16 May 2012. Konvertsy Faction Raising Unauthorised Cultus Around the Person of the Late Archbishop Dmitri

No, Dmitri was NOT a saint… and all the caterwauling by all the konvertsy can’t make it so…

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Got this from another Kitchen Cabinet member:

Ground was broken at St Seraphim Cathedral in Dallas TX to build the mausoleum to be the final resting place for the corpus {“corpus” was in the original, I’d NEVER be that vacuous and fatuous: editor} of Archbishop Dmitri. Metropolitan Jonah, Subdeacon Jeff Wynn, Milos Konjevich, diocesan treasurer, and Subdeacon Vladimir Gregorenko have met with the architect Nick Unich and his associate to design the new chapel. According to Michael Smith, task force member and parish council member, “We couldn’t be more excited. This is a positive uplifting experience for the entire Diocese of the South to have Vladyka back with us”.

With the pouring of the foundation scheduled for week of 14 May, Archbishop Dmitri could arrive back at the cathedral as early as 1 July. The chapel construction should start shortly thereafter and take nine to 12 months. Approximately 40 percent of the funds needed to complete construction of the chapel are now available. A new website at AbpDmitri.org (under construction) will follow the progress of construction.

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The OCA’s out of bloody gelt (so much so that JP’s reaching into local DC funds to pay his rent), yet, there’s money being spent on this. It does make one wonder if Dickie Wood got the drop because his crook starosta was skimming funds for JP… it’s not inconceivable, given the murky history of Bobby with the Moscow OCA representation (and JP’s Bobby’s Boy… make no mistake on it). Furthermore, sources tell me that konvertsy nutters are painting Royster’s icon… just as some SVS oddbods have painted Schmemann’s icon (like the crew at New Skete… AARGH). All in all, Dmitri was a equivocal figure at best… but it does give one a handle on the mentality of the konvertsy… scary, ain’t it? Well, there’ll probably be another tempest in a teacup amongst the unrepresentative nutjob lot at Monomakhos… remember this… anyone who posts under a “username” AUTOMATICALLY forfeits credibility… ponder that. You wonder what they’re scared of…

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Albany NY

This Just In Department:

Apparently, Gregory Burke and a fellow named Gantt are listed as clergy on the OCA Diocese of the South website, but not on the main OCA website. A Kitchen Cabinet member opined:

What’s going on? Is Burke a cleric in good standing or not? Is Gantt an OCA cleric or not? As you say, Fathausen’s more secretive (actually downright sneakier!) than Herman ever was…

Quite. That’s why rumour walks abroad… if the Metropolitan and his claque are secretive, what does that do? Would Metropolitan Leonty Turkevich have acted in such a way? Answer me that one…

BMD

13 May 2012. You Don’t Muck About With What Works… Some Thoughts on the Present OCA Episcopal “Situation”

Archbishop Job Osacky (1946-2009), “the last honest bishop in the OCA“… how dare Moriak spit on his legacy. Now, THAT’S blasphemy…

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I got some interesting feedback on Fathausen’s latest escapade… starting with his move to dramatically shorten the service time for one to become an Archbishop. One Kitchen Cabinet stalwart wrote:

I’m just dumbfounded by this new 5-year service time for archbishops. Is it any wonder that no one takes the OCA seriously? They couldn’t keep themselves from acting out these sophomoric stunts if they tried! Here’s a list of some archbishops in the Metropolia/OCA:

NAME	Ordained Bishop	Elevation to Archbishop	Years served before elevation
Archbishop John Garklavs	1943	1957	14
Archbishop Nikon de Greve	1946	1959	13
Archbishop John Shahovskoy	1947	1961	14
Archbishop Sylvester Haruns	1952	1966	14
Metropolitan Ireney Bekish	1953	1957	4
Archbishop Kiprian Borisevich	1961	1970	9
Archbishop Kyrill Yonchev	1964	1992	28
Archbishop Dmitri Royster	1969	1993	24
Metropolitan Herman Swaiko	1973	1994	21
Archbishop Gregory Afonsky	1973	1995	22
Archbishop Nathaniel Popp	1980	1999	19
Archbishop Job Osacky	1983	2004	21
Archbishop Seraphim Storheim	1987	2007	20

The shortest tenure is that of Metropolitan Ireney, but one must remember that he was already in his 60s when he was widowed and was made a bishop… plus, he was serving as head of the Japanese Orthodox Church. The second shortest is that of Archbishop Kiprian, who was almost 60 by the time his wife died. The other tenures put together average at about 19 years. Therefore, there’s the real deal.

