Read more: Kyiv Post
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Muscovites protest against construction of new Orthodox churches
Sunday, November 28, 2010
What Happens After Metropolitan Volodymyr?
Two years ago, when the Orthodox community was being prepared for the election of the new head of the Russian Orthodox Church, someone, most probably, Fr. Deacon Andrei Kuraiev, said that the Church needs not a “man of prayer” but a “manager.” Meaning the then metropolitan Kirill, of course. I am rather obliged to that promoter of management not so much for the explanation as for the very division into praying leaders and managers. And I would probably support that author: for who will question the fact that management should be entrusted to managers? If I did not have two examples. One of them is Blessed Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv. His management style can easily disappoint an outside observer: half-hearted decisions, inability to insist upon his own will, reprove his subordinates, shut up wild critics, say no to odious politicians, reject awards, refuse someone an award, act decisively, judge severely, etc.
He never did that. Therefore, in the eyes of people, who are used to view leaders as “managers,” as calculating, authoritative, tough people aiming at tangible and, if maximally quick success, he looks a “weak” leader. Sometimes they say that Metropolitan Volodymyr is a king played by his entourage. That everything is decided by his entourage. Soon after he became the Metropolitan of Kyiv, he was surrounded by Ukrainophobic people, and the policy of UOC was clearly “pro-Moscow.” Then the situation changed, young ukrainophile “upstarts” appeared in his entourage and the policy of UOC became “pro-Ukrainian.”
For the rest of the article, see RISU
Friday, November 26, 2010
Why We Fast
From the pen of Father Stephen, taken from his blog, Glory to God for All Good Things
November 15/28, marks the beginning of the Nativity Fast (40 days before Christmas). The following article offers some thoughts on the purpose of fasting.
Fasting is not very alive and well in the Christian world. Much of that world has long lost any living connection with the historical memory of Christian fasting. Without the guidance of Tradition, many modern Christians either do not fast, or constantly seek to re-invent the practice, sometimes with unintended consequences.
There are other segments of Christendom who have tiny remnants of the traditional Christian fast, but in the face of a modern world have reduced the tradition to relatively trivial acts of self-denial.
I read recently (though I cannot remember where) that the rejection of Hesychasm was the source of all heresy. In less technical terms we can say that knowing God in truth, participating in His life, union with Him through humility, prayer, love of enemy and repentance before all and for everything, is the purpose of the Christian life. Hesychasm (Greek Hesychia=Silence) is the name applied to the Orthodox tradition of ceaseless prayer and inner stillness.
But these are incorrectly understood if they are separated from knowledge of God and participation in His life, union with Him through humility, prayer, love of enemy and repentance before all and for everything.
And it is the same path of inner knowledge of God (with all its components) that is the proper context of fasting. If we fast but do not forgive our enemies – our fasting is of no use. If we fast and do not find it drawing us into humility – our fasting is of no use. If our fasting does not make us yet more keenly aware of the fact that we are sinful before all and responsible to all then it is of no benefit. If our fasting does not unite us with the life of God – which is meek and lowly – then it is again of no benefit.
Fasting is not dieting. Fasting is not about keeping a Christian version of kosher. Fasting is about hunger and humility (which is increased as we allow ourselves to become weak). Fasting is about allowing our heart to break.
I have seen greater good accomplished in souls through their failure in the fasting season than in the souls of those who “fasted well.” Publicans enter the kingdom of God before Pharisees pretty much every time.
Why do we fast? Perhaps the more germane question is “why do we eat?” Christ quoted Scripture to the evil one and said, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” We eat as though our life depended on it and it does not. We fast because our life depends on the word of God.
I worked for a couple of years as a hospice chaplain. During that time, daily sitting at the side of the beds of dying patients – I learned a little about how we die. It is a medical fact that many people become “anorexic” before death – that is – they cease to want food. Many times family and even doctors become concerned and force food on a patient who will not survive. Interestingly, it was found that patients who became anorexic had less pain than those who, having become anorexic, were forced to take food. (None of this is about the psychological anorexia that afflicts many of our youth. That is a tragedy)
It is as though at death our bodies have a wisdom we have lacked for most of our lives. It knows that what it needs is not food – but something deeper. The soul seeks and hungers for the living God. The body and its pain become a distraction. And thus in God’s mercy the distraction is reduced.
Christianity as a religion – as a theoretical system of explanations regarding heaven and hell, reward and punishment, is simply Christianity that has been distorted from its true form. Either we know the living God or we have nothing. Either we eat His flesh and drink His blood or we have no life in us. The rejection of Hesychasm is the source of all heresy.
Why do we fast? We fast so that we may live like a dying man – and in dying we can be born to eternal life.
November 15/28, marks the beginning of the Nativity Fast (40 days before Christmas). The following article offers some thoughts on the purpose of fasting.
Fasting is not very alive and well in the Christian world. Much of that world has long lost any living connection with the historical memory of Christian fasting. Without the guidance of Tradition, many modern Christians either do not fast, or constantly seek to re-invent the practice, sometimes with unintended consequences.
There are other segments of Christendom who have tiny remnants of the traditional Christian fast, but in the face of a modern world have reduced the tradition to relatively trivial acts of self-denial. I read recently (though I cannot remember where) that the rejection of Hesychasm was the source of all heresy. In less technical terms we can say that knowing God in truth, participating in His life, union with Him through humility, prayer, love of enemy and repentance before all and for everything, is the purpose of the Christian life. Hesychasm (Greek Hesychia=Silence) is the name applied to the Orthodox tradition of ceaseless prayer and inner stillness.
But these are incorrectly understood if they are separated from knowledge of God and participation in His life, union with Him through humility, prayer, love of enemy and repentance before all and for everything.
And it is the same path of inner knowledge of God (with all its components) that is the proper context of fasting. If we fast but do not forgive our enemies – our fasting is of no use. If we fast and do not find it drawing us into humility – our fasting is of no use. If our fasting does not make us yet more keenly aware of the fact that we are sinful before all and responsible to all then it is of no benefit. If our fasting does not unite us with the life of God – which is meek and lowly – then it is again of no benefit.
Fasting is not dieting. Fasting is not about keeping a Christian version of kosher. Fasting is about hunger and humility (which is increased as we allow ourselves to become weak). Fasting is about allowing our heart to break.
I have seen greater good accomplished in souls through their failure in the fasting season than in the souls of those who “fasted well.” Publicans enter the kingdom of God before Pharisees pretty much every time.
Why do we fast? Perhaps the more germane question is “why do we eat?” Christ quoted Scripture to the evil one and said, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” We eat as though our life depended on it and it does not. We fast because our life depends on the word of God.
I worked for a couple of years as a hospice chaplain. During that time, daily sitting at the side of the beds of dying patients – I learned a little about how we die. It is a medical fact that many people become “anorexic” before death – that is – they cease to want food. Many times family and even doctors become concerned and force food on a patient who will not survive. Interestingly, it was found that patients who became anorexic had less pain than those who, having become anorexic, were forced to take food. (None of this is about the psychological anorexia that afflicts many of our youth. That is a tragedy)
It is as though at death our bodies have a wisdom we have lacked for most of our lives. It knows that what it needs is not food – but something deeper. The soul seeks and hungers for the living God. The body and its pain become a distraction. And thus in God’s mercy the distraction is reduced.
Christianity as a religion – as a theoretical system of explanations regarding heaven and hell, reward and punishment, is simply Christianity that has been distorted from its true form. Either we know the living God or we have nothing. Either we eat His flesh and drink His blood or we have no life in us. The rejection of Hesychasm is the source of all heresy.
Why do we fast? We fast so that we may live like a dying man – and in dying we can be born to eternal life.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
More on the Pope & Condoms
In her helpful explanation of the Pope’s words, Janet Smith observed that “the Holy Father is not making a point about whether the use of a condom is contraceptive or even whether it reduces the evil of a homosexual sexual act; again, he is speaking about the psychological state of some who might use condoms.” To place the Pope’s speculative remarks about the male prostitute in the proper context, Smith offered an analogy of her own:
If someone was going to rob a bank and was determined to use a gun, it would better for that person to use a gun that had no bullets in it. It would reduce the likelihood of fatal injuries. But it is not the task of the Church to instruct potential bank robbers how to rob banks more safely and certainly not the task of the Church to support programs of providing potential bank robbers with guns that could not use bullets.For the complete story, see "The Vatican newspaper has betrayed the Pope" at Catholic Culture
The Night Vigil of the Presentation at the Pontifical Russian College in Rome
by Gregory DiPippo, SOURCE: New Liturgical Movement
In the Byzantine Rite, the feast of the Virgin Mary’s Presentation in the Temple is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the liturgical year; these feasts are often kept with a vigil service the evening before, consisting of various hours of the Divine Office and certain particular ceremonies. This liturgy, one of the most beautiful in the Byzantine tradition, is regularly done the evening before each of the Twelve Feasts at the Pontifical Russian College in Rome, according to the abbreviated form in general use in parishes among the Slavs. The service is nevertheless over an hour and a half long; these few photographs give only a very slight idea of it, and my description of them is not even a remote attempt to be complete. It also contains some of the finest and most moving liturgical music in Old Church Slavonic, and we are particularly blessed to have a very good choir these days at the “Russicum”.
On the left, i.e., closer to the iconostasis, a stand is prepared for the icon of the feast, which is brought from the sanctuary towards the end of the service. In front of it, a small table holds a plate with three unlit candles, five small loaves of bread, and three vessels, one containing wheat, one containing wine, and a third containing rose-scented oil.
The celebrant and servers at the Little Entrance
A reader sings three readings from the Old Testament; for the vigil of the Presentation, the readings (from Exodus 40, 3 Kings 7-8 and Ezechiel 43) all refer to the temple of the Old Covenant as a prefiguration of the Virgin Mary, the "temple of the Savior." (Kontakion of the feast.)
The celebrant and servers leave the sanctuary and proceed through the nave to the doors of the church; after incensing the faithful, the celebrant sings various litanies and prayers, including long lists of Saints. When blessing the people with the words "Peace be with you", he faces the doors of the church, as if imparting the peace of Christ to the entire world.
The three candles on the plate are lit; the celebrant comes forward and blesses the bread and oil, and incenses them while walking around the table several times.
More litanies and prayers are said by the celebrant and the lector.
The celebrant and two other priests bring the icon of the feast from the sanctuary down to the middle of the nave, and place it on the stand prepared for it. The celebrant incenses the icon while walking around it several times, holding a candle in his other hand. Note the blue vestments, commonly
used in Slavic countries on Marian feast days.
The Gospel book is brought from the altar, and laid on a second stand placed next to that of the icon. The celebrant then sings the Gospel of the Vigil, with the same ceremonies used at the Divine Liturgy. All those who are present come forward and kiss first the Gospel book and then the icon.
