In Beantown, a Ritual Compromise (2 Catholic Rites come together in 1 Church)

WITL ^ | June 3, 2008 | Rocco Palmo

[NYer]

Having been occupied since 2005 by protesting parishioners, a closed suburban Boston parish is going bi-ritual, with a Syro-Malybar priest to offer one Sunday liturgy in the India-born rite (which celebrates its Eucharist ad orientem), and another in the Roman rite:

The archdiocese is hailing the plan as a testament to improved relations between church officials and the protesters; the protesters are denouncing what they say was a lack of consultation with them about the plan, but say they are happy to share space with a group of Catholics in need and optimistic after an initial conversation with Vadana yesterday.

"This is a Catholic community in need of a place to worship, and we open our arms to this community," said Mary Beth Carmody, a leader of the St. Jeremiah vigil, as the protest is called. But, Carmody said, the worshipers are unhappy that Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley came up with the plan without speaking to them and has declined requests to talk directly with the parishioners.

"Does the cardinal value our community?" Carmody asked. "We have a diocese where so few people go to church, where so few people care enough to fight for their place of worship, and our people are a wonderful community."

Vadana, in a telephone interview, referred to the protesters as "good Christians, good Catholics" and said he would be happy to work with them.

The Syro-Malabars will pay all the expenses of the Framingham parish, which are currently paid by the Archdiocese of Boston. And the archdiocese says that if the parishioners lose their appeals, it intends to turn over the building to the Syro-Malabars. The archdiocese said the situation would be similar to that at Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon, an Eastern Rite parish in Jamaica Plain that is part of the Maronite eparchy headquartered in Brooklyn.

"This step is not intended to signal that Saint Jeremiah Parish will reopen as a parish of the Archdiocese of Boston," archdiocesan spokesman Terrence C. Donilon said in a written statement issued yesterday. "After all canonical appeals have been concluded and taking their results into consideration, the Archdiocese will be in consultation with the leadership of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy concerning the possibility of establishing a Syro-Malabar parish at St. Jeremiah's."

The Framingham Catholics are suing the archdiocese in state courts, arguing they, and not the archdiocese, own the parish. And they are appealing the closing at the Vatican, arguing that the archdiocese committed a number of procedural and substantive errors in deciding to shutter the parish.

The deal isn't the only recent bi-ritual news from the Boston church; last month, Cardinal Sean O'Malley OFM Cap. ordained an Ethiopian-born priest who'll have faculties to celebrate the archdiocese's weekly Mass for those attached to the Ge'ez rite -- a Coptic offshoot mostly found in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

[NYer]

SYRO MALABAR CHURCH

[NYer]

For those who have the time and are interested, below are 5 links to the Syro-Malabar Mass. Most reverent!

Syro Malabar Qurbana part-1

Malabar Qurbana part-2

Malabar Qurbana part-3

Malabar Qurbana part-3 (Consecration)

Malabar Qurbana part-5

[massgopguy]

So, Bishop Sean does the right thing and as Howie Carr would say, “No good deed goes unpunished”.

[AmericanExceptionalist]

Religious tolerance is a very good thing. Religious indifference is...well, less so. Much less so.

This looks suspiciously like the latter.

[Cheverus]

While I am no fan of O’Malley this seems to be a good solution to a tough situation.

The Syro-Malabar population has been growing for years, twenty years ago they were a small community at the Cathedral, (much like the Eithiopians today), then they outgrew that.

For the past 5 years or so they’ve been using a school in Waltham and even had their own Priest.

They need a Church so this is a better solution than making them build one.

[massgopguy]

We just had a newly ordained priest from Ethiopia assigned to our Parish.

[RKBA Democrat]

These “protesting parishioners” such as they are, should be delighted to see this. Their church will still be there, and they’ll be able to worship there in a Catholic rite, although (mock horror!) it isn’t *their* rite. It sure beats selling the church off, which is what usually happens. This is an outstanding way to keep an otherwise nonviable Parish open; turn it over to one of the eastern rite churches and let them put the building to good use. The eastern rites are very reverent, very Catholic, and in some areas, growing due to immigration.

I have a problem with the whining that is going on in some of the Latin rite Dioceses about Parish closings. More often than not, the Parish in question is simply too small to be viable. The Dioceses in question do not have the resources or available Priests to keep beautiful but empty churches open.

And we need to ask the question: who is responsible for Parishes remaining viable? Is it the Diocese in question? I think not. The Diocese has no special power to get people to show up, or to have children, or to convince parishioners to stay in the area.

[Unam Sanctam]

Religious tolerance is a very good thing. Religious indifference is...well, less so. Much less so. This looks suspiciously like the latter.

Both the Latin and the Syro-Malabar rites are in communion with the successor of Peter, the Pope, so I don't think this is a case of religious indifference. If anything, I would bet a Syro-Malabar congregation is probably more faithful to orthodox Catholic teaching than your run of the mill ordinary Latin rite Catholic parish around here.

[JoeFromSidney]

When I was living in Turkey the church I attended was shared by our Latin Rite (French language) Mass and a Syrian Rite Mass. They had theirs before ours every Sunday. Very beautiful.

I also occasionally attended an Armenian Rite Mass, but that was the only one offered at that particular church.

[Tax-chick]

Having been occupied since 2005 by protesting parishioners ...

Don't these people have jobs? And best wishes to the Syro-Malabar Catholics, and any suburban-Bostonians who aren't too special to worship with them.

I have to say, I'm unsympathetic. I've changed churches every few years all my life, because we've moved. Sometime this summer, we'll have been at St. Luke's Redneck Evangelical Catholic Party Barn for five years, and that's a record.

If the protesting parishioners had children, I guess they've moved away from the old neighborhood ... which is how life goes.

[Biggirl]

...And also dioceses that are Latin rite should also look at the traditional Latin rite that just got clearance to have that rite celibrated last summer also for those small parishes in question.

[thefrankbaum]

If anyone would know the answer to this question, you would. Can Catholics who normally participate in Latin Rite Masses freely attend any of the other 21 sui juris Church Masses? Never occured to me before, but as I learn more about other Rites in my area, the more intrigued I am.

[ThanhPhero]

Yes, they can if they are outside their own parish in travel or in the military, etc. They can "convert," also to a home parish.

I am Roman Rite but when I used to travel I would always seek out an Eastern Rite church when I found myself in another city on Sunday. I experienced a number of different Rites but one thing I did not experience was the sort of surprises I had found in Roman Rite churches wherever I had made the mistake of going to one in a different city, "In the name of the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sanctifier," dancing girls, political speeches in place of the homily, etc. That sort of thing never happened in any Eastern Rite church that I heard Mass in. The Mass is Holy and the Easterners don't play games with it in the manner of "Spirit of Vatican II" or "Liberation Theology" or "Social Gospel" or suchlike. The Eastern Churches never heard of St. Saulalinsky.

[neb52]

Evidently they have the money to sue the Archdiocese, but not enough to give to their parish.

[RKBA Democrat]

“If anyone would know the answer to this question, you would. Can Catholics who normally participate in Latin Rite Masses freely attend any of the other 21 sui juris Church Masses?”

Absolutely! So long as you’re able to take Communion in your (Catholic) church, you’ll be able to take Communion in one of the eastern rite churches. In case you’re curious, we call Mass “Divine Liturgy.” If you’ve never been to one, you’ll be in for a treat.

Most likely you’ll find a warm reception. The eastern rite Parishes tend to be smaller and a lot more personal. Be forewarned, though, that we’re on “eastern time.” Which means that Liturgy will probably not start on time, will take as long as it takes, and in most Parishes there is a coffee or snack or meal afterwards. It’s considered rude to dash out the door as soon as you’ve received Eucharist, so plan on sticking around at least through Liturgy and for awhile afterward if you can.

[NYer]

Can Catholics who normally participate in Latin Rite Masses freely attend any of the other 21 sui juris Church Masses?

As both ThanhPhero and RKBA Democrat have pointed out, yes you may take Communion in any Eastern Catholic Church. In fact, the Holy Father encourages Roman Catholics to discover the Eastern Catholic Churches. And, as both freepers also noted, there is no hanky panky in the Eastern Churches.

They can "convert," also to a home parish.

Actually, covert is not the proper term. Optionally, Roman Catholics may request a canonical switch of rites but that is rarely done. Catholic is catholic; same faith - different flavor.

Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. According to the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, the Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity (LG, no. 23). At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The new Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, uses the phrase "autonomous ritual Churches" to describe these various Churches (canon 112). Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western Catholic Church, while there are 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches. It is immediately subject to the Roman Pontiff as Patriarch of the West. The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops. Through the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the Roman Pontiff works to assure the health and well-being of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

While this diversity within the one Catholic Church can appear confusing at first, it in no way compromises the Church's unity. In a certain sense, it is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Just as God is three Persons, yet one God, so the Church is 22 Churches, yet one Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes this nicely:

"From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who receive them... Holding a rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions. The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity" (CCC no. 814).

Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments. Many Eastern Catholic Churches use the same Rite, although they are distinct autonomous Churches. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Melkite Catholic Church are distinct Churches with their own hierarchies. Yet they both use the Byzantine Rite.

To learn more about the "two lungs" of the Catholic Church, visit this link:

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES

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).

A Roman rite Catholic may attend any Eastern Catholic Liturgy and fulfill his or her obligations at any Eastern Catholic Parish. A Roman rite Catholic may join any Eastern Catholic Parish and receive any sacrament from an Eastern Catholic priest, since all belong to the Catholic Church as a whole.

I am a Roman Catholic practicing my faith at a Maronite Catholic Church. Like many other Eastern Churches, it is a fairly small community where everyone gives of their time in service. Since 'discovering' this parish, I have been asked to wear many hats. I serve as lector, VP of the woman's society, Secretary on the Parish Council, grant writer and Director for Religious Education. More than a parish community, we are like a family where sacraments are cause for joy and celebration.

I would strongly encourage you to discover the beauty of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Should you find an Eastern Catholic Church nearby and decide to attend, please freepmail me in advance. There is one hardfast recommendation I will make, and with which the other freepers will agree, plan to attend 3 weeks in succession. The first visit is disorienting (no pun intended). By the 2nd visit, there is a sense of recollection and by the 3rd visit, the elements of the liturgy begin to fall into place.