The Orthodox Way

This arrived in today's post. I hope to make a start this evening. I also have The Incarnate God and S. Cyril of Jerusalem's Lectures on the Christian Sacraments on order. I've seen part of the Orthodox worship and fellowship, and part of a priest's domestic life. Now I'm delving a little more into the theology, which is a love of mine, even if I don't do it particularly well. (sigh).

I am thinking of also investing in The Orthodox Church. Is there anything else that anybody has found helpful or thinks that I might?

Many thanks.

Coming out - part the second

I posted some weeks ago that I had concerns about the reactions of some of my friends to my thoughts. After the joy of Pascha, I could keep quiet no longer and so I have begun to be more open with some of those closer to me. This has gone down rather well, although I am aware that not everybody is best pleased. I have good, supportive friends, who, although may not respect my choice, respect my right to make that choice. This is a great relief to me, although I don't suppose I genuinely expected any less from my friends.

I am still concerned about my involvement with the culture that exists within the Church of England, and howI would be affected by a separation from that culture. I suppose only time will tell what happens.

I wait, praying for patience.

Flowery Language

Is there a concise way to say something? Can extra adjectives be deleted? Can the briskest, most pointed prose be boiled down one more time to a more refined level? Then it's not Orthodox worship. If there's a longer way to say something, the Orthodox will find it. In Orthodox worship, more is always more, in every area including prayer. When the priest or deacon intones, "Let us complete our prayer to the Lord," expect to still be standing there fifteen minutes later.

This made me chuckle. It also hit home because that is exactly what I am like. God has given us the richness and beauty of language. It is only right that we use it in our praise of him and as part of the sanctification of our everyday lives. I am firmly opposed to the dumbing down mentality that brought us the BBC report about Pope John Paul II, as he lay in state, wearing 'crimson robes and his white pope's hat'.

I love flowery language, especially when it is used effectively to carry its meaning in a beautiful way. Language is an art, not merely a form of communication. I am glad that I am moving towards a church that embraces this.

Trampling down death by death!

Absolutely wonderful!

Following from my last post, I arrived at the church yesterday (which is in the priest's house), at about 10 past 12 in the afternoon, just in time to catch the beginning of the Liturgy of S. Basil, which was absolutely amazing. There were only four of us plus the priest, but the wonder of it was overwhelming, with the strewing of flowers and the blessing of figs and dates. I was very nervous at first, having arrived later than planned and so not having been introduced to anybody first, but one of the ladies introduced herself to me during the liturgy and asked a few questions. We spoke later on. This liturgy finished at 10 minutes past 2 and then we prepared for the Baptism at 3, which was a wonderfully joyous occasion, with a remarkably well-behaved baby. There was a little get-together in the house afterwards, during which I got to talking with a few people. I helped Father to prepare the church for the evening, which provided a perfect opportunity for us to talk about my thoughts and his in more detail. I then had a look at some of the evening's music with Matushka (who is still adjusting to being called this).

The reading of the Acts of the Apostles began at 9.30, and was sung in English by the sub-deacon and a cantor, alternating chapters, with one chapter done in Slavonic by a member of the church. There was then Matins, which got about 25 people, and which I ended up helping the choir of two with, and then there was another service at about 11.30, which culminated with an outdoor, candlelit procession and proclamation of the Gospel. The Liturgy of S. John Chrysostom followed, which I also helped with the music for. At about 1.30, I had to sit down and by 1.45 I was falling asleep, and so gave up and retired to bed. I was fetched by Father's 8 yr old daughter at half past two, to be informed that I was missing the food, which news got me promptly out of bed and to the kitchen.

It was simply marvellous, even if I am now extremely tired. I think that if there were any doubts, these have been erased by my experience of last evening.

On top of all of the above was the warmth and love, and total lack of any sort of inhibition that was there. This was the place where, in one room, were Russians, Ukranians, Lithuanians, Romanians and Britons, all conversing and worshipping together, where a 16 yr old young man was quite happy to sit on his father's lap when there were no seats available, and to hug his father (not an embarrassed masculine "hug" with a pat on the back, but an actual loving embrace), in front of everyone, with no qualms whatsoever. There was no pretence, no obsession with how people interpreted others' actions. People just felt, and physically expressed what they felt. It was wonderful!

I can't wait to go back.

My first Pascha!

I shall be going along to the liturgy for Pascha this year for the first time. I have never attended Orthodox worship before. I have, of course, done a bit of reading about this, but it would still be good to hear from people here.

What can I expect? I would especially like to hear of anything that is specific to thie celebration. Also what would be expected of me?

Many thanks.