After each person has venerated the icon, the celebrant paints a cross on their forehead with the rose-scented oil. (Priests, however, receive the brush from him and put the oil on their own foreheads.) They then receive a portion of the blessed bread, tinged with wine, from the plate held by the acolyte. The Gospel book is returned to the sanctuary, but the icon remains in its place for the feast.
Posted Tuesday, November 23, 2010
"Do not depend on the media for your understanding of what Benedict XVI states"
FARGO, North Dakota, NOV. 22, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The bishop of Fargo is encouraging the faithful to not trust the media to interpret the words of Benedict XVI for them, and to read for themselves what the Pope has to say about condoms.
Bishop Samuel Aquila made these statements today in response to the flurry of reports over the weekend that suggested the Holy Father approved the use of condoms in some cases.
L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's semi-official newspaper, spurred the media activity Saturday when it published several excerpts from the book-interview with Benedict XVI titled "Light of the World," which is scheduled to be released Tuesday by Ignatius Press.
At the end of the tenth chapter of the book, the writer, German journalist Peter Seewald, asked the Pontiff two questions on the fight against AIDS and the use of condoms. Seewald referenced the Holy Father's comments on this topic while aboard the papal plane on the way to Cameroon and Angola in March, 2009.
To the charge that it's "madness to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms," Benedict XVI replied: "There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality."
Seewald then asked the Pontiff, "Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?"
The Holy Father replied, "She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality."
Bishop Aquila noted that the Church "has always celebrated the truth and beauty of human sexuality," and that an "unchanging part of that celebration throughout history is the Church's teaching that sexual expression must be open to life [... and] that sexual union within a marriage is between one man and one woman."
"Despite recent news articles which falsely construe the words of Benedict XVI to suggest otherwise," he added, "that teaching has not changed in any way."
No shift
"At issue here are the words of Pope Benedict XVI regarding condom use," the bishop continued. "The news stories and some of the comments solicited from the public would interpret his words as proclaiming a shift in the Catholic Church's teaching on condom use, and contraception in general. [...]
"This conclusion is incorrect as can be easily seen by examining the actual text from the book. The Holy Father is not condoning the use of condoms, but making an observation regarding the awakening of a sense of responsibility in the people who are caught up in the habitual sin of prostitution.
"He does not offer a new moral evaluation of the use of condoms, neither in principle nor practically in this circumstance, but is merely describing a psychological development as one, even in the grip of sin, can begin to acknowledge the safety and human dignity of another."
Bishop Aquila then urged the faithful and "all people of good will to read the entire book."
"Do not depend on the media for your understanding of what Benedict XVI states," he said, "rather go to the source in order to find truth and not someone's misunderstanding and false interpretation of what was actually stated."
--- --- ---
On the Net:
To purchase "Light of the World:" www.LightOfTheWorldBook.com
Source: ZENIT
Bishop Samuel Aquila made these statements today in response to the flurry of reports over the weekend that suggested the Holy Father approved the use of condoms in some cases.
L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's semi-official newspaper, spurred the media activity Saturday when it published several excerpts from the book-interview with Benedict XVI titled "Light of the World," which is scheduled to be released Tuesday by Ignatius Press.
To the charge that it's "madness to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms," Benedict XVI replied: "There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality."
Seewald then asked the Pontiff, "Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?"
The Holy Father replied, "She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality."
Bishop Aquila noted that the Church "has always celebrated the truth and beauty of human sexuality," and that an "unchanging part of that celebration throughout history is the Church's teaching that sexual expression must be open to life [... and] that sexual union within a marriage is between one man and one woman."
"Despite recent news articles which falsely construe the words of Benedict XVI to suggest otherwise," he added, "that teaching has not changed in any way."
No shift
"At issue here are the words of Pope Benedict XVI regarding condom use," the bishop continued. "The news stories and some of the comments solicited from the public would interpret his words as proclaiming a shift in the Catholic Church's teaching on condom use, and contraception in general. [...]
"This conclusion is incorrect as can be easily seen by examining the actual text from the book. The Holy Father is not condoning the use of condoms, but making an observation regarding the awakening of a sense of responsibility in the people who are caught up in the habitual sin of prostitution.
"He does not offer a new moral evaluation of the use of condoms, neither in principle nor practically in this circumstance, but is merely describing a psychological development as one, even in the grip of sin, can begin to acknowledge the safety and human dignity of another."
Bishop Aquila then urged the faithful and "all people of good will to read the entire book."
"Do not depend on the media for your understanding of what Benedict XVI states," he said, "rather go to the source in order to find truth and not someone's misunderstanding and false interpretation of what was actually stated."
--- --- ---
On the Net:
To purchase "Light of the World:" www.LightOfTheWorldBook.com
Source: ZENIT
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
New Video on Youtube: Blessing of the Parish House Cornerstone
On Sunday, October 11, 2010, the pastor, clergy and faithful of St. Elias Church participated in the blessing of the cornerstone of the new Parish House. Share with your friends!
For more videos from St. Elias, see the St. Elias YouTube Channel
For more videos from St. Elias, see the St. Elias YouTube Channel
For information on the Parish House Project, see http://www.saintelias.com/parish_rectory/Parish_Rectory/Welcome.html
For more images from the Blessing of the Cornerstone, see http://gallery.me.com/akomar#100255
For photos on the progress of the construction, see http://gallery.me.com/akomar#100247&view=mosaic&sel=0&bgcolor=ltgrey
The Enthronement of His Eminence Archbishop Yurij
The ceremony was attended by hundreds of participants, including the Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Church, His Eminence Archbishop Sotirios who represented Patriarch Bartholomew, the Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Canada, Archbishop Lawrence and dozens of bishops and clergy from Canada and the United States.
During his address, Metropolitan Yurij underscored his desire to bring the Ukrainian churches together as they once were.
Delivering greetings from both the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Ukrainian World Congress on behalf of its president Eugene Czolij, UCC President Paul Grod personally congratulated His Excellency from the Ukrainian Canadian community and the Ukrainian Diaspora around the world.
“During my address I called upon the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholic churches to unite as one Ukrainian Apostolic church. I further thanked Archbishop Yurij for his leadership and support on a variety of important issues for our community among which was his work in ensuring the Canadian Council of Churches issued a statement encouraging the Parliament of Canada and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide against the Ukrainian people. We are very fortunate to have Archbishop Yurij with us as both a spiritual and community leader. He has incredible intellect, humility and a tremendous sense of humour. I look forward to working closely with His Eminence for many years to come.”
Source: RISU
See also Metropolitan Yurij met with Patriarch Bartholomew I November 17
Monday, November 22, 2010
Prefab churches in Russia?
But while such prefab churches will allow the Russian Orthodox Church to expand its physical presence, many Russians are concerned that these new buildings will compromise the architectural landscape, and others are convinced that having more churches is no guarantee that there will be more Christians.
Patriarch Kirill earlier had reached an agreement with former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov to provide 200 plots of land on which the church could erect these pre-fabricated churches, and last week the hierarch appears to have made progress in ensuring that Luzhkov’s successor, Sergey Sobyanin, will follow through (www.vremya.ru/2010/208/51/264947.html).
The Moscow Patriarchate currently has 790 churches and chapels in the Russian capital, although roughly half of them are located inside one or another institution and thus are not readily accessible to most Muscovites. The Patriarchate has insisted it needs almost 600 more to ensure that every resident can walk to an Orthodox church.
See Kyiv Post for remainder of article
Sunday, November 21, 2010
St. Michael the Archangel
The main purpose of the feast, as noted by Fr. Julian Katrij in the book "Know your rite" – is to magnify and glorify the Holy Archangel Michael, and with him and other angels. Archangel (from gr. - "Supreme leader") Michael's Church makes the first among the angels, as he led a fight of good angels against angels who spoke against God and won. Therefore iconography representing the Archangel as armed commander.
St. Michael is the patron saint of Kyiv. The Archangel Michael had been a patron of the Ukrainian capital since ancient times: in the archives there are international agreements signed by Prince Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise, and stitched-rings seals depicting winged warrior.
According to legends, the supreme warlord of celestial forces helped to defeat the army of Prince Sviatopolk Polovtsian, appearing on St. Sophia winged bird in knight armor. Not far from the place in 1108 Svyatopolk built St. Michael's Cathedral.
According to historical records, Archangel depicted on the blazons of Prince Monomakh clan, Kiev province, Kyiv (first official emblem of our capital appeared when Kyiv got the Magdeburg law). Archangel was on the main banners of Bogdan Khmelnitsky and numerous Cossack flags. It is also on Kyiv city banner now.
Archangel Michael Sculpture installed on Independence Square and on the pediment of the gold-domed St. Michael's Cathedral.
Source: RISU
Saturday, November 20, 2010
UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC & ORTHODOX LEFT WITHOUT BUILDING IN DUSSELDORF
The two largest Ukrainian religious communities in Dusseldorf, Germany – the Orthodox and Greek Catholic ones – have been left without church buildings. Both the Orthodox and Greek Catholics held their services under the same roof – in the Catholic Church of Christ the King, located in a prestigious city area of Oberkassel.
The Roman Catholic community of the city had been allowing Ukrainians to pray there. Now, however, the church building is in need of major repair and, according to the German Wave, neither the Ukrainian religious communities nor the Roman Catholic owners of the church have the necessary funds for the repair.
Consequently, according to the Greek Catholic priest Mykola Pavlyk, the local Roman Catholic parish decided to sell the church. The building is an architectural monument and therefore, according to him, it will not take long to sell it.
Fr. Mykola has no hope to keep the church as a functioning religious institution. He thinks that after the repairs financed by the future owner the church will be turned into a cultural institution. "It is very difficult today to support such churches without an active Roman Catholic community," noted the priest.
The Greek Catholic community of Dusseldorf, however, are hopeful that a new place will be found to hold services by Christmas. According to Fr. Mykola Pavlyk, the Roman Catholic community is of great assistance in this to the Ukrainian Greek Catholics.
The fate of the Ukrainian Orthodox community is less certain. The community, which is made up of about 300 people, does not receive direct financial support either from the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine or from the local religious communities. They may, however, receive some support from non-Orthodox organizations for various religious denominations in Germany closely cooperate with each other.
Source: RISU
Friday, November 19, 2010
Some Positive Press: Dominican sisters to appear again on ‘Oprah’
“The response from the first show was so positive that the Sisters were asked if we would be open to another opportunity to share our life,” the community said in a statement. “We have accepted this invitation in the hopes of reaching an audience we might not otherwise reach with the witness of our life and the Gospel. Please join us in praying that the show will be for the good of souls and the honor of God.” This link will take you to other sites, in a new window.
Source: Catholic Culture
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Ecumenism is not compromise, Pope says
Pope Benedict XVI underlined the importance of ecumenical work, yet cautioned that ecumenism cannot be seen as a political effort, in a November 18 address to members of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.
The Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, founded by Pope John XXIII in 1960, is marking its 50th anniversary. Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, and Orthodox Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon, a top ecumenical representative for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, were in Rome this week to join in the anniversary celebrations.
The establishment of this Pontifical Council—originally known as the Secretariat for Christian Unity—was “a milestone on the ecumenical journey of the Catholic Church,” Pope Benedict said, and the group’s work has been vital to “overcoming the sediments of historical prejudice.”
Reflecting on the state of ecumenism today, the Holy Father said that there is a widespread belief that progress has stalled, and thus an “urgent need to revive ecumenical interest and give a fresh incisiveness to dialogue.’
For the Catholic Church, the Pontiff continued, the top priority in ecumenical work is dialogue with the “Orthodox churches and the ancient Eastern churches, with which bonds of the closest intimacy exist.” He reminded his audience that in talks with the Orthodox world, “we have reached a crucial point of confrontation and reflection: the role of the Bishop of Rome in the communion of the Church.”
Speaking more generally about the ecumenical process, the Holy Father warned that it is not “a commitment that falls into what could be called political categories, in which negotiating ability or greater capacity to reach compromise come into play.” Ecumenical talks should seek for the truth, he said, and cannot be satisfied with mediated solutions to controversial problems.
At the same time, the Pope continued, unity in prayer is always appropriate, and prayer will be an indispensable part of every successful ecumenical endeavor. He reminded the members of the Pontifical Council that “we do not know the time that the unity of all Christ's disciples will be achieved, and we cannot know it, because we do not 'make' unity, God 'makes' it.” Therefore all Christians should join in asking God for that precious gift, the Pope concluded.
Source: Catholic Culture
The Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, founded by Pope John XXIII in 1960, is marking its 50th anniversary. Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, and Orthodox Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon, a top ecumenical representative for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, were in Rome this week to join in the anniversary celebrations.
The establishment of this Pontifical Council—originally known as the Secretariat for Christian Unity—was “a milestone on the ecumenical journey of the Catholic Church,” Pope Benedict said, and the group’s work has been vital to “overcoming the sediments of historical prejudice.”
Reflecting on the state of ecumenism today, the Holy Father said that there is a widespread belief that progress has stalled, and thus an “urgent need to revive ecumenical interest and give a fresh incisiveness to dialogue.’
For the Catholic Church, the Pontiff continued, the top priority in ecumenical work is dialogue with the “Orthodox churches and the ancient Eastern churches, with which bonds of the closest intimacy exist.” He reminded his audience that in talks with the Orthodox world, “we have reached a crucial point of confrontation and reflection: the role of the Bishop of Rome in the communion of the Church.”
Speaking more generally about the ecumenical process, the Holy Father warned that it is not “a commitment that falls into what could be called political categories, in which negotiating ability or greater capacity to reach compromise come into play.” Ecumenical talks should seek for the truth, he said, and cannot be satisfied with mediated solutions to controversial problems. At the same time, the Pope continued, unity in prayer is always appropriate, and prayer will be an indispensable part of every successful ecumenical endeavor. He reminded the members of the Pontifical Council that “we do not know the time that the unity of all Christ's disciples will be achieved, and we cannot know it, because we do not 'make' unity, God 'makes' it.” Therefore all Christians should join in asking God for that precious gift, the Pope concluded.
Source: Catholic Culture
Anglican and Orthodox leaders celebrate ecumenical journey
Drawing inspiration from New Testament texts, Dr Williams spoke of the three dimensions of unity – with Christ, with each other and with the apostolic tradition – which can underpin a new phase of ecumenical dialogue. Urging his listeners not to lose sight of the ‘Ut Unum Sint agenda’, he called for shared reflection on the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed and, above all, on Eucharistic theology which he said has ‘worn thin’ in many Christian communities.
Talking to Philippa Hitchen after the event, Dr Williams also spoke of the five Anglican bishops who announced this week they’d be joining the new Ordinariate to be established for those seeking unity with Rome:“Obviously my reactions to the resignations is one of regret but respect - I know the considerations they’ve been through, particular the two who were my suffragans, we’ve talked about it, we’ve worked through it and parted with prayers and blessings so there’s no ill feeling there. I think the challenge will come in working out shared use of churches, of how we as Anglicans ‘recommend’ people and also of course there will be some parishes without priests so we have a practical challenge here and there.”
Asked to comment on Pope Benedict’s description of the Ordinariate as a ‘prophetic gesture’, he replied, “Well I think if the Ordinariate helps people evaluate Anglican legacy or patrimony, well and good, I’m happy to praise God for it. I don’t see it as an aggressive act, meant to destabilise the relations of the Churches and it remains to be seen just how large a movement we’re talking about.But prophetic? Maybe yes, in the sense that here is the Roman Catholic Church saying there are ways of being Christian in the Western church which are not restricted by historic Roman Catholic identity - that’s something we can talk about.
Dr Williams also spoke of his recent two week visit to India where he met with victims of anti-Christian persecution: “I think Christians are drawn closer together than in any other circumstances when they face persecution – in Iraq, Pakistan Indonesia, Orissa or Rajasthan, Christians under pressure don’t have the luxury of waiting to stand together until they’ve sorted everything out. I met first hand with a number of people on the receiving end of violence – a woman who’d seen her husband tortured to death in front of her for refusing to abandon his Christian faith – that’s simply a moment when you realise what the basic truths are.”
Listen to the whole interview....
