I am doing a “fair” job. I should get out those Carlos Gardel CDs and brush up on my tango technique. Ms Greene needs to go back to the first form. Mr Stokoe, no soup for you!

e) Other (American Indian, Pacific Islander, Alaska Native)

Official Sites:

1.  ROCOR: 6 percent (458, 100)

2.  AOCANA and OCA: 3 percent (239, 52)

3.  GOA: 2 percent (211, 46)

4.  ACROD: * (52, 12)

“Other” in our terms usually means an Alaska native. All of the sites apparently seem to be doing well (with the exception of ACROD, which, to be honest, is not seeking out this particular demographic segment). However, the fact that the ROCOR is the champ in this category puts the lie to all the Chicken Littles on the Stokoe website (although, in fairness, Mr Stokoe himself has not made such a silly assertion) who claim that the Alaska natives are going Protestant. They are certainly looking about… but, I do daresay that they are looking further EAST than Canterbury or Wittenberg.

Personal Sites:

1.  Phillips: 25 percent (1702, 100)

2.  Greene: 4 percent (320, 16)

3.  Drezhlo: 2 percent (158, 8]

4.  Stokoe: * (14, 1)

Batiushka Andrew, you had best watch out for the Tlingit, Yupik, and Aleut elders tooling down the High Street in their 4X4 ATVs. They are going to kidnap you and make you the honoured guest of an impromptu potlatch (You’d best brush up on your native dances. Moses the Tlingit shall be glad to help you). We are all doing a good job of reaching the natives except for Mr Stokoe. Mark, unfortunately, the natives have abandoned your site.

F) Income Profile of the audience in percentages

a) Under 30,000 USD per year

Official Sites:

1.  ACROD: 58 percent (375, 100)

2.  ROCOR: 29 percent (186, 50)

3.  AOCANA: 22 percent (143, 38]

4.  GOA: 18 percent (120, 31)

5.  OCA:  17 percent (114, 29)

The higher this figure is, the higher the number of old age pensioners and/or students in the sample. The OCA is less “grey” than some left-wing commentators have stated. Interesting.

Personal Sites:

1.  Greene: 19 percent (127, 100)

2.  Drezhlo: 17 percent (112, 89)

3.  Stokoe: 15 percent (93, 80)

4.  Phillips: 4 percent (30, 21)

Ms Greene is somewhat over the norm in this category, Mr Stokoe and I are in the normal range, and Batiushka Andrew does not seem to connect with this group at all.

b) 30,000-60,000 USD per year

Official Sites:

1.   ROCOR: 48 percent (146, 100)

2.   OCA: 47 percent (143, 98]

3.   AOCANA: 38 percent (117, 80)

4.   GOA: 35 percent (106, 73)

5.   ACROD: 15 percent (48, 37)

There is a healthy amount of the middle class in all the groups except for the ACROD, which may indicate a larger pensioner cohort.

Personal Sites:

1.   Stokoe: 80 percent (242, 100)

2.   Greene: 44 percent (134, 55)

3.   Phillips: 42 percent (128, 53)

4.   Drezhlo: 32 percent (99, 40)

All of us are doing well in this cohort. I am spot-on average, whereas most of the others are over-represented in this category, especially Mr Stokoe. This is important as this group (and the lower rungs of the next) is the most conventional and hide-bound in its behaviour. It is also infected thoroughly with positivism (although the next cohort, the upper-middles, provides most of the “therapists” and other assorted voodoo-merchants of positivism and can be considered more infested with it).

c) 60,000-100,000 USD per year

Official Sites:

1.   AOCANA and GOA: 33 percent (105, 100)

2.   OCA: 28 percent (89, 85)

3.   ACROD: 24 percent (77, 73)

4.   ROCOR: 19 percent (63, 58]

This group combined with preceding one makes up two-thirds of the faithful, except for the ACROD, where it is less than half (skewed by a larger pensioner cohort).

Personal Sites:

1.   Phillips: 41 percent (130, 100)

2.   Greene: 32 percent (101, 78]

3.   Drezhlo: 30 percent (96, 73)

4.   Stokoe: 3 percent (12, 7)

Batiushka has quite a following in this bracket, and Ms Greene and I are doing a “good” job. Mark Stokoe gets the cardboard box. His performance is wretched.

d) Over 100,000 USD per year

Official Sites:

1.   GOA: 14 percent (69, 100)

2.   OCA: 8 percent (38, 57)

3.   AOCANA: 7 percent (34, 50)

4.   ROCOR: 4 percent (20, 29)

5.   ACROD: 2 percent (10, 14)

None of the above groups has an average number of people in this cohort. The urban legends concerning “rich Greeks” are just that, and most of the wealth of the Greeks is not in liquid assets, but, rather in fixed assets (such as business fixtures and real estate) that are not easily convertible into ready cash. However, the GOA does have a larger percentage of such folks than any other Orthodox group.

