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SECUNDUM ORDINEM FIANT

The Vicariate Ordo

By V. Rev. John W. Fenton, Assistant to the Vicar General

St Paul concludes his several chapters on liturgical directions with these words: “Let all things be done decently and in order” or “according to order” (secundum ordinem). (1 Cor 14.40) The Apostle’s point throughout this section (1 Cor 8-14) is that liturgical worship is not according to the whims of the presider, faithful, or anyone else; rather, it is orderly. This liturgical orderliness is inherited from the Old Testament worship prescribed by the Lord, and it helps unify both in the moment as well as across various boundaries. To borrow St Paul’s words from another place, liturgical order aids in “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ” (Eph 4.3). Continue reading “SECUNDUM ORDINEM FIANT”

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The Concept of Merit in the Western Rite

By Fr. David McCready

Today, by the mercy of God, as we celebrate the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, she who merited to bear Our Saviour,[1] I begin this study, asking that, through her prayers, what I write may be true and in accordance with the Orthodox Faith, the Faith revealed to us by her Divine Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be all glory for ever. Amen.

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Introduction

In the sacristy of one of the churches of the Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate, there exists an altar missal from which a careful hand has excised every mention of the word ‘merit.’  Such an assault on the venerable liturgical heritage of the Elder Rome appears contrary to the Orthodox phronema, which is ever respectful of what has been handed down to us by tradition (1 Corinthians 11, 23). But merit language is not simply part of our liturgical patrimony: it is part of the theological and spiritual inheritance which we have received from the great Fathers of the Latin church, including St Cyprian, St Ambrose, St Leo, St Benedict, and St Gregory the Dialogist. Shall we also take a pen and strike through their writings? Continue reading “The Concept of Merit in the Western Rite”

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Why the Eastern Orthodox Church Needs the Western Rite

Moving Past Polemics, Restoring the Whole Tradition,
and Fulfilling our Mission in the West

By the Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Cardine
St. Patrick Orthodox Church, Bealeton, Virginia

Originally published in The Basilian Journal V. 2.n.1 Fall 2020 #3
As a companion discussion, listen to the Gazette Podcast episode, “Moving Past Polemics.”

Continue reading “Why the Eastern Orthodox Church Needs the Western Rite”

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Reflections on the Eucharist

By Fr. David McCready

Introduction

When Our Lord Jesus Christ established the mystery of the holy Eucharist, He took bread saying, ‘This is My Body,’ and then took the cup saying, ‘This is My Blood’ (Matthew 26, 26-28; Mark 14, 22-24; Luke 22, 19-20; 1 Corinthians 11, 22-25). For this reason, as well as on account of the Lord’s teaching in the discourse on the Bread of Life (John 6, 22-59), the church has from the very beginning confessed the eucharist ‘to be (εἶναι) the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, that flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father of His goodness raised.’[1] And this is what we confess today. As we say prior to Communion: ‘I believe, O Lord, and I confess … that Thou art truly the Christ … and that this is truly Thine own immaculate Body, and that this is truly Thine own precious Blood.’ Continue reading “Reflections on the Eucharist”

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2018 AWRV Conference Keynote

Si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more; si fueris alibi, vivito sicut ibi.

“If you are at Rome, live in the Roman manner; if elsewhere, live as they do there.”

When St. Augustine arrived in Milan, c. 387 A.D., he observed that the Church did not fast on Saturday as did the Church at Rome. He consulted St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, who replied:

“When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the Church where you are.” 

I would like to argue that we live in the West, in “Rome” as it were, and should follow the customs of the ancient Christian West, of Rome.

Continue reading “2018 AWRV Conference Keynote”
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A Condensed History of the Orthodox Western Rite

Any history of the Western Rite movement of the Orthodox Church should properly begin with Saints Cyril and Methodius, who operated during the ninth century in Moravia and Dalmatia. With the blessing of Pope Adrian II, later confirmed by Pope John VIII, these saintly brothers offered the Roman Mass in the vernacular to the people they were evangelizing. When offering the Roman Liturgy, they employed what is sometimes called “The Liturgy of St Gregory,” whose liturgical forms were set by the 6th century and codified by Pope St Gregory the Great (known as Dialogus). Continue reading “A Condensed History of the Orthodox Western Rite”

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Fr. Alexander Schmemann and the Western Rite

In June of 1981, I was transferred from my first parish, a Byzantine Rite congregation in Oklahoma, to my second, St. Andrew the First-Called, in Florida. To my knowledge I was the first Orthodox seminary-trained priest to serve in a Western Rite church, and the result was no small discussion. I lost my Father Confessor, who was convinced I had somehow ceased to be Orthodox, although we have since reconciled. Other friendships were put on hold, and there were innumerable sarcastic remarks and jokes about the Mickey Mouse Western Rite, for it is good and pleasant when brethren dwell together in unity. Continue reading “Fr. Alexander Schmemann and the Western Rite”

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What Do We Make of the Western Rite?

When I first stepped into a Western Rite parish, I nearly walked out in the middle of the service. “What is this?” “It is so western!” “This can’t be Orthodox…” These were the thoughts that filled my mind as I watched the community chant in Gregorian tones and genuflect in front of the altar. I had been chrismated into the Church several years and had only experienced Orthodoxy in its eastern expression. Though I had heard a few references to “Western-Riters,” it was rarely in a positive light. Essentially, the thought of anything western struck me as a bad idea, and like so many people, I never took the time to examine these assumptions in the light of our Church’s history and theology.

Continue reading “What Do We Make of the Western Rite?”