Orthodox Structures

I must admit to have found this the most confusing of my questions. At least with the others, I had some idea of the answer, and although I thought I had with this, I find myself a little baffled again. Maybe I'm not quite as far out as I currently think, but we'll see.

Here is my perception of the hierarchical structures within Orthodoxy as it stood up until about half an hour ago:

There is* a number of patriarchates, each headed by a Patriarch.
Under each patriarch is a number of provinces, heach headed by a metropolitan.
Under each metropolitan is a number of dioceses, each headed by a bishop.
Under each bishop is a number of parishes and monasteries.

This was all very clear to me until reading about the autocephaly of the OCA a little while ago. I had thought that one of the main problems that the Moscow Patriarchate had with ROCOR was that they prefer not to submit to this patriarchate, and that is why there is a state of impaired communion. Now I realise that the selfsame patriarchate has granted autocephaly to the OCA. Does a church not have to fall within the jurisdiction of a Patriarch? I'm all very confused.

If this is all right, then why all the trouble with ROCOR? Is it because they were not granted autocephaly, but just, sort of, claimed it? Is my understanding of this history, even right.

I'm confuddled.

(I really do feel that I owe you all a bottle of wine or gin or something for your patient and very helpful responses).

*unsure whether "number" used as a collective is singular or plural.

Hanging pyx

O sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory given to us.

Here is a photograph that I took at Ripon Cathedral last month. It shows the hanging pyx in the chapel to the south of the High Altar. I know that there is one in the Resurrection Chapel at Mirfield as well, but these seem to be rather rare nowadays. Does anybody know of anywhere else that uses this traditional English method of reserving the Most Blessed Sacrament? I'd be interested to see them, if you can provide a link to photographs.

Patron Saints

I am blessed to have three Saints' names: S. Michael (whose icon is to the right in the sidebar), Ss Patrick and David, whose icons are at the left of this blog.

I have a deep devotion to S. Michael, and would very much like to develop something similar with Ss Patrick and David. I have never before been encouraged in this, and such devotion is something that I have arrived at very much on my own. I know that things are very different in Orthodoxy, and so I would very much like to hear from those who practise devotion to their patron Saints (and I understand that this is not always the same as the Saint(s) whose name(s) a person bears).

Do you have icons or any special prayers addressed to them, or hymns written in their honour? I would be very interested to hear.

A heckler

Yes, this morning's Mass was punctuated with a less-than-delightful diversion, which was not from Sarum, John Chrysostom, Tridentine, or any other liturgy that I know of.

We had a heckler.

This started during the sermon, with shouts of "Excuse me!", and a swift stop to it with a stern look and a hand signal from Father. Afterwards, during the period of silence that precedes the Creed, it started again. Again Father told her to stop, and very sternly never to do it again. She continued to shout and so, after much debate with one of the wardens, which lasted for most of the Creed, was escorted off the premises.

Now to be charitable, this lady is clearly unwell. She comes to Mass occasionally, and is usually rather well-behaved, usually reserving her criticism of the sermon and other shouting for after the service, but this is not the first time that she has done this. I am told that this has previously happened once during the Pax, and on another occasion, during the Prayers of Intercession, seemingly because of her disagreement with some of what was said during the course of said prayers.

I think that Father finally decided that enough was enough, and that the congregation should not be made to suffer because of one person's inability to control herself, which seems rather reasonable to me, especially as he had already offered to respond to any of her objections after the Mass.

Disrupting a church service is still illegal in this country, and by right, the wardens could have detained her and called the police. Out of charity and taking account of her mental instability, this route was not pursued, but I think that a stern word, reminding her that she has, in fact, broken the law and could have landed herself in court, may well be in order. Unfortunately, gone are the days when the virger and one of the wardens were provided by Her Majesty's constabulary, but I am sure that they still have some rights to enforce the law in church, especially in situations like this one.

Does anybody remember the incident involving Peter Tatchell in Canterbury Cathedral one Easter Day a few years back? I believe that he was fined for disrupting the Mass, (although it was only during Carey's sermon, so I'm not sure I would have been too bothered, had I been there).

Has anybody else had experiences of this nature? How were they dealt with?

Many thanks.

The next step

I have had this blog now for nearly two months. I know that this isn't a long time, but still, during this time, I have learnt so very much on here, and from individuals who have contacted me via e-mail and shared so much of their lives and faith with me. I am very grateful.

This, combined with my reading of various Orthodox websites from the different jurisdictions and across the globe, and much prayer, and a conversation with my parish priest, has led me to where I now am, which is at the point of being ready to approach an Orthodox priest to discuss this further.

I actually e-mailed him over a month ago, but various things in life over the past few weeks have taken precedence in my consciousness. Now that things are falling back together rather than apart, my focus has once again shifted back to this.