Personal Sites:

1.   Drezhlo: 20 percent (96, 100)

2.   Phillips: 13 percent (69, 65)

3.   Greene: 5 percent (25, 25)

4.   Stokoe: 2 percent (11, 10)

I do a “good” job of reaching this group, Fr Andrew is “fair”, Ms Greene is poor, and Mr Stokoe does a miserable job. The people in the lower and upper income brackets do not trust him… hmm… one wonders. I hasten to add to that Mr Stokoe is most probably quite a decent fellow. Unfortunately, he has hitched himself to a corpse, which is sad.

G) Age Profile of the audience in percentages

a) 18 to 24 years-old

Official Sites:

1.   AOCANA: 13 percent (80, 100)

2.   ROCOR: 11 percent (74, 85)

3.   GOA and OCA: 9 percent (56, 69)

4.   ACROD: 7 percent (46, 54)

None of these sites are doing a “good” job (index of 90 to 110). Is it because of a lack of younger people or is it a lack of skill in reaching same?

Personal Sites:

1.   Greene: 15 percent (96, 100)

2.   Drezhlo: 14 percent (90, 93)

3.   Phillips: 3 percent (19, 20)

4.   Stokoe: * (4, 4)

Ms Greene and I do a “good” job at reaching this cohort, whereas Batiushka Andrew does not do well, and Mr Stokoe fails to connect at all with this group.

b) 25 to 34 years-old

Official Sites:

1.   ROCOR: 21 percent (99, 100)

2.   GOA and OCA: 17 percent (85, 81)

3.   AOCANA: 14 percent (72, 67)

4.   ACROD: 6 percent (30, 29)

The ROCOR does a “good” job; the OCA and GOA do a “fair” effort, whilst the ACROD figure is probably the result of a skewed age curve, not bad policy.

Personal Sites:

1.   Stokoe: 22 percent (103, 100)

2.   Phillips: 20 percent (95, 91)

3.   Drezhlo: 14 percent (69, 64)

4.   Greene: 13 percent (61, 59)

Mr Stokoe and Batiushka Andrew do a “good” job in this cohort, whilst Ms Greene and I need improvement.

c) 35 to 44 years-old

Official Sites:

1.   AOCANA: 23 percent (111, 100)

2.   GOA: 18 percent (87, 78]

3.   OCA: 17 percent (85, 74)

4.   ROCOR: 15 percent (79, 65)

5.   ACROD: 12 percent (58, 52)

Most of these sites do a “fair” job in reaching this cohort. The note on the preceding group in the ACROD applies to this category as well.

Personal Sites:

1.   Greene: 27 percent (133, 100)

2.   Phillips: 23 percent (108, 85)

3.   Stokoe: 22 percent (103, 81)

4.   Drezhlo: 19 percent (93, 70)

We all do a “good” job at reaching this age segment.

d) 45 to 54 years-old

Official Sites:

1.   ACROD: 42 percent (196, 100)

2.   GOA: 23 percent (112, 55)

3.   AOCANA: 22 percent (105, 52)

4.   OCA: 19 percent (96, 45)

5.   ROCOR: 6 percent (32, 14)

This shows that the ACROD has a disproportionately large number of “baby-boomers” amongst its congregants. Is this group heading for an implosion? Wise policies could head off such a result. The next three groups are doing a “good” job with this cohort. The abysmal ROCOR data may be the result of something that Fr Alexander Lebedeff alluded to in one of his internet posts. He said that very few of the children of the old ROCOR cohort who had passed through his Sunday School were active communicants at present. In my opinion, this is the bitter fruit of the silly church war that existed from the 60s to the 90s and the insane policies of the Ustinovshchyna. The OCA figures are also lower than they should be, which shows the effect of the church war as well. Taken with the depressed numbers for the preceding cohort, this is a stark warning. Concentrate on Christ and His Church or pay the consequences. 

Personal Sites:

1.   Phillips: 26 percent (116, 100)

2.   Drezhlo: 21 percent (102, 81)

3.   Greene: 16 percent (82, 62)

4.   Stokoe: 11 percent (51, 42)

Batiushka Andrew and I are doing a “good” job; Ms Greene is “fair”, whilst Mr Stokoe is abysmal, yet again.

e) 55 to 64 years old

Official Sites:

1.   AOCANA: 18 percent (117, 100)

2.   OCA: 17 percent (111, 94)

3.   GOA: 16 percent (107, 89)

4.   ACROD: 9 percent (58, 50)

5.   ROCOR: 8 percent (57, 44)

The top three are fairly normal, but, there may be differing reasons for the ROCOR and ACROD results. The ROCOR figure is the result of self-inflicted wounds, whereas the ACROD number may reflect the fact that the post-World War II cohort did not marry and have children until the men finished college in the late 40s and early 50s.

Personal Sites:

1.   Greene: 19 percent (124, 100)

2.   Drezhlo: 17 percent (111, 89)

3.   Phillips: 15 percent (92, 79)

4.   Stokoe: 4 percent (27, 21)

Most of us do a “good” job of reaching this cohort except for Mr Stokoe, who does an abysmal job.

f) Over 65 years-old

Official Sites:

1.   ROCOR: 38 percent (351, 100)

2.   ACROD: 23 percent (190, 61)

3.   OCA: 19 percent (172, 50)

4.   AOCANA: 18 percent (158, 47)

5.   GOA: 15 percent (136, 39)

The ROCOR figures are abysmal. This is due to the losses from the preceding two age cohorts in the last 40 years. If it had not been for the fortuitous arrival of the New Russians, the ROCOR would have imploded in the early 2000s. Thankfully, the New Russians are holding on to their children, for there is no longer any silly church war or the insanity of the Ustinovshchyna. I believe that the ROCOR has learned from its past errors, and that they shall NOT repeat them. All other groups are overrepresented in this category, as well.

