Is It Really Worth It?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ukrforever
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
U

Ukrforever

Guest
My parish priest wants to put in an Iconostasis. I was originally for this however I am a bit fearful of it now because I was told what happened a few years back. A few years a go a past parish priest introduced alot of the older traditions to the parish. The back lash of this caused a parish of over 300 members to go down to a 128 members. I fear that if he goes ahead and puts one in we will lose even more. Ultimately causing us to have to close our doors. Thats terrible because than their would be no Eastern rite church for me to go to. The two others in town are going to be shut down in a few years. Id rather have a Ukranian church without an Iconostasis than no Ukranian church at all . Any suggestions/comments!!
 
Ukrforever said:
My parish priest wants to put in an Iconostasis. I was originally for this however I am a bit fearful of it now because I was told what happened a few years back. A few years a go a past parish priest introduced alot of the older traditions to the parish. The back lash of this caused a parish of over 300 members to go down to a 128 members. I fear that if he goes ahead and puts one in we will lose even more. Ultimately causing us to have to close our doors. Thats terrible because than their would be no Eastern rite church for me to go to. The two others in town are going to be shut down in a few years. Id rather have a Ukranian church without an Iconostasis than no Ukranian church at all . Any suggestions/comments!!
Click to expand...
Is a Ukrainian church without an Iconostasis a Ukrainian church? :confused:
 
Ukrforever said:
My parish priest wants to put in an Iconostasis. I was originally for this however I am a bit fearful of it now because I was told what happened a few years back. A few years a go a past parish priest introduced alot of the older traditions to the parish. The back lash of this caused a parish of over 300 members to go down to a 128 members. I fear that if he goes ahead and puts one in we will lose even more. Ultimately causing us to have to close our doors. Thats terrible because than their would be no Eastern rite church for me to go to. The two others in town are going to be shut down in a few years. Id rather have a Ukranian church without an Iconostasis than no Ukranian church at all . Any suggestions/comments!!
Click to expand...
Well, just offhand, there’s a couple of things that I suspect from your statement, although there’s no way to know obviously if this would pan out as true. First, I would imagine that most of those Ukrainian Catholics who were adverse to the implementation of old traditions have probably all left, although it’s possible you could lose a few more. However, if the other two Ukrainian Catholic Churches are (sadly) closing down in a couple of years, you will likely inherit many of the remaining parishoners from those churches, allowing you to stay open.
 
How about one step at a time? Have an icon of Christ Pantokrator and the Theotokos up in front. Then we go from there. Little by little, build the iconostasis. This way people little by little accept it.
 
I don’t get why the people would leave. I’m a Western Latin Rite Roman Catholic, and I love Iconostasis. They’re breathtaking. But for the sake of people being saved, I think we better just stick with the modern flow, correct if I’m wrong.

God bless :byzsoc:

David
 
followingtheway said:
I don’t get why the people would leave. I’m a Western Latin Rite Roman Catholic, and I love Iconostasis. They’re breathtaking. But for the sake of people being saved, I think we better just stick with the modern flow, correct if I’m wrong.

God bless :byzsoc:

David
Click to expand...
Its not modern really. It began when the Ukrainian Catholic Church was persecuted were forbidden. The only Byzantine Rite faith allowed was Russian Orthodoxy. And so the Ukrainian Catholics were forced into Orthodoxy. To keep their Catholic identity, they resembled more the Roman Catholic Church than the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Pews, kneeling and sitting during the litanies were introduced. Some tore down their iconostasis.

Thats the gist of what I know.
 
ConstantineTG said:
How about one step at a time? Have an icon of Christ Pantokrator and the Theotokos up in front. Then we go from there. Little by little, build the iconostasis. This way people little by little accept it.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a sensible approach.
 
Maybe it would be a good idea for the priest to talk to the parishioners about this. It’s always good to tell people about a change well ahead of time.

My Anglican priest is thinking of beginning to use icons in our parish. But before he does that,we will likely have a study group on icons so the parish actually understands what they are about, and it won’t come as a surprise to people.

If the other parishes are closing down, maybe your parish will grow?
 
Ukrforever said:
My parish priest wants to put in an Iconostasis. I was originally for this however I am a bit fearful of it now because I was told what happened a few years back. A few years a go a past parish priest introduced alot of the older traditions to the parish. The back lash of this caused a parish of over 300 members to go down to a 128 members. I fear that if he goes ahead and puts one in we will lose even more. Ultimately causing us to have to close our doors. Thats terrible because than their would be no Eastern rite church for me to go to. The two others in town are going to be shut down in a few years. Id rather have a Ukranian church without an Iconostasis than no Ukranian church at all . Any suggestions/comments!!
Click to expand...
Sometimes a church has to die for it to be resurrected.

The gradual change is a good idea, but if many of the parishioners feel it is their church and are opposed to the changes, it may be best just to let the parish die out (literally, the old people dying off), and then re-open the church anew.
 
Madaglan said:
Sometimes a church has to die for it to be resurrected.

The gradual change is a good idea, but if many of the parishioners feel it is their church and are opposed to the changes, it may be best just to let the parish die out (literally, the old people dying off), and then re-open the church anew.
Click to expand...
I agree.
 
Bluegoat said:
Maybe it would be a good idea for the priest to talk to the parishioners about this…

My Anglican priest is thinking of beginning to use icons in our parish. But before he does that,we will likely have a study group on icons so the parish actually understands what they are about, and it won’t come as a surprise to people.
Click to expand...
I have similar thoughts. There is so little catechesis about some things in our Liturgy. The part the iconostasis plays in the Liturgy is almost certainly not understood for OPs parishioners to have this reaction.
ConstantineTG said:
Its not modern really. It began when the Ukrainian Catholic Church was persecuted were forbidden. The only Byzantine Rite faith allowed was Russian Orthodoxy. And so the Ukrainian Catholics were forced into Orthodoxy. To keep their Catholic identity, they resembled more the Roman Catholic Church than the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Pews, kneeling and sitting during the litanies were introduced. Some tore down their iconostasis.

Thats the gist of what I know.
Click to expand...
I think the priest also helping them see how this evolved historically, as ConstantineTG indicates here would be important.

I’d be interested to hear what our Alex has to say on this.
 
Ukrforever said:
My parish priest wants to put in an Iconostasis. I was originally for this however I am a bit fearful of it now because I was told what happened a few years back. A few years a go a past parish priest introduced alot of the older traditions to the parish. The back lash of this caused a parish of over 300 members to go down to a 128 members. I fear that if he goes ahead and puts one in we will lose even more. Ultimately causing us to have to close our doors. Thats terrible because than their would be no Eastern rite church for me to go to. The two others in town are going to be shut down in a few years. Id rather have a Ukranian church without an Iconostasis than no Ukranian church at all . Any suggestions/comments!!
Click to expand...
Where would these people go? I don’t see them going to the Orthodox Church, since the iconostasis of some Orthodox Churches can be pretty elaborate?
 
Слава Ісусу Христу!

My experience is that whenever a parish chooses to return to its authentic spiritual and liturgical patrimony (and the iconostas is a significant part of that) the longer-term result is growth. With good catechesis, everyone in a Ukrainian parish should be instructed of the wishes of our beloved hierarchs Metropolitan +Andrey and Patriarch +Josyp regarding ritual matters and returning to our authentic Kyivan liturgical traditions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top