Facts Revealed
Hypocrisy
Our choir leader served our church and our parish for over 15 years. He served the Melkite church, back home, in Los Angeles and in San Jose for over 40 years. They pushed him out, because he opposed to abruptly change the singing from Arabic to 100% English.
The so called priest, brought new people and made them sing in Arabic. He continues to do it to show his mislead followers that he is not against it.
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One so called Priest claimed that he would be a "liturgical prostitute" if he lets women read the Epistles during services. Yet he allowed it with the blessing and in the presence of his Bishop. He continues to do it to show his mislead followers that he is not against it.
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Quotes from the so called priest:
" if you think you are Arabs, I am a Cecilian.... "
" I am your chief in command, you do whatever i tell you to do..... "
" your parents are using you as a pawn...." telling a 12 year old child whose parents stopped attendng his services. Who with a proper mind would say that to a child???
" now this is faith......" whispering to a young alter boy after his own son kissed his hand. Faith to him is to kiss his hand
If you have a thought or a fact please email to justice4stelias@gmail.com. It will be reviewed and approved before being pubished.
Facts
April 18, 2016
After three months of silence and one and a half months wait for a promised letter, finally Bishop Samra took a long breath and sent a 9 page document to blame our community for all that happened.
We apologize to our community if they were expecting any better.
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December 31, 2015
According to the bank statement, the balance in both accounts totals over $162,000. The so called priest should be very well aware that most of these funds were raised through a pledge system, on the promise to fulfill the dream of our community to acquire a new church, and therefore these funds were entrusted to the Diocese of Newton for that purpose.
Any misuse of these funds, not only is irresponsible, but may ensue some legal actions
March 6, 2016
The so called priest removed from the Church of Transfiguration, all items stored at its facilities (icons, vestments, books, kitchen items, etc…) These items are not all the property of the church, and many of them are personal properties of the parishioners that were on loan to St. Elias.
This act is more than irresponsible, childish and bare legal consequences. Personal properties must be returned to their owners without any further delays.
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March 7, 2016
Is it the right time for a performance review?
It took the so called priest, exactly six months to complete his agenda to dismantle our church completely and to reverse all the successful work we have done and make our future plans for a bigger church vanish:
* He managed to break the lease with a nice, well located church. The number of attendance does not qualify him as having a church.
* He managed to reduce the attendance in church from over 70 on a given Sunday to less than 30
* He dismantled very successful team hierarchy that was doing miracles for our church, and limited taking and making decisions to himself
* He was successful in stopping all fund raising events. Result: loss of over $20k a year
* He was successful of deleting the pledge program we have built to save funds to acquire a bigger and nicer church. Result: loss of over $80k a year
* By reducing the church attendance, the church's collection went down by at least another $12k
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January 10, 2016
In church during his sermon, the so called priest declares that people were coerced to sign a petition
January 24, 2016
Sayedna Bishop Samra repeats what the priest has told him: " yesterday an email was circulating to boycott the mass... people were coerced......."
For the record, there was no email sent that day. Any person who was coerced to sign or to boycott, is invited to come forward and explain
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December 4, 2015
An email sent by two of our elderlies to Bishop Samra expressing our concerns, followed by a telephone call between the three of them.
Reply: “This is the opinion of just the two of you….”
January 8, 2016
An email to Bishop Samra with a detailed petition of our concerns signed by over 60 adults
Reply: None (see below)
January 18, 2016
An elderly called Bishop Samra, suggesting to Sayedna to meet with a few elderlies and hear their side and their concerns.
Reply: “I will not meet with anyone. Come to church on Sunday and hear what I have to say in church and in the hall….”
January 24, 2016
In church as part of his sermon, Bishop Samra declares “petitions are simple mob violence…” and that he does not agree with petitions… “there are minor issues that developed and they can be discussed…. My arms are open to welcome them…”
In Arabic there is a saying: احترنا يا قرعة منين بدي بوسك
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“ I’ve been working in training priests for 12 years now…. I educated them…. I have seen many successes of priests who have studied under me… I understand all those dynamics… I have way more education than any priest you have encountered… “ (Deacon Sebastian)
Probably all the above is true. He should stick with education and leave priesthood to the successful ones. He is not one of them.
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September 13, 2015
Epistle Hebrews 3:1-6
Gospel John 3:13-17
In his second sermon, following his slogan “your Church is broken”, the newly ordained priest, preached about demons and exorcism, both having nothing to do with the Epistle and the Gospel.
He was just insinuating, that our parish is possessed by demons and he, the exorcist, is here to cure us and purify us
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September 6 2015
The newly ordained Fr. Sebastian holds his first liturgy at St. Elias. His first sermon was very alarming. He said that our church is broken and that he is here to fix it. He repeated this for the next few weeks and never stopped mentioning it until it really became a fact.
For the record, at the time he took over, St. Elias Church was experiencing the highest prosperity and success in 30 years and was never better
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“We have difficulties with some of the priests that served before, because they didn’t have the know how, may be, to develop community, they didn’t have the resources in which to do it properly to get the people to work together…. “ (Bishop Samra)
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June 9, 2016
Community
San Jose and the Bay Area, CA
Mar Elias
Address: Our Heart
