I was thinking about the words attributed to Bishop Soter. He was the bishop who consecrated many of our pioneer church buildings in the early twentieth century, including my home parish of St. Michael the Archangel in Binghamton, NY.
When the faction asserting that the parish was a Greek Catholic parish united with Rome, ultimately lost possession of the property through the courts in the late 1930's, the parish cast its lot with what would become ACROD.
The parish 'became' Orthodox as a consequence.
What is interesting to note is that at no time was the building ever 'reconsecrated' prior to 'becoming' Orthodox. This always struck me as an oddity of history.
My late father would always argue with the younger priests that at the time of the schism there was no intent to become 'Orthodox' as that was equated with the 'Katzaps' or the Metropolia and Russification. ('Katzap' being a derogatory term literally meaning 'bearded goat'..figure it out.....) He also mentioned, from time to time, that Bishop Soter got a 'bad rap' and was treated unfairly.
After rereading Bishop Soter's words, I think I now understand the point that my dad and others of his generation were trying to make.
Bishop Soter is quoted as saying in response to Ea Semper: "Our goal is to establish a Greek Rite Catholic Church in the United States of America, to have our own Eparchy and laws. If the first bishop resigns on account of the "EA SEMPER" Bulla, as some wish that I do. What will happen? No, the bishop and the people will not permit the destruction of the Greek Rite Catholic Church in the United States of America...."
That sentiment matches up with the resolutions adopted by the KOVO and the groups organized in opposition to Bishop Takach and Cum Data Fuerit. I don't think that is a coincidence - again, keep in mind my earlier comment that the Greek Catholic ordinaries in Europe were well aware of the treatment and plight of Fr. Toth.
Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but I think that underlying the belief of all involved in the 'troubles' within the American Greek Catholic Church at that time, was that their actions were intended to ensure the survival of the Church as it was given to them by their ancestors.(not limited in time merely to those forebearers of the post-Union of Uzhorod era.) In other words, I think it is fair to say that the educated Greek Catholic clergy and hierarchs of that era viewed themeselves on some level as being both 'Orthodox' and 'in union with the Pope' as promised by the Unions, although they did not articulate that in modern terminology.
As long as the terms of Union were honored by the Holy See, they were comfortable with that belief. 20th century Latinizations and Ea Semper and Cum Data Fuerit turned things on their head. The very future of the Greek Catholic tradition in America was at risk and the American hierarchy seemed tone-deaf to that risk in the minds of many clergy and lay people. I suspect that it was not out of the minds of many that if the limitation of the Eastern Churches succeeded in the Americas, that it could spread to Europe. We shall never know as the war intervened and the ham-handedness of the Communists and the Russophiles ensured that would never happen.
In that context, the lack of a reconsecration of a church or the re-baptism, chrismation or ordination of the faithful and clery who left Greek Catholicism for Constantinople's protection makes perfect sense. Neither Constantinople nor Bishop Chornock viewed +Orestes and his small flock as the group which 'changed' their faith.
I have made this point on other boards to the consternation of many Orthodox and I know that many of you will disagree with my analysis. I am not saying that they were 'right', merely that their actions, and lack of actions, make sense in that context.
In the end, the actions of those who remained Greek Catholic and those who did not, jointly served the intention of Bishop Soter which was that "....the bishop and the people will not permit the destruction of the Greek Rite Catholic Church in the United States of America...." and that the faithful should fear not, "... hardship, struggle, the struggle will bring life. The grace of God is stronger than the temptations of the evil sons. Be assured that the bishop has done everything possible. The Bulla is not for the betterment of our Church. Let us unite, work hard one for all and all for one. This can happen only among righteous people, who know that all power is given from above by God."
We all owe those pioneering priests and lay people, a debt - and with that debt comes an obligation to ensure that those traditions endure in the face of competing pressures in our times. Perhaps that is why, after decades of bitter animosity, we understand each other more fully and we have begun to repair the decades of distrust and suspicion which following the schisms. Indeed, the ways of the Lord are indeed a mystery.
Last edited by DMD; 01/30/12 12:59 PM.
