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Showing posts from July, 2017

Look in the Mirror!

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The letter sent by Metropolitan Methodios to the St. Athanasius parish council, parishioners and stewards is an example of uniformed decision making, ignorance of facts, and lack of respect for all who have labored for over 50 years to make the St. Athanasius parish what it is today. And this is to put it lightly! The Metropolitan's letter has drawn the ire of the overwhelming majority of the St. Athanasius stewards and parishioners, because 'from the ground' they have seen the situation at St. Athanasius unfold in a way that is totally distorted and misrepresented in his letter . Fr. Kastanas is accused of 'damaging the spiritual environment of the community' by allowing the 'distribution of hurtful and destructive communications throughout the Community' (I guess communications like this one would count among them). Apparently, even parishioners personal Facebook postings have drawn the anger and intolerance of the parish council and the Metrop

Relieved of your duties!

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If you are a manager at a reputable organization, you have probably been trained in appropriate procedures for personnel management. How do you deal with your employees? If you have a problem with one of them do you send your secretary to deal with it? Do you make sure you go on vacation and then have your secretary fire them? Do you send a letter to the whole company about their dismissal, saying you had to do it although the fault was not entirely their own? Well, stop laughing at my questions and  now imagine that this organization is your Church. A place where you expect love, forgiveness, reconciliation, discussion, and gentle admonishment. And yet all of these comico-tragical events are happening for real (!) right here, in the heart of the Orthodox Educational center of the Americas, the Metropolis of Boston. Where the Metropolitan is nowhere to be found, yet his chancellor calls to his office a 30 year veteran priest, and fires him! Where the parish council member