7/20 July 2004
Petion-Ville, Haiti, WI
The Rev. Priest-Monk George & Community
Dormition Monastery
Buena Vista, Colorado
Dear Father,
Greetings to you in the Name of Christ whom we serve, and who is among us!
Several hours ago I finished reading your long letter which was included in this week's newsletter from your monastery. Although the message betrays a serious psychological problem of the writer, I am responding in order to correct several points which were made about me, and which are emphatically incorrect.
Before moving to the corrections, I pray that you will consider that such a long polemic is indicative of a serious psychological and social disorder which you would do well to evaluate regarding your person and your relationship to others; especially toward others who disagree with you. The letter is filled with attempts to slander others and prove your own point, and such overemphasis is not at all necessary. If there are problems or happenings with which you disagree, it is not necessary to attack others in an effort to show your prowess and prove a point. Our Blessed Lord will see this situation come to a satisfactory conclusion without you throwing darts at others.
I would have considered and meditated upon several of the points you emphasize, but when I read what was written about me and our activities here in Haiti, and saw how craftily they were misrepresented, I decided that the whole diatribe was nothing but the work of quite sick and spiritually-lacking persons.
That being said, I will proceed to the comments about us which are incorrect, and which I pray you will correct soon.
First of all, Haiti (which is in the Caribbean and not in Central America) is a mission area for Orthodoxy, and it was I that came here in 1986 to plant Orthodoxy. At that time I was a priest of the Antiochian Jurisdiction and I worked very hard and without much support to create a good reputation for The Church and to bring souls to Christ with what little we had. We had no church, but worshipped in an old abandoned hotel which we re-conditioned. We had no pool or large body of water anywhere near us (even though we are on an island), nor did we have the financial means to construct a baptismal pool. Since we were bringing many persons into The Church, and since I never receive converts into The Church except through Baptism, we Baptized persons by having them stand in a large drum while we poured a bucket of water over their heads three times in the name of the Trinity. This was surely acceptable to God...and to all of the jurisidctions of Orthodoxy I know. There were several occassions where we had emergency Baptisms in a hospital or at a death bed, and they were all regularized as soon as possible afterward. (Except for those that had died!) No one has ever been brought to Orthodoxy by me except through Baptism. All of this despite the fact that my former archbishop directed me to receive all converts who had previously been baptized using the proper formula, by Chrismation only.
Secondly, I was ordained to the priesthood in the Antiochian Jurisdiction, having come from the Episcopal Church as a clergyman. My whole former Episcopal parish in New Jersey entered Orthodoxy with me. I was ordained by Metropolitan Elia who was assisting Metropolitan Philip at the time. (He is now in Syria). All the members of my congregation were Chrismated". At the time, I was told that I could not be Baptized again because I would be acceptable to Orthodoxy as a result of my Episcopal-style baptism being "validated" through Chrismation; I knew no better at that time. I later came to realize that some Orthodox would not accept my entrance through Chrismation, so I was Baptized again, by triple immersion, in the Jordan River. I am quite satisfied that my Baptism is valid!
One year ago I began a relationship with the then Bishop Gregory. I was very pleased with my conversations with him and his obvious interest in helping us here. We made plans for me to travel to Buena Vista, and I was willing to undergo a Baptism by him in order to satisfy his requirements. En route to Buena Vista I spent a week at Holy Theotokos Monastery in North Fort Myers, Florida. During that time I had several telephone conversations with Bishop Gregory, the final one being the one where he suggested that it might be too cold for me at the monastery, and that we should post-pone my visit. I accepted his suggestion, but his suggestion was actually his response to my not agreeing with his intention to come to Haiti and Baptize/re-Baptize all of my people. He did not "turn me down" as you mention; he told me it was too cold in Buena Vista at the time and that we should wait until the weather was better. I returned to Haiti and never heard from him again.
Since I am a vegetarian I have no idea as to what you are trying to say or prove by your comments that I am a "meat-eating priest". I have been a vegetarian for years and all who know me can attest to that. Since we run several activities here (youth hostel/orphanage/school), I mentioned to Bishop Gregory that I do not enforce my vegetarian practices on others. Not only am I a vegetarian, I don't even eat fish, seafood or eggs! Additionally, here in Haiti where it is often impossible to find anything to eat, we have to be prepared to modify our fasting practices. Things like peanut butter and crackers (with whey) and many other products can not be abstained from in a land of famine. I keep all the fasts, and more.
It appears that you were told things which are not true, and if you were told them by Abp. Gregory, that is a serious matter. However, I would like you to correct those incorrect comments about me as quickly as possible so that I will not have to make those corrections publicly myself; which I will do.
I am very sorry that this sad situation between Abp. Gregory and Metropolitan Valentin has developed. For the good of Christ's Church I pray that it will be quickly calmed so that we can continue our work of attracting others to Christ's Church and saving souls, which is our primary calling. We surely fail in our Orthodox calling when we allow ourselves to become involved with childish and unnecessary polemic.
God be with you and enlighten you, and eventually bring you to His Heavenly Kingdom.
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Most sincerely in Christ,
+Archimandrite Michael (Graves) in Haiti