Fasting/abstinence rules UGCC

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Where can I find the fasting/abstinence rules currently legislated by the UGCC for the USA?

(I am not talking about the traditional Orthodox fasts here. This is a question about bare minimum requirements. Yes, this is a “very Latin” question, get a spiritual father, etc. etc. etc. * Please* tell me what document or source this can be found in…thanks!)
 
You can find one in the Anthology book. I don’t have it at-hand right now to tell you what it says.
 
It is the book for Divine Liturgy plus a few prayers and hymns thrown together. The official title is, “Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship”. Its a blue hard-bound book.
 
I have the book of called “Byzantine Rite Liturgical Year” by Fr. Wysochansky but it’s written in 1983 and it’s a book, not legislation. If I’m not mistaken the Code of Canon law for the Eastern Churches came out in 1990, so things could be different.
 
I have the book of called “Byzantine Rite Liturgical Year” by Fr. Wysochansky but it’s written in 1983 and it’s a book, not legislation. If I’m not mistaken the Code of Canon law for the Eastern Churches came out in 1990, so things could be different.
The Anthology came out a few years ago, 2007 I think. There is more recent legislation in there.
 
Where can I find the fasting/abstinence rules currently legislated by the UGCC for the USA?

(I am not talking about the traditional Orthodox fasts here. This is a question about bare minimum requirements. Yes, this is a “very Latin” question, get a spiritual father, etc. etc. etc. * Please* tell me what document or source this can be found in…thanks!)
Per place is the legal norm.

Particular Law for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

**Can. 89 **(CCEO c. 707 §1) With respect to the preparation of the Eucharistic bread, the prayers said by the priests before the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, the observance of the Eucharistic fast, the appointed time and place of the celebration, information pertaining to liturgical vestments, and the like, it is necessary to follow the liturgical norms which are established by the synod of bishops.

**Can. 93 **(CCEO c. 713 §2) Concerning the preparation for participation in the Divine Eucharist through fast, prayers and other works, the faithful are to observe the norms of the liturgical books and to fast at least one hour prior to Holy Communion. Water and medicine taken prior to Holy Communion does not break the fast.

**Can. 115 **(CCEO c. 882) On the days of penance, the faithful are obliged to observe the fast, especially the 40-day fast, or other periods of fast, according to the customs of the place in which the faithful reside.
 
According to the Anthology we fast during:
  1. All Fridays of the year except when:
    a. Great Feasts of the Lord or the Theotokos falls on a Friday
    b. Period from Christmas to Theophany
    c. From the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee to the Sunday of the Prodigal Son
    d. Pascha to Thomas Sunday
    e. Pentecost to All Saints Sunday
  2. To abstain from meat and dairy products on the First Day of Lent and on Good Friday
  3. Abstain from meat on
    a. Day before Christmas and day before Theophany
    b. Exhalation of the Holy Cross
    c. Beheading of Saint John the Forerunner
This is the minimum requirement as prescribed in North America.
 
According to the Anthology we fast during:
  1. All Fridays of the year except when:
    a. Great Feasts of the Lord or the Theotokos falls on a Friday
    b. Period from Christmas to Theophany
    c. From the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee to the Sunday of the Prodigal Son
    d. Pascha to Thomas Sunday
    e. Pentecost to All Saints Sunday
  2. To abstain from meat and dairy products on the First Day of Lent and on Good Friday
  3. Abstain from meat on
    a. Day before Christmas and day before Theophany
    b. Exhalation of the Holy Cross
    c. Beheading of Saint John the Forerunner
This is the minimum requirement as prescribed in North America.
This isn’t legislated in the way a Roman Catholic would understand it. This is what one group recommends. Each bishop adopts his own rule. To know yours, you have to look at your own church calendar and ask your own priest.
 
This isn’t legislated in the way a Roman Catholic would understand it. This is what one group recommends. Each bishop adopts his own rule. To know yours, you have to look at your own church calendar and ask your own priest.
The Anthology has been approved by His Beatitude Lubomyr for use in North America. That is they synod members from North America has agreed to this. But again, this is 2007 and thus today it is not impossible that things have changed. For Canada, I couldn’t find anything that says otherwise on our Eparchy’s website and in the Archeparchy’s website.

But again, this is the minimum. A Bishop individually or even a parish priest can individually prescribe more for the eparchy/parish if they wish to, as long as they do not go below this (again, unless the synod has revised this since its publishing).
 
The Anthology has been approved by His Beatitude Lubomyr for use in North America. That is they synod members from North America has agreed to this. But again, this is 2007 and thus today it is not impossible that things have changed. For Canada, I couldn’t find anything that says otherwise on our Eparchy’s website and in the Archeparchy’s website.

