Ancient rhythm: Converts to Orthodoxy growing in America

sltrib.com ^ | 04/29/2005 11:16:34 PM | Robin Galiano Russell

[jec1ny]

Thank you for posting this wonderful article. Although Catholic myself, I have always had a very strong feeling for the Orthodox. I am also blessed with the presence of three(!) Eastern Rite Catholic Churches in my area. I find the contemporary liturgy of the western church to be terribly bland. The Tridentine Rite is great if its available. But the glorious liturgy of the east is truly a spiritual feast.

[AlaskaErik]

The Russian Orthodox Church has a very visible presence in Alaska. I've always loved their onion dome churches.

[Salvation]

Bumping!

Reviving a dream: Big hopes of little congregation growing for Orthodox church

Ancient rhythm: Converts to Orthodoxy growing in America

[Destro]

Religious revival: Alaska sees renewal of faith in Russian Orthodox church "We are now the largest church in Alaska"

[FormerLib]

Time for one of those Orthodox Christian pings.

[Agrarian]

Nice article. There certainly is no mass movement to Orthodoxy, and it is still the "Powerpoint sermon/rock band" churches which overwhelmingly dominate church growth on the American scene, but the stream of converts to Orthodoxy is steady, and the seriousness of the converts remains high.

[Kolokotronis]

This is a nice article and expresses much of what I have heard from converts in our parish. Our converts seem to come from ECUSA or Evangelical Protestantism; the former mostly because of what they see as the apostasy of ECUSA from traditional Anglicanism and the latter for precisely the reasons outlined here. I've seen very few converts from the Roman Church, though I'm told that two families are coming this weekend who have been chewing on the idea of Orthodoxy for several years now and one of our priests is himself a convert from the Melkite Rite of the Catholic Church. We do have some Maronites in the parish, but that almost doesn't count as conversion (actually, I suppose the Melkite conversion doesn't either).

As many of you know, I just returned from Greece. While there we discussed the Faith with a number of lay people and the nuns at the monastery outside the village. They expressed great delight when told about the level of conversions to Orthodoxy here and were very pleased to hear about the move to greater use of English in the Divine Liturgy and that there is definitely a trend towards an American Church here. They inquired about how we finance and run the parishes here as they seem overwhelmingly convinced that the Church of Greece will, and ought to, be disestablished sooner rather than later.

The only thing in this article which really concerns me is the line that the congregation which is highlighted was accepted en mass, along with their priest after only 6 mos. of catechesis. This isn't nearly enough time to inculcate the Faith in the majority of people, certainly not in an entire parish as in this case. The Antiochians, unfortunately, have a penchant for doing this. I suspect most of the converts on FR will agree with me that their understanding of living in an Orthodox manner changed rather dramatically over the first few years of their life in Orthodoxy. I'm not saying that catechesis should take years, though in some cases it might, before chrismation, but I do feel that it takes more than six months and there is a definite danger in parishes made up entirely of converts with no long experience in the Faith lead by a priest who apparently attended at best a very abbreviated seminary course. Orthodoxy changes everything, and I mean everything, about a person; it becomes part of the very cells of our bodies and the souls within us. That doesn't happen in six months.

[wildandcrazyrussian]

Christos Anesti!

Your point is well taken, and I know of a couple of instances where an entire Protestant parish "became" Orthodox along with their pastor after no known length of time for theological training, and in both cases reverted to what they were before. There is a reason that even Orthodox men who have grown up in an Orthodox family their whole lives still have to attend seminary for four or so years if they wish to be ordained to the priesthood. It's not just organizational skills and preaching.

PS I'm going to Russia again next week and it will be magnificent to see the fervor of the faithful there, who waited a whole lifetime for what we all too often take for granted.

[NYer]

About 80 percent of its converts come from evangelical and charismatic backgrounds, 20 percent from mainline denominations.

The charismatic approach is good for kick starting a sluggish soul but lacks the permanency of traditionalism.<

Those who convert say they are drawn to an aesthetic beauty and spiritual mystery in Orthodox worship that are often lacking in their own Protestant services. It's like entering a time machine that allows congregants to worship as the early Christians did.

This is evident in the Eastern Catholic Traditions, as well. These liturgies have survived for thousands of years and trace their roots to the first christians. AAABest commented recently that there is a growing interest amongst catholics in the Eastern Churches.

The Catholic Church is both Western and Eastern. As most of us realize, the Church began in the East. Our Lord lived and died and resurrected in the Holy Land. The Church spread from Jerusalem throughout the known world. As the Church spread, it encountered different cultures and adapted, retaining from each culture what was consistent with the Gospel. In the city of Alexandria, the Church became very Egyptian; in Antioch it remained very Jewish; in Rome it took on an Italian appearance and in the Constantinople it took on the trappings of the Roman imperial court. All the churches which developed this way were Eastern, except Rome. Most Catholics in the United States have their roots in Western Europe where the Roman rite predominated. It has been said that the Eastern Catholic Churches are "the best kept secret in the Catholic Church."

