While Arlington Burns, Methodios is Celebrating

The Greeks have an expression… It is loosely translated as “the world is burning and…” 

And what follows is something completely opposite to the reality that is really happening.

In this case, the world is burning and the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Boston, Methodios… is celebrating.

There is a bruised, damaged community of more than 1,000 families who were members of the St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church in Arlington, MA who were abruptly told that their beloved priest was being fired by the Metropolis.

Fired. No explanation. No relocation instructions. And worse yet, the bosses at the Metropolis gave the man who had given almost 30 years of his life to the Church and his community, THREE DAYS NOTICE.

This caused an uproar in the greater Boston community. Local and regional newspapers and television stations covered Fr. Nicholas Kastanas’ final liturgy, as well as candlelight vigils with hundreds of people standing in front of the church asking for answers from the Metropolis.

The silence from the Metropolis has been deafening. Even worse, the fact that Metropolitan Methodios has completely ignored more than 1,000 faithful from one of his most thriving parishes.

Not a single email. Not a single response. No phone calls or emails answered.

But the party is going on. 

Metropolitan Methodios tossed his “atomic bomb” on the parish back in July– a few days after he had already departed for his summer vacation in Greece, which– as it appears in this photo from the Holy Metropolis of Neapolis and Stravopolis, the party must go on… even though Arlington is burning.