Howell, NJ: Minutes of the Winter Session of the Diocesan Council

January 3, 2013
Howell, NJ: Minutes of the Winter Session of the Diocesan Council

On Thursday, November 14, a regular meeting of the Eastern American Diocesan Council was held in Howell, NJ, presided over by the Diocese’s ruling bishop, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad.

Every Council member took part in the meeting:

Bishop George of Mayfield
Bishop Jerome of Manhattan
Archpriest Victor Potapov
Archpriest Serge Lukianov – diocesan secretary
Archpriest Mark Mancuso
Hieromonk Alexander (Frizzell)
Priest Alexandre Antchoutine
Deacon George Temidis
Subdeacon Michael Wengrin – diocesan treasurer
Reader Peter Lukianov – director of the diocesan media office
Mr. Serge R. Lopoukhine
Mr. George N. Nikolsky

Prior to the beginning of the meeting, Council members belatedly congratulated the First Hierarch on the occasion of his namesday, and presented him a cross and panagia set on behalf of the clergy and faithful of the Diocese.

The meeting opened with the singing of the prayer "O Heavenly King," after which the minutes of the previous Council meeting (September 4, 2012) were read. Metropolitan Hilarion approved the minutes and greeted the Council’s new members, elected at the diocesan meeting on October 10.

1.                   Council members discussed the recent Triennial Diocesan Meeting, which was held in the parish hall of Holy Virgin Protection Church in Nyack, NY. Metropolitan Hilarion expressed his gratitude to Archpriest Serge Lukianov and diocesan staff members for the superb organization of both the Diocesan Meeting and the Pastoral Conference that followed. His Eminence also expressed his thanks to the four parishes that opened their doors to welcome the clergy and matushkas of the Eastern American Diocese and the Moscow Patriarchate: Holy Virgin Protection Church in Nyack, NY, Holy Dormition Convent "Novo-Diveevo" in Nanuet, NY, Three Saints Church in Garfield, NJ, and Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Passaic, NJ.

On behalf of Archpriest George Larin, rector of Holy Virgin Protection Church in Nyack, Serge Lopoukhine expressed his gratitude to the Metropolitan and diocesan staff for the successful conference and the gift given to the parish (the parish was presented with an eight-foot-wide banner of the conference logo to hang in the parish hall as a memento of the conference).

Council members discussed the various pros and cons of the conference and made suggestions on how to improve future clergy gatherings. Among them was a proposal to add an additional day to the usual three-day conference, so that clergy and matushkas might have more time for social interaction.

Reader Peter Lukianov reported on the media coverage of the conference and briefed Council members on upcoming video productions. A crew of ten camera operators and journalists worked together to record all of the events of this historic gathering. DVDs of the Divine Liturgy and All-Night Vigil are currently in production and will be available to ship in mid-December. Many orders were received and continue to come in (click here to order a copy of the DVD). Videos of lectures and panel discussions are being produced and will be published on the diocesan website as they become available.

Council members also acknowledged and thanked the sponsors of the conference, without whose help it would not have been possible to organize the event. The Fund for Assistance to ROCOR, Damascene Gallery, the administration of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, and several anonymous donors contributed a total of $70,000, which made it possible to cut the registration costs for clergy in half.

2.                   Diocesan secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov reported on the conclusion of a lawsuit against St. Nicholas Church in Red Bank, NJ. Former parish council members sued the ruling bishop and the parish in 2008 in an attempt to gain control of parish funds and property. They asserted that the ruling bishop has only spiritual authority over the parish, and that the ultimate authority in the parish is the council. The case was previously dismissed in 2010, but plaintiffs filed an appeal to the state’s Appellate and Supreme Courts, both of which upheld the decision and ruled in favor of the Metropolitan and parish.

3.                   Council members discussed a proposal to transfer the property deed of St. George’s Church in Howell to the Eastern American Diocese. The deed is currently registered to Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky), a situation that became a point of concern at the Diocesan Meeting. Council members voted unanimously to transfer the deed, and stressed the importance of having all parish deeds under the Diocese so as to avoid potential strenuous legal battles. With the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion, the deed is now being transferred.

