Is ROCOR-Trenton still canonical?

[Justice]

Sure why not?

[Barbara]

I enjoy seeing that spiffy avatar every time. Glad you kept it.

Now here is the update as of 1 Dec as to Bp Stefan's status. His erstwhile superiors, the RTOC Hierarchs, have issued their final warning. In view of his 'obstinacy', the Bishops are contemplating defrocking him, perhaps ? They have already forbidden him to serve, an order was roundly ignored.
They are clearly aware of all the political maneuverings occurring with Bp Stefan and the defrocked ROCA-Agafangel group.

The RTOC Bishops :

"Particularly note the stagnation and obstinacy in disobedience to the Synod of Bishops of the RTOC and the lack of repentance of Bishop Stefan of the former Trenton and North American, now at rest without the right to serve. To note that Bishop Stefan did not obey the decree of the Synod of Bishops of November 16, 2016 on reckoning to rest, did not recognize the guilt in accepting to his omophorion those who committed the schism of the Omsk clergy, continues to serve and entered into communion with the breakaway groups of the "metropolitan" Agafangel " bishops ": Andronicus, Sophrony and forbidden in the ministry of Bishop Irenaeus, who are in contact with the heretics of the Cyprianites; He also agreed to the uncanonical consecration of hegumen Andrew (Yerastov) and supports the new teaching of this group on the need to return the church administration to the level of supposedly primitive Christian times, basing their opinion on a false understanding of Decree No. 362 of November 7/20, 1920. His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon - the last legitimate Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The last time to warn Bishop Stefan about the non-canonical nature of his position and about the lack of grace of his current rituals, because he was reckoned to rest by an official decision of the Synod of Bishops of RTOC. In the case of Bishop Stephen's persistence in his convictions, at the future session of the Synod of Bishops, raise the question of depriving Bishop Stephen of a sacred dignity." -

Synod of Bishops
Of the Russian True Orthodox Church

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... rkhiereis/

[Barbara]

At an RTOC Synod meeting in Dmitrov, Russia, earlier this year, Bp Stefan was in fact deprived of his episcopal dignity. That does answer the thread's original question.

Further, correspondence between the remaining Priest in the US loyal to Archbishop Tikhon of Omsk and former Bp Stefan can be viewed here by clicking on the 2nd link :

http://www.ripc.info/en/documents/doc/p ... uary-2018/

Interestingly, Fr Joseph Sunderland terms former Bp Stefan, former Abp Andronik of the Met Agafangel-breakaway rebel faction, and their jointly consecrated "Bp" Andrei Erastov as the 3 vagante bishops. Fr Joseph is perhaps the 1st clergyman to use this term.

[jdigrande]

Has Bishop Stefan taken the Omsk priests who broke with RTOC under him?

Can anyone tell me the full list of these Omsk priests, where they reside and if they were summoned to a RTOC canonical trial three times as the canons proscribe? Does anyone have a full statement of their beliefs with regards to the grace of the sacraments and ordination residing in the MP/EP etc?

I have only seen selected excerpts from one priest (Father Ilia) on the RTOC website.

If there has been a trial, does anyone have access to the minutes or was it a secret trial? Do the canons permit a secret trial of clergy over allegations of heresy or canonical infractions? Can clergy be defrocked or declared heretics in secret trials and in absentia?

Has Bishop Stefan declared himself the hierarch for the entire Ukraine and/or the world? Is this priest that STOC (Father Nikon) ordained in Lesna under Bishop Stefan or is he under STOC?

This reminds me of the situation on my father's island in the 7th-9th century. Rome and Constantinople were fighting over canonical control of the island while two major heresies (Monothelite and Ikonoclasm) made the situation even murkier. Rome and Constantinople were also fighting over Illyria at the same time and over the same issues.

I feel like a canonical simpleton and confused fisherman from the island. Can anyone help me out with these questions? Does anyone know a good source for an English copy of The Rudder? Like a canonical idiot I gave mine away a few decades ago and on Amazon they are now 400.00 dollars(used) a piece. Thank you if you can be of any help in this matter

[Justice]

Has Bishop Stefan taken the Omsk priests who broke with RTOC under him?