(Audio: http://62.77.60.84/audio/ra/00235866.RM)
Source: Vatican Radio
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Feast of St. Josaphat at the Vatican
The Feast of St. Josaphat at the Vatican
Friday, November 12th, was the feast of St. Josaphat, martyred in the year 1623 for his ardent championship of union with Rome among the Byzantine-rite Christians of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A member of the Basilian Order, Josaphat, né John Kuntsevych, was made bishop of Vitebsk in 1617, at the age of only 37, and archbishop of Polotsk the following year. (Both cities are now in Belarus.) In a period of great tension between Catholics and Orthodox, he went to preach at Vitebsk; on the steps of his co-cathedral he was struck in the head with an ax, and then shot by fanatical opponents of the union with Rome, on the sixth anniversary of his episcopal consecration. They then tore off his clothes, and for a moment thought they had killed the wrong man, since he was wearing a hairshirt underneath; the body was thrown into the river, but recovered three days later. The Roman Breviary states that the first beneficiaries of his martyrdom were his own assassins, who were all reconciled to Rome, as was his principal opponent among the Orthodox clergy, Bishop Meleti Smotrytsky. Beatified only 20 years after his death, he was canonized by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1867; originally assigned to November 14th, his feast was moved to the day of his death in the Calendar revision of 1969.The relics of St. Josaphat have a remarkable history. At the time of his beatification, they were enshrined in a silver casket at the behest of the Prince Leo Casimir Sapieha. In 1706, they were brought to the castle of Prince Karol Radzwill in the city of Bila Pidlaska, and then moved to the Basilian church in the same city. In 1873, during Tsarist persecution of the Greek-Catholic Church, the relics were removed from the altar of the church to the crypt, hidden in a wall, and apparently forgotten. However, when Bila Pidlaska was occupied by the German army in 1916, a priest of the Basilian order, Fr. Pavlo Demchuk, was sent by Fr. Platonid Filas, the General Superior of the Basilians, to recover them. Their location in the wall of the crypt was revealed to him by a man, who as a boy had seen them being immured more than four decades earlier. Fr. Demchuk transferred them to Vienna, where they were kept at the Ukrainian Catholic church of St. Barbara. At the end of World War II, on the eve of the Soviet occupation of Vienna, the relics were moved again, smuggled away to Rome for safekeeping. Originally, the Basilians had planned to enshrine them in their monastery on the Aventine Hill; the street from which the church is entered was even renamed “Via San Giosafat” in his honor. However, Pope Paul VI decreed that this “outstanding champion of Catholic communion should not be separated from blessed Peter, to whose See he remained unshakably faithful, nor from his father, lawgiver and master in the monastic life of the East. (St. Basil)” The relics were therefore exposed for the veneration of the faithful in the altar of St. Basil in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The relics of St. Josaphat in the altar of St. Basil, after their re-vesting.
In 1982, the reliquary was re-opened and cleaned, and the relics revested. The hands and face of St. Josaphat were covered by bronze masks donated by the Basilian Fathers of Canada, new vestments were donated by the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, and a Byzantine mitre was donated by the late Archbishop Myroslav Marusyn, Secretary of the Congregation of the Oriental Churches from 1982 to 2001. The late Father Raphael Melnyk, Provincial Superior of the Canadian Basilians, testified that the body was intact and the limbs could still be lifted, despite the fact that the Saint had lain at the bottom of the river for three days in 1623, and had been in a humid crypt in Bila for 43 years.
I wish to express my gratitude to the Rev. Dr. Athanasius McVay, a priest of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Edmonton, for the information on the history of St. Josaphat’s relics, the photograph of the icon, and the two photographs of the relics taken during the re-vesting in 1982.
I wish to express my gratitude to the Rev. Dr. Athanasius McVay, a priest of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Edmonton, for the information on the history of St. Josaphat’s relics, the photograph of the icon, and the two photographs of the relics taken during the re-vesting in 1982.
The reliquary of St. Josaphat opened during the process of cleaning and re-vesting in 1982.Each year on the feast of St. Josaphat, Eastern-rite Catholics from the various Slavic nations celebrate the Divine Liturgy in his honor at the altar of St. Basil in St. Peter’s. This year, the celebrant was Archbishop Cyril Vasil, the current Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, with well more than 30 concelebrants, almost all of them quite young. (Readers of the NLM may remember that Msgr. Vasil, a Jesuit, was consecrated bishop in June of 2009 in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.) The choir, which did an outstanding job, included members of the regular choir of the Pontifical Russian College, or “Russicum”, an institution justly known for its beautiful music and reverent celebrations of the liturgy. There are of course several seminaries and churches in Rome in which various forms of the Byzantine rite are regularly celebrated, in various languages, a signal grace for the See of St. Peter.
Preparation of the Altar
Entrance Procession
The Epistle
The Homily
The Offertory
Communion
The body of St. Josaphat as currently seen in the altar of St. Basil in St. Peter's Basilica.
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I saw St. Josaphat's tomb when I visited St. Peter's Basilica in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The new reliquary looks very nice!
For some reason I got him confused with St. Andrew Bobola, the Polish Jesuit who was martyred in a very gruesome way by Tsarist forces in the 1800s [right period of time?].
1) Wasn't it Saint Josaphat who insisted on retaining the word "orthodox" in the Divine Liturgy when referring to those gathered as "all you orthodox Christians..."? Yet at the Liturgy celebrated on Friday several clergy consciously omitted that word. This is sad. Why is such an abuse tolerated, especially in the presence of the Secretary of the Oriental Congregation, no. 2 of the body responsible for disciplining such deviation?
2) There is no "Offertory" in the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom. In the "Byzantine Rite" it is called the "Great Entrance" during which the Gifts are transferred to the Altar.
