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An Open Letter to the Hierarchy of ROCOR
Letter of Objection from women in ROCOR
Women excluded from participation in ROCOR Sobor
An Open Letter to the Metropolitan and Bishops of the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside of Russia
For reaction/commentary, visit: http://ne99.livejournal.com/
A Letter of Objection from women in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia Objecting to their Exclusion from the ROCOR Sobor All Diaspora
Council Meeting for 2006
Dear Metropolitan Laurus, Archbishops and Bishops of the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside of Russia,
Christ is Risen! We ask for your blessings and that you hear the concerns
of many women of the church. The commencement of the All-Diaspora Council
on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women - without the participation of
women - has left many of us with a personal spiritual pain and desire to
express our views.
G rowing up in the communities of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia, we are taught that spiritually, intellectually, and creatively
neither male nor female is innately superior. In our churches and parish
schools we learn that all human beings are equal in spiritual essence. The
priests might all be men, and only boys can go into the altar, but when it
comes to what is most fundamental, what is timeless and universal - the
state of our souls and our quest for salvation - we are all equal. We
are taught that every one of us is created in the image and likeness of
God, we all carry the divine spark, and we are all reaching for closeness
and union with God. In our ROCOR parishes, we nurture children and teach
them to pursue their talents. Our priests, matushkas, monastics, and laity
set fine examples and encourage us to live full, Godly lives. The Church
has always found joy in the successes and achievements ofall her
children .
Women are an integral part of today's ROCOR. We conduct the choirs, we are
members of parish councils, we head church organizations and we teach at
the seminary. We are wives and mothers as well as lawyers, doctors,
scientists, businesswomen and scholars. Our clergy do not deter women from
nurturing their intellectual and creative talents, whether inside or
outside the church community. The equality of men and women as
God's creation is not a foreign or feminist concept, but a value we as an
Orthodox community share, embrace and live by. We have women vote, we do
not hide women behind burquas, we encourage women to learn, think and
work.
Orthodoxy is a living faith, and ROCOR is a living and changing church. In
80 years there have been many modifications, additions and alterations to
our ecclesiastical organization and church life. Among these changes is
the greater role of women. Most of us recognize this as a positi ve
development that has helped our Church flourish and given everyone the
opportunity to reach his or her personal spiritual potential.
ROCOR's legacy is that it is important both to know our past and to have
an acute awareness of our present cultural, political and historical
context. Our forefathers were bold enough to establish our jurisdiction
because they recognized their contemporary situation. Today, our hierarchs
recognize the contemporary situation in Russia.
It is inconsistent with this legacy that the historical precedent of no
female delegates at past Sobors overrides the clear living reality that
women are an integral part of ROCOR, and that the participation of women
is a collective value of our Church today. We were told that the decision
was taken to have the same rules for participation as were in effect in
1918 at the All-Russian Sobor, and were still (it was believed) maintained
by the Russian Orthodox Chur ch in Moscow. 1918 certainly was a
different time: women could not vote in the overwhelming majority of
countries, and in many countries people still voted by class or caste,
while the vast majority of the world had no popular representation at all.
However, we have since learned that in Russia women have in fact been
included in Councils. Regardless of the rules set in 1918, the exclusion
of women from the All-Diaspora Council in 2006 suggests a
disconnect between the priorities of our ecclesiastical organization and
the actual life and values of the flock.
The exclusion of women monastics is particularly painful. In the Holy
Land, women monastics have struggled for decades in the most difficult
conditions anyone in our Church has endured to practice our faith. While
the Council organizing committee felt that there was too little time to
consider the inclusion of women, sporting and scout associations were
summoned to send dele gates. This indicates that the Church does not
hold in high regard the contributions and worth of its female members.
This decision may lead to a breach of trust and faith between the Church
institution and the faithful, and thereby weaken the essential bonds that
keep our community together. It is disheartening that the Church that
taught us about immeasurable love and moral honesty, that was a place of
refuge and acceptance, shuts us out when it comes to making momentous
decisions. Many of us are personally pained by this decision
because of the energy, love and faith we have poured in to the workings of
our Church, and our eagerness and dedication to identify ourselves as
members of ROCOR.
