What should I expect when visiting a Byzantine church?

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FickleFreckled

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It’s very strange, but every time I try to post to ask a question on this particular thread, my internet goes out. It’s happened several times over the last couple of days and only here.

I’ll try again.
There’s a Byzantine Catholic Church nearby and I’d like to visit. What should I expect? How will the rite differ from Roman Catholic? In what form is Communion given? Do women cover their heads, and if so, how fully? Do women wear slacks or just dresses / skirts? Do men and women sit separately?
Do you recommend that I call ahead and let the priest know I’ll be visiting?
 
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Welcome! You will find a number of things different from your Latin parish. Ask the ushers if they have any pamphlets. Our churches often have pamphlets written to help people who are not familar with the Divine Liturgy.
There probably will not be holy water fonts at the doors of the Church. When you enter, you usually reverence the icon on the tetrapod (a small table in the middle aisle in the front of the Church) by kissing the icon. If it is Our Lord , we kiss his feet. Our Lady, the Theotokos, we kiss her hand. All other saints are kissed on the face. You will notice that most people bow before they enter the pew, rather than genuflect.
Communion is given standing and is placed in your mouth with a spoon. When you approach the priest you may quietly say your name to the priest since communion is given to us by name. Just open your mouth wide and tip your head back. You do not say anything. The prayers for the reception of communion have already been said by all the people while the gifts were being prepared for reception. If you have young chidren, remember that we give communion to infants. Some women cover their heads, but it is not mandatory. Dress should be modest, slacks for women are fairly common. Most of the time families sit together. If you want to call ahead you can, but it is not nessesary.
The most important thing is to relax and pray. Don’t worry that you will stand out. We have Latins vist quite often and most people are very welcoming.
 
Glory forever!

Calling the Priest ahead of time is certainly OK; I am sure he would be glad to take your call and answer any questions you may have.

The above advice is also excellent. I would add that, for your first visit, you just take in the Liturgy, rather than burying your head in the book trying to follow along. The Divine Liturgy is very different in its presentation from the Latin Mass, and it is incredibly beautiful, especially if you’ve never experienced it before. Don’t worry too much about not knowing what the responses are; “Lord, have mercy” is usually it.

I’d also recommend wearing comfortable shoes - you will be standing a lot longer than you are used to.
 
There is often if not always no music other than chanting. There is usually incense in fairly copious amounts. The Divine Liturgy is awesome to hear and to appreciate. The language will be in the vernacular, usually in the United States, English with whatever national language the Church is affiliated with speaks.

Communion is done by intinction with a spoon. There are no extraordinary ministers:eek: , so Holy Communion may take a bit longer than you are used to if you attend the Latin Rite exclusively. They also stand a lot.

I would recommend that you just kind of soak it all in the first time. It is an awe inspiring experience. Good luck:thumbsup:
 
Thank you all for your replies. I’ve been in a Greek Orthodox church once; that was a long time ago, a Good Friday, and I was with a Greek friend who explained everything. But I really became interested in Eastern churches when I read some books by a Byzantine Jesuit and an Orthodox saint (Russian, I recall.) I particularly loved the way the Jesuit wrote about the movement within the Trinity.

Intinction - that means the bread is soaked with wine? In general, how long is the Divine Liturgy?

I’d completely forgotten about the incense; I have some respiratory difficulties. Will it be a terrible thing if I have to duck out for air?
 
FickleFreckled said:
Thank you all for your replies. I’ve been in a Greek Orthodox church once; that was a long time ago, a Good Friday, and I was with a Greek friend who explained everything. But I really became interested in Eastern churches when I read some books by a Byzantine Jesuit and an Orthodox saint (Russian, I recall.) I particularly loved the way the Jesuit wrote about the movement within the Trinity.

Intinction - that means the bread is soaked with wine? In general, how long is the Divine Liturgy?

I’d completely forgotten about the incense; I have some respiratory difficulties. Will it be a terrible thing if I have to duck out for air?
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The Priest administers Holy Communion with a spoon. The Body is in small pieces mixed with the Blood in the chalice.

