|
Historically, Greek orthodox priests followed
certain time-honored practices.
They were generally poorer and humbler than their
congregations, and they patronized Greek-owned restaurants, gas
stations and other businesses where they weren't expected to pay.
They were served first at church dinners, and they generally confined
themselves to spiritual matters and stayed away from administrative duties.
Theodore, hired largely to attract younger
churchgoers to the congregation, was a new breed of priest. He was
young, energetic and, according to past parish council president
Constantine Michael, ``a terrific family guy'' with three model children.
Theodore didn't accept free meals or even patronize
Greek-owned businesses. And he broke with tradition in other ways, by
rolling up his sleeves at church dinners and pitching in to help and
by waiting in line for food with his parishioners.
The new priest also made it clear that ``yaayaa-isms,''
- a Greek term coined by Theodore which means ``Grandmother
sayings'' and refers to established Greek traditions - would not
dominate church activities.
``I felt we should be Christians first,'' Theodore
said. ``They (his critics) put the Greek way first. A lot of people
feel God is Greek before He is anything else.''
T heodore was ordained in 1973. He attended
seminary in Massachusetts for seven years - four years of Hellenic
College and three years of graduate theological studies - before
taking an assistant priest' s job in Jamaica, N.Y.
He later accepted a priesthood in Rhode Island,
where he stayed for 7 1/2 years before moving to St. Catherine's at
Washington Road and Southern Boulevard.
At St. Catherine's, Theodore encouraged people to
take a more liberal approach to fasting before Communion and
increased the portion of church services delivered in English rather
than Greek.
Such changes boosted participation in Communion,
broadened St. Catherine' s appeal and expanded its membership to
include younger parishioners and non-Greeks.
``Somebody actually called the bishop a few years
ago and said I was converting too many people to our faith,''
Theodore said.
But Theodore also has an I'm-in-charge-here
attitude that offended parishioners already alienated by the new
trends within the church, according to Spillias.
``He was not as diplomatic in dealing with
dissension as some would have expected a priest to be,'' Spillias
said. ``There's an edge to John Theodore. What he showed was his
tough side.''
Old ways and new ways clashed most visibly over the
Good Friday custom of carrying the epitaphios - a cloth symbolizing
the body of Christ - three times around the outside the church in its
symbolic coffin, the kouvouklion, then holding the kouvouklion aloft
while the congregation walked under it.
After arriving at St. Catherine's, Theodore ended
the practice of carrying the kouvouklion outside the church, saying
the ritual had no religious basis and it was inevitably disrupted
anyway by chattering parishioners. Instead, he had parishioners carry
the epitaphios by itself around the inside of the church.
By 1992, that change had become a major point of conflict.
``For a lot of Greeks, the opportunity to walk
under the epitaphios is a very spiritual and important part of Good
Friday services,'' Spillias said. ``A good portion of the community
was very upset.' '
The dispute became so heated that Koutoufas,
fearing a riot, suggested Theodore restore the original custom, which
he did reluctantly.
D espite such past conflicts and the more recent
months of hate-mongering, Theodore still enjoys solid support within
his congregation. At an emotional parish assembly meeting March 22,
church members voted 76 to 42 to give him $10,765 in severance pay.
``He has worked hard,'' one woman said. ``He's
baptized our children. He's married us. He's buried us. Let's forget
all the rest of it.' '
But interest in Theodore's recent travails remains
high. Cioffi said church members are snatching up copies of his
investigative report and continue to call him to report the latest rumor.
Maginas should take a lesson from St. Catherine's
recent turmoil and ready himself for a highly political tenure,
Theodore said.
``They're already talking about him,'' Theodore
said of the new priest. ``I feel sorry for the guy.
*beginning of story
*middle of story
*top
|
