We get the occassional visitors, and we are always friendly and speak to them after Divine Liturgy, but our retention rate is near if no 0%.
I just saw some of your additional posts and nice exchange with
ConstantineTG, noting the retention rate comment quoted above, in particular.
Our Ruthenian Rite parish is almost 50% “non-cradle Byzantine” - most coming over from the Latin Rite either by marriage or choice, and a good number from other non-Catholic churches. The reasons most frequently cited:
- the priest
- the congregation
- the conduct of the worship service
Behind each of those points, if the person felt welcomed and comfortable in the community, they would stay.
The manner in which they are welcomed (or not) by the priest is often cited as being of primary importance. As our communities tend to be smaller than many others, this becomes an advantage with a visitor seeking a more intimate religious experience.
Seeing a vibrant community, especially for those coming with family and younger children, is the next most important factor. Social functions, quality of catechesis, and the degree and extent of local community outreach all matter in this regard.
On the final point, I do fervently agree with
ConstantineTG that the cantor / quality of the liturgical music rendering is another very important determining factor. This is the “soul” of our Liturgical expression. The level of congregational singing is often impacted first by this, and that affects both visitor and standing member of the congregation alike. Did you every attend a DL were no one but the cantor chanted? Given that many vistors come from traditions where services, including extensive sections of the Latin Mass, are typically recited, this is a new experience for the uninitiated. We all need to participate in our worship services in order to feel connected. We participate in large part by singing in the Eastern Churches.
Relatedly, the degree to which the Church feels “ethnic”, by virtue of the manner in which the congregation relate and communicate with each other, including the degree of use of Old Church Slavonic in the DL, can also cause some sense of discomfort and prevent a newcomer from experiencing a true sense of belonging. Explanations of the tradition, which often come first from a knowledgeable, personable cantor, can go a long way toward mitigating that potential roadblock.
As a related aside, the “cradle Byzantines” in our parish include many Ukrainians (most of my burgeoning choir, in fact), and they often share that they miss some of the more traditional Ukrainian chants and hymns that may be more rarely used in our Church with Rusyn roots. We’ve converted this into an opportunity, with adult education on the history of our people given by our very knowledgeable “non-cradle Byzantine” priest, and we will be singing several familiar, traditional carols this Nativity season to the beautiful melodies from both the Ukrainian and Rusyn traditions.
Wishing you great success in promoting the virtues of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in your area!
P.S. I have seen and heard your new young, dynamic Patriarch, and could not help but be drawn in by him. The YouTube videos available of the HDL celebrated during his visit to the Philadelphia Archeparchy were magnificent. Perhaps you could leverage this, as well!
D
) of Orthodoxy, and then came back “home” to the Catholic Church. We now worship in a Roman Catholic parish. I feel equally at home there as in a ByzCath parish, and love them both immensely. Go figure! 