why are newly tonsured monks and nuns not included in the orthodox observer’s clergy updates...

8/10/2019 Why are newly tonsured monks and nuns not included in the Orthodox Observer’s Clergy Updates section? (2002)

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Clergy Updates

21 posts by 10 authors

A. Styl

1/2/02

The Orthodox Observer often lists a "Clergy Update" that lists

ordination of deacons and priests, retirement of priests, and new

assignments of priests--all good information.

Where is the list of newly tonsured monks and nuns in the monasteries

and convents under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese? Families of these

newly tonsured monastics often learn of the tonsuring and the location

of their loved one after the fact. If the Archdiocese keeps track ofits priests, why are the monks and nuns kept out of the loop? Why the

secrecy or even the shadow of secrecy in listing these monks and nuns?

The absence of this list runs parallel with the absence of information

about the monk Ephraim-led monasteries on the GO web site or Orthodox

Observer. If establishing 16 monasteries within the last 10 years is

a tribute to the Church, why is it not highlighted and presented to

the people as a model? Because it is not a model of monasticism and

because the GO church doesn't know what to do with this rogue monk.

Cults depend on secrecy and isolation in order to survive.

Click here to Reply



Alexander Arnakis

1/2/02

On 2 Jan 2002 07:48:39 -0800, [email protected] (A. Styl) wrote:

>The Orthodox Observer often lists a "Clergy Update" that lists

>ordination of deacons and priests, retirement of priests, and new

>assignments of priests--all good information.

>

>Where is the list of newly tonsured monks and nuns in the monasteries>and convents under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese? Families of these

>newly tonsured monastics often learn of the tonsuring and the location

>of their loved one after the fact. If the Archdiocese keeps track of

>its priests, why are the monks and nuns kept out of the loop? Why the

>secrecy or even the shadow of secrecy in listing these monks and nuns?

>

The difference is that priests, deacons, etc., are public

functionaries, and therefore the public has a right to know who they

are. Monastics, on the other hand, answer to no one except themselves

(and their monastic superiors), and thus are entitled to a curtain of

privacy.

If the monastics want to cut themselves off from their families, it's

their business. This isn't to say that doing so is right, because (in

my opinion) it violates the Commandment, "Honor thy father and thy

mother." The Commandment applies even if the parents are dysfunctional

(and we all know how common dysfunctional families are among

Greek-Americans).

>The absence of this list runs parallel with the absence of information

>about the monk Ephraim-led monasteries on the GO web site or Orthodox>Observer. If establishing 16 monasteries within the last 10 years is

>a tribute to the Church, why is it not highlighted and presented to

>the people as a model? Because it is not a model of monasticism and

>because the GO church doesn't know what to do with this rogue monk.

>Cults depend on secrecy and isolation in order to survive.



Because the Ephraimite monasteries are *not* a tribute to the Church;

they're an embarrassment to the Church. The problem is that monastic

life for the young is not consistent with the so-called "family

values" that the Church is trying to promote.

Ephraim is a fish out of water. If people want to join monasteries,

there are plenty of monasteries in Greece that they can go join.

Monasticism just doesn't fit with the ethos of America.

Serge

1/2/02

Perhaps it has to do with monasticism's origins as something semi-independent

of other church instititutions. Isn't this still at least somewhat true in

Orthodox monasticism, where each full-fledged monastery is independent of the

others?

+++++++

http://oldworldrus.com

Marina

1/2/02

http://oldworldrus.com/





Monastics are not clergy and no such publication exists in Greece or Cyprus,

for example.

Cunneen

1/2/02

<<Monasticism just doesn't fit with the ethos of America.>>

Alex, I have to take exception to that. On the Catholic side, the Benedictines

among others are alive and well in this country. They provide retreat centers

and places of silence and peace for the rest of us, which is an important

corrective to the ethos of America.

I'm sure that Orthodox monasticism is just as important to American Orthodox.

Alexander Arnakis

1/3/02

- show quoted text -


I should have said "Monasticism in the tradition of Mt. Athos, as

promulgated by Elder Ephraim, doesn't fit with the ethos of America."



I'm sure Roman Catholic monasteries don't recruit teenagers against

the will of their parents, and do other things to split families

apart. Nor do they make a personality cult of their abbots, doing such

things as drinking their bath water.

The Trappist monks of Holy Cross Abbey (Berryville, Virginia) make

some awfully good fruitcake. (BTW, I notice that they don't accept

novices younger than 23.)

Cunneen

1/3/02

<<I should have said "Monasticism in the tradition of Mt. Athos, as





things as drinking their bath water.