But again, this is the minimum. A Bishop individually or even a parish priest can individually prescribe more for the eparchy/parish if they wish to, as long as they do not go below this (again, unless the synod has revised this since its publishing).
Show me an eparchy where the Liturgy is in English and done according to the Anthology and I’ll show you an eparchy where the Anthology’s fasting guidelines are being used. 😉
 
Show me an eparchy where the Liturgy is in English and done according to the Anthology and I’ll show you an eparchy where the Anthology’s fasting guidelines are being used. 😉
Remember the force of law is from the decision of the synod, not the use of the Anthology book. What is in the Anthology is just a print reproduction of the decision by the synod.
 
Remember the force of law is from the decision of the synod, not the use of the Anthology book. What is in the Anthology is just a print reproduction of the decision by the synod.
The force of law is from one’s bishop. He answers to the synod. We don’t.

If CJA wants to know his/her local guidelines, they come from his/her local bishop. A spirit of disobedience or pride is in opposition to the point of a fast, so encouraging CJA to think his/her knowledge of a synod’s book has some sort of moral authority over the fasting directions given by the local bishop is to set CJA up for disappointment.

How CJA appears to be approaching the spiritual life is not how the East approaches it. It would be unkind for me to give the impression that the Anthology is promulgated in the way a western traditionalist thinks of promulgations. Trying to have a western mentality and to apply it to an eastern life is only going to end with frustration.
 
The force of law is from one’s bishop. He answers to the synod. We don’t.

If CJA wants to know his/her local guidelines, they come from his/her local bishop. A spirit of disobedience or pride is in opposition to the point of a fast, so encouraging CJA to think his/her knowledge of a synod’s book has some sort of moral authority over the fasting directions given by the local bishop is to set CJA up for disappointment.

How CJA appears to be approaching the spiritual life is not how the East approaches it. It would be unkind for me to give the impression that the Anthology is promulgated in the way a western traditionalist thinks of promulgations. Trying to have a western mentality and to apply it to an eastern life is only going to end with frustration.
I agree, but fact is we do things pretty Western. So I’m answering the question based on what is and how it is today. I would love to have a more Eastern approach, and you know me well enough to say that is true. But the reality right now is we are not there yet.
 
I agree, but fact is we do things pretty Western. So I’m answering the question based on what is and how it is today. I would love to have a more Eastern approach, and you know me well enough to say that is true. But the reality right now is we are not there yet.
There are a lot of areas where the UGCC has not maintained or reclaimed its own traditions, but everywhere I’ve traveled, the culture of obedience and subsidiary are alive and well in the Eastern Catholic Churches. There’s one modern exception I can think of, but I won’t open that can of worms because it isn’t related to the UGCC.

Try telling any Eastern Catholic bishop that a canon or document says X and see what his response is. I expect you’ll get a lot of explanations on how you don’t understand and how it is done differently here. 😃

It’s one of the reasons the current western adaptations are able to hold on so well.
 
I see the benefit to the “Eastern” approach, but when it comes down to it…people need to know what the rules are, otherwise anarchy will rule.

And in the end, the UGCC, is a Catholic Church, it is not the Orthodox Church. People hold up the way the Orthodox Church is run as if it’s some ideal, but it has it’s problems too. Just ask them about contraception, remarriage, etc. Or ask an Old Calendrist if the SCOBA Orthodox are canonical.

Also I know one of my Roman Catholic friends married a Ukrainian, wanted to change rites and have his kids baptized in the UGCC, but since the couple was not a registered parishoners, the UGCC priest wouldn’t do the baptism. So in the end the LAW ruled out: You are baptized in the rite of the father and you need to be REGISTERED parishioners (aka you need to give money in the ENVELOPES). So much for an “Eastern approach” which “doesn’t care about documents.”

And this whole idea that you can’t do a little of your own research is absurd. Some people on these forums must be a real pain in the you know what to their Eastern priests. LOL 😃
 
I see the benefit to the “Eastern” approach, but when it comes down to it…people need to know what the rules are, otherwise anarchy will rule.

And in the end, the UGCC, is a Catholic Church, it is not the Orthodox Church. People hold up the way the Orthodox Church is run as if it’s some ideal, but it has it’s problems too. Just ask them about contraception, remarriage, etc. Or ask an Old Calendrist if the SCOBA Orthodox are canonical.

Also I know one of my Roman Catholic friends married a Ukrainian, wanted to change rites and have his kids baptized in the UGCC, but since the couple was not a registered parishoners, the UGCC priest wouldn’t do the baptism. So in the end the LAW ruled out: You are baptized in the rite of the father and you need to be REGISTERED parishioners (aka you need to give money in the ENVELOPES). So much for an “Eastern approach” which “doesn’t care about documents.”

And this whole idea that you can’t do a little of your own research is absurd. Some people on these forums must be a real pain in the you know what to their Eastern priests. LOL 😃
We’re talking about Ukrainian Catholic culture and spirituality, not Orthodox theology. It’s not that documents don’t matter. It’s that documents don’t override local custom done in obedience. Your story proves this perfectly.
 
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