www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Icons & Iconography Monastery Icons

Bob,

They were never Catholic. They were vagantes who attempted to pass themselves of as Syriac, then Byzantine, Orthodox. Their "monastery" no longer owns Monastery Icons, but I would still discourage buying from them.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Father Deacon Lance:

There was a lengthy discussion of these folks on this forum some time back. That's why I asked.

Speaking of Trojans, I got one on the computer at work this afternoon while reading the article about Russia by Father Schmemann's (sp?) son in Town Hall--"Soul of Russia."

BOB

that some of the info no longer matches. ... the ashram website (http://www.atmajyoti.org/contact1.asp) no longer says California, but claims to be based in New Mexico. Also, (there is) no current evidence online linking the 1482 Rango Way California street address to the ashram or ... monastery. Lastly, the "William Burke" on the MO registration report is technically a different name than the "Abbot George Burke" of this non-Christian movement.

Neil,

Thanks for digging that up. I was led to believe they had sold off Monastery Icons.

Fr. Deacon Lance

What is now interesting Neil is that the site linked to on the first page of this thread leads you to an address

<<P.O. Box 1429 West Chester, OH 45071-1429>>

But if you click on About us - you get to the words "Sacred Arts Foundation "

someone recently quoted elsewhere an e-mail posted to the phatmass site. In it, someone at Sacred Arts Foundation disavowed any connection between Monastery Arts of old and its present incarnation, pointing to the "purchase" by SAF of all interests in MI. The individual who brought this to my attention also reiterated the point, brought up previously (here, I think) that SAF/MI uses an OH address. So, I went back to research further.

OH is the location of their PO Box - effectively an order fulfillment site. As I mentioned previously, businesses are not uncommonly incorporated in states other than the one in which they principally do business. (As an example, thousands of businesses are incorporated in tiny Delaware solely because that state has statutes which are particularly favorable to corporations them. The vast majority of those firms do not have a physical presence in Delaware nor are they required to do so, provided that they have a registered agent there - an individual who agrees to accept legal service on their behalf.) In this instance, corporation fees in Missouri are dirt cheap, making it a good place in which to incorporate.

As I already pointed out, the named directors of the SAF in the Missouri corporate filings are the same persons affiliated with the former MI and the address in CA for SAF in those filings is identical to that for George Burke's temple, ashram, whatever. It's unrealistic to think that, if a business called SAF bought MI, that MI's former owners would then incorporate a business that they would name SAF. And, if they did, and you were SAF, would you not immediately drag them to court for some type of trademark infringement?

But, on to new info - a search of the records of the Ohio Secretary of State's Office for documentation as to "foreign corporations" - those doing business in the state, but incorporated elsewhere. That search produces Sacred Arts Foundation [www2.sos.state.oh.us], a Missouri corporation, with the California address reported previously (showing Monastery Icons as its California name), and a registered agent in OH for purposes of its business functions there.

The records of the California Secretary of State's Office also confirm that a Missouri corporation known as Sacred Arts Foundation does business in CA, from the same address. The search results url will not return from a link - but you can replicate my search by going to California Business Search [kepler.ss.ca.gov] - entering Sacred Arts Foundation in the search box and clicking the resulting link for Sacred Arts Foundation (the one showing John Weber as its registered agent for process).