Another value that ROCOR's history has instilled in us is not simply to
follow blindly, but to trust our hierarchs while listening to the voice of
our conscience and having the spiritual confidence to ask questions. So we
ask: Are women full members of ROCOR? Are the nuns from Lesna or our Holy
Land convents worthy of sharing their perspective and experience at our
All-Diaspora Council? Does ROCOR appreciate the struggles,
contributions and talents of its female members? The exclusion of nuns and
women laity from the All-Diaspora Council has sent many of us the message
that the answer to these questions is "no."
We have faith that in your dedication to your flock you will consider our
words and help us both to understand this situation and to repair it. We
ask therefore that you consider convening a subsequent Church Commission
to specifically address the issues of Orthodox women in our Church. Given
that the Council will likely consider a changed relationship with the
Russian Orthodox Church, and given the dire condition of women
and families in Russia, it is particularly important that women's voices
be heard. The status of women needs to be addressed, continuing the
discussion where Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth left it, and
recognizing contemporary problems and realities.
Sincerely in Christ,
1. Natalia Ermolaev Doctoral Candidate, Department of Slavic Languages and
Literatures, Columbia University
2. Katherine Ermolaev Ossorgin, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Music,
Princeton University
3. Lena Serge Zezulin, Attorney, The Services Group, Inc.
4. Nadieszda Kizenko, Associate Professor, Department of History
SUNY at Albany
5. Xenia Soubotin Meyer, Doctoral Student, Department of Education,
Cornell University
6. Tatiana Ermolaev, Ph.D. Head of Sisterhood of the Russian Orthodox
Church of the Assumption, Trenton, NJ and teacher at St. Alexander Nevsky
Cathedral Russian School Howell, NJ
7. Erin Zavarin, Civil Engineer, Geomatrix Consultants, Inc.
8. Ksenya Zavarin, Project Coordinator, Commercial Finance, Genentech Inc.
9. Vera Shevzov, Associate Professor, Depar tment of Religion, Smith
College
10. Matushka Nina Shevzov
11. Matushka Maria S. Potapov, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox
Cathedral, Washington, DC
12. Sophia Resnikoff, parishioner, choir member, and Sunday School teacher
of St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Washington, DC
13. Alexandra Potapov, Wife, Mother and Teacher of 3 Orthodox children
14. Marina Ledkovsky, Professor Emerita, Barnard College/Columbia
University
15. Irene Tata Kotschoubey, Member of Board of Advisors Holy Trinity
Seminary
16. Eugenia Temidis, Director, Holy Myrrhbearers Diocesan Women's Choir
17. Tatiana Olegovna Rodzianko-Samochornov, Contract Program
Officer/Interpreter, International Visitor Leadership Program, US
Department of State
18. Xenia Woyevodsky, President, Internatonal Firebird Arts Foundation,
Inc.
19. Irina Papkova Doctoral Candidate, Department of Government Georgetown
University
20. MarinaRodzianko Petron i
21. Katherine Penchuk, M.A. in Economics, M.B.A. in Finance
22. Natalie Glazunova Penchuk
23. Nadia Mokhoff, Publisher, Russian Orthodox Youth Committee and
Martianoff Calendars
24. Protodeacon Nicolas Mokhoff
25. Marie Borisovna Kizenko, Assistant Editor of the Thoroughbred Daily
News, Parishoner, St. Vladimir Memorial Church, Jackson, NJ
26. Olga Peters Hasty, Professor of Russian Literature, Princeton
University
27. Katerina Mickle, Masters in Education, Columbia University
28. Natasha Ignatovicz
29. Anna Yedgarian, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral,
Washington, DC
30. Anna Rozanova, choir member of St. John's Cathedral in Washington, DC
31. Catherine Yaxley-Schmidt, CPA, MBA, RN, Vice President, Planning &
Government Affairs, Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, New Jersey