Personal Sites:

1.   Stokoe: 40 percent (337, 100)

2.   Drezhlo: 17 percent (153, 43)

3.   Phillips: 12 percent (101, 30)

4.   Greene: 9 percent (83, 23)

We all do a “good” job of reaching this cohort. In fact, my high figure for this group may be that the Orthodox Forum has linked to some of my posts, and that group is probably as “grey” as the Stokoe lot (I would say there is a considerable overlap between the Stokoe site and the Orthodox Forum). The data for the Stokoe site is troubling. It means that he is connecting primarily with those who had a living connection with Alexander Schmemann, and that this segment shares his “silly 60s” notions. NOT a good sign.

H) Percentage of the audience with children 6-17 years-old in the household

Official Sites:

1.   AOCANA: 35 percent (107, 100)

2.   GOA: 29 percent (71, 83)

3.   OCA: 24 percent (75, 69)

4.   ROCOR: 22 percent (69, 63)

5.   ACROD: 15 percent (46, 43)

The ACROD figures are troubling. It may not be keeping births at replacement level. The AOCANA is healthy; the other three have work to do.

Personal Sites:

1.   Drezhlo: 28 percent (88, 100)

2.   Phillips: 26 percent (80, 93)

3.   Greene: 21 percent (66, 75)

4.   Stokoe: 2 percent (6, 7)

OUCH! Mr Stokoe stumbles badly here. He cannot connect with parents at all. I am doing a “good” job, Batiushka Andrew is “fair”, and Ms Greene does very poorly, considering her “family” focus.

I am not giving raw figures except for one instance. That is in the case of racial composition in the “Other” category. This can give a picture of who is reading what in the volatile Alaska Church crisis. That is a RATHER valuable piece of information, nicht wahr?

I) Other (American Indian, Pacific Islander, Alaska Native) in raw figures

Official Sites:

1.   GOA: 1,204 (100)

2.   OCA: 722 (60)

3.   AOCANA: 508 (42)

4.   ROCOR: 401 (33)

5.   ACROD: 36 (3)

Not all of the above are Alaska natives, but, it is a good guess that most of them are. It is noteworthy that the OCA, which has jurisdiction over virtually all parishes in that state, does not do better. The natives appear to be looking at all the options. Antioch, in the end, shall not be an option, because of its modernism, positivism, and its thorough infestation with Protestantism. The Greeks shall fail too, because of their well-known corruption, greater than that of the moribund OCA. Note well the ROCOR figures. The ROCOR has no parish in the state at present. It is also the only jurisdiction of the top four to be on the traditional church calendar. Also, its inner church life is the closest to that found in Alaska. Shall the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska go ROCOR? If I were to bet…

Personal Sites:

1.         Phillips: 1,278 (100)

2.         Drezhlo: 120 (9)

3.         Greene: 118 (9)

4.         Stokoe: 9 (0.7)

Imagine yourself in the old Garden at the fights… (In that special sing-song voice of the ring announcer): “Da winnah, and still champeen, by an unchallenged knock-out, in the white, blue, and red trunks, FATHER ANDREW, from Felixstowe England”. (Batiushka Andrew raises both gloved hands in “da winnah” gesture)

Batiushka Andrew not only rolls over all of us, he also decks all the official websites handily. As far as the natives are concerned, he is GODZILLA. This Godzilla is not stomping on Tokyo; he is flattening Syosset and Englewood Cliffs into the bargain as well. Father Andrew! You’d best check the hedges. Moses the Tlingit and his associates may be waiting to make you the next honorary chief of their tribe.

Mark Stokoe is abysmal. The native have abandoned his site. I must say that my native Alaskan readers are the ones I cherish the most. My heart goes out to you, and you are always in my prayers.

J) Conclusions to be drawn from the raw data

Official Sites:

1. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese

Firstly, the Greeks are not as affluent as most believe. They do have a higher proportion of such people than any other Orthodox group, but, it is lower than the national average. Also, as I pointed out earlier, much of this wealth is tied up in fixed assets, and the liquidity level is low. In fact, in all other income brackets, the GOA is somewhat above average, so, the urban legends of Greek wealth are false. It appears to have fairly normal age, education, and racial curves. This is a solid and substantial body, marred only by corruption in its highest reaches and the notional policies of the EP (which mainly do not affect local parish life).

2. Orthodox Church in America

This body is so troubled that it may no longer be in existence next year. Its educational and racial curves appear to be in the normal range. In income, it can be typified as a middle-class body, for the largest cohort is in the 30-60K USD range. In terms of the highest income bracket, its proportion here is about 50 percent of the GOA figure.

