Hey all,

I haven't been here on the forum for quite some time now (April) as I've been really busy with life in general. That being said there are a few things I've seen said here in this specific sub-forum regarding former Latin Rite Catholics and the Revised Divine Liturgy. The impression I get is that the common opinion is that former Latins or Latins who attend Byzantine Rite parishes in the Metropolia of Pittsburgh don't give a flying *care* about what has happened to the liturgy. This I can assure you is far from the case. I attend a Ruthenian parish and 60-70% of the congregation like me are either former Latins, Latins in transition to the Ruthenian Rite, or Latins who just like going to the East and guess what....we don't like what has been done to the liturgy either. We want what we once had. The awkward melodies, the gender neutral language, the abrogation of the liturgy in general are all things that we are trying to get away from, if we wanted such changes then why would we be going Eastward? We could get all of that along with corny liturgical folk music, communion being handed out like it's candy rather than the body of Christ by everyone but the priest, liturgical dancing, and etc. etc. etc. in many of the local Roman Rite parishes. However we don't want that, we want the beauty of the East in its fullness. Some of us have even left the Ruthenian Rite community and sought our transfers elsewhere, I've dabbled with looking into the Melkite Greek Church, returned to the Ruthenian, and am currently petitioning to canonically transfer to the Ukrainian Greek Church while attending my Ruthenian parish (I can't go to the UGCC every week because it's too far away for me to afford to attend b/c of gas prices....eek!). Lest I digress (even more than I may have already) I guess I just wanted to impress upon those who think that the non-cradle Byzantines don't care about the what is happening to the Ruthenian Church, we do and many of us are beginning to vote on it with our feet, while others choose to stay and fight along with their cradle-Byzantines for the fullness of the Ruthenian liturgy and spirituality. I hope I haven't offended anyone here with what I've said but I just felt it needed to be said.

I'm saddened by your post. I was hoping the RDL was not going to chase away former Latins who feared another Vatican II. Based on your post, it appears to me that the people who identify themselves as Ruthenian as opposed to Eastern Catholic, will likely be the ones who will stay in the trenches and fight it out over a fuller Liturgy.

Though, I know many Ruthenians who have left for more sacred ground and are finding happy homes in the Orthodox or other Eastern Christian Churches.

The question is, who will be left?

Four Bishops, a handful of priests, and a remnant of what once used to be a proud Slavic Byzantine Catholic church.

Continued prayers for my former church, and the restoration of the full Ruthenian recension.

Don't despair, there are plenty of transitioning Latins or Latins in general who are not abandoning the Ruthenian Church (if we were all jumping ship my parish would be non-existant) I was just trying to convey that we like cradle-Byzantines are not happy with the RDL, contrary to what the general impression of us has been. There are those like myself who love the parish we attend but can no longer see ourselves canonically chaning to a Church that is experiencing liturgical strife. We will stay in the parish and continue to be contributing members however we are seeking our transfers elsewhere. I for one am seeking my transfer not only based on the liturgy but also on where I am headed in my future as the two grad schools of my choice are near Ukrainian Catholic churches, not Ruthenian, and my probable place of future residence in two hundred miles away from a Ruthenian Church, and ten miles away from a Ukrainian. But I digress. Keep up the prayers and don't give up hope.

I try not to yield too often to the temptation to read the posts on the RDL because it so saddens me to see how much bitterness has been generated by its promulgation, and how much more by the tumult of the comments. Nevertheless, I would offer these thoughts: Posters, across the spectrum of those concerned with this subject, should ask themselves if they are using the RDL as a surrogate for other issues that might better be debated on their own. Critics of the RDL should ask themselves how much of their discontent arises from the way in which it was introduced and how much from the product itself. Defenders of the RDL should ask themselves what might be done to open a genuine "family discussion" on the issue of the RDL and liturgical reform in the BCC. All should pause and consider where this wrangling is taking the BCC.

I was merely trying to defend former Latins, or Latins in transition (like myself) from the insinuations that have been made about us not caring about the liturgy. It had been my impression based on a few posts I have seen in my time on the site that some view us and not caring because we were not born in to the tradition, and or do not have ethnic ties to it. This is quite to the contrary. All I wished to do was to impress upon those who hold those views that we like our brethren who are cradle Byzantines are far from happy with what has been happening. Yes some (many, depends on where you're looking or who you're asking) are proceeding to ask for Ritual Transfers elsewhere, after much prayer and thought. I do not feel like I am using the RDL as a surrogate for other issues I may be experiencing, nor do I think this is the case with the others who have posted on this thread. I do not want to offend you, far from it. I do feel however by raising the issue of the RDL serving as a "surrogate" for other issues you do an injustice to those who have posted here.

One more thing, maybe to avoid having this turn into a bigger issue that it is, this thread should be closed. I'm not saying this because I think that anyone who has posted here so far is making this thread into a mountain instead of a molehill, but I would hate to have started a thread that would end up containing emotionally charged dialogue and further discontent. Tim you are right about the RDL forum in general, there is alot of bitterness here on all sides because this issue of the RDL has become one that cannot be discussed without someone getting upset. Therefore I ask that this thread be closed lest it become like so many others here on this subforum or if not closed then maybe not posted on anymore. Thank you all and let's pray for an end to all this dissention. Furthermore if I have offended any with my posts or responses et.c I sincerly apologize and ask for your prayers and forgiveness.