www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy The Revised Divine Liturgy The Audible Anaphora

Here's an Orthodox perspective on the audible anaphora:

Saying Amen to Our Story [siciliaortodossa.org]

This is a very interesting essay--thank you Fr Deacon.

I am curious--could someone report whether the UGCC, Melkites, and Romanians say the anaphora aloud or silently? I am particularly interested in how the revisions that the Melkites are to promulgate soon will look in this regard.

Thanks.

John:

I am only familiar with the practice of the Melkite parish in Phoenix. The Anaphora is prayed/chanted aloud. This is the practice even when Bishop John or Archbishop Cyrille clebrates the DL.

I have attended a Hierarchal Divine Liturgy celebrated by Bishop John (Melkite). I do not recommend following his Liturgical Practices.

Dear Father Deacon,

The only comment I care to make on the
is that it is not recognized by any normal Eastern Orthodox Church.

Fr. Serge

A more organic process for this change would have been to provide for the praying of the Anaphora aloud without requiring that it be done so in all cases.

You failed to read that the article did not originated with the host website. So that no one would question the Orthodoxy of the author, I've posted a link to the original article below. I apologize for the confusion.

Fr. John Shimchick is pastor of Holy Cross Church, Medford, NJ, and editor of Jacob�s Well, an official publication of the Diocese of Washington and New York (OCA), the primatial diocese of the OCA, whose head is Metropolitan Herman. As noted on the web page, this article was original published in Jacob�s Well, Spring/Summer 2000:

Saying Amen to Our Story, Jacob's Well [jacwell.org]

Actually, I read the article and noted that it originated with OCA circles. But it is unwise to associate respectable writing with an unrespectable source, even a secondary source.

Fr. Serge

Why do you say so? Please give examples

Glory be to Jesus Christ!

From the Eparchy of Newton's website: http://www.melkite.org/Questions/W-6.htm
http://www.melkite.org/Questions/W-5.htm

A little of my own experience with hearing the anaphora aloud:

When I have been to Divine Liturgy at Melkite churches before, including their cathedral outside of Boston, the anaphora has been said aloud (however, it has been prayed in secret every time that I have been to Holy Transfiguration in McLean, VA).

I know that in the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma (UGCC), the "official policy" is that the priest is supposed to chant the entire anaphora aloud. I have been to other UGCC outside of the Eparchy of Parma where this has also been done (including St. Elias in Brampton, although not the entire anaphora in that case).

Mark T.

I think either way is fine, but I personally prefer aloud.

How does one define "a more organic process"?

Emperor Justinian forbade the abuse of reciting the anaphora "in secret", but his attempt failed. In time, praying the anaphora audibly was suppressed. How is the suppression by mandate "a more organic process" than the restoration by mandate?

see The Reasons for and the Dates of Re...iturgical Prayers with Secret Recitation [jacwell.org]

And everyone gathered around in house churches receiving the Eucharist in their hands without any codified order other than reading some letters of their choice, saying some prayers, and then celebrating the Eucharist. Since this is older, she would mandate the change?

Since we are not living in the time of the Emperor Justinian (more's the pity, perhaps, for other reasons, but that's how it is!), we needn't worry about his legal ruling overmuch, though we may note that the results were not exactly brimming with success.

In this present year of grace, when we no longer call in the secular arm to enforce rubrics, and when we have come to appreciate the importance of allowing change to take place organically, it is certainly more effective, as well as more peaceable, to try to make sure that there is enough sentiment in favor of the proposed change to give it a trial, and then make it facultative, not mandatory. Simply attempting to impose a change by decree often backfires.

Fr. Serge