www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Lost for 45 Years ..

Greetings,

I was baptized in a ROCOR Church back in 1953 - a son to displaced Russian parents. The family attended quite regularly both services and social events. Along came the teenage years and the '60s and guess what???
I finished high school, got a guitar - ultimately shaping my future without my Church.
Mother passed last year at 89 years of age. For what ever reason, I was so struck by this event that immersion into the religion of my roots has taken me over.

I have been regularly attending my local ROCOR parish but am having a frustrating time with all of it. My Russian language skills have diminished over the decades making it hard to follow parts of the services. Church Slavonic??? Wow ... I had no idea! I've tried emulating what the other parishioners are doing, crossing, lighting candles, bowing, confession, communion, entering & exiting the Church, dress code, talking, tardiness etc - all to more confusion.
After yesterday's service on the Russian Saints, I'd had enough.

After purchasing a small library's worth of Jordanville and other books, I thought "now, I am ready!". Not so .. Nobody seems to do things in a uniform, organized fashion. I don't like feeling like the local Church dunce so, I finally got to talk to an English speaking Deacon at the end of the service. We arranged to have an informal meeting one evening after work so at least proper procedures during services could be discussed.

Finally, what is this thing going on about ROCOR-MP?? The little I have picked up on in the past few days have me somewhat concerned. Is it really about KGB/Putin control of my ROCOR Church? Please tread on me gently ... don't forget, I was a musician

Valerian - welcome to Byzcath

I have to say you will get plenty of help here I'm sure - but please for starters remember we are Byzantine [ yes even us Greek Catholics] and we all do different things in Church at varying times

Don't worry about trying to understand the rules - just settle back in first . Some will stand , some will sit , some will kneel and they all do this at different times - we are Byzantine

Your talk with the Deacon should help you understand rings a little more - the important thing is that you want to learn

Just want to say, its great you came back to Our Lord.

Valerian,

Welcome to the forum.

I do want to clarify and avoid any misunderstanding on your part of what my sister and friend, Anhelyna, said, given that you're likely many years removed from some of the terms that we think nothing of using, oft assuming that all will 'get it'.

When Anhelyna speaks of us being 'byzantine', she is doing so in the dictionary sense of convulted, complex, complicated, intricate, difficult to understand, not in the sense of 'Byzantine' as commonly applied to our Eastern Catholic brethren (versus the essentially synonymous use of 'Constantinoplian' as applied to our Eastern Orthodox brethren).

We have plenty of both such folk hereabouts, including several members of the ROCOR-MP, whom I'm sure will weigh in on your concerns.

Again, welcome, and prayers for your joyous recovery of your spiritual heritage and faith.

Many years,

Neil

About your other question, what I have heard is that there are some people in the MP hierarchy who were compromised by cooperation with the Communists. I have heard some priests were coerced into even informing upon their penitents. I don't know to what extent any of them are still around. I heard some were coerced by threats against their families and I think we could understand if they were forgiven when they repented.

In any case, the Church East and West, in various times and places, has experienced corruption of bishops, including corruption by their association with power, willing or unwilling. Our not unblemished history is one of the things we must face whether we are Catholic or Orthodox. The Church remains the Church. The sacraments remain the sacraments. Christ remains Christ. Of course it is troubling when those we should be able to respect and revere are less than worthy. But this should not make us leave the Church or doubt Our Lord.

Susan Peterson