Can anyone tell me the full list of these Omsk priests, where they reside and if they were summoned to a RTOC canonical trial three times as the canons proscribe? Does anyone have a full statement of their beliefs with regards to the grace of the sacraments and ordination residing in the MP/EP etc?

I have only seen selected excerpts from one priest (Father Ilia) on the RTOC website.

If there has been a trial, does anyone have access to the minutes or was it a secret trial? Do the canons permit a secret trial of clergy over allegations of heresy or canonical infractions? Can clergy be defrocked or declared heretics in secret trials and in absentia?

Has Bishop Stefan declared himself the hierarch for the entire Ukraine and/or the world? Is this priest that STOC (Father Nikon) ordained in Lesna under Bishop Stefan or is he under STOC?

This reminds me of the situation on my father's island in the 7th-9th century. Rome and Constantinople were fighting over canonical control of the island while two major heresies (Monothelite and Ikonoclasm) made the situation even murkier. Rome and Constantinople were also fighting over Illyria at the same time and over the same issues.

I feel like a canonical simpleton and confused fisherman from the island. Can anyone help me out with these questions? Does anyone know a good source for an English copy of The Rudder? Like a canonical idiot I gave mine away a few decades ago and on Amazon they are now 400.00 dollars(used) a piece. Thank you if you can be of any help in this matter

Here are the priests that followed Stephan of Trenton for North America:

Protopriest Serge Klestov
Protopriest George Tsap
Protopriest Vladimir Mordvinkin
Priest John Trepatschko
Priest Oleg Gritsenko
Priest James Ogden
Protodeacon Vitaly Sabelnik
Deacon Nicholas Trepatschko

Only two parishes stayed under Archbishop Tikhon:

Father Joseph Sunderland who is the rector of St. Joseph of Petersburg Orthodox church.
Father Victor Melehov of the Church of the Holy Resurrection church.

[Maria]

Here are the priests that followed Stephan of Trenton for North America:

Protopriest Serge Klestov
Protopriest George Tsap
Protopriest Vladimir Mordvinkin
Priest John Trepatschko
Priest Oleg Gritsenko
Priest James Ogden
Protodeacon Vitaly Sabelnik
Deacon Nicholas Trepatschko

Only two parishes stayed under Archbishop Tikhon:

Father Joseph Sunderland who is the rector of St. Joseph of Petersburg Orthodox church.
Father Victor Melehov of the Church of the Holy Resurrection church.

What is your source, Justice?

That is impressive research.

It is quite sad that only two churches have stayed in the RTOC under Archbishop Tikhon.

[Barbara]

...

Probably Justice found the list of what the British call wooly-minded clergy who abandoned the RTOC head on the RTOC-Trenton site, where Bp Stefan has a directory. How current it is, we can't assess.

Fr Serge Klestov has long been much respected as a Rocor Priest in opposition to the MP union. He was dumped by Laurus from the plum St Seraphim parish on Long Island for stoutly refusing to go along with Laurus' treacherous plans to subjugate Rocor to foreign overlords. It's a pity Fr Serge went with Bp Stefan. Fr Serge must have known Bp Stefan for many years, and probably had had little contact with Abp Tikhon of Omsk. Still, that tie does not excuse this flight to an ill-chosen vagante group.

I think Fr Joseph Sunderland hit the nail on the head when he described Bp Stefan in that above document. In my opinion, Bp Stefan, who USED TO BE excellent in writing clear denunciations of the MP, may have declined mentally and physically during these very hard years. I think this is what you were getting at, jdigrande, saying that Bp Stefan has put on airs. Sadly so.

Others on the list : Fr Oleg Gritsenko was serving at the South San Francisco St John of SF parish, flying down from Washington State, sometimes alternating with Fr Joseph Sunderland.

Deacon Vitaly is the brother of Bp Stefan, so there is no doubt that he would loyally stay with his sibling. Deacon Vitaly [Sabelnik] was formerly a prominent deacon serving the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco.