Syro-Malabar -Priest Facing Altar or To the People during Holy Qurbana?

[pjk123]

Which is the right practice as in eastern tradition?Here ,In SMC churches under Ernakulam Arch-diocese ,the Priests are facing the people except for during the veneration of Eucharist.while in Other Churches they face fully to Altar.
What is the practice syro-malanakara have?

 

[malphono]

Which is the right practice as in eastern tradition?Here ,In SMC churches under Ernakulam Arch-diocese ,the Priests are facing the people except for during the veneration of Eucharist.while in Other Churches they face fully to Altar.
What is the practice syro-malanakara have?

The true Oriental practice is ad orientem. This versus populum business is nothing but a post-conciliar neo-latinization that has, as far as I know, infected only the Maronites, the Chaldeans, and the Syro-Malabars, to varying degrees. On the plus side, the Chaldean Synod recently re-established ad orientem as the norm.

 

[Dan-Man916]

so was this the practice in the 3rd and 4th century as well?
I don’t understand why people think that the only form of liturgy from the day of Pentecost onward was with the priest facing in the same direction as the people.
What was the most ancient practice, and is any other practice to be found in the most ancient traditions?

 

[Aramis]

Second century illustrations include 3 different arrangements

1. adversus Populus: celebrants on one side, people on the other, facing each other over the holy table
2. inter traba: celebrants at the table, people around the whole lot, everyone faces the table.
3. per populem: Everyone on same side of table, celebrant facing table Or turned and blessing people.

Problem is, we don’t know the orthodoxy of each group. We know that all three practices were used, just not which ones were used by which groups.

We know that, by the third century, per populem ad orientam was default in the emerging patriarchates.

Versus Populem has been done in the Roman Church in special cases for centuries. (Certain buildings have design issues.) In those particular cases, versus populem was allowed.

Also, different parts of the liturgy are celebrated differently… The Liturgy of the Word is usually celebrated versus populem. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is where the ad orientam is normative.

 

[SyroMalankara]

The ancient and Traditional Malankara and Syriac practice has always been ad orientem. We stand up and face East even when praying Morning, Evening, Night Prayers - even if the priest is behind us or to the side of us and leading the prayers, we still face East. (Sometimes this leads to awkward moments of being nose to drywall, but thats our way! )

 

[SyroMalankara]

so was this the practice in the 3rd and 4th century as well?
I don’t understand why people think that the only form of liturgy from the day of Pentecost onward was with the priest facing in the same direction as the people.
What was the most ancient practice, and is any other practice to be found in the most ancient traditions?

Dan-Man,

My understanding is that recent scholarship has discounted the hypothesis that was popular in the 60s - that the space between the wall and the altar met versus populum by default. The Roman and Syriac Rites have always had a close connection - in fact, Syriac prayers were what inspired Gregorian Chant - anyhow, the space between the wall and altar in the Syriac Tradition has NEVER been for versus populum celebration, but for fully incensing the altar and for altar processions on solemn days.

 

[pjk123]

but the history is denounced by the new group(Ernakulam) inside SMC who stands for latinization.they have their history re-written.
Their new churches are not facing east(so as the altar is facing west) as it is the tradition.
I am quoting wikipedia ,in this case it is 100% correct.

** Current Issues**

The Syro Malabar Church continues to be the most Latinized Eastern Catholic Church. There are differences between dioceses on whether priest have to face the altar or the people, while celebrating the holy mass or Qurbana.
To overcome the factional dispute and to implement `uniformity’ in the celebration of the Holy Qurbana in all diocese the Synod later reached consensus and passed a Synodal order. The Synodal order stipulates celebrating the Holy Qurbana half facing altar and half facing the people.
Before the Synodal Order in the dioceses like Changanacherry, Pala, Thalassery, Kanjirappally etc have been celebrating the Qurbana in the most traditional way completely facing the east. Diocese of Ernakulam and Thrissur were celebrating the Qurbana completely facing the people.
Today this issue has even spread out to Syro-malabar missions especially those managed by archdioceses of Ernakulam-Angamaly eg. Delhi and Thrissur eg. Sagar, outside Kerala where priests are openly faltering the Synodal orders and celebrating Qurbana in a hugely Latinized manner

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syro-Malabar_Catholic_Church#Current_Issues
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syro-Malabar_Catholic_Church#Delatinization