I replied:

It’s going under… that’s clear. Stay clear of the undertow. Isn’t it sad how Stokoe’s STILL a True Believer (he fits all the criteria that Hoffer lays down, doesn’t he?)? Isn’t it amusing how Behr and Moriak are trying to ingratiate themselves with the Centre? It’s like the old Starkist ad… you can just hear Flounder sayin’, “Matt… Vanya… the Centre wants Orthodox that ARE good, not Orthodox that LOOK good!” Pass me the jug…

The colloquy went on… we talked about Moriak and Dahulich. Indeed, Moriak’s about to find out that the people in the Midwest aren’t any less unreceptive to despotism than the ACROD folks he left behind. Gotta say, though, they nominated the man, so it’s a problem of their own making (but they’re the sort to say, “We fucked up and we make a mistake. Let’s put it right”). Dahulich is another treacherous despotic sort… did any of you out there hear his platform speech from I think last summer? It was on YouTube. Chilling attitude, no? ACROD mightn’t have an episcopal candidate, but at least it doesn’t have to worry about these two. Another Kitchen Cabinet member noted:

Did you notice that Lil’ Mizz Ginny and Matusiak père or fils didn’t publish any photos of “the crowd” ( i.e., the faithful in the pews) attending the consecration of Alexander Golitzin as bishop of the OCA Bulgarian Diocese on oca.org or the Midwest’s site respectively? When you take away the bishops, the clergy, clergy spouses, and altar servers, how many rank and file parishioners attended? Not many, I suspect. If the Bulgarian Diocese has 19 parishes, most of which are concentrated in the Northeast and the Midwest close to Toledo, why didn’t more people attend? Wall-to-wall Archbishops…  rapidly declining membership…  poorly attended episcopal consecration… the “new” OCA under Fathausen is becoming more and more like a vagante sect every day. It’s time to reunite with the other Russian Orthodox on this continent and go home, don’t you agree?

I replied:

In re Golitzin… when our parish had a consecration three years ago, there were 80 attendees in all, mostly non-parishioners (including clergy). There were 12 clergy present (I kid you not… including Fathausen himself). They had to get people from three states (NY, MA, NJ) to attend… at least half of our “regulars” didn’t attend. Wonderful day in the neighbourhood, no?

Yet another Cabinet Member sent me this:

I received a call that on the OCA site pictures are already up showing off new Archbishops with crosses on their klobuks that look like a bad photoshop job. We don’t get much news from these guys, but give them a chance to show off and they’re quick to do so.

I replied:

I can do better! But they wouldn’t ask me! In their eyes, I’m a FREAK! Pass me the jug… it’s turned form tragedy into farce, no?

You’d think that they’d be careful, what with the number of tech-savvy folks out there. For instance, I caught a bad photoshop insert by noticing that there was a bad “fit” of a person’s head on a priest’s body. However, we’re talking Lil’ Mizz Ginny and Jillions, neither one is overly bright.

To round this out, yet another “Vara’s Army Regular” observed:

I have to agree with you that the method’s wrong, especially as far as the iconostas and vesperal Liturgies go. On the iconostas, if Moriak decides to push this one, it’s going to divide the diocese between older and newer parishes (those established in the 70s and later). The older parishes all have the older-style high iconostas. The newer parishes run the gamut. St Paul the Apostle in Dayton OH (Stokoe’s parish) has a “suggestion” of an iconostas (pictures here). Most of the other newer parishes I’ve seen have an iconostas that is some variation on the theme of one, maybe two, levels of icons, with the main icons having a bit of space in between the icons and the supporting posts. Most aren’t terribly “see-through” and are above head height. The Royal Doors are usually about half height or perhaps a bit higher. It seems a curtain could be hung across the Royal Doors with the majority of the iconostases in the newer parishes, but replacing the Royal Doors and adding an extra level of icons to an iconostas? That’ll cost major bucks that I’d assume the majority of parishes don’t have in this shitty economy. I’d daresay even the fabric and hardware to hang it might be a stretch for some parishes.

As for the vesperal Liturgies, I think that’s going to be a battle with parishioners. Simply put, it allows them to attend festal Liturgies on weekdays. I’m told Vladyki Job allowed them as a concession for working people. It’s not done at all in the Diocese of the West, and not all Midwest parishes do it. Has Moriak attended a 9:30 festal weekday Liturgy in the average parish? Some retired folks, maybe a housewife or two, maybe with young children, the person who works second or third shift, and that’s it. Maybe only 10 people, depending on how many retired folks are in the parish. Oh, I’m sure the parishes would serve festal Vespers, as well as the Liturgy, but I wonder how many would come, knowing they wouldn’t be taking Communion? Then, there’s the problem of the choir. Unless a parish has a paid choir director, I bet a priest would very likely find himself without a choir. Are choir directors and singers going to burn the few days off we get nowadays for a Liturgy? The church would likely be empty aside from the retired folks or those who don’t work days. I’ve heard of an occasional parish doing a very early morning (6:30 am) festal Liturgy, which is a decent compromise. At least the OCA Midwest parishes would have Vespers… it seems Vespers has virtually disappeared from many GOAA and some ACROD parishes. So, all they get are Sunday Liturgies and the occasional weekday Liturgy. The OCA (and the Antiochians) made a very big deal over the past several decades of getting the laity to commune more often. So, Moriak decides to what in effect is preventing people from taking Communion by making sure Liturgies are scheduled when most people can’t attend due to work and school?

