BOSTON – The mother Theonymphi, the nun from the All Saints Monastery in Calverton Long Island, New York had notified Archbishop Demetrios of America about the sexual misconduct towards her daughter by her spiritual father Archimandrite Gerasimos Makris.
The lengthy and detailed letter dated August 18, 2018, which was copied to Patriarch Bartholomew., was obtained by The National Herald and the nun’s mother urged both the Archbishop and the Patriarch to intervene.
The National Herald has verified the authenticity of the letter and will not mention the name of mother of Theonymfi, who is a Greek-American, to protect her anonymity.
Appealing to Archbishop Demetrios, she wrote among other things that “I am writing you with a troubled and heavy heart. I am the mother of the nun, Sister Theonymphi, who was subjected to the ‘inappropriate behavior’ of Fr. Gerasimos Makris. Since the time my daughter first informed me of this disturbing news, I have remained silent in the hope that our beloved Church, through her leaders, would have the courage to do the right thing. I am deeply disappointed. Yesterday, on the great feast for the Theotokos, I thought about her motherhood – how deeply it must have wounded her to see her Son on the cross, crucified at the hands of those who should have loved and protected Him. I also wondered, though, if she grieved for those who harmed her child? As a parent who loves Christ and my child, I would answer yes. So, I am asking Panayia to please help me share my heart with love and charity, in the hope that my plea will be heard.”
She also wrote that “since I am a simple person, I ask that you indulge me as I speak to you parent to parent, so to speak. I am sure that you have a certain parental/filial love for Fr. Gerasimos, much as the love that I have for my children. As I recall, he and Stella mentioned many times that you were his beloved professor at seminary, and he was your star pupil. I mention this in order to acknowledge your parental role regarding Father Makris, both as a mentor and as the spiritual guide of all the clergy. As a parent, I have often found myself in the position of having to allow my children to experience the consequences of their actions in order to help them grow spiritually, emotionally and physically. I’m sure that you have been in this uncomfortable position many times. I am well aware that this is perhaps the most difficult form of love to extend to one’s child. I have tried, to the best of my ability to be a good steward of the most precious gift that the Lord has given me – my children. This has meant, at times, making the painful decision to allow them at various times to grapple with the consequences of their choices. Since all three of these beautiful souls have grown to adulthood loving the Lord and His Church, I believe that with His help I have more often than not done the right thing.
And so, in faith and love, I entrusted the soul of my eldest child to the care of Father Makris. Unfortunately, dressed as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, he used his status to spiritually and sexually abuse vulnerable young women – my daughter included. What Fr. did, which he admitted to doing, is a very serious matter – one worthy of forgiveness, certainly, but also one which also requires consequences. It is a very serious matter to misuse the authority a priest is given at his ordination. While it certainly can (and should be) repented of and forgiven, it should not be hidden in false action, euphemisms, or silence. This does not cure the illness, nor does it help the victims–who are also members of His body. With all due respect, it is difficult to discern the consequence here for Father Makris. He was suspended for a brief time and is now preparing to be restored to his prior parish. This seems very strange, as I am unaware of any Spiritual Court proceedings that led to this decision. My reading of the Archdiocese Sexual Misconduct Policy led me to believe that if a clergy member has admitted to allegations of sexual misconduct, then according to the canons of the church a Spiritual Court would be convened. To my knowledge, this has not happened. Please know that when I mention consequences, I am not speaking of revenge.”
The nun’s mother also wrote that, “Theonymphi reported to the Archdiocese, and no action was taken until she persisted and presented a written report. To my knowledge, no hierarch has phoned, visited or written to express concern for the sisters. Quite the contrary, actually. She has been yelled at, ignored, and blamed for not coming forward sooner. Although a supposedly thorough investigation has been conducted, no one spoke to her, Theonymphi, or to any member of my family. Since Father is being placed back into his parish, it would appear that the investigation found Fr. Makris to be repentant and healed of this particular passion. Yet, he has expressed no repentance to any of us. Had he shown any repentance toward any of us, and had the hierarchs shown the least bit of concern toward my family I would have much more trust and faith in the decisions that have been made.”
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