Therefore, I shall be meeting with a priest of ROCOR in about two weeks' time to have an informal chat about all of this. I know what some of the issues are surrounding ROCOR and communion with some of the other jurisdictions. I also know that there are hopeful moves towards overcoming these obstacles. All of that aside, of the three Orthodox priests who have either contacted me without prompt or warmly responded to my questions online, both here and elsewhere, two of them were from ROCOR and have been very warm and informative.

Also, of the four Orthodox churches relatively nearby that have most, if not all, of their services in English, three of them are ROCOR. Even with my plans to move to another city over the next few months, this will still be the case, so I think that this is the best way in for me for the timebeing.

I am very grateful for all of your contributions so far, and I shall certainly continue to share here what I feel I can.

I ask for your continued prayers. Watch this space.

Addressing the clergy

How is this done in Orthodox churches? I get the feeling that this will differ greatly from one jurisdiction to another, but I'm rather curious.

What I'm looking for is the correct form for each of the following for the different classes of clergy:
a/ how to refer to a clergyman in the third person.
b/ how to address a clergyman in person.
c/ how to address a clergyman in writing (on an envelope).

In Anglican circles, the above as they apply to a diocesan bishop would be:
a/ Bishop N. or Father N.
b/ My Lord/My Lord Bishop.
c/ The Rt Revd the Bishop of (name of See).

How is this done in Orthodoxy?

Many thanks.

The four last things

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Lord, remember your servant Karol Wojtyla. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in + peace. Amen.

I have come across many prayers online for the deceased pope, and I have found it interesting to see the different things that people have been praying for. This clearly reflects the different beliefs that people hold about death and what happens.

Death, judgement, heaven and hell: I have never been sure what actually happens here.

The protestant idea of death being an instant ticket to either heaven or hell has never sat well with me. It seems too mechanical and so out of accordance with the rest of the Faith, and it also cannot be explained in the light of the scriptural references to hope in the resurrection of the dead, especially the examples of people praying for those who had died.

The answer to this seemed logical - purgatory, but then this also seems to me to be rather mechanical, and again doesn't sit well. Now I'm not saying that I must be comfortable with every aspect of the Faith in order for it to be Truth, for that itself would be a nonsense, but the idea of Purgatory, with its time measured in years strikes me as odd, as I have always understood that time is a constraint of this plane of existence, and does not apply to those who have departed this life. Purgatory, I believe, is also an addition that was added by the west after the schism, and so does not have the consensus of the whole Church anyway. All of the above considered, the Church Militant, the Church Suffering and the Church Triumphant is not something that I can embrace.

However, I have, a few times now, heard Anglicans refer to The Church Militant, the Church Expectant, and the Church Triumphant. I rather like this. It seems to acknowledge that the dead require our prayers, for they too were sinners, much like us, and require God's grace and forgiveness, but it does not place too fine a definition on what actually happens. This, I can embrace, but I am aware that this has come only from my reasoning and I am keen to find out what orthodoxy says about all of this.

I know that the Orthodox do pray for those who have died and that they reject the idea of Purgatory, but I am not sure what they actually do believe.

Any comments would be welcome.

The Fellowship of Ss Alban and Sergius

I have been interested in this group for some time, and I have one of their older publications. I very much support their aims and objectives and I was thinking about becoming involved. They seem like the sort of reasonable group that I could get involved with, that may help any transition from Anglicanism to Orthodoxy that I may make, and be a 'way in' for me to meet some more Orthodox Christians and grasp an understanding of Orthodox Faith and culture, while avoiding extremism. However, I have some reservations.

I have had some experience in identifying the nature of groups by their websites, and this site has some attributes that I recognise. From the website of this group, it appears that it is the remnant of a once great society, which has now been reduced to a handful of members, perhaps almost exclusively academics (of high rank, judging by some of the more prominent membership). There is no information about local groups or events. The links across the top of the page only work from some of the pages, and as this has been the case for some time, it indicates that the website is not regularly maintained. The most recent article on their 'news' section dates from over a year ago and although they have an 'information service', they have replied to neither of the information requests that I submitted over two weeks ago.

Has anybody ever heard of them? Are they still active? Is it worth my effort?

I would be grateful to hear comments. Thank you.

Devotional societies

There is a multiplicity of these in the Church of England, but are there any Orthodox devotional societies active in Great Britain or anywhere else? Is this part of the Orthodox culture or does the idea of a society set up to focus on one aspect or small portion of the Faith something that does not find a place within Orthodoxy?

I once considered the Society of Mary, and have actually founded a society for altar servers, and would like to know that something not dissimilar was available in orthodoxy.

Kalendar

Do Orthodox Churches of the western rite follow the western or eastern kalendar?

Thank you.