The length of the Mass will vary depending on what day it is and what feat is being celebrated. I would figure at least an hour and a half or longer for most of them.
 
  1. depending upon which of the various byzantine churches sui iuris the parish belongs too, all the above (and below) may vary.
  2. Holy Water: not normative, but some Ruthenian churches have fonts, and at least one used to keep them full.
  3. Communion: covered above, but note that some of the Sui Iuris churches DO allow extraordinary ministers of holy communion… The Ruthenians do in particular law.
  4. Don’t expect to see what’s happening at the altar. You view will be (usually) blocked by both the iconostas and the celebrant, and in some byzantine parishes, a curtain during the epiclesis.
  5. people WILL notice you being out of place. Most will want to help. Even being byzantinized and going to a different parish, with pewbook in hand, I’ve gotten the “Oh, HELLO! We keep the pewbooks over here…” (5 minutes later they let me sit down…) Most parishes are small enough that everyone recognizes everyone.
  6. The celebrant may want to know your chrismation name. This is because he is expected to use it when praying over you while giving you communion. If visiting and you didn’t get to talk to him before liturgy, give him your name when you approach.
  7. Veneration of the Cross: some parishes it’s weekly. Others less frequent. Join the line, Kiss the cross, and optionally, the priest’s hand. Usually also followed by the unused bread from the loaf being distributed: take a piece from the bowl, and make a small donation into the other bowl.
  8. Formal modes of address:
    Deacons: Addressed as “Father Deacon”
    Priests: Addressed as “Reverend Father”
    Don’t be surprised to hear a deacon addressed as “Father”…
  9. Incense. Many parishes use a lot. I’ve never seen a Roman Rite liturgy exceed even a conservative Ruthenian priest. You walk in and smell the residual incense. Some parishes and priests get truly hazy with incense.
  10. Singing… the whole liturgy is sung… and not always in tonalities the western ear is used to.
    Even the readings will usually be chanted. Sometimes in multiple languages.
  11. Standing: lots of it. Some jurisdictions allow sitting during the Deacon-led litanies. Others stand throughout. If infirm, or aged, or apparently so, one might be surprised by a chair and a firm instruction to use it.
  12. Kneeling: Not done… usually, that is. When it is, it’s often just an intermediate between standing and prostrate…
  13. Candlestands: usually two big gold ones, with a large tray of sand and a central votive candle. One for candles before the icon of Christ, one before the Icon of Mary the Theotokos. If you have a particular intention, ask about getting a candle (typically a small donation is expected; ours are 50¢ per candle), and then pray before the icon, and then light the candle from the center candle on the stand, and place it into the stand. Usually, the thin tapers burn for just long enough to outlast liturgy…
  14. people coming and going… it’s not uncommon to notice people going in and out during liturgy. People taking children to the restroom. Sometimes, people tending foods for after liturgy. Sometimes, getting a breath of fresh air due to too much incense.
  15. Vestments: the Altar Servers may be vested to match the celebrant in color. The deacons usually will. Not all of them need match… due to the expense, and the nature of Byzantine tradition, it’s possible to see as many as 3 or 4 different vestment colors during a concelebration…
  16. Just cause everyone is singing when you get there 15 minutes early doesn’t mean you’ve missed Divine Liturgy… it just means you arrived during the 3rd Hour or Matins.
  17. Parish “Store”… many parishes have icons, crosses, and books for sale… these may or may not be displayed.
  18. Women’s head coverings: vary widely. Mantillas tend to stick out, but it varies widely, both by parish and within.
  19. coffee social after: many still have it. Not uncommon for it to be a bit of a pot-luck, too.
  20. Length: without matins: at least an hour and 10 minutes; Maybe two hours, and sometimes 3 (Lit. of St. Basil, slow cantor, and all allowed repeats). Matins add 20 to 60 minutes before. Veneration &/or anointing can add another 10-40 minutes after.
 
