www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News BC Monastery to join OCA?

David,

This is one Orthodox (albeit a baby Orthodox who does not share in ANY WAY, Orthoman's rather lopsided view of Eastern Catholic Christians and especially his view of the horrible events of 1946. Not all Orthodox are cut from the same mold in their views of Eastern Catholics and many hold to Bishop +Kallistos' more tolerant stand.

In Our Lord,

Brian

Bless me a sinner, Father Thomas,

Yes, the point you raise is one that was discussed at a UGCC Synod in L'viv.

The bishops there said that they have asked the Pope to rule on whether our continued use of "Orthodox" in the Liturgy is appropriate given the fact that the Orthodox in E. Europe get dissed when we do - words to that effect .

Do you see how nice we are?

Kissing your right hand, I again implore your blessing,

Alex

Dear Teen Logo,

An excellent, well-reasoned post that almost brought me to tears.

Thank you, Big Guy.

I promise to stop ribbing you about formally becoming Catholic.

(Unless you don't want me to ).

Alex

Dear Brian,

Would that both Eastern Catholics and Orthodox had more Christians in their folds like you!

Alex

Dear Logos, I second Alex's commendation of your post. You have very well described the complexity of emotion and situation that something like this invokes.

[And don't you give me credit for defending the Orthodox here, as Fr. Thomas does?]

Oh Alex, my friend, I give you more credit than you realize for your defense of Orthodoxy! When I read some of your responses I say a little prayer that some day your 'heart' and 'mind' will come together and you will come all the way home! I will await you like the prodigal son you will truly be if and when that day arrives. The calf will be slaughtered and the table will be laden with food (even pierogi's)!

But you are right, we are where God wants us to be right now. Some people live very happily in half way houses. Others are more secure amongst their own blood kin rather than amongst strangers.

[Father Thomas, never mind about the historical stuff, what are you going to do about Orthoman?

(You don't have to answer that . . . I know you can't be held responsible for the sins of spiritual youth ).]

Since when is speaking the truth a sin? Hey I know you like me Alex in spite of what you say! I like you too! Most of the time! Just kidding, just kidding, big guy!

OrthoMan

P.S. When I read your posts defending Holy Orthodoxy I know why God wants you where you are. You haven't figured it out yet! Or have you?

More and more offensive stuff from OrthoMan...

OrthoMan, I pray that one day you will realize your error and return to your true home in union with Rome as our ancestores were before the schism.

Alex,
Why am I combative? becasue too much has gone on here with attacking our latin brethren while we let our orthodox brethren spew their polemics with our dispute.

Now, those latins that attack us for not being latin, well they get what they deserve. Just as those orthodox that treat us with respect (like Brian (even though we have had our disagreements)) deserve our respect.

But there is no respect in OrthoMan's comments.

Have I been recruited by the Latins to be their Eastern Defender? no and you viewing it in this manner is part of the problem.

I am coming to the defense of our Catholic brethren.


David, the Byzantine Catholic

Dear Orthoman,

I've always admired your zeal for Orthodoxy and your single-minded commitment to Christ.

And your veneration of St Panteleimon is something that has personally helped me.

When you say what you say about the Unia, believe it or not, you echo my uncles . . .

God bless you, Servant of Christ!

Alex

Dear David,

Just calm down - I was kidding.

You have come a long way in a short space of time.

Your Eastern vision and praxis have solidified and your identity as an Eastern Catholic has become clarified and strong.

This you show, time and again, in your comments on theological and historical issues here.

You will be, we all know, a great church leader and we are all praying for you in that regard.

God bless you,

Alex

The reporter for the Miami Herald mentions the Church's "intransigence" and its efforts to block the questioning of potential witnesses in the murder case. I hope all of that was resolved and that all those charges were just jumping the gun in assessing the situation.

Whatever happened to Mykaylo Kofel? Did he get the death penalty?

The Academy website really shows a nice school. Is the Academy doxing too?

Alex,

This wasn't the first time Ruth-Catholics doxed and probably won't be the last. I hope all goes well for them.

Joe

David,

You sound just as bad as OrthoMan. Do you think our goal in life is to promote Uniatism? One Byzantine Catholic bishop stated that our mission as Eastern Catholics was to "disappear." What do you think he meant by that?

Joe

Joe,

I think you need to reread what I posted.

Please point out where I promote Uniatism.

Because I did not.

Yes it is our "mission as Eastern Catholics to "disappear." "

But to disappear where? To our Mother Church after reunification occurs, hence when our Mother Church returns to the fold and embraces communion with Rome as they did before the schism.


David, the Byzantine Catholic

Dear Cantor Joseph,

When Ruth-Caths Dox ( ), is there a preference?

The OCA? The Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek-Catholic Church?

Alex

Dear David,

Well, I'll have to say - Good One, Big Guy!

(I'll really have to watch myself around you from now on . . .)

Alex

Well, poor little me have just been accused of mocking the Orthodox Church or worse, by my public prayer for the soul of the murdered (that is a fact, not an accusation) reposed Sister Michele Lewis and prayer for God's mercy on the soul of the convicted (that is a fact, not an accusation) young man Mychajlo Kofel. Suffice to say I will not offer public prayers here for anyone for any reason ever again.

It seems like some of the things I post here make others uncomfortable. Well, good. Sometimes those are precisely the things that need to be said.

But about this monastery, aside from having run into the Hegumen in the Kosice, Slovakia airport while he was on his way to Uzhhorod to recruit more impoverished Rusyn boys for his contemplative monastery in sunny south Florida, I have had no personal interaction with them. And I have no animus towards them except for what looks to be a situation they created - perhaps with good intention, perhaps not - that ended in tragedy for at least two souls. But I also know how soon after the rebirth of the Greek Catholic Church in Zakarpattia they went there with their full Byzantine monastic robes and scandalized the Greek Catholic faithful, appearing to them as "Orthodox". It was up to our priests from America to politely inform them how the faithful were reacting to them. Insensitive? Yep. Harmful? Perhaps. Done in ignorance? Maybe, but that was no excuse. But they did it anyway.

If they are "cleared for landing" into the OCA by Bishop Andrew and Metropolitan Herman, then great. I have no problem with laypeople or clergy transferring to the Orthodoxy or back to Byzantine Catholicism if done for conscience and through canonical procedure. (Celibate priests marrying and then being accepted into the Orthodoxy without reordination does not count, in my book.)

But Bishop Andrew giving somebody his blessing to enter the Orthodoxy doesn't seem to me like something he would do. And even if it is his place to do so, has the Monastery been under his jurisdiction for these past 2+ years after all?

And will this ever be announced in the Eastern Catholic Life? I mean, we laypeople are going to wonder about this place and whatever happened to it; there used to be a Southern States deanery pilgrimage at the monastery, for pete's sake! It's not like the people weren't aware of it. Or will it remain in the "limbo" of rumor and hushed semi-secret "gossip" that only those "in the know" will ever hear about? That's been the track record up till now with everything else that the lay people "shouldn't know about"... It just makes me very uncomfortable.