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Nomadic monks bring trail of troubles to Canfield
TweetThe monks’ school once awarded a degree in counseling to a golden retriever.
Associated Press
CANFIELD
The monks seemed to come out of nowhere.
They arrived from Cleveland last fall — Archbishop Timothy and Father Anthony and the cleric in charge, Metropolitan Stephen. In their billowing black robes, they were looking for a new base for the Syro Russian Orthodox Catholic Church.
It was Archbishop Timothy who first drove past the Canfield Colonial Motel Condotel, a crime-ridden, no-tell motel on a desolate portion of U.S. Route 224.
“My first thought was: This would make an excellent monastery,” says the archbishop, whose earthly name is Timothy Kjera. “The rooms in front are the perfect size for a monk’s cell.”
This would be a religious retreat center where “people can eat with the monks, pray with the monks,” Kjera explains.
Folks in Canfield were delighted when they heard that the holy men wanted to take over a motel long frequented by prostitutes and drug dealers. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Regional Chamber, and a cross was staked out front.
This was no small thing. The little, dirty white building with the threadbare rooms was now the official headquarters for a church and seminary that have thousands of followers around the globe — or so the monks claim.
But these monks have credibility issues.
They have left a curious trail across the middle of the country. The name of their church has changed numerous times along the way.
“They are hiding behind the guise of the church,” says Sgt. Tad Jazdzewski of Duluth, Minn., who spent more than a year investigating them.
Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.
Comments
Let me guess...
They arrived in town driving Avantis. And they had plans and blueprints for a new blimp factory.
Sounds credible to me. I say give 'em a twenty year tax abatement, put them on that there new SONET fibre ring that connects all the businesses in the area, and maybe find them an old amusement park that they can turn into a "City of God" or something.
Just spit balling here. Only a cynic would look THIS gift horse in the mouth...
At least they don't carry guns.
You can't drive 26 in a 25 in Canfield without getting pulled over but these dirt balls can move into Canfield. “They are hiding behind the guise of the church,” says Sgt. Tad Jazdzewski of Duluth, Minn., who spent more than a year investigating them.
Why don't you give them the southside eastside northside and downtown, maybe they could bring better living conditions to the people of this God forsaken area.
check these out
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/0...
theres already enough wrong and wicked things done in thename of god, i think we should be a bit weary
This reminds me of what I have seen in Cleveland when I had to work there. Nearly every city block has a small store-front "church" with hand painted signs, blacked out windows and un-inviting signals. Some are across the street from one another, some are next door to each other and many of them look like a poorly maintained, run-down house. If these were true churches, you would think their message would be inviting and not threatening.
Let me see if I have it straight. It's national news that the meandering monks have come to town. They have cleaned up one of the worst hell holes in the county, the Colonial Canfield Motel, and they co-operate with the police. O.K., so they sell you a crucifix or a diploma of dubious value. They have been doing this since 1978. They are disapproved of by the "accepted" churches which have been taking people's money for hundreds of years and giving them a vague promise of an afterlife (which they cannot prove). Have the monks burnt anyone at the stake or molested children. Let the cleric who is without sin cast the first stone.