www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Just an idea

As an Orthodox Christian, I see a move in the American Church to abolish jurisdictions and to form one American Church. Is there any movement in the U.S. with the Eastern Catholics. I think that they also suffer the same losses because of the many types of Byzantine-Rite Catholics. It seems that the Eastern Catholic Churches (Byzantine, Ukrainian, Romanian, Melkite, Ruthenian, Russian, etc.; excluding the Oriental Catholics,) if they banded together to form one Greek Catholic Church in America, would have greater influence and shared resources, than the various little ethnic churches that are dying out now.

Hey Troy!

It seems we travel in all the same circles!

Do you really think that there is a "move in the American Church to abolish jurisdictions and to form one American Church"? I'm just not seeing it. In fact, after being Orthodox for over 25 years now, I see less interest today than there was a generation ago. People seems to be content with their own enclaves, with doing things their own way, and serving their "own people" as much as ever. In many ways this is sad, but it is also true. In New Jersey, for example, both the Northern New Jersey and Central New Jersey Orthodox Clergy Associations simply evaporated about eight years ago. I mourn the loss of these bodies, but this is the reality with which we are dealing. Your own jurisdiction, the Orthodox Church in America, seems to be on the verge of losing its Romanian Diocese in favour of a union with the Patriarchal Romanians. The Patriarchates of Constantinople and Antioch have recently taken moves to make a merging of American Jurisdictions impossible. The Russian Church Abroad has placed herself recently under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

There is an existing thread somewhere about the possibility of a united Greek Catholic body here is the States. I haven't read it, but maybe you'll find some answers there about the main subject of your post.

With warmest regards and wishing you a Good Fast!

Fr David Straut

I have to agree with Fr. David here. I am also Orthodox.

I think the ties with the mother country are actually positive in some ways because they create stability and a sense of continuing the tradition. We are too influenced by North American "sound bites" and Mac culture. It is good to touch base with our origins.

Also with the fall of communisim I think people from North America can provide a sense of "civil society" to countries recovering from the evils of communist government and society. I think the exchange is beneficial to both sides.

Dear Father David,

Bless!

All that you say is so true.

What a shame that some of those involved in a certain organization which promoted the idea of a united Orthodox American church sinned against those clerics that they thought stood in its way.

One cannot sin to attain a goal for Christ's Church because such actions will not bear fruit.

Apparently, God had other ideas and they are now seeing that.

I do not think that both many of the faithful here, and the American liberal climate in general, are ripe and mature for one American Orthodox church--atleast not without hurting and destroying it irreparably. I have other opinions and reservations, but in the spirit of the St. Ephraim prayer, I am learning and trying to discern in all conversations everywhere what I can and should say and what I should keep to myself.

We also see from our beloved Christian brothers and sisters how harmful change can sometimes be; no matter how well intentioned.

I also think you are right about everyone being comfortable in their own jurisdictional niche, and the beauty of it all is that we are free to find out where that niche is!

On this Clean Monday, I am asking yours and everyone's forgiveness for any offense my words/actions/or inactions may have inflicted.

Kissing your right hand,
In Christ,
Alice

I started this post and because it needed to have some moderation something or another, I had forgotten all about it. It seems that since this post was written there were some recent strides/set-backs (however you look at it) in achieving jurisdictional unity. With the recent speech by Met. Jonah and the decisions between the OCA and ROCOR, it seems the water is starting to boil again with more serious talk about the jurisdictional mess we Americans find ourselves in.

Fr. David: We do seem to travel the same circles. I think that both of our conversions to Orthodoxy are remarkably similar, from what I've heard from Mat. Emily.