We welcome our new Western rite brothers and sisters with open arms in the love of our Saviour.
One of the new clergy is Fr. Michael of San Antonio's St. Michael and All Angels church, a home oratory. Below is a photo of Fr. Michael from Laetare Sunday 2011, in thumbnail format:
8 comments:
Marvellous news! I am so pleased with the directions of things, and this is precisely what we need: recognition at the most everyday and normal level in our synod. This, coupled with the effort of Western Rite clergy and people to be fully integrated into church life and not some separate thing that exists on the periphery is the only way that the Western Rite shall come to be seen as a normal part of Orthodox church life. May it continue.
I did find it strange that in the Russian version, "Western Rite," remains untranslated and in Latin characters. Is there some reason that this was not translated as "Zapadnie Obrad"? But still good that they are listing the western rite parishes with an indication that they are using a western rite Mass and offices.
That is unusual, and one wonders if the term is unsettled or if the most direct translation bears some unwelcome connotation in Russian.
I must get down to San Antonio some time and see how our new Western rite brethren down there (an hour plus, south of me) are getting by.
I personally do not think that "zapadnie obraid" is in any way negative in its connotation in Russian, other than the Russian hatred for anything that may not be Byzantino-Russian in origin. It would be not too much different than referring to Old Rite churches as "Stari-obraid" (of course "raskolnini" as a term for Old Ritualists is indeed offensive). I had checked these listing with that of the Antiochians, which also notes if parishes are "Eastern Rite" as well as "Western Rite," which at least on paper makes them appear equal in that jurisdiction. I have noticed that two new parishes, of the Antiochian archdiocese, St. Gabriel's, Angels Camp, California, and St. Barnabas, Lexington, South Carolina, seem to have already gone Greek..perhaps the natural order in Byzantium.
Over the past few days there have been a lot of additional news about the establishment of more Western Rite Parishes in ROCOR. Although the numbers are still smaller than the parishes of the AWRV the total has risen dramatically over the last few months. If one were to put the ROCOR and AWRV totals together one would find the Western Rite in 23 States and one Canadian Province. All the Monastic establishments are in ROCOR, 2 in Ontario, 3 in Florida, and one in Texas. Texas has 7 parishes and one Monastery; Florida has 3 each of parishes and Monastic Houses; Ontario 2 parishes and one Monastery and one Convent; Massachusetts, Michigan, and Colorado have 3 parishes each; while California, Virginia, New York each have 2 parishes; following up ate 15 States with "only" Western Rire Parish; these Staes are, Oklahoma, Rhose Island, D.C., Alabama, Maryland, Iowa, Illinois, South Carolina, Kansas, Washington, Louisiana,Wisconsin, Arkansas, and Nebraska. I think that says something about the work a lot of us have put forward and very importantly about the vision and trust of our Bishops.
I think there will be many new developments to report on in the next couple of months... stay tuned!
So many of our Russian Orthodox clergy are warmly supportive of the Western rite, it gives one great encouragement and a sense of optimism. Acceptance of Western rite has changed dramatically over the past ten years!
Dear fr Aidan,
Let us hope that this is true. But whenever I get too excited about any such development, I need only to turn to "Orthodox England" written by Fr Philip Andrew to see that there are still, very loud, anti-western rite voices out there.
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