Daniel, inasumch as this website is principally concerned with the Western Rite, I used the word "Offertory" as something which would express the concept by analogy to our readers who may not be particularly familiar with the Byzantine Rite. Names are names, and things are things. For example, the Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn "Oudeis axios (Niktozhe dostoin)" is fundamentally similar in thought to the Offertory prayers of the historical Roman Rite. I have seen several books, including the one with which I regularly follow the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, which use the term "offertory" to describe this part of the liturgy.
Gregory, While names are names and things are things, the ability of your readers to become familiar with the Byzantine Rite and the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom would certainly be enhanced by use of the proper liturgical terminology - even were it to use of 'Great Entrance (analagous to the Latin Offertory)' as a photo label.
The abyssmal lack of knowledge and understanding of the Eastern and Oriental Rites and Churches among Western Rite Catholics is, in no small measure, fostered by continually dumbing- or watering-down information presented to them through insistence on reducing terminology to its Western equivalent (or whatever is perceived to be such). Thus, Divine Liturgy, Soorp Badarak, Holy Qurbana, and Ùér’ata Qéddase are all too often translated to their Western equivalent, 'Mass'.
Such Westernization of the Eastern and Oriental religious culture, albeit unintended, is way too mindful of the days of latinization, when we were basically told 'Mass is Mass, get over it; the Slavs can worship with the Poles', 'you don't need an iconostasis, you've got an altar railing', etc. It also ignores the beauty and exquisite descriptiveness of so much of our ecclesial and liturgical terminology.
Wouldn't it show the collegiality and respect for the different Churches in the Catholic communion if this chapel was redone as a Eastern chapel? If it was so important to entomb him in a Latin church to show his unshakable faith in the communion with the See of Rome, wouldn't it be equally important to have his body repose in a chapel of his own Church where the rites of his church could be properly celebrated? If all the Churches are of equal dignity, let's prove it.
Oh, please.
This is one of the side altars of St Peter's Basilica! How do you want to redone it as an "Eastern Chapel"?!
Well, for one, remove the rail and erect an iconostasis with 3 doors. Remove the altar and put in a proper Eastern Holy Table that is cube shaped and can be circumabulated in order to properly celebrate the Divine Liturgy. That is a start.
It's one chapel of a multitude. It can't be "sacrificed" to show Rome's committment to the other Churches of the Catholic communion? And let's not talk about ruining the historical integrity of the Basilica because one chapel is altered. How many church buildings have had their historical integrity ruined post Vatican II?
The other option is to return the body back to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Well, finally, an in-your-face byzantine saying it like it is. Bravo, John. Right, why not at the tomb of St J at least *one* Eastern-style side chapel in St Peter's, the heavy "one, holy, catholic, apostolic, Italian and Euro-central" Church?
Perhaps the African and South-American non-white non-Euro-central churches might make the same demands?
hierodeacon Amvrosi
If you could do it without it being a fire hazard or creating a sniper haven, that'd be great. But it seems like the sort of major architectural alteration that would be much easier and more decorous to do in a corner or in the crypt, yet people would be sure to take it as an insult if you did. And if you did it for one non-Latin Rite, you'd have to do it for all, which would mean twenty chapels. Sort of a logistical problem.
But I thought people of non-Latin Rites didn't want it to look like they were sub-Rites of the Latin Rite, and that's why they avoided using St. Peter's for celebrations of other Rites and why the Pope isn't holding and attending Mass in other Rites all the time. Am I wrong?
Boy, this stuff is really confusing.
Note that there are not twenty Rites among the Eastern and Oriental Churches; the number is either 6 or 7, depending on who is counting and from what perspective. There re 22 Eastern and Oriental Catholic Churches sui iuris, of which fourteen serve according to the Byzantine Rite.
The altar of St. Basil is in a hallway. It faces not east, but south. I would've thought that's a no-no for saying Mass in Eastern traditions? Or is there "liturgical east" there, also?
St. Josaphat's body is under the current altar, so you'd have to remove the current altar, dig a hole or make a platform, make a new receptacle for St. Josaphat's body, stick a new Eastern altar on top of that, and then build your iconostasis et al. And you'd still be blocking up a hallway, with the door to a stairway right behind you (and a marble pope looking at your back). So I don't know how that would work. I guess if nobody uses the stairway and the fire marshal doesn't care.
Um. Thinking about how you could redo an altar at St. Peter's.... And actually, before modern times, people seem to have had few scruples about messing about with the decorations and so forth.
Am I correct in thinking that an Eastern chapel/altar would absolutely have to face East? No sideways? So it would have to be facing the back of St. Peter's, right? So for decorum, you'd probably want it up pretty high in the church, one assumes....
Hokay... I'm looking on the Vatican website at the Chapel of the Crucifixion of St. Peter. Legendarily, the actual site of St. P's death (and historically, that's plausible). The art historians seems to think it's gone through several problematical decoration schemes over the years and still stinks, and no country seems to have claimed it as theirs, and it faces east, and it's high up in the church but in a side arm. The only problem I can see is that it might be some big papal ceremonial site (is it?) or it might mess up the way people get around St Peter's to enclose its altar (would it?). But I guess people would probably want an Eastern altar, which would almost certainly mean removing the current altar entirely (and it looks like the altar is part of the wall, besides marking the spot of St. Peter's crucifixion) or bringing in an Eastern altar to set in front of the altar. And obviously, no pilgrim would ever be able to see the spot of St. Peter's crucifixion ever again, unless they dig out the crypt right under there, so that's sort of the biggest problem.
