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I was sad to see on my Godmothers Facebook page that the parish of St Gregory of Nyssa Greek Orthodox Church had a fire last night that burnt the parishes patio and also part of the house that is used as their Temple. They had Divine Liturgy in the garage this morning. They believe it may have been arson.
I will post more information as it becomes available. Please keep St. Gregory of Nyssa and their priest Fr. Simeon in prayer.
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Prayers for the Lord's people of St Gregory of Nyssa GO Church and their priest, Father Simeon, that their temple be restored quickly to use and they be protected from further harm.
"One day all our ethnic traits ... will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we can not think of our communities as ethnic parishes, ... unless we wish to assure the death of our community."
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More updates (and Irish Melkite may want to move this to the news section, not sure) on the fire. This was sent from the Metropolis of San Francisco last night The Saint Gregory of Nyssa Greek Orthodox Church in El Cajon, CA was the target of arson in the early hours of Sunday, January 27, 2013. The fire originated on the patio area and spread into the attic, causing significant smoke damage to the church and its contents. The church was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and no injuries were sustained.
A neighbor reported the fire to authorities which took approximately 45 minute to extinguish. The garage on the church premises was quickly converted to a temporary church for this morning�s Divine Liturgy. The damage to the church appears to be primarily structural, but the extent of smoke damage to the iconostasis, Liturgical items, vestments and Liturgical books is not yet known.
�We are grateful to God for keeping free from danger the faithful of Saint Gregory of Nyssa. It is my hope and prayer that the church facilities and furnishings may be restored in the very near future, allowing the congregation to once again convene for worship in their church home,� stated His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco. �The firefighters are to be commended for their swift action, and we are thankful for their safety.�
The parish was established in 1992, and has been at its present location for six years, under the leadership of Rev. Father Simeon Corona. The community has approximately 80 families and uses a renovated house as their current church facilities. The parish is seeking a temporary location for worship until such time the necessary repairs and remediation to the church have been completed.
The police have arrested an individual who was under the care and counseling of the parish priest. He was apprehended and charged with arson, hate crime and burglary. Investigators preliminarily estimate the damage to be at least $250,000.
We urge our priests and communities to contact Fr. Simeon and the leadership of the Saint Gregory of Nyssa to find out their immediate needs to continuing functioning as a parish. As more information becomes available after a more thorough investigation and reports from the insurance company are obtained, the Metropolis will provide follow-up communication with regard to any additional needs of the parish. Also, according to the local news this morning they have caught the arson. To my surprise it is someone that I meant once at the parish and my wife and I gave a ride home after vespers. He seemed a little bit off then but I would not have imagined he could do such a thing. The local news and paper is calling it a "hate crime." Lord have mercy.
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Wow. Almost seems like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde incident. Let's hope he faces heavy prosecution for this.
Last edited by 8IronBob; 01/28/13 04:59 PM.
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Let's hope he faces heavy prosecution for this More importantly, let�s pray for his soul, his repentance, and his salvation. Yes he should receive a just punishment for his crime but the most important thing is for us to pray
Last edited by Nelson Chase; 01/28/13 05:31 PM.
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Another update I received last night [ sanfran.goarch.org] : �As the Saint Gregory of Nyssa Greek Orthodox Church in El Cajon, CA labors to provide for the immediate needs of their parish following an arson fire on Sunday, January 27, 2013, the Metropolis of San Francisco continues to extend its prayers and support for the faithful of this beloved community during these challenging days,� stated His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco.
Several individuals and parishes have come forth offering their generosity to the Saint Gregory of Nyssa, for which the parish is very grateful. At the request of the parish priest, Fr. Simeon Corona, donations are being coordinated through the Metropolis Office. Contributions should be made payable to: Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, Memo: Saint Gregory Fire Relief Fund; 245 Valencia Street; San Francisco, CA 94103. His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos will work with Fr. Simeon to distribute the funds for the restoration of their facilities and furnishings so they may continue their ministry to the faithful of El Cajon.
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