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Published by
The National Herald,
March 25, 2005
Spiritual Court Imposes Stern Penalties on
Dissolved Board at Transfiguration Parish
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By Stavros Marmarinos
Special to The
National Herald
NEW YORK – The Archdiocesan
Spiritual Court of the First Instance issued a
stern letter to members of a dissolved parish
council from the Transfiguration Church in Corona,
Queens earlier this month.
The letter, dated March 10 (and
a copy of which was obtained by the National
Herald), is the Spiritual Court’s response to what
is generally regarded as an intractable problem
involving obstinacy on the part of former parish
council members who were elected during an
ecclesiastically prohibited, and therefore
invalid, ceremony on January 16.
The Spiritual Court notified
former members of the dissolved parish council in
writing that serious penalties were being imposed
on them. In a copy of one letter sent to a
particular individual (who asked not to be
identified), the Court found former Corona church
board members guilty of "violating the Uniform
Parish Regulations and directives of the
Archbishop by participating in improperly held and
conducted elections."
Among other things, the former
board members are forbidden to receive Holy
Communion and participate in all other Sacraments
of the Orthodox Church and are only allowed to be
present in the Divine Liturgy and to receive
antidoron following the Liturgy, but only at a
Church other than the Transfiguration Church.
The decision reminded the
members that the actions against them mean that
they are "no longer members in good-standing of
the Orthodox Church and, as a result, have no
rights to sacramental participation or rights to
vote, hold office or otherwise participate in any
and all activities reserved for a member in good
standing."
The Court also mentioned that
the decisions will stay in effect until the
convicted members acknowledge in writing that they
"participated in an improperly conducted election
process in violation of the publicly-known
directives and decision of Archbishop Demetrios to
the parish prohibiting such actions; recanting the
act of taking the oath of office you took
improperly and without any authorization from the
Archdiocese," as well as pledge to separate
themselves "from any and all such improper and
illegal activities now and in the future."
The Court further determined
that the members also have to acknowledge and
accept the Archbishop’s authority and the Uniform
Parish Regulations; that they are prohibited from
"setting foot" on parish property, as well as from
operating or accessing parish funds and accounts,
and from running for any administrative office of
any parish for two years from the date that they
are reinstated as members in good standing.
The incident has increased tensions
in the Corona community
The decision also warns the
members that continued failure to abide by its
provisions would result in them being held
personally responsible for "financial and all
other damages that have been, and will be,
incurred because of your actions." The Court
further ordered the members to turn over any
documents, keys, records, financial statements,
books or other parish and school property they had
under their possession by March 21, 2005.
A new parish council was
installed last Sunday, March 20, in an effort to
facilitate resolution to the longstanding dispute.
The swearing-in of the new
Archdiocese-appointed Corona Parish Council took
place unexpectedly and, according to former board
members, has exacerbated the problem.
They told the Herald that last
week’s swearing-in ceremony was followed by a
clash with a group of unidentified men, who were
seen inside the Church early that morning, giving
the impression that they were acting as private
security bodyguards, according to members of the
congregation. The men did not respond to any of
the congregation members’ questions, but some
members told Herald they had information that the
men had been sent to the Church by the
Archdiocese.
According to the same sources,
there had been unrecognized cars in the Church’s
parking lot with civilian license plates, but had
Port Authority cards visible behind their windows.
Fotis Mavridis, treasurer of the
Archdiocese-rejected parish council, said he was
at the Church last Sunday in order to attend
Divine Liturgy services at 8:30 AM, and that he
witnessed six of the unidentified men watching the
congregation while entering the Church.
Mr. Mavridis added that four
more unidentified men were found inside the
Church. These men had reportedly searched the
Church’s premises, the women’s rooms and basement
earlier.
A little earlier, Mr. Mavridis
said, as Demetris Kakavas was carrying the tray
around to the congregation, as is customary during
the service, he was attacked by one of the
unidentified men, who grabbed him from the throat
and dragged him to the exit.
An ambulance was then called to
transport Mr. Kakavas to the hospital, according
to Mr. Mavridis. Later, while Mr. Kakavas was at
the hospital, Mr. Mavridis added, he was arrested
and was still being detained until at least noon
the next day.
During the incident, members of
the Archdiocese-rejected council had called the
police, which arrived later.
Meanwhile, inside the church,
Archdiocese-appointed priest, rev. Nicholas
Kouvaris, continued the swearing-in of the
community’s new parish council. According to Mr.
Mavridis, half of the newly sworn-in members are
not even members of the Transfiguration community,
but instead hail from the Holy Cross Church
community of Whitestone, where Rev. Kouvaris
previously also served.
"At that moment, there was a
big commotion in the church; there were shouts of
"aischos (shame)" for the Archdiocese’s
unanticipated actions," Mr. Mavridis said, adding
that Rev. Kouvaris’ wishing for the new parish
council’s health was a provocation to the
congregation.
Mr. Mavridis also said that
members of the Whitestone community had taken
seats inside the Church early on Sunday morning.
Members of the Corona community, who realized what
was going on, moved to the right side of the nave.
The incident has increased
tensions in the Corona community, with members of
the unrecognized council saying they are ready to
submit their complaints to the District Attorney’s
office and to sue. The dissolved council’s
president, Basil Livanos, is currently in Greece,
but members of the invalidated council said they
are in continuous contact and will announce their
decisions on what actions they plan to take within
the next few days.
Meanwhile, after Lenten
Salutations services concluded last Friday
evening, March 18, Mr. Mavridis and Stavros
Michael, also a member of the rejected council,
approached Mr. Kouvaris in order to receive
antidoron. But the priest refused to offer them
one, because of the former council’s recent
instructions from the Archdiocesan Spiritual
Court.
"These incidents remind us of
the past, but what a pity. They come straight from
the Archdiocese itself and, even more
surprisingly, from the Chancellor of the
Archdiocese, Bishop Savvas of Troas himself," Mr.
Mavridis said.
Also last Friday evening,
members of the dissolved council called the police
to report that someone, perhaps a group of people,
had broken into the community’s parochial school
and entered the facility, which also houses the
community’s offices, where its official documents
are being kept.
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