On the other arm, there's the altar of St. Wenceslaus in the same position with paintings of SS. Cyril and Methodius next to it, but I guess people'd have to fight that one out with the Czechs. It's much nicer looking, so maybe more of a fight. You'd have to avoid blocking the altars of Ss. Processus and Martinian and pf St. Erasmus, especially since Poussin did the painting for the latter.... Also, they hear Confession over by there, which might cause traffic problems.
Other altars facing East: The altar of St. Peter raising Tabitha. The altar of St. Peter healing a cripple. (Both of these are up in front of church past St. Peter's tomb, though you'd have to avoid blocking all the other altars and the access to the Chair and stuff. But it wouldn't block anybody's sightlines.) I can't tell how much space to walk there'd be with an iconostasis in, but honestly this seems like a decent option. Nothing much for the art lovers to complain about.
Moving on... there's the monument to Pope Pius VII. It doesn't have an altar, but it's on the east wall over an archway that used to be a doorway into the Chapel of the Choir, which door nobody uses now. So if people didn't mind having marble pope over their heads (and if there's no structural problem), you could just block the eastern doorway up and stick a little Eastern altar in the door arch, with a little iconostasis on the actual doors into the arch on the west. That might be very nice. There's a similar arrangement on the opposite side, with another unused access into the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and another Pope's monument over the door (Gregory XVI in that case). They're just monuments; neither pope is buried there. Further down the nave but in a lot smaller space, there's smaller monuments for Pope Benedict XV and Pope Pius XI. Not much room for installing an altar there, though.
The Chapel of the Choir might work, but there's a big ol' organ on the eastern wall. I don't know if they use the organs in there, though, and there's no pews, so that might work. Handy positioning and more space for altar, iconostasis, and Mass attendees. You wouldn't want to block the altar of the Immaculate Conception, though I don't think you'd have to. They use it for Liturgy of the Hours every day, though, so that might get a bit jostly if LOTH is popular.
Beyond those, you sorta run into various structural and usage constraints, or you have to move out into the narthex area and block the tourists.
Well, actually for the "doorway altar" idea, I guess you'd want to take off the doors on the west side or have them permanently open, and then build the iconostasis just outside the doorway. (Because sticking three doors into the space of two doors might be a problem, unless the two doors are really really wide.) Having an iconostasis run along the base of the monuments would be more an artistic blend problem than anything else. (And I suppose you could always just give up and have a really tall iconostasis blocking the view of the statues, but I don't think anybody wants to do that.) Benedict XIV's monument has plenty of room for iconostasis, but Pius VII's seems like it would fight less with an iconostasis. That might be a door that choirs use, though.
Anybody who wants to play thought experiment, Stpetersbasilica.org has tons of maps and photos.
I forgot to say that the other advantage is that Pius VII's monument is on the side of the Clementine Chapel, which not only has St. Gregory the Great's relics at the main altar, but is decorated with spandrel paintings of other Fathers of the Church: St. John Chrysostom, St. Athanasius, St. Ambrose, and St. Augustine. The theoretical doorway altar would thus have pictures of St. Athanasius and St. Ambrose overhead, and St. Greg's body behind and to the right, which would be very nice and ancient-y; and the decor is all salvation history and life of Christ stuff, which nobody could take exception to.
But I don't know enough detailed church history to know what sort of old feuds might get involved in this sort of thing.... Obviously, you don't want people to spend the whole Mass glaring at some picture of somebody who did something to somebody somewhere for some reason, back in 1603.
The advantage of the other side as a doorway altar is that it's in the Gregorian Chapel, which already does have tons of Eastern stuff going on. St. Gregory of Nazianzus' relics are in a porphyry urn under the altar of Our Lady of Succor, and there's a picture of him with St. Basil the Great, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great. The altar of St. Basil with St. Josaphat's body is in the hallway coming in, and the altar of St. Jerome is in the other hallway coming in. There's some traffic there, because the incorrupt body of Blessed John XXIII is under the altar there now.
It might be easier to install a new altar, iconostasis, etc. along the Gregory XVI wall but not actually at/under his statue, though I can't really tell how big the Gregorian Chapel is from the pictures (Really big, I'm guessing.) or whether there are obstacles not shown. The eastern wall of the chapel looks like it's all big colored squares of marble, which wouldn't clash with your theoretical iconostasis. But it would throw off the symmetry, I guess, if you had things off-center.
So yeah, it's not so easy a project, but it's probably not impossible to figure out something, if it doesn't violate people's rights as a Rite to have various sorts of Eastern side altars in St. Peter's. But you'd probably have to make sure it was a design that would work for various kinds of Eastern, or else use all the sites I've listed for the various and sundry Rites that had too different of requirements to be able to combine their use of an altar area.
Oops. Apparently both popes really are buried there... so I guess you'd have to be careful about that.
My other thought is that, if there's plenty of space, you could have the altar just outside the door area of the monuments (leaving space in case the door had to be used by security or firefighters), and you could build an iconostasis and wall all around it, close to the monument but not actually encroaching on it. It would mess up symmetry a bit, admittedly, but most of the sightlines in the basilica would still be fine. Again, though, you'd have to use a design that would work for most Rites. (Possibly with some portability, and maybe a mini storage area built into the wall for such things.)
Are there such things as movable iconostases, btw? Could people insta-convert an eastern wall altar to be usable on a temporary basis? Can one move in the screen closer to the altar whenever the basilica needs more seating space? Boy, I can see where church architects need to know an awful lot, just for seemingly little jobs like changing an altar a bit.