Office for Earth Day

[dixibehr]

Christ is risen!

I’ve forgotten if Earth Day is 20 or 21 April.

Follows the Troparion and Kontakion for the Office of Supplication
for the Environment, as well as a link to the entire Office.

While it is appointed for 1 September (which is already taken up with
the Indiction or Ecclesiastical new Year), it is surely appropriate
as a Votive Office for all occasions devoted to environmental
concerns.

http://anastasis.org.uk/environm.htmanastasis.org.uk/environm.htm

Apolytikion. Tone 4. Speedily anticipate.

Lord and Saviour, who as God brought all things into being by a word,
establishing laws and governing them unerringly to your glory, at the
prayers of the Mother of God, keep secure and unharmed all the
elements which hold the earth together, and save the universe.

Kontakion. Tone 2. With your blood.

With your all-powerful strength you framed all things, both visible
and invisible; and so keep unharmed, we implore your goodness, the
environment that surrounds the earth.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

What liturgical calendar is earth day on?

 

[MissMichal]

It isn’t, but neither is International Women’s Day, Thanksgiving, Independence Day or my mom’s birthday. I’m going to celebrate those anyway, though, and lift the occasion up to God, because they’re important to me.

BTW, Earth Day is tomorrow, 4/22 :extrahappy:

 

[Cracker_Mom]

We used to go out & chop down a tree to celebrate “Earth Day.”
(Where we lived, trees were a nuisance growing up in the pastures & hayfields.)

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

It isn’t, but neither is International Women’s Day, Thanksgiving, Independence Day or my mom’s birthday. I’m going to celebrate those anyway, though, and lift the occasion up to God, because they’re important to me.

BTW, Earth Day is tomorrow, 4/22 :extrahappy:

Nothing wrong this, but it is a secular “holiday” not a Holy Day. I see nothing wrong with having something in the intercessions for it but to supplant the appropriate prayers for the day for something like this just strikes me as wrong.

The Office is the official prayer of the Church, it is not ours to mess around with.

 

[Formosus]

Hmm my calender says today is the feast of st. Januarius and his companions. A Bishop and martyr. Hmm I don’t see an Earth day listed here.

 

[dixibehr]

Hmm my calender says today is the feast of st. Januarius and his companions. A Bishop and martyr. Hmm I don’t see an Earth day listed here.

Why do you think I suggested this treating this as a Votive Office?

 

[Formosus]

Why treat this as anything? A secular “holy day” has nothing to do with the Church.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Why do you think I suggested this treating this as a Votive Office?

Votive Office?

Is there such an animal in our eastern traditions?

Again, treat the Office of the day as the Office of the day and if necessary add something to the intercessions within the Office.

 

[Diak]

Not specifically referred to as “Votive” but “optional” since according to our calendar there may be various concurring fixed-day feasts.

One good example is the commemoration of a particular miracle-working icon of the Mother of God; often these will be commemorated over the saint of the day. With very few exceptions these are recently (18th century or after) composed services. In many places in Ukraine, Russia and other lands these are quite large feasts often with a procession of the original or a copy of the wonder-working icon. Several English service books (the UGCC Anthology for example) contains general common propers for these sorts of feasts. Another example is services for the New Martyrs recently beatified that fall on days with other commemorations.

September 1st is not a bad choice for this office as proposed by Patriarch Dimitrios. With the Lesser Blessing of Water and Office of Supplication on August 1st just a month before, it is a nice combination of Creation-themed offices.

 

[jam070406]

I have to vent alittle.
I must admit to becoming a tad irked when I went on to certain social networks and saw everybody wishing everybody else “happy earth day”
These are the same people that didn’t acknowledge the birth of Christ or most recently His resurrection.
While I believe it is the duty to be good stewards of what God gave us, I see this as nothing more than a secular humanist holiday.
God comes first, not mother earth!!!

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Not specifically referred to as “Votive” but “optional” since according to our calendar there may be various concurring fixed-day feasts.

One good example is the commemoration of a particular miracle-working icon of the Mother of God; often these will be commemorated over the saint of the day. With very few exceptions these are recently (18th century or after) composed services. In many places in Ukraine, Russia and other lands these are quite large feasts often with a procession of the original or a copy of the wonder-working icon. Several English service books (the UGCC Anthology for example) contains general common propers for these sorts of feasts. Another example is services for the New Martyrs recently beatified that fall on days with other commemorations.

September 1st is not a bad choice for this office as proposed by Patriarch Dimitrios. With the Lesser Blessing of Water and Office of Supplication on August 1st just a month before, it is a nice combination of Creation-themed offices.

