Communion at a Greek Orthodox Church

[Frank_J]

Hi Angelos,

I would like to send my greetings to you and say right on brother. I’m also a convert to the Orthodox faith.

Look forward to talking with you.

GOD bless you.

 

[Angelos]

I don’t see how an individual church members beliefs can be interpreted to be those of the official church. If that’s how it works then apparently the Immaculate Conception applies to Jesus’ conception since quite a number of Catholics have told me so.

What should I do to know if the statement made by an individual believer represents the official teaching of a church? I cannot gather all Lutherans and test if they agree on a certain tenet, right?

The Lutheran friend of mine maybe made a mistake and presented her personal comments as the official teaching of her church. This cannot be my fault, for I am only reiterating here what she once told me without adding to or extracting from her remarks. I shall do research on this issue very soon

 

[Angelos]

Hi Angelos,

I would like to send my greetings to you and say right on brother. I’m also a convert to the Orthodox faith.

Look forward to talking with you.

GOD bless you.

Hi Frank J,

Thanks for your encouraging message and kind wishes. Peace and blessings to you.

 

[scapularkid8]

How long is a typical Orthodox Divine Liturgy? I’ve been to Byzantine Catholic services and they didn’t exceed an hour and a half. I heard some Orthodox services can be up to two hours long. Is that what I should be expecting at the Cathedral? And will my female friends have to cover their heads?

 

[Hesychios]

How long is a typical Orthodox Divine Liturgy? I’ve been to Byzantine Catholic services and they didn’t exceed an hour and a half. I heard some Orthodox services can be up to two hours long. Is that what I should be expecting at the Cathedral? And will my female friends have to cover their heads?

All I can say is, don’t be in a hurry! I would not expect the Orthodox Divine Liturgy to exceed anything you are used to by very much though.

Since this is a Greek church you are planning to visit, I can’t say anything more. I don’t go to their parishes.

I know the Russian tradition at my cathedral can take from 9AM to about 11:30 to 11:45. But that actually includes Third Hour at 9:00AM (lasts about 25 minutes, not actually obligatory, the rite of Preparation, or Proskimedia, begins during this short interval behind the iconostasis) and an occasional Panakhyda (memorial service) afterward (not obligatory).

Then there can be a social gathering afterward, but you probably are familiar with that sort of thing.

I hate to play to stereotypes here, but if this parish is really going to be full of Greeks, I would not worry about head coverings. The Greek gals could possibly be dressing a bit on the snazzy side.

 

[prodromos]

How long is a typical Orthodox Divine Liturgy? I’ve been to Byzantine Catholic services and they didn’t exceed an hour and a half. I heard some Orthodox services can be up to two hours long.

At my parish, Orthros begins at 6.45am and Divine Liturgy ends around 10.30. With memorial services and the sermon added it will finish around 11.00.
If you can get there from the beginning of Orthros I would recommend it. In a dark church lit only by a few candles you will experience a completely other worldly atmosphere. If you can get along to a vigil service (agripneia) too you will not regret it.

John

 

[The_Pilgrim]

What to do at an Orthodox Liturgy??
Great question. I attended my first liturgy about ten years ago, and was totally blown away by the sights, sounds, colors… If you have been raised post Vatican II, you will find yourself on a roller coaster time machine back to the fifth or sixth century.
Receiving communion? sadly no. 1049 and all that. Besides, communion signifies “community;” a group of people sharing the same beliefs, and there are some beliefs and dogma on both sides of the fence that keep us from being “in community” with each other. God bless Benedict! He seems determined to advance the cause of reconciliation, and it won’t be to soon! We have many common enemies in this modern secular world, and the more united we can be against them, the better off we – and the world – will be!
Here is a short tract by Frederica Matthewes-Green, a priest’s wife and writer in Maryland. Her husband Gary was an Episcopalian priest, and they converted to Orthodoxy when the Episcopalians started ordaining women to the priesthood. She wrote a wonderful book about their experiences called “Facing East.”
Anyway, frederica.com/12-things/ will show you a small tract she wrote called “12 Things I Wish I’d Known … First Visit To An Orthodox Church.”
Enjoy!

 

[scapularkid8]

Wow. I forgot to update everyone here on this thread about my experience. Well my brother and friends got to the Cathedral late so we sat in the back somewhat under the choir loft so we couldn’t see the entire dome during the DL. It was still pretty impressive though. My brother and I took some of the Antidiron, but we didn’t take Communion (my two other friends aren’t Catholic or Orthodox didn’t want to take Antidiron). The Deacon asked us if we were visitors and I said “yeah we’re from about an hour away”, “What parish?”, “Saint Mary of the Assumption…we’re Catholic.” The response was unexpected: “OH! You are?! God bless you!!!” (Ironic that our churches had the same patron too . Their’s was Assumption of the Theotokos.) Anyway, during Communion my brother and I went out into the nave and lit votive candles to put in front of an icon of the Theotokos. It was a neat experience.