Metropolitan Isaiah Sends Letter to Dallas Community

This letter from Metropolitan Isaiah was sent out February 23, 2007 to the parishioners of Holy Trinity in the wake of charges of sexual misconduct with a minor against Fr. Nicholas Katinas, who served for 28 years in this Dallas parish. View PDF Copy; the full text is also below:

Reverend Christopher Constantinides (Proistamenos), the Esteemed Parish Council, the Faithful Members of The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (13555 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, Texas 75240).

Beloved in the Lord, having been informed of devastating news regarding your beloved priest, Father Nicholas Katinas, I am expressing my deepest sadness to all of you.

I had been informed last summer of rumors regarding his assignment in a Chicago parish 30 or more years ago, but I have waited for more clarification before communicating with you. Due to a recent eye operation, I am not allowed to travel to be with you. But I feel very strongly that it is most important to share my thoughts and feelings with you with this letter.

I have known Father Katinas since 1954, when I entered our Holy Cross Seminary. Never in the past 53 years have I ever heard anything detrimental against his character or behavior. On the contrary, he has proven himself to be one of our finest priests, who has helped many people and who has served the Lord most faithfully. Holy Trinity parish stands as a visible reminder of his hard work and dedication to the Lord and his faithful service to thousands of our people.

It is truly ironic that, during this first week of Great Lent, we are faced with troubling situations which happened long ago and which are happening today. It never fails that, when Great Lent arrives, I am faced with very serious situations in several of our parishes. I am certain that this holds true in every one of our metropolises.

Obviously, Satan never sleeps. And, to compound the problems, it is our own people who believe themselves to have a mandate from God; indeed, they take pride in sharing bad news with as many as they can.

We know that the Church is God’s spiritual hospital, where believers come to be healed. All of us are sinners before God, and all of us come to the Church because we know that God is compassionate and merciful and forgiving. Yet many of those who consider themselves good Christians have no concept of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. How fortunate we are, how blessed we are, to have a God Who is all-merciful and all-forgiving.

This is what Great Lent is all about: the holiness of God and the sinfulness of Man.

Beloved members of the Church, we are in the most sacred time of the ecclesiastical year, during which we look within ourselves to recognize and admit our sinfulness before God. Actually, the Church gives to us 70 days of introspection, from the beginning of the Triodion to Resurrection Sunday. God knows that we need time to come to ourselves, as the Prodigal came to himself and returned to the Father.

The Church has undergone untold numbers of crises and scandals throughout Her 2,000-year existence, but She continues on, as our Lord promised. She continues on for our sake; for our place of shelter and solace; and for our salvation.

Let us then forgive the errors and the sins of others, whoever they may be. We should forgive; we must forgive, for God may have already forgiven them; and we may find only ourselves holding back, like the son who did not welcome his Prodigal brother back to the Father.

With Paternal Blessings and Love,

Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver