New Ordination Announcement

Received on April 17 (new style), 2012, from Father Anthony (Bondi), Pastoral Vicar for the RWRV:

"With the Blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, Reader Matthew Floyd will be ordained a deacon (5/19) at St Ambrose of Milan, in Putnam Valley, NY. by His Grace, Bishop Jerome. Fr Deacon Matthew is appointed to assist Fr Steven (Tolbert) Rector of St Brigit of Ireland in Claymore, OK."

Thanks be to God. Axios. Dignus est!

Upcoming Western Rite Ordinations in ROCOR

From rwrv.org, the new website of the Russian Western Rite Vicariate:

"With the Blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, The Rev Andrew William Winters will be ordained a deacon [March 23rd] and a priest [March 24] this month at St Ambrose of Milan, in Putnam Valley, NY. by His Grace, Bishop Jerome. Fr Andrew is appointed Rector of St Cyril of Alexandria in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"With the Blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, The Rev David Kinghorn will be ordained a priest on May 26th at St Joseph of Optina, in Virginia Beach, VA. by His Grace, Bishop Jerome and the gracious consent of their Rector Fr Seraphim Stephens. Fr David is appointed Rector of St Cuthbert in Pawtucket, Rhode Island."

Blogger's note: The ordination form appearing in the "St. Osmund Pontifical" (10th-11th c. Roman rite pontifical from Anglo-Saxon England) is, unfortunately, incomplete. However, what remains of it, matches perfectly the ordination form as printed by Hittorp. And in Hittorp's form, we have, at the beginning of the ordination service, an Acclamation:

Acclamation

¶ The bishop exclaims:

Is he worthy?

R. He is worthy!

Is he righteous?

R. He is righteous!

Is he worthy?

R. He is worthy!

Is he righteous?

R. He is righteous!

Is he worthy?

R. He is worthy!

Is he righteous?

R. He is righteous!

Bishop: May God make him persevere worthily and righteously in His service for ever.

R. Amen.

New Website for ROCOR Western Rite Vicariate (RWRV)

From Priest Anthony Bryant of St. Katherine's Church in South Carolina:

"His Grace, Bishop Jerome, just approved the launch of a new website to officially represent ROCOR Western Rite Vicariate around the world via the Internet. We've put some emphasis on the Directory at first, including those locations outside of the USA, so we can help get the word out about these locations for people to visit and/or share with their friends who may live near one. Please also keep these communities in your prayers...many of them are new missions and could use all the encouragement, prayers, and visits they can get. Over time, we hope to turn this website into a valuable resource for the RWRV and aid with the building up of Western Rite Orthodoxy. Here's a link to the new official website:

http://www.rwrv.org/

Blogger's comments: Thank you, Father. "Prospere procede et regna!" (Ps. 44)

Morning, Evening Prayers Text Completed

Work on the Morning and Evening Prayers document has been completed. The document gives domestic daily prayers in Latin and English, from sources approved in Sept. 2008 in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia for Orthodox Christians of the Western Rite. It has been made available for free download on the internet:

http://tinyurl.com/7kn627r

Drawn from source manuscripts of British Isles origin, the prayers show a mixture that was achieved historically when the Celtic traditions in the Isles met with the Roman traditions brought in by the great missionary saint, Augustine of Canterbury.

In Anglo-Saxon England, it was very common in books of domestic (extra-liturgical) prayers to show Celtic prayers and Roman or Gregorian prayers, side-by-side. The spirit of the prayers was felt, it would seem, to be one, and so both traditions were easily and naturally drawn upon for the private devotions of the Anglo-Saxon Christians in the centuries before the Norman invasion. These devotions and prayers were maintained, preserved, and used in daily life long after the Norman invasion as well.

The morning and evening prayers are drawn from three important sources: the Book of Cerne, the Ancren Riwle or Hermitess' Rule, and the printed Sarum Primer. They appeared in an initial edition in "Orthodox Prayers of Old England" (Third Edition 1999), which remains in stock but will one day be replaced by a fourth edition to be produced under the authority of the Russian Church Abroad. Perhaps the fourth edition can be published by Jordanville, or by the St. Nicholas Monastery in Ft. Myers, Florida.

