Yesterday, I laid the groundwork with a post on Eastern Catholicism, mainly intended to remind the Catholic world that they do exist and are an asset to us in many ways. Well, today, I put my money where my mouth was and visited St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church (Ruthenian) in Columbus, Ohio. This little essay sadly won’t include photos (one is available here, though), but should give a basic "how to" guide to visiting an Eastern Catholic Church for Roman Catholics.
Walking into the building was a beautiful tour de force, much like visiting an Orthodox Church. The East "does" beauty very well and we in the West have a lot to learn (or rather to relearn). Many people walked up and kissed and icon, but I just sat down, not wanting to do anything out of place! I admired the beautiful icons, the domed ceiling, the iconostasis (separating the priest and the people), and the beautiful icon of the Blessed Mother painted on the back wall. The smell of incense was evident too. It took me back to 1999 when I was fascinated with the Eastern Church (in this case Orthodox), a love which I’ve never quite lost.
The service began in a familiar way with a hymn, but after that it took a decidedly non-Roman turn. The litany included numerous petitions (and was said a few times throughout the service), including one for the Pope, since they are in communion with him. Some interesting differences I immediately noticed were interesting: bowing instead of genuflecting, a lot more crossing, and the Easterners do the sign of the Cross with three fingers and go from right to left rather than the Western left to right. Admittedly that took some getting used to! Also, everything except for some pre-communion prayers was sung in basic chant. That was very beautiful! The liturgy just seeps with the ancient including the call: "the doors, the doors!" recalling a time when those waiting to be baptized or the non-Christians were sent out before the sacred mysteries of the Eucharist.
The actual liturgy (called The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom) was done today in both English and Slavonic (an old "church" language). The whole service lasted about an hour and ten minutes. The Slavonic parts were kept to a minimum and I could easily follow along in a service book at the pew. I have discovered that in the East if something can be said once, it can be said several more times, while in the West, if something is said many times, it can just be said once. I did, however, appreciate the prayer for the varieties of different states in life. I also loved the prayers leading up to the Eucharist. We in the West could learn such a beautiful reverence like this:
O Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinner, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of Your mystical supper, O Son of God; for I will not reveal Your mysteries to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You:
Remember me, O Lord, when You shall come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Master, when You shall come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Holy One, when You shall come into Your kingdom.
May the partaking of Your Holy Mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body. O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive, is truly Your most precious Body and Your life-giving Blood, which I pray, make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen.
All I could say then and now is "wow!" The liturgy also included the Nicene Creed without the clause "and the Son" (filioque), which shows that Rome is far more flexible on this matter than many would like to believe. They also, at one point, prayed for the Archbishop of Constantinople, who, unless the Catholics have set someone up in Istanbul recently, is an Orthodox patriarch.
Communion was the most different of all the experiences. The people go up for communion with hands crossed over their chest (in the West this is a gesture, at least formerly, for a blessing, i.e. not taking communion). Then the priest drops, with a spoon, a mixture of the Body and Precious Blood into the communicant’s mouth. The person does not say Amen. As a reminder, all Catholics, including Roman Catholics, can receive communion at Eastern Catholic Churches, provided they have fasted an hour and are free of mortal sin (the same rules for Roman communion). However, Protestants may not take communion in Catholic Churches, Eastern or Western.
After communion, we all came up and were anointed with oil by the priest and partook of some blessed bread, called Antidoron. I believe that even baptized non-Catholics may receive this bread. Note: this is not the same as communion. On the way out, I was greeted by several people, which made me feel welcome. I was blessed and will definitely return to an Eastern Catholic Church sooner than later.
What advice do I have for those interested in visiting an Eastern Catholic parish? First, I’d read up on Eastern Catholic Customs (you can do that here, here (especially helpful), and here). I called the parish office beforehand and talked to the priest, just to let him know I was coming and asked if there was anything I needed to know. It’s best to find out different customs, languages of the services, etc. beforehand to save confusion. Other than that, my best advice for Roman Catholics who can visit an Eastern Catholic Church: Just do it! Here is a good starting point:
The Unofficial Directory of Eastern Catholic Churches in the US
My brother David, who visited with me, gives his summary of the whole event here.
Today is the memorial of St. Maria Goretti in the Church calendar. Although not as famous as many other Saints, her story certainly deserves re-telling. Goretti was a devout Catholic who died for her faith just shy of her 12th birthday. Her 19 year old neighbor, Alessandro Serenelli, was attracted to her, but she spurned his advances. He finally tried to force himself on her, but she resisted, telling him it was a sin. He tried to choke her and in anger eventually stabbed her 14 times. She survived, but the best efforts of the doctors failed to save her and she died two days later, after having forgiven Serenelli personally and asking God to forgive him.
I want to wish all my American reader a Happy Independence Day! For non-Americans, this is the day we remember our declaration of independence from Great Britain. I don’t have any exciting plans, though. In fact, the only fireworks I’ll see this year will be the graphics to the left of this blog entry (although I heard some last night when I was trying to get some sleep!!). Our family tends to celebrate these holidays with food, not by setting fires. Well, we do set one fire by lighting the charcoal. There’s no better way to remember our nation than with a juicy hamburger or steak fresh off the grill. I’m sure George Washington and Abe Lincoln would agree! If not them,
