How Popular Is This Devotion?

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Seamus_L

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Akathist to Jesus Christ the Lover of Mankind. I have a booklet of it that a guy gave me at a UGCC parish.
 
I’ve heard of it before. I think it is basically an Easternized version of the Sacred Heart devotion. I say…hey…why not?
 
Moleben to Christ the Lover of Mankind (Ukrainian Orthodox)
Devotional molebens
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At some point, probably during the mid- to late-19th century, a new style of molebens came into being among Greek Catholics. These new molebens incorporated other elements from Matins (such as the festal exaltation), and entirely new hymns, which were suited for congregational or responsorial singing, whether in village churches or on pilgrimages. The most popular of these “devotional molebens” included:
  • the Moleben to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, composed by Father Isidore Dolnytsky of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the later 19th century. In this service, festal magnification of Matins (for the feast of the Sacred Heart) is sung before the Gospel, and a series of praises to the Sacred Heart is chanted by the priest afterwards, with the people singing a fixed refrain (“O most sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy of us.”)
  • the Moleben to the Mother of God, composed by Father Meletius Lonchyna in the early 20th century. In this service, the Gospel reading is followed by a series of petitions to the Ever-Virgin Mary, each of which begins with the words, “Rejoice, O Mary”, and to which the people respond with the refrain “O most holy Mother of God, save us.” A series of stichera (hymns) to the Mother of God are sung also sung.
  • the Moleben to the Holy Cross, which became a very popular Lenten devotion (often replacing the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts). Like the Moleben to the Sacred Heart, this service incorporated the festal magnification from Matins before the Gospel reading, the chanting of the Beatitudes after the Gospel, and the recitation by priest and people of a prayer of repentence attributed to Saint Basil the Great.
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As noted above, these molebens were often followed by the service of Supplicatsia (Supplications) and Benediction with the Eucharist, borrowed by the Latin Rite. When new molebens to saints were needed, they were often composed in this style. Thus, over time, the term “moleben” came to refer to many different types of services.
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These three devotional molebens remained popular among immigrants to the United States. The Moleben to the Sacred Heart was rewritten to de-emphasize the (Latin-influenced) devotion to the Sacred Heart, and the resulting service is usually called the Moleben to Jesus, Lover of Mankind. This moleben, and the devotional Moleben to the Mother of God, continued in use at parishes and pilgrimages throughout the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century as well.
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source: Metropolitan Cantor Institute
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This is a great case of a Latin devotion being Easternized, and not just adopted as-is.
 
I don’t know how popular it is in general, but i know that I have prayed it several times, and I do like it. 🙂
 
Tradycja said:
I’ve heard of it before. I think it is basically an Easternized version of the Sacred Heart devotion. I say…hey…why not?
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Actually it has overlap of theme with Sacred Heart devotion, but it is not a Easternized version of Sacred Heart devotion.
 
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