CORONA, N.Y. – The Transfiguration parish in Corona finds itself in turmoil yet again, resulting in the resignation of Parish Council President Penny Viennas, a New York City police officer.
Viennas submitted her resignation on September 20 after a heated confrontation with parish priest George Anastasiou – who is also a police chaplain – on parish matters, in the presence of parishioners, during the coffee hour after Sunday Liturgy.
Viennas wrote in her resignation letter that “as of tonight I am stepping down as President of the Parish Council due to family and work obligations. I will remain on the Board to finish out my term.”
TNH has learned that parish documents and also minutes of Council meetings are missing.
There has been talk among parishioners, and also other Greeks in the Greater New York area, about the payment the Transfiguration Church gave to singer Petros Gaitanos from Greece, for three days of chanting during Holy Week last year, and also regarding a concert in New York he gave organized by the Church, the funds of which were to go to the Greek Children’s Fund.
TNH asked Gaitanos about these matters but he refused to disclose how much money he received, or whether he reported it to Greek authorities as well as to the IRS – to the latter issue, he told TNH “you shouldn’t care.”
Fr. Anastasiou, who told TNH that “it is the policy of the Parish Council not to talk to the press about Council issues,” denied that he and Viennas had a heated discussion on September 20, but acknowledged that the Council is comprised of only six members, instead of the 18 that the parish charter requires. As to the issues regarding Gaitanos’ payment, he said: “I am not an accountant, I don’t know.”
EMAIL WARS
In an email to Anastasiou and copied to Parish Council members, Viennas who did not reply to TNH’s request for comment, made mention of TNH’s interview with Anastasiou, which was printed in TNH’s sister publication, Ethnikos Kyrix-National Herald.
She said Anastasiou’s interview basically threw her and the rest of the Board “under the bus. I never picked up the phone (when TNH called for comment) because you all know how I feel about the press, but I have to say, Fr. George, your interview was not even close to the truth. I suggest you tell the Board the real reason I stepped down.”
Viennas also stated in the email that she and Anastasiou had a heated argument, indeed, and demands a public apology.
Anastasiou, in turn, replied to Viennas’ email – in which he provided some details, though they remain vague, about a waiver he attempted to generate on Viennas’ behalf to allow her as a city employee to do work for the Church. Anastasiou copied the Parish Council members on the email. “I’m sorry that we can’t see eye to eye on this issue,” he began. “That being said, I’ll again offer some facts, which I hope might put things in perspective.
“I spoke to you three times after our conversation and I apologized for raising my tone, even though you did the same. I also further reached out to you another two times during the week but you have not returned my calls and texts.
“As for the real reason you resigned: I received a call Friday inquiring about article 16.1 and 16.2 of the lease “conflict of interest” and was told to look into it ASAP. I read the clause and called you so we can go to legal together. You told me you left work, so I went by myself since the chaplain office is right next door to legal. I spoke to them about getting you a waiver with generalities and they told me that a city employee in fact does need a waiver.
“ONLY at that point did I give your name because they promised me it’s no problem to get you a waiver because according to lease, you can’t have any involvement in this lease or even be on the Board, for that fact. It’s not like I went to report you; I went to legal to get you a waiver to protect you and the community.”
A few hours later, Viennas responded: “First of all, when you called me, not one time did you mention to me anything pertaining about the lease or my involvement. Again, distorting the truth Father! Please give me some credit here: after all, I have been a cop for eighteen years to your one year as a chaplain. I think I know the Patrol Guide better than you do.
“Again, you are misleading the Board as you misled me on Sunday (Sept. 20). I did not want to do this over an email, but here we go! You chose to tell me in front of the Board that you saved my —, my job, and my pension. That was your way of not wanting to upset me, I guess. You said I would lose my job, go to jail and pay a fine. That I should have never been involved in the school talks. Wrong again, Father! This is why we hired a consulting firm, to which I fully disclosed that I was city employee.
“Also, you misinformed me that I shouldn’t have even signed the consultant’s or broker’s contract and let me not put in an email how you recommended I deal with that. You painted such a tragic picture and that you were my friend and you were going to take care of it. But if all this was true, you chose to wait 48 hours and withheld this information for me only to scare me in front of the Board as if I had committed something illegal. That’s the perception you gave everyone.
“After consulting with a PBA lawyer,” she added, “it was confirmed that no misconduct took place here and I have every right to represent the church. It is a nonprofit organization and I am a volunteer.”
Viennas concluded: “your behavior on Sunday was despicable. I wonder: would you speak to your wife in this manner? Sunday, I saw a side of you that I never expected in a million years. I am flabbergasted.”
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