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Dear friends,

Although this is a purely speculative question, are there any guesses as to when the eparchy of Van Nuys and the archeparchy of Pittsburgh will be blessed with bishops?

What is the big hold up?

Anthony

Decision making takes time. Pray that the Church involves the Holy Spirit in making a good decision. Let's not speculate. When it happens; it happens. :p

[ 01-02-2002: Message edited by: Edwin ]

Anthony,

Given the past line up of Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic bishops, those responsible for the selection are proceeding with extreme caution. The next Metropolitan will make or break our Church, probably.

Think of the cleavages present as well in our church. Trying to find an acceptable candidate must be hard.

A bishop has to be the right mix. One could be really great at the canon law stuff and an expert at organization. But he may then not be too spiritual or pastoral in the fatherly sense.

Or he may be so spiritual that administration is out the window.

A good mix is needed. I nominate Kurt. He's still single. he he he

anastasios

I nominate Anastasios. He has seven years experience being the Patriarch of All Antartica and Penguins.

I respectfully decline. Could never live in California!

And being a trade unionist, I know enough about economics to know the Metropolia has taken a bath with the recent market decline, but not enough so to have a clue as to how to get us out of the current disaster we are facing.

But I think Anastasios is right. This is a very tough job. One would have to be an expert in eastern canon law as applied to the 21st centruy American situation (and despite the offerings of some who are absolutely certain as to its application, I think little of it is self-evident). With a supporting membership of considerably less than the institution I work for, you have a host of personnel, administrative, financial, real estate, and organizational issue.

The the obvious pastoral and spiritual leadership.

And while the conservative Catholics love to say "The Church is not a democracy", they are right -- it is not an autocracy either. It is something much more difficult. You need to be the kind of leader who can lead people without the power of force -- the force of either an invididual or a parlimentary vote.

Kurt,

What does the Liberal say? Why does church membership have to be along a liberal-conservative spectrum? I don't get it, Kurt? Is everything understood according to some class theory or political litmus to you? Why the need to politicize people with stereotypic cliches unless this is a need of people espousing unionism (or socialism-lite)?

It doesn't and shouldn't. That was the point I was making.

K.

I think it takes a while for decisions and discernment to be made. Especially since the Vatican has ALL the information of all the priests in the world...their reports of activity, progresses, etc. you name it.

So I think it takes a while for a Byzantine Church (or any other churches) to go over to Rome and look up the files for any history on an individual and use that as a part of the decision making process.

It doesn't mean that the Vatican makes the decision...it just means that the Vatican has all the information in there.

I, too, have been waiting for a new bishop for our Eparchy of St. Nicholas (Ukrainian Catholic in Chicago) for over a year now.

I told my priest, "Gosh, I wish that they would just hurry up!!!" Then he laughed and remarked "Oh...that might even take couple years...God only knows!!!"

So I guess in the mean time, we'll have to pray long and hard for a holy bishop.

SPDundas
Deaf Byzantine

Edwin:

Christ is Born!

Why, pray tell, do you equate unionism with socialism? I doubt the millions of Americans (including untold numbers of Eastern Christians) who have benefited from their membership in various unions and guilds would appreciate your characterization. It seems to me a proper Christian approach to the matter -- based on biblical exegesis and patristic and Catholic social thought -- would require a call for the revitalization and expansion of unions.

Always remember that free market capitalism is the worst economic system -- except for all the rest. Maybe.

Yours in Christ,
Theophilos

.

[ 01-04-2002: Message edited by: Edwin ]

Theophilus wrote: "It seems to me a proper Christian approach to the matter -- based on biblical exegesis and patristic and Catholic social thought -- would require a call for the revitalization and expansion of unions."

This is getting off the subject of the thread, but would society desire an expansion of unions being forced upon them? There is no difference between unionizing and industry and nationalizing an industry, both trends having suffered great setbacks worldwide.

Where in the scriptures does it call for the revitalization and expansion of unions?

Back to the topic at hand...

Oh, us Byzantines, we love to gossip.

Now, I heard (I really did) from a BC priest that all three (Ruthenian Church) vacancies would be filled at the same time... no doubt late next fall after the retirement resignation of Bishop Pataki.

Don't mean to make light of a serious matter, but sometimes I gotta laugh to keep from cryin'.

A blessed Feast of Theophany.

It would be a good think to have new bishops named, but it is not the end of the world to wait, either.

[ 01-04-2002: Message edited by: Olga Nimchek ]

Per Edwin's post, on the issue of labor unions:

I fully and totally, without physical or mental reservation of any form, submit to Holy Mother Church on this issue, to her Universal Pastor and the College of Bishops. I put myself before them as their tool to do as instructed.

Furthermore, if any individual finds me in need of correction on the matter of trade unions, I invite and accept their intercession with the appropriate eparchal, episcopal, parochial or any other legitimate church authority to cause them to properly instruct or command me.

Kurt

Dear Friends,

I feel for you as you await word on your new bishop(s).

The Eastern Canadian Ukrainian Eparchy had quite a struggle with two bishops for the longest time (five years was it?).

Somehow, the Roman authorities got it into their heads that since we had married priests et al., our Eparchy needed "re-evangelizing" and so we were assigned an "Apostolic Administrator."

Right from the start, our elderly ladies guilds took a dislike to him, even carrying protest placards outside the (RC) Cathedral where he was being consecrated.

They charged him with being against married priests and against the Eastern Rite etc.

Things went from bad to worse when our incombent bishop refused to step down and said that the new bishop was his "assistant" directing everyone to commemorate only him and not his assistant. Most parishes supported the incumbent bishop, and the eparchy was even more polarized between Byzantine-emphasis and Latin-emphasis parishes.

After this fiasco, and just to underline its sense of tactfulness, Rome removed the "Apostolic Administrator" and replaced him with another bishop from outside the Eparchy.

It is a good thing that "ex cathedra" pronouncements don't extend to episcopal appointments, otherwise there really would be a problem.

We too pray for inspiration in the appointment of bishops, that the Roman authorities can look beyond the narrow confines of their own administrative agendas toward the good of the Eastern Churches and of the entire Church.

Sorry, but we're still licking our wounds in this respect.

Alex