Having spoken to current seminarians and clergy close to the ground, all signs have pointed to multiple attempts to have Fr. Metropulos leave. He reportedly rebuffed those efforts. Given the numerous financial, accreditation, and organizational problems Holy Cross is having, I'm surprised more swift and comprehensive changes haven't been enacted in the wake of this very public meltdown.
Let me forestall the person who will assuredly post something along the lines of "Why does Orthodoxy need more than one seminary?!" As someone who attended more than one seminary myself, I can say that each of them has a characteristic that would be lost should we lose it. St. Vlad's needs a St. Tikhon's. And just as true - the Greeks need non-Greek seminaries to exist. Whether the very expensive HCHC system in place right now is worth it is another discussion entirely.
(GOARCH-Boston) - Dear HCHC Community,
Hellenic College Holy Cross President, Father Christopher Metropulos, D.Min., announced his resignation today.
“I was proud to serve HCHC for the past four years. I will forever be honored and humbled by the opportunity to have served alongside our terrific faculty, staff, and students, ” said Father Metropulos.
Under Father Metropulos’ leadership, HCHC began the process of re-evaluating the college, added key partnerships to enhance its academic and athletic offerings, and initiated an enhancement to the School’s fundraising efforts called the Guardians of HCHC. In addition, the college and seminary redesigned its website and began a renovation project on the Holy Cross Chapel which is the center of spiritual development at the school.
“The Board is grateful and appreciative to Father Metropulos for his service and commitment to HCHC, and we wish him and his family good health as he continues his ministry,” said His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America and Chairman of the Hellenic College, Inc. Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees Executive Committee voted to ask His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios to be the Interim President. Upon Metropolitan Methodios’ acceptance, he was appointed. Metropolitan Methodios is well versed in all HCHC business having served as its President from 1989 to 1995.
With my warmest wishes and prayers for a blessed Pascha and with paternal love in the crucified and risen Lord,
Archbishop Demetrios of America, Ph.D., Th.D.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Hellenic College, Inc.
Posts
Is there a non-snarky (genuine) answer to this question: How does the OCA manage to run three seminaries, while the much larger and better-funded GOA seems unable to support one?
ReplyDeleteI know that the GOA is not as much larger, or as much better-funded than it once was, but still...
@AbbaMoses
ReplyDelete100% anecdotal, but, one of those jurisdictions is less affected by "modernism" and ethnocentrism than the other. I would imagine that the majority of OCA seminarians are converts
I resemble that comment! Though I would say that my class was made up of about 50% PKs of Slavic derivation coming from parishes of the Slavic homelands of PA, IL, NJ and MI.
DeleteAs an SVS man I have long held HC in mild derision because of the obvious ethnic country-club aspect of the institute that afforded such a relaxed attitude among its students - which we stressed-out SVS guys envied. We assumed the food was much better and that the dorms were actually comfortable.
Subsistng for 3 grueling years at SVOTS made us painfully aware of the shoestring parsimony by which it was governed. The shortcuts in infrastructure were glaring. The thought that HC students spent a significant portion of their school time learning to speak Greek and sing their complicated oriental music made us chuckle.
The food was terrifyingly bad, and the dormitory temperature was extreme, depending on how close one's room was to the boiler, with no individual controls.
DeleteThere may have been a more relaxed atmosphere because it was not only a seminary but a college as well.
Please remember in your critiques to pray for even those at HCHC.
The HCHC campus will eventually make a wonderful addition to one of BU, BC, Emerson, Brandeis, Harvard, etc.
ReplyDeleteAround 35 years ago the "HCHC" complex was explained to me by a GOA priest. He said Iakovos had the idea of a Greek American "ivy league" college, hence "Hellenic"college. However, Greek American parents replied that there already are nice regular ivy league schools, thank you. Ever since then the GOA has stubbornly persisted to keep the school on a respirator refusing to admit a failed experiment. See the unfinished ruin near the world trade center? Same brainless endeavor. They don't learn. Holy Cross teaches men how to wear black and run services in a language no one knows, and cut services. Its use is questionable.
ReplyDelete"Greek Orthodoxy now a major US denomination"– perennial headline on Hellenic Observer.
DeleteIt's an obviously flawed concept (denomination is a Zwinglian term) bound to fail over and over again but it just seems they keep propping it up. The first thing sacrificed is piety and spiritual intensity in the Divine Worship, along with continuity with the rest of the Orthodox Church's way of worshiping and doing church. The last thing to go will be the donor's plaques to be pried off every wall and furnishing when the ornate temple gets auctioned off to the local Muslim Association...