27 February 2002 A. D.
                                
                                


     To:
     The Members of The Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil
     and those served by The Basilian Fathers


          Re:  Medical Condition of Metropolitan Archbishop Paul, S.S.B.


     My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Over the past two months, varying reports have very strongly indicated
or stated Metropolitan Archbishop Paul is in ill health.  Events have
transpired so quickly over the past three weeks that each time an attempt
was made to provide proper information regarding the Archbishop's health,
his situation changed.

     The Archbishop is currently recovering from bypass surgery and appears
to be doing well due to the Grace of God, the skill and generosity of his
attending physicians, and various surgeons and members of the health care
community.

     The scenario was deceptively simple:

On 27 December 2001, Archbishop Paul prepared two small sandwiches for
lunch, and consumed them at 1:15 PM.  He immediately felt ill and thought
he had eaten spoiled food, then realized he was going to lose
consciousness and collapsed on the sofa in his bedroom.  Around 6 PM
he regained consciousness and, fearing he had suffered a heart attack,
took an aspirin, intending to telephone emergency services but again
collapsing onto the sofa and losing consciousness.  He regained
consciousness shortly after Midnight, with difficulty breathing, and took
a Benadryl to counter any allergic reaction, again intending to telephone
emergency services but again losing consciousness, this time on his bed.
He awoke sometime after 10:00 AM on the 28th, perspiration soaked,
but feeling stable, and attributed the episode to botulism poisoning.

For the next two weeks the Archbishop noted a decline in his appetite,
and more alarming, difficulty in focusing his thoughts.  On Sunday,
20 January 2002 he collapsed during Divine Liturgy.  The physician's
examination of 22 January 2002 was extensive and showed Archbishop
 Paul had recently experienced a heart attack.  X-Rays were taken,
then a sonogram on 6 February 2002.  The sonogram showed extensive
damage, but some healing and scaring, with efficiency at 40%.
Angiogram with planned angioplastic surgery or "stint" was set for
8 February 2002, but the examination showed two blockages at 100%
and a third at 95%, with several other locations blocked at 100%.

Metropolitan Archbishop Paul again entered the hospital on
13 February 2002 (Roman Catholic Ash Wednesday) in preparation for
bypass surgery which took place 14 February 2002, which is Saint
Valentine's Feast Day.  The surgery which was planned was to bypass
all three major blockages.  However, only two of the blockages could
be bypassed.  The third, being the artery along the back of the heart,
was so destroyed that it had the appearance of having "fused" with the
heart.

This third artery must still be dealt with, and if it is not,
Archbishop Paul's prognoses is not good.


     The Archbishop will reside at Holy Innocents for the foreseeable
future, and will pray Divine Liturgy there at 10:00 AM at least on the
first Sunday of each month, and probably on every Sunday until he is able
to return to Saint Mary Magdalene.

     The various missions and ministries which Archbishop Paul personally
financially supported will no longer receive his financial support since
he now has medical bills in the high thousands which must be paid, and
he has been without insurance for several years.


                                      Your Servant in Christ

                                      /S/
                                      
                                      Reverend Archdeacon Mortimore, S.S.B.,
                                      Vicar General, Latin - Tridentine Rite
                                                                                               For the Metropolitan and the Order


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