It has more old age pensioners than it ought, and there is a hole in the demographics in the 25-44 years-old cohort that is probably the result of the church tensions brought on by Schmemann’s “silly 60s” policies of the 70s and 80s. This group is the Orthodox body most in thrall to positivism and all of its works because of its social composition. It has a touching faith in psychologists that is greater than its faith in Christ and Church tradition.

3. Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

Some think this body to be “the Great White Hope” of Orthodoxy in America. Nothing could be further from the truth. Statistically, it is an average body. The racial and educational curves are normal, and 71 percent of the sample falls in the 30-100K income range. The part of the sample in the 35-54 years-old range is larger than average, which is sign of probably both immigrants and adult converts.

This group has more “convert” parishes than most, which is troubling. Most of the convert priests were ordained without sufficient time in Orthodoxy (ten years would be best, and five years is a bare minimum), therefore, this body is infested with Protestantism, modernism, and positivism. It is indistinguishable from a conservative Evangelical Protestant body except for its Orthodox ritual. This is the least “Orthodox” of the bodies studied, and it becomes less so with each year. It is a heterogeneous construct held together only by the political skills and ambitions of Philip Saliba. This combination may not survive his demise.

4. Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

This is a body that has rebuilt itself over the last 15 years, and the statistics reflect this. If it had not been for the influx of New Russians after the fall of the USSR, this group would have imploded in the 2000s. It reached its nadir in the years of the Ustinovshchyna, and was revitalised by the election of Laurus Skurla as its Primate.

The ROCOR has the highest percentage of post-graduate degree holders in its ranks, probably due to two factors. The émigré cohort was drawn from the middle classes and above, and the current group of New Russians tends to be professionals. In income, the ROCOR tends to be concentrated in the brackets up to 60K per year. This is a combination of old age pensioners amongst the DP cohort and New Russians being at relatively low rungs of their professions due to their short time in this country. The ROCOR has an interesting age curve. The largest segments are in the 25-34 years-old and over 65 years-old categories. This illustrates the age disparity between the DPs and the New Russians. This is also a result of the losses of the children of the DPs who were driven out by the extreme policies of Count Grabbe and Vitaly Ustinov. The ROCOR has the highest proportion of Alaskan natives amongst the readers of its website, which may indicate the future home of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska.

With its reconciliation with Moscow last year, this is the healthiest church body in the US at present. It has overcome most of its internal problems and it may receive most of the healthy elements of the OCA after that body implodes. To my mind, there shall only be three major Orthodox bodies left after the demise of the OCA (of course, the smaller bodies shall still exist). The GOA shall represent “Greek Orthodoxy” and the ROCOR shall be the standard-bearer of “Russian Orthodoxy”, both legitimate traditions in the Church. Both shall get on well with one another. The AOCANA is on course for departure from the Church tradition. It is already thoroughly Protestantised, and the chances of it doing something dodgy such as ordaining a married bishop are high. It shall ensconce American phyletism as its driving ethos, and its resemblance to ordinary Orthodoxy shall be slight.

5. American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

I have a special place in my heart for these people. They are a solid, well-grounded, and good-sense lot with no pretensions. Bishop Nicholas does not put on airs, and he has no grandiose illusions à la Herman Swaiko or Philip Saliba. I believe that this group shall survive its coming demographic problems. They shall simply close unthrifty parishes, and that shall be that.

The large number of old age pensioners is illustrated by the fact that over half of the sample is in the under 30K income bracket. The fact that there is a large number in the 60-100K bracket indicates that many of this group’s parishioners are older, and are nearing the end of their careers. It is the “whitest” of all the official groups, and it has a high level of education, with over two-thirds of its people with college degrees. The relative paucity in the younger cohorts indicates that this group may be only 50 to 60 percent of its present size in a generation. However, this group is noted for its pragmatism, and it shall not become a crisis. They shall simply close dead parishes, and that shall be the end of it. Shall they join a larger “Russian Orthodox Church in the Americas”? Only time shall show us, and if they do, it shall be for solid and good-sense reasons. Again, this is one of my favourite groups of people. I wish them well.

Personal Sites:

1. Orthodox England, Fr Andrew Phillips

Here is the pick of the litter. I DO believe Fr Andrew’s figures that show that this data only reflects his US readership, which is only some 30 percent of the total, but, I could not put it into the tables because of a lack of outside corroboration. I have the same standards for everyone, Batiushka! It is interesting to note the depth of this audience, which is larger than that of the dodgy AOCANA. For a personal website, this is an achievement. The theology is solid and clear, and there is no trace of modernism. I would recommend this site to anyone. Read it now!

Fr Andrew has a diverse following, with an especially heavy cohort coming from Alaska natives. His readers tend to be college-educated or above, with the highest concentrations in the 25 to 64 year-old brackets. In income, his readers tend to 30-100K bracket, but, he does better in the 100K+ category than all official sites except for the GOA, and better than all personal sites except for mine.  Fr Andrew is reaching the people that the official sites and the Stokoe site wish to reach, but, often do not. The premier Orthodox commentator on the web, I say.

2. Voices from Russia, Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

I am loath to state much concerning my own site, except to say that my intent is to provide a well-rounded view of Russia: its culture, its religion, its sport, and its society. I appear to be succeeding.

