Fr Joachim Parr & the MP Mercy House Debacle

DIscussion and News concerning Orthodox Churches in communion with those who have fallen into the heresies of Ecumenism, Renovationism, Sergianism, and Modernism, or those Traditional Orthodox Churches who are now involved with Name-Worshiping, or vagante jurisdictions. All Forum Rules apply. No polemics. No heated discussions. No name-calling.


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Barbara
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Re: Fr Joachim Parr & the MP Mercy House Debacle

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I'll be posting another example of the above shortly.

Meanwhile, glancing through videos of Fr Parr's talks, I found a number of telling pieces of this puzzle of who Fr Parr could really be under the Santa Claus beard and chatty manner ?

One interview was done in probably late 2013 after the news of the Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev 'scandal' broke that October. What this deacon of the Moscow Patriarchate did was to expose some homosexuals infesting the famous Kazan Theological Academy. Back in the 'good old days', students there were eager for the spiritual life and quite a number put themselves under the direction of a TRUE Elder, Gabriel of the 7 Lakes Monastery, which was near Kazan. Among these diligent students of his was the future Archbishop Tikhon of San Francisco of the Rocor, the Russian Church Outside of Russia.

Moving ahead over a century, I don't know all the details surrounding Deacon Andrei Kuraev's exposure of both a homosexual 'lobby' in the Moscow Patriarchate and specifc individuals at the Kazan Theological Academy. As far as I could tell, it was a GOOD MOVE on his part ! Why not get this darkness out into the open rather than muffled and quietly kept in a back room as would have happened otherwise ? As a result, most of the administration of the Kazan Academy were fired and other disciplinary measures taken ; but Fr Andrei lost his own position at the Moscow Theological Academy for speaking truth on this particular matter.

In the 5 minute video, Fr Parr is asked for his opinion about this exposure. Notably, he fails to make any statement whatsoever against homosexuals, which is the age-old teaching of the Church !! That strikes me right there as highly suspect. Instead, he delivers evasive comments "we should not judge anyone, we are sinful ourselves". Or general remarks like sin makes everyone sad. Well of course it does, but enabling it only does the Devil's work !

Fr Parr seemed to dodge making any pronouncement whatsoever about Fr Kuraev's bold revelations, seeking refuge in trite, safe statements about Christian behavior. He recommends having someone go to the offending party and speak privately to them. If the party does not correct his offensive behavior, then to send Church 'ELDERS" - note that strange choice of words, more befitting Mormons perhaps than Orthodox ! I am no expert, but assuredly Church OFFICIALS might be a more appropriate term. Why would a real Starets like Fr Amvrosy of Optina be sent to handle a case like this ? The idea is preposterous. A Russian Orthodox Elder would usually remain in his monastery occupied full time with the spiritual direction of disciples and pilgrims.
Is Fr Parr a little too enamoured with the term "elder", one wonders ?

The American monastic also uses the bizarre choice of words "Faith Community". This is more befitting a modernist ecumenical person from no particular religion. Clearly, there is only one possible "faith community" under discussion here, that of the Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate.

One can almost see the bright youthful interviewer cringing a few times while trying to maintain a correct neutral expression on his face while listening to Fr Parr's taking refuge in boring, hackneyed remarks rather than standing up for higher principles.
For the station is considered the first Orthodox TV station in Russia, based out of Ekaterinburg, according to its website. Thus this interview was done for the wider Orthodox listening audience.

In summary, the MP Protodeacon, like an investigative reporter, broke news of a major 'skandal'. Instead of lauding him and promoting him for his bravery in upholding Christian values, his Moscow Patriarchate 'faith community' shoved him out into the cold and punished him. Yet Fr Parr has not a word to say about the need for all to defend the truth of Christian beliefs based on the word of God Himself. He can only mourn the fact that Fr Andrei let this unpleasant information out to the public instead of whispering behind closed doors, which would have yielded zero result in changing the outrageous situation.

Could we be seeing in this interview Fr Parr's unconscious anticipation of what might happen when some other truth-tellers half a world away would let the cat out of the bag about his own failings - ?
Fr Parr's recipe in the Fr Andrei Kuraev case would work well to minimize damage to his own reputation : "Oh don't judge, just ignore such major problems, because judging is just as bad of a sin as major ones like 'Elder Abuse' in the Orthodox context - or a ring of homosexuals polluting a previously highly reputable Theological School ?"

