HOLLADAY (UT)
Deseret News
By Joe Walker
For the Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Aug. 25 2013
HOLLADAY — More than 400 members of the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake packed a special parish assembly Sunday afternoon to consider the church’s financial struggles.
“This is a family matter,” said parish council president Dimitrios Tsagaris, explaining why the discussion at the Diamond Z. Miles Multi-Purpose Center at the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church was closed to the media. “We need to be able to speak openly and plainly with other members of our church family.”
Tsagaris confirmed that by a narrow 220-215 vote, parishioners voted to:
* Reinstate their three priests, who have not been performing the sacraments of the church since late July over a financial dispute between the local parish council and church administrators in Denver
* Provide back pay to the three priests
* Urge leadership in Denver to reassign one priest and allow the Salt Lake parish to continue with two priests, one to oversee the Holy Trinity cathedral in downtown Salt Lake and one to oversee the Prophet Elias church in Holladay
“It was a very orderly assembly,” Tsagaris said. “From my perspective it was a success on several levels: We talked as a family; I think we gave our members a better understanding of our financial situation; and we voted and made a decision that I think will benefit everybody.”
The dispute began late last month when the parish council sent notification to parish members that “our community is out of money and unable to meet payroll.”
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