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This chair sadly remained vacant for almost 18 months after the repose of + Metropolitan Basil.

Shouldn't we, those of us who are the faithful of the Ruthenian Church, at least extend our prayful hope for the new Metropolitan-elect?

YES!!!!! We can't know what the future holds for the Metropolitan Church but what we can do is pray for our leaders that God's will be done for His Church.

We all know that things in the Ruthenian Church need to change and I pray Metropolitan-elect William carries the cross of leadership and leads us into a new spring time.

Yes, and on this specific point, I will comment directly - more directly than I am accustomed.

I am a member of this parish. I first moved to Long Island right as the parish was being systematically dismantled - timing could not have been worse. It was absolutely horrible to witness, especially as a faithful son of our Church. I could not bring my family there. We remained in limbo for over 2 years until Fr. Jack's arrival. There's more to the story from my direct experience, but I'll leave it at that.

Each and every time I walk into that church, I quite literally thank God that Fr. Jack was sent and that then-Bishop William had the wisdom to send him. I know I'm unworthily in good company in that regard, as many long-standing parishioners endured much more yet remained faithful and are just as grateful, if not more so.

Only those who lived through this could fully understand and appreciate the extent of the damage that was done. We can also see quite clearly what we have now through the action, courage and love of Fr. Jack, achieved with the support of his bishop.

Again, even our most basic calling to offer Christian charity would dictate we at least give our new Metropolitan-elect a chance!

Thank you, Fr. Deacon Lance, for mentioning this - certainly not an inconsequential act on then-Bishop William's part.

Absolutely, I didn't mean to imply otherwise, and I'm happy to see that there may have been some misinformation before.

However, I think it is folly to hope and pray without also acknowledging reality as it currently stands. Then-Bishop William, from all I can see, was at best silent in the face of the promulgation of the RDL, at worst complicit, and there is no reason to think his mind will change now, especially since this stance has been validated so. I would love to be wrong, but the RDL and all that it entails seems here to stay.

And what is more important than Liturgy?

There seems to be a continuing intent to pontificate and/or editorialize on the suitability of the Metropolitan-elect for the office that he is about to undertake. Any member who has posted here for any length of time should well remember prior occasions on which it has been pointed out that threads announcing the elevation of anyone to a hierarchical office, albeit posted in the News forum, are historically held to a standard that focuses on congratulatory wishes and prayers for the candidate-elect.

It seems that some do not, as Deacon Lance has pointed out, know where to draw the line and insist on prophesizing what the future will bring, based on perceptions that, in some instances, are uninformed, and in others partially informed at best. Even in those instances where there are legitimate criticisms to be leveled as to past actions taken, we've had those discussions - then was then, now is now, and the future is yet to be foretold. Bottom line, this thread is closed.

Members may feel free to civilly, charitably, and appropriately critique the Metropolitan-elect's performance as Metropolitan, once there is any barometer against which to measure it. Such opportunity will only come with time.

In the interim, let me just note that doomsaying is highly overrated as a constructive conversational medium.

Many years,

Neil