www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization list of practically Orthodox Catholic parishes?

I am always on the look out if I ever decide to move for Catholic parishes that are so well de-latinized and have a flourishing parish life that they are indistinguishable from Orthodox parishes. Does anyone attend a parish like that? From personal experience, I know that Holy Transfiguration in Mclean, VA and St. Elias in Brampton, ON are such parishes. I've also heard good things about Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Cary, NC and the Russian parishes in NYC and El Segundo, but haven't experienced them personally. Can anyone confirm if that's the case for those parishes, and add your own parish to list if yours fits the description?

St. Nicholas in Anchorage, AK (Ruthenian) is pretty good in that regard.

I would like to add my own parish, Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church (Ruthenian) in San Diego, Ca. to the list.

Also, both parish in Texas of the Ruthenian Church have wonderful reputations of being very Orthodox.

St Michael's in NYC and St Andrew the First-Called in El Segundo (which also serves St Paul's Melkite Mission) are both renowned in that respect.

Many years,

Neil

Neil, do you know anything about the Russian parish in San Francisco or the mission in Denver? How do they hold up?

2nd Holy Angels, in San Diego, CA. Only been there once, but I can tell the parish is flourishing.

I heard some good stuff about Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic (Ruthenian) Parish in McKees Rocks, PA being pretty traditional. They use a lot of Church Slavonic arrangements throughout the Divine Liturgy, and it seems to be a rather well run parish on top of that. I could vouch for that with their UStream feeds that I watch from time to time (if it weren't for those pesky ads ruining the Liturgical experience all the time, I could get a better idea).

No Ruthenian parishes are "practically Orthodox". The Council of Hierarchs made clear that the authentic form of the Byzantine liturgy was inappropriate and "did not meet the needs of our people". So they revised it.

As for the rest, there are a few individual parishes among the Ukrainians and the Melkites that are pretty authentic, but the bishops simply do not want anything authentic. They want to be Real Catholics.

A number of the parishes discussed in this thread are not Byzantine (Ruthenian), or Melkite, or Ukranian, but Russian , making any points about Byzantine, Melkite or Ukranian parishes rather besides the point for them.

Likethethief, a regular member here, is a parishioner of OL of Fatima in SF and can best speak to the situation there. As regards SS Cyril & Methodius in Denver, I don't personally know enough about it to answer - and I'm not sure that we have any active members presently from the Denver area.

Many years,

Neil

I'm kind of curious in terms of how traditional the Romanian Greek-Catholics are, though. We only really have one parish in Cleveland that I know of (St. Helena's), in the Gordon Square/W. 65th Street area, but never really attended a Divine Liturgy there, though.

I have been to St. Helena's only for the Mystery of Holy Unction, which is given on Holy Wednesday... tonight beginning at 6PM. The service is part English and part Romanian. Check it out if you are otherwise uncommitted tonight. It is quite worthwhile.

Bishop John-Michael is pretty fussy about how Liturgy is celebrated and I could be wrong but I've believe that he has stated that the vocation or destination of Eastern Catholics is to become Orthodox in a reunited Church. As to how that translates on the ground, it really depends upon the particular priest. The orientation and desires of some of the laity also varies.

Ah, all right, thanks Chuck. I know that I was at St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox for their festival last August, and was given a tour from the priest there, and I could have asked if he would have known if there were any Liturgical differences between the Romanian Orthodox and the Romanian Greek-Catholics, but I probably wouldn't know.

I'm guessing it's a lot like the how the Ukrainian Church can be, since it seems like there's just as much Liturgical likeness between the UOC and UGCC, and just as many differences in that they (the UGCC) have Pope Francis to pray for, along with Patriarch Sviatoslav and Metropolitan Stefan, and Bishop John Bura, etc... and the UOC has Bishop David and I forget the Metropolitan's name, but there things are different...yet Liturgically the same. So who knows?

I have been to the Russian Parish here in Denver, and in fact I know the Pastor fairly well. The Liturgy itself is very close to tradtional Orthodox practice, as the paster is a convert from Orthodoxy. At the same time I was less than impressed by some of the things I have heard him say and several of our parishoners at the Ukrainian parish here in town have ceased attending the Russian parish due to alleged questionable preaching. One of these people was brought into Catholicism at the Russian parish and another was a very active member of the community and choir. I do not wish to question the integrity of Father but I think it is important to share with you everything I know.

I've been following this thread - and with all respect to previous posters, the question is a bit loaded.

What constitutes "Orthodoxishness" in an Eastern Catholic parish?

Can I be "Orthodox" and still have pews?
Can I be "Orthodox" but have more western-style iconography?
Can I be "Orthodox" but I'm using all the current approved service books and materials? (Can a green book parish qualify as "orthodox" or do I have to be a rebel and use the red book)?
Do I have to say "unto ages of ages" ?
Do all the women need their hair covered?
Does "Vespergy" count? OCA parishes have "Vespergy" - went to one this Monday for Annunciation.

You can see how this thread can go in some really strange directions.

I'd just ask more simply "who is following the typikon properly" and who celebrates the "traditonal cycle" of services (vespers/hours or matins/divine liturgy)?

Who does the other things like Akathists, Lytia, Artoklasia, etc?

Who/What parish follows a more "traditional or fuller expression" of Eastern Christian liturgical/paraliturgical life?

Blessed Lent to all!