New Priestly Ordination in RWRV

From Father Anthony (Bondi), Pastoral Vicar to the Metropolitan for Western Rite:

"This morning at 10am [Friday, February 17, 2012 - Ed.] His Grace Bishop Jerome of Manhattan ordained Fr Deacon Steven Tolbert a priest at St Ambrose of Milan Orthodox Church in Putnam Valley, New York in the Western Rite. Fr Steven will be assigned as the Rector of St Brigit of Ireland Orthodox Church, South Claremore, OK. He and his family will take up residence there after Pascha. Of note: Fr Steven is the first priest ordained from minor orders up through the priesthood using the ancient Roman Rite. May God grant him many years!"

Many years - Ad multos annos!

Morning and Evening Prayers

A helpful new resource for the ordering of the domestic church--the home--according to the traditions of the Western Rite.

Morning and Evening Prayers in the Western Rite, from sources approved for use within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, may now be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/7kn627r

The prayers are given in parallel Latin and English columns. (File updated Feb. 18, 2012.)


"In the morning shall my prayer come before Thee."

Pontifical Mass, Oct. 5, 2011

There are some very nice photos from the Pontifical Mass which was celebrated on Oct. 5, 2011, the feast of Sts. Maurice & Companions, Martyrs, during the Western Rites Conference in Wappinger Falls, New York. The Conference, in which clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, Antiochian Orthodox Church, and Carpatho-Russian Diocese participated, included a Pontifical Mass in the Tridentine Use of the Roman Rite, an Anglican Liturgy, and a Gallican Liturgy.

Here is a picture from the Pontifical Mass in the Roman Rite:



More pictures here.

Travelogue here.

A DVD from the Conference is in preparation and will be offered for about $10 after video-editing is complete.

After the opening address by Metropolitan Hilarion, primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, there were workshops and presentations regarding the Roman Rite; Phyletism; Growing a Parish; Monastic Life in the Russian Western Rite Vicariate, and its history; etc. There were discussion sessions. Above all, every day began with the celebration of the Liturgy or Mass, and was punctuated by the little Hours (sung at their proper times throughout the day), Vespers, and Compline. There was a movie showing, a women's meeting, and excellent meals in the refectory, including Lenten meals on Wednesday and Friday.

This was an historic event, and its high level of success is due very largely to the Force of Nature also known as Fr. Anthony Bondi, Pastoral Vicar to the Metropolitan for Western Rite.

Bp. Jerome Interviewed About W. Rite

On Friday, Oct. 14, 2011, an interesting interview was posted on the website of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and South America. The interviewer was mainly asking Vladyka Jerome about questions pertaining to the newly-constituted Assembly (which has apparently replaced the old SCOBA group) and pertaining to inter-Orthodox cooperation in general.

During the second half of the interview, Bp. Jerome was asked some questions relating to the Western rite in the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, whether it will be accepted as a phenomenon by the other constituent jurisdictions in the Assembly, and about what transpired at the Canonical Western Rites Conference which was held in Wappinger Falls, New York, from Oct. 4 to Oct 7, 2011.

http://assemblyofbishops.org/multimedia/conversations

(It is necessary to then click the forward arrow to hear the interview.)

Canonical Western Rites Conference 2011

From Tuesday, Oct. 4, to Friday, Oct. 7, 2011, the Canonical Western Rites Conference was held in Wappinger Falls, New York, with a number of monastics, clergy, and clergy families in attendance from both the ROCOR Western Rite Vicariate (RWRV) and the Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate (AWRV).



above: Clergy, monastics, servers in the borrowed Franciscan church at the Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center, which was the site of the historic conference. Click the image to see more detail.

=========================================

DAY ONE - Tuesday.

The conference opened with an address by Metropolitan Hilarion of the ROCOR. Vladyka asked the Western rite priests to work towards their integration into the life of the Russian Orthodox Church as a whole, and he encouraged the clergy to learn the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom as a secondary rite.

