Archdiocese Raided Funds for Senior Home, Youth Camp and Clergy Scholarships to Fund Operations

While all of the news surrounding the financial misgivings at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America have focused around millions of dollars “raided” by Archdiocese officials from the St. Nicholas building fund to pay for operations, little attention has been given to the other funds that were raided.

Information obtained by the Greek News Network, including emails and financial transactions, point to more than $1 million that was taken from secured fund accounts for St. Michael’s Home for the Aged, the Camp St. Paul real estate purchase fund and the Taylor Scholarship Fund.

St. Michael’s Home for the Aged in Yonkers, New York is a facility established more than sixty years ago to tend to the needs of the aging loved ones of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s faithful.

Camp St. Paul is a ministry of the Direct Archdiocesan District which attracts hundreds of children from throughout the New York trip-state area for summer camp sessions. For years, the camp has been functioning in a rented facility.

A fund was established to purchase land for the new Camp St. Paul to have its own permanent campsite with donations from parents and families of children attending the camp.

The purchase of the new property was put on hold since the fund was raised by the Archdiocese finance officials who needed to pay operations bills.

Children of Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Port Washington hosted a comedy night to raise funds for Camp St. Paul. That money was raided by the Archdiocese to fund its operations.

Finally, the Taylor Scholarship Program began over thirty years ago with a generous gift of $1 million dollars to the Archdiocese by the family of the late S. Gregory Taylor. Since that time the endowment has grown to over $7 million.

The Taylor Scholarship provides grants primarily to graduates of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology pursuing advanced degrees in theological studies and in pastoral training.

All three funds are administered by the Chancellor of the Archdiocese and sources form within  the Archdiocese indicate that both the Chancellor, Bishop Andonios and the CFO, Fr. Soterios Baroody approved the borrowing from those funds to cover operations.

Both Fr. Baroody and Bishop Andionios are still working at the Archdiocese and still have responsibilities which include cleaning up the Archdiocese’s finances.

Archbishop Demetrios was privy to the transactions.