www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Episcopal Church with Byzantine Adaptations

St. Gregory of Nyssa...from the San Francisco area no less...


http://www.saintgregorys.org/Tour/index.html

james

An occassional poster, before his conversion to the Orthodox was Episcopalian. Part of his turning more and more to the East was that he was in charge of different prayer services in which he found himself using more and more of the prayers of the Eastern Churches. Sometimes he had to modify them a bit to fit their needs, but this led him more and more East. Seems he joined the Orthodox Church about two years ago. Maybe they are headed the same way.

I looked at the site and it seems to be a mish-mash of anything and everything. They have Ethiopic Processional Crosses, Japanese Bells, Liturgical Dancing, Inclusive Language, what appears to be a woman "priest", and other things peculiar to Episcopalianism but foreign to Orthodoxy (except the crosses.)

Yes he did!
btw, I've encountered this parish's website before. If you explore it deeper you'll find that they have a mural "icon" that includes St. Seraphim along with Malcolm X, Elizabeth the 1st and Martin Luther among others. They also have a Shinto shrine in thier sanctuary. One of the many things that made me re-examine my commitment to the Episcopal Church.

Like Pani, I too see a glimmer of hope in this Episcopalian parish. I say this while being somewhat repulsed by the eclecticism, among other things...Despite that, there seems to be a fundamentally "catholic" affirmation that runs through the liturgical life there. They appear to want to see themselves as a "bridge" to various cultural expressions of the Gospel.

Again, I'm trying to look on the bright side. If this were a Latin Catholic parish, I'd be throwing my hands up (or throwing up), though not all of it is "bad".

IMHO,

Gordo

What can you say? They are not members of the "True Faith." They do not have a valid priesthood. They are playing Church.

The building appears to be dedicated to the worship of multi-culturalism.

David I was so glad you came East. The more we chatted at night the more I could see where your heart was. I wondered how long it would take, and I am glad I was not disappointed. It sure is a lot easier to share the prayers now isn't it.

Gordo we are eternal optimists. I tend to look for positive things in everything. But I didn't look at close as you guys did. It sounds like
these guys were right...

In a way it sounds like they go for whatever doctrine tickles their fancy. Just what Scripture says, they won't go for sound doctrine.

I hate to say this, but in spite of their icons, they seem like nut-jobs to me.

God bless,

Karen

I hate to say this but because of thier icons they seem like nut-jobs to me. Elizabeth the 1st dancing with St. Seraphim and Malcolm X? WOW!

From that parish's website:

presider ?

"Bread" ?

"our Mothering Father"?


They are trying, God have mercy, but they are so far from the truth.

-- John

Well said, Todd. Excellent.

That explains my gut feeling of revulsion.

And Pani, I like to look at the positive, only because I like to follow the Augustinian principle outlined in his confessions regarding sin - that even in our sin we aim at some perceived good, even if it is through illegitimate means. For this parish, the perceived good is rediscovering a more "catholic" sense of the Gospel.

Of course, you also see the projection of the whims of many who have been given pastoral charge over the parish.

Gordo

Good point.

God bless,

Karen

Such syncretism fails to really witness to any objective faith, as it cannot be clearly discerned through all of the conflicting manifestations. The only thing that comes to my mind is Barney's song or something along those lines.
FDD

I have to agree with Father Deacon Diak. I carefully spent some time reading over the various parts of their website. While their intentions is to serve and be faithful to God in their statements, their entire liturgical expression is a free-for-all that holds very little true to any tradition or rite. It reminds one of the old Chinese menu, a little from column A and a little from column B. Throw in elements that are completely foreign to either Byzantine, Anglican, or Roman traditions, and it truly is a smorgasbord.

Instead of spiritually directing, it seems more or less to be something of a free-for-all that will encourage confusion.

Just my personal thoughts.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+