Ukrainian Catholics and the Rosary

[Kiechlin]

Hello all, I am always reading on the forums, but I seldom post. I have been studying Eastern Christianity (Orthodox and Catholic) for awhile on my own. I was at a festival at a Ukrainian Catholic Shrine in D.C. and I came across something interesting. The choir director had produced a four C.D. set called “The Rosary in the Byzantine Catholic Tradition.” It was the rosary chanted in English and Ukrainian with some extra Ukrainian troparions thrown in as “extras.” I found this odd. I regularly pray the Rosary. I found it interesting, because, as I understand it, the Rosary isn’t emphasized in the spiritual traditions of the East. I know that many Eastern Catholics pray it, and of course there aren’t rules against that. In addition, there were many booklets on the Rosary in the entrance to the church. I got the impression that Ukrainian Catholics, more so than other Eastern Catholics, pray the Rosary more often. I’ve also read that Ukrainian christians (Orthodox and Catholic) are very,very devoted to Our Lady. Please don’t misunderstand, I am just looking for clarification. Does anyone know from experience whether the Ukrainian Catholics are more disposed to praying the Rosary than other Eastern Catholics? I hope I didn’t ramble and that this all makes sense.
In Peace,
Kiechlin

 

[KyivAndrew]

Hi, I’m Ukrainian Catholic, born and raised, but I am not familiar with the practice of other Eastern Catholic churches on the rosary; only mine.

Like all kids in my Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy in Toronto, I went through a First Holy Communion around grade 2 where each child was presented with a rosary and prayer book. We all had rosaries. I never thought of it as a latinization but rather accepted it as a part of being Catholic and a wonderful powerful prayer - the most powerful prayer we were taught against Satan according to the promises of the Rosary. In the 1980s as a student some of our priests and seminarians organized rosary crusades and had the “Fatima prayer” attached to each decade of the rosary as Fatima was pretty popular for many Ukrainians as it dealt head on with the threat of communism and the conversion of Russia. Needless to say at this time the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was still illegal in the Soviet Union and hence all those rosary crusades for the downfall of the Soviet Union (which I never thought would happen ).

If one goes to Ukraine for Marian pilgrimages to such sites as Zarvanytsia, I’m positive one will be met with a plethora of rosaries.

In my parish in Canada, our parish priest holds Friday mornings in the church for recital of the rosary by parishioners.

It’s seems accepted by many, no doubt, and I, personally, see only good from this.

However, one may find and will find Eastern (and Ukrainian) Catholics who would argue this is a Latinization and one should return to Eastern roots, or at least not allow the recital of the rosary to take away from the traditional order of hours, liturgies. On this subject of Latinizations, there have been many threads on this forum, as there is a long-running thread on the Ukrainian Catholic Discussion Forum in Ukraine where one sees stricter traditionalists and those who are willing to let practices stay as they are accepted. I can see the good in both but am perhaps typical in that I want our traditional practices to remain or flourish, while I want to keep what is beautiful such as the rosary.

Not sure if this helps. Just my two cents.

p.s. Yes Mary, the Mother of God is very powerful to many Ukrainians and devotion to Her and Her Protection (Pokrova). The most popular and largest image in Ukraine’s first Mother Church (St. Sophia) is the painting of the Mother of God from the 11th Century (the Oranta).

 

[october_ruler]

Hello all, I am always reading on the forums, but I seldom post. I have been studying Eastern Christianity (Orthodox and Catholic) for awhile on my own. I was at a festival at a Ukrainian Catholic Shrine in D.C. and I came across something interesting. The choir director had produced a four C.D. set called “The Rosary in the Byzantine Catholic Tradition.” It was the rosary chanted in English and Ukrainian with some extra Ukrainian troparions thrown in as “extras.” I found this odd. I regularly pray the Rosary. I found it interesting, because, as I understand it, the Rosary isn’t emphasized in the spiritual traditions of the East. I know that many Eastern Catholics pray it, and of course there aren’t rules against that. In addition, there were many booklets on the Rosary in the entrance to the church. I got the impression that Ukrainian Catholics, more so than other Eastern Catholics, pray the Rosary more often. I’ve also read that Ukrainian christians (Orthodox and Catholic) are very,very devoted to Our Lady. Please don’t misunderstand, I am just looking for clarification. Does anyone know from experience whether the Ukrainian Catholics are more disposed to praying the Rosary than other Eastern Catholics? I hope I didn’t ramble and that this all makes sense.
In Peace,
Kiechlin

Hello!

I will ask a colleague of mine whose name is Romanenko. I believe she is from the Ukrainian area.

God bless us all!

 

[Kiechlin]

Thank you so much! It doesn’t seem to me to be a Latinization (in my opinion), but a wonderful appreciation of the Power of the Rosary! I suspected it had to do with devotion to our Lady. I think the recitation of the Rosary is a powerful indicator of one’s faith in Mary’s Intercession and power! Thanks again for the information!
In Christ,
Kiechlin

 

[KyivAndrew]

Thank you so much! It doesn’t seem to me to be a Latinization (in my opinion), but a wonderful appreciation of the Power of the Rosary! I suspected it had to do with devotion to our Lady. I think the recitation of the Rosary is a powerful indicator of one’s faith in Mary’s Intercession and power! Thanks again for the information!
In Christ,
Kiechlin

You’re welcome and yes strong faith in the Virgin Mary’s Intercession always seems to me quite powerful!

In Christ,
Andrew