Finally, what is a Liturgy Stipend? Is it offered to remember someone during the Divine Liturgy? Is it offered in thanks for performing a Mystery (Baptism / Communion / Chrismation or a wedding)? Is it what we’re supposed to put in the collection basket on Sunday?
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ByzCathCantor** has done an excellent job of giving you the practice in the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church which it sounds like both of your are worshiping in.
I just would add that this is not the case in other Eastern Catholic Churches, although there may be some besides the Ruthenian/Byzantine CC who have adopted this.
The Divine Liturgy is offered for the Glory of God and His people in all our Churches.
At least in the Orthodox tradition we follow as Russian Greek Catholics it is not ‘offered’ for the intention of some one. Within the many litanies in the DL are numerous intentions. Our Slav tradition for prayer intentions would be during the
Proskomedia which takes place before Divine Liturgy. We write prayer intentions for the living and for the reposed either in a booklet each person may use, or on slips of paper provided. You place a
prosphora with the booklet or papers on the tray for that purpose and the priest or deacon retrieves these after their vesting prayers for use in the Liturgy of Preparation. It is typical that one is “asked” to contribute $1. for this, similar to the contribution one makes for the candles one places at icons. You can read about the prayers which are
offered for the living and the reposed in this way. These names are often also intoned by the priest or deacon during the DL in the litanies when we pray for the reposed, etc. Apart from the $1. for the prosphora there is no money involved, and I’m sure that there are times when no dollar is given with the prosphora and prayer slip. No one is there to check. It’s all done on the “honor system”.
The Proskomedia/Liturgy of Preparation itself as described in the links given is done in a similar way in the Byzantine/Ruthenian Church. I assumed there are also written prayer requests parishioners fill out, tho not individual prosphora in that tradition.
We do have the *Panikhida *service for the reposed celebrated attached at the conclusion of DL, or separately. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral up the street from us celebrates a Moleban every Saturday at the relics of St. John Maximovitch during which hundreds of prayer intentions are silently read by a number of clergy. When we have a special intention often our parishioners will go to that or
submit the names here. Like the
Panikhida the Moleban service is not a liturgy but is another service where special intentions are brought in prayer. There is no money expected for that, as is apparent on the Cathedral website. I have known family in my parish to place money into the collection box or hand it to the priests in an envelope. (Likewise when we have had Holy Unction services for gravely ill parishioners.) This goes directly into the parish collection.
I’m offering this to indicated there are differences in how things are done. The quote from the Melkite’s
ByzCathCantor provided describes this “Mass Stipends” as a western usage and says the recent CCEO canon law for the Eastern Churches allows it. Many see the CCEO canons has heavily latinized.
Some Churches will have incorporated more of the traditions of the Latin Church. There are many reasons for this and I am not here to criticize these practices. My parish has kept close to the Orthodox way. Many of our parishioners also attend Mass in the Latin Church and happily engage in practices there which would not be appropriate in our temple.
I am quite fond of the Stations of the Cross during Lent. Unfortunately the Stations are done in my Latin parish Friday nights when I’m at Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts. Tonight I would noramlly be able to go, since our Great Lent hasn’t yet begun, but the Latin parish is having a retreat tonight instead of the Stations.
