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The cathedral is the oldest Orthodox church in Colorado and one of the few consecrated by St. Tikhon. It was originally served by a Greek Catholic priest, but - in a story too often repeated - the Latin bishop refused to pay him or acknowledge him. He actually starved to death as a result. You might like to read the offical recounting of the cathedral's long history here.
I enjoy searching out the little things in a parish that make it unique; here, for example, the narthex had an old sign declaring the "Serbian-Russian Orthodox" identity of the church. As with many historic churches the location is in an older, less affluent part of town. Normally this means an older congregation, but there were actually quite a few younger families with children. Also surprising for a parish of this size, they have three priests, a deacon, and a well lead choir (the choir director is also a deacon). When it was time to go up and receive it was the most confusing process I can remember seeing. Three separate lines fed by a process I am sure is clear to parishioners, but was an absolute mystery to me.
After the service I was short on time and had to call a taxi. While waiting I got a chance to speak with two of the priests, the choir director, and a few parishioners. It was a very welcoming environment. For people who have visited parishes and left without a single word of hello, I'm sure this point is not lost on you. So if you're passing through I encourage you to visit. I hope to do so again next time I'm there on business, but also hope to visit the Greek cathedral just a few miles down the road.
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It is unfortunate that so many Orthodox Christians have a tendency to attend Sunday church services only for the last half hour or so.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the reason for this trend is that many Orthodox Christians believe that if Roman Catholic Sunday services in the U.S. last only about 40 minutes, why can't Orthodox services be that short?
The feeling of many worshipers is that if Orthodox services last for an hour and a half, we will only attend them for the last 40 minutes or so. That is long enough.
While I have no reason to doubt the lack of cooperation of the Latin ordinary, I am skeptical of the key details of the parish history that you present: I have not read in any other source the idea that Latin ordinaries paid Greek Catholic priests. Contemporary documents in Slivka's "Historical Mirror" make it clear that already in 1899 an important question in the petition to secure a priest was whether or not the parish could support him. Similarly, a component of the trustee issue emerging already in 1902 in conjunction with the arrival of an Apostolic Visitator (who was presenting statures for self-governance of the Greek Catholics in the US) was the notion among parishioners that since they paid the priest, they should pick the priest. Be that as it may, the more important point is this: however it was reported in the Post, the idea that a priest starved to death, as a result of this lack of support is wholly implausible. Did the parishioners notice nothing of this starvation? Did they do nothing to support this priest?
ReplyDeleteOverall, this does sound like a "story too often repeated".
djs
On the matter of starvation I have no other stories that I can point to that show a similar episcopal-parish connection. The people built the parishes, paid for the priest to come over, and paid him to stay. The historical fallout when attempts were made to bring people into line and no paperwork tied the parishes to the chancery would seem to point to, as you say, a rare instance when lack of parish funds led to a priests untimely death.
ReplyDeleteMy comment had more to do with the Latin hierarch butting heads with the Eastern Catholics in his diocese being an often repeated story than it had to do with the particular starvation point raised in the parish history.
I would not say that this is a rare instance. I would say that the story is myth and repeated, uncritically, too often - like the myth of St. Peter the Aleut.
ReplyDelete