New Metropolitan!

[debboamerik]

We (the OCA) have a new Metropolitan. Hooooooraaaaaaay!!!!! Metropolitan Jonah, among other things, is apparently succeeded in his position as Abbot of St. John's/San Francisco by my former parish priest, Fr. Mel Webber. Aside from giving amazing sermons, Fr. Mel was a kind man who helped me cope (as a Sunday School teacher) with parish politics and gave me difficult truths about myself at times when I really needed them. The association with him gives me a very good feeling about Metropolitan Jonah. I need to feel good about the direction of my larger community.

Best of all, it seems that his installation might be at my current parish church - which is one of the national cathedrals of the OCA.

All of this, and a lovely dinner out for our anniversary (three years!) with papertigers, too. She made a beautiful necklace for me. More about this in a separate post.

Comments

relocation

[seraphimsigrist.livejournal.com]

I had you fixed in mind as a californian
and so not realized that you live in d.c.
which means that you are thousands of miles
closer than I thought but of course
on the other hand the relativity of cyberspace...
do you ever get up to new york?

Re: relocation

[debboamerik.livejournal.com]

We were up in Suffern for a few days last February - and got to spend a little time in Manhattan, too, due to bad weather. It was my first real visit to Manhattan, and I had a great time. We don't get up there often, but we hope to be taking a road trip to Boston sometime in the near future, which would mean that we pass through NY.

And I do hope you get to DC at some point, too. It would be fun to meet you in person. Plus we are both good cooks. *tempts you with food*

[naqerj.livejournal.com]

Whoever you are, posting this bit of trash all over the web, folks should be aware that Metr. JONAH did not write it. It's a bitter parody of a piece he really did write (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1403441/posts).

[debboamerik.livejournal.com]

Hello to you! I see you're a friend of Bishop Seraphim's. :) Welcome.

[debboamerik.livejournal.com]

Huh?

And who are you?

[melebeth]

Why is he called a Metropolitan?

[debboamerik.livejournal.com]

Traditionally, a Metropolitan was the chief bishop of a Roman province or Metropolis. In the case of the OCA, which is autocephalous, the Metropolitan is the highest-ranking bishop (or official of any kind) in the Church. However, the authority of a Metropolitan (like that of a Patriarch or Pope, not of Rome) is neither absolute nor particularly concerned with temporal matters. It's an honor, but as I understand it it differs from the work of a regular bishop mostly in that there's a lot more organizational and bureaucratic skill involved. In return, you get really pretty clothes and a megaphone for most of your utterances.

That's not perfect, but I think it's a pretty decent summary.

[melebeth]

Thank you for the explanation.

However...

Autocephalous really sounds like it should have something to do with becoming a squid. I just thought you should know.

[debboamerik.livejournal.com]

Now you're making me think of those little squiddy things on the BBC website that I showed you the other day.