Axios! Bishop Jonah's address

Rod, who are these two previous "patriarchs"? The metropolitan of the OCA is titled "archbishop" and I can't think of any New World Orthoox hierarch with the title of "patriarch". Is this in reference to the patriarch of Moscow? Or of Constantinople? Or was the ecclessial title a slip on your part?
Also, could you flesh out these charges of corruption? I've bounced between the OCA and Antiochians as I have moved about the country, but I can't recall any open discussion of any American hierarch being corrupt, other than the short-reigning Greek archbishop Spyridon back in the 90s. There was some gossip about Archbishop Theodosios' personal life but it came from a none-too-trustworthy source with an axe to grind, and besides, it's not very Christian to credit mere gossip.

I agree. Listening to this talk made me weep. No wonder they elected him Metropolitan.

Good luck to him, honestly. Still:

Guy who no one knew squat about four years ago. Emotive orator. Elected in November 2008. Hasn't taken office yet. But nonetheless will, without question, change everything back to the pure and the good.

does sound vaguely familiar...

K Street--

what jon said. Met. Jonah is not an unknown by any means; his legacy is already considerable.

That said, young "change" candidate and critic of the previous administration wins by overwhelming margins...? Yeah, there's a ring of Obamamania in there.

As someone who has known Met. Jonah for several years, spent plenty of time at his monastery in both locations, and confessed to him many times, what we all heard in his various addresses at the conference was the real +Jonah. It's no different than what he has said many times to me privately, as recently as over dinner this spring. You can also see it in his many writings in the Journal of Divine Ascent, Again, and elsewhere. While not in the OCA myself, I'm overjoyed for our many friends and godchildren who are, but also for all of us in the Orthodox Church. With all my heart--Axios!!

As an Orthodox convert of over 30 years I have lived through my own personal disappointment with well thought of clergy (who are guilty of spiritual abuse and are only interested in their brillant careers). I have also watched as the large (non OCA) Orthodox parish a few miles north of your parish deals, poorly, with a pedophilia scandal. I have a hard time going to Liturgy at the other church now, knowing what happened and how so many ignored it and blamed the victims. It has changed how I view clergy and hierarchs. The building is beautiful, but built largely throught the urging of a pedophile. Good words and apparently good deeds can conceal much if we fawn over clergy and allow ourselves to be blinded to real faults. I am not criticizing the new Metropolitan

+JONAH is hardly an unknown to the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America. My priest has known him for many years. He's definitely the real deal.

After reading of his election, I listened to his Tuesday evening address. I tell you, I was borderline sobbing. Seriously.

This is a very happy time for the OCA. AXIOS¡

Long Live Archbishop Spyridon........Axios!

The Metropolitan's words are very timely and in no wise lacking in charity or the spirit of unity among Orthodox everywhere: timely, in that they confront us with the question as to whether we are going to continue being a "patchwork" of (uncanonically) overlapping jurisdictions or finally the Orthodox Church where we are NOW --as to whether we are going to continue being "American" versus "ethnic", or "we" versus "them", or finally undertake the path of Orthodoxy in Christ!