www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Is the "angel of peace" litany suppressed? If so, why?

I asked this on another thread but the discussion there is primarily about whether or not the Anaphora should be taken aloud. I just want to confirm if this litany will be suppressed in the revised Ruthenian Liturgy. The Administrator said that it was in the Eparchy of Passaic. Is that true? How about other eparchies?:

If it is to be suppressed, why?

Do not all other Byzantine jurisdictions (both Catholic and Orthodox) contain it?

David Ignatius DTBrown@aol.com

David,

In my Melkite parish that litany is used.

Edward, deacon and sinner

It is bad enough when one eparchy purports to authorize major abbreviations. It is far worse when one eparchy requires such abbreviations unilaterally. Both the Melkite Synod and the Ukrainian Synod (separately) promulgated abbreviations of the Divine Liturgy, but made it clear that these abbreviations are facultative only, and that one is always allowed to use the full Divine Liturgy. Incognitus

So, can a parish of the Ruthenian Metropolia use the complete Divine Liturgy if it wishes? Or, must it follow these abbreviations?

At present there are in fact a very few parishes of the Ruthenian Metropolia which DO celebrate the full Divine Liturgy. It would be interesting to know how the faithful in these parishes are responding to this practice.
As for the hypothetical case of some individual bishop seeking to penalize a priest for celebrating the full Divine Liturgy, I would defend the priest strongly. Whether a qualified canonist could be found to take up the defence and pursue it in Rome is another question - but I suspect that Rome would back the priest, at least to the extent of lifting any penal sanction against him - though this would not stop the bishop from waiting a decent interval and then assigning the priest as pastor of Our Lady of the Sticks Church in North Nowheresville. Or, as Bishop Nicholas occasionally said to priests doing things he didn't like "do you have ear muffs, Father? It's cold in Alaska!". Incognitus

Another thought...if it's okay for a parish to do the full Divine Liturgy, what text would they follow? Has the Liturgy Commission done the texts for those parts which are now apparently omitted?

"Has the Liturgy Commission done the texts for those parts which are now apparently omitted?" Yes; you can find them in the 1964 English translation (which is still the official version for the Byzantine Catholic Metropolia). Incognitus

Anyone from the Van Nuys, Parma, or Pittsburgh Eparchies:

Is the "angel of peace" litany supressed in the Divine Liturgy in your Eparchy? Or, does your parish continue to use the litany?

Also, does the new text done by the Liturgy Commission only cover the abbreviated text of the Liturgy?

Dave,

The Liturgicon, (the big black one on the altar or the small red one the deacon carries, has the complete text of the Liturgy as published in Rome in 1942 in Church Slavonic and translated and published by Inter-eparchial liturgical commision in 1964 in English. The Blue/Maroon Peoples Book edited by Monsignor William Levkulic and published by the Byzantine Seminary Press in 1978 has that litany but only before the Our Father and indicates it is optional and not after the Cherubic Hymn, although there is a rubric which states "in some parishes a Litany is now intoned. The response is Lord have mercy (1)and Grant it, O Lord." It also gives the priest's concluding doxology. The Blue/Maroon book also does not have the little litanies after the antiphons or the litany for the catechumens the Litany of Thanksgiving is given but indicated as optional.

Are they suppressed? No, at least not in Pittsburgh, Parma, or Van Nuys. However, they are optional and have been for a long time. From experience it seems most never take it after the Cherubic Hymn and I have ben told this is true of the European Eparchies as well although they always take the one before the Our Father.

But there is one thing worth noting. The 1942 Ordo was never promulgated in Pittsburgh or Passaic and was promulgated only in modified form in Parma and Van Nuys. That said it is entirely up to the priest how full or abbreviated the Liturgy is celebrated in Pittsburgh and I believe Parma and Van Nuys. I have never heard of a priest getting in trouble for doing the full Liturgy. Even if things are forbidden in Passaic I have seen them done and I doubt anybody is going to get in any more trouble than a finger wagging and scolding.

In the revised Liturgy, rather than suppressed, I would say it is no longer normative. The revised Liturgy is an attempt to find middle ground between several varying practices and publish a text that is normative i.e. The bishops will celebrate that way at Eparchial events and at the Cathedrals. However, I have been advised by members of the Liturgical commission no priest will be prevented from doing the full Liturgy.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Fr Deacon Lance,

Thank you for the reply. The parish we used to belong to always took that litany. We went back to visit recently and now they do not. That was one reason why I was wondering if it had been suppressed.

By setting up a new revised liturgy the way we have are we not enshrining these (and other) abbreviations as "normative"?

Does anyone's parish here still take the "angel of peace" litany? I'm assuming that since no one has said theirs does that it's a "rare bird" these days in the Ruthenian Church.

While individual bishops may promulgate
"guidelines" for celebrations of the DL in their eparchies they are not canonically able to interdict promulgations "from above", i.e. the Eastern Congregation which are still in force.

One major problem for the churches of the Ruthenian Recension, both Ukrainian and the BCC Metropolia, is that the common available pew books have not included the full texts and optionds from the Liturgikon. By the most common ones available I am referring to the 1973 Toronto and the 1988 Synodal for the UGCC; the 1965 Intereparchial and 1978 Levkulic for the BCC Metropolia.

The Melkites are in better shape in this regard as best text example I can think of with nearly everything included, additional little ektenies, ekteny of the catechumens, prayers of the priest, etc. in Greek Catholic usage is BDW by Archbishop Raya. I believe his is still the official English translation of the Melkite Patriarchate.

There is, however, a project underway to make the UGCC Liturgikon available in a pew book format with all of the "optional" parts, and with all three antiphons and psalms of Typika.

Metropolitan Judson of Pittsburgh promulgated the Ordo Celebrationis.
The Pastoral Handbook
of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, promulgated by Metropolitan Judson,
March 1st 1999....

Liturgical Directives (from page 82)

468. The Divine Services are to be celebrated according to the liturgical books and rubrics approved for use in the Metropolia of Pittsburgh exclusively.

469. In the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, Divine LIturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the Sacramental Mysteries and the Hours, all are to
follow "The Order for the Celebratin of Vespers, Matins and the Divine Liturgy according to the Ruthenian Recension" (Rome, 1944), the directives from the Holy See and the liturgical books approved by the Council of Hierarchs of the Metropolia of Pittsburgh.
Better late than never. Incognitus

Incognitus,

Thank you for that citation. I am going to have to get a copy of that. However it seems 468 is trumping 469. By this I mean even in the Cathedral the Maroon Levkulic book is the norm and since 1999 in fact I believe the revised Liturgy has been used there. As for the parishes again pastor's choice.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Subdeacon Randolph,

The Eastern Congregation approves and publishes liturgical materials but it is for the Church sui iuris to promulgate them.

How can we, on onehand, say forget the Curia when they insist the ban on married priests is still in force and on the other demand the bishops obey it when they publish a Liturgikon?

Fr. Deacon Lance

...

Do not all other Byzantine jurisdictions (both Catholic and Orthodox) contain it?

David Ignatius DTBrown@aol.com [/QUOTE]

When I was with the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese before my return to Rome and Latinity, we always took this litany (the whole thing, not just the parts excerpted in the quote). The quoted parts above have been especially meaningful to me and they are certainly worthy of serious meditation by all of us.

Fr Deacon Ed, I'm not surprised to hear that your Melkite parish is still taking this ektenia. From what I have seen, Melkite and Antiochian liturgical practices are very similar, if not almost identical, which I guess should not be surprising (we used to use the Melkite Menaion texts). Next time I'm in L.A. I will have to drop in on Sunday morning for Orthros and Liturgy.

All the best,
Woody Jones