Byzantine liturgy in Chinese ‘a success’

[CatholicLife]

cathnewsphil.com/2011/10/10/byzantine-liturgy-in-chinese-‘a-success’/
AN inculturated Ukrainian Byzantine liturgy being celebrated in Hong Kong in Cantonese last week has been an amazing success, according to a visiting Australian priest who presided over the ceremonies.

This is the first time in Christian history that the traditional liturgy of the Eastern Catholic Church has been celebrated “in the Cantonese language, with Cantonese songs, by Cantonese priests and in a Cantonese cultural setting,” said Fr. Olexander Kenez, chancellor of the Ukrainian Eparchy in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania.

Father Kenez is in Hong Kong on a three-week visit to preside over three Cantonese-Ukrainian liturgies and a series of lectures about the traditional rite and prayers of the Eastern Church. He returns to Melbourne on Oct. 16.

Referring to a Divine Liturgy (Mass) at Mother of Good Counsel Church on Oct. 2, he said it had not been sung in Cantonese before and “the response was beyond my expectations.”

“I thought only the two cantors would sing at the Mass, but everybody sang and prayed so naturally as if they have joined this liturgy for a thousand years,” he said.

“We are importing the Word of God, but not importing a foreign culture.” Though the liturgy and church setting particularly the Iconostas are not completely in the Ukrainian style, it’s important that local Catholics can pray together, the priest stressed.

Report from ucanews.com

 

[I_Thirst]

Fantastic news!

 

[ConstantineTG]

I’m facebook friends with Father Olexander and the photos are awesome.

 

[Little_Boy_Lost]

Oh man, I would love to have a recording of the Divine Liturgy in Cantonese.

 

[Peterho]

Those who want to learn more details of Fr. Kenez’s visit to Hong Kong, icons in Chinese style, and the use of Cantonese-Mandarin for the first time in celebrating the divine liturgy, Akathist & parastas on China soil may visit the official website of the Ukrainian Eparchy in Melbourne:

catholicukes.org.au/theology/fr-olexander-kenez-in-china/

Please also click the 2 articles on the left “Fr. Kenez in Hong Kong” and “Divine Liturgy in Hong Kong” for the series. Just fantastic! This is historic for both Ukrainian & Chinese Catholic Churches.

 

[shiningshaw]

According to the Evangelists, Jesus suffered under the high priest Caiphas (A.U.C. 772-90, or A.D. 18-36), during the governorship of Pontius Pilate A.U.C. 780-90). But this leaves the time rather indefinite. For those who are interested in below ir outdoor camera or Alarm Accessories please kindly follow up,thanks.

 

[Diakonia]

spam

 

[Wesley7]

I don’t think they allow public worship in China.

 

[CatholicLife]

The Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Hong Kong, where the people still have freedom of religion. However in 2047 Hong Kong will have to give up her capitalist life style and become communist.:sad_bye:

 

[ConstantineTG]

I don’t think they allow public worship in China.

They do if its with the Chinese sanctioned “Catholic” Church
But this one happened in Hong Kong

 

[Peterho]

spam

I don’t know what you mean by a spam.

The Hong Kong RC Diocese is the largest Chinese Catholic Diocese of the Universal Church
(350,000 Chinese plus 150,000 Filippino and other ethnic groups). Our Bishop John Tong is in full communion with the Roman Pontiff. Cardinal Joseph Zen, SDB, Bishop-emeritus, is a renowned defender of religious freedom for the suffering Mainland Church in China. Our Diocese is the so-called “Bridge Church” between the Universal Church and the Mainland Church in China (145 dioceses with 10-12 million Catholics).

To have a glimpse of the complex picture of the Church of China, please refer to the Pope’s Open Letter to the China Church in 2007.

Moreover, the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia establishes its See in Hong Kong. We also have the Russian Orthodox and Coptic Churches serving the expatriates and their families staying here. Our Diocese maintains very good and friendly relations with these sister churches. However, this is the first time that our Diocese has the honour to invite the Chancellor of the Ukrainian Eparchy based in Melbourne to visit us and held a series of lectures for us. More importantly, this is the very first time that the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom can be celebrated in Cantonese and Mandarin (with songs and music).
For many Chinese laypeople the Byzantine liturgy has been very moving, eye-opening and edifying.

 

[Cecilianus]

China was originally evangelized according to the Syriac rite - I long for its restoration.

 

[Peterho]

China was originally evangelized according to the Syriac rite - I long for its restoration.

Yes, the East Syriac missionaries should be the first evangelizers of the Chinese people. But these might not be the batch of Assyrian missionaries as recorded by the Nestorian’s Steele dated back to 7th Century AD. There are some new evidences showing that the Syriacs might have arrived on China soil as early as 3rd Century. For interest, one may read this journal article which can be retrieved at

christianityinchina.org/Common/Admin/showNews_auto.jsp?Nid=304&Charset=big5

 

[Diakonia]

I don’t know what you mean by a spam.

The reference was to a spam post, since deleted, which appeared immediately above mine - when it was removed by a mod, my post warning of it should have also been deleted - sorry for any confusion.

 

[Cecilianus]

Yes, the East Syriac missionaries should be the first evangelizers of the Chinese people. But these might not be the batch of Assyrian missionaries as recorded by the Nestorian’s Steele dated back to 7th Century AD. There are some new evidences showing that the Syriacs might have arrived on China soil as early as 3rd Century. For interest, one may read this journal article which can be retrieved at

christianityinchina.org/Common/Admin/showNews_auto.jsp?Nid=304&Charset=big5

Thanks for the article!

 

[Cecilianus]

I have some hope that Christianity or “Da Qin” in its original Syrian form might strike a better chord with the government as being “patriotic”. There was some real nostalgia over its decline. A 13th-century general, Yang Yong Yi, wrote a poem lamenting an abandoned Nestorian pagoda whose poetic quality rivals that of the finest outputs of German Romanticism. It’s a bit irrelevant, so feel free to have the moderators remove it as spam if they want; I just feel like sharing a poem I read (appended to some newly-translated Nestorian sutras) that I really liked:

Da Qin Temple

The temple is in ruins,
the labor of those who built it,
now in vain.

The faithful no longer come,
and in its courts, only peace and quiet dwell.

The soft green moss covers every tile
And the colors of the roof are gone.

Yet, the pagoda stands
slender tower,
dazzling white in the evening light.

Clouds shroud the valley
A lone bird flies home
Home to the mountain.

The dusk covers the land,
turning smoke into silvery gray.

The days have gone,
the dream is over.

Now I must ponder on water, clean and pure.

-General Yang Yong Yi, c. 1200