Yes, the optional ones you list seem to be something of a whole different nature than a secular holiday like earth day.

 

[dixibehr]

Is there such an animal [Votive Office] in our eastern traditions?

Yes, there is.

One is at the Consecration of a Church.

Another is at the Tonsure of a Great Schema Monk.

These replace that of the day, except on Sunday of a major feast.

There are also Votive Offices in the full Slavonic Chasoslov in the section called Kanonikon.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Is there such an animal [Votive Office] in our eastern traditions?

Yes, there is.

One is at the Consecration of a Church.

Another is at the Tonsure of a Great Schema Monk.

These replace that of the day, except on Sunday of a major feast.

There are also Votive Offices in the full Slavonic Chasoslov in the section called Kanonikon.

I do not think they are actually called “votive”, that seems to be a western term.

But thank you for proving my point. Both of these are every special religious events, not some made up secular holiday.

 

[Sunflower15]

I have to vent alittle.
I must admit to becoming a tad irked when I went on to certain social networks and saw everybody wishing everybody else “happy earth day”
These are the same people that didn’t acknowledge the birth of Christ or most recently His resurrection.
While I believe it is the duty to be good stewards of what God gave us, I see this as nothing more than a secular humanist holiday.
God comes first, not mother earth!!!

Not to worry…Mother Earth is simply one of the masterpieces of the Lord! [whether *they know it or not!]
He won’t mind us appreciating His work!
It ALL goes back to HIM as the ONE WHO IS!

There is NO proof that “these are the same people that didn’t acknowledge the birth of Christ or most recently His resurrection” is there?

Vent if you wish…but St. Francis’ example seems more perfect…and more in keeping with God’s love…
After all, wasn’t ALL of Creation redeemed by the Lord? I thought so…

 

[Cracker_Mom]

Not to worry…Mother Earth is simply one of the masterpieces of the Lord! [whether *they know it or not!]
He won’t mind us appreciating His work!
It ALL goes back to HIM as the ONE WHO IS!

There is NO proof that “these are the same people that didn’t acknowledge the birth of Christ or most recently His resurrection” is there?

Vent if you wish…but St. Francis’ example seems more perfect…and more in keeping with God’s love…
After all, wasn’t ALL of Creation redeemed by the Lord? I thought so…

True, we can’t always know the theology of those who make a point to celebrate “Earth Day”, but my best, uneducated guess would be the majority are not orthodox Catholics.
As much as I love nature, I seldom find much in common doctrinally with other nature lovers.Sad to say.

 

[Diak]

I do not think they are actually called “votive”, that seems to be a western term.

That is true. This term or anything similar does not exist in the Greek, Slavonic, Ukrainian or English service books of which I am most familiar.

What is given are basically “commons” for certain kinds of commemorations, such as various classes of saints, services for the dead, specific events such as the dedication and blessing of a new church, etc. Outside of very major feast days (vigil rank) the priest is quite free to take an optional commemoration.

It is interesting that if a baptism is integrated into the Divine Liturgy as the hierarchs are now directing, the baptismal propers take precedence.

 

[gam197]

Earth day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, who wanted population control.

**
“The bigger the population gets, the more serious the problems become …**. We have to address the population issue. The United Kingdom, with the U.S. supporting it, took the position in Cairo in 1994 that every country was responsible for stabilizing its own population.”

Earth Day history…

hispanicbusiness.com/ente…he_history.htm

Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson was as progressive as they came. His fight for safe birth control in 1970 prompted the national governmental dispute to be dubbed “The Nelson Pill Hearings.”…

No Thanks.

 

[dixibehr]

I do not think they are actually called “votive”, that seems to be a western term.

But thank you for proving my point. Both of these are every special religious events, not some made up secular holiday.

Whether you call them “votive offices” or not, that’s precisely what they are–commemorations that are not actually in the liturgical calendar.

Have you actually read the office of this day? Link was provided in the original post.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

Earth day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, who wanted population control.

**
“The bigger the population gets, the more serious the problems become …**. We have to address the population issue. The United Kingdom, with the U.S. supporting it, took the position in Cairo in 1994 that every country was responsible for stabilizing its own population.”

Earth Day history…

hispanicbusiness.com/ente…he_history.htm

Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson was as progressive as they came. His fight for safe birth control in 1970 prompted the national governmental dispute to be dubbed “The Nelson Pill Hearings.”…

No Thanks.

I’d heard of some questionable connections, too.