www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall My musical journey of other Churches

I have made it a tradition to celebrate the feasts of the Western Churches together with their believers (I often go there during the year without any occasion, as well). I learn so much and am so enriched when I join various congregations for worship. Outside of the Orthodox Church, of course the first other Church for which I have a soft spot is the Roman Catholic Church, especially of the Tridentine Rite. Then Episcopalians. But I continue to explore, and yesterday went to Tenebrae at a Presbyterian church. It was a powerful experience. In 2009 I was at the midnight Christmas mass at the Marie la Reine Cathedral in Montreal, the following year at the St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Cathedral in New York City (where I am also headed tonight for the Easter Vigil). I must say that these experience humble and enrich me. For example, tonight at their Easter Vigil, the Episcopal church in Montclair, NJ, will be singing a znamenny chant Orthodox piece (Christ is risen from the dead etc). In Montreal, French carols were sung in the Cathedral and I was singing along, feeling very grateful that I was once taught to read both music and French. I feel elated and amazed when I see how all Christian traditions are unique yet intertwined one with another.

I am a big city girl (first Moscow, then New York), and I love and appreciate the diversity of large crowds. I once dedicated an entire week-long vacation to exploring various Roman Catholic churches of my beloved city (NYC). I like to see churches full of people - it is such a breath of fresh air.

Beloved in Christ, Mariya,

That was a very beautiful post.

I too, have felt exactly like you-- also being a city girl at heart (born and raised in NYC).

Have you been to a Greek parish yet?

Alice

I know there are a few German parishes here in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Have you been to St. Stephen's? This would be on W. 54th Street between Lorain and Detroit Avenues I think. I know we've been there, and that was a good experience. Just a shame a good number of parishes have been taken over by Hispanic (mainly Puerto Rican and Cuban) communities now, especially St. Michael's on Scranton and Clark (now Iglesia San Miguel). I know that's where my mother went to high school. It's a shame that Cleveland has been a changing landscape from what it was, but we have to embrace it, unfortunately.

Why are you speaking of Hispanics in negative terms?

Never really meant it that way, but it just seems like a lot of the personality of the parishes of what they once were are just gone from old times. Although there are still plenty of Polish, Slovak, and Hungarian parishes that are holding their own, so no complaints.

Dunno, I don't see in which way a Polak ghetto is better than a Spanish ghetto. In both, illegals work for cash, buy food at their ethnic delis, and drink and drive.

Alice: yes, I love Greek Orthodox churches, too. I've been to St. George in Clifton, NJ. I've also been to St. Irene Chrysovalantou in Astoria several times. That church reminds me the churches of the Moscow Kremlin - they are also all golden and painted all over inside.

But, ethnic churches overall annoy me. I come to church seeking God, not the culture of some other country. That is why I go to the Russian Orthodox church out of duty, pretty much. If it were up to me, I'd go to a church that is mixed and diverse. Either a busy OCA parish in the city, or a non-Orthodox church.

And I better clarify: when I say "I go", that means in my wishful thinking. In reality, I have not been there in quite a while. I only exchange emails with Father who does not forget me.

Well, out of the various Orthodox Churches and Byzantine Catholic Churches around, if I had more of a choice, I would have attended Serbian Orthodox Divine Liturgies (maybe for Julian Pascha, I might give at least the Resurrection Matins a try), and for another form of Eastern Catholic Church, I'd say that I'd like to listen to the Romanian Catholic Divine Liturgy for once. Might try it for either Ascension Thursday or for Pentecost.

I'm curious about the Romanian Church, too. But I thought they were Orthodox. (My doctor is Romanian, and she said so.)

Well, most Romanians ARE Orthodox, but there are a small group of Greek-Catholics from there as well. Of course, their Eparchy is quite small in this country, only about 20 parishes/missions around the entire United States...one of which is here in the Cleveland area (St. Helena's on W. 65th near Detroit Ave. (Gordon Square)). But there also is a Romanian Orthodox Church of St. Mary's over near the Lakewood border of Cleveland on Warren Rd. between Lorain and Madison Avenues.

:-) You're making me curious about Cleveland. Maybe I'll visit someday.

I must say that a very profound experience for me was one Tasbeha service at a Coptic church. It is St. Mary's, a big new Coptic church in Middlesex County, NJ. The Tasbeha started at 9:00 pm, right after the youth group class was over. The church was dark, there were only some candles lit up front, and boys and youths from the youth group were up front chanting with their cymbals. There was a microphone on. There were only a couple of other people in the church listening to them besides me. So, in an almost empty dark church, it felt like a powerful choir of angels was worshipping the Lord. Of course, it made me ashamed of my own bitching about having to sing for a near-empty church on Sundays. (I do have a love-hate relationship with my parish, as I've described in some other posts.) I've also been to Tasbehas with St. Mark's Coptic parish in NYC - that one was more involved, there were quite a few parishioners who had come for it, and everyone (all the men) chanted in a row, and some women sang along, too.

Well, it's not just here, but the Eparchy Cathedral is in Canton, OH, about 50 miles south of here... Here's their website in terms of which parishes they have around the country:

http://www.romaniancatholic.org/directory/parishes-usa/

Awesome, thanks.

Zion Lutheran in downtown Baltimore,MD,has a German language liturgy (Eucharist) every Sunday.

First St.John's Lutheran in York, PA, will have a German language liturgy this coming Friday April 5 in the early evening (no Eucharist).