In education level, I do a “good” job of reaching those with college, an excellent job of reaching those with grad school, and I hold my own with the non-college educated. In income, I appeal equally to all brackets, and score the highest of all personal sites in the study in reaching the 100K+ cohort. Equally, I do a “good” job in all age brackets, with the exception of the 25-34 year-old cohort. Sometime back, Hank Leaf made a nasty comment concerning me on the Orthodox Forum. Eat those words, Hank. Do you want fries with that order of crow supreme, sir?

3. Frederica, Frederica Matthewes-Greene

Ms Greene considers herself an authoritative spokesman for Orthodoxy. Instead, she is a living example of all that is wrong with the AOCANA. Firstly, note the relative unpopularity of her site, it is at the bottom of the heap of this study in both gross and adjusted uniques. She was fastened upon by Philip Saliba because she works for NPR (National Public Radio), and shares all of its reliably secularist liberal opinions. In one of her books, she states that one of her mentors in the faith was a Uniate. A UNIATE. That is, someone outside the Church and foreign to it. She is the typical ignorant Anglo-Saxon convert spouting off on Orthodoxy before learning the ABCs of the Faith.

If I were to call her anything, it is a barely-converted Anglican with only vestigial traces of Orthodoxy. I should note that Professor Vigen Guroian, the noted Armenian theologian and scholar, has issued a similar condemnation of Ms Greene. Her site and books are not recommended, as they are nothing but evangelical Anglicanism with a few Orthodox terms tossed into the pot.

The education level of her readers is skewed, being “good” amongst the college-educated, and excellent amongst those with a graduate degree, and poor in the non-college crowd, which appears normal for the left-of-centre crowd. She appeals well in all income brackets, save the highest, where she is poor. The racial curve I find fairly normal. She appeals well to all age groups, except for the 25 to 34 year-old cohort, which is a weakness my site shares as well.

4. Orthodox Christians for Accountability, Mark Stokoe

Mr Stokoe is a former Syosset insider, which is the main Achilles heel of his site. He refuses to see anything other than a continuation of the present status quo, and many of his contributors are autocephalist true-believers. To give two examples, one could name Fr Vladimir Berzonsky and Fr Theodore Bobosh. They are contemptuous of any view other than one worshipful of Alexander Schmemann and his fancies, and both are dupes who refuse to see the fact that the “autocephaly” of the so-called OCA was a temporary dodge of the MP in its struggle to survive in communist times. This unreality has driven many away from this site.

A full 40 percent of Mr Stokoe’s readership is pensioners, and 63 percent have graduate degrees. In short, it is a much skewed sample. In fact, his is the “whitest” of all the sites in the study, and his Alaska Native readership is only 9 individuals, not even 1 percent!

Why is Mr Stokoe doing such a poor job? Firstly, it is obvious to many that his website and the actions around it were a “palace coup” gone badly. I believe that he and Eric Wheeler saw the rot in the OCA, and wished to act before Herman Swaiko killed the organisation. In short, they were not doing so to line their own pockets, they were trying to stop the disease that was ripping the OCA apart. Instead, they ended up “riding the tiger”.

After some 32 months, the crisis has only deepened, and the recent 6-million USD suit against the OCA in Maryland may signal the beginning of the end. One of the things that came out is that an OCA priest talked openly of what he heard in confession and counselling to smear a laywoman, and he was not disciplined by Syosset when it became known. Mr Stokoe did not condemn this action when he posted about it. That, I think, is the main fault in his site, and it is the reason why many do not trust him. As Fr Vsevolod Chaplin said recently, “truth is truth, and sin is sin”. Indeed. Mr Stokoe should emblazon this on his heart.

CONCLUSION

Firstly, let us all let out a long sigh of relief! Studies such as this are useful and valuable, but… OOO-WEE! They take such time, don’t they?

This gives an accurate picture, to the best extent that the data available can, of a good part of Orthodoxy. Let’s stop lying to one anther and let’s walk honestly in the light. God shall bless us for it.

Vara Drezhlo     

Tuesday 6 May 2008      

Golgotha (The Crucifixion of Christ) (Ilya Repin, 1869)

Today, we commemorate the execution on trumped-up charges of Our Lord Christ. Yes, the resurrectional joy of Easter is three days away. However, strive to understand that it was not a “positive” or painless path. Reflect on the fact that Caiphas and the temple priesthood conspired to ensure that Our Lord died, for He was against simony, priestcraft, and careerist clergy… unfortunately, things haven’t changed that much, have they? 

Keep the suffering Church of Alaska in your prayers. There has been no real succor delivered to them, and they are still walking the Way of the Cross. How long, O good Lord, must these lovely people suffer at the hands of Syosset? Pray for them as you contemplate the cross tonight. They are true innocents.

Vara Drezhlo

Orthodox Good Friday

25 April 2008 

Recently, a decision was handed down by the OCA Holy Synod on the topic of the current crisis in the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska. What did they say?

Beginning of quotation:

The Synod of Bishops, meeting in Syosset today, persuaded Bishop Nikolai of Alaska to agree to a voluntary “Leave of Absence”. The decision follows an investigative tour of the Diocese, conducted last week, by Archbishop Nathaniel and Bishop Tikhon at the request of the Synod during its last meeting two weeks ago. In announcing their decision the Bishops stated:

His Grace, Nikolai, Bishop of Sitka, Anchorage, and Alaska, after having heard the report of His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel, and His Grace, Bishop Tikhon; and after the deliberations of the Holy Synod of Bishops, has agreed to take a voluntary leave-of-absence, to be reviewed at the May 2008 Session of the Holy Synod of Bishops.

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman takes the responsibility of Administrator of the Diocese of Alaska, effective April 17, 2008.

His Grace, Bishop Benjamin is named to assist Metropolitan Herman in the administration of the Diocese of Alaska.

The Bishop is, in effect, being given a month to clean up his affairs and depart from the Diocese. During that time, he will have no authority in the Diocese, as the Metropolitan has assumed all administrative duties. The Bishop is then expected to continue on his “leave of absence” indefinitely, as any return would have to be agreed upon with the concurrence of the full Synod. The decision to voluntarily resolve the controversy in this manner avoids a potentially embarrassing and costly process required to depose a diocesan Bishop, while nonetheless removing Nikolai from all active involvement in Church affairs.

17 April 2008

Orthodox Christians for Accountability

http://www.ocanews.org/news/NikolaiToLeave4.17.08.html (in English)

The above is a triumph of Orwellian Newspeak; it is a skilful use of “weasel words”. However, before I comment on it, I would like to introduce some interesting statements I saw in the comments section of this website.

Beginning of quotation:

It will be interesting in the next few days to see how many of the named and anonymous bishop-bashers of the last few weeks will take the time and acquire the humility to post here with apologies for rushing to negative judgments about Abp Nathaniel and Bishops Tikhon and Benjamin. And how few “pile on” the sad Bishop Nikolai.

Love,

Fr George Washburn

18 April 2008

Oh, Please… these guys wrung their hands and did NOTHING for 6 years while real spiritual damage was done to countless Orthodox Alaskans, we owe them nothing… let’s continue de-colonising the Church in Alaska! People like you are too much. 

Moses the Tlingit

18 April 2008

Orthodox Christians for Accountability

http://www.ocanews.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/238-+Nikolai-To-Leave.html#comments (in English)

Our lovely native faithful and clergy in Alaska. Heed THEIR voices!

In all fairness, Rev Washburn was forced to retract some of his fiery rhetoric in a later post. Nevertheless, it was not a total volte-face; rather, it was a wordy, squirming, and reluctant “clarification”. However, one must note that Fr George is not a cleric of the OCA with any specific expertise in Alaska; he is a cleric of the AOCANA with roots in the dodgy Evangelical-cum-Old Catholic vagante sect of Peter Gillquist received by Philip Saliba some 20 years ago. In short, not a voice with substantial experience or knowledge of the topic involved. In addition, he lacks a proper and formal Orthodox formation in the clergy.

There are too many lacunae in the decision handed down by Herman Swaiko last week for anyone to celebrate anything. For one, there is a declaration that the parishes are to continue commemorating Nikolai as their bishop in all liturgical invocations. Secondly, Benjamin Peterson is known to have close and friendly ties with Nikolai due to their common service in Las Vegas. Thirdly, there is no word on whether Fr Michael Oleksa is to be seated as the Alaska clergy delegate to the Metropolitan Council as per the overwhelming decision of the Alaska clergy (I stand under correction in this).

Let me give you another voice from Alaska.

Beginning of quotation:

This sad saga of cunning and deceit is not yet over! Please don’t be too quick to rejoice over something not yet done. Read the carefully worded statements, read it remembering what has transpired over the last few months of recanting, reinstating, retribution etc… No… this is not a done deal… the roots of this tree are deep and very firmly rooted, and like all deeply rooted trees the roots are out of sight, to see them requires digging! I fear for future…

The Evil One does not just give (up) and turn tail and run away! (My personal belief)

Ted Panamarioff

Kodiak Alaska

19 April 2008

Orthodox Christians for Accountability

http://www.ocanews.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/238-+Nikolai-To-Leave.html#comments (in English)

I do not know Mr Panamarioff, so, I asked friends of mine who had been in Alaska if they had heard of him. He is a Russian Orthodox layman of long-standing and good repute according to my sources. That is to say, a voice well-worth hearing and heeding (the same goes for “Moses the Tlingit” as well, as he sounds like one of the native elders).

The decision by the OCA Holy Synod may turn out to be a fiasco. The Alaska clergy and faithful were asking Syosset to name an experienced and reputable local figure (such as Fr Michael Oleksa, for instance) as temporary administrator of their diocese. Their wishes were ignored, yet again. Herman Swaiko named himself the administrator, and Benjamin Peterson is only to be his major-domo and satrap. This is a recipe for disaster from the point of preserving the OCA, for Herman is even more unpopular than Nikolai, and the Alaska faithful may very well conclude that they have been “had” once too often.

When the native elders speak, you’d best listen!

