Carpatho-Russian Parish Joins GOC-K
As reported on January, 8th, 2012, on the GOC-K American website, Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church located in Mount Union, Pennsylvania came under its alignment. Sts. Peter and Paul was constructed and consecrated in 1916 by St. Tikhon (who was then Bishop in North America), with funds from the Holy Emperor, St. Nicholas the Royal New Martyr, being used for the temples construction.
Bishop Demetrius on Dec. 17th/30th, 2012, served the Divine Liturgy on that Sunday, receiving 10 people into the GOC-K, with Fr. Christos Patitsas made parish priest and confessor for the parish. The parish, as reported, will serve for other Old Calendar Orthodox Christians to attend Liturgy.
It is uncertain at the moment, as to whether there will be any dispute over the church property. The parish building was previously under the Carpatho-Russian Diocese under the control of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It is possible, that, as time continues, and different Orthodox traditionalist jurisdiction become more solidified in their exterior structures, additional World Orthodox will leave the different World Patriarchal systems.
Contact info for the parish can be found here.
Just a point of clarification; I see on NFTU often referenced that HOTCA is the local branch of the GOC-K here in North America. That is not really accurate.
HOTCA is the corporate name under which St. Markella, St. Isidoros, Holy Ascension Monastery, and Dormition of the Theotokos (in Florida) are incorporated. In fact, after our revision to our Constitution in 2009, there has been a process of separating (in a corporate sense) the various entities, since each parish will be separately incorporated, with a memorandum of agreement and uniform parish bylaws linking it to the Metropolis. Last time I checked, HOTCA was going to remain the corporate name of the Metropolis, but it was not really ever supposed to be an official jurisdictional name.
Since the accession of the former HOCNA bishops and parishes, we now have an Eparchial Synod which includes parishes and even dioceses that have no history or origin in St. Markella’s/HOTCA/the Diocese of Astoria (Bishop Petros’s diocese)/the Metropolis of America, making the label HOTCA even less meaningful. In official documents and correspondence, we refer to ourselves as the Church of the GOC of America, with reference to its constituent Metropolises (America and Toronto) and Dioceses (Portland and Boston).
About the only thing that really references HOTCA now is the website URL, which is basically a vestigial remnant. If anyone knows who owns the URL goc.org (which links to our website, but has not been updated in years), I would be more than happy to negotiate with the owner of that URL for a transfer to us…
Point taken, Fr. Anastasios.
Point noted! and Text altered!
Bishop John of Colorado Springs’ sister in law witnessed GOC priest
Father Steven Allen giving Communion to new calendarists. I emailed
Father Steven and gave him an opportunity to explain himself before I
expose this story in a Youtube video, and no explanation was issued. The
thing that is disturbing about the 2002 Encyclical, is the reason given
WHY new calendarists and mainstream Orthodox people are not permitted
to receive Communion in GOC churches (unless they join). It says those
people receive Communion as a consuming fire to their own condemnation.
Only two things explain this: 1, they don’t care that they are killing
souls and damning them to perdition (this would make them somekind of
psychopaths and soul murderers), or they don’t believe in their own
Encyclical. If they don’t believe in it, than they need to modify or
remove it, and stop being hypocrites. I believe the main concern of the
GOC-K (HOTCA) church is making money and building their jurisdiction.
What they perceive to be true Orthodoxy is of second importance to them.
Dear Euthymios–
Let it go.
No, you need to wake-up from your slumber and indifference. I refuse to be complacent in my faith. These people are corrupt and unethical, so should be exposed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cxsa7QEUq8