Last one I had was it was during right the middle of the liturgy and an old man looked far back at me in the back rows, for no reason really, I was alone and he had no knowledge I was back there and he had the most dark almost ragged demonic look to his eyes. He turned around and he was fine. What are some strange experiences you've had?
My OCA church has a pretty diverse congregation and a talented choir, so we always have Greek, Slavonic, English and occasionally Georgian, Serbian, Spanish, Syriac, or other languages. Probably about 80% is in English, with 20% in the other languages, primarily parts that are repeated, like the cherubic hymn, litnies, and Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal. Growing up in the parish my whole life, I always appreciated this and understood more geography and history because I knew people and hymns from a lot of different places.
How about your parish? Is it all in the vernacular language of your country of residence, or is it mostly in the old mother tongue?
Edit: Wow, that's a lot of almost only English speaking parishes! I definitely think people should be able to understand the liturgy, but I love the whole beautiful fabric of Orthodoxy in all world cultures and languages, and I hope that everyone has the opportunity to attend a parish where they both speak your language, and also have some (like 10-50%) in other languages like Serbian, Slavonic, Koine Greek, etc.
If you are interested in forming a gay affirming group online (using Zoom) for sharing a routine practice of chanting the monastic office together, doing centering prayer, and perhaps sharing lectio divina, please let me know. We might meet once a week or every other week.
Progressing in Christian contemplative prayer often requires discipline and usually a good, safe community of support. Our time together as a group would reinforce liturgy and silence but also provide fellowship. I’m happy to talk with any of you who might wish for the same.
I can tell you I feel the need for this support every day for living out this spiritual charism of prayer without the benefit of a cloister. Maybe you do, too.
I have a background in seminary study, monastic practice, long-term retreats, and spiritual counseling. I am not seeking to be any kind of clerical leader or guru but just a fellow practitioner. Thomas Keating and Richard Rohr are two of my inspirations. I typically make retreats at Trappist monasteries.
Please let me know if you’re interested and we can private message each other and eventually talk by phone if it seems we are a good fit.
Peace of Christ!
I’ve been reading a lot lately on the development of liturgical practices within Anglicanism, and I’m interested in reading more on the topic when it comes to Christianity in general. I am somewhat familiar with the topic, but I’m looking for some good sources to learn more about the history and development of liturgy.
I’ve moved but there is no Eastern Catholic parish nearby. If I became a Byzantine Catholic, can I receive communion at an Orthodox parish?
your help would be appreciated. newbie here.
Hello fathers,
I had a discussion with my friend (We're both Roman Catholics) last night about attending Holy Liturgies at Byzantine, Maronite and Anglican Catholic Churches.
I asked if he would like to attend a Maronite service with me this upcoming Sunday and then possibly check out the other rites near us.
He rejected it saying it's not a good idea to be "window shopping" and bouncing around the rites, saying we should stick with the Roman catholic rite.
I replied by saying that my intention wasnt to window shop or switch rites but rather, experience (maybe even just once) the different rites of our fellow catholics so we can appreciate them and perhaps learn something new.
What are your thoughts about our debate?
I’ve been wondering why someone might choose the ordinary LOTH over the Ordinariate’s Divine Worship books to pray morning and evening prayer given their differences. Personally, I wonder which one to stick with long term as I attend an Ordinariate parish but don’t see myself ever officially joining the Ordinariate despite supporting it deeply. Hence, I feel a pull to use the LOTH despite what can be seen as its issues (translation, incomplete psalter, less Bible readings). I love Mattins and Evensong, but they have gotten a little stale after a couple years of repetition.
Any thoughts or advice? For anyone who has used both, which do you prefer between them and why?
So this is honestly something I've wanted to do for some time. I volunteer with a church group for middle school kids. I have been kind of enjoying it, and I'm always looking for ways to inform them on the East as we live in a diocese without an Eastern Catholic Church.
Anyhow, I have to talk about Liturgy/kind of base it around how the Liturgy originates from the Sedar Meal. Anyhow, I am supposed to talk about the whole formation of liturgy do a huge part of me wants to express how the Liturgy developed differently based on spiritual and cultural needs of different places in the world and how one church in Rome might look different from another church in Greece, but still adhere to the Catholic faith.
I am aware I am speaking to 11-13 year old kids, so how would you address this to them?
Hei everyone!
As the title suggests, I am planning to go to an Orthodox Church for the very first time tomorrow. I have contacted the local priest already and he said that it would be fine for me to show up and attend their liturgy. That being said, I am rather concerned that I might not be able to follow the liturgy considering that it is in a language that I don't understand (Finnish). Do you guys think I should just go through with my plan and attend the liturgy anyway or should I just wait until I can find a church that does liturgy in English (which is highly unlikely considering the fact that I am in a non-English speaking country). And if I do attend liturgy anyway, is there some sort of Church etiquette I must follow?
In the divine liturgy, from where are the antiphons taken (the antiphons after the great litany, which replace the psalms of the typika)? Churches are once again closed in my area as of tomorrow, so I will be praying the typika, but with the feasts of the Circumcision and Theophany coming soon, if possible I would like to pray the typika with the proper antiphons for these feasts if possible. Where may these antiphons be found?
