What the OCA Is All About

A Personal Testimony

Easter in Kansas City 2002.doc

 This article shows us what the OCA is all about: the destruction of Orthodoxy as we know it.

– Rtoc Bishop

From: Ackerly, Olga [mailto:AckerlyO@umkc.edu]
Sent: lundi 29 avril 2002 23:29
Subject: The Schmemanns, Meyendorffs and their MP are victorious

There used to be a Russian Orthodox Church in Kansas City. That was one of my very first stops when I arrived in the Midwest as a student in 1975.  The parishioners were a mixture of Russians, Belorussians, Ukrainians, etc. and we all celebrated together.  We had no idea we were different, today's animosity did not exist then.  The church stood in the old part of town, near the railroad and factories, where, as in many other cities, Slavs usually congregated in the beginning of the century and/or after the revolution.

  

Soon after I arrived, I began to hear of problems, but these were vague and muddied, as in those days we did not have email.  Communication was difficult and the University was far away, so I rarely attended.   Besides, I did not dare ask, simply due to my own ignorance, and I did not consider church affairs to be any of my business, rightfully so.  In those days, we saw our churches as lasting forever, with someone knowledgeable who will always be there to oversee things and take care of us the flock.

But soon the Russian priest was ousted and the church was taken over by the OCA.  Pews appeared, the choir began to sing in English, things began to change.  I still attended occasionally while in school, since my family Synod church was far away on the East Coast.  One day, I simply no longer recognized some parts of the Service and the walls no longer had icons, everything seemed so bare and cold.  That warmth we associate with traditional Russian churches was non-existent.  What was taking place is an erosion of tradition, an erosion of anything Russian.  

Of course, in those days, I was told that the erosion was "all in my head" so I tried not to "overreact" as we Russians have a tendency to do, and I kept quiet, continuing to observe.  I felt, however, that something was very wrong, the church was becoming something else but I could not quite understand what.  In 1988, for the celebration of the Millennium of Russian Orthodoxy, I organized a series of events dealing with Russian Orthodoxy, lectures, concerts of Russian music, etc. and introduced Kansas City to Russian sacred choral music – "standing room only" – that is how much the American people appreciated hearing and learning about sacred Russian choral singing.

Someone suggested that I call the Orthodox churches in the area (mostly OCA) and advertize the events.  When I did, I was coldly told that "Orthodoxy has nothing to do with Russia."  And of course, they never did come to the concerts.  The hate towards anything Russian was beginning to crystallize.
  

One thing was certain, I was becoming increasingly more aware of the destruction of Orthodoxy that was taking place in that OCA church.  It was orchestrated through a destruction of things Russian but it also affected Orthodoxy as well.  Am glad I had witnessed it in Kansas City as I learned a great deal.  Eventually, the older folks died, the new generation knew little about tradition or Russian Orthodoxy.  Every time the word Russian was mentioned, reactions were very negative.

After all, they had been indoctrinated against Russia in schools, the media, etc.  And of course, the leadership of those who created that erosion, was counting on the ignorance of the people.  They knew, as I was later told, that it would be "a piece of cake" to take our churches and traditions away from us. 

the OCA receives about 20 million a year from the WCC

Since the neighborhood was deteriorating and becoming dangerous, I had heard that the church was going to move and be rebuilt in a "better" (wealthier) end of town.  (Not a wonder, as the OCA receives about 20 million a year from the WCC).  Well, last week I happened to be driving by some church and I recognized the name of that old church, only it did not have the word "Russian" in the title any more.  The cross was not Orthodox either, but I thought it was my imagination. 

I stopped attending that church long ago, but over the years, I had remained friends with a little old Ukrainian lady who still attends- she called me last night.  She was "v uzhasie!" and related to me that they had their first service.  "Olichka," she said, "there is one candle stand in the entrance, the altar is open for view, no iconostasis, the cross is not Orthodox, etc."  When she asked someone about the cross, she was told that it is "American" (whatever that means).  "We are not Russians" they angrily threw at her!  

I do not know what else is not Russian there.  I was told that the singing is unrecognizable and everything seems to be a melange of "whatever you feel like."  But those who noticed are in the minority.  Most are quite taken by the modern lighting from various corners instead of the chandelier in the middle.  

Those who wanted to destroy Russian Orthodoxy have won.  A sad Easter it will be, their first one in the "new" church.  I will spend mine at home – at least now, in America, we have been introduced to the Catacomb mentality and we know how to survive.  But what about those who are not even aware of what they lost?  To them everything is "fine."  It would be so politically incorrect to complain about something so insignificant as a multitude of old traditions, after all, they now have a brand new church building! 

"Krugom izmena, i trusost', i obman"
                        Muchenik Sv. Nikolai 

Olga Dolskaya-Ackerly- Associate Professor

Conservatory of Music- 

University of Missouri- Kansas City 

Phone: 816-235-2859

Fax: 816-235-5264