Myself, I don’t object so much about the move to weekday morning Liturgies, as long as it’s done in a less extreme manner. The end doesn’t justify the means. I wonder how much Moriak is going to get crapped on. How are the priests going to sell this to the parishes? Did Moriak stop to think, even a little bit, about the practical realities of what he’s apparently jamming down people’s throats in the Midwest? Vladyki Job was averse to conflict. Moriak, on the other hand… aside from the cassock issue, he’s pushing too hard, too fast. There are at most, what, maybe 5-6 feast days a year (of the Great Feasts) that are on weekdays (depending on the year)? There’s nothing wrong with gradually doing away with vesperal Liturgies, but no, he has to push it. I wouldn’t know how widespread the use of Sunday baptismal Liturgies, since I can’t think of any parishes that actually do them. It will be interesting to see how much the average parishioners get riled up about this.

In short, the OCA’s in deep kimchi, kids… and everybody’s talkin’. It’s neither boring nor repetitive. However, I don’t think that Fathausen & Co are listening to any of it, but that’s not fazing people… they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do, and boy-oh-boy is it ever gonna be a SURPRISE to Fat Boy and his pals. Pass me the jug… cross yourself and take a drink… what else can you do at present?

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Sunday 13 May 2012

Albany NY

This Just In Department:

A Kitchen Cabinet member piped up:

In the ROCOR, the rule is that a Bishop can become an Archbishop after 15 years… that’s the accepted Russian Tradition.

Quite… one wonders why JP changed the Archbishop rules? It smells to me as if he’s trying to defend Peterson. After all, decent well-run churches usually expect arrested bishops to resign (as happened with Frau Kässmann in the EKD). She resigned despite getting a vote in her favour by the other EKD bishops. That was the correct and honourable thing to do. What does that tell us about both Paffhausen’s and Peterson’s characters (and of the OCA Holy Synod, which disregarded Herman Swaiko’s desire to shitcan Peterson)? Too much… none of it good. Oh, yes… decent people usually want sticky-fingered Treasurers to go to the slam (as the Episkies did here in New York State to a treasurer with creative ideas for church funds… she did hard state time). What does that tell us about Eric Tosi and about the priest that he defended (“The records simply don’t exist”)?

BMD

18 March 2012. A Word or Two on Eric Iliff for Someone Identifying Themselves as “Bishop Jerome Shaw”… and a Warning on Talking to Clergy after the Velencia Lawsuit Threats

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A friend sent me this:

Take a look at the following post from the Indiana list:

Content-Type: text/html
> Article: Memory Eternal Eric Iliff!

What caused his death? He must have been fairly young.

I had never heard of him before.

In Christ

+Bishop Jerome (ROCOR)

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This MAY NOT be Bishop Jerome Shaw. Why? The whole Iliff affair was rather front-and-centre, very messy and public until John Erickson, John Behr, and Chad Hatfield at SVS covered it up (it was as public as the Gleb Podmoshensky and Panteleimon Metropoulos scandals were). IF the writer is, indeed, Bishop Jerome Shaw, he should get in touch with those who know the situation better than I do. Two easily-contacted sources are Cappy Larson and Melanie Sakoda, at melanie@pokrov.org. For now, it’s best to stick to the fact that Timothy Bluemntritt, an Orthodox cleric with connections to SVS, sexually assaulted Eric Iliff, a student at SVS. The OCA apparat and First Families covered it up… nothing came of it. I believe that their ROCOR analogues helped them in this, that’s why I’m mistrustful of the e-mail passed on to me. Supposedly, Eric “committed suicide”… that’s the official story. Oh, yes… he had a lawsuit pending against SVS, and that “disappeared”. How CONVENIENT… this is one of those cases where you ask “Cui bono?” The answer’s not too pretty, is it?

I’d advise everyone to act with the greatest caution and reserve to any e-mail or personal request for information from ANY clergyman. The events surrounding the Iliff case and Ray Velencia’s lawsuits should be a lesson to you all. The higher clergy that we have are, in all too many cases, corrupt and venal men, unworthy of trust or respect, who scruple at nothing to maintain their little personal “empires” (a minority amongst the clergy, to be sure, but a loud and obvious lot). Even if you know a clergyman, you don’t know why he’s “asking you questions”. Remember, weak men, not bad ones, do most of the evil afoot in the world. Be reticent… say nothing… rat no one out (you don’t know what they’re looking for… say NOTHING). There are many ways of pressuring a priest, and most will “sacrifice” an individual if they think that their priesthood’s at stake. You forget that courage is a rare commodity at your own peril.

Reflect on this… the OCA hasn’t publicly repudiated Sir Ray’s lawsuit against Fr Michael Regan. That means that any clergyman is afraid that he’s next… after all, Michael Regan didn’t have much to do with Ray Velencia. I believe that Velencia is working hand-in-glove with Fathausen, and that Fathausen’s using this lawsuit in an attempt to terrorise his opponents. Note well that Fathausen REFUSES to discipline either Sir Ray or Dickie Wood in an open and public way, and that he refused to shitcan Iggy Burdikoff over some… ahem… “mislaid funds”… “The records simply don’t exist”. I told an Episcopalian friend about that, and he merely stared at me for a moment, and said, “Really?” He said nothing else, but the look of contempt and disgust on his face said it all.

By the way… Fathausen and his konvertsy claque are forever dumping on the Episkies… I’d say that if one group covers up financial “glitches” (and sordid escapades of a certain sort) and another group sees to it that sticky-fingered treasurers do hard state time in the slam, that tells you volumes about their character and honesty. You don’t have to agree with someone to observe that they’re honest people of good character. After all, oca.org’s SILENT on real news and prints nothing but the most saccharine rot and treacly fluff. I’ll be blunt… I’d rather see a V Gene Robinson rather than a Dmitri Royster, Feodosy Lazor, Pierre l’Huillier, Herman Swaiko, and Jonas Paffhausen. The former was open and honest about who he was… the latter group was not.

If the person sending the e-mail were Jerome Shaw, the vicar bishop for Hilarion Kapral in Manhattan, I’d advise him to contact John and Monica Iliff. However, I don’t think that they’d talk to him, seeing as how nasty and demonic Orthodox clergy (and their demented hangers-on) treated them. I’ll say this for the record… I bow before John and Monica… they did NOT deserve what they received. If any of you wishes to criticise them for leaving the Church, you’ll have to get through me, first. I’ll not allow it. They were screwed royally, and the First Families and the apparat expected them to SMILE and say, “Thank you, sir, may I please have another”.

At the Battle of Jutland, Admiral Earl Beatty turned to his aide and remarked, “There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today”. He seemed sunk in thought, and added, “And something wrong with our system”. If there’s ever a situation where there’s “something wrong with our bloody ships”, you can count on there being “something wrong with our system”. We can’t make a “perfect” system, but we should strive to make it as serviceable as human limitations allow, and we’re not doing that at present. There’s no doubt in my mind what’ll help matters… the OCA and the ROCOR are structures that are long past their usefulness. They’ve become corrupt and irrelevant priest-ridden excuses for Churches. The number of clergy boggles the mind… and many of them are convert Shake n’ Bakes without any real Orthodox formation (many of them only have a heterodox formation, which only compounds their imposture)… I kid you not.

It’s time to rip up the Tomos, defrock most of the convert “clergy”, merge the OCA and the ROCOR in the USA, Canada, and Alaska, and be an autonomous Metropolia of the Mother Church. That’s the ONLY way out. If the konvertsy want to come, fine… if they don’t, don’t waste your God-given time and energy. We have a Church to rebuild… we don’t have time to change the nappies of squalling smarkachi. That’s our God-given task; shall we accept it? That’s up to you…

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Sunday 18 March 2012

Albany NY

Three OCA Clergy Spoke in Favour of Pasonick at the Sentencing Hearing

Jesus and the Money-Changers

Boris Olshansky

2006

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The following three OCA clergy spoke in favour of Pasonick at his sentencing hearing:

•  John Kowalczyk
• Sergius Boyer
• John Perich

Thus, the hyperclericalism of Fathausen’s policy is now clear. He’s not only going to forgive clergy their every sin and peccadillo; he’s going to forgive them their every secular crime, as well. On the other hand, he’s going to hold the laity to the most stringent and noxious akrivia, forgiving them nothing. Look at his actions in re Dickie Wood, Iggy Burdikoff, Benjamin Peterson, Dmitri Royster, Matthew Tate, Gregory Jensen, Ray Velencia, and, now, Michael Pasonick. It’s clear… he allows the clergy to run rampant with impunity, whilst he kicks the believers at every opportunity.

I think that Our Lord Christ would condemn such vipers and “whited sepulchres”… I think that I’m not alone in thinking such.

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Albany NY