www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy Prostrations among the Ukrainians

Dear Forum Members,

Do members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic & Ukrainian Orthodox Churches do prostrations during the Divine Liturgy, or is this purely a Russian practice? (I am referring to Liturgies outside of Great Lent).

If they do, are they done at the same time as the Russians, or different?
Thank You!

Well usually one does not prostrate outside of lent, or are you referring to weekday services?

The rule of thumb is that there are no prostrations ever on Sunday and only on Kneeling Vespers of Pentecost does one kneel (technically Sunday evening, not day).

That is what I was taught and observed and did, and still do.

Aren't the exceptions to the rule - the 3rd Sunday of the Great Fast as well as the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross ?

I can't speak in general regarding Ukrainian Orthodox parish practice,when I was the guest of a local Ukrainian Orthodox priest,I observed both priest and congregation kneel after the liturgy to the singing of a hymn.I believe it was "Bozhe Velikyy".The only issue I had was that one shouldn't kneel after recieving Holy Communion at least until Vespers later in the day.
Regarding the Cross,I would say we do prostrations before the Cross always,Sunday or not,EXCEPT,as I stated above, after Holy Communion is recieved.

Ruthenians do prostrations during Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

In a number of Russian or Russian-derived parishes, a custom of prostrating at the Epiclesis has developed over a number of decades (maybe even centuries?), in imitation of the prostration performed by the celebrants after the invocation of the Holy Spirit. However, it has to be said that this is not in the rubrics for the laity, and is not in keeping with the spirit of honoring Sunday as the Day of Resurrection. Nonetheless, like kneeling in some Greek Catholic parishes, it's almost impossible to suppress--popular piety cares nothing for rubrical niceties.

True. I forgot those 2 Sundays for the Exaltation of the Cross during lent and in September.

Dear Subdeacon,
You mean the Sunday of the Cross in Lent and the Exaltation of the Cross which may fall on a Sunday(when it does,according to the Russian rubrics)nothing of the Resurrection is chanted during Vespers,Matins, and Liturgy.
Then there is the lesser Feast of the Cross,Aug 1st,which begins the Dormition Fast.Often,in parishes,that is served only if it falls on Sunday.

I have a Ukrainian Catholic hand missal from the early part of the 20th century and it says the priests do prostrations after the "this is my body" and after "this is my blood". I wonder if this was an attempt to adapt the russian practice to the latin theology or an organic change in the Ukrainian church

It is a tossup. There are prostrations that the Greeks and the Romanians do (especially after the Epiklesis), but I cannot recall off hand if they do the same after the "Words of Institution".

St John Chrysostom, although I forget the exact reference from his writings, does say that after the Words of Institution, the priest and everyone are to make a prostration.

In my Church, after the Words "This is my Body..." one makes the Sign of the Cross with a prostration (not to the floor) and again after the "This is my Blood...".

Also after the "Thine from Thine own . . ." But there are priests who make a full prostration after the Epiclesis, i.e. the final "Amen."

It would be nice for our Church to have ONE set of liturgical rules in place for all of this. As it stands we have two Ukrainian language versions of the Divine Liturgy and our Eparchs in Ukraine in the last little while approved a third.

That's fine - but can we please have and follow just ONE?! They seemed to be mostly focused on delineating the titles and roles of various categories of bishops . . .

There is a war going on there with an invading Russian Federation army hell-bent on destroying Ukraine, Ukrainian culture, the Ukrainian Churches - and all with the overt blessing of the Russian Orthodox patriarch.

There are more current things for our eparchs to busy themselves with - at least it would appear.

Dr Roman the Akathistnik, we could follow the Old Rite Russian rules, which is "Take, eat..." bow to the waist, "Drink ye all..." bow to waist, "Thine own of Thine own..." bow to waist, "We hymn Thee..." full prostration (there is a full prostration after Dostojno jest' or the Zadostojnik, as well as two bows and a prostration at the Great Entrance). This way we do everything everyone is already doing

I like your solution!! You should be, at the very least, the ecumenical advisor to Rome!!!

Cheers, Alex

I find it difficult to do prostrations with ores in the way.