www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization A vision for reaching inactive canonically Byzantine

Friends,

I am interested in this topic. I have a few ideas but no time to post them this morning. Perhaps there are those who would suggest some ideas here so we don't get other threads side tracked.

Surely the homecoming idea seems to be a good one. What we would need is a clear strategy for reaching people and a group of dedicated laity who will do the inviting and work on the preparations.

Suggestions are welcomed or you may wish to go to www.byzantineevangelization.com [byzantineevangelization.com] and add your ideas there.

Dan L

The thread "How I led Catholics out of the Church" sounds similar to this one, and I posted an observation there.

How inactive they are will influence how someone can reasonably attempt to get them actively involved again.

One method is to collect ethnic names out of phone directories in the town where there is no eastern church present. The list is sometimes used as a phone canvassing tool, to help identify the inactive.

Another is to contact the local Latin Rite churches for assistance in identifying Byzantines in their congregations. There are even Orthodox parishes that have Byzantines worshipping with them without becoming Orthodox that could possibly be identified, but that would be harder to do, I suspect.

In any case, a vision for reaching them would have to include things that can strike a resonating chord inside them. For some, ethnicity and genealogy might work, but for others, they might not. A tough concept, Carson.

Jim,

It is indeed tough. I've tried many methods over the years. Sometimes when a crisis hits and I'm there for them it made a difference. Some came back and became very active. Most did not. I think it's worth a serious effort. I should think cradles byzantines might be most effective at making the actual contact.

Dan L

Dan et al,

I hope you don't mind if I butt in here, but this is a topic that is very dear to my heart and soul.

I do not know anything of Fr. Loya's or your cantor's background, but what about something like this?

https://www.byzcath.org/bboard/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=002295;p=1#000000

Perhaps I am being too naive to think that merely a Slavonic Liturgy would attract some to come back home. . .

How about those B

How about those Byzantines who would love to worship as Byzantine Catholics but are stuck in Latin Rite parishes because there are few if any Byzantines in their area to begin a new parish and the nearest Byzantine parish is just too far to attend with any regularity?

Talitha,

I responded to the linked article but it looks like it might be worth a try.

byzantina,

We are preparing a reader's service that can be used in between ones attendance at the DL. We are also working on models of new Church starts. Eventually we will even have teams to help you get a house church started. Great days are ahead.

Dan L

let me know when such a service is ready. Heaven knows I could use it.
Much Love,
Jonn

Talitha, with regard to having a church slavonic service, I figure a parish has to have sufficient cradle Byzantines who are well versed in church slavonic, and who are interested in supporting such an effort ongoing. It would be too much work to prepare just for one service.

There is also the matter of existing parishioners who are not of an eastern ethnic background who will tend to glaze over if church slavonic is used. I'm thinking of parishes like my own.

Church slavonic, of course, is not exclusively Ruthenian. Perhaps such a service might be more possible in a Ukrainian parish, or in an older parish near Pittsburgh where there is still enough interest inside the parishes themselves.

I have seen OCA parishes where they use church slavonic close to major holy days only, then use English the rest of the time. That might also work in older parishes.

Fr. John Whitford, an Orthodox priest, already has reader's services done and posted on his website. I will try to find the link for you. They are nicely done and most beneficial to use.

Joh K,

That's great! I'm looking forward to that link. Why duplicate work? Thank you.

CDL

Friends,

Through conversations with Father Loya I'm coming up with a simple and general outline for a Homecoming.

I'm convinced of three things in this area: First, All people, cradle or convert, are precious souls for whom Christ died. Second, All who are serious about their souls must "work out their own salvation with fear and trembling." Sometimes this working out has meant that people who were "canonically" BC in their youth came not so much to a point of hostility toward their BC heritage but came to see it as irrelavent to their future. We can't change the past. But we can make our present more vibrant which will produce a more hopeful future. Third, It is a mistake to put all of our eggs in the homecoming basket. Some will return out of curiosity. Most of those won't return a second time. A few will return for a time and a fairly small percentage will return to stay. People change.

Nevertheless, it is still worth an effort but not an all consuming one.

1. We will set a time for homecoming in conjunction with our annual planning banquet on a feast day during Great Fast.

2. Our invitation will be for both DL and for the banquet and will be compiled by active members of our parish and by doing a survey of Eastern European Surnames in our area.

3. We will encourage our members to invite former active members and will mail an invitation.

Besides the ethnic surname search I've done all of these things in the past. It isn't difficult but it does take a group of people, mostly cradles, to do the work. It will be fun. It may well bare some fruit. It must not consume all of our evangelization time.

Dan L

Dan,
An ethnic surname search in random towns with no BC churches can take you the rest of your life. Wouldn't a search of parish marriage/baptismal records narrow it down a little better?
Sam

Sam,

Good idea. I put this up this early so I could get good ideas like that. Thank you.

CDL

Any time, my man. Keep up the good work!

Sam