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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
REPRESENTATIVES
Given
the recent events in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of
North America,
and indeed in the Patriarchate of Antioch, many people are now
beginning to ask questions about the men (other than Bishop Joseph)
whom Metropolitan Philip appointed to represent him at the June 2009
meeting of the Holy Synod of Antioch. Using information that
is publicly available on the internet and that comes from a few other
sources, AntiochianInfo.org has compiled the following information
about the following members of Metropolitan Philip’s delegation to the
Holy Synod: [1]OF THE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA, SENT AT THE REQUEST OF METROPOLITAN PHILIP TO THE MEETING OF THE HOLY SYNOD OF ANTIOCH IN JUNE 2009
He was one of the four Detroit-area priests who, in the wake of the February 24 decision of the Holy Synod, issued a celebratory statement referring to Bishop Mark’s episcopate as “four years of captivity.” [3] Metropolitan Philip required the four priests to issue a public apology. [4] After learning of Bishop Mark’s own letter to Metropolitan Philip, [5] Fr. Joseph wrote to Bishop Mark, “[H]ad I known of the original letter you sent to Metropolitan PHILIP you would have never received an apology letter.” [6] Fr. Joseph’s parish owns and operates a reception facility that in 2007-08 earned roughly $60,000. [7] He is also the President of St George Tower Ltd, a tax-exempt organization that owns a HUD-certified senior living facility. [8] Walid Khalife is Chairman of this organization, and Archdiocesan Board Members Nicola Antakli, George Darany, and Robert Koory serve as directors thereof. [9] The organization’s Form 990 for 2007 shows annual gross revenue of roughly $1.3-$1.5 million for the years 2003-2007. Despite being break-even for tax purposes, [10] the facility’s net cash flow has doubled each year since 2005. Daniel Braun is the son of V. Rev. Jon Braun and is one of the original converts from the Evangelical Orthodox Church. He is a parishioner at St. Athanasius Church in Goleta, California, and is a member of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees. Fawaz El Khoury, a resident of the Westborough, Massachusetts area, is variously described as a real estate investor and a textiles recycler and exporter. [11] Fawaz is the President, Secretary, and Treasurer of CMRK, Inc., a company involved in textile recycling and export, having its address at 16 Railroad Dr., Northborough, MA 01532. [12] In 2005, CMRK, Inc. joined a $120,000 settlement of an action brought by the Connecticut Attorney General’s office [13] arising out of its contract with Holy Trinity Community Centers LLC, a purported charity which had claimed that clothing and shoes donated in drop boxes [14] would be given to people in third world countries. In reality, Holy Trinity sold the donated goods to CMRK which then exported them at a profit. The charity claimed that the proceeds from sales would go to drunk driving reduction and breast cancer research charities, but the Attorney General’s office found that the bulk of the funds was consumed by the individuals involved in the “charity.” Holy Trinity Community Centers LLC closed its doors because of the investigation, but CMRK, Inc. continues to operate. The settlement proceeds were distributed to real charities. [15] Fawaz El Khoury is an active member of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees and is the parish council president of St. George Cathedral in Worcester, Massachusetts. Metropolitan Philip has also appointed him to serve on the nominating committee for the 2009 Archdiocesan Board of Trustees, which is charged with screening candidates for the Board of Trustees. [16] "Economos Antony Gabriel is a priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. He is the pastor of St. George Parish in Montreal. He is married to Lynn Georges and has three children and five grandchildren. A graduate of St. Vladimir's Theological academy in New York, The Dominican House of Studies and The Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. He holds degrees in Theology (M Div.), Philosophy, and Syriac Studies (S.T.M.). Recently elevated to the rank of Economos, he has been decorated to the Order of Mt. Lebanon, Knight Commander of the Cedars of Lebanon, The Canadian Governor Generals Silver Medal, the Golden Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth and holds many other civic honors for ecumenical and humanitarian contributions. He is listed in Who's Who In World Religious Leaders and has been a lecturer on the faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University." [17] Fr. Antony was the Chaplain to the Order of St. Ignatius from 1977-1982. [2] Walid Khalil Khalife, President of Goldcorp, Inc. and former President of K & A Gold and Diamond Center, Inc. (both Michigan corporations having their addresses at 21700 Greenfield, Ste. 310, Oak Park, MI 48237) was born on December 21, 1950 in Ain Anoub, Lebanon, located in the Alle Mountains. [18] He is the second of six children. Walid fled to the United States during the Lebanese Civil War in 1976 and continued his third generation jewelry and oriental import businesses in Michigan, growing it to one of the largest wholesale jewelry businesses in Michigan and dealing primarily in cash. Walid married Cheryl Swinko in 1978, and the couple has two children, Karina and George. Residing in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Walid has been an active member of St. George Orthodox Church in Troy, Michigan since 1979. The priest of St. George Orthodox Church, Fr. Joseph Antypas, was also a member of the Metropolitan Philip’s delegation to Damascus. He has been a member of the Order of St. Ignatius since 1987. [18] Walid referred to himself as “a good friend and spiritual child” of Fr. Joseph in a letter castigating Bishop Mark for acting under authority as a Diocesan Bishop. [19] In 1995, Walid, his fellow shareholders, and Goldcorp, Inc. (their company) were charged in a 28-count indictment involving money laundering of drug trafficking proceeds, making false tax returns, and firearms violations. [20] The Detroit Free Press ran a story [21] stating that “[a]ccording to an affidavit submitted by U.S. Customs and IRS agents, the businesses are run by three brothers -- Fadi, Jamal and Walid Khalife -- who were "first identified as part of the Detroit narcotics underworld during the late 1970s and early 1980s." According to the same article, the money laundering business for which the federal government seized the company’s assets (which seizure was upheld by the courts) involved various drug rings, including the notorious Young Boys Incorporated heroin ring, [22] which controlled 40% of Detroit’s heroin traffic during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. [23] In a plea agreement designed to reduce the other, more serious charges that required the government to prove intent, Walid pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the federal government. [24] In the brothers’ unsuccessful appeal of the guilty plea, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals observed that the Department of Treasury had observed the defendants making cash deposits totaling more than $12 million at three different Michigan banks in a single day in amounts just less than $10,000, in violation of federal currency transaction reporting rules. Walid is an honorary member of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees. [25] At a Fall 2006 celebration of the 40th anniversary of Metropolitan Philip’s consecration to the episcopacy, Walid’s company donated gold keychains inscribed with Metropolitan Philip’s name in Arabic to all guests. [26] Walid, his wife, and his company have been major financial supporters of Madonna University [27], an arch-conservative Roman Catholic institution, and Walid sits on the board of the Madonna University Foundation [28]. Walid also serves as on the Board of Trustees of the Arab American Chaldean Council. [29] William (“Bill”) Morrison is an investment advisor from Wheaton, Illinois and serves on the parish council of Holy Transfiguration Church in Warrenville, Illinois. He is a member of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees. Kory William Warr is Chief Executive Officer of Praxis Development, Inc., a real estate development and property management firm based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, [30] and is a member of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees. He is very active in other Orthodox Christian organizations, including the newest SCOBA agency, Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry, of which he is the chairman. [31] He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary. [32] He attends St. Elijah Church in Oklahoma City. [33]
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