Vespers and confessions, supper, and Compline rounded out this day 1 of the conference.

DAY TWO - Wednesday.

In the early morning, there was a pontifical Mass in Latin celebrated by Bishop Jerome of Manhattan, with Gregorian chant, Anglican chant, and William Byrd's "Mass for Four Voices," all the priests concelebrating with the bishop.

Pontifical Mass:



After breakfast, the day consisted of presentations alternating with Hours of the divine office. Each day the activities were punctuated with the Hours; this is the way the day proceeds in a Western rite monastery. There were talks on the building up of a parish by Fr. Peter Guilianotti, on phyletism by Fr. Irenaeus Watson, on RWRV monastic life and its history and proto-history by Dom James of Christminster, and so forth. Participants were able by this time to meet each other and come to know each other a bit.

Vespers, supper, Compline. You get the drill.

DAY THREE - Thursday.

After a St. Tikhon Mass in English celebrated by Fr. John Connely of the AWRV, and breakfast, there was conference work on various liturgical and paraliturgical questions, a two-part presentation on the Roman Mass by Fr. Nicholas Alford of Washington, D.C. (AWRV), and other features. Sext. Lunch. By this time various participants were able to make good connections with the other men and women participating in the Conference. Part of these days included choir rehearsals for various services. In the evening many of us got pizzas.

Vespers, supper, Compline. There was an evening showing of the movie "The Island" ("Ostrov"), a Russian film about the repentance and salvation of an Orthodox monastic. This film was quite edifying.

DAY FOUR - Friday.

After a Gallican Liturgy celebrated by Fr. Lev Smith of Iowa (RWRV),



we had breakfast.

On this day there was another conference session to work out some details of our WR observances, and the manner in which we conduct our public outreach. Suggestions on next year's conference, which it is thought will include a Sarum Mass to be celebrated by Fr. Hieromonk Aidan (ROCOR) and a Fraternity Liturgy. After this meeting, lunch. Sext. Regretful but mandatory farewells.



above: Clergy, their families, servers, monastics at the Conference. Click the image to see more detail.

This conference was well planned and was remarkably rich and varied in its content. Next year we hope to have some practicums, and we discussed a few minor points for improvement in the execution of the conference. Fr. Abbot David hopes to be able to attend next year's conference, and celebrate the Sarum Mass together with Fr. Aidan, and it is hoped that many of the clergy who had originally planned on attending this year's conference, but in the end were not present, will be present at the 2012 Conference.

Throughout, our Franciscan hosts were kind, gracious, accommodating, and showed a hospitable and irenic spirit. We are grateful to them. And most especially we are grateful to Fr. Anthony (Bondi), RWRV, who was the foremost planner and Force of Nature behind this successful Conference.

Deo Gratias. (Thanks be to God.)

- by a Participant

Ordination, in the Roman Rite, of Steven Tolbert, July 10, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/6jsfge7

Very illuminating photo report from the ordination service. I am modifying this post since I was able to resolve the issue of enormous files slowing the loading of the photo report page.

Enjoy!

WR Vestments

There follow some illustrations of Western Rite vestments. It should be noted that in presenting them, there is no claim that these are the only styles or cuts of vestments which are open to use by members of the RWRV. They are presented here as representing an older style of Western vestments.

Here is an illustration of old-style Western Rite bishop's vestments.



The bishop is wearing an older style Western mitre. In the back these have two lappets of cloth which hang behind. Around the bishop's neck is an appareled amice, which forms a sort of collar. Around the neck of the chasuble are embroidered seraphim. Over the chasuble hangs the pallium, which is similar to an omophor. Later, the pallium became restricted to archbishops. The bishop is wearing gloves, which were a standard part of pontifical vestments in the West from the 8th or 9th century onward. The bishop's crozier is of the prevalent pre-Schism style, the "Tau" crozier. The shepherd's crook style of crozier appears in the 11th century and is in use today. Early croziers often were surmounted by a cross, as shown here. The little cloth hanging from the crozier is called the panisellus. Under the bishop's chasuble may be seen the tunicle and dalmatic. Actually, only on great feasts were both of those worn together; usually just the dalmatic of sky blue or hyacinth was worn. The ends of the stole show beneath the other vestments near the bishop's feet. On the bishop's alb is sewn an apparel, a decorative square of ornamentation.

