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#393186 04/10/13 01:09 AM
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What is a Ruthenian Catholic divine liturgy like? Time? Comparison to say EO?

Anastasia13 #393189 04/10/13 08:43 AM
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You will likely get some very snarky remarks about this and a reference to a long list of complaints about the current translation of the liturgy because there are a number of aggressive critics of the liturgy on this forum. Let me describe our liturgy as best I can.

The first thing to note is that there can be some variation in the liturgy depending on the history, circumstances and the priest of any particular parish. However, I think you would find similar variation in Orthodox liturgies as well. Ours is a small mission so we have to use the chapel of a local Roman Catholic church. Our priest spent 10 years in an Orthodox monastery so our liturgy is probably more nearly like the Orthodox than some. We only are able to celebrate the divine liturgy and not matins or vespers. The liturgy generally is completed in about one hour and fifteen minutes. All parts of the liturgy are in English. Everything is sung by the entire congregation. We have a cantor but no choir. I would say that in general our liturgy is quite similar to that of most Slavic origin Orthodox churches. I hope this helps a little bit.

Anastasia13 #393190 04/10/13 09:19 AM
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Jim's account would also apply almost exactly to St. Elias Byzantine Catholic Church in Munhall, PA (southeast of Pittsburgh), except that we occasionally sing in Hungarian in addition to English. The liturgy runs about 75 minutes on an ordinary Sunday.

Anastasia13 #393195 04/10/13 10:54 AM
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Only 75 minutes?!?! An EO service is like 2 hours.

Last edited by Anastasia13; 04/10/13 10:54 AM.
Anastasia13 #393197 04/10/13 12:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Anastasia13
Only 75 minutes?!?! An EO service is like 2 hours.

I'm pretty sure this varies, depending upon the parish and/or jurisdiction. I've attended a Greek Orthodox Divine liturgy that lasted 75 minutes and an Antiochian Orthodox Divine Liturgy that lasted 90 minutes. I don't know if that's typical, it is just what I experienced. In my Ruthenian parish, Divine Liturgy lasts about 80 minutes.

Anastasia13 #393199 04/10/13 02:16 PM
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I've been to liturgies in many different Orthodox churches in many different countries. An ordinary Divine Liturgy typically lasts no more than ninety minutes, albeit it is usually preceded by Orthros or the Hours, which can add an additional hour or so to the proceedings. On great feasts, you can find liturgies lasting two hours or so, but they are the exception. In the United States, I have found many Orthodox Divine Liturgies far more abbreviated than that which we celebrate at Holy Transfiguration Melkite in Virginia.

Anastasia13 #393202 04/10/13 04:23 PM
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Well. Then you have some Ruthenian Parishes, especially ones where high clergy (Archpriest and up) that it can take anywhere from 1 hr. 15 min. on a regular Saturday Vigil DL with Vespers, or a regular Sunday DL with Matins, to at least 2 hrs. to 2 hrs. 20 min. on a large feast day, such as Nativity with the Compline, the Vespers, and everything, or Theophany Eve with the blessing of water Ritual, or on Holy Thursday, especially when it's Pontifical or Hierarchical with Vespers, and the DL of St. Basil, and the Washing of Feet Ritual, yeah... Those are instances where you'll have long, long services.

Anastasia13 #393205 04/10/13 11:33 PM
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I am having trouble attending my regular church and need to be somewhere 3 hours after the Mass time listed this Sunday. Do I need to call ahead to find out if this will work?

Anastasia13 #393213 04/11/13 02:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Anastasia13
I am having trouble attending my regular church and need to be somewhere 3 hours after the Mass time listed this Sunday. Do I need to call ahead to find out if this will work?

It probably depends to a large degree on how long it's going to take you to get from the church to wherever you're going smile.

Anastasia13 #393225 04/11/13 10:23 PM
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30 to 45 minutes.

Anastasia13 #393238 04/12/13 12:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Anastasia13
30 to 45 minutes.

Well, I'll go out on a limb and say that unless there's a long line for Holy Communion and the priest is particularly loquacious with his homily, you're probably fairly safe.


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