13 June 1996
The Pious Pastors of the Holy Diocese of Denver
Beloved in the Lord,
"Then He said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'" (Matthew 22:21)
I am writing to you in order to ensure that proper canonical order is maintained in the Parishes of the Diocese, and also to be assured that our Parishes comply with the laws and statutes of the various states in which they are located.
First and foremost, a Parish does not belong to anyone on this earth; it belongs to God alone. The clergy and the laity are merely the stewards of this precious trust which the Lord has given to us, and we will be held accountable before Him at the Judgment for the manner in which we administered the earthly affairs of His Church.
Second, in keeping with Holy Tradition and the Sacred Canons, the Bishop is the ultimate authority in the Parishes of his Diocese, and the Priest acts in his stead as the head of the Parish. Moreover, it is the custom in our holy Archdiocese for the Priest and the Parish Council to cooperatively administer the temporal affairs of the local Parish.
In the case of those Parishes where we are not yet able to assign a permanent priest, the members of the Parish Council must do their best, guided by the Lord, to administer the Parish on a local level and to consult with me in all major decisions affecting the life of the Parish. They may also wish to contact my chancellor from time to time in regard to routine matters.
Third, the members of the Parish Council must be governed in all their duties by the Uniform Parish Regulations (UPR) of the Archdiocese which they promised to uphold when they took your oath of office from the priest upon the Holy Bible.
Fourth, I ask each Priest together with his Parish Council to review your local By-Laws that complement and supplement the UPR. Please remember that whenever new By-Laws are drafted, or existing By-Laws are revised, they must be presented to the General Assembly for approval and must additionally be submitted to me for review, so that I might be able to examine them and assure you that they do not conflict with the UPR. I and my staff will be glad to work with each of you in this matter.
Fifth, I ask each Priest together with his Parish Council to review the incorporation status of your Parish. As you know, a Parish generally has no legal standing unless it has been incorporated in accordance with state laws and/or statutes. This means that an unincorporated Parish might have difficulty buying, selling, or even retaining its property, and might be jeopardized in the event that it must be represented in civil court.
Some of our Parishes which were once incorporated are no longer recognized by the state because they have allowed their corporation status to lapse, most often because annual or biennial corporation reports were not filed at some time in the past. Do not let yourselves be surprised; ascertain the accurate legal status of your Parish now to prevent legal difficulties in the future.
If it turns out that you are not incorporated, I ask you to file the appropriate forms with the corresponding department in your State. Keep in mind that UPR together with your local by laws should be filed with your incorporation papers. Your local lawyer can advise you in regard to the proper process to be followed in this matter.
The Articles of Agreement that must be filed with your incorporation application are attached to this letter as an enclosure.
Sixth, in order to maintain an accurate and complete archive of the Diocese Parishes, I ask you to forward a copy of your current local By-Laws and the appropriate certificate or other legal document from the State certifying your incorporation to the Diocesan Office.
Finally, each of you has a sacred and important task to fulfill as you endeavor to administer the Lord's Parish to the glory of His Holy Name. May our loving God greatly strengthen you in your dedication to Him and to the service of His Parish and for the benefit of His people.
With Paternal Blessings,
+ Bishop Isaiah of Denver
Enclosure:
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
of
North and South America
Articles of Agreement
Organization of Parishes
Preamble
We, the undersigned, members of the Greek Orthodox Church, seeking permission to do so from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, which is under the jurisdiction of the authority of the most Holy Apostolic and Patriarchal Throne of Constantinople, the first ranking See of the body of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Orthodox Eastern Church of which Christ is the Head, do hereby declare our intention to incorporate a Parish in conformity with the canons, discipline, worship, customs, and teachings of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the laws of the State of __________ , the Articles of Agreement contained herein, and the Special Regulations and Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.
Article I
Title of the Parish
The legal title of the Parish shall be the Greek Orthodox Church of ___________________ .
Article II
The Purpose of the Parish
The purpose and function of the Parish shall be the perpetuation of the Greek Orthodox Religion for ourselves, for our fellow Greek Orthodox Christians and for our progeny in strict observance of the canons, teachings, discipline and customs of our One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Eastern Church, known as the Greek Orthodox Church, as they exist and may be changed by appropriate canonical action, as well as in conformity with the Special Regulations and Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.
Article III
Organization of the Parish
The Parish must be incorporated and organized in conformity with the laws of the state and in accordance with the administrative system provided for in the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
Article IV
Authority and Obligations
The Parish shall be under the ecclesiastical and administrative authority of the Bishop of Denver and shall fulfill the obligations imposed upon all Parishes by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.
Article V
The Parish as an Organized Body
The Parish upon being incorporated and organized shall adhere to the following:
1. All spiritual matters shall be under the exclusive jurisdiction of the clergy.
2. The Parish shall be administered by the Priest and a Parish Council cooperatively.
3. The Parish Council shall consist of the Priest, and a number of elected lay members fixed by the Parish by-laws or by local statute according to the needs of the Parish and is responsible to the Parish Assembly and to the Diocesan Bishop for conducting all Parish affairs in keeping with the aims and purposes as hereinbefore set forth. The Parish Council shall be deemed to mean also Board of Trustees or Board of Directors when such designations are required by local statute. The Priest shall not have a vote.
4. The ecclesiastical authority of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, or the Bishop of the Diocese, may declare invalid or vacate any decision of the Parish, or any of the Parish organizations, which is determined to be detrimental to ecclesiastical order.
Article VI
The Clergy
The clergy are assigned or transferred by the Bishop within his Diocese by virtue of the authority of his office and in accordance with the canons, ecclesiastical procedure and the needs of the Diocese. In accordance with the aforementioned canons and ecclesiastical procedure, neither the Parish Council nor the Parish Assembly is authorized to dismiss a Parish Priest. Prior to the assignment or transfer of a Priest, the Parish Council of he respective Parish shall be informed by the Bishop regarding his decision. Clergy entering the Archdiocese from the Holy Cross Theological School or otherwise shall be initially assigned by the Archbishop at the request of the Bishop of the Diocese. Clergy may be transferred between Dioceses in accordance with the provisions of Article XX of the Archdiocesan Charter. The services of the Priest may be terminated by a decision of the Spiritual Court of the Archdiocese.
Article VII
Parish Property
1. The Parish shall hold title to all of its real and personal property in its corporate name and no other, except as otherwise required by any applicable law.
2. The Church edifice and other buildings constituting Parish property shall be used in accordance with the Charter to serve the religious, educational, cultural, and philanthropic ministries of the Parish.
3. The Parish may acquire or dispose of property only in conformity with the laws of the appropriate state and the Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
Article VIII
Parish Council
The names of the lay members of the Parish Council of the Parish who by affixing their signatures hereon confirm and ratify the Articles appearing above are as follows:
Please print name under signature: Address: