www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology St. Therese of Lisieux and the Eastern Catholic Churches

Doulos,

The controversy here re: St Th�r�se is, I think, whether Rome making her the patroness of the Russicum and Eastern Catholics having public devotions to her is 1) Catholicity in action � a saint of one Catholic Church being recognized by all Catholic Churches; or 2) unconscionable ecclesiastical imperialism, adopting the Little Flower as a symbol in a campaign of the Roman Church to subjugate, even destroy, the Russian Orthodox Church.

As Mike Myers used to say in character as �Linda Richman� on �Kawfee Tawlk�, �Discuss!�

<a href="http://oldworldrus.com">Old World Rus�</a>

You have hit the nail on the head, Rusnak. The question is complicated by the fact that some Russian Orthodox in France were devoted to St. Therese. This has been pointed out before. I would like to know more about this phenomenon.

What form did this devotion take ? Did the Orthodox write and or venerate any icons publicly or privately, for example or did they largely follow Roman Catholic practices.Was this devotion confined to France ? How widespread was this devotion ? What was the reaction of Russian bishops and theologians ?

[This message has been edited by Doulos of Fatima (edited 10-02-2000).]

Thanks, Doulos. ISTM the spontaneous devotion of Russians (born Orthodox) in France to the Little Flower is entirely different (and a good thing � true Catholicity in action!) from the Roman Church adopting her in the past as a patron of some kind of campaign or agenda. I wouldn�t be surprised if these Russians had holy cards of St Th�r�se.

<a href="http://oldworldrus.com">Old World Rus�</a>

Glory to Jesus Christ ! Glory forever !

Here are two links to the Byzantine Ruthenian Carmelite Convent in Sugarloaf, PA. These sisters seem to have a strong devotion to St. Therese. Perhaps they have composed an entire office for her.

This one gives the history of the convent www.helpfellowship.org/OCD/sugarloaf_pennsyvania.htm [helpfellowship.org]
http://nyssa.cecs.uofs.edu/carmelite.html

Glory to Jesus Christ ! Glory forever !

Here are two links to the Byzantine Ruthenian Carmelite Convent in Sugarloaf, PA. These sisters seem to have a strong devotion to St. Therese. Perhaps they have composed an entire office for her.

This one gives the history of the convent http://www.helpfellowship.org/OCD/sugarloaf_pennsylvania.htm
http://nyssa.cecs.uofs.edu/carmelite.html

[This message has been edited by Doulos of Fatima (edited 10-17-2000).]

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Thanks, Doulos, for those links. Sister Maria�s story is inspiring. I wish, though, there were pictures of this Carmel (chapel, etc.) because I once saw a short news item on TV (on a Catholic program?) about Fr Walter and it showed what I thought was the Carmel, which disappointingly looked very modern and latinized. I�d think with her strong Russian formation, that wouldn�t be Sister Maria�s doing! It is a Ruthenian problem, though, dating at least back to Bishop/Archbishop Nicholas Elko�s latinizing in the 1950s. Could the Ruthenian connection be the explanation, if what I remember is in fact the Sugarloaf Carmel?

<a href="http://oldworldrus.com">Old World Rus�</a>

Dear Rusnak,

Here's the link to the Byzantine Carmel in Sugarloaf with photos. Also with audio of the Divine Liturgy.
http://www.byzantinenunscarmel.com/

Sophia

Thank you, Sophia, for that link. Those pictures made my day. Seems the Carmel is well Orthofied (by this I mean fully Byzantinized) or well on its way to it, which is as it should be.

On my site, on the Orthodox Tradition page, I have a link to a Carmel in France, about the same age as the Sugarloaf, PA one (maybe a little older), that has adopted the Byzantine Rite.

<a href="http://oldworldrus.com">Old World Rus�</a>

[This message has been edited by Rusnak (edited 10-23-2000).]

Doulos and Rusnak,
Thank you for your recent replies to this topic.
I have found another icon of Saint Therese. It is one of the best that I have seen. It was written by one of the Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon, who are well known for the icons they produce.
You may view it- as well as read information on the visit of Saint Therese's relics to the abbey-at:
www.mtangel.edu/St.Therese/theresemain.htm [mtangel.edu]

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

Byzantino, Fr. Alexandr Elchaninov (1881-1934) a Russian Orthodox priest advised other Russians to read the works of St. Therese. He served (1921-1934) the refugee community in France. He was regarded as a saint by the exiled Russian Orthodox and Russian Catholics.

Here is an article I found regarding the visit of Saint Therese's relics to the Russicum in Rome. It turned out to be quite an event!

www.ocd.pcn.net/c93en3.htm#Santi [ocd.pcn.net]

Dear Griego,

I know of a number of Ukrainian Catholic parishes in Canada that celebrate the Feast of St Therese, attended the veneration of Her relics and offered the Divine Liturgy on the day she was declared a Doctor of the Church.

There are now three officially approved Akathists to St Therese that are now carried by the Basilian Press in Toronto and are especially used in Ukraine.

Alex

Hi,

Its just a sorta-kinda thing. In my former RC parish St. Therese of Lisieux (now for the cross over-Eucharistic Adoration). They have a huge & heavy 21/2-3ft. tall monstrance on the bottom is molded in is the statue of St Therese. It is beautiful.

Nicky's Baba

Serge,

Do any Russian Orthodox parishes commemorate her? It seems if this has naturally developed, she might be an excellent example of Catholic-Orthodox unity.

Axios

www.axios.net [axios.net]

Axios,

No, no Russian Orthodox Church commemorates St Th�r�se, because the Orthodox officially don't claim to be able to declare anything about non-Orthodox saints*, but there are Russian Orthodox particularly in St Th�r�se's France who are privately devoted to her.

*While Catholicism has added postschism Orthodox saints, including St Gregory Palamas, the father of hesychasm and a rival to scholasticism, to its calendars. Indeed the Russian Catholics commemorate everybody the OCA does.

http://oldworldrus.com