4.                   Council members discussed the upcoming St. Herman’s Youth Conference, which will be held at St. Panteleimon’s Church in Hartford, CT, on December 23-27. In previous years, the Diocese contributed $500 towards the conference; this year, the Council resolved to double the contribution to $1,000. A directive was issued by Metropolitan Hilarion to all parish rectors, instructing them to hold a special collection in their parishes for the conference. Met. Hilarion appointed Fr. Serge to represent him at the conference.

5.                   Diocesan treasurer Subdeacon Michael Wengrin (ordained a deacon November 18) presented a financial report to the Council along with petitions from parishes for forbearance from their diocesan dues. Council members held a discussion about diocesan finances and reaffirmed their support of Metropolitan Hilarion’s decision to provide yearly financial statements and budgets to rectors and parish council members. In the past, the budget was voted on every three years, but with the complete overhaul and restructuring of the diocesan administration in 2009, many new factors had to be taken into consideration when planning the budget – salaries and insurance for three bishops, diocesan staff, Media Office expenses, etc. Since there was no historical precedent on which to base these figures, the Diocese operated without a yearly budget from 2009-2012. An annual budget for 2013 was ratified by the Diocesan Assembly on October 10. In the future, annual budgets will be mailed to all the parishes each year.

Subdeacon Michael also presented a report from the Diocesan Auditing Committee of all diocesan finances and books. The treasury is now fully integrated with QuickBooks, and the diocesan treasurer is undergoing formal training for the software. A recommendation was made for parishes to switch over to QuickBooks if they are not already using it, in order to much more easily calculate diocesan assessments and be prepared in the event of an audit. Council members thanked the treasurer and members of the Auditing Committee for their report and excellent work.

6.                   Council members discussed the schedule of events for 2013 and set the dates for Northern and Southern Lenten Retreats for clergy and matushkas. The first retreat will be held at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, on April 1-3, and the second in Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV, on April 8-10. With the blessing of Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco, Archimandrite Irenei (Steenberg) will be the keynote speaker at the Lenten retreat in Holy Cross Monastery. Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov will be the keynote speaker in Holy Trinity Monastery, and the majority of the program will be centered on interaction between clergy and seminarians. With the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion and Archbishop Justinian, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Patriarchal clergy are invited to attend either or both retreats. Registration information will be published on the diocesan website as it becomes available.

Council members also resolved to continue the tradition of a joint service of the Rite of Orthodoxy (Anathema) on the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Next year, the service will coincide with the 400th anniversary of the enthronement of Tsar Michael Romanov, and will be held in Sts. Peter & Paul Patriarchal Church in Passaic, NJ, on March 24 at 4:30 PM.

7.                   A discussion was held about the upcoming 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia and the 75th anniversary of St. Vladimir Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ. Metropolitan Hilarion informed the Council that he has changed his original travel plans in order to be in St. Vladimir’s Church on July 27-28 for the celebration (His Eminence was previously scheduled to be in Australia at that time). Deacon George Temidis informed the Council that NORR camp has amended its 2013 camp schedule to allow scouts the opportunity to participate in this great celebration. On July 24th, His Eminence will lead the Great Consecration of St. Olga’s Church (the lower church at St. Vladimir’s). Further details will be published on the diocesan website as they become available. Clergy are urged to mark their calendars for July 27-28, 2013, so that they are able to participate in the divine services in Jackson.

At the invitation of Archbishop Justinian, all clergy and faithful of the Eastern American Diocese are invited to participate in the annual Bright Saturday Liturgy and procession at St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York City. This year the service will be held on May 11th. Additional details will be published as they become available.