I was waiting for the metro to go to church. But at the last second, I didn't get on the train and went home. I've been wanting to go to church for months. I've tried several times but never ended up attending a service. Sometimes it's because I don't take the time, this time I think I was scared and uncomfortable. I started my unofficial catechism using online resources months ago, but I want to go to church and really start the process of being a part of the church. Unfortunately, all of this makes me anxious, I feel lost, I don't know how to go about talking to the priest, I'm uncomfortable being in this unfamiliar environment and the idea of going to coffee hours etc. It all feels like so much effort and discomfort. I don't know if I can do it on my own, I feel like maybe I need someone with me. I'm not sure what to do, I've prayed for help with all this but I need more than that. I feel a little ashamed, disappointed in myself and sad.
Any advice?
Edit: thank you all so much you guys really helped me. I'm gonna email my priest and try again next week. Wish me luck!
Divine liturgy is beautiful, I've witnessed it three times visiting this church near me. I was told we offer up the body and blood of Christ as a sacrifice to the Father so we can be in His presence. He covers up our sins.
But How can Christ be a sacrifice once and for all, like what is written in Hebrews 10:10-14, how can it be so "It is finished.", yet we still offer up the body and blood of Christ again and again? And how can we enter boldly into the throne of grace like Hebrews 4:16 says, if a priest must do that offering first. Can we even pray directly to the Father unless that offering be done?
I was raised Baptist and am new to the Orthodox faith. I am still seeking and enquiring. I'd appreciate any help in this.
I have been trying to look for the origin of the melodies on Google that are sung during the liturgy but am not even sure how to search for this topic… but have the music/tunes/melodies used been passed down from generation to generation or is it just the written words that have been preserved? I’m sure there are some melodies that have changed very little but even then, how is it possible to transmit things that were possibly not written down/lost? Are there some hymns that you know for sure are modern but still “sound” old if that makes sense (if someone can link an example too). If someone could point me in the direction of finding out more about this topic/informing me of the words/terms I should be looking for, it’d be much appreciated!
I know this is an extremely broad topic but I guess I’m referring to the melodies that one would hear attending an OCA parish or mostly Western parishes.
So "kyrie eleison" has seven syllables: ky-ri-e e-le-i-son. And "Christe eleison" has six syllables: Chris-te e-le-i-son. But, I've noticed that when they're sung, they're pronounced more like ky-ri-e-le-i-son and Chris-te-le-i-son: six and five syllables respectively. (I believe I noticed this in Kyrie VIII. But I think it also happens with other Kyries.)
Does anyone know why the 'e' is dropped?
(I've also noticed that the 'r' in "Christeleison" is sometimes silent or almost silent, such that it sounds more like Chis-te-le-i-son. Not sure if this is related at all.)
One thought was that maybe it's an "ellipsis" (think that's the right word), where a vowel/syllable is sometimes dropped for metrical reasons. But the Kyrie is unmetered, as far as I know. So I don't think that's it.
Is this just the way Gregorian chant works? I don't know a whole lot about music. I'm aware that this is called "legato", and that the legato is generally not supposed to break during the melismata... but I'd think between words/syllables would be the exception?
I'm not trying to be accusatory or anything, but I've come across a lot o eastern orthodox that say that the eastern liturgy is more complete than the western liturgy. I heavily disagree, why is this so, and what would be arguments for it being so.
I have friends that are getting into Black metal and they have been continually been trying to ram they're music down my throat and I can't stand them. They seem pretentious, even for black metal. What do you guys think of them?
When praying Compline (Liturgy of the Hours) in a group, for the examination of conscience (EOC for short) you may use formulae from the Mass’s penitential rite (and keep it short too). But if you’re praying it alone, do you have more leeway on how to do it or how long to spend on it? Various prayer books and saints’ writings say to do an EOC by thanking God for the day’s blessings, asking for light, recalling your sins, praying an Act of Contrition, making a definite resolution for the next day, and ending with 3 Hail Marys for purity. Is that method conducive for the EOC part of Compline when prayed alone?
Hi! Very weird question I know, but hear me out. I sometimes visit the local Antiochian church and I noticed that most of the time, only the choir is chanting and saying the responses (even things as easy as Kyrie eleison, Glory..., to you, o Lord, etc.). I often also say the responses out loud when I know them but I noticed that barely no one else does, which has me wondering; is it ok for people in the pews to say the responses with the choir, or should only the choir say them? Am I being disruptive by chanting the responses, or is it just this particular parish that isn't very participative (for lack of a better word)?
Thank you for your answers. I simply don't want to do anything disruptive or rude when I visit the local Antiochian parish.
Your help would be much appreciated.
I’m an Episcopalian myself, and I’ve been reading a lot lately on the development of liturgical practices within Anglicanism, and I’m interested in reading more on the topic when it comes to Christianity in general. I also have a lot of admiration for the Orthodox faith and forms of worship. I am somewhat familiar with the topic, but I’m looking for some good sources to learn more about the history and development of liturgy. So I came here to see if any of you had some recommendations from the orthodox perspective or pertaining to Eastern Liturgies. God Bless you
