May 3, 2007

Metropolitan Philip
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
358 Mountain Road
Englewood, NJ 07631

Re: Church Relations

Greetings.

The purpose of this letter is to update you on some of the problems related to this Church and your clergy.

One of your clergy has sent us an email that a gravestone (at Antiochian Village) photo referring to Bp. Sophronius that is published on the internet is his and that we cannot use it. We do not use a computer just a web browser and since there is no published copyright notice on the photo located on the page we found and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick a seminary student about to graduate this month claims to own the photo. Since its not art but of a public monument relating to our Church history and not used for financial or commercial gain and on a the wikipedia website that allows free use of their materials we have placed the matter with our paralegal who will seek an opinion of ownership from the attorney. In the meantime someone will obtain a photo of the headstone for us. This same individual has asked for a copy of our lines of Apostolic Succession and has ignored our copyright notice and links to both our index page and another page that clearly states do not link to or copy without written permission. This, as well as other acts listed herein, is a very unchristian act especially for a clergyman as well as are his writings about this Church. We have been polite and answered his questions about our Church when he asked but no more.

Legally and Morally we are who we say we are. We were canonically established. We follow Holy Scripture, Orthodox canons and traditions... in that order. We feel at times that we are more Orthodox than some of the ethnic old world Churches.

This Fr Andrew has decided to divide the Church history, that he has written and published on orthodoxwiki.org, into that of the Church under Abp. Ofiesh and today as the 1995 group as he refers to us. The 1951 NY Orthodox Catholic Patriarchate of America, formerly under Archbishops Joseph and Clement, is also part of this Church today. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes us and in a letter dates in 1996 states that we may provide communion to Roman Catholics within our liturgy. The Episcopal Church has accepted one of our former priests without reordination.

Years ago when we were contacted by someone claiming to be associated with your Church claiming you wanted to have some confidential discussions we did try to contact you and your priest in Arkansas who contacted us by email was abusive and failed to show any respect to our bishop and clergy.... He did apologize by email after we forwarded the information to you with our complaint.

Some years ago we contacted the former SCOBA president and stated we have no interest in being a member of SCOBA. There is no valid reason for us to associate with old world Orthodox who have nothing better to do that attack us or spread false information about us. Since we are a canonically established Orthodox Church may we suggest this for your consideration. You might publish for your clergy a note that we may not be in communion with your Church but we are a canonically established Church and are entitled to the same respect as other Orthodox Church clergy. Also that any claims published (esp. on the internet) that may demean or attack our clergy, living or dead, or Church should be removed or rewritten to a more honest and Christian point of view.

A Fr. John Schroedel replied to one of our complaints online about the orthodoxwiki site stating free speech and that such claims are not a violation of a service mark but could be slander or libel but with free speech in this Country it would be difficulty to argue. We have sent this for a legal opinion as aside from an unchristian attitude by a clergyman we believe there is a law on the books about using a service mark to attach the owner of the mark and it applies in this case over his claims because its an unfair business practice (worded in law) because he is with another similar Church using the information to degrade and attack the owner of the mark which is a competitor of sorts - a similar organization.

Our Church name (and logo) is a Registered Service Mark owned by this Church and is not to be used to attack the owner of the mark. We also have registered our copyrights with the Library of Congress and the index.

For Patriarch Nikon and The North American Holy Synod,

Metropolitan Victor
by Abp. Leland, Chancellor

Sent by U.S. Mail with First Class Postage affixed May 4, 2007 from Cedar Point, N.C.

May 3, 2007

Metropolitan Herman
P.O. Box 675
Syosset, NY 11719

Re: Church Relations

Greetings.

The purpose of this letter is to update you on some of the problems related to this Church and your clergy.

Legally and Morally we are who we say we are. We were canonically established. We follow Holy Scripture, Orthodox canons and traditions... in that order. We feel at times that we are more Orthodox than some of the ethnic old world Churches.

This Fr John (Schroedel), believed to be an OCA or Antiochian priest has supported the Antiochian priest Fr Andrew who has written in a manner that divides the Church history, published on orthodoxwiki.org, into two parts - that of the Church under Abp. Ofiesh and today as the 1995 group as he refers to us. The 1951 NY Orthodox Catholic Patriarchate of America, formerly under Archbishops Joseph and Clement, is also part of this Church. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes us and in a letter dates in 1996 states that we may provide communion to Roman Catholics within our liturgy. The Episcopal Church has accepted one of our former priests without reordination.

Some years ago we contacted the former SCOBA president and stated we have no interest in being a member of SCOBA. There is no valid reason for us to associate with old world Orthodox who have nothing better to do that attack us or spread false information about us. Since we are true Orthodox no matter what some or all of your clergy care to think and we are in our rightful jurisdiction we would like to suggest the following steps be considered. You might have published for your clergy that even though we are not in communion with your Church or the Ecumenical Patriarch we are a canonically established Church and are entitled to the same respect as other Orthodox Church leaders and our clergy and Church should not be attacked or have false claims and statements published about us and our deceased clergy. By claiming that Sophronius, after congratulating Abp. Ofiesh on his marriage, "suspended" both the Archbishop president of this Church as well as Bp. Ignatius, would violate the canons and out of character. It makes the late bishop look like he did not know canon law and acted to take over this Church which he never did. Mariam Ofiesh spoke well of him in the biography of her late husband. We are certain the comments would have been much different has Sophronius tried to suspend, depose, defrock or in anyway act against his Archbishop. In fact because of so many rumors over the years our synod had a webpage up regarding the claims about Abp. Ofiesh and Bp. Ignatius for over 18 months about 10 years ago.

Our Church name (and logo) is a Registered Service Mark owned by this Church and is not to be used to attack the owner of the mark. We also have registered our copyrights with the Library of Congress and the index.

For Patriarch Nikon and The North American Holy Synod,

Metropolitan Victor
by Abp. Leland, Chancellor

Sent by U.S. Mail with First Class Postage affixed May 4, 2007 from Cedar Point, NC