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Mar 25th, 2025
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Joined: Oct 2003
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Originally posted by Coalesco: Originally posted by Saintclare74:
[b] Hi Michael,
I don't think that many seminarians in the Latin Church have changes of heart because of the celibacy issue... after all, they understood this requirement before they even entered the seminary. And while I'm certainly not averse to married priests, I doubt that simply allowing priests to be married would solve the celibacy shortage problem.
Even a few new candidates would be a big help.
Michael [/b]I understand what you're saying, and I certainly didn't think you were Roman-bashing or celibacy-bashing. :-) The Holy Father has said that he wants the Eastern Rites to lose the Latinizations... well, if he lifted the celibacy requirement, which does not belong in the Eastern churches and should never have been imposed on us, that would be a start. God bless!
Slava Isusu Christu!
Karen
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Joined: Mar 2002
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John, we reintroduced Saturday evening Great Vespers a few years ago. We have the 1st-6th Hours before Divine Liturgy as time permits or an Akathist or Canon.
Sometimes we also have another service such as an Akathist (as for St. Nicholas) after the Divine Liturgy and lunch. We also have Litya before all of the major feasts.
Since our parish covers a 100+ mile radius, we also have Vespers, Compline, Molebens, Akathists, etc. in people's homes, RC parishes, schools, etc. in various places as an outreach, and try to have a meal and fellowship afterwards for those services. This has really worked out well and been a way to expose many people to the riches of our beautiful tradition, and to serve those who may live too far away to regularly attend the "fixed" parish.
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Diak,
What a great idea to bring the liturgical services to the home of parishioners. I pray many Byzantine missions will start that way.
In Christ,
John
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When I think of renewal in our churches I think of monasticism.
Take Holy Resurrection Monastery for example. Monasticism is vital to a vibrant Eastern Christianity. If our monastic life is healthy, them our church is healthy and vice versa.
Hegumen Nicholas and the monks have visited our parish several times. Each time I am in awe of the holy monks and the thought that they are praying for me, a poor sinner, from their desert paradise.
Any thoughts on the place of monasticism in the Metropolia?
In Christ,
John
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Joined: Mar 2002
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Some words of wisdom from Father Bob Anderson on the St. Irenaeus website: The Two Important Things
by Very Rev. Archpriest Robert Anderson
When people are attracted to an ecclesial community and they are proud to call it their own, there are two fundamental components which are absolutely necessary: a sense of divine presence and the experience of an authentic, welcoming, loving Christian community.
When people come to Church they are hoping to encounter God; in other words, the Church service must satisfy this desire. The service need not be elaborate, but somehow there must be a real sense of having made some sort of contact with God. It was precisely this which led St. Volodymyr to espouse the apostolic Christianity of the Eastern Roman Empire. Although often considered apocryphal, the story of the conversion of Rus� to Christianity is probably essentially true. It is very important that the Church offices be served with reverence and respect according to the norms established by sacred tradition. Services which do not convey any sense of the sacred and transcendent will not satisfy most people over the long run.
Christians also hope to encounter God in their brothers and sisters who are members of their parish. There must be a real spirit of genuine welcome for all who come to Church, of concern about their well-being, and a willingness to socialize with them. The importance of this aspect of Church life must never be underestimated.
Unfortunately in some cases at least one of these components may be lacking.
A parish with beautiful services but a congregation which is habitually standoffish or exclusive and not willing to welcome new members will feel very incomplete as an apostolic community.
Likewise a parish with services which are performed perfunctorily and apparently lacking a sense of prayer will not be satisfactory. The same may be said for services which make humans central and treat divinity as an afterthought. If the transcendent element is lacking, sooner or later the congregation will be perceived as more humanistic than Christian.
It is, therefore, important that each local community strive to maintain both the vertical and the horizontal components at a satisfactory level.
Both the reverent celebration of the services and authentic loving Christian attitudes are necessary for the health and wellbeing of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
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Archpriest Anderson provides some real words of wisdom in his article.
I often get into discussion with our members of our Church on the topic of evangelization. Everyone is always looking for a program to run or an activity that they can engage in to attract people to become Byzantine Catholic. I keep telling everyone who will listen two things. First, everything flows from the Liturgy. If a parish has a good, prayerful, well sung Liturgy then people will come. Second, people stay because of hospitality. When people are attracted by good Liturgy but do not find a welcoming atmosphere they will not feel and home and will not stay.
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AMEN!
there are churches where as soon as the priest says go in peace, the rush out the door is on the first syllable. I have found more fellowship and welcoming in Protestant and Episcopal churches than in Roman churches. I never could understand the obligatory passing of the peace at Mass, which is more like Simon Says than anything else
much love,
Jonn
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Our "coffee hours" are always a great way to chat and catch up with everyone.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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John Member
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Your mention of �coffee hour� reminds me of a story that is an excellent example of hospitality (which I�ve told before on the Forum). About 15 years ago a friend from work, who is Methodist, found out that I was Byzantine Catholic. He then told me what a great Church that I belonged to. It turned out that he, his wife and their children were invited to the �Liturgy with Baptism� of the newborn son of some friends of theirs a few years prior, and that these friends were parishioners at St. Gregory of Nyssa Church in Beltsville, Maryland.
My co-worker friend had lots of questions about the Liturgy, the Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist, the singing, the icons � everything. But then came the example of hospitality that made a permanent, positive image of our Church for him. The priest made a special invitation to the guests to stay for the coffee hour. So they, together with the guests who came to the Baptismal Liturgy, went into the parish hall. When they got through the coffee and doughnut line they came to cashier (there was a nominal offering for the coffee and doughnuts) the cashier refused to take their money. He said: �I don�t know you so you can�t pay. Welcome to St. Gregory�s. My name is�.� As the cashier said this he extended his hand to welcome the newcomers.
Good Liturgy and good hospitality make a parish.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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Dear Administrator,
So my father-in-law believes also!
And at 240 pounds, he is a walking example of extended, excellent hospitality!!
Alex
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it really comes down to this, boys and girls, a spirit of love. you can have the best liturgy, the most correct doctrine, and the lives of the parishioners can be spotless, but unless you show that you give a hamster's hiney about people, especially the stranger who enters your midst, and make them feel like that you see the Image of Christ in them, that they are worth something in the eyes of God the Father so much that he sent His only Begotten Son, then it's pointless. a cup of coffee extended by a friendly hand might just be the thing that someone needed that day. God only knows what hell each of us go through in life, none of us need coldness to exacerbate that hell. I have found myself in strange situations, but it's a great kairos when I find that I need to minister concern, advice, and whatever else is needed at the moment for a son of Adam or a daughter of Eve, and then I do it. shame on me for forgetting, but which Russian Orthodox theologian talked about creative spirituality? I see it, and I want to put that concept into practice when dealing with another human on this sometimes brutal planet. Much Love, Jonn 
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Dear John,
If you visited my father-in-law's parish, he would not only hug you in greeting, but he would feed you until you started to look like he does!
If that's not love, I don't know what is!
Alex
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hmmmmm,
if Slavic Christians eat as much as Baptists in the South, I am so stuffed, there goes my 36 inch waist (I am 6'3).pass the pirogis and be snappy about it!
Much Love,
Jonn
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Joined: Sep 2002
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We have a potluck every other week -- cookies only on the "off" week. We've all noticed that more people tend to stick around on the potluck days. We tried to go down to one Sunday a month, but there was such lamentations ......  Bring on the holupki!
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more when potluck is held after Liturgy? imagine that, you must have quite a few bachelors in your parish. I know of what I speak.
Much Love,
Jonn
:rolleyes:
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