The tragedy of Blanco

The Orthodox have a priest come and bless their houses yearly. Not silly at all.

The graveyard at Blanco is a sanctified place, despite the abominations that took place elsewhere on the property. Who will maintain these graves respectfully? When the "weeping icon" [cough] first was marketed to the public, in true P.T. Barnum-style, in the 1980s, I received information in the first wave of mail-outs. Although I was still young in the faith (entered in 1977), my gut feeling was that I was watching a giant scam in the hatching. I never wavered in that opinion.
I never did visit Blanco, although I did assist in the rescue of a young woman who was living there as an aide for a disabled nun. I also grieved for a faithful fellow-parishioner when his son was arrested as a member of that notorious band.
As others have noted, thanks be to God that the legitimate monastery in Kendalia exists as sober witness to the true faith!

I once lived in Austin. I remember visiting the monastery many times to venerate the weeping icon. If at that time God would have revealed to me that it was not genuine, I may have left the faith; my roots were still on stoney ground and not yet deep enough. I needed to learn it wasn't the icon I needed but the theotokos and her supplicating prayers for my soul.

A few years ago it was made clear to me as an orthodox christian. Weeping icons, bleeding statues, etc. are not powerful at all. It is Christ himself; the Holy Trinity itself, our God who is the healer. Not the oil, not the tears but He alone. Making of course the Eucharist and even the antidoron we commonly eat after service more powerful iself than any weeping icon could ever be. We physically participate in the mystical divine liturgy. So, one does not have to go very far to receive the most powerful blessing available to mankind in every established church. It is also genuine and real. What we need to survive is served every Sunday in every parish.

The foul acts and behavior revealed at that monastery have begun on a course to legal justice. Spiritual justice is so much more complicated and the young survivors of those attacks have a long road and they need fervent prayers!

In our struggle as orthodox every monastery we will visit will probably have an untold secret or two that isn't proper. Some even as horrible as Blanco. Every parish will have some type of issue, every righteous or pious person we know will may have now or in their lifetime a scandalous secret they hope others will find out...it is the disease of sin. So, seeking first the kingdom of God will relieve all thoughts of despair in ones spititual journey; says many of the holy Fathers.

I too was baptised at that monastery by a monk who is now in big trouble. My confessor at that time is now in jail! Some of us old calendarists from Austin would travel down there to go to Sunday and Feast day services.
What does this all mean for me? Is it Christ's fault for letting me go there in the first place? Absoultely not. However, let me just say I have never been so angry as I am now as I listen to the accounts of the last years descibed by Fr. Tikhon in that statement. But, I do not fear that my Baptism, Chrismation or legitimacy of the Eucharist were comprimised. St John Chrysostom teaches clearly against the sin of a priest being able to tarnish the validity of the Mysteries; if it were so than no liturgy on earth would be deliverable by human hands.

I wanted to post all of this for one reason. To at least say that the Church is always going to be under attack by the demons. Though the parishes, monasteries and clergy may sometimes be plagued by evil; the core of the Church is always pure and perfect. Christ is that core. The Lord does not call me to judge the situation down here but to understand that imposters will always be in the shadows. To be wise as a serpent and as meek as a dove may take a few decades (for myself) but the Lord will bless each and every one of us if we continue in the struggle to forgive. Thank you all for reading.