The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15). Pope John Paul II said that "the Catholic Church is both Eastern and Western."

Check your local community at the following link and look into attending an Eastern Catholic Liturgy (not to be confused with the Orthodox Church).

Eastern Catholic Churches in the U.S.

The Eastern Catholic Rites retain the rich heritage of our church, without the "novelties" introduced into the Novus Ordo liturgy. Incense is used throughout.

I attend a Maronite Catholic Church. The Consecration is in Aramaic, using the words and language of our Lord at the Last Supper. Communion is ONLY distributed by the priest. It is by intinction (the priest dips the consecrated host into the Precious Blood) and is ONLY received on the tongue. The priest administers communion with the words: "The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, is given to you for the remission of sin and eternal salvation".

A Roman Catholic may attend the Divine Liturgy at any Eastern Catholic Church. You can learn more about the 22 different liturgies at this link:

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES

[No Truce With Kings]

Geeze.

An article about converts to Orthodoxy written in Dallas. Written largely about Orthodoxy *in* Dallas. Not one mention of the ROCOR St. Nicholas in Dallas -- which is mostly converts, and whose priest: Father Seraphim Holland is also a convert.

The article is like a well-prepared formal meal with no dessert. Good, but something is missing.

[Kolokotronis]

Voistinu voskres!

Go with God and have a wonderful trip! The situation of the Faith and the Faithful in Greece has taken an odd turn. Monasticism is flowering all over the country and many of the Patrida's best and brightest are entering the monasteries, rather like at the height of the Byzantine period. The people both love and respect the monastics and to a marginally lesser extent the married clergy, but the hierarchy they disdain and with good reason. The nuns told us that years of oppressive and venal actions by the hierarchs have lead the people to fall away from regular attendance at the liturgies and reception of communion and we saw this with our own eyes. The parishes at the monasteries, however, are full every Sunday and we were informed that the younger priests are working very hard to renew the Faith of the people with some success. The presiction is that disestablishment is not far off and the hierarchy is in for a rough time. Given the dramatic rise of monasticism, however, there is cause for hope, however.

[B Knotts]

The unchanging nature of the Orthodox Church is a strong draw for ''serious Christians'' who are tired of Protestant individualism yet disagree with the Catholic Church's teachings, said the Rev. Peter Gillquist, chairman of missions and evangelism for the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

This is an odd statement, given that Orthodox and Catholics have many, many teachings in common. Both differ much more from Protestantism than from each other, or so it seems to me. Perhaps he was referring to those few teachings on which we differ, but he made it sound like we are far more separated than I believe we are.

[sionnsar]

Frederica Mathewes-Green, a former Episcopalian

This was startling. David Virtue lists her as an "esteemed colleague" on his site VirtueOnline, "The Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism."

[RKBA Democrat]

A fascinating article. Although I doubt that even 10% of Roman Catholics are aware of the existence of eastern rite Catholic churches in their own midst, it's something well worth exploring.

[PetroniusMaximus]

***They inquired about how we finance and run the parishes here as they seem overwhelmingly convinced that the Church of Greece will, and ought to, be disestablished sooner rather than later.***

Welcome back!

Is the Church in Greece facing the same radical secularizing pressure that the RCC in Spain is facing?

[katnip]

I've seen very few converts from the Roman Church

While I am one of those few, I will agree with you although I do know about 10 converts from Rome in my old parish. What I have noticed is where one spouse is RC and one is EO, the children are always brought up Eastern Orthodox.

The only thing in this article which really concerns me is the line that the congregation which is highlighted was accepted en mass, along with their priest after only 6 mos. of catechesis. This isn't nearly enough time to inculcate the Faith in the majority of people, certainly not in an entire parish as in this case

There is nothing like being welcomed, taught and immersed into a parish of born into the faith Orthodox Christians. You hunger for their peace and wisdom. Let's pray that this new church draws some older Orthodox Christians.

[ValenB4]

This is good. I just hope they get used to the excessively long masses, which can be brutal. No flames anyone - my Mom's Russian Orthodox.

[Destro]

after only 6 mos. of catechesis

Why should cradle Orthodox get a pass? Being born in the faith is no guarantee either, I reckon.

[toothfairy86]

There is a book available called "Coming Home" which was edited by Fr. Peter Gilquist. It's the stories of over a dozen or so clergy from other Christian faiths who have come to embrace Orthodoxy. Available at www.conciliarpress.com.