www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Update on Holy Trinity in Bridgeport, CT

LOL, I'll let you know about that if my change of Rite goes through appropriately

Sorry - is that a bad position to take? I do not see the two as mutually exclusive, hence my ecclesiastical affiliation. I should wish such a thing on Latin Catholics as well! ("Catholic First, Latin Second")

An excessive particularism is no virtue. Byzantium's earliest strength was precisely in its catholic breadth, drawing on the virtues of East and West. Neither the Church in Latin territories nor the Church in Greek or Syriac territories were originally hermetically sealed realities. Polemics and later heavy handed anti-Western policies by Muslim overlords (not to mention an early and excessive identification with the Imperium as the center of Church polity) contributed as much to the estrangement as any of the theological developments within the Latin West.

To identify more with a particular jurisdiction than the Church as a whole (or to see the two as somehow in competition) is tribalism. Nothing could be more antithetical to the biblical theology of the New Testament (especially St. Paul) regarding the universal vocation of the Church.

I guess my problem is I DO agree with the Church as a whole...that's why innovations from the Latin church do not sit right with me...and if they were "part of the Church from the beginning" then eastern catholics would not need to do gymnastics trying to bend latin concepts into eastern theology...I've stated it before and I'll state it again, (then duck ) the UNIA should simply go away...the eastern catholic churches which are to be "a bridge" between the RCC and the Orthodox is not a bridge but a "road block"...but I'm getting off topic...

Oh my! If I would have said that...

You are most certainly free to reject Catholic communion. And I will agree that the Unia should go away (and will go away once full communion is re-established between East and West). But you really do need to be accurate and fair. The idea of the Eastern Catholic Churches being a “bridge” between Rome and the Orthodox went out of style at Vatican II (40 years ago), and the idea of “uniatism” has long been rejected. So what you are claiming we are supposed to be is false and I think you are smart enough to know it. Being accurate and fair is part of being charitable. If you have studied the Catholic Church's documents (especially V2's Decree on the Eastern Churches and JPII's Orientale Lumen) you'd realize that a tremendous effort is being made at mending fences. No one on the Catholic side considers Orthodoxy to be a "road block".

If you have chosen the path of Orthodoxy accept it on its own terms. Don't drag the baggage of your past experiences with you. The way the members of your parish were treated was unchristian. But being treated poorly is not a good enough reason to become Orthodox. The only reason to become Orthodox (or Catholic) is because through prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit you are led there, and find the truth there.

That was well said.

"But being treated poorly is not a good enough reason to become Orthodox. The only reason to become Orthodox (or Catholic) is because through prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit you are led there, and find the truth there."


I think the above statement is unfair. Many people who were treated poorly became Orthodox 100 years ago. Were they wrong, or their living descendents wrong? You know how many people have been hurt by the RDL, let alone abrupt closure of a parish. How do you know that anyone affected by Holy Trinity's closure wasn't considering Orthodoxy long before it happened?

You say being treated poorly is not a good reason to become Orthodox. This was precisely why some in the affected parish became Orthodox.

Is the reason right or wrong? Who are we to say. The Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways. A major spiritual catastrophe like the closing of a parish may actually be the work of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you Etnick. This is a key point. The fact is that those who became Orthodox, such as myself, considered it for years prior to the closure of HT.

It may have "gone out of style" but John, can you honestly say it is not a prevailent view. (Maybe it's not in vogue to speak this language amongst the "higher ups in dialogue" but it is amongst almost everyone else) Following the dialogues myself, although with 3 kids not nearly as much as I had in the past, although it's not "stated" that thought does still exist.

May I ask, what part(s) of "uniatism" have been rejected.



I agree.

I know from experience with the former pastor of my old parish, that HE recommended to the bishop to close the other parish that he served, and not the bishop telling him that it was going to close. Knowing the personalities involved, I would wager that was the same situation with HT. My former parish has refugees from the parish that remains open in the Bridgeport area, and that speaks volumes.

Meanwhile, the other very small, moribund parish in CT that is served from by yet another parish in CT remains open because the pastor does not mind driving to it each week to serve, when the bishop did want to close it.

Father George did want the parish closed from the time he arrived. "Because he was too busy." Shameful.

I just read on these forums where Father Ed donated money under his own name (when it was not politically correct to do so)to help save Holy Trinity Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church in Bridgeport, CT.

That's our Father Ed -- tough and full of resolve.

Sadly it seems the church was closed anyway. Anyone happen to know what became of the building?

I can confirm yes Fr. Ed definitely did do this. If his check was actually cashed that's another matter. His home parish of Holy Trinity in Bridgeport, CT is now a French speaking baptist church...

As regards the congregation that purchased and now uses the former Holy Trinity, I remain, several years later, touched by the sensitivity of this community toward their fellow Christians - those of our peoples - who went before them.

As my brother, Job, described in a post that he made at the time ...



May the memory of Holy Trinity Church be eternal!

Many years,

Neil

Any idea how much Holy Trinity Parish in Bridgeport was sold for? Was it sold through a real estate brokerage or via auction? Thanks.