And here is an icon of St. Felix of Dunwich, apostle of East Anglia, in Western Rite bishop's vestments, wearing a mitre in the style of the 13th century.



To the left, on the hip of the saint, is what looks like an epigonation. This is actually the succinctory, which was pendant from the zona or belt (a bishop wears two, one on each side). Despite the fact that the saint lived in England, the diamond- or lozenge-shaped succinctory is here shown, known only to have been used in the Roman rite in Italy.

The following is a picture of the head of a bishop's crozier found in Iceland and dating to the late 11th century. It is of Urnes ornamentation, which was a style that flourished in the British Isles and Scandinavia from 1050 to 1170. This "Tau" style crozier was the prevalent form prior to the Schism of Rome in 1054, although there are a few examples of the shepherd's crook style predating 1054.



Comments are welcome.

Further, here are illustrations of older style Western Rite vestments for the lower clergy, servers, and priest.

Server (thurifer wears a dalmatic, and on double feasts other servers may as well):



above: The server puts on first the appareled amice, then the alb. On the sleeves are ornamentations called apparels. Usually these are squares of decorative material which do not completely encircle the wrist, but encircle it about 2/3. In later illustrations, it is hoped, this will be adjusted. Over the alb, girded up with a belt of rich cloth, is the dalmatic.

Subdeacon:



above: The subdeacon's vestments are similar but he wears a tunicle, not a dalmatic (although they are often difficult to tell from each other) and the maniple on his left wrist.

Deacon:



above: The deacon wears a dalmatic, the maniple, and also the stole, which in older English usage is worn over, not beneath, the dalmatic. In later times came two developments: the ends of the stole came to be joined under the right arm, on the side, and, by the late middle ages or earlier, the stole came to be worn beneath the dalmatic so that it was not very visible. While in the Eastern Rite we can see a combination of the two "hangs" of stole (hanging down straight from the left shoulder plus looped around under the right arm, in Western Rite so far as is known, the stole was always worn one way or the other.

Priest, in alb and amice:



above: This illustration shows how the belt (called in England the "zona") girds up the flowing folds of the alb. It should be noted that albs of silk were common, as well as albs which were red, blue, green, etc. Still, the most common colour for an alb, to this day, is white. The older Roman rite style of the priest's stole hanging straight down, is shown here. This was originally how the stole was worn in England, but by the high middle ages the Spanish custom of crossing the stole over the breast, in the fashion of an Eastern Rite subdeacon, had replaced this older method in England and throughout most if not all of Western Europe. The fashion of crossing the stole in front is fairly widespread in today's Western Rite, but has one unfortunate drawback: to the eyes of the Eastern Rite majority, it makes a Western Rite priest appear to rank lower than those in Holy Orders.

Priest, vested for the procession before Mass:



above: Over the amice and alb the priest is wearing the cope, secured at the neck with a brooch called a "morse."

Priest, vested for the Mass:



above: The priest in the chasuble. The orphreys or bands, as they are shown here, is a somewhat later style.

Here is an old illustration of a priest vested for Mass:



Comments are welcome on these vestment illustrations as well as the pontifical vestment illustrations.

New WR Ordination Set For July 10, 2011

This just received:

"With the Blessing of the Metropolitan, next Sunday, July 10th at St Ambrose of Milan Orthodox Church in Putnam Valley NY, Steven P. Tolbert will be ordained to the Minor Orders, Subdiaconate, and Diaconate by His Grace Bishop Jerome, Vicar Bishop for Western Rite. Steven is a graduate of St Vladimir’s Seminary and a Lieutenant in the National Guard. He is coordinating four missions in Oklahoma starting with a base at St Brigit of Ireland in Claremore currently under the leadership of Reader Matthew. His ordination brings to 30 the amount of priests, deacons and subdeacons in Western Rite in the Fraternity of St Gregory here in North America not counting two deceased ROCOR (Dom Augustine and Dn. Robert [Polycarp]) WR Clergy.

