THE ENERGY BILL

How Three Properties Reveal a Pattern of Financial Irregularities

In 2022, combined gas and electric costs for the Eastern American Diocese's three main properties totaled $58,609. By 2024, that figure had exploded to $116,010.

A 98% increase in just two years.

The Three Properties

The Eastern American Diocese operates three main residential properties. Their 2024 electricity costs tell three very different stories:

Property	Location	Status	2024 Electric
New Marcha Monastery	Richfield, OH	Occupied (nuns)	$7,067
Diocese Main	New Rochelle, NY	Occupied (bishop)	$34,295
Shadeland Monastery	Springboro, PA	VACANT	$70,631

One of these properties appears legitimate. Two show massive, unexplained excess.

Property #1: New Marcha Monastery - The Baseline

Address: 5095 Broadview Road, Richfield, OH 44286

Status: Occupied - nuns living full-time

2024 Electricity: $7,067

This appears reasonable. An occupied monastery with full-time residents using $7,067 per year in electricity is what we would expect for a modest, monastic lifestyle. This serves as our baseline for what a monastery should cost.

Property #2: Diocese Main - The Bishop's Residence

Address: 65 Overlook Circle, New Rochelle, NY 10804

Status: Occupied - Bishop's residence (6,500 square feet / 604 m²)

2024 Electricity: $34,295

What Should It Cost?

According to EnergySage and national consumer data, New Rochelle residents average $356 per month in electricity costs, or $4,272 per year. This is based on typical household usage in Westchester County, where rates are 73% higher than the national average.

A bishop should live with dignity appropriate to his office. A 6,500 square foot diocesan residence needs air conditioning, heating, lighting, and the capacity to serve as an administrative center. Even accounting generously for higher usage, a reasonable estimate would be $8,000-10,000 per year.

The diocese reported $34,295.

That is:

• 8 times the local average for New Rochelle ($4,272)

• 3.4 times a generous estimate for a bishop's needs ($10,000)

• 4.9 times what an entire monastery of nuns costs ($7,067)

Even if we triple the normal amount to account for a working diocesan residence, we still have $24,295 in unexplained excess.

The question is not whether a bishop deserves a comfortable home. The question is: what could possibly require $34,295 in annual electricity for a single residence?

Property #3: Shadeland Monastery - The Impossibility

Address: St. Sava Shadeland Camp, 25072 State Highway #18, Springboro, PA 16435

Status: VACANT 48 weeks per year; 4-week summer camp annually

2024 Electricity: $70,631

The Physical Impossibility

For a vacant property, reasonable electricity costs would be $1,000-1,500 per year - minimal lighting, security systems, heat to prevent pipes from freezing.

During the 4-week summer camp, parents pay $450 per child per week. Even a modest camp of 65 children per week generates $117,000 in revenue. The additional electricity for camp - air conditioning, lights, kitchen equipment - would add perhaps $500-800 for those 4 weeks.

The camp revenue more than covers the electricity the children actually use. Yet the diocese reports $70,631 in annual electricity.

That is:

• 39 times what reasonable annual usage would cost (including camp)

• 2.1 times the bishop's occupied mansion

• 10 times the occupied Marcha monastery

• Physically impossible for a property vacant 48 weeks per year

The camp is paying for its own electricity 90 times over through registration fees. So what is the $70,631?

The Historical Pattern

Year	Shadeland Electric	$ Change	% Change
2022	$21,507	—	—
2023	$17,650	-$3,857	-17.9%
2024	$70,631	+$52,981	+300%

Notice the pattern: electricity dropped 18% in 2023, then exploded 300% in 2024. For context, the historical average for Shadeland electricity (2016-2023) was $10,650 per year.

The Excuse That Defies Mathematics

When confronted about the $70,631, the bishop offered an excuse: a deacon did not pay the electric bills, so they accumulated.

This excuse fails on multiple levels.

First: Utility companies do not work that way.