In the interview, Fr Parr laments that "the little children of God" are being scandalized by the Kuraev revelation, and even led to sin. Huh ?? How are they led into sin by finding out truth and having those problems rooted out ? That makes no sense at all in the MP situation. But in his OWN one, it does. This sounds like an apology in advance "Don't tell on me, because the little children of God might be led to judge me, and I sure wouldn't want THAT ! They might SIN because of finding out the truth that I am a chronic liar and perhaps a con-artist faking eldership ! "

A distorted approach which - just as in the case of the Kazan seminary scandal - leads to a dead end rather than to active correction of the problem by warning those concerned to not be misled by wolves in sheeps' clothing.

Where is the taking of responsibility for what either he or the nest of Kazan staff homosexuals did to inflict harm and even possibly destroy souls ? Notice how the blame is neatly deflected onto Fr Andrei Kuraev for being a loudmouth. Then, later, onto the creators of the Mercy House Abuse videos for exposing himself as a false elder rather than admitting that he, Fr Parr, has been cheating his followers all this time. This deftness in shielding oneself from criticism by aiming the spotlight elsewhere is highly characteristic of abusive personalities.

The interview below with Orthodox Soyuz in Russia 3 years ago likely foreshadows Fr Parr's own reaction to the scandal that broke around him in his home country.

A small example of what a TRUE Russian Elder, Schemamonk Ignaty of Harbin ( + 1958 or so ) warned of :

"What began in Russia will end in America" ....

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Re: Fr Joachim Parr & the MP Mercy House Debacle

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One more video in the Soyuz studio produces from Fr Parr mumbo-jumbo introductory remarks. The same young interviewer poses a question to Batiushka about how Christians should live among non-Christians. Batiushka spouts some unintelligble answers which appear to reiterate his favorite concept of 'faith community'. This pop American term would not be readily comprehensible to his listening audience.

Worse, Batiushka Parr drops in the word "reality" -- which strikes an American listener as 60s-era hippie lingo -- into his sentences without making any meaningful statement. The would-be starets pronounces the following reply to his interviewer :

"It's a very difficult reality to live in the world, meaning the spiritual reality we live in...u have it [faith ] within a community, within a reality of people who share the same faith.... people don't struggle to live within a reality of community living the Gospel every day"

If you can understand Fr Parr's meaning, wonderful. But I was unable to glean any clear message from this near-word salad.

Fr Parr does go on to speak more articulately and comfortably as he finds his footing. This tendency to pontificate without voicing any coherent concept recurs in videos of his talks. Assumedly these bouts are interspersed with interludes of heartfelt preaching. But why would they occur at all if he were a genuine Elder ?

The other slightly strange aspect of this interview is that the pectoral cross of the visiting American clergyman is pushed way off to his right side. Could the cross have been displaced by a microphone ? I am striving to give Fr Parr the benefit of the doubt. However, it looks too casual -- almost showing disregard of the cross. What is the opinion of readers who know more than I -- ?

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Re: Fr Joachim Parr & the MP Mercy House Debacle

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Again in this video "Don't be selfish when you come to the Lord", Fr Parr's pectoral cross lies sloppily off to his right side.

More handy is his cell phone, which the elder wrestles out of a pocket and makes a slightly overdramatic scene of turning off while interrupting his talk to the Mercy House contingent on the day's Gospel reading. It would have been more thoughtful to turn off the phone before beginning so as to not distract his audience.

Most disgraceful is the way he slouches almost supine in the chair ! One is reminded of a fraternity party scene, though with a more aged membership.

There are the restless hand gestures illustrating Fr Parr's words. These appear exaggerated, not buoyant or uplifting. Also disturbing is the way he continually twists, turns and fidgets. Hardly the behavior of a composed, assured Elder.

Now, if any readers think I am being too harsh on an old man, compare this with a short video featuring a Russian emigre 20 years the senior of Fr Parr !