"Please pray for Steven, his wife Michele, and their twins Anna and Rebecca.

“…. And the Lord added to their number.”

"Faithfully,

"Fr. Anthony
"Pastoral Vicar for Western Rite

Obit Diaconus Polycarpus, RWRV

From Pastoral Vicar Father Anthony (Bondi)

Dear Fathers,

It is with profound sadness that I convey to you the death of Father Deacon
[Polycarp] Robert (Sherwood) who passed away suddenly, about 1 p.m. this afternoon.

Father Deacon is survived by his wife Lillias. At the present time we do
not know more than this. As information becomes available I will pass it on.

Fraternally,

Father Anthony
Pastoral Vicar

=========================

From Dom James, Abbot of Christminster:

The official funeral and internment of our beloved friend, brother and benefactor Robert Sherwood will take place on Thursday, 9 June 2011, at
St. Mark's Orthodox Church in Denver, Colorado.

On Saturday, at a time and place in Hamilton to be announced, there will be a non-religious memorial testimonial for him.

On Thursday at 10:00am, at Christminster, in the monastic church of Our Lady of Glastonbury, a Sung Mass of Requiem will be celebrated by Abbot James and the monastic community for the repose of his soul. We invite all his friends and colleagues to join us as we remember and pray for our departed brother and friend.

For further information on the Saturday memorial, please contact us later in the week.

In our Saviour,
Fr. James
Abbot of Christminster

=============================

Fr. Polycarp died of a sudden heart attack at his home in Barrie, Ontario, on Saturday, June 4, 2011 (new style).

Requiescat in pace! Vale, frater reverendissime.

RWRV Ukaz -- Father Anthony (Bondi)

An "ukaz" in the Russian Orthodox Church means an official decree from a Bishop. Here is the Dec. 18, 2010 ukaz which appoint Fr. Anthony (Bondi) as Pastoral Vicar for the Western Rite.

Click the image to see greater detail:

Parable of the Western Rites

Some have expressed either dismay, or dissatisfaction, or disapproval, regarding the fact that so many different forms of Western rite are currently permitted by the RWRV. Therefore I have thought to set down the following parable for prayerful consideration.

THE PARABLE OF THE WESTERN RITES

Once upon a time, there was a lady, and she was rich. She fed many poor, each day, from the abundance of her luxuriant fields. One day it came to the lady's attention, that some Oriental folk lived beyond the bridge, just past the hill. How they hungered for rice! But no rice grew in her fields. And the lady said to herself, "I know what I will do! I will plant rice in my fields, and the Oriental folk shall be as well-nourished as all the other folk whom I feed, each day, from my plantings." And having gone to buy seedlings, she found basmati, white, and brown. Long-grain and short-grain did she find. And as she hesitated, there approached an Oriental fellow, crying, "Basmati! Only basmati!" The lady nodded, and besought the seller of seeds for basmati. But in that very instant another fellow arrived, and he cried, "Brown! Only brown!" Soon came another,
"Long-grain only!" And others came, and cried aloud in like manner. Then the lady said (for she was a rich woman), "My dears, I will buy of each kind of seedling, and will plant. Yours it shall be to cultivate and to reap, and to seed again. The years of many harvests shall reveal, in the sight of all the town, which rice is most beloved by you and best feeds you. Only keep a constant peace amongst you." But no sooner had she said it, than the first fellow gnashed his teeth and cried out, saying, "I said basmati only, and what is this!" But she answered and said to him, "Dear sir, grow your basmati, and the Lord of the fields send good rain." Thus, therefore, after a moon of years, it happened that the rice fields were flourishing, and their cultivators were well-sated, and there was abundance and contentment. And the kind of rice which sprouted in all the fields, and refreshed all its growers, in those days, was..."

(to be continued)