32. Tatiana Sarandinaki
33. Anna (Holodny) Ferreira, and her daughters Callista, Calliope and
Kiriena who will too someday be raisin g Russian Orthodox Christians
34. Lana Sloutsky, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Art History, Boston
University
35. Liana Rodzianko
36. Amber Ralli, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral,
Washington, DC
37. Natalia Ekzarkhov, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral,
Washington, DC
38. Galina Leonidovna Mickle, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox
Cathedral, Washington, DC
39. Helen Bogolubov Desai
40. Xenia Leonidovna Bogolubov
41. Nina Zarudsky Arlievsky, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, New
York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, and wife of a Deacon
42. Valentina Zavarin, Ph.D.
43. Nina Zavarin, choir member of Cathedral of the Mother of God "Joy of
All Who Sorrow," San Francisco, CA
44. Eugene Zavarin, PhD.
45. Rev. Joakim Provatakis, St. Sergius Mission Parish, Synodal Cathedral
of the Mother of God of the Sign, New York, NY
46. Herman Ermolaev, Professor of Russian Literature, Princeton University
47. Elizabeth A. Ledkovsky, Cornell University, ROCM.org
48. Larissa Rodzianko
49. Michael M. Ossorgin VIII
50. Lena Olhovsky
51. Raisa Priebe, student at the University of Chicago, choir member at
Virgin Mary Protection Cathedral, Des Plaines, IL
52. Nina Alexandrovna Ledkovsky
53. Maria Slobodskaya, teacher, MA Columbia University, MA Norwich
University, Advanced Graduate Certificate -School District Administration,
Stony Brook University
54. Ludmilla Rodzianko, St. Sergius Russian Orthodox Church, Cleveland, OH
(churchcouncil member)
55. Catherine Doroschin
56. Nadine Kuzmins
57. Paul Grabbe
58. Mary O'Brien, Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Washington DC.
59. Tatiana Eichmann
An Open Letter to the Hierarchy of ROCOR
Letter of Objection from women in ROCOR
Women excluded from participation in ROCOR Sobor
An Open Letter to the Metropolitan and Bishops of the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside of Russia
For reaction/commentary, visit: http://ne99.livejournal.com/
A Letter of Objection from women in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia Objecting to their Exclusion from the ROCOR Sobor All Diaspora
Council Meeting for 2006
Dear Metropolitan Laurus, Archbishops and Bishops of the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside of Russia,
Christ is Risen! We ask for your blessings and that you hear the concerns
of many women of the church. The commencement of the All-Diaspora Council
on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women - without the participation of
women - has left many of us with a personal spiritual pain and desire to
express our views.
G rowing up in the communities of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia, we are taught that spiritually, intellectually, and creatively
neither male nor female is innately superior. In our churches and parish
schools we learn that all human beings are equal in spiritual essence. The
priests might all be men, and only boys can go into the altar, but when it
comes to what is most fundamental, what is timeless and universal - the
state of our souls and our quest for salvation - we are all equal. We
are taught that every one of us is created in the image and likeness of
God, we all carry the divine spark, and we are all reaching for closeness
and union with God. In our ROCOR parishes, we nurture children and teach
them to pursue their talents. Our priests, matushkas, monastics, and laity
set fine examples and encourage us to live full, Godly lives. The Church
has always found joy in the successes and achievements ofall her
children .
Women are an integral part of today's ROCOR. We conduct the choirs, we are
members of parish councils, we head church organizations and we teach at
the seminary. We are wives and mothers as well as lawyers, doctors,
scientists, businesswomen and scholars. Our clergy do not deter women from
nurturing their intellectual and creative talents, whether inside or
outside the church community. The equality of men and women as
God's creation is not a foreign or feminist concept, but a value we as an
Orthodox community share, embrace and live by. We have women vote, we do
not hide women behind burquas, we encourage women to learn, think and
work.
