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Dr. J:

OK I get what you're saying. I agree, I love Byzantine Chant, and yes Tone 6 is my favorite tone. Those flats are great!! But I much prefer it in English, as I can understand. Does more for me. That's why I love "Byzantine Music of the New World" series--the Byzantine Chants but in English! Wow what a concept!

I think in areas that can support it, like Serge's Philly, there should be an Orthodox Church that uses OCS for the immigrants, and a Church that uses English for the 2nd generations and the converts. When the immigrants stop comming, and the 1st gens get older, the church will switch. But don't let things be like the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Raleigh: great church, great priest, many converts: but many of the Arabs go to the Maronite Church cuz they don't understand liturgical English! So let's not disenfranchise them, either!

Blessed Nativity!

anastasios

PS Do you ever visit Holy Transfig? Seems like it would suit you more since they do Byzantine Chant (But in English mostly) and you are Greek. But maybe you like hanging with Stu and John V.?? :-) I go to Holy Transfig because my godson's apartment was right behind it and so I would come to DC once a month to take him to church.

David,

I doubt you will find too many Liturgies done entirely in Church Slavonic here in the Pittsburgh area. In my experience most parishes are like mine and have one of their Divine Liturgies partially in Slavonic. At my parish, we usually take from "Let us stand aright..." through "We praise you..." Also, most parishes have pewbooks in English and Slavonic transliterated in Slovak so you shouldn't have any trouble following along.

In Christ,
Lance, deacon candidate

I agree most heartily with Brother Serge about the need to serve the newly arrived -- if they can't find a "new home" among "their own", then we aren't worthy of the name 'Christian'.

Historically, of course, the major migration from Eastern (and Southern) Europe was from about 1890 to 1925 or so. With the depression, not as many came. Thus, we are already in the third, fourth, and possibly fifth generations from our immigrant ancestors. And as the joke about monolinguals implies, most Americans can't get along in anything other than English, and oftentimes poorly in that!

Anastasios, when I arrived in the metro DC area, Transfiguration was a tiny group meeting in a small residence in NE Washington. Epiphany had just been a parish, and since my formation was primarily among the Slavs, I first visited there. The people were GREAT! They and the pastor welcomed me with open arms. Although I was somewhat disconcerted with the music (I was used to Russian tones!), I stayed. And it's been 26 happy years. I do visit Transfiguration from time to time, as I do St. Katherines GO parish which is quite close to my home. (Actually the closest Orthodox church is Holy Cross, OCA-Romanian, which is right across the street. The priest there, Fr. Georghe, was held prisoner by the communists for very many years, and when released went right back to preaching. The small parish is Romanian language. They also have an Ethiopian congregation which shares the building. Every Saturday morning and evening, there are prayer-shawl clad Ethiopians spilling out the doors with a BIG Ethiopian flag hanging from the canopy.)

All in all, we have to be very aware of our historical roots and all the customs and 'pathways' that accompany it. But as 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations, we've got to make sure that we keep our people -- especially our young people alive in the faith. It distressed me no end when I went to the Greek Cathedral in DC for Paschal Matins; there were hundreds and hundreds of folks, many of them young -- with 'dates' on their arms -- who stayed for Anastasi, had their candles, and then when the procession went back inside, they went off to their cars to hit the bars in Georgetown. By the time Matins was done and liturgy began, fully 1/3 of the Cathedral seats were available. Are they Orthodox? Sure, by baptism. Are they Orthodox by practice and faith? I don't want to judge, but by external behavior......

We've got to catechize! We've got to teach!! We've got to keep 'our own' and reach out to the unchurched or the unhappily churched. Our churches have got to be warm, friendly and welcoming. We've got to make it easy for people to pray and to acquire the self-discipline that allows for 'love of God and love of neighbor'. We need the ecclesiastical equivalent of the Marines or the Rangers. GO GET 'EM, PEOPLE!!!

They're out there -- they just need a warm invite. Lenten pierogi suppers bring in the 'natives' and their children -- get that mushroom soup like grammy made and the pierogi. The "Slavic Festival" brings in the 'ethnic friendly' from the whole region. And they visit the church, pick up the bulletin, and chat with the regulars. And some of them come to visit. But we can and need to do increasingly more.

Blessings!

Anastasios/Serge and others who attempted to answer my request,

Thanks for your help.

Lance,
I was not talking about the Divine Liturgy during normal times, I was focusing more on Holy Week and Easter, there seems to be much more Slavonic there. That is all, I was just looking for assistance so that I could know that I was pronouncing it correctly.

For the others, it is disappointing that you chose to answer a question you assumed I was asking rather than taking the time to read my question and answer what I asked.


Christ is Born!
David