Holy Order of MANS

The Holy Order of MANS (or HOOM) was a religious cult founded by ex-engineer Earl Blighton that started in the 1960s. It was based on another religious idea of Blighton and others called the Science of Man. MANS is an acronym for the greek words:

• Mysterion
• Agape
• Nous
• Sophia

In 1988, after denouncing the heresy involved with the religious movement, many of its members and hierarchy joined a non-canonical group of the Orthodox Church under the name Christ the Saviour Brotherhood (or CSB). In 2000, members of CSB joined canonical jurisdictions of the Orthodox Church.

A thorough Orthodox explanation of the journey of the Holy Order of MANS and Christ the Saviour Brotherhood can be read in Again, Vol. 23, No. 1, January-March 2001, pp. 23-26

Controversy

Real Property

In reality, some question the validity of true conversion to the Orthodox faith by members of Christ the Savior Brotherhood. It is reported that many of the properties once belonging to HOOM actually stayed legally in possession of HOOM long after the Order was said to be dissolved, as late as the year 2000. It has also been stated that CSB continued to operate as a non-profit organization under the HOOM name with very little change in their articles of incorporation. Several religious cults still exist today because of the influence of HOOM. In fact, in some ways, HOOM still exists to this day.

Raphael House, a property previously belonging to HOOM was originally an integrated charitable activity of CSB, but was incorporated as its own California nonprofit organization in 1991. It is under the OCA jurisdiction.

Liturgical Practices

Some claim that clerics who were former members of HOOM/CSB still practice some non-traditional forms of liturgical practices in their services.

Abuse

A number of the clergy, e.g. Pangratios Vrionis, associated with the initial non-canonical acceptance of HOOM had criminal records for or were later accused of child molestation, further complicating the association of HOOM/CSB with the historic Church.

Parish/Clergy

Some of the existing congregations that include former members/clergy of HOOM/CSB include:

• St. John (Maximovitch) the Wonderworker Orthodox Church (OCA) in Atlanta, GA. In particular, Father Jacob Myers.
• Saint George Orthodox Church (Jerusalem) in Rohnert Park, CA. In particular, Father Phillip Tolbert
• Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Church (Bulgaria) in Indianapolis, IN. In particular, Father Stevan Bauman.

Timeline

• 1968 - Earl Blighton (aka Father Paul) founds the Holy Order of MANS. He takes the title of Director General.
• 1974 - Earl Blighton dies.
• 1978 - Andrew and Isjesian Rossi become co-directors general of HOOM.
• 1983 - Fr. Herman (Gleb) Podmoshensky and Andrew Rossi of HOOM meet
• 1984-1988 - Rossi introduces some Orthodox liturgical and spiritual practices to members of HOOM.
• 1987 - Rossi attends meetings of the Evangelical Orthodox bishops with Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Archdiocese
• 1988 - HOOM members, under the leadership of Andrew Rossi and Fr. Herman, joined a non-canonical jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Pangratios (Vrionis) of the Archdiocese of Vasiloupolis (Queens, NY). The name of the group was then changed to Christ the Saviour Brotherhood.
• 2000 - Members of Christ the Saviour Brotherhood join three different jurisdictions in America. The men's and women's monasteries that came out of the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood and some parishes and missions were received by Bishop Jovan of the Diocese of Western America, and Bishop Longin of the New Gracanica Diocese, both of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Many parishes and missions have gone into the Orthodox Church in America under Archbishop Dimitri of Dallas, Bishop Job of Chicago, and Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco. Several other parishes and missions were received by Metropolitan Joseph of the Bulgarian Patriarchate [source: Again article].

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External Links

These links can be used to expand this article or for sources of information.

Holy Order of MANS

• Uniting All Faiths: A text of the HOOM.
• Holy Order of MANS from the Religious Movements Homepage
• Behind the Doors of Repentance: The Untold Details of the Journey of the Holy Order of MANS/Christ the Saviour Brotherhood and the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood into the Canonical Orthodox Church by Melanie Jula Sakoda, JD
• HOOM Summary by Melanie Jula Sakoda, JD
• HOOM - Controversial Groups: a link repository for articles about the Order.
• Holy Order of MANS by Metareligion
• I ask for your prayers. A post made on the orthodoxchristianity.net forums about life in a CSB parish.
• Road to Emmaus: A Journal of Orthodox Faith and Culture. A journal sponsored by Christ the Saviour Brotherhood
• Holy Order of MANS. Information provided by the Rick A. Ross Institute
• Holy Order of MANS in Google Directory.
• St. John Maximovitch Serbian Orthodox Church in Eugene Oregon

Books

• Bread Upon the Waters: A Pilgrimage Toward Self-Discovery and Spiritual Truth by Peter Reinhart (ISBN 0738204323)
• The Odyssey of a New Religion: The Holy Order of Mans from New Age to Orthodoxy by Phillip Charles Lucas (ISBN 0253336120)