Orthodoxy is a living faith, and ROCOR is a living and changing church. In
80 years there have been many modifications, additions and alterations to
our ecclesiastical organization and church life. Among these changes is
the greater role of women. Most of us recognize this as a positi ve
development that has helped our Church flourish and given everyone the
opportunity to reach his or her personal spiritual potential.
ROCOR's legacy is that it is important both to know our past and to have
an acute awareness of our present cultural, political and historical
context. Our forefathers were bold enough to establish our jurisdiction
because they recognized their contemporary situation. Today, our hierarchs
recognize the contemporary situation in Russia.
It is inconsistent with this legacy that the historical precedent of no
female delegates at past Sobors overrides the clear living reality that
women are an integral part of ROCOR, and that the participation of women
is a collective value of our Church today. We were told that the decision
was taken to have the same rules for participation as were in effect in
1918 at the All-Russian Sobor, and were still (it was believed) maintained
by the Russian Orthodox Chur ch in Moscow. 1918 certainly was a
different time: women could not vote in the overwhelming majority of
countries, and in many countries people still voted by class or caste,
while the vast majority of the world had no popular representation at all.
However, we have since learned that in Russia women have in fact been
included in Councils. Regardless of the rules set in 1918, the exclusion
of women from the All-Diaspora Council in 2006 suggests a
disconnect between the priorities of our ecclesiastical organization and
the actual life and values of the flock.
The exclusion of women monastics is particularly painful. In the Holy
Land, women monastics have struggled for decades in the most difficult
conditions anyone in our Church has endured to practice our faith. While
the Council organizing committee felt that there was too little time to
consider the inclusion of women, sporting and scout associations were
summoned to send dele gates. This indicates that the Church does not
hold in high regard the contributions and worth of its female members.
This decision may lead to a breach of trust and faith between the Church
institution and the faithful, and thereby weaken the essential bonds that
keep our community together. It is disheartening that the Church that
taught us about immeasurable love and moral honesty, that was a place of
refuge and acceptance, shuts us out when it comes to making momentous
decisions. Many of us are personally pained by this decision
because of the energy, love and faith we have poured in to the workings of
our Church, and our eagerness and dedication to identify ourselves as
members of ROCOR.
Another value that ROCOR's history has instilled in us is not simply to
follow blindly, but to trust our hierarchs while listening to the voice of
our conscience and having the spiritual confidence to ask questions. So we
ask: Are women full members of ROCOR? Are the nuns from Lesna or our Holy
Land convents worthy of sharing their perspective and experience at our
All-Diaspora Council? Does ROCOR appreciate the struggles,
contributions and talents of its female members? The exclusion of nuns and
women laity from the All-Diaspora Council has sent many of us the message
that the answer to these questions is "no."
We have faith that in your dedication to your flock you will consider our
words and help us both to understand this situation and to repair it. We
ask therefore that you consider convening a subsequent Church Commission
to specifically address the issues of Orthodox women in our Church. Given
that the Council will likely consider a changed relationship with the
Russian Orthodox Church, and given the dire condition of women
and families in Russia, it is particularly important that women's voices
be heard. The status of women needs to be addressed, continuing the
discussion where Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth left it, and
recognizing contemporary problems and realities.