Pennsylvania utility companies disconnect service after 60-90 days of non-payment. They do not allow $70,000 to accumulate.

Second: Basic mathematics proves the excuse is false.

If a deacon stopped paying bills in 2022, allowing them to accumulate, then:

• 2023 should be HIGHER than 2022 (unpaid 2022 bills + new 2023 bills)

• 2024 should be HIGHER still (accumulated 2022 + 2023 + new 2024 bills)

But look at the actual numbers:

• 2022: $21,507

• 2023: $17,650 (DECREASED by $3,857)

• 2024: $70,631

Unpaid bills do not decrease. They accumulate. The 2023 decrease is mathematical proof that bills WERE being paid. The "unpaid bills" excuse is not just suspicious—it is mathematically impossible.

The Unanswered Questions

After demolishing the excuse with basic mathematics, simple questions remain:

• What is the utility company's name?

• What is the account number?

• What is the meter number?

• Can we see the actual utility bills?

• How many kilowatt-hours were used in 2024?

• Who received the $70,631 payment?

• What is the deacon's name?

• Why did 2023 decrease if bills were not being paid?

When confronted with physical impossibility, a mathematically false excuse, and simple questions about documentation—the response is silence.

Comparable Facilities

What Actually Uses This Much Power?

Small Hospital (50 beds):

• 24/7 operation

• Medical equipment

• ~200,000-250,000 kWh/year

• Similar to Shadeland's claim!

Hotel (40 rooms):

• 24/7 operation year-round

• AC, heating, hot water

• ~180,000-220,000 kWh/year

Assisted Living Facility:

• 24/7 operation

• 50-75 residents

• Medical equipment, kitchen

• ~200,000-250,000 kWh/year

Shadeland Summer Camp:

• 1 month operation

• 250 kids, basic facilities

• Claims 227,842 kWh/year

• IMPOSSIBLE

THE YEAR-BY-YEAR FRAUD

Historical Comparison:

Year	Electric Cost	kWh (at 30¢)	Notes
2022	$21,507	71,690	Reasonable for camp
2023	$17,650	58,833	Where it should be
2024	$70,631	227,842	300% INCREASE!

What Changed in 2024?

✗ Not the kids - Still ~250 attending ✗ Not the facilities - Same buildings ✗ Not the camp duration - Still 1 month ✗ Not electricity rates - Only 10-15% increase ✓ Just FAKE numbers

The Pattern of Opacity

Three properties. Three addresses. Three very different stories.

New Marcha Monastery (5095 Broadview Rd, Richfield, OH): $7,067. Reasonable. Legitimate. What a monastery should cost.

Diocese Main (65 Overlook Circle, New Rochelle, NY): $34,295. Eight times the local average. Three times what it should be, even accounting generously for a bishop's needs. $24,000 in unexplained excess.

Shadeland (25072 State Hwy #18, Springboro, PA): $70,631. For a property vacant 48 weeks per year. The 4-week summer camp generates $72,000 in revenue—more than enough to cover the modest electricity the children actually use. Physically impossible. Provably fraudulent.

Total unexplained excess across all properties in 2024 alone: $93,726.

This is the same leadership that drained the endowment from $2.23 million to $166,000 (92% destroyed), raided monastery timber sales ($450,000 diverted), created secret corporate structures, and failed to pay monastery taxes ($254,887 delinquent).

When questioned about the $70,631: a mathematically impossible excuse.

When asked for documentation: refused.

When confronted with the mathematical impossibilities: no response.

The $70,631 question remains unanswered.

Perhaps it is time to call forensics. Maybe they will explain truthfully what is going on, since the bishop won't.

________________________________________

Sources:

Financial data:

Annual Diocesian Financials_2022

Annual Diocesian Financials_2023

Annual Diocesian Financials_2024

Electricity rate data: EnergySage (New Rochelle and Westchester County electricity costs, 2024-2025), CallMePower.com (national consumer electricity data by square footage, 2019). U.S. Energy Information Administration (national electricity rates).