Cadet Nikolai Nikolaevich Storm sits upright but not stiffly. He is attired immaculately, and appears the model of a gentleman --- a look completely lost in America, by the way. The colors of his suit, shirt and tie are selected from low-key hues and match perfectly ; the tie is not jarring, red, loud, or polka-dotted like those worn by men of all ages today, but has a tasteful symmetrical pattern. From his attire and dignified, quietly confident way of speaking, if I didn't know his identity, I would place this man as the retired CEO of a Fortune 500 company - and also from a high echelon of society.

At 2:02, Nikolai Nikolaevich begins speaking ; shortly after, the venerable military Cadet states these words in a measured voice :

"Our bearing, our discipline has stayed with us long after the completion of the [Cadet] Corps.

Even today -- and I turned 95 years of age recently -- I always try to bear myself with good posture, worthily.

I dress in a manner becoming my Cadet training."


--- Near the beginning of the 6 minute video, the history of the Cadet Corps in the Russian Empire is explained.

--- In the future, perhaps men who aspire to become Elders of the Russian Orthodox Church should consider taking a crash course at Cadet School to at least LOOK and ACT the role ... !

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Re: Fr Joachim Parr & the MP Mercy House Debacle

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Returning to the 5 minute video of Fr Parr's remarks on the Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev story, note that Fr Parr trots out this
sentence at 2:27 :

"I cannot reveal my brother's sins to others when I myself am sinful."

The video is here :

However, it appears that the SchemaArchimandrite of Treadwell -- as I suppose he will be now known -- has done this precise deed. Not merely a faux pas, it is strictly against the canons of the Orthodox Church for a Priest to reveal 'his brother's sins' as told to him in confession. This reason was the first of two listed in the MP's September 2016 statement suspending Fr Parr from the priesthood.

So, this allegation of having a loose tongue regarding passing along other people's sins is not merely based on the cries of emotional former spiritual children ; it was confirmed as correct by the administrator in the U.S of the Moscow Patriarchate, under whose jurisdiction Fr Parr and his Mercy House parish were abiding.

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Re: Fr Joachim Parr & the MP Mercy House Debacle

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Countering this information promulgated to let the Orthodox public -- especially American converts but also those in Russia who perhaps heard Fr Parr speak on TV or in person -- is a Deacon serving at St Seraphim of Sarov Church in Old Peterhof, northern Russia.

Let's take a quick look at the materials Deacon Konstantin Seleznev has generated in English. He has already put together a number of videos in Russian, but those are not accessible to English-speakers. It's clear, though, from the tone that these videos aim at stoutly defending the former abbot of Mercy House, Fr Parr.

Recently, Deacon Konstantin released a half-hour video in English to defend his former or present spiritual father [ it is not clear, but if Fr Parr is suspended from the holy Priesthood, he can not serve as a spiritual father, though perhaps as a confidant ]. Deacon Konstantin turns out to be a likeable person with an interesting story to tell of his topsy-turvy first year in America. I enjoyed hearing the experiences of someone coming to New York City without any English language skills, even and virtually complete unfamiliarity with life here. He did not even know what are dimes, nickels and quarters - so he gave them to beggars on the New York streets to avoid dealing with the problem of sorting them out ! He tells his story with wry humor and sounds quite reasonable -- until the end of this Part I. We will of course see what he has to say in Part 2, which is not out yet.

To sum up, Deacon Konstantin has a prestigious job in a [ genetics, sounds like ] laboratory at NYU, New York University. But when the lab decided to relocate across the country to San Francisco, the employee from St Petersburg balked. He did not want to leave the Mercy House community to which he had grown greatly attached. This is understandable : after all, when one has finally found a venue in a new country to feel at home, it's difficult to think of picking up and moving to a new area where one would have to start all over with Church community and friendships. He tells his director, "No, I won't go", whereupon she fires him, saying he is "disloyal to her" for not wishing to accompany the lab to California.

As an aside, this is odd behavior for a modern American supervisor ! Konstantin has not been at the lab for 20 or 30 years ; merely 6 months or so. Was there possibly more to his firing than this apparent fit of pique -- as he tells it ?

Regardless of the reason, he is in shock at being out of a job so suddenly. Konstantin goes to meet with Fr Parr who receives him late that same evening at Mercy House. Fr Parr says nothing too profound from the point of view of the average listener. In fact, the head of Mercy House doesn't seem to address the problem at all. Fr Parr sounds more like a Zen master, posing a somewhat inscrutable question to the shaken Konstantin and booting him out into the bustling New York City nightlife.