Sincerely in Christ,
1. Natalia Ermolaev Doctoral Candidate, Department of Slavic Languages and
Literatures, Columbia University
2. Katherine Ermolaev Ossorgin, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Music,
Princeton University
3. Lena Serge Zezulin, Attorney, The Services Group, Inc.
4. Nadieszda Kizenko, Associate Professor, Department of History
SUNY at Albany
5. Xenia Soubotin Meyer, Doctoral Student, Department of Education,
Cornell University
6. Tatiana Ermolaev, Ph.D. Head of Sisterhood of the Russian Orthodox
Church of the Assumption, Trenton, NJ and teacher at St. Alexander Nevsky
Cathedral Russian School Howell, NJ
7. Erin Zavarin, Civil Engineer, Geomatrix Consultants, Inc.
8. Ksenya Zavarin, Project Coordinator, Commercial Finance, Genentech Inc.
9. Vera Shevzov, Associate Professor, Depar tment of Religion, Smith
College
10. Matushka Nina Shevzov
11. Matushka Maria S. Potapov, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox
Cathedral, Washington, DC
12. Sophia Resnikoff, parishioner, choir member, and Sunday School teacher
of St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Washington, DC
13. Alexandra Potapov, Wife, Mother and Teacher of 3 Orthodox children
14. Marina Ledkovsky, Professor Emerita, Barnard College/Columbia
University
15. Irene Tata Kotschoubey, Member of Board of Advisors Holy Trinity
Seminary
16. Eugenia Temidis, Director, Holy Myrrhbearers Diocesan Women's Choir
17. Tatiana Olegovna Rodzianko-Samochornov, Contract Program
Officer/Interpreter, International Visitor Leadership Program, US
Department of State
18. Xenia Woyevodsky, President, Internatonal Firebird Arts Foundation,
Inc.
19. Irina Papkova Doctoral Candidate, Department of Government Georgetown
University
20. MarinaRodzianko Petron i
21. Katherine Penchuk, M.A. in Economics, M.B.A. in Finance
22. Natalie Glazunova Penchuk
23. Nadia Mokhoff, Publisher, Russian Orthodox Youth Committee and
Martianoff Calendars
24. Protodeacon Nicolas Mokhoff
25. Marie Borisovna Kizenko, Assistant Editor of the Thoroughbred Daily
News, Parishoner, St. Vladimir Memorial Church, Jackson, NJ
26. Olga Peters Hasty, Professor of Russian Literature, Princeton
University
27. Katerina Mickle, Masters in Education, Columbia University
28. Natasha Ignatovicz
29. Anna Yedgarian, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral,
Washington, DC
30. Anna Rozanova, choir member of St. John's Cathedral in Washington, DC
31. Catherine Yaxley-Schmidt, CPA, MBA, RN, Vice President, Planning &
Government Affairs, Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, New Jersey
32. Tatiana Sarandinaki
33. Anna (Holodny) Ferreira, and her daughters Callista, Calliope and
Kiriena who will too someday be raisin g Russian Orthodox Christians
34. Lana Sloutsky, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Art History, Boston
University
35. Liana Rodzianko
36. Amber Ralli, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral,
Washington, DC
37. Natalia Ekzarkhov, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral,
Washington, DC
38. Galina Leonidovna Mickle, St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox
Cathedral, Washington, DC
39. Helen Bogolubov Desai
40. Xenia Leonidovna Bogolubov
41. Nina Zarudsky Arlievsky, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, New
York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, and wife of a Deacon
42. Valentina Zavarin, Ph.D.
43. Nina Zavarin, choir member of Cathedral of the Mother of God "Joy of
All Who Sorrow," San Francisco, CA
44. Eugene Zavarin, PhD.
45. Rev. Joakim Provatakis, St. Sergius Mission Parish, Synodal Cathedral
of the Mother of God of the Sign, New York, NY
46. Herman Ermolaev, Professor of Russian Literature, Princeton University
47. Elizabeth A. Ledkovsky, Cornell University, ROCM.org
48. Larissa Rodzianko
49. Michael M. Ossorgin VIII
50. Lena Olhovsky
51. Raisa Priebe, student at the University of Chicago, choir member at
Virgin Mary Protection Cathedral, Des Plaines, IL
52. Nina Alexandrovna Ledkovsky
53. Maria Slobodskaya, teacher, MA Columbia University, MA Norwich
University, Advanced Graduate Certificate -School District Administration,
Stony Brook University
54. Ludmilla Rodzianko, St. Sergius Russian Orthodox Church, Cleveland, OH
(churchcouncil member)
55. Catherine Doroschin
56. Nadine Kuzmins
57. Paul Grabbe
58. Mary O'Brien, Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Washington DC.
59. Tatiana Eichmann
