A Roman Catholic with Orthodox weaknesses

[livingwordunity]

The OP mentioned: “There are no Eastern Rite (in Communion with Rome) options where I live.”

I didn’t see that part of the OP.
Oh well, perhaps if this person ever moves they might be able to use the information I provided.

 

[babochka]

Can somebody tell me which, if any, of the eastern churches (Catholic) use anything but English as their liturgical language? I get very confused trying to figure this out.

I find myself really loving Russian Orthodox chant. Not sure why as there is absolutely no cultural connections there.

For most of them, it depends upon the particular needs of the parish. I went to a Chaldean liturgy that (I’m told) was a mixture of Assyrian (Aramaic), Arabic, and English. (The readings and homily were repeated in all three languages.) My own parish uses a smattering of Church Slavonic from time to time, but the liturgy is primarily in English. We had a liturgy in Church Slavonic last year, but it was a special event. The Romanian Catholic parish in Southern California offers a liturgy that is primarily in Romanian. One of two local Ukrainian parishes uses Ukrainian; the other is in English. The Maronites have their liturgy in Arabic and Aramaic, with some English.

 

[Aramis]

Can somebody tell me which, if any, of the eastern churches (Catholic) use anything but English as their liturgical language? I get very confused trying to figure this out.

All of them. No, seriously.

In the Ruthenian Church, the official language is Church Slavonic, but the liturgy is often in Ukrainian (which is bloody close to Church Slavonic anyway); in the Ruthenian American Metropolia, Slavonic, English, and Spanish are allowed, and the books are primarily in English.

The UGCC has liturgies mostly in Ukrainian, but still has a liturgical language of Church Slavonic. In the US, they also have English and Spanish liturgies approved.

The Maronites use a mixture of Arabic and Aramaic formally. Chaldeans, too. Both have English liturgies as well in the US.

The Syro Malabar and Syro Malankara use their traditional indian language (I don’t know which it is), even in the US, for the most part.

Each of the Churches Sui Iuris has a liturgical language, but most also have liturgies approved in the vernacular.

See, the term Liturgical Language is a loaded one - The Roman Rite has only one liturgical language: Latin… this despite having allowed translations into about 80 or 90 different languages. The Dalmatian Rite, by contrast, has church slavonic as its liturgical language - all the rubrics and text are written in it, as are the head of rite’s communications - but is otherwise identical to the Roman.

 

[dzheremi]

The Syro Malabar and Syro Malankara use their traditional indian language (I don’t know which it is)

Malayalam.

 

[Fraz94]

Out of curiosity did you try going to a Tridentine Mass, also very beautiful. (Just a thought)

I am a great lover of the Tridentine Mass and have been several times…but as a whole the Church has lost that, I don’t have a huge problem with the Novus Ordo and go to it no problem but I love the Tridentine!

 

[Fraz94]

Thanks everyone for posting- it has been great to hear from you all and learn/ hear all your different view points and what you have to say! Thanks and God bless!

 

[Tridentine_MT]

Thanks everyone for posting- it has been great to hear from you all and learn/ hear all your different view points and what you have to say! Thanks and God bless!

More or less, I am in the same situation as yours.

The thing that irks me most in the Roman Catholic Church is that many Masses are becoming irreverent whereas the Orthodox treasure their traditions and defend their liturgy.

From a wider perspective, the Tridentine Mass can be useful for the much wanted unity between the two Churches, so that as St. John Paul II said, Christianity will breathe with both lungs, eastern and western.

See more here:

pro-tridentina-malta.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-orthodox-church-and-summorum.html

 

[MichaelinMD]

More or less, I am in the same situation as yours.

The thing that irks me most in the Roman Catholic Church is that many Masses are becoming irreverent whereas the Orthodox treasure their traditions and defend their liturgy.

From a wider perspective, the Tridentine Mass can be useful for the much wanted unity between the two Churches, so that as St. John Paul II said, Christianity will breathe with both lungs, eastern and western.

See more here:

pro-tridentina-malta.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-orthodox-church-and-summorum.html

I really don’t think that irreverence of Roman Catholic Masses is a good reason to leave the Catholic Church, though it can be mighty tempting to do so on that basis. If you wish to remain Catholic (and you may not want to, for a variety of reasons other than that) you might want to explore Eastern Catholicism. As far as I’ve heard or read there is little problem, if any at all, regarding irreverence at Liturgical celebrations. And the Byzantine liturgy is the same one the Orthodox celebrate, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

The N.O. Mass, however, does leave MUCH to be desired, on many levels, imho, even though it can be celebrated quite reverently–I can personally attest to that.

 

[Tridentine_MT]

I really don’t think that irreverence of Roman Catholic Masses is a good reason to leave the Catholic Church, though it can be mighty tempting to do so on that basis. If you wish to remain Catholic (and you may not want to, for a variety of reasons other than that) you might want to explore Eastern Catholicism. As far as I’ve heard or read there is little problem, if any at all, regarding irreverence at Liturgical celebrations. And the Byzantine liturgy is the same one the Orthodox celebrate, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

The N.O. Mass, however, does leave MUCH to be desired, on many levels, imho, even though it can be celebrated quite reverently–I can personally attest to that.

I agree with your reasoning.

In my case there are other issues. Having said that, I firmly believe that both Churches have a lot to offer in these difficult times.

 

[SyroMalankara]

More or less, I am in the same situation as yours.

The thing that irks me most in the Roman Catholic Church is that many Masses are becoming irreverent whereas the Orthodox treasure their traditions and defend their liturgy.

From a wider perspective, the Tridentine Mass can be useful for the much wanted unity between the two Churches, so that as St. John Paul II said, Christianity will breathe with both lungs, eastern and western.

See more here:

pro-tridentina-malta.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-orthodox-church-and-summorum.html

Irreverence can be found in any Church. The Patriarch Nikon persecuted the Old Believers with state powers, for staying true to the ancient Russian Liturgical Usages. Today, the common Russian Usage is Nikonian, the Old Believers are still present in very small communities throughout the world - some very few are Russian Catholics as well.