I noticed in the new pew book for the 2nd Sunday of Lent that there is no commemoration of St. Gregory Palamas. I guess that finally answers the question whether the Ruthenian Metropolitan Church sui juris of Pittsburgh recognizes him as a saint or not.

One can be recognized as a saint and not be commemorated by a particular Church on a particular day. There are lots of Latin saints not on our calendar and lots of Byzantine saints not on the Latin Church's calendar or other Eastern Churches' calendars.

As Fr. Serge has mentioned elsewhere St. Gregory Palamas is in the Greek Anthologion published by Rome and the MCI has propers for Vespers for St. Gregory Palamas so any parish wishing to commemorate him can insert his troparion in the Liturgy next Sunday.

http://www.metropolitancantorinstitute.org/sheetmusic/2007/03-03-07GF2SundayGreatVespers.pdf

No, the letter says only "this text" may be used. Everything else is forbidden.

Nick

Nick,

Considering the MCI texts are sanctioned by the Hierarchs I find it difficult to believe one could sing his troparia at Vespers but not at Liturgy. The Liturgicon and People's Books are also not comprehensive. Are we to believe that no saint's troparia are to be sung at any Liturgy since no complete Menaion is included in either? It seems to me you want to make more of the promulgation than is intended.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Father Deacon Lance--that's fair enough, St. Gregory may very well be in the Anthologion published by Rome. But, he seems not to be in the official liturgikon published by the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Church. Since that church is sui juris I'm assuming that means that it has the power to not include him in the menaion or commemorate him officially at the Divine Liturgy as seems to be the case in the new pew books. It seems to be a bit odd to have stichs in the vesper hand outs for the Saturday evening before the 2nd Sunday of Lent and not in the Divine Liturgy for the day itself. Also, the wall calendars published by the Byzantine Seminary Press don't have his commemoration listed either.

John K

I suppose this means that the Byzantine-Ruthenian Church in the USA is a tad skittish about Saint Gregory (by the way, his icon has appeared in the Sunday bulletin series - has anyone complained?) and therefore neither forbids not requires it.

That also seems to be the current Ukrainian Greek-Catholic position. Those of us who venerate him point to the Anthologion. Those who don't like him are not about to condemn Rome in so many words.

Incidentally, before Vatican II Father John Meyendorff was bemused to find that an article of his on the importance of venerating Saint Gregory Palamas appeared in a collection, which received the Imprimatur of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris.

Fr. Serge

Many Rusyn Catholics would like to chant the St. Gregory Palamas Troparion at Vespers, however most Pittsburgh Metroplia Churches refuse to have Vespers.

Is it not ironic to have "pick and choose 'Catholicism'"? I do not appreciate the have a Troparion it if you feel like it, Fast if you feel like it, etc. version of Catholicism promoted by the Pittsburgh Metroplia. The whole deal just seems Protestant to me.

In addition, many Priests are probably afraid of losing their jobs if they do have the Troparion of St. Gregory Palamas. It appears to me that there is an unwritten rule that says something like "We cannot directly forbid the Troparion of St. Gregory Palamas or Rome and Constantinople will throw a fit, but if Pittsburgh Metroplia Parishes do chant the Troparion of St. Gregory Palamas, the Priest may be 'reassigned' or the Parish may be gifting their assets to the Eparchy for the 'Greater Good.'"

St. Gregory Palamas defended the Hesychasts, who will defend St. Gregory?

St. Gregory Palamas Pray to God For Mankind!

Ah, but not until June 29.

Amen!

This all begins to remind me of the introduction of the Elizabethan Book of Common Prayer. The decree requiring it gave a date a few months later that year - and many parishes took it right down to the wire. They were thronged for the last Mass and pointedly empty for the first whatever-you-care-to-call-it.

Fr. Serge

Father Serge, It's interesting that the first day for the revised Liturgy following Cramner's BCP was Pentecost Sunday. What should have been a high festival day was reduced in most places to a low mass in English. John

Every Orthodox church this Sunday will commemorate St. Gregory Palamas and likely just about every sermon you hear will be about him and his teaching. You will probably see icons depicting him along with the two other latter day pillars of Orthodoxy - St. Photios the Great and St. Mark of Ephesus.

His place in Orthodoxy is not in question.

I commemorate Saint Gregory Palamas every year on the Second Sunday of Great Lent. I normally preach about him and his teachings, but this year, exceptionally, I shall not - there's another matter I must address.

Fr. Serge

The question has still not been answered. Why has the commemoration of St Gregory Palamas been deleted from the new pew books and the wall calenders?

Anyone?

Sorry, but the commemoration is not IN the official Church Slavonic typical editions prepared by the Oriental Congregation for the Ruthenian Recension - the ones used in preparing the 1964 English translation. For example, on page 90 of the "Small Apostol" (for Sundays and feasts), for the Second Sunday of the Great Fast, the troparion in the resurrectional tone is specified, followed by the kontakion "Nyni vremja d'ilatelnoje javisja" in Tone 4, which the Jordanville Prayer Book calls the "Kontakion of the Sunday."

The 1978 Levkulic Divine Liturgy book gives the same kontakion, with the English translation "Today the time of earthly deeds is revealed..", as does the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Anthology (in a different translation). The new Divine Liturgies book has "Now the season for virtues has arrived..."

Father David's annual typikon, approved for use in the Metropolia of Pittsburgh, mentions the commemoration of St. Gregory and gives directions for it but does not prescribe it. The Metropolitan Cantor Institute provided texts with music for Vespers. But like many optional commemorations in the church, this one is NOT required; in fact, applying the strict standard many on this forum have called for (i.e. adherence to the Roman books of the Ruthenian Recension), one would end up celebrating exactly what is in the new Divine Liturgies book.

This has been the order of celebration in the Ruthenian liturgical tradition for well over 100 years. Time to add a commemoration of St. Gregory back to the calendar? I would be happy to see it. But no one in our lifetime set about to "remove" it.

Yours in Christ,
Jeff