As I have stated before, more than once, the key to this state of affairs is the attitude of the Alaska native elders and clergy. If the OCA wishes to retrieve this situation, it should do the following. Firstly, the Holy Synod of the OCA should apologise to the native elders and clergy for allowing this circumstance to reach crisis proportions. Secondly, it should ask the opinion of the elders and clergy as to their views on their choice for a temporary administrator of the diocese. Thirdly, it should ask the elders and clergy to state their preferences in the naming of a new diocesan ordinary. Lastly, Syosset would formally abjure all legal rights to the property in Alaska and turn it over to a native Orthodox corporation for the wellbeing and support of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska. This would lance the abscess; it would allow the wounds to heal.

What are the chances of the above happening? Slim to nil, unfortunately. I fear that events are going to overtake the OCA Holy Synod yet again, and I think that I can state with some certainty that there is little confidence amongst the native faithful, elders, and clergy in any decision emanating from Syosset.

We are in for “interesting times”, and if you think that there has been a Jabberwockian situation unfolding before our eyes, just wait until the native elders speak. May God guide the native elders in their deliberations, and may He lead them home safely. We are with you.

Vara Drezhlo

Sunday 20 April 2008  

 

At present, there is nothing to report on the situation. Of course, the rumour mill is working overtime and the most fanciful stories are circulating in the oddest corners of the cyberworld. It would be well for us to realise that there is truly only one group in this drama who have a real voice in the matter. That is, I refer to the native elders and clergy.

No one else counts. As of this moment, the elders and clergy are keeping their own counsel, and they are saying NOTHING to the outside world. This is frustrating to many, and the most unlikely personalities are being mentioned as bearers of a solution. Some of these tales can be put to rest, I believe. Metropolitan Yuvenaly is rather busy as Vladyki Aleksei’s vicar in Moscow, so, he has no time. Fr Luke Murianka at Jordanville is busy with the situation surrounding the passing of Vladyki Laurus, so, he is not in Alaska either. However, such stories are a sign that people are no longer looking to the OCA Holy Synod for a solution.

In short, there is a palpable longing in the Church for a hint of what is to come. Everyone is aware that the status quo of the past 40 years is dead, but, the shape of the future is opaque to all of us (especially me). This SCARES us. None of the old verities fit, and not one of us knows what to do. There is only one group that is proceeding with an end in view, and that is the native elders. The only thing that the rest of us can do is pray that they are given the wisdom to make a prudent decision.

To say anything else would be empty wind, and I shall not inflict such on you. Waiting in silence can be nerve wracking, no?

O Most Holy Mother God, guide us and protect us with thy veil. We need it.

Metropolitan Council Unanimously Asks the OCA Holy Synod to Reverse its Decision on Bishop Nikolai

In a short letter to the Synod of Bishops of the OCA, the Metropolitan Council has expressed its concern over the crisis in the Diocese of Alaska. The statement, released this evening by Syosset, was adopted by the Council unanimously at its meeting at the Chancery, which ended this afternoon.

The statement, in full, follows:

Your Beatitude, Your Eminences, Your Graces:

At its spring meeting, the Metropolitan Council unanimously approved the following statement to the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America concerning the crisis in the Diocese of Alaska.

After long and heartfelt discussion during our meeting 31 March to 2 April 2008, the Metropolitan Council recognises that the current crisis in Alaska is a source of paralysing dysfunction in our whole Church. This problem requires careful investigation and consideration of fact, and we fully understand that the competency to take such action rests with the Holy Synod, to bring it to a decisive outcome without delay.

Taking account of the anxieties, fears, and pain of the Orthodox faithful of Alaska, and the deep concern expressed by all the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, the Metropolitan Council is profoundly disappointed by the Holy Synod’s decision to lift the leave of absence of His Grace Bishop Nikolai before a proper solution has been determined, and respectfully asks our hierarchs, in faith, hope and love, to immediately reverse this decision.

A report on the Council’s decisions, including a motion asking the Metropolitan to resign that was eventually tabled, will be posted on Friday.

2 April 2008  

Mark Stokoe

Orthodox Christians for Accountability

http://www.ocanews.org/ (in English)

Editor’s Note:

Shall there be action on this most reasonable request? One wonders… given the history of the past three years. No commentary is possible until a reply is given to this letter by the OCA Holy Synod. They can do the right thing and grant this appeal, or, they can destroy the OCA by keeping Nikolai in place. We all wait…  

Patriarch St Tikhon (Natalia Kurguzova-Miroshnik, 1997)

I do not sign, as now we are in the crosshairs of BN. The Holy Synod has freed him to do what he wishes. As we have heard, the Metropolitan received the report from Fr Garklavs but did not make copies or present it during the meeting.

BN took over the meeting and spoke to them holding the dirt he had on the other Bishops in his hands. HE BLACKMAILED HIS WAY BACK! This is a Bishop? This is who we are speaking out against. REMEMBER HE BLACKMAILED HIS BROTHERS!

This is a brother? This is the image of a blackmailing ICON OF CHRIST? I for one am sickened to the pit of my stomach. And now he is freed from his chain, with saliva dripping from his canines as a wolf in the trees, looking at the sheep whom he loves to eat. This is what we are looking at in the future of our beloved Diocese of Alaska. The Mother Diocese of the OCA, who may soon lose it, to another jurisdiction.