[ "He pushed me gently out of the monastery onto the street" = 29:37 ]

Fr Parr's loyal disciple ponders his spiritual father's reaction and behavior, optimistically finding a way to rationalize them as the very best for his soul. Perhaps the cold-water dunking approach worked for the future St Petersburg deacon.

To me, that interaction sounded bizarre. Besides the lack of spiritual direction or even human empathy, it is worrisome that there is no follow up call from SchemaArchimandrite Parr -- built up as so caring in this video -- to check how his shattered parishioner is doing or to discuss possible future plans [whether to go back to the RF or stay here must have been a major quandary ]. Perhaps this will appear in Part 2 of the video series.

It appears, however, that this has already been covered by the rather tedious analogy of a spiritual father as a stepping stone to God. We hear Fr Parr speaking more confidently than we have yet seen anywhere in English language videos, but saying - what ? Was it more fluff or something actually edifying ? Anyone can tell me what THEY think of Fr Parr's explanation of this analogy. I found I automatically tuned out Fr Parr's pronouncement at the end of the video so I am not a good person to assess it :

-- The "Don't Be Selfish When You Come to the Lord" video was Deacon Konstantin's film.

-- In October 2016, probably to recoup the reputation of Fr Parr, Deacon Konstantin released footage of Treadwell Abbey [ Savior's Desert is the official or semi-official name of the retreat property in upstate New York ] :

Side note : In one of the videos in Russia, Fr Parr launched into a hearty anecdote : "A big bear of a man came up to me," the American visitor began. The excellent translator hesitated, whispering "What - ?". The image is not immediately clear if one is not a native English speaker.

Amusingly, in the video directly above -- virtually an advertisement for Treadwell Abbey -- a big bear DOES come up and casually lumbers some distance near the chapel where Fr Parr conducts a reading.

However, we do not have St Seraphim here

Image

Fr Parr is nowhere near on par with the Sarov Elder, famous for his clairvoyant spiritual direction of hundreds of visitors every day from 1815 to 1833, even anticipating their questions before they asked.

Now, nearly 200 years later, exactly how qualified a director of souls this controversial American clergyman is will be made clear after all material -- both pro, like this Deacon's videos - and con -- surfaces and is closely analyzed.

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Re: Fr Joachim Parr & the MP Mercy House Debacle

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Meanwhile, here are some important insight as to how Western converts to Orthodoxy can distinguish a TRUE Elder from a fake or phony elder. This advice is offered by Church writer Vladimir Moss, who converted 42 years years ago !


"How, then, are we to distinguish between true and false elders? I. M. Kontzevich provides the answer in his book on the Optina elders: “Those who have given themselves over to the direction of a true elder experience a special feeling of joy and freedom in the Lord. He who writes these lines has personally experienced this in himself. The elder is the immediate channel of the will of God. Communion with God is always accompanied by a 'feeling of spiritual freedom, joy, and indescribable peace in the soul. Contrary to this, the false elder pushes God into the background, putting his own will in the place of God, which is accompanied by a feeling of enslavement, depression and, almost always, despondency. Besides, the complete submission of the disciples before the false elder exterminates his personality, buries his will, perverts the feeling of righteousness and truth, and, in this way, weans his conscience from responsibility for his actions.

Code: Select all

 “Concerning false eldership his Reverence Ignatius Brianchaninov says this: ‘It is a terrible business, out of self-opinion and on one's own authority, to take upon oneself duties which can be carried out only by the order of the Holy Spirit and by the action of the Spirit. It is a terrible thing to pretend to be a vessel of the Holy Spirit when all the while relations with satan have not been broken and the vessel is still being defiled by the action of satan! It is disastrous both from oneself and one's neighbor; it is criminal, blasphemous.’

 “False eldership produces hypnosis of thought. And since at the root of it there lies a false idea, this idea produces spiritual blindness. When the false idea covers up reality, then no arguments will be accepted any longer, since they stumble upon an idée fixe, which is considered to be an unshakeable axiom.”