The Trappist monks of Holy Cross Abbey (Berryville, Virginia) make

some awfully good fruitcake. (BTW, I notice that they don't accept

novices younger than 23.)>>

All Orthodox monasteries in the U.S. aren't Athonian, are they? We met monks

from a small (monastery?) in Northern California affiliated with OCA; they make

icons and do some simple farming. There are only three of them, but they seem

very happy and open.

Rd. Constantine Wright



1/3/02

[email protected] (A. Styl) wrote:

> The absence of this list runs parallel with the absence of information

> about the monk Ephraim-led monasteries on the GO web site or Orthodox

> Observer. If establishing 16 monasteries within the last 10 years is

There is a map and list of the Athonite monasteries in America at the

following link:

http://www.stanthonysmonastery.org/map.htm

This is at the website for St. Anthony's Monastery in Florence, AZ.

> a tribute to the Church, why is it not highlighted and presented to

> the people as a model? Because it is not a model of monasticism and

> because the GO church doesn't know what to do with this rogue monk.

> Cults depend on secrecy and isolation in order to survive.

Fr. Ephraim is not being secret. There are several public websites

given in the list. Fr. Ephrain travels (insofar as he is allowed to do

so) and speaks openly. On the other hand, the efforts at secrecy arecoming from those who are trying to suppress monasticism, the heart of

our Orthodox Faith, in this country.

In Christ,

Rd. Constantine

+--------------------------------------+

|Reader Constantine Wright |

|At Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church |

|Chattanooga, Tennessee USA |

|Orthodox Church in America ||http://constans_wright.tripod.com |

+--------------------------------------+



http://constans_wright.tripod.com/







Alexander Arnakis

1/3/02

On 03 Jan 2002 07:15:03 GMT, [email protected] (Cunneen) wrote:

>

>All Orthodox monasteries in the U.S. aren't Athonian, are they?

No, there were monasteries before Fr, Ephraim. But he's the one who

sparked the growth, and the controversy.

A. Styl

1/4/02

[email protected] (Rd. Constantine Wright) wrote in message

news:< [email protected]>...


Yes, there are several public websites, but the Archdiocese's web site

and its newsletter, the Orthodox Observer, do NOT list him or his

monasteries' activities. Those of us who want to expose the monk

Ephraim and his cult are not against monasticism within the Church.

There is monasticism and then there is monasticism, the Ephraim-type

that requires secrecy and deception. The term of "salvific

deception," which allows one to lie in order to preserve one's

salvation is touted to the novices and tonsured monks/nuns. In other

words, it's ok to deceive others in order to preserve and further your



own salvation and your monastic community. The guardians of our faith

are allowed to lie?

Atsaves

1/4/02

<< Subject: Re: Clergy Updates

From: [email protected] (A. Styl)

Date: Fri, Jan 4, 2002 12:59 PM

Message-id: <[email protected]>

[email protected] (Rd. Constantine Wright) wrote in message


> [email protected] (A. Styl) wrote:

>

> > The absence of this list runs parallel with the absence of information

> > about the monk Ephraim-led monasteries on the GO web site or Orthodox

> > Observer. If establishing 16 monasteries within the last 10 years is

> There is a map and list of the Athonite monasteries in America at the

following link:

>

> http://www.stanthonysmonastery.org/map.htm

>

> This is at the website for St. Anthony's Monastery in Florence, AZ. a tribute

to the Church, why is it not highlighted and presented to the people as a

model? Because it is not a model of monasticism and because the GO church

doesn't know what to do with this rogue monk.> > Cults depend on secrecy and isolation in order to survive.

>

> Fr. Ephraim is not being secret. There are several public websites

> given in the list. Fr. Ephrain travels (insofar as he is allowed to do

> so) and speaks openly. On the other hand, the efforts at secrecy are coming

from those who are trying to suppress monasticism, the heart of our Orthodox

Faith, in this country.






> In Christ,

> Rd. Constantine

Yes, there are several public websites, but the Archdiocese's web site

and its newsletter, the Orthodox Observer, do NOT list him or his

monasteries' activities. Those of us who want to expose the monk

Ephraim and his cult are not against monasticism within the Church.

There is monasticism and then there is monasticism, the Ephraim-type that

requires secrecy and deception. The term of "salvific deception," which allows

one to lie in order to preserve one's salvation is touted to the novices and

tonsured monks/nuns. In other

words, it's ok to deceive others in order to preserve and further your

own salvation and your monastic community. The guardians of our faith are

allowed to lie?