8.                   The Diocesan Secretary delivered a report on his participation in a meeting of the Bishop’s Council of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, held on November 13 in Little Falls, NJ. Fr. Serge was invited by Archbishop Justinian to participate in the meeting to discuss continued collaboration between the Eastern American Diocese and the Patriarchal Parishes. The Bishop’s Council members were very pleased with the recent Joint Pastoral Conference, and expressed their desire to see more joint conferences in the future. As noted in the previous section, Patriarchal clergy are invited to attend all pastoral conferences and celebrations in the Eastern American Diocese in 2013. Council members thanked Archbishop Justinian and his staff for working so closely with the Diocese to strengthen the bonds of unity between the two parts of the Russian Church in America.

9.                   Council members discussed the current financial crisis facing the brotherhood of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville. The older buildings of the monastery are in need of dire repairs, including a new plumbing system. The estimated cost of repairs is over three million dollars, and the monastery is in no position to cover these costs. The Fund for Assistance to ROCOR began a fundraising campaign to help the monastery and, glory be to God, many people have contributed to this worthy cause. Council members resolved to create a special joint task force of the Eastern American Diocese and the Fund for Assistance to offer maximum support to the monastery. Metropolitan Hilarion will travel to Holy Trinity Monastery along with members of the Diocesan Council to meet with the abbot, Archimandrite Luke (Murianka), and offer assistance in any way possible. The Media Office will produce a series of informational videos to raise awareness of the financial crisis and call on the faithful to increase their support for the monastery. All fundraising efforts will be done in collaboration with the Fund for Assistance. Click here for more information on the fundraising campaign for Holy Trinity Monastery.

10.                Archpriest Victor Potapov gave a report of the pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Monastery on October 27-28, in honor of the 15th anniversary of the martyrdom of Br. Jose Muñoz-Cortes, the 30th anniversary of the appearance of the myrrh-streaming Montreal Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, and the 5th anniversary of the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon. Hundreds of pilgrims gathered for memorial services at the gravesite of Br. Jose, led by the First Hierarch of ROCOR. A symposium was organized on Sunday, October 28, featuring various speakers from all over the world.

A lengthy discussion was held about the prospects of glorification for Met. Philaret (Voznesensky) and Brother Jose. Based on their pious lives and the miracles that have occurred since their repose, many clergy and faithful around the world have been calling for the glorification of these two righteous men. Since both are interred within the borders of the Eastern American Diocese at Holy Trinity Monastery, Council members feel that the initiative for their glorification should come from within the Diocese. With the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion, Council members approved the creation of a Diocesan Glorification Committee for the purpose of collecting information about the lives and miracles that have occurred through the prayers of Met. Philaret and Br. Jose. The committee will also be responsible for raising awareness about their lives by producing literature and videos for the faithful. Metropolitan Hilarion explained that the decision for glorification can only be made by the ROCOR Sobor of Bishops. The Diocesan Glorification Committee will present all of its findings directly to the Ruling Bishop, who will then relay them to the Synod as necessary. Archpriest Victor Potapov was appointed chairman of the committee. A formal statement regarding the Glorification Committee will be issued soon. Once the Committee was ratified, Council members sang "Memory Eternal" to Met. Philaret and Br. Jose before proceeding with the meeting.

Following the Diocesan Council meeting, an informal meeting took place to discuss the specific goals and needs of the Glorification Committee. Much emphasis was placed on the use of media, specifically video, to spread the word about Met. Philaret and Br. Jose. One of the challenges facing the Committee is the need to fundraise in order to cover all expenses associated with its operation. Anyone interested in donating toward this project should contact Fr. Victor Potapov at vpotapov@comcast.net.

11.                Metropolitan Hilarion gave a report on his recent trip to Nicaragua and the possibility of opening a mission parish for the Orthodox faithful of that country. His Eminence noted that the country’s president is a Christian and a firm supporter of Christianity. The Metropolitan gave his blessing to a group of Russian citizens to begin collecting funds for the rental of a storefront in which a church can be set up. Hieromonk German (Castro) has been assigned to oversee the new mission.

Several other administrative issues were also discussed before the conclusion of the meeting. The meeting was called to a close after the singing of "It is Truly Meet." The next meeting of the Diocesan Council will be held in February 2013.

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