Joining Traditional Orthodoxy

drewmeister2 · Post by **drewmeister2** » Thu 27 October 2005 8:02 pm

How does one join Traditional Orthodoxy? I have particular interest in the Genuine Greek Orthodox Church (under Metropolitan PAVLOS of North and South America). My biggest problem is that I live nowhere near their parishes (they are all on the East coast as far as I know, and I am on the West coast). I am a senior in high school, and wasn't planning to go to any colleges in that part of America. Should I maybe transfer after my first year of college? I'd really rather not wait another 5 years until I can start going to a Traditional Church. Then there is the concern of finding a job after college near a Traditional church. I am thinking about nursing, and there is a high demand for them, so hopefully that won't be a problem.

Can anyone help me (give some advice)? I really would appreciate it. .

Kollyvas · Post by **Kollyvas** » Thu 27 October 2005 8:23 pm

Visit St. Anthony's in Florence, AZ...
ease in incrementally, starting with JP, ROCOR--avoid puhalo types...
find a moderate jurisdiction and a spiritual father and resolve to stay there, no matter what, and have a regular prayer life and life in the Mysteries...
r

ioannis · Post by **ioannis** » Thu 27 October 2005 8:39 pm

Dear Andrew,

I am a believer in the "wait and take things carefully" when people are thinking about joining something other than the Church. You on the other hand are tremendously blessed to have found the Church, by the Grace of the Holy Spirit - who can tell you to wait? Waiting only gives the demons more time to work you over.

We are all sick, deathly sick. And we need the Church as desperatley as a mortally wounded soldier needs a hospital. The Saints say that before we are baptized the demons can work from within our hearts, but after baptism, they can only attack us from the outside.

I am a member of the GOC under Met. Pavlos. Please email me privatley and I will do what I can.

Ioannis

drewmeister2 · Post by **drewmeister2** » Thu 27 October 2005 8:52 pm

ioannis wrote:
Dear Andrew,

I am a believer in the "wait and take things carefully" when people are thinking about joining something other than the Church. You on the other hand are tremendously blessed to have found the Church, by the Grace of the Holy Spirit - who can tell you to wait? Waiting only gives the demons more time to work you over.

We are all sick, deathly sick. And we need the Church as desperatley as a mortally wounded soldier needs a hospital. The Saints say that before we are baptized the demons can work from within our hearts, but after baptism, they can only attack us from the outside.

I am a member of the GOC under Met. Pavlos. Please email me privatley and I will do what I can.

Ioannis

Thanks . I PMed you.

spiridon · Post by **spiridon** » Thu 27 October 2005 9:12 pm

I agree with Kolyvas above on this subject , atleast you will have a place to experience the church Services which are so important to mold that Spirit life at first................

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Fri 28 October 2005 12:58 am

My biggest problem is that I live nowhere near their parishes

That's the problem, 99.99999% of people are "nowhere near" the GOC/ROAC/etc. Settle for ROCOR, the OCA, etc. Anything you lack in traditionalness you will more than make up for in normalcy, and what you get in normalcy is healthy spirituality. Put another way, it's healthier spiritually to attend a less traditional Church, than it is to refrain from attending the Church because you're holding out for a more traditional one. Of course, I would never tell anyone to go anywhere that they thought was heretical... but hey, since you respect the GOC why don't you call Met. Paul or Bp. Christodoulos and ask them what they would think about you attending something like a ROCOR parish until you are closer to a GOC parish. You might be suprised what they tell you. I was!

ioannis · Post by **ioannis** » Fri 28 October 2005 9:12 am

Well Justin, we are all "normal" until the rare occasion when we discover that we are not. But if by "normalcy" you mean that "world orthodoxy" is Orthodox, then Andrew should go look at the confession of faith these churches signed with the Latins (and Protestants) - he will quickly see that he is wasting his time even talking about leaving the Latins - he is already "Baptized" and receiving the "Mysteries" from "Priests" in his "Apostolic" "Sister Church". I mean, instead of talking to him, why not just point to the sky and say "look!", and while he is looking stick a 12" blade in his gut?