www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Ash Wednesday

I heard this term on Sunday at a Byzantine Catholic Church, later when I looked at their calendar I did not find the wourd Ash Wednesday for the 25th. Is this practiced in the Eastern Church? If it is, is it the same way as the Orthodox Church or the Latin Church?

Thank you.

NO, Byzantine and Orthodox Great Lent begins with
the Vespers of Forgiveness on Sunday, Feb 22 this years when everyone in the congregation asks the forgiveness of each other to prepare for the Great
Fast.

Usually on the First days of Great Lent, the Canon of St Andrew of Crete is served.

I wonder why the priest mentioned Ash Wednesday as he was speaking about getting prepared for fasting.

Thank you

Maybe he knows that the parish has a lot of peope who are RC or who are RC inquirers into the ways of the BC and is trying to be relevant for them?

As someone mentioned, the Fast has started already by Ash Wednesday and Ash Wednesday is not really traditionally observed.

Iliana,
Sorry to here that your priest was transfered.
What I don't understand out there in that Eparchy is why the bishop would let a Byzantine priest retire and then bring a bi-ritual priest out of retirement to serve in a parish.

Dear Ludmilla,

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Thank you for your forthrightness. While you question the action of a God-beloved bishop, you at least include the phrase �I don�t understand�.

Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." Mk 9:24

Deacon El

Glory Forever !


All authority is given from above!

First, this is my last post as I will not be around here during Great Lent.

That being said, I feel compeled to comment on this.

why the bishop would let a Byzantine priest retire, I am stunned speechless on this one.....

First, I do not think a bishop could legally stop a priest who is at retirement age, or greater, from retiring and why would he want to?

What is wrong with a bi-ritual priest? When we are short of priests bi-ritual priests can be a great help.

I think it is time that we loose this attitude that we are not catholics and that the Latin Church has nothing for us. I do not think that when the Holy Father was calling Latins to learn more about us that he was not also calling us to learn more about them.

Thats it, see you after Easter!


David, the Byzantine Catholic

Hmmmm, David.... I don't *think* that anyone was implying that there was anything wrong w/ bi-ritual priests. Personally, I am thankful for these men who want to serve an even larger community of Catholics than just the largest rite and I didn't see anything in the preceding posts that was really counter to that sentiment.

Annie,

I had the same reaction as David to the comment about bi-ritual priests. Ludmilla's post, to my eye, suggested that there was something lesser in being served by a bi-ritual priest. For all the wrongs that we have suffered at the hands of Latins such as Archbishop John Ireland and many others less notorious, there have been Latin hierarchs and priests, some bi-ritual - others not, without whom some of our parishes would never have survived and to whom we owe a significant debt of gratitude. That a bi-ritual priest was willing to come out of retirement to serve Iliana's parish, which might otherwise have been bereft of clergy, is a blessing - not something to be suggested as less than the ideal.

Many years,

Neil

Oh goodness ! Please forgive me ,I certainly did not mean to imply that there is anything wrong with having a Bi-Ritual priest serve a Byzantine parish. I have been close friends with several bi-ritual priests over the years and their love of the Church(East & West) has greatly inspired me. Nor was I questioning the authority of the Bishop.
I was privately musing out loud on a public forum - shame on me, I should know better and will certainly refrain from posting in the future without giving my intended post several days reflection before hitting the post button.
Once again my apologies if I have provoked anyone.

P.S. - I had tried to delete the offending post
yesterday , but the allowable time had
already passed.

Luke

No need to apologize, Luke, or to try to delete your post.

I understood your post as you intended it - and, hey, we all wonder aloud about "why things are" at times. That's part of what a forum is for - to discuss such things.

It's always good to keep the Big Picture in front of you. Y'all started your Great Fast today - and we will start ours Wednesday - but we're all heading towards the same destination, please God! :-)

Thank you all, besides, let us fast accordingly to the word and to help us grow in love. Jl2:12 Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Mt6:6 But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Does it matter if people start on Sunday or Wednesday? I think what matters is how our heart is when we do it and our faith in Christ. My brother's formal conversion to Catholicism it�s around the corner, he now is a member of Our Lady of Wisdom. Because of the changes at St. Gabriel, the Priest�s schedule will be very busy until he adjusts. My brother wants to fulfill his mysteries and participate in the Eucharist. Father Vivona is willing to work with him literally day and night so that he can accomplish what is needed by Easter. Also, the church is a lot closer to home. I will continue to tag along with my brother and Father Vivona allows me to study with them so I can't ask for more. I don't see myself leaving the RC church, I love the spirituality of the East and culturally I am attached to the West. I will continue to embrace both because both have spiritual beauty, both offer growth and help us fortify our faith in Jesus Christ. Both are One, Holy, and Apostolic, which to me matters a whole lot. I can now breath with both lungs of the church that Jesus founded and I want RCs to learn and know the beauty of the East. Who knows God may use me for this purpose.