www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy New Pittsburgh Archbishop Skurla

Can anyone tell me anything about new Archbishop William Skurla? I’ve met him at the Uniontown Pilgrimage a few years ago and he seems nice. But is he pro-Byzantine or pro-Revision?

There has been a lot of talk in the last month about him and people are wondering if he will be undoing the damage that Archbishop Basil Schott did with his Revised Divine Liturgy. I mean, look at the what the Roman Catholics just did. They returned to accurate translations since the politically correct paraphrase ones didn’t work. And they are fixing some of the really awful music they had.

The parishes that take the RDL have lost a lot of people. Almost no one likes the revised liturgy and the music is awful. My priest says the people at the seminary who created all this meant well but just don’t know what they are doing. And they seem happy that 1/3 of the people have left some of our parishes because of it.

Is there any chance that Archbishop William Skurla will undo the damage? I know they spent millions on the Revised Divine Liturgy and they probably don’t have millions left to redo it. But we could go back to the old translation and music? People would like that and come back.

Lisa, there has already been some discussion here in this regard. While I too am acquainted with our new Metropolitan Archbishop-elect, it is difficult to tell how anyone might lead in such a position, even with some history as a Bishop of two separate Eparchies in the Metropolia. Time will tell, and we prayerfully hope for needed leadership.

You allude to controversy and congregational loss over the RDL. There are many here that would likely agree. I would offer, however, that there are undoubtedly many more contributing factors, including administrative decisions which profoundly affected some of our parishes, and thus the RDL alone is not the sole cause of such loss as suggested. It is more likely IMO the straw that broke camels' backs, as our expression of the Divine Liturgy is so strongly tied to our identity as a people of faith. Despite much progress in otherwise restoring our traditions, there seems to be a prevailing feeling of "loss of identity", for lack of a better catch phrase, that has been attributed to the RDL in large part.

There are indeed issues with the RDL that have been well explored here and elsewhere. Yet, I do feel it is a symptom and not the cause (with a few known, notable exceptions).

FWIW and IMO, in considering the future of our Church, the decision on Archbishop-elect William's replacement in the Eparchy of Passaic will be more telling than his appointment as Metropolitan.

We pray for our new Metropolitan Archbishop-elect, for the Council of Hierarchs and all our clergy, that they lead with wisdom and discernment. This is a new day, with at least one new significant leader to be determined. It will be interesting to see how the new Council of Hierarchs leads their Church.

Curious Joe,

You may be right. Except that the politically correct, tacky Revised Divine Liturgy straw was a thousand times heavier than the camel. It's hopelessly 1970s. And no camel could stand under its weight.

The whole RDL is really a sin (does the "R" in "RDL" stand for "Revised" or "Ruined"?). It's as if the bishops and liturgical commission are totally cut off from our liturgy. The Revisionists call the people who have left "stupid" and "uneducated". Some even call them "disloyal". The people are the ones who were and are faithful to our Byzantine Tradition. We didn't cause this. It was caused by bishops and priests who were and are disloyal to our Byzantine Tradition.

My priest says it has already imploded and can't last much longer. I pray that Archbishop Skurla will let it crumble. Or maybe even give it a push.

Lisa