>>

I have attended several GOA National Clergy-Laity Congresses over the past

decade, and the Fr. Ephraim monasteries have been a great source of private

debate. When they have been brought out at public meetings, the GOA hierarchs

clearly have admonished those present that they consider these monasteries

under their jurisdictions, but for some reason or another, they have little or

no control over what occurs there. Metropolitans will visit these monasteries

on occasion, but other than that there appears to be little or no control

exterted by them. The GOA drafted some regulations concerning these

monasteries, but I am not sure what happened to them.

In the meantime, the GOA over the years has established several monasteries of

its own, which are clearly included on their web site. I have visited

non-Ephraim and Ephraim monasteries (two Ephraim monasteries are in my area,

with one may be housing a young man whose recruitment was and still is a major

source of controversy.) The non-Ephraim monasteries are open and warm, the

Ephraim ones secretive and furtive in nature. The monk (within one year of

joining was tonsured!) in question avoided contact with the general public

during my visits. The monks and nuns of the GOA monasteries behaved

differently. While rumors swirl about how the Ephraim monasteries operate and

how they recruit youngsters to become monks, no such rumors swirl around the

GOA formed monasteries, nor of any other monasteries of other canonicallyrecognized Churches in the USA.

The Ephraim monasteries are organized around Fr. Ephraim, all 16 or so of them.

True monasteries are organized around a single abbott, not multiple monasteries

organized around a single abbott. And Ephraim himself has jurisdiction hopped

when it has suited him to do so, and how and why he left Mt. Athos has never

been disclosed or explained. Many insist that he left Mt. Athos because he was



on the verge of being booted out over some unusual behavior and teachings.

Again, there is no way of verifying this, and until there is proof offered, at

best they are rumors that just keep on persisting.

You know the old expression, where you smell smoke, there must be fire? In the

Ephraim monasteries, the "smoke" smell is clearly evident.

Regards,

Louis Geo. Atsaves

Peter A. Neenan

1/4/02

Contrary to American ethos? Tell that to the Benedictines!

"Alexander Arnakis" <[email protected]> wrote in message

news:[email protected]...


Alexander Arnakis

1/5/02



On Fri, 4 Jan 2002 22:02:04 -0500, "Peter A. Neenan"

< [email protected]> wrote:

>Contrary to American ethos? Tell that to the Benedictines!

>

I amended myself in my answer to Cunneen. I wrote:

"I should have said "Monasticism in the tradition of Mt. Athos, as





things as drinking their bath water."

Catherine Hampton

1/5/02

On 4 Jan 2002 10:59:32 -0800, [email protected] (A. Styl) wrote:

>The term of "salvific

>deception," which allows one to lie in order to preserve one's

>salvation is touted to the novices and tonsured monks/nuns. In other

>words, it's ok to deceive others in order to preserve and further your

>own salvation and your monastic community. The guardians of our faith

>are allowed to lie?

Please present the evidence that this term is used and taught byArchimandrite Ephreim and others in his group....

I'm a former member of a religious cult (a Protestant based cult) who

has no problem accepting that an Orthodox group could also fall into

this particular sin. (I've seen it happen.) However, I also have no

problem believing that, for political or other invalid reasons, a



group of people might accuse a particular monk or leader of cultism

when they are not actually guilty of it.

So far, the evidence I've seen about Archimandrite Ephreim is

equivocal, and not terribly well supported.

If there is real evidence of genuine cultlike behavior (as teaching

the doctrine you cite above would be), I'd like to hear it, and see it

posted. But it should be real evidence -- the testimony of multiple

witnesses, a sound recording in the voice of Archimandrite Ephreim, a

document written by him that he acknowledges or that can be proved to

have come from him, etc.

Otherwise, I'm going to assume that the war we all observed within the

Greek Orthodox Church in America is continuing, and that a partisan in

this war is engaging in propaganda to sway our opinion for reasons

that have nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of the person he's

accusing. :/

--

Catherine Hampton <[email protected]>

====================================================================

Home Page * <http://www.hrweb.org/ariel/>

The Icon Wall * <http://www.iconwall.org/>

Kovalevo Children's Home * <http://www.kovalevo.org/>

St. Herman of Alaska * <http://www.stherman.sunnyvale.ca.us/>

(Please use this address for replies -- the address in my header is a

spam trap.)

Catherine Hampton

1/5/02

On 04 Jan 2002 20:08:23 GMT, [email protected] (Atsaves) wrote:

http://www.hrweb.org/ariel/

http://www.iconwall.org/


http://www.kovalevo.org/

http://www.stherman.sunnyvale.ca.us/

http://www.stherman.sunnyvale.ca.us/

http://www.kovalevo.org/


http://www.hrweb.org/ariel/



<snip, but read>

>You know the old expression, where you smell smoke, there must be fire? In the

>Ephraim monasteries, the "smoke" smell is clearly evident.

