I want to thank Father Chris, Deacon Anastasios, Robert, OzGeorge, Cleveland, Username, and all the other Mods here for the kindness and patience with which they've hosted the lot of us - Catholics and Orthodox - in our time of need for a haven that allowed us to reminisce, vent, and seriously examine the issues that exist in an environment (such as CAF) that is ill-equipped or prepared to deal with the kind of diversity that we represented. This thread has spun off several children, including the spirited one-on-one debate between Apotheoun and Ronyodish (whom I btw would never categorize as "latinized"; I know latinized Chaldeans and Rony is not one, by any means).
Hopefully, these are the beginnings of what Joe suggested - that we all "get on with it" (I know, it's not an exact quote, but I'm too lazy to go look it up right now - and you all get the drift). OC.net, ByzCath, and Peter's fledgling venture can all benefit from us doing so. Each is a bit different and some will find one a better fit than others for their style and the kind of interaction they are seeking. Regardless of where each of us ends up, we need to remember one another and the history we share.
Whether banned from CAF or still tolerated there, we truly were a community as Joe said. I haven't engaged in much argumentation in recent years, but there are those who can still recollect a good battle or two with me in times past, I suspect (Bob/Orthodoc, where are you?). But, there are few among those who posted at CAF whom I would not greet with a warm and sincere embrace were we to meet in real life. Thanks to all who shared their knowledge with me and allowed me to share mine with them, to those who shared of themselves personally, to those whose witness to their faith was inspiring, to the holy. the feisty, the humble, the funny, the intellectual, to all of you. (No swansong this - lest it sound that way to anyone; I plan to post for some years to come, here and elsewhere - as long as information-mongering remains in style :p .)
I do ask foregiveness of any of you whom I have offended and I forgive any by whom I have allowed myself to be offended.
And, in that regard, I particularly ask foregiveness of young holdencaulfield; he was right to feel harshly judged and I was wrong to have done so. I'm put in mind of one of our number (who will hopefully, if he's reading here, not be embarressed by what I'm about to say). The early CAF crowd will recollect when Andre/MagicSilence came among us as a Maronite by heritage but totally unfamiliar with the faith of his ancestors. His early postings left many of us shaking our heads. Despite the sometimes lack of patience with which we dealt with him, Andre matured into a well-informed Eastern Christian. Time and exposure to information has a habit of achieving that and we sometimes forget that each of us was once young, not as well-formed in our faith as we might be, and rarely conscious of how much room there was to grow - growing that we achieved in spite of both ourselves and the overly-impatient oldsters surrounding us. In looking over some of holdencaulfield's later posts at CAF, he too is beginning to make that transition and I pray for his success in doing so (as I do for young Matthew, who was once a scourge to many here, but whom someone reported has matured in the time since leaving).
Joe, Father Ambrose, Padre Ambrogio, Deacon Ed, all my old and dear friends from ByzCath, all my newer and undoubtedly younger friends from CAF (including those still managing to hang on over there), I love you as my own brothers and sisters and I pray that God grants you many years in health, happiness, and His service.
Let's use the last few days of this thread as other than a slugfest.
Neil
