www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Seminarians concert tour

They are totally going to be at my church tomorrow! I am coming home from school just for this.

The concert tour continues well. We had about 160 in Brecksville on Tuesday and standing room only at St Joseph's in Munster, IN last night with about 175.

The three guys whose visas were not finished in time arrive in Cleveland Friday night and will join the rest of the group this weekend in Parma.

We continue to get standing ovations at the end of each concert!

Jack

Slava Isusu Christu! (Glory to Jesus Christ!)
Slava na Viki! (Glory forever!)

You guys are killing me...I want so much to see them sing in concert! But I just can't make it. My church is having a bus trip to the concert in Hermitage, but I'm having surgery on October 1 and can't make it. I will certainly be looking for the cd's for sale on the website, but as a former professional actor as well as a former deejay---a recorded performance is great but can't equal what you hear at a live concert. I am familiar with the church in Johnstown and I can just imagine how wonderful it sounded! The acoustics would have been incredible. I was in the church a few weeks ago and was standing in front of the altar, thinking of what the concert would sound like and I turned green with envy. Please, PLEASE make a return tour as soon as you can! I live in State College and we have Penn State University---you might want to check with them on booking dates. They have more than one venue and the acoustics would be great at any and all of them, especially Schwab Auditorium They book international acts all the time, of all kinds. Have mercy on a poor Rusyn boy--come back and come to Penn State!

Tim

What are they doing in Parma? Is it just a concert? Or are they singing a Divine Liturgy? I'd love to go to a Slavonic Divine Liturgy. But I don't think I could bear the RDL in Slavonic. I just don't go to a Ruthenian parish anymore. Friends don't let friends go to the RDL.

Now that's a good question. Which DL are the Seminarians doing? I am guessing it will NOT be the RDL. As stated previously in multiple threads, the Eparchs and ArchEparch have concelebrated multiple Liturgies in Slavonic, so the language will not be a problem. And I can't see the Eparchs making the Seminarians use the RDL. So I would guess it would be the DL they use back at the Seminary in Uzhorod. Which I would love dearly to hear. I wonder how it differs from the RDL? I wonder how it differs from the Slavonic DL's we grew up hearing in the 50's, 60's and even 70's? And I understand they do at least one DL in Slavonic at the Pilgrimage at Uniontown each year. Do they do that Liturgy in Slavonic but use the RDL as the basis? I'm not being sarcastic or mean-spirited here. I'm really curious. And how does the Seminarian's Slavonic DL differ from the Slavonic DL done at Uniontown?

If the DL the Seminarians do in Slavonic is really good, maybe we could petition the Eparchs to use that DL as the basis of a new RDL and translate that new DL from Uzhorod Slavonic to English? I understand the embattled RDL is translated not from Church Slavonic, but from Greek texts. Maybe this would be better accepted? Even though the English DL we have had since the 1940's was translated into English from Church Slavonic, if I'm not mistaken. Please do not get me wrong or misinterpret anything I am saying--I am not slamming the RDL, nor am I slamming the Eparchs. I am not making fun of anyone or being disrespectful. I am merely saying there seems to be some dissatisfaction with the RDL and with some of the Eparch's in some posts. Maybe this would help make everyone happy. Any thoughts or input? Especially about the Slavonic DL the Seminarians are using?

TIm

First my apologies for an incorrect church name -- the concert tour took place at St Nicholas Church in Munster, IN, not St Joseph's. Too many cities and churches on this tour to keep track of!!!

I'm happy to report continued success with over 100 in Homer Glen, IL with Fr Tom Loya on Thursday evening, and over 200 in Livonia, MI with Fr Joseph Marquis on Friday evening.

The three guys arrived safe and sound, and despite flight delays, we arranged for them to arrive in Cleveland this afternoon and we met up with them at the Parma Cathedral. It was like a reunion for all to be together.

Please don't bring the RDL into this thread or discussion. Let's keep it to the Concert Tour. When the guys sing a Church Slavonic Divine Liturgy, it is accounding the Sluzhebnik published by Rome and with a few minor adjustments that they normally follow in TransCarpathia. Each one we have done so far has been a little different, depending on the parish priest, cantor and congregation. The Divine Liturgy in Parma is scheduled for 3 pm in the Cathedral with Bishop John tomorrow with the concert at 7 pm in the evening. Although we have not worked out all the details, it will be Hierarchical and mostly according the Archieratikon of 1973. Because it will be in Church Slavonic, many of the issues with the RDL will not come into play (text, music, rubrics).

