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The last several years I attended the 12 Gospel Readings in a Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. This Great and Holy Week I attended the 12 Gospel Readings in a Greek Orthodox Church. Wow! What a difference!

Has anybody else noticed anything different?

My experience has been about 1.5 hours in the Greek Catholic Church in the Greek Orthodox Church it is a good, no Great! 3.5 hours not including the long line to venerate the Crucified Lord.

I cannot comprehend the amount of worship, repentance, and Theology Lessons that are missing from the abbreviated version that is used in my former parish. What is this service like in ACROD, ROCOR, Antiochean, and OCA Parishes?

I've never experienced it outside of an OCA parish. This year was typical - 3.5 hours, give or take. I'd be interested in knowing how the Ruthenian parish truncates it.

I noticed that my feet felt like it swelled and my back hurts!

Heh. It was nice though.

SPDundas
Deaf Byzantine

Cutting out most of the antiphons and the canon really 'saves' a lot of time.

Why does it take longer to read the 12 Gospels in the Orthodox Church than in the Byzcath Church? what are these antiphones and canons.

Eddie

I trust this is just done for "pastoral reasons" in that particular parish, and is not symptomatic of any kind of officially mandated reduction in the service. Please tell me I'm right.

Ed

It's a looonnngggggggg service, but beautiful!

I think services are truncated not because the priest doesn't wish to do them but because my understanding is that in Orthodox churches people come and go whereas in ER churches everyones stays put the entire time. Few people will attend services over 1 and half hours and complain when they do. Just a guess.

I have never seen people "come and go" during the 3.5 hour service, other than the occasional trip to a restroom, or out to the narthex because of a fussy baby. And this is a "pewless parish", so it can be uncomfortable or even painful near the end - but shouldn't that be part of the experience as we commemorate the Lord's passion?

Of course, I can't speak for anything but my local experience.

Ed

To find the entire content of the service, check the English Lenten Triodion, translated by Bishop Kallistos and Mother Mary. Saint Tikhon's Seminary Press keeps it in print.

Christ is Risen!

Fr. Serge

Eddie,

It's probably more accurate to reverse the question and ask why to EC parishes serve this Matins quicker than the Orthodox. The answer is simple - ECs cut things, as I mentioned above. I have also heard that in some places the first Gospel is truncated (and experienced this once myself).

If you have access to a copy of "The Lenten Triodion" by Mother Mary and Archimandrite (now Metropolitan) Kallistos Ware at the bottom of page 571 you'll find the beginning of the First Antiphon. In this service there are a 15 Antiphons in total, three after each of the first five Gospels.

Since this is a Matins service (even though it is often served in the evening) in contains a Canon. This is a Lenten Canon, and as such has only three Odes - but for some even this is too much.

At the moment I have access to only two version of this service as used be ECs: A Ukr-Eng one prepared by (then) 'Msgr' Stephen Sulyk {hereafter referred to as S} and the version provided in the Basilian's Ukrainian 'Breviary' {hereafter referred to as B} - both of these being UGCC publications.

Here are some of the short cuts in these two services. You may well find these, or variations of them, in other EC books:
* only one of the Six Psalms is chanted (S, B)
* Antiphon 1 shortened (S, B)
* Antiphon 2 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 3 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 4 shortened (S, B)
* Antiphon 5 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 6 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 7 shortened (S, B)
* Antiphon 8 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 9 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 10 shortened (S, B)
* Antiphon 11 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 12 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 13 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 14 shortened (B); cut (S)
* Antiphon 15 shortened (S, B)
* Beatitudes verses shortened (B); cut (S)
* Canon shortened (S, B)
* Lauds verses not repeated (S, B)
* Aposticha shortened (S)

Some will say that doing everything is "too much", or "they only do that in monasteries". The Orthodox around the corner or down the road can manage, but EC clergy seem to think their 'people' can't cope. Maybe it's just the clergy who can't cope? Or maybe it's because certain 'other' Catholics don't have 3-hour services, so why should ECs?

I'll stop now before I'm branded 'uncharitable'.

you've never been to a Baptist service. Try three to five hours EVERY Sunday. Some congregations don't go home until mid-afternoon.

It's like a date. What's a few more hours with the one you love? Then drive home talking to one's lover on the cell phone. Then some more talk after arriving home.

Time is meaningless if one is in LOVE.

is the reason for fidgety people after the one hour threshhold because there are no lovers?

Eddie Hashinsky

I couldn't possibly comment.

At my advanced age, I could be mistaken, but I don't think that I've ever attended the 12 Gospels service without it taking at least 3 hours. Big deal. In Jerusalem it runs all night.

Much, of course, depends on the music - the music is better in Greek than in Slavonic.

Christ is Risen!

Fr. Serge

Dear Mr. Hashinsky,

Bravo, sir!!

A very inspiring post!

Alex