That's interesting information... You know, somebody really should

gather together these stories, interview the people involved, and post

it in one location. Over five years ago, I and another former member

of a cultish Protestant group did this. It proved useful to a huge

number of people who had been members of or otherwise were affected by

the group, people whose very existence we didn't suspect and most of

whom didn't realize that others had had the same experiences they did.

The advantages of getting specifics into the daylight -- names, dates,

first-hand testimony, and analysis by outsiders who do not have an

axe to grind -- is hard to overstate. Maybe you could start something

like this?

Seth Williamson

1/5/02

In article <[email protected]>,

[email protected] says...

> I should have said "Monasticism in the tradition of Mt. Athos, as

> promulgated by Elder Ephraim, doesn't fit with the ethos of America."> I'm sure Roman Catholic monasteries don't recruit teenagers against

> the will of their parents, and do other things to split families

> apart...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, the kid was old enough

to join the armed forces without parental consent. Then why can't he

become a monk?



> The Trappist monks of Holy Cross Abbey (Berryville, Virginia) make

> some awfully good fruitcake. (BTW, I notice that they don't accept

> novices younger than 23.)

Best fruitcake I've ever tasted.

Cunneen

1/6/02

<<If there is real evidence of genuine cultlike behavior (as teaching

the doctrine you cite above would be), I'd like to hear it, and see it

posted. But it should be real evidence -- the testimony of multiple

witnesses, a sound recording in the voice of Archimandrite Ephreim, a

document written by him that he acknowledges or that can be proved to

have come from him, etc.>>

Reading accusations and waiting for evidence seem to be two of the majoractivities of this newsgroup. We get a lot of both.

Cunneen

1/6/02

<<You know the old expression, where you smell smoke, there must be fire?>>



That's what makes unsupported accusations so evil; puff up enough smoke and

people begin to believe there's a fire because you said so. That's essentially

the method of propaganda: make an accusation often and loudly.

Atsaves

1/7/02


From: Catherine Hampton [email protected]

Date: Sat, Jan 5, 2002 2:32 PM



<snip, but read>




>>

Hi Catherine.

Try going to www.pokrov.org/. There are extensive articles on the Ephraim

monasteries for anyone to review, including a few articles by an Archbishop who

has taken exception to several of their teachings and has written articlessetting the record straight.

Regards,

Louis Geo. Atsaves

http://www.pokrov.org/






Atsaves

1/7/02


From: [email protected] (Cunneen)

Date: Sun, Jan 6, 2002 3:49 AM




Baseless rumor and its smoke will usually dissipate within a short period of

time. With the Ephraim monasteries, after a decade, the smoke just never seems

to go away.

Go to www.pokrov.org/ and read all about them along with an Archbishop'sresponse over two or three articles contradicting Ephramite teachings. You

will get a better idea of what some of us are talking about.

I wish it were just idle rumor.

Regards,

Louis Geo. Atsaves

A. Styl







1/7/02

Catherine Hampton <[email protected]> wrote in message



Catherine, you want real evidence? So do we! Those families, except

for the one in Tennessee, hesitate to speak out for two reasons: 1)

ostracism from their parish (questioning the Ephraim-type ofmonasticism is not encouraged or translates into condemnation of all

types of monasticism) and 2) isolation from their loved one inside an

Ephraim-led monastery or convent as evidenced from the young Fr.

Theologos and his self-isolation from his family. Letters are written

and calls are made to Church heirarchs but nothing is done to set up

guidelines or counseling. The secrecy of the whole thing is mind

boggling! This power of spiritual dependence is so strong that

parishes and priests fear speaking out because the Ephraimites idolize

their "spiritual father"-the monk Ephraim. Families don't want to be

labeled as troubled or dysfunctional because their loved ones joined a

cult. These families feel shame and guilt. As a former member of a

Protestant cult, you could appreciate this I'm sure. We hear from

these families but we cannot reveal their names for the sake of their

privacy.

Please go to the following web sites for more information and

"evidence" from personal testimonies, newspaper articles, and reports

on Ephraim's views on marriage and aerial toll houses, etc. from the

Ukrainian Orthodox Archbishop Lazar Puhalo. Other than a few things

on the Orthodox News web site (www.orthodoxnews.com,) we can't lead

you to more "evidence" other than these:

http://www.pokrov.org/cultorth.html

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/alt.religion.christian.east-

orthodox/ephraim$20monasteries/alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox/_vbWCjlI0J0/mhMVpJWjkdAJ

http://www.orthodoxnews.com/





https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox/ephraim$20monasteries/alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox/_vbWCjlI0J0/mhMVpJWjkdAJ







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