Pokrov Mourns the Loss of a Good Friend
Pokrov was saddened today to learn of the death of Matushka Ellen (Yelena) Gvosdev, Ph.D., from an aggressive form of cancer. Her untiring efforts to shine some light on the issue of clergy sexual abuse and misconduct in the Orthodox churches will be sorely missed.
Matushka Ellen earned a doctorate in pastoral practice, with an emphasis on sexual malfeasance in the church, from the Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1994. Her program included hands-on training with experts in the field, such as Dr. Marie Fortune, the author of “Is Nothing Sacred?”
Despite her credentials, and her often repeated offers of assistance, no one in power in Orthodox America truly utilized her expertise, or heeded her warnings. Yet Matushka Ellen persevered, and as recently as this month was still writing letters, chagrined that a hierarch would publicly proclaim that his jurisdiction has “zero tolerance” for sexual misconduct when in practice this just is not so.
For those of you unfamiliar with Matushka Ellen’s work, we invite you to peruse these articles.
Sexual Abuse and the Orthodox Clergy
Matushka Ellen was also the author of The Female Diaconate: An Historical Perspective, Light and Life Publishing, Minneapolis MN (1991).
Matushka Ellen is survived by her husband, Archpriest Kirrill Gvosdev, her son and daughter-in-law, Nikolas and Heidi, her grandson, Adrian Alexander, and her mother, Elena Dobson.
A panikhída will be held on Friday, July 24, 2009, at 7 p.m. at St. Nicholas Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The funeral will be held the following day. For those wishing to give a memorial gift, Fr. Kirrill suggests donations to the St. Nicholas Church Building Fund.