A Final Farewell to One of the Last Honest Men in the OCA

Here are some snaps from the funeral of Archbishop Job Osacky on 26 December in Black Lick PA. A quote from one of his writings follows. It is even more relevant today than it was when it was written, sadly enough. I shall return to it shortly, but, now, mourning is proper… nothing else is.

He shall be missed… sorely. My thanks to Sasha Ressetar for the original snaps.

******

******

******

******

******

I’ve often stated that in our little OCA, where many people know many others and have had longstanding relationships with them, we have largely failed in learning how to agree to disagree. I’ve used the example of a most unfortunate exchange; regarding not concepts or points, but, personalities.

The first person says, “You do not agree with me. That means you are not with me. That means you don’t like me. That means you are against me. That means you’re out to get me. That means you are attacking me. That means I have to destroy you”.

The second person should reply, “No, it means I don’t agree with you. That’s all. Let’s have a cup of coffee and discuss it, and maybe you’ll convince me, or, at least, we might be able to reach some compromise”.

But, my friends, our reality has shown that the exchange would not take place. The second person would never have been given the opportunity to respond, and the attack by the first person, with the motive of character assassination would begin. And, my sisters and brothers, there would be no opportunity for discussion, for dialogue, or for compromise. This scenario was repeated again and again, and continues today, and has become the basis for promoting personal agendas and lusting after power and authority. Is this noble; is it righteous; is it Christian? Can it ever be justifiable as being “for the good of the Church?” God forbid! And may He help us all, because this is how we’ve been operating in the Holy Synod and Central Church Administration for years, and we are slow to adopt an alternative.

1 October 2007

Archbishop Job Osacky of Chicago and the Midwest (OCA)

The Official website of the Diocese of the Midwest of the Orthodox Church in America

http://midwestdiocese.org/news_071004_1.html

Advertisement

Carpatho-Russia Adopted a New Anthem: «Русский Да Живет Народ!» (Long Live the Russian People!)

Chief Carpatho-Russian centre located at the Church of Christ the Saviour in Užgorod. In one place, there is a staff, school, passport office, and a House of Government… (My Thanks to Tim Connelly for alerting me to this news item)

On 21 December, the Oblast Council of Zakarpatsky oblast (Carpatho-Russia) adopted, by a majority vote, the text of an anthem of the region. The basis of the anthem is a song written by Aleksandr Dukhnovych in the mid-19^th century. They could look as hard as they want to, but, the “heirs” of the Banderovtsy {Editor’s note: Ukrainian “nationalist” terrorists led by the convicted murderer Stepan Bandera.} couldn’t find the “hand of Moscow” in the new anthem. Back when Dukhnovych originally wrote the song, Carpatho-Russia was a separate territory. At first, it was autonomous, then, it was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, followed by being part of Czechoslovakia, Poland, and, finally, the Ukraine. For many centuries, their rulers attempted to assimilate the Carpatho-Russians, but, they could not do it.

The most recent attempt to assimilate [the Carpatho-Russian people] is happening now, in our time, in front of our eyes. It’s no secret that, over the past twenty years, the Ukrainian authorities had no qualms about pursuing a policy of “Ukrainianisation”. The inhabitants of the Crimea and a small Carpathian people, the Carpatho-Russians (Rusyns), refused to accept this process. According to officials [of the “Orange” junta in] Kiev, the Carpatho-Russians are not a people as a distinct ethnic community, they are just a variant of Ukrainians. Understandably, the Carpatho-Russians feel quite differently about the matter. In their unanimous opinion, the Carpatho-Russians are the direct heirs of Kievan Rus, perhaps, more Russian than… the Russians themselves! That’s seems so absurd! Of course, official Kiev obstructs the creation of a national-cultural autonomy [in Carpatho-Russia]. The SBU {Editor’s note: CIA-trained secret police of Yushchenko.}  constantly tries to weasel itself amongst Carpatho-Russian activists and infiltrate national organisations, but, apparently, it isn’t working out too well for them.

The “new” old anthem of Carpatho-Russia needs no tribute from us:

Подкарпатские русины,

Оставьте глубокий сон.

Народный голос зовет вас:

Не забудьте о своем!

Наш народ любимый

Да будет свободный

От него да отдалится

Неприятелей буря

Да посетит справедливость.

Уж и русское племя!

Русский да живет народ!

Просим Бога Вышняго

Да поддержит русскаго

И даст века лучшаго!

Carpatho-Russians,

Shake off your deep sleep.

The people’s voice is calling you:

Don’t forget us!

Our people’s desire,

Let them be free,

From them so far remove

The enemies’ storm,

Let justice attend us.

We’re of the Russian blood!

Long live the Russian people!

We ask God the Most High

To support Russians

And grant them lasting favour!

22 December 2009

Dmitri Steshin

Комсомольская Правда (Komsomolskaya Pravda: Komsomol Truth)

http://www.kp.ru/daily/24415/588340/

Fr Vsevolod Chaplin Urged the Clergy and Laity to be Worthy of Patriarch Kirill

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin (1968- ), head of the Synodal Division for Church-Society Relations

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Synodal Division for Church-Society Relations believes that the Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias will make the MP into one of the strongest religious communities in the world. “Patriarch Kirill is a man of great intellect, he desires to work for the people, and he has great organisational skills. I hope that all the clergy and laity of our Church would be worthy of our First Hierarch and will be able to tailor their works and initiatives in response to his writings and ideas”, Fr Vsevolod said on Monday at a press conference at the central offices of Interfax.

Fr Vsevolod believes that it is “absolutely clear” that the First Hierarch of the MP is amongst the “several best religious leaders in the world”. In his view, Patriarch Kirill could bring the MP to a place amongst the most powerful religious communities in the world, a position that is its prerogative, based on its strength”. Fr Vsevolod stated that the MP under Patriarch Kirill’s leadership can “fully realise the earnest and ardent hopes and expectations that our contemporary society addresses to her, not only in Russia, but, also, in the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and other countries in our canonical territory”.

Fr Vsevolod believes that the main event of 2009, besides the election of a new patriarch, was Patriarch Kirill’s reform of the organisation of the Synodal Departments, as he established new offices and revamped old ones. In addition, His Holiness directed that some church feastdays became celebrated throughout the MP, in particular, the feastday of the Icon of the Mother of God “of Kazan” on 4 November and the feastday of Ss Cyril and Methodius on 24 May. He said, “[The feast of Ss Cyril and Methodius] should not only be a celebration of folklore, but, it must become a coming together of disparate elements of national importance, no less bright than the highest holidays of pre-revolutionary and Soviet times. Moreover, at the same time, it should be a forum where people could discuss the momentous and important questions facing our country and its people”.

28 December 2009

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=33564

Editor’s Note:

This is important… not for what was said, but, for who is saying them. Fr Vsevolod Chaplin is one of the closest confidants of KMG. SVS and the OCA autocephalists constantly bleat about Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev. Let’s speak bluntly here. HA does NOT have half the power and influence of Vsevolod Chaplin. FULL STOP. The OCA fanatics never tell you about the 31 March reorganisation, for it left their idol, HA, out in the cold. The DECR was picked clean of all of its more powerful elements and HA was demoted from being a ruling bishop (“of Vienna and all Austria”) to being a mere vicar (“of Volokolamsk”, a region under the actual authority of the patriarchal vicar, Metropolitan Yuvenaly Poyarkov).

Where there was one figure before (KMG as head of the DECR under Aleksei), there is now three (HA, Fr Vsevolod, and Bishop Mark Golovkov (a man with a sterling and solid reputation)). HA appears to have been relegated to being a prettily-dressed diplomatic courier with a fancy title. Fr Vsevolod speaks often in public for His Holiness. Bishop Mark… has the ability to be quiet. He is the one to watch. HA is a loud jackass laden with books. Fr Vsevolod is a crafty bureaucratic infighter. Bishop Mark… does what needs to be done with no fuss and muss made of it.

They are all of an age (Bishop Mark was born in 1964, HA in 1966, and Fr Vsevolod in 1968)… they’re all going to be on the stage when KMG passes some twenty years ahead. In short, I confide that there is going to be a repeat of 1989… Back then, people were expecting Philaret Denisenko to be the next patriarch; indeed, he was the Patriarchal Locum Tenens. However, Aleksei Rediger became the next patriarch. I would say that the personalities of HA and Bishop Mark are close analogues to those of Philaret Denisenko and Aleksei Rediger. Therefore, I think that it is very probable, barring something unforeseen, that Mark Golovkov could be our next patriarch… moreover, a most excellent one he would make, too…

BMD