Bishop Nikolai and Archimandrite Isidore, continually look into these websites, and write posing as other people, so do Deacon Panteleimon, who was forced into monasticism by Bishop Nikolai. He wanted to marry, but was forced instead by Bishop Nikolai. This was sad to see, because Paul (Panteleimon) was a wonderful person before he was cloned.

I have a lot to be bitter about, the OCA giving us Nikolai who tortures us, abuses us, and belittles us. Then we turn to the Synod for help, but they betray us, and leave us with the WOLF OF SOULS, who keeps dirt on his BROTHERS, who Kills off those who do not blindly follow, who will DRIVE the Orthodox in Alaska to other faiths, such as Moravian, and Pentecostalism. This is the future we see now; this is what we must fight to keep from happening.

Christ will show us in the Icon of the priests in Alaska, who speak up for the Truth, and who are the Good Shepherds (Not Nikolai), who know the names of each and every sheep in their flock. NOT NIKOLAI!!! WE WANT HIM OUT!!! I CALL ON OTHER DIOCESES OF THE OCA TO COME AND HELP US!!! PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!! HAVE MERCY!!!!

Anon Alaskan Clergy on 2008-03-28

Orthodox Christians for Accountability

http://www.ocanews.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/226-Nikolai-Restored.html#comments (in English)

Editor’s Note:

It would be good for us to remember that the only martyrs in the roll of saints in North America are from the Diocese of Alaska. Yes, I know that a Russian-born priest who served for a while in Chicago went back to Russia, and he suffered martyrdom there. That does not count as he is one of the New Martyrs of Russia of the Bolshevik Yoke. That is no small thing, but, it does not make him a “Martyr of America” as Holy Martyr Peter the Aleut is (we would do well to recall who martyred St Peter and why… it certainly throws cold water on the ecumaniacs, does it not?).

The Church in Alaska has had its time-honoured traditions and practises trampled underfoot by Nikolai. These customs were good enough for all the other bishops who served as archpastors there, and the ways of the native Alaskan Orthodox were always esteemed and held in high regard. For this abuse alone, Nikolai deserves to be removed.

The blood of the Alaska Martyrs is the foundation of the Church there. It is the only American diocese to have such a precious heritage and legacy. As an outsider, I have no voice (and rightfully so) in the decision of the native elders and clergy. Nevertheless, I think that it is safe to say that the elders and clergy are remembering their history, their roots, and their teachers in the Faith.

The OCA Synod of Bishops is refusing to listen to people who are speaking with the prophetic voice of the martyrs. Unfortunately, there are many in the OCA who despise sanctity and tradition (I heard St Basil the Blessed being described as insane by one of the SVS stalwarts, for instance), and this shall come home to roost in this situation as it is obvious that the Alaska faithful do care for sanctity and tradition… oh, and for honesty, as well.

God give you strength, I say to the writer of this letter (and the one previous I posted today). We are with you. Do what you must, and do not look back.

Pray to Patriarch St Tikhon of Moscow, for he loved the Alaska Church much, and ask him to lead you rightly back home.

Batiushka Michael and Matushka Ksenia Oleksa. Batiushka Michael is one of the confessor-priests in Alaska today. He is not the author of the letter, but, he is one of the leaders for truth in the Church in Alaska.

Do you want to know how we Alaskan clergy feel? We feel betrayed. Period. We hoped that the HS would act and give us some relief, but that relief did not come. Instead the wolf was given the key to the sheep fold. And we are all genuinely afraid of what is coming over the next few weeks.

The bishop has characterized us as disedents, as adolescents just acting out. Naughty school children that do not want to do as teacher says. Then when the whisper became a shout, he deflected the whole thing away from himself by calling it a plot hatched in Syosset to get control of the Alaskan lands.

Isidore himself, on TV, said that those priests who spoke out have problems in their villages, including alcohol abuse. And the intimation was that it was the clergy who are abusing the alcohol and that is the root of the problem.

The village clergy are whining, complaining, naughty, drunks.

I am sick to my stomach and I must say that I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.

But thank you Fr Alexander G., for your efforts on our behalf. It is not your fault that things turned out the way they did.

This is my next to last post. The next time I write it will be to announce to world my stepping down from this jurisdiction; from this diocese; from this parish; and very possibly from the Orthodox Church altogether.

The only love here is for the rubrics, the typicon, the canons, and for a church that never existed in the first place. Even those who tow the line, who bow and scrape are not loved. Even they are dismissed as those who had better keep it up and watch out.

Enough. Good bye. For now.

Anon Ak Priest (for now)

Anonymous Alaska Priest on 2008-03-29 11:26

Orthodox Christians for Accountability

The Morning After: Comments

http://www.ocanews.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/227-The-Morning-After.html#comments (in English)

Editor’s Note:

This can make the stones weep. I shall not offer commentary on such a raw, heartfelt, and soulful appeal. If this does not convince you that the OCA is (and has been) a dysfunctional organisation, nothing shall.

The faithful, elders, and clergy of Alaska need our support now. Nikolaios delenda est. Nothing else shall fill the bill.

The Arrest of Christ (Ilya Repin, 1886)

Again, to set the stage, I give a quote from the press.

The Morning After