Wow! Thank you Aramis; that’s a lot of good information. I don’t want to do this as a casual visitor might; I’d really like to prepare mentally before I go. I hope this isn’t too much self-disclosure for this thread, but you all have been so welcoming and kind in answering my questions and so I’d like you to know where the questions are coming from. I’m not sure I’m necessarily looking for another way of being Catholic, but it may be the case. I’m not comfortable with the Latin Mass and Gregorian chant because of certain childhood associations and also because I’m not a “Traditionalist” the way it’s expressed on some of the threads here. However, I recognize a need in myself for more solemnity in worship; more worship in worship, if that makes any sense. I hope this question won’t get me kicked to a new thread again, but any recommendations you might have for books and / or websites would be much appreciated. God bless you all for your patience!
 
FickleFreckled said:
Wow! Thank you Aramis; that’s a lot of good information. I don’t want to do this as a casual visitor might; I’d really like to prepare mentally before I go. I hope this isn’t too much self-disclosure for this thread, but you all have been so welcoming and kind in answering my questions and so I’d like you to know where the questions are coming from. I’m not sure I’m necessarily looking for another way of being Catholic, but it may be the case. I’m not comfortable with the Latin Mass and Gregorian chant because of certain childhood associations and also because I’m not a “Traditionalist” the way it’s expressed on some of the threads here. However, I recognize a need in myself for more solemnity in worship; more worship in worship, if that makes any sense. I hope this question won’t get me kicked to a new thread again, but any recommendations you might have for books and / or websites would be much appreciated. God bless you all for your patience!
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Then your journey may be fruitful. Might not, bu just might.

The Byzantines are all noted for more liturgical formality than the Romans.

Go, experience. Then, go again. then take some time off, and then go back. In so doing, see if it fills that need better than the Roman. It might, but then, it might not.
 
This may sound like an ignorant question but, is the Bizantine Church the same as Greek-Orthodox? Are they in communion with Rome?
 
M0nkey said:
This may sound like an ignorant question but, is the Bizantine Church the same as Greek-Orthodox? Are they in communion with Rome?
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It can go both ways, since it can refer either to the Greek Orthodox or Byzantine Catholics.
 
FickleFreckled said:
Wow! Thank you Aramis;
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Looking at this a month later, I was wondering if you had gone yet?

Please, FF, let us know your initial impressions after a visit or two, and some details of the parish.

Believe it or not, Byzantines tend also to be curious about how others react to their liturgy.
 
Hi, Aramis,
No, I haven’t gone yet. I’m taking care of an elderly man these days and it’s often impossible for me to go to church earlier than noon. The only Liturgy at the Byzantine Church I’d be going to is at 10am. Hopefully soon; I’ll definitely report back - I’m sure I’ll have questions. One of the nifty things about this particular church is that, in addition to greeters, they have “guides” who will sit with visitors and explain the Liturgy. I actually do have a question right now, though - their website is very welcoming and encourages visitors of all faiths or no faith to attend. I was wondering, is there the same restriction on receiving the Eucharist that there is in the Roman Catholic Church? With the emphasis on welcome, I wonder whether they make an announcement about it or if it’s open.

Thanks for checking back with me!
 
FickleFreckled said:
Hi, Aramis,
No, I haven’t gone yet. I’m taking care of an elderly man these days and it’s often impossible for me to go to church earlier than noon. The only Liturgy at the Byzantine Church I’d be going to is at 10am. Hopefully soon; I’ll definitely report back - I’m sure I’ll have questions. One of the nifty things about this particular church is that, in addition to greeters, they have “guides” who will sit with visitors and explain the Liturgy. I actually do have a question right now, though - their website is very welcoming and encourages visitors of all faiths or no faith to attend. I was wondering, is there the same restriction on receiving the Eucharist that there is in the Roman Catholic Church? With the emphasis on welcome, I wonder whether they make an announcement about it or if it’s open.

Thanks for checking back with me!
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If they are Catholic or Canonical Orthodox, no, communion is restricted.

If Catholic, any Catholic or Orthodox, properly disposed.
If Orthodox, any recently shriven Orthodox in good standing.
 
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