" True eldership, according to Kontzevich, is nothing other than the gift of prophecy, the second of the gifts of the Spirit listed by the Apostle Paul (I Corinthians 12:28). This is confirmed by Hieroconfessor Barnabas (Belyaev), Bishop of Pechersk, himself a clairvoyant elder, who wrote: "Elders in Russian ecclesiastical consciousness are ascetics who have passed through a long probation and have come to know the spiritual warfare from experience, who by many exploits have acquired the gift of discernment, and who, finally, are capable by prayer of attaining to the will of God for man. That is, to a greater or lesser extent they have received the gift of clairvoyance and are therefore capable of giving spiritual direction to those who turn to them."

" When we see, on the one hand, how difficult it is to be a Christian in the maze of modern life, and, on the other, with what swiftness and apparent ease the monks and pious laymen of past ages attained salvation through strict obedience to a God-bearing elder, it is tempting to find such an elder even when he does not exist. But when we surrender our will to a false elder, we become slaves of a man, a man who is suffering a very grave spiritual sickness; whereas Apostle Paul says, “You were bought with a price; do not become the slaves of men” (I Corinthians 7:23). And having become slaves of men, we lose that most quintessential attribute of man made in the image of God - independent judgment, and the ability to turn to God directly for enlightenment and help.

" Many converts are tempted to submit to a false elder for another reason - that he led them to Orthodoxy and may well be the only Orthodox leader in the vicinity. Then a mixture of gratitude and the fear of becoming completely isolated may lead the convert to conclude that Divine Providence must have led him to submit his whole life to this man for the salvation of his soul.

The false elder, who is often a cunning psychologist, can exploit this situation to gain complete control over his disciples
[ my emphasis ], adding, in the case of disobedience, the threat of fearsome sanctions, including very strict penances, curses and even anathematization and expulsion (supposedly) from the Orthodox Church ! - a tragic situation which may lead to the convert's abandoning the Orthodox Church altogether...."

http://www.orthodoxchristianbooks.com/a ... eldership/


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Re: Fr Joachim Parr & the MP Mercy House Debacle

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For readers who are not familiar with the prolific writer Vladimir Moss, let's take a quick look at his biography.

"Vladimir Moss was born Anthony Moss in London on April 4, 1949 into the family of a British diplomat. In 1952, when his father took up a diplomatic post in Belgrade, he went to a Serbian primary school. In 1955, when his father moved to the United States, he went to an American school. Returning to England in 1958, he entered Twyford prep school, near Winchester. In 1962 he entered Charterhouse school, Godalming on a junior scholarship, specializing in Classical languages and ancient history. In 1967 he went up to Oxford University on a classical scholarship, and graduated in 1970 with a second class degree in Philosophy and Psychology...
On February 15, 1974 he joined the Moscow Patriarchate in London, and was made a reader on November 21 for the English Orthodox Parish in Guildford, Surrey. In 1975 he joined the Russian Church Abroad, and on April 18, 1976 was baptised in London..."

http://www.orthodoxchristianbooks.com/biography/


Notice anything reminiscent of Fr Parr's pretended life story ? The wayward New York abbot made claims to having had just such an upbringing, traveling all over as the privileged child of a British diplomat. However, in the Mercy House Abuse video, he gave no details of which countries were visited by the large Parr family [ 8 children, Fr Parr claimed to an audience in Russia ! ].

See the difference here where Vladimir Moss provides specific postings of his authentic English diplomat father.

Where Vladimir Moss had extensive schooling, Fr Parr had little. No graduate degrees for him ; just high school.

It almost seems that Fr Parr was consciously or unconsciously copying Vladimir Moss' credentials ! By presenting an imposing personal history, Fr Parr likely aimed to squelch any questions regarding his credibility, and thus his qualifications to be a Russian Church "Elder".

Where Vladimir Moss had been accepted into the MP in 1974 but upon learning the truth about them, dashed to the anti-Communist Rocor, Fr Parr converted far later. The latter rushed to the MP to evade being suspended by Rocor for his pro-MP activities. Where will Fr Parr go next ? Let's hope he will not try to copy Vladimir Moss again by transferring to a TOC !
If so, that no TOC would admit this clergyman with such a chequered past. [ I'll spell it the British way for fun.]

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