Jack
Tour Coordinator

I will respect your wishes and keep the RDL out of this discussion, sir. You have enough headaches without us adding more. But thank you for the information as to what they are using. Each concert will be different, that is understandable. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. If you are up to it, please feel free to schedule more tours anytime soon!

Tim

Further report -- the concert tour continues along its path. Sunday Liturgy in the Parma Cathedral was over 200 persons, as well as the concert that evening. Monday evening in Mentor, OH had a full church of about 80 and tonight we had nearly 200 more in St Michael's, Hermitage, PA (including some repeats from other sites!) And Father Taras, seminary rector from Uzhorod who is traveling with the group, was even able to fish in Lake Erie today! He said he was in heaven! All are having a great time.

Now we head eastward to the "coal region" in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre the next two nights. One lady tonight was in tears as she thanked me for bringing her tradition alive with this group that she had not heard since her grandparents were alive. I think the choir is truly touching people in their souls.

Jack

Delighted that the tour is going so well, and that both the visitors and the locals are enjoying everything. One caution - please alert Father Taras not to eat any fish he catches in Lake Erie; it's polluted.

Fr Serge

I know it's off-topic but I have to offer a comment. Hierarchs like Metropolitan Nicholas, of whom there are still way too few, are the hope for the future of Eastern Christians to be united in a single Church. He cares so much about both people and God - it's never about the ecclesial politics, what others might say, or whose ox is being gored.

Eis polla aeti, Despota

My wife and I attended last evening's beautiful concert in St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church of Scranton, PA. Their singing is magnificent.
Interesting that many of their hymns are sung identically to those in our Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The commentator referred to "Greek Catholic" and not Byzantine Catholic. The host pastor spoke of the Church in Ukraine having been persecuted yet the seminaries are full, while they are "empty" here in the States.
What puzzles me is why the Pittsburgh Ruthenian Archeparchy and the Philadelphia Ukrainian Archeparchy are separated? Listening to the Uzhorod Seminary Choir clearly demonstrates that we "Ukrainians" and "Ruthenians" have so very, very much in common.
Pray that all may be one!

A further status report --

After driving across PA on Wednesday, we were hosted at St Mary's Church in Scranton with over 80 at the concert, and then at St Mary's Church in Wilkes-Barre with over 200 at the concert. Last night was at Holy Spirit in Binghamton, NY with another 220 at the concert. Tonight the group sang the Divine Liturgy at St Michael Cathedral Chapel in West Paterson, NJ with over 150 attending.

Tomorrow is 10 am Liturgy in St Mary's in NYC. 3 pm Liturgy at the Baslian Monastery in Matawan, NJ, and then a concert at 7 pm in St Michael's Cathedral in Passaic. Monday will be a well-deserved DAY OFF!

All is well except for a few sore throats and sniffles. Crowds continue to give enthusiastic responses to the entire program.

Jack

sounds wonderful - wish I could be there!

Fr. Serge

me too. I received an e-mail from my pastor who took members of several congregations to the concert in Hermitage, PA. I was quite jealous. If we are lucky, they will come back again and do a full Liturgy at each site in stead of Liturgies at just some concert sites.

Tim

Another update --

Sunday's events were great. Liturgy in NYC at St Mary's had over 150 attending, then another 100 packed the little chapel in Matawan for the liturgy with Bishops William and Andrew. The concert at St Michael's Cathedral in Passaic Sunday evening packed the auditorium with nearly 200 attending.

On Monday, we visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The guys thoroughly enjoyed it all.

After a lovely liturgy in the Cathedral in memory of Bishop Michael Dudick, the concert in the evening at St Thomas in Rahway was another great success with over 200 attending.

Last evening's concert at St Mary's in Hillsborough topped the charts with nearly 300 people filling the church and giving a standing ovation for both halves of the program!

We're on our way south to Mont Clare, PA and the Baltimore-Washington area for the weekend. All is well and guys are getting some reflective time in parks during the middle of the day this week as they prepare to return home next Tuesday.

Jack