Prayers

[InnerPhyre]

Hey guys,

I'm only back for a moment to ask for your prayers. There is a rather serious scandal brewing in my parish. Up until recently we had a new priest who converted from the Byzantine Catholic Church (he was a deacon in the BCC). He was just ordained last year. He was mentored and brought to the priesthood by my pastor and at some point last year, met with the bishop, at which time the bishop said that a new mission should be started in our area. It was an off-hand comment and not an order from the bishop, but this priest decided that he was going to start the mission on his own. He told our pastor that he had been instructed by the bishop to do so and ended up taking about half our parish with him to start this new church (we are a small parish...only about 20 people). He bought the church building with his own money and has been basically been doing everything on his own.

Last week my pastor met with the bishop and it came out that the priest who left has been lying. He had told the bishop that he had our pastor (his mentor's) blessing to do it and so the bishop didn't protest. Meanwhile he had been telling our pastor that it was all the bishop's idea. The bishop is very unhappy now (naturally) but there's not much to do because he doesn't want to close down the new church even though there is suspicion that it isn't even owned by the OCA, but is in the priest's name. The two parishes are now very tense with each other even though we were all part of the same family just months ago and it's very difficult to deal with.

What a mess. Please keep this situation in your prayers, that it may all be resolved quickly and that we can all forgive each other and have peace again.

[Maximus]

You have my prayers.

I hate stuff like that. I sincerely hope it all gets cleared up without acrimony.

[Greg the byzantine]

Have Mercy O Lord, and help and guide all those involved in this difficult situation. :crosseo:

[EricTheRed]

arg a hate when stuff like happens. One of the reasons I stoped going to baptist churchs. They kept having civil wars

[Monica, child of God]

Whoa :crosseo:

M.

[Matrona]

He bought the church building with his own money and has been basically been doing everything on his own.

Last week my pastor met with the bishop and it came out that the priest who left has been lying. He had told the bishop that he had our pastor (his mentor's) blessing to do it and so the bishop didn't protest. Meanwhile he had been telling our pastor that it was all the bishop's idea. The bishop is very unhappy now (naturally) but there's not much to do because he doesn't want to close down the new church even though there is suspicion that it isn't even owned by the OCA, but is in the priest's name. The two parishes are now very tense with each other even though we were all part of the same family just months ago and it's very difficult to deal with.

What a mess. Please keep this situation in your prayers, that it may all be resolved quickly and that we can all forgive each other and have peace again.

Whoa... that is definitely not cool. The neophyte priest definitely shouldn't have done that. Why is there tension between the two congregations? :scratch:

What might be the smartest thing to do would be to reintegrate the congregations, turn the second mission into a mission station, straighten out the ownership of the building, and get Fr. Neophyte back under someone's wing. I really hope he isn't up to some kind of trouble.

[ByzantineDixie]

Oh my...

:crosseo: :prayer:

May forgiveness and wisdom guide the next steps.

[VickiY]

Lord, have mercy!

[MariaRegina]

Dear Mike:

I will pray that the Bishop can resolve it and that both congregations will grow in humility and charity.

Here in Los Angeles we have had several new parishes form and those who left their former parishes for the new missions were considered 'traitors'. I guess that is part of our human condition. A bit of jealousy in not being 'chosen' to go to a new church ... a bit of pride in helping to found one. The devil will take advantage of any situation.

Many times certain parishioners will 'force' a priest to do something he really should not do, like founding a mission parish before he is really ready. At other times a parish council will 'boot out' a devout priest because they don't like his spiritual sermons.

Pastoring is hard work and parish councils can be simply awful to deal with from the Priest's perspective. I know several priests who didn't get enough money from the parish council to live on ... one had to get food stamps to feed his family ... another had to get a second job just to pay for his family and pay his college and seminary loans. Then the parish complained that he couldn't handle a full Holy Week schedule.

This shouldn't be and this is why priests must be spiritually formed.

Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us and save us.


EDIT:

About 10 years ago when I was chrismated, we had annual days of recollection (Saturday retreat) .. sometimes we had four retreats available to us each year. These retreats were wonderful and they pulled great Priests from all over the USA. We had Father Stanley Harakas, Father Thomas Hopko, Father Coniaris, and many others who instructed us. It was wonderful. We sang Divine Liturgy in the morning and then ended with Vespers. Wow.

Perhaps ask your bishop and pastor if both parishes could have a Saturday Retreat on a Lenten theme (repentance).

[Xpycoctomos]

My priest once said that the one trap every priest has to guard from is trying to make a parish in his image. you know, the "If I had my own parish" mentality. I think that is often what drives many to make these moves. If i had my own parish I wouldn't have pews, we would use some slovanic, we would only use English, I would require monthly confessions etc etc... My priest said it is one of the most dangerous traps a priest can fall into.

It makes sense especially in light of moves like these. That's sad.

John

PS: Innerphyre... long time no see.. glad so see you are still around... apparently you won't be back till '06.. have a great break! God bless :)

[moses916]

same thing happened here in Canada with my mom's parish, one of the priests took half the congregation and is renting a presbyterian church and this priest gives communion to protestants, catholics and orthodox, i'm glad my mom didn't stay with this priest, my prayers inner :crosseo:

[Xpycoctomos]

Has the bishop done anyting about it? IS this split recent? Are his practices pretty well known among others. That's so sad. Why would he do that to non-Orthodox? What a horrible witness. God have mercy on us.

[Kolya]

Lord have Mercy!:crosseo:

It's sad when one of your own parishioner's goes to another jurisdiction, but when you have a renegade priest...